oops

I sometimes do irrational things 

    Like taking my evening meds in the morning.

    For the most part that is no big deal.  After all, I take several of the same drugs morning and night.

    But at night I take 2 nighttime Tylenol.  And I take a sleep inducing drug to help me, well,  sleep.

    So this morning I took a lot of sleep inducers.  That explains my 90 minute nap.

    It also may explain my on and off confusion during the day.

    But I persevered.

    Went to PT, stopped at the bank, went to Walmart, and met one of my favorite authors.

    The mistaken doses may explain the bank issue.

    When I went in, there was only 1 other customer and there were 2 tellers.  When I finally stopped gabbing, I looked behind me and there were 3 people in line!  And they are all thinking, "When is the old man gonna shut up?"  So I did,

    I stopped at Cypress House and had a caffeine free drink off the kids menu.  Then I waddled to the back of the store and The Rochelle Hub book store, where Molly Fader was signing her new release.

    I purposely shorted my PT time to get here early, but after only 20 minutes they were out of her book.  I am on the wait list.

    It was great to talk with Molly.  She was never a student and I think I got to know her through theater activity.

    In case you don't know, she has written dozens of books, a lot of romance novels, and has won several awards.  I don't read the romance novels. Jackie does.

    But the non romance novels are pretty darn good!  

    If you want romance, look for Molly O'Keefe.  If you want good fiction, look for Molly Fader

    Also ran into friend Dianne at the book signing and she was singing Hi Lili, Hi Lili, Hi Lo.  Seems my ear worm was catching.

    I finished running my lawn sweeper over the back yard.  Now I have 4 huge piles of grass behind the native plants.  I can't see them from the house and I am hoping they go away.

    If not......??

Peace and love

    Especially Peace

My eighth grade teacher  taught me a valuable lesson:  Rain has to start and stop someplace.  I think this is an example of his wisdom.

A butterfly!!!!

Molly and me

argh! ear worm!!!!

 Sometimes I don't understand me

    I was working on the beans yesterday and a tune came into my head.

    I could not get rid of it!

    I could not remember r all of it, just part: Hi Lili Hi Lilli Hi Lo, Hi Lo....a song of love is a sad song.....

    I kept singing that part, and the Hi Lili refrain and it was driving me crazy

    So before I went to bed I Googled it.  The song is a simple little tune from a movie  called, strangely enough, Lili.

    Then I Googled the lyrics and was shocked that they were so familiar to me!  It was like I knew the song, but forgot it.

    The movie came out in 1953 and the song has been performed by a variety of artists.   Guess at some point I had heard the song and really liked it.

    As a. matter  of fact, I still do.

    Julia came over today to help me install my new bird feeder.

    Trouble is, I seem to have misplaced a key part.....the one that holds the feeder on the pole.  My task tomorrow is to hunt in the garage, den, closet, mud room and ant other place I might have wandered with it.

    I almost finished mowing the lawn, again.

    I just don't seem to have enough time to get the last bit done.

    I do have to pick up garden debris before I mow, but that should not take long.

    And I have to trim.  Grass is a little long around the gardens and house.

    While I am working I will probably sing Hi Lili.

    And now I know all the words.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

Whadda change

 It sure feels nice out tonight

    I was out earlier in the day and it seemed hot and humid.  Close, is what my parents called it.

    I think that was code for "I am hot.  I am sticky. Get too close and I will bite your head off."

    But I am not sure.

    I went out tonight to water the porch plants and it actually felt comfortable.  

    Normally I would have put the porch plants out on the sidewalk and let Mother Nature take care of the watering.  But I did not do that.  I should have.

    When I checked my rain gauge last night it had 1.9 inches in it!  That's a lot of rain.

    Today was blanch, chill and bag beans day.

    Jackie and I spent the better part of our day cutting beans.

    Then I blanched  them, stuck them in cold water, dried them, and finally bagged them and put them in the freezer.

    We ended up with 2 1-gallon bags of green beans and 3 1-gallon bags of Italian beans.  That should be plenty for the next 10 months!

    Next weekend....corn.

    I made a huge mistake last night.

    After I got Jackie to bed, I did my blog, played solitaire, read some articles, checked Facebook and before I knew it, it was 1:15!

    I am not making that mistake tonight.

    I hope.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

picking time

 I picked beans today

     I planted 2 kinds....regular green beans and Italian beans.  The Italian beans are flat and we cut them into 1 inch or so pieces.  The green beans we just cut the ends.

    Tomorrow we will be cutting, blanching, and packaging beans for winter and spring use.  I may keep some out for supper, but we also have broccoli I bought at the store.  

    In years past I would bend over and pull each bean off the stem, leaving the plant to produce more beans.

    This year I pulled the entire plant out and then pulled off the beans. 

    I could do the pulling while sitting in the golf cart, which is a lot easier on my back.  Besides, I have enough of both varieties and don't need any more.

    What is puzzling is the tomatoes.  Still don't have any.  I think they just got too much rain.  There are a lot of green ones, but no red ones yet.  I am hopeful.

    I noticed my hickory tree is producing nuts!  I don't remember any last year, so. this is kind of exciting.

    Of course, nuts mean squirrels. which means I have to check the yard before letting Beth outside just to be safe.

    Played cards with friends tonight.  We play Eucher, or however it is spelled.

    I had a perfect hand tonight.  Double red jacks, queen of diamonds, ace of diamonds and ace of hearts.

    Never got a chance to call trump with it.

    That was the most frustrating feeling.....knowing you have a loaner in your hand and not being able to play it.

    But it was a fun evening despite that.

    We talked about a mutual friend and someone said they were over 80.  I said that was hard to believe they were that old.  Then I realized I am 78...... pretty dang close to 80 myself.

    Stay dry.  Stay safe.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

    

peace

 I declare the Bug War officially over

    I am not a wasteful person, but I did throw a lot of stuff out today.

    You have to know, I am an impulse buyer.

    That is why I bought a shoo fly pie kit while up in Amish country.

    All I have to do is preheat the oven, pour one bottle into a pie dish, pour the pouch into the pie dish and stir.  Pop it in the over and wait.

    I decided last night to make it today.

    When I opened it the pouch had exploded inside the box!  Something gooey was all over the inside, so I pitched it.

    Then I realized I have not been to Amish country in several years.  I could not find a best use date on the box, so that was no help.

    I picked up an unopened 1 lb. box of spaghetti. I know the little bugs like grains, so when I turned it over to look, sawdust fell out of one end of the box.  Into the trash.

    Beth's container of treats?  Buggy.  Tossed.

    But I just looked around carefully and saw no bugs.  None.  Zilch.

    So I am calling it a victory.

    I just hope the little suckers agree.

    Friend Nadine and I made our annual trip to Amboy today to buy raffle tickets.

    Maybe it is just me, but I honestly think the lady at city hall remembers us. 

    Anyway, I also got some for Linda and Dan.

    Amboy started this drawing years ago.  The first year I think it gave $600 to the winner and $600 to the museum.  Over the years it has grown in pot and popularity.

    Last year the winner took home somewhere around  $130,000.

    The money is used for all sorts of projects that benefit the residents and the museum.

    Our museum is in its third  year of a 50/50 drawing, I think.  Our prize last year was a bit over $600.

    I have tickets....$1 for 1, $5 for 6,  $20 for 24.  Plus, you get one year of museum membership if you buy the $20 pack.

    And if you buy the $20 pack directly from me, I will treat you to a drink at Cypress House.

    And yes, Jen I owe you 2,  SK I owe you 2 and Ken I owe you 1.

    Let's get together and sip!!!

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

PS...I hope you liked the video!  

Into the bin they go!!

Potty Cast

 We did a very informative museum podcast

    It dropped today.

    Why not take a peek when you are done reading this little missive.  The link is at the end, if I copied it right,

    The Pantry Bug War is continuing.  I have declared victory.  But the struggle is on going.  I won't give up until the foe is totally vanquished.

    Or I might just give up and put it off until tomorrow.

    I am. turning into a sock idiot.  Or just a plain idiot, I don't know.

    I get deep marks around my ankles when I wear ankle socks.  By the way, those are different from crew socks, as I found out after ordering 6 pairs of the wrong socks.  But they are non binding, which is what I wanted.  I just did not want crew socks.

    I have a pair of ankle socks that are great.  so I ordered 8 additional pairs.  Same sock.  Same brand.  Totally different fit.  When I take them off I have huge rings around my ankles.

    So last night I found exactly what I wanted.  By the way, that is the third sock I have said that about.

    I ordered them, and got a confirmation.  But, and I don't know how I did this, I ordered 2 different sizes!  I ordered a pack of large and a pack of small.  I wanted 1 pack of large.

    I could have sworn I did it right the first time.

    Now I have to go through another return process,

    Damn, life gets hard when you don't pay attention.

    OK....here is the link:

https://drive.google.com/.../19YtGwEFRztkyiqylQmrrFD.../view

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

good times

 This was a pretty darn good day

    Sure, we had a severe thunderstorm warning with the possibility of damaging wind and a tornado, but all it did was get real dark and rain.

    Friends John and Kathy came out from the city for a long overdue visit.  They brought a variety of brats and salads for lunch.

    I had a Greek brat, which was made with lamb.  It was pretty darn tasty!  There are also  Italian beef brats.... but those  did not get cooked. And traditional brats.  Plus some hot dogs.  They graciously left the left overs.

    It's great to visit with friends you have had for a long time.  We told stories, talked about dogs, and just had a great time talking and laughing.

    Julia dropped by and Emily stopped after work.

    After everyone but Julia left,  I asked her about the bugs I have been finding in the pantry.

    She said they looked like the grain beetles she had.

    We hunted for a source and I think  found it........ Beth's dog food! 

    I was getting food at the bottom of the container and there were a lot of bugs there.  And also in a container with treats.

    We ended up tossing out a lot of expired, and buggy food.  I found some in the bottom of a couple of spices we bought in Amish country so they got tossed.  The spices, not the Amish.

    The damn bugs are just annoying.  Hopefully getting rid of the buggy dog food will solve the problem.

    But now I have to figure out how to store dog food so bugs don't get in it.

    And honestly, we have never had that problem until recently.

    After all that, I went out to mow.  Another disaster.

    The grass is pretty long.  I could not finish because it got dark.

    I have to finish mowing, run the sweeper over the grass because the cut grass is laying everywhere.  I also have to start picking beans.  And go to PT.  And wash down shelves in the pantry.  And go to a museum meeting. And put the pantry back together.

    Something tells me I won't get that all done tomorrow.

    But Rome wasn't built in a day.

    Today was good.  Friends are good.  Family is good.

    Not much more I can ask for.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

watch out

 What a day!

    Jackie wanted some new towels, so we went to Kohl's in DeaKalb.  She had a 30% off coupon that expires soon.

    I got a coffee and I was sitting in the car in the parking lot.

    Right across the street from Starbucks there is an exit from the shopping area.

    As I am watching, a man is crossing the exit lane and a white car hits him!  He few up onto the hood,  then rolled off and got up.  He walked around and looked fine.  Or at least ok.

    My theory is the driver was looking left for a break in traffic.   They saw it, moved forward and hit the guy.The car was not going fast.  But it still had to hurt.

    Another driver stopped to render assistance.  We left before any police or ambulance arrived, if an ambulance was needed.

    We stopped at Walmart on the way home, and I was at the van when I heard yelling and swearing.

    Somebody in a car and a woman in the parking lot were screaming at each other.

    I heard things like, watch where you are walking, learn how to drive, you almost hit me, and finally she screamed something like oh yeah?  You want a piece of me? Come on.  I'right here.

    Luckily nothing happened.

    When it is cars versus pedestrians, the cars always win.

    Be careful.  Look both ways.  Watch for pedestrians.  And pedestrians, use a little more caution.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

rain, rain,

 I am hoping for rain

    Everything is so dry....the lawn, flowers, veggie garden.  Veggies are my fault, I took the sprinklers down when I mowed last Friday and did not put them back up.

    Or was it Thursday?

    We got a little rain today, but not enough.

    A last wedding story.

    There was a definite Chinese influence because the groom is Chinese.

    We all got fortune cookies with our names on them.  Inside was a fortune, and a number for the table we were at for dinner.

    I love the fortunes that say things like:  One door will open when another closes.  Friends will help you during a rough patch.  Good fortune is to come.

    You know, the uplifting, optimistic, positive fortunes.

    Mine was pretty positive, although I don't remember it at this point.

    I do remember, however, the fortune cookie that was extra.

    And I am a little worried.

    It says:  You will be the reason friends and family gather.

    Now, for a younger person that could mean a wedding, birthday, a celebration of some sort.

    But when you are 78, it takes a whole different meaning!

    Lucky I am not superstitious.  Knock  on wood!

    A bit oof baseball talk.  The Cubs and Nats are tied for leading the National League in games where they have scored 10 or more runs.  Both teams have done that16 times this season.

    They play each other starting Tuesday in Washington.  2 teams that score a lot of runs.

    I predict no game will feature more than 3 runs for a team.

    Obviously, I hope the Cubs do score a lot and the Nationals don't.

    Time will tell.

    No storm last night......3 tornadoes south of us.  In fact, we did not even get rain!

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

short day today

 I did not get much done today

    I think we were pretty tired from yesterday.  I got up at 11.  Jackie woke up at about 11:30.

    By then I had done my stretching exercises.

    No need to have breakfast, so we went right to lunch.

    I watched the Cubs for a while.  When they were ahead 7-2, I opted to rad the Trib on line.

    Now, after sleeping for 11 hours, I really did not expect to fall asleep in front of the computer!  I missed the eighth and ninth innings and part of the post game show.  Jackie did not wake me because she too fell asleep.

    I w ent to the store, and on my way back to the car noticed some jerk parked in a no parking space at Walmart.  Then I realized it was me!  WTH???

    Jackie texted me and said they found a foot rest for a wheelchair in the parking lot at the wedding venue.  I said it was not ours because I know I put our foot rest in the van.

    But just to be sure, I double checked and.....crap.  Our wheelchair foot rest is 70 miles away.

    Damn.

    Hopefully I can piece together a complete wheelchair until I get the leg back.

    There was an after wedding brunch  today and we opted not to go.  But Julia and Emily went and brought us back some delicious chicken, brats and lots of cookies.

    And tonight storms are rolling in to the area.  I can hear the thunder....now we just need the rain.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

The invitation said cocktail attire, but make it festive and colorful.  I t think I did.

I thought I was in the space.  

long day!

 We went to a wedding today

    It was a family affair, , and it was great to see all the nieces and nephew and their kids..

    The setting was beautiful, a wedding garden in Woodstock.

    For food they had 2 food trucks. One with smash burgers and fries and the other with Chinese food.

    All in all it was a great day.  Family, food, fun....not too many days like hat in life.

    There was even a special guest.  Actually, 2 special guests.

    But I only got a picture of one.

    Anyway, that's it for me.

    Stay safe out there.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

BNLT for supper

I am being very careful about the latest malady 

    You know,  the one that causes explosive diarrhea.

    I wash my berries and all store bought fruit before I use it.

    But I keep hearing lettuce is a problem, so I just don't buy lettuce.

    And that explains my BNLT for supper:  bacon, no lettuce, tomato.

    The tomato part came from our garden.  It is one of 2 I have found ripe on the plants.  I honestly thought there would be more  by now.

    Stopped in Cypress House for a coffee today and one of my favorite former students was there.  I recognized Tallie right away.  As we were talking, the man waiting at the counter turned and it was former student Joe, another favorite, who  now teaches at Tilton.  

    And Tallie treated me to a coffee!!!  Triple win!!

    Tilton is undergoing a massive reconstruction project.  There are still a couple of classrooms in storage containers and work is still being done in the rooms.

    Joe said they can go into the classrooms Monday.  School starts Wednesday.  2 days to unpack and get a room ready.

    I told him I may stop in Monday afternoon to see if I could help.  I could put up some bulletin boards, something I truly sucked at while teaching.  Maybe there are other retirees who could show up and help.

    And I finally put Jackie's dinner table together.  

    The girls got it about a month ago, but I have procrastinated.  It only took about an hour and 2 start overs to get it together. 

    It might have gone faster if Beth had not decided to help by licking my face while I was on the floor.  

    In any case, that was a minor task I finally got done.  

    And that is my life.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

don't know why

 Up until a week ago, this posted on Facebook

    Now you have to click the link and go to the site.

    I know it is not that big a deal, but I wish I knew why.  Just seems to be an extra step.  Then again, maybe it isn't.

    I had a PT appointment.  I arrived 3 minutes early for my 2:15 appointment, only to be told my appointment was at 2.  They took me anyway

    I don't know why I have such a hard time with dates and times.  I wrote down 2:15 on our weekly schedule.  I checked the schedule they gave me and it sure does say 2.    Next week my times are both 2:15 so I guess I read the wrong line.

    Oh well.

    Beth is running low on dog food.  We get it from our vet and when I called Monday to tell them I was picking up some on our Tuesday trip to DeKalb, they said they were out.  They were ordering more and would put one bag  aside for me.

    Sure enough.  Wednesday morning they called.

    So after PT I went to DeKalb, stopped at the vet, stopped at Hy-Vee and stopped at Portillo's.

    I figured all the stops were in and out, but that is never. the case.  

    Vet's office was busy.  The thing I wanted at the store was in the back.  It took me a few minutes to find it and there was a wait at Portillo's.

    So I had to settle for listening to the Cubs game tying home run by Bregman while I was driving home.  Now, that was dramatic!  Down 2-0, runner on base, 2 outs and 2 strikes.....Bingo bongo, game tying home run!

    And the win in extra innings?  Just fantastic.   That I got to see.

    Here's hoping there are many more wins in the future.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

fright night

 I actually let out a tiny scream

followed by an "Oh my god you scarred me!"

    I decided today to work on the tree bases in the yard.  There are weeds, suckers, grasses and something very itchy that rubbed on my arms growing around the bases.

    I took a break for supper, then went out again.

    About 8:30 I was ready to come in when I spotted an area of crab grass that has given me fits all summer.

    So I l decided to dig  it out.  This patch was almost a foot in diameter and I was working with a shovel when I heard this screeching from behind me.

    I yelped  then turned around to see  a subdivision neighbor on her very squeaky bicycle.

    I had her daughters in school and she just stopped to say hello since she saw me in the yard.

    We had a nice chat, once my heart stopped racing.

    Jackie called me about 8:45.  I never answer when she calls.  I just go straight into the house as fast as I can.

    I got in and she was just wondering where I was because it was dark outside.

    In the not too recent past, if I don't answer her quickly she thinks I have died.  I know!  But I also know sometimes she needs me ASAP and answering the phone takes time.

    Anyway, I worked around 5 large trees and 2 of the smaller ones. And by small, I mean 1 foot or less.  These were free from the state last May and I planted 11 of them.

    Most of them have leaves.

    But there are 4 that don't have leaves.  They have buds.  I tried to snap a bit off, but they are very flexible, which to me means they are not dead.  But why no leaves?

    I am kind of itchy, but not really tired.

    It's too dark to work outside.  Maybe there is something in the house I can do before I  hit the hay.

    Or not.

Peace and Love

ahhh

 We had some luxury today

    I had a pedicure and Jackie got her toe nails trimmed.  We go to a place in Sycamore, have been going there for  a long time.

    While there, I stopped at the audiologist's for supplies, the eyeglass place for  an adjustment on Jackie's glasses, picked up dog food for Beth, returned some shorts. to Kohl's, bought hair spray at Ulta, and picked up some groceries at Hy Vee.

    It was a busy afternoon.

    But life does have its frustrations.

    We got our X Finity bill and I almost shipped my pants!

    Our bill has gone up almost $100 since June!

    After a very long time with a live chat, I was told our bill had been lower because we had promotions which have expired and there are no current promotions available.

     Neither Julia or Emily have cable service.  Maybe it is time for me to consider  going to another provider.

    But, they have to carry Marquee so we can watch the Cubs on their way to another World Series.

    As we were driving today I noticed some yards are full of old cars and trucks, machinery, garbage, and other stuff.

    It makes me wonder why a person would have 5 or 6 vehicles that don't run.  Or why they leave garbage all over their property.

    When we first married we struggled, financially.  but we kept the yard clean.

    True, walk into our kitchen now and maybe it would not be sparkling clean, and there may be dishes in the sink.  And on the counter.  And the recycling bin may be full.  And maybe the counter tops are cluttered

    But the outside looks nice.

    And that's the way it is.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

fini

 I mowed today

    I did not start until 4:30, then paused for supper, and finished about 8.

    That seems like a long time....but when you consider supper, bathroom breaks, water breaks and everything, it wasn't bad.

    Looking at the garden, the tomato plants. are huge...but there e are few tomatoes!  Kind of disappointing.

    And I am wondering if I should cut back some of the cucumber runners....they are really going everywhere.

    I had my second PT session today.  Working on stretches, next target will be building up muscles.  Today I did some stretches that really stretched me out!  I am skipping stretches tonight becuse I did them in the morning and in the afternoon. 

    I have read a couple of articles on Lollapalooza in Chicago over the weekend.

    I honestly did not know any of the names of those performing with 1 exception.  I knew Smashing Pumpkins.  But one of the kids at Lolla said they performed on the "grandpa stage." 

    Good grief.

    I saw a video of people leaving the show at the end of the night.  The description was something about how do 115,000 people leave Grant Park.

It showed all these people, holding their phones in flashlight mode,  walking  on Wacker next to the river.

    Now, I man not the most aware person, but if you are leaving Grant Park I don't think you would walk the half mile or so down to Wacker to go home.

    So I am guessing it was an AI generated image.  

    That's my opinion, unless someone can prove me wrong.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

almost

 Today was an almost day

    I made lemon cookies and they almost came out right.  They are crisp, and they are supposed to be soft.  I followed the directions.  It said to bake until the edges turn light brown, so I did.  But they are crisp, not soft.

    I almost made it through the day without major leg pains.  Afternoons seem to be better than mornings but I still have tines when I hurt.

    My eye almost looks normal.  I just have to remember not to rub it so hard next time.

    I almost contacted my nephew and his family in Switzerland, but before I knew it, it was almost 10 at night there.  Gotta do that early!

    I almost changed the batteries in my trail cam......but I can't get the old batteries out.  There has to be a trick.

    I almost went the entire day without using a swear word, but the trail can broke the spell.

    And I almost done with my chores.  Hopefully they will be finished by the time I go to bed.

    Have a great first week of August.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

rattlesnake master

Cup plant seems to be taking over the native plot

Royal catchfly....I love the red!

riddle

I have a riddle for you 

    Here is the question:  What's a 7 letter word that starts out egg and ends in soup?

    This was kind of a blah day.

    Gray skies, misty, no nap.

    Sometimes I wonder how I am going to get it all done.

    Taking care of Jackie, laundry, cooking, dishes, lawn care and who knows what else.  I complain about it, but I get it done.  Sometimes it takes a while, but I get it done.

    I know there are couples worse off than me, and I am thankful that we are not in a terrible situation.  But it gets mentally and physically tiring with the same day after day after day routine.

    We had a couple of visitors in our back yard today.  It looked like a doe and her fawn.  They were browsing around the bird feeder and then went over to neighbor john's yard.  I lost track of them after that.

    I did not go out to check the garden today.  I should have.  

    Next year I am going with 1 cucumber plant.  This year I have four or 5 of 2 varieties and they have spread like crazy!  But my tomatoes look sick.  I am not optimistic about them.

    Beans and carrots will be good crops.  I can tell by looking at all the flowers on the beans and all the carrots in the planters.  

    That is good.  I cooked the last of the beans the other night.  Well, no actually cooked.  I put the frozen beans in a pan, turned the heat on and went and grilled hamburgers.  Unfortunately I did not put water in the pan and they burned.

    Oh well.

    I guess that is all I have.

    Oh,  the answer t the riddle:  chicken.  I know!  It's not funny!!  But you will tell someone, won't you?

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

    

A little Lasso help

The new season of Ted Lasso starts next week 

     We watched the final  episode of the last season, and I got confused.

    Maybe I missed something.  The feed cut off during he credits, but what I saw got me.

    Coach and Jane were getting married at Stonehenge.  I honestly don't remember that.

    What I do remember is a scene where Keely is with Roy, somebody is getting married, and they look like they are on a beach or estate.

    Help me.... am I dreaming again?  Did I miss the last minute or 2?  Did they reshoot the ending?  Curious minds want to know.

    Anyway...doing my stretches and tonight my legs hurt like heck.  I know!  One day is too soon and it will get better.  I just wish it would be soon.

    We filmed a podcast at the museum today.  I won't tell you much about except I had a lot of fun doing it.  I also stumbled a lot on my words.  I tried to speak too fast and hopefully creative editing will smooth it all out.

    Last week the furnace made a strange noise.  A repair guy came out and thought it was a motor, that a bearing was going bad.

    We opted to replace it now rather than having it go on a day when it is too hot or too cold.  The noise never came back after the first time.....but we were playing is safe.

    Now it is all fixed and I can't wait to get the bill.

    Stopped at Cypress House for a coffee and  was talking about seeing the Savannah Bananas.  Another customer in the store joined the conversation.  She drove to Savannah to watch them!  I think she had a sister there, not quite sure about that part.  But she said it was a great experience.

    Incidentally, her ticket cost $30 and included a hot dog, drink, and fries.  

    It's hard to believe the guy started this in 2018 and almost went broke.  But now it is a million dollar business, entertaining fans around the country.

    If you get a chance to see them.....go.  You will enjoy it.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

Follow ups

Not much to say tonight 

    I just have a couple of followups to previous posts.

    I have done my first day of exercises as prescribed by the PT folks.  Boy, does that hurt!

    Also, I had my first mojito of the summer.  I know!  It's almost August and I have only had 1.  I guess my tastes have changed.  But it was good.  Sat on the back patio, had a hamburger and my mojito and did my last News-Leader crossword puzzle.

    Why my last?  $143 a year.  This issue had 2 pages on the Rockford Peaches.  That may be interesting, but it is not really Rochelle news.  So until something better comes along, I will rely on hearsay and Facebook for coverage of the local community.

    Friend Dianne asked about the value of my old house.

    My mother sold it in 1978 or  so for $57,000.  Zillow has the estimated price at $975,000.  House has 3,400 square feet.

      That got me curious about the apartment building my grandmother owned.  I was always under the impression my father's dad built the building.  But I don't know. It was built in 1925, according to Zillow.  

    Anyway, units inn the condo building are between $ $516,800 and $631,000 with a smaller unit at $387,00.  The smaller one may also be a garden apartment.  There should be 6 units in the building.

    And the HOA fees are a tad over $400  month

    And if you are a curious person, or just nosey, check out the Zillow linfo for 915 N. Dearborn in Chicago.

    A few of us could all chip in and buy it.

    Funny, eh?

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

first day

 I had my first physical therapy day today

    Nice young man.  He gave me some exercises to strengthen and stretch my hamstrings.  

    I just hope they work.

    Of course, I have to do them, which is another story. I usually don't follow through on a lot of stuff.  

    I opted to wait until tomorrow to start mowing.  Then Jackie looked at the forecast, which calls for rain for the next 40 days.........so now I am going to build an arc.

    Had a nice visit from friend Laurie today.  We spent a lot of time catching up on life.  We tried not to discuss politics, but that is hard.

    The past few weeks there have been  a couple of fawns hanging around the neighborhood.  The only adult deer I have seen was a bloated carcass down the road.  I had hoped that was not heir mother.

    Well, my fears were answered today when the 2 fawns had 2 adult deer with them as they grazed on the grass in the subdivision's green space.

    I was able to get Jackie to a window so she could watch.

    So that's my day.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

memories

 I grew up in Chicago

    I lived on Belle Plaine, just a block from Lake View High School.

    Initially we lived in a 1 bedroom apartment on Greenview and Belle Plaine. My 2 brothers and I slept in the bedroom while my folks had a Murphy bed in the living room.  My grandmother and aunt lived in the apartment behind us, on the third floor.

    The neighborhood had a mix of apartment building and single family residences.  I remember an apartment building on Belle Plaine that had a terrible smell of urine in the front entry.  The next street over was a little dicey, the neighborhood was generally well kept.  As you moved north, I remember the houses being nicer.

    About the time I was in seventh grade, my parents bought a house,  It was right across the street from the apartment building. 

    After the Banana game Sunday, we had 2 options:  walk to a corner and have John pick us up or walk to the car, which was parked near my old house.

    I opted for the walk, so we walked.

    Yes, I realize that was not a good choice considering my legs hurt, but I only had to stop and rest once.

    Curious about the walk, I used Google maps and they said it was a 1.7 mile walk.  

    I also used AI, which said it was 1.2 miles.  AI is pretty smart.  The directions they gave were to walk west on Waveland to Broadway and go right to Belle Plaine.  The only problem is, that is wrong.  Broadway is a couple of blocks east of the ball park.  The only 2 options for getting to my house were Clark or Southport.

    Anyway, walking along the route I took many times as a kid I flashed back to the people and events that formed my life.  

    The neighbor hood is beautiful.  

    There are so many why places with outdoor seating, where you can get a meal or coffee.  I would love to live there for that reason.  But getting around?  Forget it.  Living out in the country has its advantages.

    Anyway, I snapped some pictures along the way.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

Sidewalks used to have stamps from the company pouring  them.  I don't think that happens anymore, but it is neat to see them

The doorway trim is impressive

The older homes have a lot of character and detail

This was a front yard...my kind of people!

My old apartment building....now it is a condo complex

Our apartment was on the third floor on the left.  The rounded area was the front room and the window under the small arch was our bedroom.  There were 12 apartments when se lived there, but I think now there are just 6 condo units.

The house my parents bought 

There are 3 houses the same.  All were built abbot 1890.  Our house was in the middle of the three.  The house on the west of us was the same style, but reversed.  Notice the rounded windows.  My dad always was telling me not to throw things near the windows because they were expensive to replace.
They just don't build them like that anymore.

seeing red

I seem to have burst a blood vessel in my eye 

    I have a habit of rubbing my eyes, sometimes too hard.

    This morning Jackie told me my eye was red.

    This afternoon we had a home visit for a health check up that our insurance provider offers.  The doc looked at me and told me my eye was red.

    Friends just stopped by and one of them said my eye was red.

    I have to learn not to rub my eyes!  I have done this before and every time I say I am not rubbing my eyes anymore, I rub them.

    After our friends left I looked around and saw an unmade bed, dishes in the sink and on the nook table.....it was kind of messy.

    I need to get into the habit of getting dinner stuff put away, or at least stacked, after we eat.    And to get the bed made before 9 p.m..

    Monday is sheet washing day and I just have not put the clean sheets on the bed.

    But it is only 9 p.m., so there is time.

    Caffeine bothers me.  I t ry not to drink caffeinated products after 3 or so.  But yesterday I had a huge Coke at the game and another Coke on t he way home.

    I went to bed and slept like a log.  Go figure.

    I saw a picture of Gallager Way with the Bananas doing  pregame activities yesterday.  Boy, the place was wall to wall people!  The game was at 3 but the gates opened at 11:30 for pregame fun and entertainment.

    Glad today was not yesterday weather wise.  It was brutal today.

    I feel sorry for people who work outside.  Hopefully the weather breaks.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

going bananas

 I got to see the Savannah Bananas today

    That was my birthday present from Julia and Emily. We had tickets to see the Savannah Bananas at Wrigley Field.

    Julia, Emily, friend John and I watched the Bananas lose to the Firemen.

    There is a lot going on at the game.  Singing, dancing, races, and baseball.

    The music goes nonstop.  Sometimes it's a sing a long, like Take me Home Country Roads  and other times it is just music.

    I have been wanting to see them for a couple of years.  

    They played 3 sold out games at Wrigley.  Emily won a ticket lottery and was able to buy. tickets for the Sunday game.

    It was not too hot....a nice breeze off the lake.

    It was largely a young audience....and I mean young!  Little kids, lots of little kids.

    But it was a fun time and I am happy we got to go.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

Like the shirt???  

After the game I stopped at the firehouse across the street

A banana headband

world's tallest batter.....note the umpire on the box.

they swing

and they are off to first base on a hit

Wrigley was packed...lots going on during the game

hear, here

It's a miracle 

    My hearing aids work!

    After going 2 days without them, they are working today.

    Why?

    Well......I made sure they were charged.  I checked the battery status and they were both charged.

    I tried turning them off and on.  Nothing.

    I decided to change the cones and ear wax filters and voila!!!  It works!! Either there as waxy buildup (gross) or the filter wasn't in properly.  That's possible, because I changed my cones and filters about a week ago and had trouble getting the left ear on correctly.

    So, all is well that ends well.

    Tomorrow we are heading in to the city to see the Savannah Bananas!!

    This is  their third game at Wrigley and I read that the place was rocking the first night. It should be a fun day.

    Jackie is not going, but she can watch the game on ESPN.

    This was a birthday present from Julia and Emily.  Emily won a ticket lottery and was able to buy 5 tickets.

    Never heard of the Savannah Bananas?  Watch ESPN tomorrow afternoon or Google them.  They are the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball.

    Speaking of baseball, I always enjoyed the commercials with the little girls talking to their dad about heating and air conditioning.   Last year I Googled it and discovered they are not the company's owner and his family, rather they are all actors.

    I haven't seen them in commercials this year, so Google came to the rescue.  Seems the. girls' contracts were up and they went separate ways.

    And I absolute detest the betting commercial that has  the company founder touting high limits while a guy in a blue shirt looks like a zombie as he watches his phone, nods, and smiles.  Kind of creepy.

    But nothing tops the commercial for a law firm featuring Carson Kelly of the Cubs.  Makes Rockford commercials look good.

    Enough of my complaining.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

chicken cordon black

 I am not a great cook

    In reality, I am not even a good cook.

    I am not imaginative, innovative, or able to follow a recipe.

    But I try.

    When I cooked burgers and brats for Emily's birthday I thought they were nicely done.

    My steaks have been turning out better.

    But tonight, well, supper was more like a burnt offering.

    There is crispy chicken, and there is chicken that when you bang it on the plate it sounds like a piece of wooed.  And it looked like it too.

    I bit into it and thought I broke a tooth!

    These were breaded chicken breasts found in the frozen food aisle.

    I put them in the air fryer and did not check on them until it was too late.

    Jackie said they were ok, I thought they were a tough nut to crack.

    I did not take my hearing aids in today.  They are only open until 3 on Friday, and we slept in.  Plus Jackie had a blood test, so we took care of that.

    Then we went home, picked up Beth, and drove out to Julia's to check out her sidewalk and the plantings.  It really looks good.

    I just checked my veggie garden.  The tomato plants look like the leaves are curling up.  I don't know if they are getting too much water or not enough.

    And the cucumbers are going crazy.  I need to remember to plant one plant.  When the seeds sprout, I need to pull all of the growths except one.

    I just wish the tomatoes would start coming.

    I regret not planting lettuce.  Well, check that.  I planted lettuce but nothing came up.  I think the birds may have gotten to the seeds.

    I still have seeds, but is there enough growing season left?

    Might as well plant the seeds, eh?  I mean, what could happen besides nothing or lettuce?

    And maybe it will fill some bird's tummy.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

odds and ends

 Lots of little things to note tonight

    I have to stop complaining about how old I am.

    Ringo is touring this fall.  He is 86.

    My friend Bobbie just got lawn of the week in Rochelle.  S.he is 90.

    Here I sit moaning about my aches and pains.

    Speaking of aches and pains, I have PT starting next week to see if  my legs can get in better condition.  They were really sore today.  We have also made a couple of changes in my medications to see if that helps.

    Speaking of Ringo, I checked out tickets for his tour.

    I have family near Lancaster PA.  He performs there this fall.  I am sure my nephew and his family would welcome me for a night.

    I was a bit taken aback by the tickets for his Lancaster show.  There were only a few left, in the 2,000 $ to 3,000 $ range.  I think that ones is out.

    However he is also performing in Easton PA and tickets there are in the 300 $ to 400 $. range.  Much more reasonable.

    Unfortunately, I won't be going to either one.

    Median house price in Chicago is 420,000 $ according to an article I read.  

    France is banning use of social media by anyone under age 15.  As a side note, France will ban cell phones from all schools.  Both measures start next year but will probably be challenged before then.

    I don't know how they will enforce that.  Kids will find a way around the ban.

    I was looking for a document on my computer today.  I thought for sure I saved it to the cloud, but it is not there.  Not on this computer.  Not in the cloud.  Where or where could it have gone?

    Our morning person always brings treats for Beth.  Our cleaning person always brings treats for Beth.  Jackie always gives treats to Beth when she is eating lunch.  Beth got lots of treats today.

    Terry always cleans up the barf .  Beth won't eat supper.  Gee, I wonder why?

    My one hearing aid is dead.  So talk loudly if you see me.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

    

high hopes

 I had high hopes for today

    Put the new wheelchair together.  Weed the veggies.  Get my bike  down and air up the tires.

    1 out of 3 is not bad.  Is it?

    I got the wheelchair together.

    To be fair, all I had to do was take it out of the box.  But that was hard!

    I took compost out to my compost bin.  And then I just wandered around my native garden for a few minutes.

    It is such a beautiful night.  Cool and dry buy a bit smokey.  It reminds me of a campfire with rotten wood.

    I did pick 2 huge cucumbers from the veggie garden.  I can never understand why I have 3 or 4 plants that produce copious amounts of cucumbers.  I only need 1 plant.

    And honestly, I did not take my shower or get dressed until after 3.  I think yesterday tired me out.

    That's it.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace