swisher roo

 I don't follow high school sports

    We used to go to games when former students were playing, but that ship has long sailed.

    Friday night had 2 exciting finishes to local basketball games.

    Rochelle hit a game winning shot from half court as the clock expired.  And DeKalb did the same in their game!  Both bombs got net all the way.  The home fans went wild and the opponents were dejected and in disbelief.

    Ah, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

    Or as I say after walking bit, the agony of de feet.

    Jackie and I got haircuts today.  I no longer look like a bum.  At least my hair does not look like a bum's. It is neat and trimmed.

    Jackie's hair also looks cute, but she did not start out looking like a bum.

    Stopped at the museum for some hot chocolate as a fund raiser.  We did a Facebook live shot once they figured out how to do that.  I need to learn more about stuff I under use.

    For example,  my digital camera takes videos.  I have had it several years and never done. that.

    I can take videos with the phone, but I just feel like I am not using the full potential of either device.

    And I need to learn how to edit videos.  I know, it is easy.  Easy for you maybe, but way hard for me.

    I need someone extremely patient to show me how to do it.

    I also went to Julia's to help her by moving some boxes.  She is still being careful following her surgery, and I am thankful for that.

    I also took a FB quiz on the Beatles.  I answered 40 questions and had 93% right.  2 pf the questions I missed dealt with individual albums after the Beatles broke up.  I am weak on what individuals did.

    I read the Tampa Bay Area may get snow!  Holy crap, Mother Nature sure is messed up.  And the Csrolinas could be whomped by a storm.  Hopefully everyone is safe down there.

    Mean while, no snow here and the temps made it into the mid 20s

    I miss the snow but not the bitter cold.

    And I really don't miss the snow that much either.

Peace and Love

I drive the back roads home from Julia's.  Just some pictures from my drive today.

Moonrise over the cemetery

not me

I had a letter returned to me. today 

    Yes, I admit my tendency to reverse numbers can be a problem.

    And sometimes my handwriting is not the best.

    But, and I emphasize this, the return was not my fault!

    I wrote Nexstar Corporation.  They have many TV stations across the country.  For example, they have 2 stations in Rockford and 1 in Chicago.....WGN.

    I wrote asking that they allow WGN to be added to the Comcast line up.

    My letter to the corporate office in New York City came back today, marked unable to deliver as addressed.

    So I went back to  the corporate website and checked.  

    I have the address listed on the website.

    Either the postal service is wrong or a giant communications corporation has the wrong mailing address.  I could not find an e-mail except to the public relations department.  Maybe I will e mail them Monday.

    I play Wordle  most every day.  This week I had 2 days when I could not get the word.  2.  And I think it took all my tries on one or two of the other days.

    And on FB there was a quiz on 60s pop music.  I quit after about 15 questions and I only missed 2.  Both of them related to the Beatles!  How did I do that??  I love the Beatles!!  I listen to their music a lot.

    But I missed 2 questions.

    I am blaming it on the cold.

    And that is relative.   Talked to Bob and Anita down in Florida an and they were cold.  Temperatures were in the 50s.  They were expecting 27 degree windchills over the weekend.

    Iguanas will be falling out of trees like crazy, so watch where you sit you Florida people.

    Right now it is 10 on Rochelle, with a windchill of 0.

    After the past week, that is damn balmy.

Peace and Love

well, w'll, well

I should listen to Jackie more 

    She is always telling me to tie my shoes.  Mainly because my shoes are untied a lot.

    Tonight I went to move her into her chair.

    The move went fine until I plopped her down in the chair and then tripped on my untied shoelace, bouncing off the arm of the chair and hitting the floor with a loud thud.

    After checking my shoulder, arm, knee, hand and brain to make sure all were working, I rested a minute then got up.  By the way, getting up was a lot harder than going down.

    I  am not sure about the brain working.   But that is not due to the fall, just me.

    My one wrist hurts a little, but I have complete movement in all my appendages.  

    I did double knot my shoes, but after the fact.

    It could have been worse.  I could have fallen down the stairs or on the driveway.  In one case I would starve to death in the other I would be a frozen nugget.

    Since you have made it this far, I will update you on numbers.

    Going into tonight,  this blog has had 497,123 views, according to the stat site.

    I am astounded.  

    My goal with this little nightly message was originally to finish something I started.  Now,109 years later, it has become a part of my daily routine.

    And the purpose has changed.  I want to bring a little laughter into the world.  Yes, usually at my expense, but a laugh is a laugh.

    Thank you again for reading this, commenting, liking, or shaking your head at my muse.

    I am truly blessed by you allowing me into your lives.

Peace and Love

routines

 I have a semi regular routine

    I get up and get Jackie ready for the day.  When help is here, I have a little extra spare time.

    Usually I read the Tribune on line, play Wordle, check e-mail, and then get lost in the Facebook rabbit hole.

    Today, in the middle of reading the Trib, my eyes got real heavy, so I sat in my chair.

    The next thing I knew is I was being awakened because our morning help was going.

    I do not know how long I slept, but it was more than an hour.

    I went to bed at 11:15 last night, one of the earliest times I have hit ht hay.  

    I slept well....but the nap felt great.

    I am really tired tonight, so I hope I can get to bed earlier than 11:15.   Actually, I hope I make it that long!

    We had a little drama in the back yard this morning.

    A small hawk went after a little bird.  The bird went into the lilac bush, going in as far as it could.   The hawk, I assume it was a kestrel, perched on the bush but could not get at the little bird.  The hunter sat there for a few minutes, waiting, then flew off empty beaked.

    I wish it had gotten one of the thousands of ground squirrels that seem to be living in the yard.

    Birds are pretty smart to figure out that feeder is there, and that a feeder attracts prey.  

    "It's a dog eat dog world, and I'm wearing Milk Bone underwear"...........at least I think  that was one of the Normisms  I remember from Cheeers.  Might not be remembered correctly.

    Peace and Love

Oh my

 Well, I did it again

    I am such a ditz. 

Was going  to Julia's and she said as long as I was coming, could I pick up some things at the store.

    I said sure.

    Her list was rice, bananas, Colby jack cheese, Swiss cheese.  Fairly simple.

    She said she usually gets cheese in the deli area.

    I wander over there and don't see the cheese, so I ask the girl  if they have Munster cheese, she says yes, I ask for half a pound.  

    I think nothing of it.

    I pick out some bananas, get some stuff for us, and head toward her house.

    I leave her groceries and go home.  Once I get home she texts me about the bananas and if I left her the munster instead of the Colby.

    I knew she wanted Colby.  I have it written in a text, which I read 3 times to be sure I was getting everything. I have no idea why I asked for munster. 

    My mind just baffles me.

    Plus, I have the bananas.

    Maybe it is the cold. It is currently 6 with a -3 feels like temperature.  

    I am blaming it on the cold.

    We got Beth trimmed up yesterday.  She looks much better.

    I would  take a picture, but she never sits still enough for me to do that.  As soon as I bend down, she comes over to me.  I guess she is camera shy.

    Stay warm.  Spring training is not far off.

Peace and Love

on our front door side panels

cooling tower steam from the Byron nuke plant

Sometimes the wind makes. trees grow on a slant 

They were up by the road, but I stopped and they ran

SOS

 I am a great white shark

    Right now I am in a feeding frenzy!

    The mini bundt cakes from Walmart taste a lot like Suzy Qs.  

    How do I know?  Because I am eating a mini bundt cake and it reminds me of a Suzie Q!  Get with it, people.

    I am also having a glass of ...... milk!  Not wine, not decaf tea, not herbal tea but regular milk!

    I once asked why the quart size milk has a longer life date than the half gallon size,  I have not received an answer yet, mainly because I have not written the company.  It's on my list.

    Also on my list is calling my congressman to voice my anger over ICE and the continued withholding of the Epstein files.

    How my mind works:  Wasn't  Epstein a character on Welcome Back Kotter?  I remember Horshak, Vinnie, and I seem to recall an Epstein.  I don't think they are the same. I could Google it , but I. really don't care that much.

    At least 2 people reading this are now  rolling their eyes  and asking, "what the hell is wrong with him?"

    I wish I knew.

    Got a nice card from Linda today.

    It says It was morning and LO now it is evening and nothing memorable is accomplished.

    Does that sum up my days or what?

    By the way, Linda, you have beautiful handwriting!!!!

    My guests are all gone, safe in Ohio, where they had a lot of snow.  Nephew Jason is going on to his home in PA, where they had even more snow.

    Meanwhile here it is -11 windchill with a +9 temp.  The wind is really starting to howl again.

    Thank you for spending time reading this. 

    The days are dark  That is a metaphor.  Hopefully the sun will soon shine brightly once again.

Peace and Love 

damn

 Feeling a mixed bag tonight

    Some good vibes.

    Family is here, spending the. night before heading to Ohio.

    Nice to see everyone, although it may be a few weeks before we see them again.

    Emily came for dinner.  I made steak bits, broasted potatoes and broccoli.  I thought it was pretty darn tasty

    I also watched way too much football.

    The Denver game was a tough one.  Their QB is out, I think their second stringer is out, and the guy they brought in has something like 7 years experience but has on.ly thrown 4 passes in the NFL.  Denver lost, but it was a good game.  I love football in the snow.

    I also watched LA and Seattle.  I wanted LA to win because they barely beat the Bears last week.  But alas, Seattle was goo good.

    Spent time looking at old pictures, trying to figure out who people were.  My brother Carl had long blond curly  hair until he was about 4 or 5.  He looked like a cute little girl.

    I don't want to be political.

    But what happened in Minneapolis was tragic and wrong.  

    Now there are 2 shootings in Minnesota, shootings that ICE claims were  self defense.  But Some of the evidence suggests it was not.

    If you have not called your congressman about ICE....please do.  

    We don't do this in America.  It's wrong.

Peace and Love

never will I

 I have an unbucket list

    I have a bucket list.  I think everyone does, either written down or in their mind.

    But I also have an unbucket list.

    Things I would never do.

    Sky dive ...... makes no sense to jump out of an airplane strapped to somebody's belly, then falling 6 miles to Earth, hoping to make a smooth landing.  

    Walk across a rope bridge.....  George Carlin said he didn't have a fear of heights, he had a fear of widths.  I agree.  I could maybe handle walking across a wide concrete bridge, but that is also doubtful.  But a rope bridge over a canyon, or river?  Never.

    Enter a cage fighting tournament.  Hell, I am 77.  One look at me by the opponent and I would probably drop dead.  Even if it was limited to seniors, I would be in. trouble.

    Appear in a tv ad for bathroom tissue....no matter how much I was paid.  Well, almost no matter.  Money speaks and I might possibly consider embarrassing myself for the right amount.

    Take a cruise.  Boats are too big, too many people, too often passengers get some sort of sickness.  I know!  People love cruises!  I have even read about retirees like me who now live on cruise ships!  Maybe a canal cruise, on a really small boat. Maybe.

    Stand on the extended platforms in the Sears Tower.  Just looking at people doing that makes me dizzy. And I know it is the Willis Tower, I just don't accept that. Standing on a glass platform, looking down at the street 600 stories below, wondering if the glass will hold me, thinking it was time for an earthquake while I was standing there.....no way.

    Try skateboarding.  With my balance issues, and my natural clumsiness, I would break at least 4 bones just  trying to get on one.

    Swim with. the dolphins.  First off, I can't swim.  But how would I know they are really dolphins and not sharks in disguise?

    Surf in Lake Michigan.  Again, I can't swim.  Last week when the winds were strong and the waves were high, people were surfing in Lake Michigan!  Yes, it was cold!  But they were riding the waves. 

    Want to be 100.  85, sure.  Maybe even 90.  But 100?  Too many changes in the world for me, too many candles on my cake.  Blowing them out would be strenuous. 

    There you have it.  My unbucket list.

    I am sure there are things I could add, but enough is enough.

Peace and Love

really??

 People don't always understand stuff

    I admit I don't understand a lot of stuff.  Like how my I-pone knows how many steps I took today.  Or how I can place an online order and get a confirmation number within minutes.

    But I think I understand climate in a pretty basic way.

    The oceans  are warming.  Ice packs are melting.  The Earth is getting warmer.  But that does not mean we are going to be warmer.  It means ocean currents may change, causing weather patterns to change.  

    The Gulf of Mexico has had warm temperatures in. recent ears, which means more powerful storms in the Gulf.

    Warmer oceans will cause weather changes.

    When scientists labeled it Global Warming back in the 80s, I think people assumed winter would disappear.

    Climate Change is a much better description.

    In some places summers will be hotter, in other places summers may be cooler.

    That is my basic understanding of climate.

    So when it is -9 outside, like it is now, please don't ask what happened to global warming.  

    Speaking of weather, we had Kevin, Jen and Sam over tonight.  They brought food and dessert to celebrate Jen's birthday. Kevin's mom Sandy was here, so were Julia and Emily.  It was a nice gathering.

    And great food!  Thank you for feeding the Dickows!!

    At one point we wondered what the temperature was.  People started pulling out their phones. I think we got 5 different temperatures and wind chill indexes!  Some of the wind chills were 10 degrees apart, while the actual temperatures seemed to range from -9 to -12.

    But one thing we agreed on...... it was damn cold!

    WGN weather said the storm system developing in the south west may drop 12-18 inches of snow in Oklahoma!!!  No driving a surrey with the fringe on top for the next few days.  (OK, you may be too young for that reference..... or it may just be too far out.  I don't know.)

    And it snowed in Florida this week...iguanas fell out of the trees cause it was so cold.

    The storm system moving out of the southwest could be a real problem for a lot of people.

    I just have to remember....pitchers and catchers report in 3 weeks or so.

Peace and Love

    

olio

 Just a lot of odds and ends tonight

    I bought some Tide detergent recently.  I don't really need it, but I had a $3 off coupon that expires Jan. 26.  Hence the purchase.

    We have been using Tide for years.  Always get the 84 oz size.  So that's what I bought.  But when I got home, it was only 80 oz.!  So the product is smaller, and the price is higher.  I bet they are hoping people don't pay attention.

    I love the ag secretary who said most retirees have several homes.  He's right.  My other home is a van parked down by the river.

    I get sucked into a rabbit hole on FB when I click on Reels.  

    I love the 2 Brits doing how to kill an hour.  But I am also fascinated by reels of old abandoned homes.  Wish they would tell where they are and why they are abandoned.

    Another one iI like is when they fix up an old home.  Time lapse video shows the restoration process and I am fascinated.

    And fixing up old abandoned houses is the cat's meow!

    But the one reel that really grabs me is done by several people.  They show how to cut molding to go around corners, match up going from one wall to another and changing sizes of base trim, and all sorts of other woodworking tips.  It looks so easy. It would. take me days to figure out how to do the cuts.

    Even seeing them do it, I would not be able to replicate their moves.

    I hate laugh tracks on tv shows.  

    I am watching Twilight Zone  on Paramount +.  I forgot how many big Hollywood names they had on the show.  In one of the early episodes a little boy, looked about 5, seemed very familiar.  It was Ron Howard!  

    I also forgot how quirky the show was.  And ironic. I am enjoying it.

    Stay warm.  If you have water lines on outside walls, leave cabinets open and let the water drip a little so you won't have frozen pipes.

    And watch out for exploding trees.

Peace and Love

    

    

    

Wired

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

    Our Invisible Fence thingy bob (that is the technical name for it) was beeping like crazy Monday.  A beeping indicates a line break.

    No one has been digging for months.  I unplugged the unit.  And I  put in a service call for a repair.

    Tuesday I plugged it in and it was beeping.  I unplugged the unit.

     This morning I plugged it back in and ...... no beeping.  Not a peep.  Or is it beep?  Whatever.

    When the service tech came I told him what happened.  He said that frequently happens when a line has been cut and the repair dd not hold.

    So he ran his diagnostic tool all over the yard and found a badly repaired break in the area where the cable guys ran 3 sets of cable last spring because we were having internet problems.   And it turned out, it was not the cable after all.

     Go figure.

    The break has been repaired and our system is up and running.

    I was also running today as I ran the dishwasher, which meant all the dishes were clean.  Jackie suggested changing our winter dishes for our summer dishes, which kept me busy for quite a while.

    I also managed to get to a church meeting via zoom and Walmart for some groceries.  Met a friend while waiting at the deli counter.  At first I did not recognize Bobbi because she was in profile.  When she turned I knew it was her.

    Ran into another person who asked when our next Exit 99 show was going to be.  Sarah said she and her friends had a great time at the last show and that we were veery funny.  She did not say I was the funniest one, but that was implied.

    Listened to WGN weather on the computer and they said it could be -30 to -40 wind chills Friday morning with a high temp during day at -9.  To think, 1 year ago Emily and I were in Key West.  Eating key lime pie.  Sweating.  What a great memory for a cold day.

    I wonder if there will be in school or remote learning Friday. 

    Another reminder o why I enjoy retirement.  For he most part.

Peace and Love

Brrrrrrr ace yourselves!

 It is going to get cold

    Jackie just heard on the news that the wind chill Friday morning could be in the -30 range.  -30!  Damn. That is cold!!

    It will be a good day to stay inside and just keep warm.

    Of course, that is what I do everyday.  But at least Friday I will have a reason.  Maybe I'll even read a little.  Have a hot chocolate.  Watch a movie.

    Who am I kidding?  Laundry, dishes, and solitaire....that will be my day.

    On Jan 1, 1920, the Palmer Raids took place in Chicago.

    Politicians were upset at the protestors who were against our involvement in The Great War so they rounded up known protestors,  immigrants, union people and even some people eating in a vegetarian restaurant, evidently those types of people are communists.

    Neil Steinberg writes about it in Every G - - damn Day.  He chronicles  a news story or true event  for each day of the year.  365 stories.  Some are early, some are relatively new.  So he scoured the newspapers for Jan. 1 and found that.  They are all in the Chicago area.  Important point, I guess.

    What was funny, or ironic perhaps, was when he wrote, it was "a low point in the history of American freedom of expression."

    Wonder how he would describe today's actions.

    We have special pillow shams for the Cubs and Bears, as well as  plain shams.

    When the Cubs were playing, I put away the plain ones.  When the Bears started, I put away. the Cubs ones.

    I hope to find the Cubs ones before the season starts, but so far they are lost. So are the plain ones.

    Maybe I put them with the Christmas presents we can't find.

    Friday might be a good day to look.

Peace and Love

the end is near

 We are almost done with football

    It has been a long, exciting football season.

    I watched Indiana beat Miami for the college championship.  That makes, let me count, 1 college game I watched from beginning to end.

    I caught endings of games, starts of games, but to be honest, I am not a big college or high school football fan.

    And college these days?

    When players are looking for the dough, it seems to take some of the fun out of the game for me.

    In tonight's game they seemed to talk a lot about players who came from other schools.  One quarterback was in his sixth season.

    Name, Image, Likeness money seems to be attracting these guys.

    In a way, I don' blame them.  Universities make a lot of money off of big time football programs.  If a student athlete can profit from it, so be it.  Most of these kids will not make it in the pros.  Some will be injured and unable to play at the level they were playing.  So,  take the money.  Invest it.  Live wisely.

    I am working on my second million.  The first was too hard, so I started working on the second instead.  I know, old joke.

    Our nephew stayed over last night and he left through the garage this morning. I was with him  and we both heard this high pitched beeping noise.  

    Turns out the invisible fence unit is not functioning.   I have a service appointment set of Wednesday afternoon.  I don't know if Beth will leave the yard when it is this cold, but I will be keeping a close on eye on her.

    According to the trouble shooting guide, the beeping indicates a broken wire.  But there has been no digging in the yard.  Maybe a frost heave?  Or a ground squirrel chewing through the wire? 

    I have a feeling I may need a million to find out.

Peace and Love

dang it

 It was an interesting and exciting season

    I did not expect the Bears to make it to the playoffs, but once they got there I did not think they would lose.  Every game seemed to have some magic in the fourth quarter.

    And they almost won tonight.

    But almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

    This was a big family weekend!

    We Faced Timed with meh nephew and his wife  in Switzerland for a while this morning.  We con't talk as often as we should, and Face Time really makes it easy to communicate.  But the time zones make it hard for me to remember to call.  I don't want to call at 4 p.m. because that is 10 in Switzerland.  And I forget to call earlier.

    I visited my sister-in-law Friday in Byron,  today my other sister -in-law,  our niece,  her daughter, Julia, Emily, Jackie and I all enjoyed some family time and food at our house.

    My niece brought a pasta dish we all shared and it was nice visiting with everyone.  Then nephew Jason stopped over tonight to watch the Bears, visit, and spend the night.  He has been visiting his mom in Byron and taking care of arrangements for a move, possibly by the end of this week.  Tomorrow he heads back east.

    I hope to get Jackie up to Byron to visit sometime this week, otherwise she might not have a chance to say goodbye.

    This business of aging is not all it is cracked up to be.

    Sure we get discounts at stores, but when the body starts to decline, all sorts of issues arrive.    

    But enough of that.

    I do want Cubs fans to know that pitchers and catchers report Wednesday, Feb. 11. just a little over 3 weeks from now.

    That always makes the winter seem short.

Peace and Love

a diller, a dollar

 Today was kind of a miserable day

    Cold.  Snowy.  Not much done.

    One year ago this date Emily and I got off an airplane in Key West and started sweating and eating Key Lime pie.  That was a great time.

    Our cuckoo clock stopped working last week.  Today I took it down and remounted it on the wall.

    I think the nail just worked loose, causing the clock to tilt.  I put a drywall anchor in, inserted a screw, and put the clock back .

    That was 6 hours ago and it seems to be working fine..

    Go figure.

    I also learned a new word:  Bastide.  Now there are words that sound like it, but are not.  Bastide describes a new fortified town in the hill countries of France and some other European countries.  By "new" they mean formed in the 12th or 13th century, you know, when I was a kid.

    I was reading a FB page about  a beautiful French village, and the Bastide word was used to describe the town.    It is one of those places I would love to visit.

    Maybe after we take over Greenland I will have to.

    Jackie was watching a home show where people who come into money buy their dream home.

    I was not watching, but with a couple of minutes left I stopped to see what they bought.

    I think their budget for the Costa Rican property was $5 million.

    They did not find anything they liked, so they built a house at a cost of about $5.5 million.  It has an open layout and it looked like marble floors throughout.  It was 9,000 square feet, with 7 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms.

    It was huge.  There was an infinity pool and when you sat in it you watch the ocean.

    Then they said the words that frosted my cake.

    "This will be a great place for us to go when we want to get away."

    It's not even their primary residence!!!

    A $5.5 million get away with 7 bedrooms?

    My choice would be a 2 bedroom house on a lake.  2 bedrooms so I don't get a lot of company when I want to get away.

    And I think Jackie said they made their money the old fashioned way...... they inherited $4 million of it.

    Oh, if we all had rich relatives leaving us dough...that would be nice.

    Not looking so good for the 49ers........at the half they are down a lot.  I was hoping Brock Purdy would win.  I was also hoping Josh Allen and Buffalo would win.  No go there either.

    I won't put the jinx on the Bears.

Peace and Love

Now you know

 The world is filled with oddities

    There is a fat man's soccer league in Texas.

    Seriously.  It's for fat guys.

    In order to join you must be over 18 and have a body mass index of 21.5.  And pay$99 a month.

    The teams have punny names, like Fat Man City,  Mission Slimpossible, Butterball World...to name a few.

    I thought it sounded pretty weird, but some of the men have had amazing results.  One guy said he lost 70 pounds over the couple of years he has been playing.  Others reported 30 and 40 pound loses.

    And you don't have to leave the league if you lose a lot of weight.

    They don't play on a regulation size pitch, and the ball can be played if it hits the wall around the playing field.

    A benefit beyond weight loss is the friendships that have been formed.

    It just seemed a weird, but  effective, program.

    We have people come in the morning too help.  Usually they get Jackie dressed.  Sometimes I opt out the clothes, other times they choose the outfit.

    Jackie got dressed and was sitting at the breakfast nook table.  I went in and showered and got dressed.

    I walked out and heard, "Oh my gosh, you guys are wins!"

    Sure enough.  I put on a dark green top, the same shade and design she had.

    I got dressed today and put on another green top, just a shade lighter.  

    I went to visit my sister in law and my nephew is there wearing a shirt the same color as mine!

    I went home and told Jackie that I got my new shirt in the mail and I can add a lighter color to my shirt choice.

    I opened the package and ..... it's olive green!

    I now have 5 long sleeve shirts  one shade of green or another.

    Kermit was wrong!  It is easy being green!

    Note to self:   No more green shirts!!

Peace and Love

another car?

 The topic of buying a second car has come up

    I don't like driving the mini van.  We need that so I can have the front seat that swivels out.  That seat does not fit in most cars.

    The girls suggested I get another car to drive around town.

    Something small and fun, like a Fiat, or Smart car, or an electric vehicle.

    I see many problems with that.

    First, I would have to pay insurance on the vehicle.  Plus pay for the vehicle. And maintenance.  And all the other stuff that comes with owning a car.

    Second:  Where would I put it?

    I can barely get the van in our 3 car garage as it is!

    Yes, things could be stacked and arranged differently to create more space.  Just not enough  to store a second car.

    So I will continue driving the van until we can find a suitable alternative.

    Getting Jackie into and out of the van is so much easier with the chair that comes out, turns, a d goes down.  It is a back saver for me.

    On to another topic.

    I have been working on a book since ....gosh, I don't know how long.

    Anyway, it is done.  I have read it, reread it, edited it, added to it, deleted stuff from it and I thought I was finished.

    Then I sat down to read it.  Again.  Fourth time.

    Jimminy Cricket, there are a lot of mistakes!  Not major ones, but fog instead of frog, or pence instead of fence.

    Spell checker doesn't pick those up because they are words spelled correctly.

    Thus...one more time through it.  One more time correcting it.  One more time thinking I am finished.

    Then what?

    Time will tell.

Peace and Love

home again, home again

I took Julia home tonight 

    She has been with us since last Thursday, when she had a hernia repaired.

    At first she was going home by herself, but Jackie insisted she stay with us for at least one night.   That was a good move by wifey.

    Getting up from a chair or sitting position was hard for Julia.  Too much strain on her incision.

    So she slept in our recliner a lot and I tried to take care of her needs.

    Of course Beth loved it!  Her Julia was back!

    When Julia would walk around the house, Beth would follow her, just a few steps behind.  It was kind of funny to watch the two of them parade around.

    Anyway, just the 2 of us now.  Well, 3 counting Beth.

    I am slowly finishing up Christmas stuff.  I have gathered a lot of it in spots, now I have to clean up the spots.  Luckily none of the stuff is exposed to the elements.

    I learned something yesterday.

    The county sheriff has put up FLOCK cameras at various intersections around town.

    First off, I had no idea what a FLOCK camera was.  (You could say I was thinking what the FLOCK?) Basically, it reads license plate numbers.

    I am not sure how to take that.

    It does not seem the readers are for traffic enforcement, as such.  

    I don't believe they will tag you for speeding, or running a light, but I am not sure.

    What they seem to do is allow police to track a license plate number.

    Say someone commits a crime in Florida.  They then flee to Illinois.  A FLOCK camera near the crime scene reads  numbers and enters them into a computer.  A FLOCK camera in Rockford reads the plate number, matches it to one in Florida,  and bingo, bad guy captured.

    That is the benefit.

    But.....they could be used to track your movements too.  Even if you did not commit a crime, your plate can be read and authorities can track you.

    It's kind of Big Brothers to me.

    Yes, I do know the same thing can be accomplished on your cell hone.  But that seems Boig Brpotherish too.

    It concerns me.

    Say I go to the No Kings Rally this month.  My plate could be tracked, and I could be targeted for my political views.

    So. tell me, am I being paranoid to the extreme?

    Or is there a Big Brother?

    Let me know.

Peace and Love

Sorry

 I apologize for yesterday's misleading wording

    I believe that is called "click bait" or something like that.

    I like WW II history.  I was watching a video on something when about 2 minutes in a young woman appears on the screen and starts talking about having great sex with her 52 year old husband!  It was x-rated!! And yes, I did hit the skip ad option and went back to WW II.  but holy cow, that surprised me!

    I found out where my flashing goes....above the patio doors up about 15 feet.  I have called someone and they may come this week, weather permitting.

    I went to mail something at the post office.  There is construction going on in the alley where the letter box is.  I had to get out of my car to put the letter in the box.

    One of the guys working there said, "Hey, it's my job!  I have to be doing this.  I'm sorry."

    I just laughed and said it was no big deal and he was lucky it was Jan. 13 and 40 degrees.  My guess is some people have complained and he was being proactive.

    Ran into someone at the store and I remembered his name.

    But I am not sure he remembered mine.  He called me Buddy three times.  

    I guess I am not the only one with name recognition issues.

    And I called my congressional rep's office with a litany of complaints.  I was not done when the staffer abruptly  said, "I will pass your concerns on to the congressman," and he hung up.

    I don't want to be political here, so I won't mention anything else except I wrote a letter to the editor too.

    No matter where you live, you have to call them and tell them how to improve life in the gold old US of A.  And write letters to the editor.  And VOTE!!

    Peace and Love

Crash

 I admit, I cut the corner too close

    I was not paying attention.

    There was a crash.  People yelling.

    A man  called out, 'You didn't do this, did you?"

    A woman answered, "It's not my fault this time."

    I fessed up:  "I cut the corner too short.  It's my fault"

    We stood among a debris field of breadsticks, now scattered over 2 aisles in the grocery store.

    The display boxes stuck out just a couple of inches past the end row, and I hit the first one.

    Which hit the second one.

    Which hit the third one.

    Packages of breadsticks everywhere.  It was a horror show.

    I started to pick them up and the man helped, telling me his wife had done t his before.

    We laughed about it.  We just piled the packages in the display rack willy nilly.  If they had been organized by flavor, they weren't now.

    No blood, no foul.  I am just glad they weren't pickles in glass jars.

    But my guess is some of the breadsticks may be in pieces....buyer beware, eh?

    And of course, I was looking for one particular item.  $82 later, I packed the car and went home.  When I walked in the door Julia said, "Did you find the paper hand towels you wanted?"

    Hell no!  I forgot to look! But I bought $82 worth of other stuff!

    That is the problem when I don't make a list.

    A couple of nights ago I posted a picture of a Bears electronic sign on a house near us.  I noticed today the sign is gone.

    I hope they  took it down and that some idiot did not steal it or damage it.  

    Speaking of damage, Julia pointed out a piece of aluminum sheathing that has the same color as our house........except it was in the bushes.

    So tomorrow I will walk around trying to figure out where it came from and if I can put it back in the right spot.

    Until tomorrow....

Peace and Love

Who is that?

 I had a trip down memory lane tonight

    My sister in law is in a nursing facility in Bryon, but will hopefully be moving to Ohio soon.

    Her daughter Laurie, and my other niece Cindy, spent some time cleaning out the house to prep for the big move.

    They came down tonight with a slew of pictures.

    After supper we sat and went through some of them.

    Faces of aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins and total strangers were in the books and albums.

    Some of the pictures were very old.   They may have been of my grandparents when they were young, and maybe they weren't.

    All were in black and white.  Almost all of them were crisp and well staged.

    There were 3 books of 5 x 7 images my  Uncle Henry took.  He was a professional photographer and just a heck of a nice man.

    And he took great photos.  

    The ones that got to me were of family I recognized:  aunts, uncles, cousins, the people that were in my life for so long yet so short.

    I started to tear up.  Almost all of them are gone.  Almost all.

    I know, it is the circle or life and I can't dwell on it.

    But today I miss those people.

    Here's a suggestion for all of you:  label  or ID your pictures.

    After my mother died we were going through a box of picture she left.  One of them was a man standing in front of her house in Fox Lake. 

    On the back she had written:  Who the hell is this?

    Yet she kept the picture.  

    And I may have too.....I should look.

Peace and Love

One of Uncle Henry's pictures.....but my family is missing!!

Bears down, Bears Up!

That was one exciting football game

    In summation, the Bears were down 21-3 at the half.  I thought the game was over because they were terrible.

    But the second half?  A different team was on the field.  And in the end, the Bears came back again to win!

    Caleb Williams has to be the coolest dude under pressure.  You could tell in the first half he was a bit pissed the way things were going, but that all got turned around.

    Whew!!

    The game capped off a long day for me.

    We had a morning helper today because it is a lot for me to take care of Jackie, help Julia, and take care of Beth.

    And I was tired.  

    It seems somebody had to go out at 3 a.m. or so.   I also remember being up at 5 or 5:30, but I am not sure if I really was and why I would be.

    Julia is getting along fine.  Emily came over today and helped her shower and change the dressing on her incision.

    After Jackie gets dressed, Lisa, our helper, takes care of her breakfast,  and her legs.

    While she was doing that today I said I was sitting down in my den chair for an hour because I was really tired.

    That was about 10......I woke up at 12:30!

    I went to the store, stopped for a coffee at Cypress House, then came home and did three loads of laundry, picked up dog crap in the back yard, took compost out to the back of the yard to the compost bin, and darn near froze to death outside.

    And here it is....a little after 11 and I am wide awake!

    Usually when I get a coffee in the afternoon I ask for 1 shot of espresso.  The drink comes with 2.  But today I forgot to ask, so I have a double shot in my system.

    Combined with the excitement of the Bears game, I probably will not sleep until the wee hours of the morning.

    Maybe I will rewatch the second half.

    And there are cliches  during every Bears telecast:  Mike Ditka impersonators and young men (often drunk, I assume) shirtless in the stands.  And there they were at the end of the game, celebrating and flexing.  I was amused by the guy in bib overalls that was shirtless, but I amuse easily.  I was cold fully dressed with a coat, how they do it without antifreeze amazes me.

    Anyway, all is well that ends well.

Peace and Love

problem solved

 I got a problem solved today

    That makes 2 in 2 days!

    The weatherstripping on the door into the garage from outside was partway off.  In order to close the door I had to get on my knees and tuck it back in.

    Then I had to figure out how to get up again.

    I called Big Jake and he stopped by yesterday morning, took the door off, reinstalled the weather stripping, took a sample of my garage door trim that needs to be replaced, and was done in about 20 minutes.

    One problem solved.

    Today we got a UPS delivery.  I went out to meet the driver and I asked her if there was a UPS drop off in Rochelle.  She told me no, but Oregon has one at the drugstore.

    Imagine that.  Oregon, with a population of less than 4,000, has a UPS drop off site and Rochelle does not.  That does not make sense.

    Then she asked, if the package was ready.

    I said it was and she said she would take it!

    Now the return is made and I don't have to worry about getting to DeKalb or Rockford.

    Problem solved!

    Yes, I knew UPS made home pick ups.  I just never called to arrange one.

    The next problem: my cuckoo clock stopped.  It just died.  I used to take it to The Clock Shoppe in Sycamore, but when I was in Sycamore last the store was empty and there was a for rent sign in it.

    We found a cuckoo repair shop in Elgin, but I would like one closer if possible.

    Problem not solved!

    My final problem is my phone.  I plug it in next to my bed every night. And every night it recharges.

    That is, until 2 nights ago.  It doesn't recharge next to the bed.  So is it the cord or the plug?  The phone recharges elsewhere, and I have not tried the cord in other places.  

    Problem not solved.

    Julia is doing better, getting around much easier.  She is still sore and will be with us a little while longer.  The issue is getting out of a chair.

    We have a recliner that lifts you up and Julia has been sleeping in that at night.  Getting into and out of bed its a strain on the belly muscles and her incisions.  

    So she is staying here.

    And that is not a problem!

Peace an d Love

January 7 in Rochelle.....now the decorations are gone

Go Bears!!!!

Call me Florence

These ladies keep me hopping! 

    Julia had some surgery today.

    Jackie insisted she stay at our house until at least tomorrow in case she needed some help.

    Julia did not want to, but after a couple of hours here she realized it was the best for her.

    She is doing fine.  Her stomach huts, but she is fine.

    But......the ladies are running me ragged!

    Beth has to go out, Jackie needs to drain, Beth has to come in, Julia needs ice, Beth needs supper, Jackie needs water, Julia would like some ice........I haven't worked this hard in years!

    But I can't complain too much.

    Julia wasn't hungry and I have had a yen for scrambled eggs and bacon for a week or so.

    So tonight I made it for supper.

    I know, it is a breakfast dish. But I am operating in the lack of conformity phase of life.

     It was good, but not filling.  At all.  I am hungry.

    Jackie helped me take down my train ornament tree.  That is a challenge.

    Each ornament has its own box.  Those people in China don't seem to package anything consistently.  Some ornaments are wrapped in tissue, some in bubble wrap, some in plastic molds....I prefer the plastic molds because they are easier to get it in the box.

    I always have problem with the engines.  Some of the models have similar looking engines, so I use a magnifying glass to check the number on the engine and match it to the number on the box.

    One box has a number that does not match any of the engines.  One  engine has a number that does not match a box.

    Every year I struggle to find the right box, forgetting that one does not exist.

    Jackie asked me why I don't write the number of the engine on the box it comes in.  That would save a lot of time next year.

    Why I didn't think of the is a mystery.

    Speaking of mysteries, strong winds, 50+ degree temps, lots of rain.....is it really Jan. 8?

Peace and Love

Oh gosh

 I was a busy beaver today

    Almost all the Christmas decorations are in the basement.  Some are even on the correct shelves.

    But I do have a storage space problem.

    I have 4 tubs of left over paper plates, napkins, cups....every thing anyone ever needed for a picnic or party.  I am going to try to condense them into 1 or 2 tubs.  

    I will be 78 in May.  I still have Happy 70 paper plates!  Pretty soon they will qualify as antiques!

    As we were putting ornaments away, Jackie noticed one of them said 156 Millpond.  That puts that ornament around 1982 or 3, because shortly after we moved there house numbers were changed.

    We moved from there in 1992 or so.  I don't remember the exact year.  A friend recently went to a meeting at that house and they sat there looking around thinking, "I've been here before."  After 30 years it may be hard to remember a house you only visited, but they did.

    That's one of my favorite things about Christmas.  The memories that come back when you look at certain ornaments.

    +.    The passport ornament reflecting the London trip and my lost passport experience.

    +     Ornaments from Bob and Anita that listed the year and kids' names.  As the kids left, the ornaments changed too.

    +    Ornaments Julia and Emily made while in the lower elementary grades.

    +    Ornaments I made with my class at school.

   +     Ornaments from when the Cubs won the Series.

    +    My angel wings ornament to remind me of my brother Carl.

    +    Ornaments we bought in Germany on our trip too see Ludwig's castles.

    +    Ornaments that make me laugh, smile, and sometimes tear up.

        They are all put away now, just waiting for another Christmas.  

        Even though they are away,  the memories remain.

        Big day tomorrow.!

Peace and Love

Buyer beware

 Sometimes I just feel screwed

    Astoria Jewelry did it to me.  I have been in contact with them frequently, but I get the same response......return sent too late.  I had tried to send it but their form would not load the required picture.

    In hindsight, I should have e mailed the information without the form.  But I did not think of that.

    Our Comcast bill has gone up $100 over the past year.  I tried to ask someone, but all I got was an AI chat bot.  That was no help.

    I Googled Comcast phone number.  I got an 800 number and dialed it and got a pitch for free medical stuff, I just hung up.  The lady talked so fast, I could not say anything so I just hung up. Suffice it to say, it was not Comcast.

    Went back to the AI chatbot and learned I had to take my bill to a Comcast store to see about changing my plan.

    I ordered some lightbulbs for our Dickens Village.  4 packs at $9 a pack.  Not a single bulb worked.  I will contact the seller and see if they will do anything.

    We ordered slippers for Emily for Christmas, but they are the wrong size.  I have to send them back UPS, but hey don't fit in the drop boxes in town!  I don't know of a place here to take UPS packages.

    Finally, I bought some jeans from LL Bean.  I've had them a couple of months and there are holes in the pant by the back pockets.

    I e-mailed them and within 10 minutes got a reply,  which included a shipping label and directions to send them back and they will send me a new pair.

    In other words, actual customer service!!

    And to top it off, my hearing aid is squealing like a pig!  

    Now all I have to do is find a time to go to DeKalb to fix my cable bill,  take care of the UPS parcel, get my hearing aid adjusted, return some things to Kohl's.......and who knows what else.

    I just have to find the time to do it all.

    And free time is scarce this week.

    Such is life.

Peace and Love

weird, eh?

 I took Beth for a walk today

    We went half way down the street and turned around.  She met a little dog and the 2 of them stood in the middle of the street, tails wagging and noses sniffing..

    Why is that unusual?

    It's Jan. 5!!  It is supposed to be cold, snowy, icy, and stay in the house weather.  Instead, it's put on a light jacket and walk the dog weather.

    Tomorrow I plan to take down the outside lights.  Last year I let them sit in the basement for a few days to dry out.  I don't  know if that is a help or not.  I will do the same this year and test them all to be sure they work before I put them away.

    At some point I need to test the Dickens Village lights.  There has to be a reason so many did not work this year.  That should only take me a few days.

    Seriously!  I will get bored after about 10 minutes and move on to something else.  At some point I will return to the testing, only to think it's useless and I will find another odd job to do.

    Eventually I will get back to them after Jackie reminds me that things need to be put away.

    After another futile encounter, I will grab them all, say a few cuss words, then throw them into a box or bag and promise to do it next year.

    Maybe that's what I should do in the first place and avoid all the unnecessary hoopla.

    On a highly personal note, I was at 201.5 New Year's Day.  

    Damn cookies and egg nog.

Peace and Love

Noggin it

 I just opened our last bottle of egg nog 

    It is not straight!  And it has quite a kick!

    I think Julia bought it for us, but I just put it in the fridge and never opened it.

    I planned to on Christmas.  And New Year's Eve.  But never did.  Until tonight.

    A couple of nights ago I watched an episode of The Twilight Zone.  I loved that show when I was young and I was happy to find it is on one of the channels that runs old shows.

    In the episode I watched, a man died and went to heaven.  He had his own personal angel, lived in an all white apartment, had women whenever he wanted, all the food he wanted, everything.

    But he got tired of it.  He wanted to do some things from his old life, like rob a bank.  The angel told him there was a bank down the street, a get a way car was arranged, the tellers were told to hand over all their cash.

    The guy became enraged!  He said there was no thrill, no surprises, no excitement in life.  He told the angel he wanted to go to the other place.  The angel asked what other place?

    The man said he was tired of heaven.  It was boring repetitive, and there was no challenge.

    The angel said, "Heaven?  What makes you think you are in heaven?"

    I always loved the little twists at the end.

    But I woke up this morning with a bizarre thought.

    What if our lives were the afterlife?  What if our memories were planted in our brains when we died?  What if all the people we know and love don't exist but in our own little minds?

    And now I think I am going to have another glass of egg nog and possibly go to bed.

    Happy New Year!

Peace and Love

oops!

 We all visited Julia today

    Jackie, Beth,  and I took a road trip to Julia's.

    My niece's daughter,  son and his girl friend came to visit their grand mother, our sister in law, who is still recovering in Rockford.

    After their visit with her, they came down for a mini reunion.  Julia ordered pizza from Giardarno's in Rockford.  We had some deep dish pizza and it was delish!

    Beth generally spent the time going from person to person to get pets.

    Unfortunately, when the group went downstairs to see the wine room, Beth dropped a load on the concrete floor.

    This is the second time she has done that at Julia's!  Both times in the basement, luckily.

    She has done it once at our house in the basement.  Maybe it is the concrete smell that appeals to her.

    Funny thing is, she had gone out shortly before then.  

    These folks  are in the college attending age bracket.  On New Year's Eve we met 2 young women who are in helicopter training school and will soon be flying Apache helicopters.

    I've run into a lot of young people lately and I don't have any fears about what that generation is going to do.  They are eager, tech savvy, smart, and will build a better tomorrow.

    I just hope there will be a tomorrow for them to build.

    Today is Jan. 3, Epiphany is Jan. 6.  That officially ends the Christmas season for us. 

    But I plan on cheating a little this year.  The outside lights may come down tomorrow or Monday at the latest.

    Then the Dickens village.  Then the rest of the decorations.  

    And finally, the tree.

    The house will seem empty, the Christmas gaiety  will be put away .

    A  cold.  hum drum January and a slushy February will follow and then spring, if we are lucky.

    Life seems to be going by too quickly.

Peace and Love

Pop goes the memories

 I am drinking a 7-Up and thinking of the Kennedys

    No, not the president, senator, or the faux Kennedy running a government office into the ground.

    I am thinking of the Kennedys I knew.

    Up until about sixth grade, we lived in a 1 bedroom apartment on the third floor of my grandmother's building.

I shared a bedroom with my brothers Carl and Dennis.  My parents had a Murphy bed in the front room.

    If you don't know what a Murphy bed is.....It lifted up and went into the wall.  Then you closed some doors and it looked like a cabinet.  I think they are pretty darn cool and a real plus for small apartments.

    Across the street from us was a family with Kennedy as  a last name.

    My parents were friends with them

    When Mr Kennedy died, the kids, all adults, decided to sell the house.  My parents bought it for $17,000.

    We all had our own bedrooms!

    Mr. Kennedy's funeral was in their house.  I remember (and it may be a false memory) looking down from our apartment into their living room and seeing him in a coffin along the wall my parents would later put a couch.

    Fast forward a few years.

    I had a newspaper route.  It was actually in a factory and I sold the Chicago Daily News and the Chicago American.

    But I also delivered a paper to Marion Kennedy, who moved from 1472 W. Belle Plaine to a house on Berteau, 2 blocks north.  

    Marion worked for the city of Chicago water department.  Her sister, Timothea, was an actual sister in a convent in Iowa.  Her brother Jack was a priest and her other brother Phil was a Monsignor.  I don't know exactly what that is, but my parents felt it was a pretty important position in the Catholic Church.

    Father Jack would often visit Marion.  If I delivered the paper while he was there, he would always insist on talking to me.  We talked about what I wanted to be in the future, how school was, what my day was like....stuff like that.  In fact, he even made me a bet on grades.  If I got an A, he would give me $1.  A B was worth 50 cents and a C got me nothing.  If I got a D I owed him 50 cents and an F would cost me a dollar. 

    I was always glad to show him my report card.

    So how does 7-Up fit in all this?

    Marion would always give me a bottle of cold, cold 7-Up to drink during those visits.  I remember how refreshing and great it tasted.  My parents didn't buy much pop, so it was a treat.

    They are all gone now.  

    I often wondered why Marion was the only child not to enter some type of service to her church.  I remember she was a faithful believer, unbelievably kind, soft spoken, and drank 7-Up.

    I have commission papers and photos of Captain Kennedy  from 1896.  They are another one of those items I don't know why I have, or what I should do with them.

    I have a FB friend from those days, and she lived next to the Marion on Berteau.  I wonder if she enjoyed 7-Up too.

    The house?  My mom sold it in 1978 or so for $57,000.  A few years ago it was listed for somewhere in the $800,000 territory.  But it did not look like  my boyhood home.

    Funny when memories pop up.  

Peace and Love

Sometimes Beth just wants to see what is going on from a different angle.