On the go

 I have no idea how a bidet works

    I mean, I understand the basic concept.  You sit on the pot, do your business, and your personal area gets hit with a stream of either scalding hot or freezing cold water.  

    The idea is to get your hind end cleaner.  Plus, it reduces the use and disposal of toilet paper, so it has some environmental positives.

    Butt (get the pun??) once the water hits you and stops, what happens?  

    Do you pull your pants up onto a wet butt?  Do you use a paper towel to dry off?  Are there warm air driers that turn on?  

    Why are they so popular in other countries but not here?

    Finally, why am I so curious?

    The White Sox signed a Japanese player, Mirataka Murukami.  And I know his name s not spelled correctly.   Spell check must think me insane.

    He was a star in the Japanese league, hitting a lot of home runs but also striking out a  lot.

    In today's ball games, that is no longer a big issue.  Some home run hitters have high strike out numbers, but the homer offsets the K.

    Anyway, Murakkami asked for only 1 thing after he signed his contract.  He wanted a bidet in the clubhouse.  It was not a demand, just a request.

    So the Sox accommodated him, actually installing 5 bidets in the club house.  He should feel right at home. 

    I guess you could say I am bidet curious.  

    I could Google it, butt  (I did it again)  then I would have nothing to write about tonight except the old episodes of Twilight Zone I have been watching.

    Imagination....ain't it a funny thing?

Peace  and Love

that's fishy

I need to pay attention when ordering food 

    Last Friday I had a walleye dinner at Culver's and it was great!

    The order last week was not exactly correct.  I ordered a single butter burger for Jackie and they gave her (and charged me ) for a double.

    No big deal.

    The walleye dinner was great.  The fish was flaky with a wonderful coating.  And I had enough for 2 meals.

    Tonight I went and ordered the same thing:  single butter burger, walleye dinner, Cole slaw with the fish and a small fry.

    I got home and opened the feast and was really disappointed by the walleye.  It did not come close to what I had last week. 

    I bit into it and it did not even taste as good as last week for a reason.

    I looked at the tag and I got a cod dinner, not walleye.

    I know it was noisy in the place.  I asked the kid at the counter if they had a Philly cheese steak sandwich and he said they didn't have filled cheese steaks,  I repeated Philly, but they still did not have it.

    Of course, I did not get a receipt.  So I don't know if I was charged for the walleye or for the cod, or if there is even a difference.

    People I know ordered right after me and the kid said "With your senior discount....."

    Senior discount?  I'm a senior!  I did not get a discount!

    Turns out they asked, I did not.

    Next Friday:  Order walleye, ask for the order to be repeated, get the senior discount, get a printed receipt.

    I took advantage of the beautiful weather today to sand my patio chairs.  I have not treated them for a couple of years and the wood looks terrible.

    I love the furniture when it looks good, but kind of hate it when it doesn't.

   It will look good by the time I put it out in the spring.

Peace and Love

I have never seen a sign like this on a gas pump.  Am I breaking the law when I fill up my gas can for the lawn mower?  It's only 2 gallons.

No Beth, you are not in the way at all.

Can you tell the difference?

What did I do?

 I think I goofed

    Yesterday I was checking my  phone when a screen popped up that asked if I wanted my calls to be screened.  I hit the screen my calls option.

    I thought that meant caller ID, which I thought was strange because I already have caller ID.

    But evidently, based on a conversation I had with a friend tonight, my calls get screened!

    An automated message asks who is calling and what  the purpose is for the call.

    All of this was unknown to me until my friend D called tonight.

    I noticed I had 3 other calls that did not go through.  I did not recognize the numbers.

    So is this a good thing?

    I mean, maybe I have a computer with a virus!  Or a rich uncle who died and left me money! Or there is a really great offer on buying Medicare supplemental insurance or term life insurance for only 39 cents a day!

    I am now missing all. those offers.

    What makes it even more puzzling is I have no idea how to unscreen calls.

    So if you call my  cell, (or mobile, as they say across the pond)  be prepared to have a good reason to call otherwise the call may not go through.

    Since I am such a wiz with technology, I might not even be able to check to see who has called me during the day.

    Speaking of mobiles...... I was doing a crossword the other  and the clue was "able to be moved."

    It started with an m and was 6 letters, so I figured  mobile.

    The word fit the across clue and the down clues off that word were all correct except for one clue which was "wavy mark in Spanish."    

    I had bilde.  It made no sense.

    I checked the answers and the word I needed was motility, not mobility.  Seems to be used in science to tell whether an organism can move or not.  The down word was tilde, that weird accent mark common in Spanish.  (Yes, I Googled it.)

    I learn something new every day. 

    Like amend and emend.  

    Go ahead....check it out!

Peace and Love

dawn????

 I almost saw the sun rise today

    Our dog is nuts.

    Ever since Julia moved out last spring, Beth has slept in the den, or on the couch or by the front door.

    For the past couple of weeks, she has decided to sleep with us, much to Jackie's enjoyment.

    However, not all is well.

    There are times when I have to move her off Jackie's feet.

    There are times Beth snuggles between us and licks me.

    Then there are the times she has to go out.

    That's why I saw the first light of day today.

    I was sleeping soundly until 6:11, when somebody started barking.  It was not Jackie.

    So I let the dog out.  She stood on the sidewalk looking around for several minutes.  Eventually she went and took a leak, and then went back into our bed, nestling down on my pillows because she gets to bed before me.

    Then it is move her, have her move back, hide under my security blanket so she doesn't lick me, and try to get back to sleep.

    Funny thing is, I was not tired during the day today!

    And all day I thought of funny things that have happened, but tonight I am blank.

    We did have a hawk in the yard this week.  A big hawk.

    I caught a glimpse or him and I swear it had something dangling from its beak.  I hope it was one of the 6,703 ground squirrels in our back yard.

    Today Jackie and our helper saw him and said it just flew past and it was really big.  

    I just hope it brings some friends to decrease the ground squirrel population.

    That's all I got.

Peace and Love

no way

 There are some reality tv shows I can not watch

    If I am being truthful, I don't think. there are  many I would watch!

    But I could not especially watch (I know, clumsily written) Fear Factor.

    Just seeing the commercials for that show freak me out!

    In a tank with snakes?  Submerged in water?  Covered with spiders?  Watching the State of the Union?

    No way!!  All of that is just too frightening or sickening.

    Why do people do it?

    Is it for the challenge?  The fame?  The money?

    I don't even like walking into a dark room!  And noises in the night?  Petrify me!

    There's another show where people are marooned on an island and their family gets to vote them off if the danger is too great. 

    What if you come from a family that really doesn't like you and has a $10 mullion life insurance policy on you?  They would never vote that person off.  You would solve 2 problems if they didn't make it.

    Not that I am advocating that.  But it is possible. I mean anything is possible.

    Now I have held a snake, and a hissing cockroach.  I won't count the giant millipede because that did freak me out a little. 

    But holding one and having one crawl on your body are 2 different things.

    I will stick to  my type of reality shows:  making it through Walmart with a cart that veers right, or getting locked in a room with 5 types of pie and no fork.

    As horrifying as those are, I think I could handle it.

    Especially the pie.

Peace and Love

dog gone it

 I finally figured out how to get to bed early

    Last night I hit the hay at 10:30, and was pretty sure I fell asleep by 11.  I did not hear the cuckoo.

    But I did hear Dog Beth at 1:30 as she was barking like crazy at the front door.

    I got up, put on my slippers, grabbed my glasses, and headed to the door.

    I put her flashing red collar on her and got my heavy coat on because it seemed windy and cold.

    And it was.

    She wandered around the yard for what seemed like an hour!

    I had on my pajamas, which were little help with. the 50 mph winds that froze certain body parts.

    She sniffed here.  She sniffed there.  She sniffed everywhere.

    From one side of the yard to the other.  Sniff.  Sniff.   Sniff.

    Finally, after 3 toes became frostbite, she did her  duty and headed for the door.

    We went in, I took off her collar and she shot off for the bedroom.

    By the time I got there she was nestled down on my pillow, faking sleep.

    I moved her to the bottom of the bed, and climbed into bed, making sure my frozen body was fully covered by my security blanket.

    I had her out at 10 and she did nothing but stare across the street.

    But at 1:30, well, when the body has to go the body has to go.

    I just hope she decided to sleep all night tonight.

    I could use the rest.

    It could have been worse though.  We could live in New York or Boston.  In either case I might not have been able to leave the house.

Peace and Love

nada

 Today was, shall we say, interesting

    Watched the end of the hockey game and some of the cross country marathon.  Holy cow, those ladies have to be incredibly fit.  And the Team USA guy who lost some teeth but found the net, pretty cool.  

    I had 2 tasks today:  go to the store was one, finish cleaning the den was the other.

    Neither one got done.  Not only that, none of the dishes from today have been dealt with.

    I can't explain it, but about 2:30 I just started feeling sick.  For the next 4 hours or so, I was afraid to leave the house.  And I was too tired to work on my stacks.

    All I managed to do was sit on the couch and watch the closing ceremonies.  

    Jackie feels fine, it's just me.

    I just finished some soup and seem to be ok, time will tell.

    For some reason I did not enjoy the closing ceremonies as much s I thought I would.  Maybe it was my stomach distress, but I just was not into it.

    The fires in Kansas and Oklahoma are frightening.  I hope the fire fighters, residents and ranchers are all safe when this is over.  

    Meanwhile, southwestern France has had 35 straight days of rain and rivers are flooding.  

    Hoping for all of them to be safe too.

Peace and Love

ahhh.......

 We had a pretty darn good night tonight

    Friends Renee and Wendy came over and they brought some pulled pork, buns,  mac and cheese and baked beans.  Julia brought an apple cake and ice cream.

    Jackie and I did not have to do a thing, and neither did Emily.

    It was a nice night....visitng, talking about trips taken and planned, reviewing Olympic highlights and enjoying  delicious food.

    Wendy thinks it has been since November that we got together, and she is right.  Between vacations, sickness, the holidays, personal losses, we just have not had a chance to sit and visit.

    Thanks again Renee and Wendy for coming.  Your visit was the most important and we would have enjoyed it even without the food.

    I am going to miss the Olympics.  Funny I say that, because I have not watched a lot of the events.

    I missed the last  speed skating event, the  entire ski jumping competition, skeleton and most of the bobsledding.  I did watch a lot of curling.  And some figure skating, but only to see the American skaters. 

    I just seemed to be doing other things, but I should have been watching the Olympics.

    Oh well.  

    The one downside to today was..... I started going through try 2 foot stack of stuff.

    Now it is spread out all over my desk and my chair.  Tomorrow I will have to really work at getting rid of the old, unnecessary paper and dealing with the stuff we need to keep.

    But there are still some events to watch, so who knows what will get done.

    And the closing ceremony always makes me sad. 

    Ah to be young again!!

Peace ad Love

TGIF

 Weekends are not as special when you are retired

    I mean, every day is a weekend.  No work.  No pressure.  It's nice.

    I went to a museum event today.

    Our state rep, Brad Fritts. came to visit and take a tour of the museum.

    He seemed to enjoy the items.  I told him about our non meteorite meteorite, which always gets a laugh or chuckle.

    At the end the 9 or so of the people there were able to ask some questions.  topics like voter id, abortion, state funding and budgets were all brought up.

    But I asked the most important question.

    Is Illinois going to keep the Bears?

    He noted there were lots of issues that had to be decided, but I got the feeling he would like the Bears to stay inn Illinois.

    He also said he had called our mayor to suggest offering land east of Rochelle for the new Bears stadium.  A tollway, interstate, and 2 railroads would serve the property.

    I told him that was the same plan I told our former city manager about!  I even proposed an underground tram that would whisk people from the train stations to the stadium.

    I also asked him about human composting and he seemed a little shocked.  He said I was the first person in the district to be in favor of it.  Maybe if it gets passed they can call it Terry's Law.  

    To me it is an obvious choice.  No chemicals, no exhaust from the crematorium.  Just natural , although speeded up, decomposition.  Ashes to Aahes, dust to dust.  

    Sign me up!

    We had refreshments.

    We found a cake made by Mary Todd Lincoln and we had some.  I thought the cake was actually made by her, but turns out it was just her recipe.  I brought a slice home for Jackie and we both agreed it was good.

    All in all it was a nice event.

    Speaking of food, I went to Culver's tonight.  I spent $30!  Holy crimeny Pete!!!

    I did get the walleye dinner, not realizing that was $17 by itself. Throw in a Butter Burger and some pretzel bites, add tax, and bingo, bango $30.

    I do have to say the fish was excellent.  And there was enough for lunch tomorrow.

    Jackie only eats half a burger, so we both have enough food for lunch.  So I guess if you take the total cost and divide it by 2 meals it isn't so bad.

    That is my rationale and I am sticking to it.

Peace and Love

    

finally

 I finally cleaned off my desk!

    After m months of talking about it, I actually did it.  I also cleaned off my little table.

    It did not take much time either.

    The only problem now is the 2 feet of stuff I have stacked on my napping chair.  

    But the table and desk are relatively clean.

    I am going to be perfectly honest. I get so angry at myself, and depressed, when I look at my desk, the garage, the basement, or the closet in the den.

    How did I get this way?  

    Notice, I did not say when because all my life I have had trouble with paper.

    When I worked at the newspaper I would have stacks all over my desk....future stories, story ideas, interesting articles, news releases.

    Teaching was the same way.  I once lost a complete spelling test! Not one student's. but the whole class's!

    I think I have some crossed or missing wires in my brain.  The ones that allow for dealing with paper and being organized are gone.  

    Or maybe they were never there in the first place!

    Sigh.  

    When I die the girls are going to be going through my stuff and saying, "What the hell!!"  

    I still have all the vet records and information on Corki, and that dog has been dead three years.  I have a grade school report on the Civil War, done in peacock blue ink, because that was high fashion back in the early 60s.  (The report was done in 1961...100 years after the war started.  That means I have carried it with me for 65 years!!!). Looking at it, it wasn't really anything outstanding.  Or even good.  But I still have it.

    I have folders of useless information.  And I have folders.  Just folders.  Some used, some new, some borrowed, some blue.  

    I think I need a lobotomy to get buy head on straight.  Check that, get my brain working correctly.

    I keep saying someday I will be organized....but I never will be.  My mind will always be flying in different directions and I will always be stacking up paper of all kinds.

    If it didn't bother me so much, I'd be ok with it.

    But I am not.

    Oh well.

Peace and Love

odds and ends

 Just a few random thoughts

    Took Beth for a walk yesterday.  A little girl down the street saw her and asked her mommy if she could pet Beth.

    Now, this child could not have been much more than 2.  She was young.

    The mom asked me and I said sure.

    The little girl came up and Beth licked her fingers.  She burst out laughing and squealing.

    Then she tapped Beth on the head and squealed and laughed again.

    The next tap lasted a little longer and her stealing and laughing was accompanied by what I can only describe as running in place.  Her happy dance.

    Her not much older sister can over and she got licked and did not laugh or squeal.  But both girls enjoyed petting Beth who enjoyed getting petted!

    Came out of the bank and walked to my van.  Could not figure out why I could not open the door.  I looked in the  front seat and saw a cup, folder and jacket then realized I was at the wrong car.  Oops.

    Wrote down a great quote.....almost.  "The real fight is not left versus right, it is"...then my note says poo t to b.  Could be from mJesse Jackson,  but I will have to Google it, I guess.

    The other day I got a call from a guy named Steve in West Chicago and he said he was ready to be picked up.  I told him I was not an Uber driver and that he had the wrong number.    About half an hour later my phone rang again, same number, but this time it only rang twice before he must have realized his mistake.

    Went to the bank as museum board president to renew a CD.   Treasurer  Matt was with me and we talked about gardening.  I don't think our personal banker had ever laughed so much in her life.

    Got ashes tonight.  Jackie did not feel up to going, so I went by myself.

    We planned on having popcorn shrimp from Popeye's in DeKalb.   But they only have butterfly shrimp.  Why is its so hard to find popcorn shrimp around here?  We used to get it at Dog Hub in Rochelle, but they closed.

    Cuckoo clock had a hand problem.  One fell off.  I put it back on.  Did not know you could tighten the hands until tonight.

    Our security light went on in the back.  It must have been a deer,  but I did not see anything.  My trail cam did not function and I am not sure why.

    Had a voice message on the land line telling me they had a package worth $8.5 MILLION.   I had to call them to arrange delivery.   Do people actually fall for that stuff? 

    I should get the package tomorrow.

    Just another week in the life of the fool on the hill.

Peace and Love

messed lyrics

 Sometimes I don't hear the lyrics in songs correctly

        It's not  "Scuse me while I kiss this guy." 

        And it is not , "Wrapped up like a douche in the middle of the night."

        Yes, you do have to be a bit on the older side to know the correct words.  Or should I say mature.

        I was listening to Sammy Davis Jr. belt out "I've Gotta Be Me" on the oldies channel yesterday.

        Yes, I do listen to the oldies channel instead of the Beatles or Buffet, especially when I have a passenger that enjoys one Beatles song, not all Beatles.  Plus, she says Buffet is a country singer.  Since I can't strap her on the roof of the car, I change to the 60s on Sirius and eventually I get a small Beatles fix..

        Anyway, Sammy ws singing away and I mis understood his last lines.

        He sings, "I can't be right for somebody else if I'm not right for me."

        That that is not what I heard.

        I heard IT instead of I. 

        And yes, I Googled the lyrics to be sure I heard the lyrics incorrectly.

        I agree with Sammy.  If you are not right for yourself, you can't be right for somebody else.

        But here's the rub.

        I think the IT fits better today's world.

        It can't be right for somebody else if it's not right for me.

        I think that is very true.

        And that's all I have to say tonight.

Peace and Love

Lost and found

 We got our toenails done today

    I know!! TMI!!

    When we got home Jackie said, "Where's my watch?"

    That is always a good question.  It was on her wrist on the way to Sycamore, but not on her wrist in the house.

    We called the nail place and they said they would look for it but nobody had found one.

    I looked in the car, in her sweatshirt, in the wheelchair, in the car a second time, and in her sweatshirt again.

    No watch.

    So I  checked the car one more time then headed back to Sycamore to check the parking lot.  On the way, I texted Julia and Emily because I wondered if there was a search feature for an Apple Watch.

    There is.  On Jackie's phone.

    I did not have Jackie's phone.

    At some point Julia texted me and said the watch was in Rochelle, but later on was at Walmart.

    By this time I was about half way to Sycamore.  

    Julia texted again and said to look in the car.

    I had done that 3 times.

    I was approaching a stop sign a little too fast and hit the brakes.  

    I looked down, and there was the watch. 

    I had a nice drive, anyway.

    I was going to make some Italian sausage  tonight, celebrating the Olympics.  

    I took a package out of the freezer and it was stamped "best by August 2024." 

    Jackie said she was not sure about that.  I know Julia would have dumped it.

    Well, I dumped it.  

    There was another package.  Took the out and it was stamped, "best by August 2024."

    So I dumped. that.

    The third package had no date.  

    Because I didn't buy it, I opted to dump that too.

    So we had scrambled eggs and bacon,  New bacon.  Just bought.

    But I do have hankering for some Italian sausage.

Peace and Love

IRS

We worked on our  taxes today

    If Jackie would only listen to me, we would have a $376,994 refund, but Noooooooo!

    We  have to have receipts.

    Do you mean to tell me that the billionaires who hardly pay any taxes sit around and work through their receipts?

    NO!  They just pick numbers out of the air.

    I believe we should file based on intent.

    Like, I would donate $15 million to Brookfield Zoo for a new elephant enclosure. And I would give a couple of million to VCCT, and the museum.

    But nooooooo!  We didn't give the much, so we can't claim it.

    I read where DOGE (remember them? ) cut thousands of employees in IRS, so the chances of anyone being audited are pretty slim.

    We are not rich enough to avoid taxes.  

    Or death.

    Speaking of which, people are pushing to have a human composting bill passed in Illinois.

    I would do that.

    It's environmentally friendly and cost efficient.

    Plus the human compost  could be used in parks, forests, or the family back yard, like around a tree or bush.

    Sounds crazy, I know.

    But when someone dies,  the body has to go somewhere.

    As I understand human composting, the deceased is placed in a sealed chamber with hay, straw, wood chips and other plant material.  After a while, all the remains is .... well, compost.

    I am going on record that is how I  want to be treated after death.

    And my composted remains should go into a forest, I don't think Julia and Emily would be comfortable mulching their dad.

    But at least they would have that option.

    We know only 2 things are certain in life:  Death and taxes.

    And without receipts, you can't avoid either.

Peace and Love

Olympic fever

 I have spurts of watching the Olympics

    I sometimes have watched the afternoon show, but mostly night shows.

    The night shows are taped and edited, so the less exciting parts are left out.

    For example, in the Japan/US women's curling match, coverage sometimes would start with 4 or 5 stones already thrown and in the house.  The action would them pick up from that point.

    It really is amazing the strategy that is employed.  It is sort of like billiards, in that hey have to figure caroms out and what angles. to take.

    And the moguls.  Holy cow, that has to be murder on your knees and back.   

    I also caught some of the women's skeleton.

    I can't image going downhill, face forward, on my stomach, and an icy track.  One of the women hit 79 mph!  I get nervous driving that speed, and I can control the car!  Usually.

    I also did some of my olympic events today.

    Towel washing and folding.  I scored a 5.6 out of 10 because I have lost a face cloth.  Our face cloths match the. towels, and I have 1 towel without a face cloth.

    Light, delicates washing.  I got a 10 on that.  Perfect score!

    TD clothes:  I was disqualified from this event due to the overabundance of socks that did not dry completely.

    Supper:  This scored a 6 out of 10.  Left overs but with green beans.  I received a 1 point  penalty for not ordering out on a Saturday night.

    Thoughtful dad and husband:  Perfect 10!  Jackie, Julia and Emily all appreciated their flowers and I appreciated the coffee I got picking up the flowers.  Winners all around.

    But not all is good.  The skater from Virginia, Quad Boy, who was the favorite to win gold in men's figurer skating fell twice and finished 8th.

    I think what I love most about the Olympics is the emotions that athletes display....from extreme joy to unbelievable despair.  

    The ones showing joy are great to watch, but the ones showing sorrow almost break my heart.

    In every game, every contest, someone has to lose.

    Knowing that does not make it easier.

    Now, I have one more event.  Cupcake eating.  I think I will get a 10 on. this.

Peace and Love

Valentine's Day

 Happy Valentines Day to all of you

    I ordered some flowers for Jackie, and when I went to pick them up I was shocked, shocked, I tell you, by the number of guys in Cypress House!

    Seems we all had the same idea.  

    I did order mine ahead, as it seemed most of the gents had done.

    Of course I called one of the CH girls by the wrong name.  I thought she was one person, but he wasn't. I called her "Mary" and remarked she was wearing her hair differently.  "That's because she is not Mary, she is Jane," came the voice of wisdom from next to me.

    Live and learn.

    I was watching the men's half pipe tonight.

    That is when guys strap a thin piece of wood onto their feet and hurtle down a U shaped tunnel.

    The walls are 21 feet high!  These guys, and the women did too, sailed way above the walls!  It looked like they were flying.

    I wondered.....what makes a person do that?  How do you train for that? How many broken bones and concussions does a half piper suffer enroute to the Olympics?

    And is there a riddle in there? Huw much pipe does a half piper pipe when a half piper pipes the half?

    And so many of them were young.  16, 19, just kids. 

    Kids doing amazing things.

    Speaking of which, hundreds of high school students walked out of classes Thursday in opposition to what ICE is doing.

    And it wasn't just one high school. 

    It was heartening to see young people getting involved to that extent.  Now, hopefully they register to vote and then vote.

    I feel better about the future tonight.

    What I don't feel better about are. my eyebrows.  They keep hitting my glasses and it is irritating.  So I trimmed them.

    Maybe a little too much.  I only have 1 now, but the other will grow out eventually.

Peace and Love

watch this

I  figured out which Olympic events I could compete in

    I ended a sentence with a preposition, right?  Better than a proposition.

    I ordered a coffee at Cypress House today.

    I went with the First Date drink option.  Dark chocolate caramel mocha, so you know.

    I said, "I'd like a First Date, please."

    The answer was:  "Do you have an age preference?"

    I replied, "No, and I am not in the Files."

    I thought it was funny.

    Good drink, I recommend it.

    On to the Olympics.

    They have a Half Pipe competition.  I would be able to do the Half Pie, provided it was cherry or apple.   I could  do a 180 with my fork and a double 360 overboard header with my spoon and ice cream

    The Salmon.  I would do it over charcoal with a dash of rosemary.

    Giant Salmon.  Ditto the above, only twice the size.Maybe with some fries and bread.

    Boob sledding.  No explantation needed.

    Ice prancing.  When the garbage has to go out and I have to retrieve the empty can while navigating an ice driveway.

    The Skelton.  This involves washing endless hours of Red Skelton sketches on tv.

    Curding.  Seeing how fast I can wolf down an order of cheese curds from Culver's.  There would be 3 rounds, with Tums rest periods in between runs.

    Downhill.  Comparing my body now to what it was 10, 15 and 20 years ago.

    Hokey.  Coming up with as many false Olympic Games you can in a 10 minute period.  Winner gets to advice to the half pie competition.

    So you see, I could specialize in several of my Olympic categories.

    I might even get a trophy o two.  Or three.  Or 10.

    After all they are my games.  If people don't like it, they don't have to compete.

    Thank you for your attention.

Peace and Love

Boredom

Whatever happened to cool nicknames?

    Like The Sultan of Swat, Mr. October, Three Finger, The Babe, the Galloping Ghost, or the Kansas Comet?

    I remember a basketball player nicknamed The Iceman.  

    But I don't seem to hear many nicknames in the current sports world.

    Danimal was on the Super Bowl winning Bears.  So was the Fridge, and Sweetness.  But that was 40 years ago!

    Players these days don't seem to have the ear catching nicknames. 

    I know the current Bears QB has been called the Iceman for what happened this season, but it takes more than one season to get a good nickname.

    Bob Butterbean Love...I mean that was a great nickname.  So was Hammerin Hank.

    Kenny Stabler was called The Snake.  Bobby Hull ws the Golden Jet.  

    Yes, I am dating myself.  Those both are from the 6os, but they were great nicknames.

    I have been thinking about that tonight.  Yes, I do have better things to do.

    But baseball spring training is starting and maybe there will be a guy nicknamed The Big Hurt playing somewhere, and although it has been used, it would be a welcome diversion from Bob, or Jim, or Jose.  

    I propose nicknames be given based on performance.  I guy who strikes out a lot could b King K.  A base stealer could be called The Thief.  

    I don't ask for a lot, just  good health, safe travels, and interesting nicknames.

    Oh, a couple of million dollars would be nice too.

Peace and Love

    

beep, beep

 Sometimes strange things happen to me

    The other day I went to Target while I was in DeKalb picking up yet another toilet seat.

    I pulled into a parking space next to a black pick up truck.  I put the car in park, I thought, then took my foot off the brake to turn off the van.

    But the car shot forward quickly!  (Redundant, eh?  Shot forward indicates speed.  Sorry)

    I slammed on the brake, but the car did not stop...mainly because it was not moving!

    The pick up truck left!  My car wasn't moving at all!  I was safely in park.

    It was weird.

    Then today I stopped at the bank. Got out of the van and noticed I was about 4 feet into the driving lane because I did not pull into the space far enough.  And to top it off, I was in 2 spaces.

    So  I reparked.  

    How can I not be able to park in pull in spaces?  Wha happens if I ever have to parallel park?

    Dog fence people came again today.  Nice guy, checked all the wires, everything was good, but there was a loose wire in the transmitter box, or whatever it is.  He replaced it, tightened it, and pronounced the system good.

    4 hours later, when I went into the garage, I was greeted by the very loud and obnoxious beeping again.

    It eventually stopped, but it has me concerned.

    I spent some time working on a crossword puzzle today.  Actually, I have been looking at it off and on for 3 days.  One clue had puzzled me:  like some nights.

    It started with an I ..... endless with able.  I puzzled and puzzled until my puzzler was sore.

    Today I looked at the clue again and it was:  like some rights......not nights.

    And the answer was inalienable.

    Puzzle solved.

    Now if I could only solve the puzzle of  how to sleep at night.

Peace and Love

Questions

 Do you ever ask questions that make no sense?

    I ran into someone at the Paul McCarney concert last fall.

    I looked at her and said, "What are you doing here?"

    That was not a smart question.

    I would have answered by saying, "I dropped my phone and I was hoping to find it here."  Or, "I don't know, a strange force brought me here."  

    People are always very helpful when I am looking for something.

    "Where was the last place you put it?"  If I knew that, I probably would not be looking for it.

    I am always tempted to truthfully answer the, "How are you?" I often get.

    I usually say fine.

    I should say, "I have trouble sleeping, every muscle in my body seems to hurt, I can't see as well as I'd like, my hearing is not so good, I am losing my hair,  gaining too much weight, and I can't pass a bathroom plus  I have boils the  size of baseballs on my butt.    How are you?"

    But I don't.  I say fine.  Or Ok..  People really don't want that much information.

    When I am in a store and a clerk asks, "Can I help you?" I always want to ask if they are a certified psychiatrist.    If they aren't, then they really can't help me.

    Sometimes I think I am beyond help.

    

Peace and Love

it's all over

I like offense in a football game

    This game was like watching paint dry.

    Great if you are a defense fan, but I like the long bombs, exciting runs, big plays.

    And I really did not have a favorite, although I thought Seattle would win.  And they did.

    I did have some favorite commercials.  The Ultra one where the last guy down buys beer and he goes into training and beats all the others next time they go skiing; and the NFL ones were good for the messages  they had.  And the one with all the stars, like Jennifer Anniston, George from Seinfeld, and a host of others.

    One commercial was a bit unsettling to me.  The Ring doorbell commercial where if you have a lost dog you can activate all the Ring doorbell cameras s in your area and they will help find you dog.  It just sort of creeped me out.

    Of course Budweiser with the horse and eagle was pretty good.  Bud commercials always seem to be well done.

    A lot of AI and betting commercials too.

    You can tell I am getting old when I think the half time show is too sexy.  And I had trouble understanding the words.  That's a joke...I know they were in Spanish.

    But what got me was not recognizing Lady Gaga and not realizing she was singing in English!

    Next year I am hoping the Bears are playing in the Super Bowl.

    But it will be a challenge dethroning Seattle.

    One great. thing was my mind was off politics for 4 hours or so.  Maybe tonight I will sleep better.

Peace and Love

holy crap

 I can't afford days like this

    I am almost 78.  Days are becoming more precious.  

    So what happened?

    I slept until after 10.

    Then I ate, read the paper, and went to watch the Olympics for a bit and I think I may have dozed off again.

    Of course in all that time I took care of Jackie and did a load of laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, made lunch, and folded my clothes that spent the night in the drier.

    The decorations that I was supposed to box up and take downstairs are still on the dining room table.  Bird feeders are still empty.

    I should be using my days, not wasting them.

    I own a couple of shares of Starbucks stock.  I have a proxy vote on the board of directors and other issues to be decided.

    I was browsing through the wealth of information and came across a section on executive compensation, mainly the pay ratio of the company CEO to average employee wage.  It is 1,794 to 1.  I interpret that to mean when an employee earns $1, the CEO pockets $1794.

    No wonder the coffee prices are. so high.

    I watched an American figure skater perform.  Ilia Malnin is amazing.  He is expected to win gold, but came up a little short in the short program.  I thought he was amazing, but I am not a judge.

    And on FB somewhere there is a reel of a skeleton ride down the Olympic course.  It is truly a thrill to watch.  In case you do't know, skeleton riders go down head first. balanced on  a small sheet of plastic or fiberglass and at a terrifying speed.  

    Growing up in Chicago, I remember going down to the hill at  Montrose Harbor, racing head  first on my Flexible Flyer.  It was nowhere near what Olympians do, but it was fun.

    The weirdest controversy is in ski jumping though.  Seems some jumpers have more fabric in the crotch area of their uniform than is allowed.  Crotch gate! Why does it matter?  It allows them to fly farther.   I think. they have to measure each jumpers crotch area to make sure the uniforms conform to regulations.

    Just hope the guys who measure have warm hands.

    Sally, that's not a handle!

Peace and Love

busy, busy, busy

 Today was quite the day

    When I went to bed last night, we had scheduled for the morning:  help, water softener salt delivery, garage door trim repair, museum meeting.

    So I got up early and took my shower before Jackie took hers.

    My meeting was at 10, and I was told I did not need to go, but I figured I am the museum board president and maybe I should go with the director for support.

    Meantime, Big Jake let me know he was sick and the garage door fix was off for today.

    No problem....garage isn't going anywhere unless I back out the golf cart, then all bets are off.

    I went to the meeting, could not get in, started home, ran into a person who had a key, joined the meeting not yet in progress and at the end of 20 minutes started for home agin..  I was basically moral support.  

    Our morning help was still. there, so she left.

    The water softener guy came.  He puts the 40 pound bags on his shoulder and just strolls downstairs.  And yes, he takes 2 at a tme.

    It took him about 15 minutes to take the 10 bags down.  It would have taken me 15 days.

    And yes, the salt is more expensive.  And yes, I did tip him.  But it was worth every penny.

    I watched some of the Olympic opening, but went to the store before the. cauldrons were lit.  That was one of the things I wanted to see.  Maybe tonight on the rerun or on You Tube. 

    We all know most competitors  won't medal at the games.  But to see the faces, young, fresh,  excited, expectant; and knowing how hard they have worked to get to the Olympics just gives me shivers. 

    Tonight we went to Julia's to eat pizza and move Christmas boxes down to her basement.  She is still careful to not lift heavy objects, so Emily, Sheri, and I offered to carry the boxes down.  Jackie and dog Beth went just to visit.

    But by the time I got there, Sheri had moved all but one of the totes downstairs!  All I had to do was help cart the tree bag down.

    The pizza was good, but the visiting was much better.

    No nap today, no coffee, not a lot of tea but I did have a Dr. Pepper, so sleep tonight will be a bit on the iffy side.

    I just hope it comes.

Peace and Love 

Eh day

 The past  2 days my get up and go has gone

    I have not been very active for a long time, but the last 2 days have been my worst.

    Yesterday I did not shower until 2.  At on point I said I wasn't going to shower, but I eventually changed my mind.

    I feel fine.  I am tired, and just disinterested.

    I need sun.  And warmth.

    Our Invisible Fence unit was beeping away this afternoon.  I called and they are sending someone out Tuesday to check it out.

    They have a service plan.  One year for $300.  The service call last time was $230.  Today I signed up for the service plan then made the service appointment, so it is covered under the plan.  We have never had a problem in all the years but twice in a month is a concern.

    I don't know if the frost is heaving, the ground squirrels have chewed through the cables, or what.

    I put Beth on a leash at night because I don't rust her.  If a deer or something comes in the yard and she takes off, well, let's just say this 77 year old body would have a hell of a time catching her.

    During the day I can see what is around, so I just stay out with her.  But nights are different.

    Today I went to the chiropractor, stopped at the foundation office for a visit, got a coffee at Cypress House and went home and worked on a crossword puzzle. 

    I also finished reading my Great American Novel for the fifth time.  I swear, every time I read it I find more mistakes.  

    My next challenge is getting it published.  All help and advice is appreciated.

    Next week at this time pitchers and catchers will be at work in Arizona.  That will be a welcome relief  from the daily news.

Peace and Love

fake news

Statistics don't lie, right?

    The other day I noted I was just a couple hundred short of 500,000 page visits..

    Since 2 days ago, the blog has over 900 views.....which is really not  accurate.  I don't think that many people looked at this blog.  

    Stats say I have 500,677 page views.  

    I know statistics don't lie, but sometimes they are  wrong and I think this is one of those cases.

    933 views in one day?

    Not unless it's the Epstein files or a porn sight.

    The Olympics kick off tomorrow night with curling!  I know, the opening ceremony isn't until Saturday, but curling will start early.

    I love curling.  It is the one Olympic sport I think I could have done,.

    Yes, I would have to be stronger because the stone is around 44 pounds, give or take an ounce or 2. And you have to throw it a long way,.  Actually, I should say slide it.

    What surprises me is there are curling clubs in Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.  

    I love watching some of the Olympic events, plus the opening and closing ceremonies.  To be honest, the closing always makes me feel sad because that means 4 more years have to pass before the next Olympics.  That is a long time.

    Another surprise.....there is a Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove IL where a local man learned how to ski jump.  I think his name is Kevin Bickner and he is on the Olympic ski jumping team. Remember Eddie the  Flying Eagle?  I think you have to be slightly insane to do what they do.

    Lyndsey Vonn will be competing, despite blowing out a knee last week.  She is 41!  I hope she medals.

    Another American skier is named Breezy, and you just have to root for her based on the name.

    The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.....all coming to life in Italy over the next 2 weeks.

Peace and Love

Soon!

I will hit a milestone this week 

    As I sat down tonight this blog had 499,803 views!!!!

    Those are page views.

    Sure, some are people  landed on the page accidentally, but they count.

    I say that because people from Singapore seem to visit the site often, followed by UK and then US.

    I think the stats may not be quite accurate.

    But hey!!! I am not proud, I will accept them as valid and not demand a recount.

    Funny, I mentioned the ABC islands in a post and 2 friends are there now and another friend has that as a destination for a future  cruise.

    Am I the only one in the world who has never heard of them until now?

    Sure, I heard of Aruba, and Curacao, but not Bonaire.  Did not know they were the ABC Islands.

    I also watched The Way the other night.

    That has popped up in my life a few times recently.  A FB post from France noted that in Paris there are shells in the sidewalks pointing the way. Then I heard 2 of my relatives are planning on walking part of the pilgrimage this fall.  And I think someone in Rochelle just walked some of it, but I can't remember who.  If you know, please let me know so I can put them in contact with my family members that are going.

    I believe people should travel more.

    I know it costs mucho dinero, but the experiences you take away from a trip will last a life time.

    I was lucky.  When Julia moved to Switzerland  it opened a whole new world of culture, food, sights, history, and friends.  A n because she was living there, Jackie and I did not have the expense of lodging because we stayed with her.

    Honestly, I don't know if we  would have traveled overseas if she wasn't there.

    Sadly, I would not have known the wonderful world that is  out there. 

    Happily, I found it.

Peace and Love

6 more weeks?

The ground hog did or did not see its shadow today 

    That means we could have 6 more weeks of winter, or we could not.

    The whole concept took me down a rabbit hole!

    According to one article I read, ground hogs are also called wood chucks.

    So...

        How much ground could a ground hog  hog  if a ground hog could hog ground.

    Kind of loses its beat, right?

    Plus it is a tongue twister.

    Anyway, Ground Hog Day is also Candlemas. I had no idea what that meant, so I had to Google that.

    Seems it is an ancient religious holiday that falls about in the middle of the period between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.  (  In religious circles, Candlemas is the day Jesus was presented at the temple in Jerusalem.  It's also the day you should take down the rest of your Christmas decorations if you have not yet done so.)  I counted the days, and it is about in the middle, about 6 weeks from each. About...not exact.

    Speaking of not exact, about 4 months ago I ordered a toilet seat.  I like to have one in reserve, because we hare hard on toilet seats.  Please don't ask why.

     Well, time came to put it on and I discovered we have a round seat. I bought an elongated seat. 

    Today I ordered 2 round seats.  I wonder if I can take back the elongated one since I have no receipt.  I will ask the  nice people at Lowe's if they will give a store credit or something.

    And there is a possibility I ordered 4 seats by mistake.  

    My problem is the bolts holding the seat to the toilet get wonky and the seat gets loose.  The replacement bolts don't fit the holes in the toilet seat, so there.

    Jackie has a doctor appointment in DeKalb/Sycamore tomorrow and we have several stops to make.  I like to bundle our shopping trips as much as possible.  I can pick up the new seat, or seats, then.

    My basement is looking  a little better.  I have a huge pile of "stuff I don't want but won't throw away because someone might want it or need it."

    Hopefully this year I will have the garage sale to end all garage sales.

    And win $1 billion in the lottery.  And go to a World Series game at Wrigley. And be at the Super Bowl when the Bears pummel New England,  Again.

    As far as I am concerned, all those things are possible if I have a garage sale.

    Because miracles do happen.

    Pitchers and catchers report next week!

Peace and Love

noted

 I wen through a lot of notes  today

    I have a tendency to make notes on the nearest sheet of paper.  Or any piece of paper.

    Sometimes it is a napkin, sometimes a scrap, but usually on my scratch paper pile.  I don't toss out misprinted or unwanted stuff.  Instead, I cut the sheets in half and use them as note paper.

    I admit, I have quite a stack of notepaper.

    I found one note that was "Jeremy Lin, retired from pro ball in 2012, playing in Japan."

    I did not Google that info to see if my note was accurate, but I remember the basketball player well.  What I don't remember is why I wrote that down.

    I also have a phone number:  497 123.

    I know!  That's not even a complete number!  On the note I wrote "phone. 497 123." No other reference.

    On the other side of that scrap is "Bonaire".

    I wrote that down after reading an article about the Dutch government being ordered to protect Bonaire from the ravages of climate change.

    Turns out, Bonaire is under the Dutch government and is part of the ABC islands...Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire.

    From the pictures it looks beautiful.

    And now I can toss that note.

    Also tossed:  a recipe for roast beef, how to make great bacon, and an address for Calhan Colorado.  No, I don't know why.  

    And it might not even by Calhan......I can't read the writing!

    At least the desk is a little neater.

    We still have not had a measurable snow since Thanksgiving.

    Our temperature tonight is 21 degrees, and a wind chill of 8.  Cold, but at least on the positive side of zero.

    Bob and Anita live in North Port FL and it is 34 there tonight.  That may not be the low this week.

    I saw pictures from a former student living in Georgia and her kids were sledding down a hill.

    And I'm thinking, maybe it is time to explore Bonaire.  Warm, dry, beaches, sand, water...everything you need to escape the winter doldrums.

    Alas, it's only in my thoughts.

    White Sox pitchers and catchers report Feb. 10 and the Cubs pitches and catchers report Feb. 11.

    That also helps warm me.

    I just get tired of cold, gray days.

    I need sun!

Peace and Love