phase 1

Phase 1 of my Top Secret Project is done 

    Friend Sheri came over today and we put together the final 3 planters.

    Phase 2 starts tomorrow.

    We are going to take one of the planters, put it in position, and see how hard it is to fill it from another planter.

    Anyone with an hour or 2 and an extra shovel is welcome to stop over  after 4:30 and toss some dirt.

    Of course, that all depends on the weather.

    The pit of my brain is telling me, "This is nuts.    You are almost 78.  You should not be expanding your work, you should be contracting it.  What were you thinking?"

    What I am thinking is these are going to be the most expensive tomatoes and carrots ever grown in this universe.

    But when it is done, all I will have to do is go out every other day and spend countless hours weeding.  

    But it is too late now.  I have crossed the Rubicon.

    We have a cleaning lady every other week.  We pay her.  She did not come today because she was sick, so I started cleaning the house.  I asked Jackie if I get the money for cleaning.

    Long and short answer: NO!

    Oh well.  

    One of the gas stations in town is at  $4.49..........holy crappers, Batman!  

    I have a feeling that is going to be considered cheap by next fall.

    Hope I am wrong.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

dominoes

 Sometimes one thing leads to another

    Back in the day, that was a belief held by  the political leadership.  The belief was. that if a country fell to communism, the countries next to it would also fall.  Like dominoes.

    Ain't necessarily so.

    I have an unopened set of dominoes.  I bought it because it has been years since I played, and I. thought Jackie and I could play sometime.  But I never opened them.

    I never found my thrill on Blueberry Hill, but Fats did.  He was a successful Domino.

    I have always marveled at people who set up elaborate domino configurations, either made of dominoes, cereal boxes, bricks, whatever.  Then they hit one and the rest go racing around the design, falling perfectly from one to another.

    I finished mowing the yard today and boy, was I cold!

    Temperature was in the lower 50s, and in the fall that would have been pleasant.  But today it was cold and raw.  I may have windburn on my face.

    I thought the yard needed sweeping because there is a lot of cut grass.  I got out the catcher, then the dominoes started falling.

    To reach the actual sweeper that tows behind the mower,  I had to move the car.  Then I had to move the pieces to my Secret Project.  Then I had to move a sample of my secret project.

    I realized that before doing anything, which explains why the dead grass is still on the lawn.  Plus, I was cold and did not feel like riding the mower around any more than I already did.

    It also partially explains why I have not used my battery powered mower to mow between the existing planters, because that was behind the pull behind sweeper.

    Thus the first domino did not fall.

    Everything is still in its place.  I am still chilly, a full 5 hours after getting off the mower.

    I just put my morning load of laundry into the washer, which means at 9:30 it should be ready to go into the dryer.

    That means I will not be folding towels tonight, instead I will wait until tomorrow night to fold them, which means I will delay doing something tomorrow night involving laundry.

    Why?  Because that is the way I roll.

    And that's how the dominoes fall.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

busy, busy, busy

We had quite the day today 

    A crew from the landscaping company was here about 8.  

    The took apart the stones on the deck.

    When I signed the contract, one of the requirements was that there be no dog doo in the work zone.  I discovered why today.

    The guys took the pavers out and laid them in the grass in the same pattern that they took them out.  When it came time to relay the pavers, the operation was simple because they just put them back where they originally were.

    The soil was compacted, and gravel and sand were spread and leveled.  Then the pavers were put back, the joints filled with sand, and the job was done.

    They were finished by 3!  The foreman called me to tell me they were done, but we were coming back from Jackie's doctor appointment in Sycamore.  He told me to stay off the deck for at least 1 day, preferably 2, to give the joint compound time to set.

    Later the office manager called to make sure I was satisfied with the job and that the work area was ship shape.

    With Jackie's appointment, we combined 4 other errands to make the trip worthwhile.

    We had Julia pick up Beth because I was not sure how she would react in the house by herself with the guys working on the patio.  So I went to pick up  Beth and grab some cardboard for the new planters.

    When I got home I decided to mow.  Mistake.

    It was cold.  I did not finish.

    The grass is long.  I should have run the lawn sweeper to pick up the cut grass. But I didn't.

    I have not trimmed anywhere yet and it shows.

    After an hour of mowing I quit, made supper, and had a hot tea.  

    I am just now warming up....it's been almost 2 hours.

    If it doesn't rain tomorrow I will finish and sweep the yard, but the forecast is calling for showers.

    We'll see.

    And yes, I am tired.

    Hopefully we can get to bed earlier than last night and watch/listen to the Cubs in bed.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

awww. stop!

Jackie gets 2 "scam" alls a day on her mobile 

    Same number.  She does not know the number so she does not pick up.  The caller does not leave a message.

    Twice a day.

    I am not sure how to block the number.  I mean, I know how to do it, but I am not sure that I know.  I don't want to screw up her phone.  When one of the girls comes over we will have them do it.

    I thought I should answer it and start saying how glad I was to get your call and then talk non stop until they hung up.  I think I could do that.  But why risk saying something that could be used against me in a court of law.

    Our forecast for today was rain in the morning, followed by storms and possibly severe storms in the afternoon.

    The guys redoing our patio called about 8 and said based on the forecast, they would not be coming today but will come tomorrow instead.

    I said I understand totally.  

    We had thunder, lightning and rain about 11 but nothing this afternoon.  In fact, the sun was out for a while.

    Isn't that how it always works?

    If they had come, it would have poured.  

    Mother Nature is a fickle creature.

    I often ask our home pod for the forecast.  If the pod says rain, I always ask what time will rain.  The pod answers "there is no rain today."  Every time.

    If that is a sample of AI, we are in big trouble.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

behind door number 3

Our land line is back in service 

    No longer will people get a message that the Verizon customer has been disconnected.

    I got a call from a Comcast person this morning.  The call went to voicemail because I did not know the number and my phone screens calls.  I know, it is a pain.

    Anyway she told me her name was Sol (pronounced Soul) and she was calling to try to resolve my land line cancellation/reactivation issue.

    In sum:  I went to the store in DeKalb and dropped my home land line for a mobile line.  Julia and Emily and Jackie said no, so I returned the phone.

    I was told it took 4 days for the mobile line to be activated and they could not do anything until the line was activated.  So I went back later, returned the cell phone, and was told it takes about 4 days for the land line to be activated.

    That was about a month ago.

    I called twice, and was told the land line had not yet gone through the portal.  11 days ago they told me 48 hours and it would work.  It didn't

    The lady today took a lot of time working on this.

    What it came down to, in terms I can understand, the land line office handles land lines, the mobile office handles mobiles.

    There is a door between the offices.  

    My initial activity saw the land line info go through the door to the mobile people.  The transfer back from the mobile to the land line seemed to hit a closed door that was locked on one side.

    Sol today was able to unlock the door and allow the info to move back to the land line office.  She even called me on the land line and I could answer!

    I then asked her if I was going to be charged for the month I could not use the phone.  She said that was a billing issue.

    Just hope that door opens.

    We had a  big dog on our porch today!

    It was being walked and broke the leash an d took off.

    The dog was in our back yard and finally came to the people calling it.  

    At one point it came towards me and I reached out to pet it and the lady said not to, because the dog has been biting lately.  She showed my the bite marks on her hand.

    So I put my hands behind my bak and let the dog smell me.

    I believe it was a Rottweiler.  I am not sure, but I was going to be safe.

    They got the dog into a car and took it back home, wherever that was.

    Possible severe weather tomorrow.....time to hunker down.  Our weather radio will be busy!

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

scene one

We went to a play this afternoon

    Our friend Sam was in the Matilda cast in a children's theater production.

    The show was good.  I did have a hard time hearing the young performers.  I tried turning up my hearing aids but all that did was make the air circulation system sound like a freight train coming straight at me.

    Actually, I love plays that are all kids.  You can see exuberance, excitement, fright, uncertainty... and that's just the cast's family members in the audience!

    Seriously, it takes a lot of huztzpa to go on stage at any age.  Youngsters who do it are building self confidence,  pride, and are developing a skill that will benefit them in life.  Standing in front of strangers and performing is a skill.  In this age of screens, being able to do this in front of real people is a plus.

    Jackie just turned off the Cubs.  Last I heard it was 13-4, which means their 10 game winning streak is over. Tomorrow they can start a new one.

    I showed Jackie my Top Secret project today.  I had to.  It is sitting in the middle of one side of the garage.  I have to take the car 1/3 of the way out to get Jackie in the front seat.

    I ordered 4 metal 4 x 8 raised garden containers.  

    Friend Sheri and I assembled the first one Thursday, and it took a while.  But now that one is done, I can put the lessons learned toward making the others a little quicker.

    The problem is storing them until it is time to load them with dirt. 

    I am afraid to leave them in the yard empty because with the storms we have had recently they could become airborne and take out a couple of houses.  

    I had hoped to stack. them one across another, but I don't think that is going to work either.  Maybe I will have to put one out, move dirt into it, then move another.

    What started out to be a great idea has morphed into a "What the hell was I thinking" project.

    Heck, I am almost 78.  I should have no business doing something that should last a long time.  Yes I love the food we get, but gardens are a lot of work and attention.  

    Maybe I bit off more carrot than I can chew this time.

    I guess we'll see.

Peace and Love

        

        Especially Peace

Oh yeah??

 Who needs life in the big city

    Life in Rochelle can be pretty darn exciting.

    Like when the chase is on for a horse running down Flagg Road.  

    Seems the misplaced mare got loose from the Ag Day activities at the high school.  Seeing an opportunity to run free, it took off, leading  police and citizens on a merry chase through field and forest.  Well, no forest actually. Evidently. the horse was corralled for its owners and taken back to the corral safely.

    Then there was  a high speed car chase on Il. 38.  The car left the road and rolled, tossing at least 2 people from the vehicle.  I don't know their condition but I hope they are ok.  Il 38 and Center Road were closed for a while because of the accident this afternoon.

    As for me, I had 3 things to do today but only did 1 of them.  I did do the hardest one....cleaning our bathroom.  But I never got to filling the bird feeders or fixing my W flag.

    On the plus side, I do feel better.  I am tired, but I did not take a nap today.

    Tonight will be a challenge.  

    Cubs play on the West Coast and I will leave the tv on in the bedroom, but set the timer for 120 minutes.

    When I was a kid living on Belle Plaine in Chicago, I had a white Philco radio in my bedroom.  When the Cubs were out west I would turn it on and listen to the broadcast.  At some point I would fall asleep and somebody would turn off the radio.

    I think it was the Golden Voice of Jack Quinlan doing the games, but I could be wrong.  

    That was a while ago.  I just always associate Jack Quinlan with Cubs games out west.

    I just hope they can go 4-2 on this road trip.

    That's all I know.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

yikes

 Every journey begins with a step

    Or a mis-step in my case.

    I am putting a thing together in the garage.  (Top Secret!!!!)

    Friend Sheri came over to help, and Julia and Emily would have come too but I just did not feel good.  We finished up about 2:30 and I was just wiped.  Tired.  Head felt stuffed.  So I called it quits and. told the girls not to come.

    The directions were not exactly clear.  We ended up having to take part of it apart and starting that part over.  Too many parts in one sentence. 

    But Sheri reasoned it out.  At that point I was just trying to stay upright.

    Two nights ago I made tapioca pudding for the first time.

    I used the Minute Tapioca mix and almost followed the directions.

    The directions say to stir continuously until the pudding boils while stirring.  I stopped stirring, , saw it was boiling, and poured it into a bowl.

    After it cooled it was really runny, and the bottom was really thick.  I guess stirring until it boils is kind of important.  I will do better next time.

    It still tastes like tapioca, just really thin and lumpy.

    Even though it is April, I put the AC on last night.  It was 77 in the house and just uncomfortable.  Unfortunately I set the AC wrong.  I put it at 68 and it got really chilly in the house.

    I turned it off tonight.

    A benefit of not feeling well was washing the Cubs win number 9 in a row and a second series sweep!!

    Hopefully this cold is winding down.....it has been a week,.  Someone suggested I go to Convenient Care, but I don't think they can do anything except tell me to drink liquids and rest.

    I am doing that already.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

sex me, baby

I have no idea why this is happening

    Our Yahoo e-mail address is what  we use when ordering on line.  That way our other account does not get filled with all types of spam.

    But lately,  Yahoo is getting weird.

    For instance, Lolita sent me a message saying that I look familiar.  I did not read the rest.  Now, I have read the book Lolita and seen the movie, so I kind of have an idea where that is going.

    Katex wants  to send me a hand massage.  At first I thought it said message, but no.  And no, I did not open that either.

    I got an invitation to join Sex Tinder.

    Leanne 26 would like a date with me.  I can understand.  I would like a date with me!  I would take myself to a movie and then out to dinner.  Maybe I would even stop for ice cream.

    I got 5 messages about photos of super hot babes.  5.  And no, I did not check out the super hot babes.

    I got invites to join dating services for men over 40. over 60. and over 70!  I don't know why they skipped the 50s group.

    And of course a nice grandma messaged me that she had $5,000,000 she needed to sed to the United States..... now that was tempting.

    But no, did not open that one either.

    Imagine  100 years from now and researchers are checking e mails from now, trying to get a handle on our society in 2026.

    They are going to think we are a bunch of sexual deviants.  And people who had a lot of money to send to random strangers

    But those are mainly people in Washington and in the Epstein files, which still have not been released.

    I have a feeling that nice grandma sending me $ 5 million will happen before the files are completely. released.

    By the way, felt better today.  Mowed the yard and field.  Still am. tired, but life marches on.

    Tomorrow I start another project........right now it is Top Secret!!!

Peace and Love

        

        Especially Peace

day 5

I wish this cold would go away

    I feel ok until about 3, and then I just get so tired.  And today I had a headache to go  with the tired feeling.

    I did spend about an hour on the phone with X Finity.  We still don't have our home phone back.  If you call that number the message says this Verizon customer has a discontinued phone number.

    Nobody at X Finity seems to be able to explain that message.

    This is what I learned today from Ella, my customer service person:

    Yes, my mobile pone was returned and the service discontinued,

    Yes, my land line was restored.

    Yes, I should be able to use the land line.

    No, I can't use the land line because the cell phone was never taken out of the portal.  If the cell phone is not taken out of the portal, the land line can not be entered into the portal and restored.

    I have no idea what a portal is.  I mean, this isn't Harry Potter or Star Wars.  (To be honest, I have no idea if either of them involve portals.  Maybe Dr. Who?)

    Ella assured me the phone service entry into the portal is being expedited and we should have phone service within 24-48 hours.

    I am not holding my breath.

    Julia came over and tied to hook up my DVR downstairs.  The remote does not work.  I put new batteries in it, but it does not work.  I will try to put new batteries in again tomorrow.

    Julia pointed out most movies can be streamed.  I agree, but I do have discs that are not streamed, like the Dyin for a Drink play we did a couple of years ago.  I would like to watch that.

    If new batteries don't work, I guess I will be buying a DVD player.

    If I felt better today I was going to mow.  But I did not feel like mowing.

    Lucky thing because Emily can't get her mower started.  She replaced the battery but that did not seem to help.  So she came over and got my mower and drove it to her house and then mowed.

    Hopefully she can get a quick fix on hers.

    Maybe tomorrow I will feel better and mow my yard.

    And then again, maybe not.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

almost

 Today was a day of almost

    It's about 8:30 and I almost have the bed made.

    I almost have the knives wrapped up to mail.

    I almost am ready to start emptying the dishwasher and loading it again.

    I am almost ready for bed.

    I am the reason women have babies and not men.

    I constantly complain about a cold.  Imagine if it was something big, like have a 9 pound human coming out of my body!

    Anyway, took a 90 minute nap this morning and felt pretty good.  I went to the store and when I got home I was just tired.  And may nose is plugged.  And my throat is scratch.  And I am whining.  

    We got mail today. 

    Amongst the bills and ads was an envelope addressed  to Terry and Jackie Dickow.  Mailed from Minmesota.  It was empty.  There is not return on it, so we suspect it was an ad of some kind.

    If you know anyone in Minnesota sending  us a card, please let them know we did not get it.

    Gotta do dishes.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

progress pilgrim

 Today I felt a lot better

    Not great.  But better.  

    Folded Saturday's laundry.  Washed one load.  Let out Emily's dogs.  Made supper.

    And the dishes are done.  That is a big deal. 

    I still don't have a lot of energy.  Not that I have a lot of energy normally, but my supply is really low today.

    My nose is stuffy and my throat is scratchy.  I am about to make a hot tea.  I would make a hot toddy, but I am out of whiskey.

    Open house in the subdivision today.  House for sale has a $700,000 asking price.  Yikes!!

    Great to see the Cubs win a close one.  I was glad to see PCA on second to start the tenth.  I figured any kind of hit to the outfield would score him.  Turns out a wild pitch followed by a fly ball  would do the trick too.

    Friend Donna reported snow flakes at their place today.  

    I had the front and back doors open for about 5 minutes to clear the smoke out of the house.  I cooked pork chops.  I just never get tired of chuckling  at the "Fire!  Fire!  Get out now!" message that comes from our talking smoke detector.

    At least we know they work.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

    

please, don't judge

 The last 2 days have been.......interesting

    And please, don't judge me.

    All during our Exit 99 show last night I kept drinking a hot liquid.  A blend of 2 kinds of tea, and some honey, mixed in my Yeti mug about 6 p.m..

    I felt a cold coming on.  During the night it felt more and more like a cold.  About 7:45, almost 2 hours after I made my concoction, I took my first gulp.

    Damn!  It was hot!!  I ended up spitting it back onto the lid of the cup, and the stage floor.  I used my toe to move it back and forth on the stage.  I know!!  Boy, that Yeti keeps things hot!!

    When I got home, I was too tired to take care of the dishes.

    I woke up today, (Saturday) and was miserable.  Plugged nose, stuffy head, cough, itchy scratchy throat and really, really tired.

     Most times in a marriage, when one person gets sick, the other person picks up the slack.

    But when you are the caregiver, there is no one to pick up the slack.

    So....Friday's lunch dishes are on the counter.  Friday's supper dishes are on the counter.  Ditto for Saturday's breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes.  

    Put them in the dishwasher, you say?

    It's full.  I have not emptied it after it ran Thursday.

    And 2 loads of laundry?  Washed, not yet folded.

    Hopefully tomorrow I will feel more alive.  I did sleep through much of the Cubs game today but I am really tired tonight.

    At least the rain has stopped.  

    Stay healthy, my friends.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

Julia brought a Trump pen holder for our unseen items portion of the show.  Unfortunately, the pen stuck in the president's butt left us all speechless.

TC had some wierd stuff from the toolbox

Julia got these in Canada.  They are actually crackers with chocolate flavored  filling.  Not very good, but I am eating them!

Our redbud is blooming

One last hanger on on Jackie's magnolia tree

Now, that's a worm!  I put it back in my garden because the front porch was no place for it.

what a fun night

 I had a great time at the Exit 99 show tonight

    A big thank you to Carrie, Beth, and Terry for putting up with me.

    Sometimes I need to listen to the inner voice that asks:  Is that really funny?

    When I answer no, then I should not try the joke.  Too often I just blurt it out and people  really don't know how to react.

    TC keeps telling me if I have to explain a joke, it isn't funny.

    We performed for about 2 hours and there were a lot of people there.  I am so glad for the support.

    I love my Exit 99 buddies!  I hope we do another show soon.

    I may have some pictures to post tomorrow.... kind of tired now.

    It was a stormy night.  Several times during the show phones started making noise because of the weather.

    The village of Lena was hit by a twister, reports say extensive damage to homes and businesses.  I hope there are no injuries.

    Julia left our house to go home and power lines were down at 64 and Chana Road.  She saiid there were a couple of semi trucks stuck on the road because there was no place to turn around.

    I hope the rest of the night is quiet, but there is still thunder rumbling.

    Hope the storms are gone.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

lost and found

 Everything has its place

    I admit, I don't always know where that place is.

    Sunday it was my van key.

    I looked everywhere for it.

    I went in the closet  to put dirty clothes in the hamper and saw my work in the yard pants.  I picked them up and checked the pockets....bingo!  My van key.

    On Sunday I went out to mow for the first time.  The mower needed gas.  I picked up the 2 gas cans and they were empty.  I went in the house and got my wallet and the van key.  Then I remembered I don't use the red nozzle  gas can, but a yellow nozzle.  I found that and it had gas.

    No need to go to town.  So I filled the mower and started mowing.

    Usually I don't carry a van key when I mow, because I know there is a possibility I will drop it in the grass at some point.  For some reason,  when I put my wallet in the house I left the key in my pocket.

      Jackie was balancing the checkbook while I mowed.  She had paper spread over the dining room table.

    On Monday I stacked all the checkbook stuff in a pile.  We put the Easter stuff away, and I switched the runner on the dining room table.

    Tuesday she goes back to balancing the checkbook and the check register is gone.  Not only that, the license plate sticker renewal form is also missing.

    I went through the stack of papers, she went through the sack of papers.  We checked every place we thought I might have put it.

    I went through our box of  Easter stuff and.....no register or form.

    I recycle.  In the garage I have a barrel for paper and one for all the other stuff.  I know I don't  have to do. that, but it seems to work out for me.

    Anyway, I went through the paper barrel piece by piece.  No luck.

    I went through our shred box.   No luck.

    All Tuesday I was looking for the form and register.

    Wednesday I briefly looked in all the usual spots.  Nothing.

    Wednesday night as I was going to bed, I thought "Check the table runner."

    Took it out of the drawer, shook i,t  and out it all fell.

    I don't understand how I did that.  It was like a magic act.....now you see it, now you don't

    Tonight I am not missing anything....except sleep.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

wild times

This has been a wild day 

    Severe thunderstorm warnings, watches, flood watches, tornado warnings and watches.....my weather radio is getting another workout!

    It seems we are in a pattern of strong storms

    Last night about 10 we had pea sized hail.  But folks around us had quarter sized hail.  (Ok, tell me:  Is it pea size or pea sized?)

    I have to ask a meteorologist why there are so many severe thunderstorms in the Lena, Winslow, Stockton, Freeport area.  It seems every time the toner sounds, it involves those areas. Tonight a tornado warning went up for Ogle County, but it was for a small area of north central part of the county, north of where Julia is.

    Julia was over and started to leave about 4 when Emily called and said there was a tornado warning for the Oregon area. Seems a severe thunderstorm was located between Oregon and Chana, which means Julia would have had to drive through it to get home.

    So we stood out in the driveway and watched the clouds.

    I think that is how you tell a true Midwesterner.  During a tornado warning we go out to look.  Probably not the wisest thing to do.

    And again, nights like this (Severe thunderstorm warning until sometime after 10) I kind of wish I had sprung for the $10,000 steel tornado shelter that can be erected in the garage.  But I didn't.  And won't.  I will just take our chances that storms will pass us.

    Jackie had an MS doc appointment in Rolling Meadows today.

    Usually we would contact sister Judy and meet for lunch, but I did not want to get stuck in traffic after a 2 p.m. appointment and lunch somewhere.

    It's a nice appointment.  She has been going to him almost since being diagnosed with MS.  All he actually does is talk and answer questions, because at Jackie's age there is not really a lot to be done for MS.  But just talking to him is comforting.

    He had a student with him, and he told her that he has seen several MS patients from Rochelle.  I can think of 9 who currently have MS.  No known cure, no known cause, all ideas are being explored.

    Hopefully someday they can find a cure, or. cause.  It won't benefit Jackie, but if people can be spared the heart ache this causes, all the money put toward research will be worth it.

    I hate driving on the expressways in the suburbs.  I was doing 70 in a 60 mph zone and people were passing me like I was standing still!

    If the state wants to solve some budget issues, put up speed cameras on the interstates and tollways.    I bet they could pay a lot of bills just on the traffic in the Naperville area.

    Now, all I have to do is fold laundry and watch the weather.  Sleep will be difficult tonight.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

timed out

Nothing lasts forever

    I have found that out the past 2 days.

    I finally got my shelf up.  But it was a challenge.

    Here's how it should go:  Find the studs, screw in a bracket, level the next bracket, install second bracket, cut 4 ft. of shelving, notch shelving for electric  cords, mount shelving.

    Easy peasy.

    Here is how it went.

    Find stud, start to put screw in wall.  Battery dies.  Second battery will not charge.  30 minutes later, battery is ready.  Jackie can't find check register to balance checking account.  It was on the dining room table with other banking papers but someone stacked everything and now the register is missing.

    40 minutes later, I return to the shelf project. 

    Put the first bracket up, find stud for second bracket, make sure brackets are level, install second bracket.

    The license plate renewal form is also missing.  Back into the house to look for that.  After going through all the piles, I return to shelf project.

    I put the shelving board on the golf cart, measure 4 ft, draw a straight line, start to cut board with my electric powered circular saw.

    Saw runs for 5 seconds and stops.  I press the trigger and button again.  Saw runs for 5 seconds and stops.

    I have now cut about 2 inches into the 12 in board.

    Start the saw again.  This time it runs for about 10 seconds before dying. I check the power cord.  I check the connection.

    I turn the saw on again and it doesn't run at all.

    I say a few choice words and try again, this time it runs for several seconds.

    It took me 10 minutes to cut through the board.  But I did it.

    Then I attempted to put V notches in the back to slide the cords down to the outlet.  Saw does not cooperate.

    Finally I finish!  I  put the shelf in place and put the battery chargers on the shelf.

    I discover I can not see the lights that indicate the batteries are charged because the shelf is too high.

    Took down the brackets.  Remounting them was a lot faster the second time.  And the battery chargers are now on a level where I can see them, so I am counting the project a success, despite the numerous extra holes in the wall.

    I have had the circular saw for decades, so it is no surprise it is near death.  And the drill?  DeWalt no longer stocks the batteries I need.  I think I was still teaching when I bought it.  There are batteries available on the secondary market, but I don't think it's worth buying some.  I will just use the one battery I have for the extremely few times I need a drill.

    Do I just toss the saw?  

    When I finished picking up doggie doo and filling the bird feeders, I was really sweaty!

    But we still have not found the register or the license plate renewal form.

    Guess I will keep looking, but damn, this is getting old!

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

double damn

 I am having a frustrated pity party tonight

    I have a couple of minor, very minor, physical issues that are just frustrating the hell out of me.

    This morning I went to raise the in-window blinds on my den window and the string broke, so the blinds don't work.  The house is almost 14 years old and I don't know if Pella still makes the blinds.  I asked my friend Carrie about it but have not heard back yet.

    I had 2 small jobs to do today.  Actually, they were Friday's chores that I never got to.

    Hang a shelf in the garage for my rechargeable batteries and chargers.  Clean out the trash bin in the kitchen.

    I brought my drill up, but forgot the bits.  I brought up the wrong length screw and the shelf  bracket did not hold.  I dropped a bit and could not find it.  My stud finder went dead and I had to get a battery.  My 10 minute project was now bordering 45 minutes and  I just gave up.

    I drove past the post office and did not stop to get a box to ship my knives in for sharpening.  The knives have been sitting on the nook table since Thursday, when I decided to send them away but the 5 boxes I tried were too big or too small.

    But the one big thing that has gotten me  down is my van key.

    I can't find it.

    I have looked in the car twice, but I am terrible at that.  Something could be right in front of me and I won't see it.

    I have looked in coats, sweatshirts, under tables........

    I look around and see all the crap I have not dealt with.  Dirty kitchen towels on the counter.  Papers on the counter.  Papers on the table.  Grocery bags on the chair instead of back in the car.  (I even checked the bags for the key.)

    It is so damn frustrating to be me!  Sometimes I can't stand myself for being the way I am.

    I tried to find some solace in a cold root beer, but that hasn't helped.

    We are now down to 1 van key.  If I can't find mine, I guess I will have to order a new one, which will be at least $100.  As soon as I get a replacement, the missing key will magically appear.

    Where have I looked?

    Jackie's purse, the hook where it hangs, the floor under the hook, in the car, (twice) on the lawn mower, on the golf cart, under those 2, under the dresser, in the washer, in the dryer, 4 pairs of pants, 6 sweatshirts, 3 jackets, the desk in the den, the dining room table, behind the bench in the laundry room, (maybe I will pull that all the way out to be sure.  I can dust the floor too.) in the bathroom, pantry.

    No place.

    And I don't know when I used it last.  When we went Saturday, Jackie had her key in her purse so we could start the car.  But I thought I had my key.  

    Freaking impossible.

    And confessing all this does NOT make me feel any better.

    Maybe tomorrow things will seem brighter.

    Oh.  The Cubs were losing 11-2 when we quit watching.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

stand off

We had a stand off at the house today 

    I let Beth out in the back yard before noticing the 2 Canada geese.

    They were out by my natural garden, but advancing slowly toward the bird feeders.

    Meanwhile, Beth stood vigilant.

    She did not bark  She did not growl.  She stared them down.

    And the geese stared back.

    Neither side moved. 

    This went on for a few minutes until I called Beth in, and the geese wandered off, obviously terrified of our ferocious pup!

    I mowed today.  I really don't get my front yard.  There are huge bare spaces, and not just where Beth goes, but even out of her area.

    I think I will get a soil sample.  Then in the fall have the front aerated and heavily reseeded.

    I am not a big fan of lawns, but we have one and I would like it to be nice.

    I also broke one of my pledges today.

    Last year I pledged never to mow on a Sunday.

    When Julia was in Switzerland, she learned about quiet days.  On Sundays you can't mow, blow, use power tools outside, wash your car, (people play music when they wash their car. I guess) or do anything that makes a lot of noise.

    The result:  You can sit outside and hear the birds.  Outside tine is actually relaxing!

    So last year I pledged not to mow on Sundays.  But the forecast this week is for rain almost every day and my grass was long.  So, I broke my pledge.  

    We had a "what's for supper" moment today.

    Jackie was a little out of sorts, and all the things I suggested were met with a "Meh."

    We decided on grilled cheese with bacon.

    I thawed the bacon, got out the skillet, opened the bread and went, "ewwww" .....  the bread was green.  

    So I improvised.  We had them in soft taco shells.

    It wasn't bad.

    But tomorrow I have to go to the store to buy bread and some other stuff.  Hopefully the bread will not turn green before we use it all.

    Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

oops and thanks

 I am thankful for friends today

    We were going to a celebration of life for a friend's father today.

    All was going well, until it wasn't.

    I transfer Jackie several times a day.  Bed to chair, chair to toilet, chair to shower, chair to chair, chair to car.......at least a dozen times a day.

    Normally it is not an issue.

    Today was not normal.

    Going from the potty to the wheelchair, I hit the edge of the seat on the wheelchair.  She slid off.

    Jackie did not hit the ground hard, but she hit the ground.

    I called Julia and Emily, but they were on their way to the same event and were in Sycamore.

    I could not call Kevin, because it was his father in law's celebration of life.

    I called Curt, who was working.  He offered to bring a couple of guys out in the ambulance but Jackie said no. By the way, that is a service the department does.  We have had them out before.

    Went to call Todd down the road, but discovered I did not have his number for some reason.  (If you are reading this, please PM me your number.)

    I called Sheri, and she was just taking a dish out of the oven and said she would come ASAP.

    I also called Kimberly, because it really takes 3 to get her up ion the bathroom.

    When we all gathered, it took about 2 minutes to get her up and into the chair.  (We put her feet on the bottom of the wall.  2 people lift and the third shoves the chair into position.  Easy Peasy!!

    Curt checked back with me to be sure we got her up.  I should have told him as soon as we did it so he did not have to wonder if I was calling back.

    Sometimes it does take a village.

    I am just grateful we have people in our village willing and able to help.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

school dazed

 The museum hosted a third grade class today

    People were a little worried:  Yesterday's class was "high spirited."

    I joined the volunter force today, and the kids were great!

    Most of them (they are 9 or 10 year olds) were polite and attentive.  They asked questions and even answered questions.

    It reminded me how much fun  that age group can be.

    I missed teaching for about 3, maybe 4, minutes.

    Wasn't it cool watching Artemis land?  I'm glad they made it home safely.  I can't imagine the courage they have. I also can't imagine what the Earth looks like from the moon. What a fantastic adventure that must have been.

    We have a furry, fuzzy cloth rabbit that is part of our Easter decorations.  It has been on the floor for 2 weeks now, but tonight Beth decided it was her toy!  She carried it around and did a little chewing on it before I could get it away.

    I put it on the coffee table and she kept putting her feet on the table, looking at it.  So I moved it to the dining room table.

    When we went downstairs to play tonight, she spent a lot of time sniffing along the edge of the room, even getting up on her hind legs at one point.

    Not sure what that means.  Do we have a mouse?  A rabbit?  A gorilla?  Time will tell.

    I had some forms to drop off with our tax guy in Rockford.  The office is on a four lane road, 2 northbound, 2 southbound, with a wide median that people use when turning left.

    I had just pulled on to the median to turn left when an oncoming red van moved on to the median with their left signal on.  I pulled back into the traffic lane, luckily there were no other cars, and the red van continued before turning RIGHT from the median!  Crazy!!

    I went in the office and gave the forms to the person there.  She checked to make sure we had everything signed.

    Before I left I said to her, "Do I look really pale?"

    She looked at me and didn't say a word.

    Then I said, "If I do it's because between the IRS and gas prices, I am being bled dry!"

    She was still laughing when I left.

    I have the voice text option in the car.  I texted Julia and  Emily to see if they needed anything in Rockford, but the text went to a different Emily. She thanked me for the offer, but she was good.  Julia just sent a rolling eyes emoji, which I saw after I parked.

    I had 1 task to do today, but with the drive to Rockford, the school group, and my general laziness..... I did not get it done.  

    Hopefully tomorrow.

    And I am looking for some hay.....maybe 4 bales.  

    I know!  It's not the hay season.

    I never time things right.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

what a day

 Today was a beautiful day

    My doctor's appointment went well, I had a caramel Frappuccino, museum meeting went fairly quickly and I even got to set a fire!

    I burned off my native garden area.  I wanted to burn that and the field area that I am letting go natural.  But with all the rain, the field greened up and there is very little to burn.

    So I focused on the native plant plot, which is smaller and filled with more fuel for a  fire.

    I sometimes get a little critical of my fellow humans.

    For example, I stopped at WM for a few items.

    As I was leaving a younger (really, at my age everyone seems younger) couple was also leaving.

    They had 1 Walmart bag.  

    I had 2 of my own bags, plus a pack of napkins that did not fit in ta bag.

    I emptied my cart in the store and went out to my car.

    The younger ones wheeled the cart, with their 1 bag, out to their car.  Seriously?  They could not carry a bag of groceries?  

    What is this world coming to.

    While I was checking out a friend said,"Hi, Terry!"

    I was so startled I ended up t tapping  the package of napkins 3 times. 

    An associate came over and said, "I saw your problem.  I took one off so you are only charged for 2."

    I siad I only had one.

    So she took another off.

    I had to get Jackie something from Ulta.  I checked out and t hey asked for a phone number for rewards.  It is Emily's account.  As I struggled with getting the number, the cute young thing behind the counter asked if I wanted her to help.

    I gave her the phone and likely split......she had the number.

    I might go back into the garage tonight to find our rain gauge.  It is supposed to be a drenching rain tonight.  If I can find the gauge, I will put it out.

    Hope you enjoyed today....tomorrow may be a wet one.

    And a wet one would sure be better than the April 9 we had some 11 years ago.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

done yet?

 I planned to clean my den today

    It is now about 9 and I am not yet done.

    Yes, I went to town for 2  errands and a coffee.

    Yes I watched part of the Cubs' game.

    Yes, I played solitaire on the computer.

    Yes, I did 2 loads of laundry.

    But I have worked  in the den too.

    I subscribed to Mother Jones magazine about a year ago.  I have several issues on my desk.  Unread. Pages not even creased.  Plus I have a Travel Illinois magazine.   Unread.

    Not that the desk was a bit of a mess, but it was.

    I opened one of the file drawers to put something away and found Jackie's 2022 calendar. And her 2024 calendar.  and  2021 and 2022 From the Hear calendars.  

    Of course I have to look through them.  You never know,  we might have used a $1,000 bill as a marker.

    Cords!!!  I have 3 cords I have no idea what they are for!

    Good grief.

    I have tossed a lot of papers.  I just hope none of them were important, because they are gone, baby, gone.

    Strangely, I feel at peace with what I have done so far.  Plus the Cubs won.  It was a sunny day.  Supper was ok. 

    And my desk and den are almost clean

    Almost.

    I counting all of this as a win.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

tis fate

 My life just seems to work against me

    I have been trying to get to bed earlier.

    But last night I watched the Michigan win, and that ran too late for me to get to bed early.

    We had an Exit 99 meeting tonight, and I was all set to get to bed by 10:30 when I discovered wifey did not have any clean bras for tomorrow.

    So I put a load in.......at 10:15.  Takes 45 minutes.  I figured I would get to bed at 11, still not too bad.

    I realized I have to dry the load.  35 minutes.

    Now we are talking 11:30 or even later.

    Sigh..

    Our Exit 99 meeting was a lot of fun.  We talk, tell jokes, laugh, and plan out the upcoming show.

    We are an improv group.  So we really don't rehearse, because there is nothing to rehearse.

    I really enjoy hanging around with that group.  They always brighten my day, yet  I am a little sad too.

    I am 18 years older than the next oldest.

    I know!  Age doesn't matter.  It's how you live your life that counts.  I am trying to live younger.

    Sigh.....again

    So many places to go.  So many things to see.  So many things to finish.

    78 is fast approaching.  And yes, I did clean that up a bit.

Peace and Love

        Especially peace

Monday, Monday

Today was not a bad day 

    I am taking a new medication to help me sleep.  I think I said that before.  It helps me sleep, but does not seem to help me get to sleep.

    Once there, I seem to be fine.

    Sure, Beth woke me up at 2:30 to go out.   She sniffed every blade of grass but somehow managed to miss the huge rabbit that came out of my flower patch and scampered across the yard.

    She eventually did something, but I was so tired I do not know what she did.

    Jackie got me up at 7:15.  We have help coming at 8.  

    So I went back to bed, setting my phone alarm for 30 minutes.  I also set the home pod for 30 minutes.

    I don't know what happened, but Rossi woke me at 8:20.  Jackie had called my phone, but I didn't answer.  Both of them said I was snoring loudly.

    Now if I could only fall asleep earlier.

    I had some errands to run and Jackie suggested I take Beth .  The only time I seem to take her anywhere is when we go to the vet or groomer, so a fun ride was a good. thing.

    We went to Julia's and when I stopped the car Beth was shaking.  I think she must have thought we were at a place she did not like.  As soon as she saw Julia, she was happy.

    Kevin, Jen and Sam stopped by for a while and that was a highlight of the day.  I need to come up with more riddles.

    Funny thing, no nap and I felt refreshed all day.

    If only I can keep that trend going.

Peace and Love, 

    Especially Peace

Guess where daddy took me!!!!

Happy Easter

 It is Easter, right?

    I seem to be getting confused a little., lately.  (I know!  Some of you think I have been confused for a while!)

    I took my Saturday pills on Friday.  When I woke up Saturday and went to take the pills, they were gone.  I thought it was now Sunday, which meant I some how missed Kathy and John's visit and Saturday in general.

    But not to worry!  I just took Friday's pills on Saturday and all was well.

    Emily and Julia went shopping in Canada this weekend.  Well, not actually.  They went to visit John/JoHanna's mom and her wife in Canada and shopped along the way.

    They stopped in Frankenmuth and got me a hat.

    To show you how my mind works, when they said Frankenmuth was about 5 hors away, I was surprised.

    "Isn't it just north of Milwaukee?" I asked.

    Three faces turned toward me with astonished looks on their faces.

    Someone slowly said, "You know Frankenmuth is in Michigan and Milwaukee is in Wisconsin."

    Of course I knew that!  Why today I thought weirdly is kind of puzzling.

    I put a spiral sliced ham in the crock pot this morning.  The menu was ham, scalloped potatoes, broccoli and buns.

    A pack of glaze came with the ham.  The directions said 30 minutes before serving take the hame out of the oven and spread the glaze pack over the ham.  Return to oven for 30 minutes.

    The next group  of words were directions for glazing a ham cooked on the stove top.

    At the suggested time, I opened the crock pot, cut the corner of the glaze and poured it over the ham.  Except it wasn't a glaze.  It was a mix of brown sugar and other stuff!

    No, I did not read ALL the directions, because the bottom group of words said I should mix the glaze package in water.  I would think they should have put that first.

    A few minutes ago I told Jackie I was putting the forks in the freezer.  I meant dishwasher.

    Julia bought some frozen scalloped potatoes for dinner, but the package to cook them in  was broken and little bits of black plastic were stuck in the frozen taters.

    So I started making some Betty Crocker Au Gratin ones when I had to go help Jackie.  I told Emily to please finish the potatoes by adding the milk, butter, and dehydrated potatoes, which she did.

    Some 15 minutes later I found the package of seasoning and the fake cheese.

    Em said it did not look right but she never makes them from the box So half way through the cooking we added the cheese mix, plus some extra cheese that was not a powder.

    So, unglazed glazed ham, cheeseless au gratin potatoes might have been the dinner.

    Fortunately, the hame was fine.  The potatoes were fine.  The broccoli was fine. My buns were fine.  So were the buns from the store.

    The girls brought back the good chocolate, chocolate made with milk and real cocoa.   Canadian chocolate.   I think I have a year's supply of noshes.

    Hope you all had a Happy Easter.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

The wind last night was strong enough to blow my hose cart from the top of the driveway onto the grass!

Frankenmuth is in Michigan.  

drying time

It did not rain today 

    That's a good thing because rivers are pretty high.   Retention ponds by Walmart looked pretty full too.  And the ground is squishy.  If a person wanted to roll their yard, today would have been a good day. I did consider laying down and rolling around on some of the rough spots, but I opted not to.

    The rain also brought out the worms.  For some reason, slinking up on my porch seems to be  a must do to survive move.

    But the problem is they dry out.  (The worms go in, the worms go out; the worms play pinochle in your mouth.  C'mon!  Sing along!!)

    I have tried rescuing them and putting them back into the grass or garden, but sometimes there are just too many of them!

    So I was scraping the porch with an ice scraper,  then sweeping the dead, stiff, crumbly remains into the non cement part of the property.

    It's not pleasant work, but people won't be walking around with dead worms on the bottoms of their feet.

    Friends John and Kathy came out from the city today.

    We had a great time visiting, but I think Jackie and Kathy got a little bored with our "remember when we....." stories.  

    Kathy made some great key lime pie bars!  It brought back memories of Key West.  She was able to take back her bag from two trips ago, but now I have a neat dish that they will have to come back for in a month or two.

    We had lunch from Teca, short  for  the Mexican restaurant I can't spell.  It was dang yummy!

    It was a great visit. 

    Unfortunately I also watched the Illini lose to U Conn.   I am not a big basketball follower, but this Illini team was amazing to watch during M arch Madness.

    Maybe it is just me, but they looked a little out of sync tonight.  Granted, U Conn is a great team, but I think this was a winnable game for the Illini.

    Hopefully the majority of the players will be back next season for another run, but with NLI and portals, and the NBA draft, that seems doubtful.

    I guess you could say that's the way the ball bounces.

    But I am too sophisticated for those types of cliches.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

thanks

 I had a nice experience today

    Took my new cellphone back to  the X finite people, then I went to Good Friday services.

    Jackie stayed home.  She wasn't comfortable going out with the threat of storms and all.

    After church, I stopped at Popeye's in DeKalb for some shrimp.

    The lady ahead of me asked several questions, to which I half listened.

    Then it was my turn to order.

    The conversation went something like this like this:

    M. I would like 2 orders of the shrimp, please.

    Soft speaking girl with the thick accent:  So you just want the shrimp.  That's all?

    Me : Yes.

    Her. That's 4.99

    Me:  4.99?  I thought it was more than that.

    Her:  No sir.  4.99

    Me:   What comes with that?

    Her.  Nothing.  It's just the shrimp.

    Me:  I'd like rice and beans too.

    Her::  So you want an order of shrimp and rice and beans.

    Me :   No......

    The customer in front stepped up and said:  What he wants is 2 of the shrimp  baskets.  One with rice and beans and one with fries.  Isn't that right?

    I said yes, and thank you very much.

    She then told me she works with a lot of people, helping them in her role  with a home  caregiving group in Rockford.

    So I asked her if her group allows employees to lift patients.  She said no, they have a 20 pound weight limit.  

    We then talked about various machines that could help and then her order came and she left.

    Mine took a while, and after I got it I. realized I did not get cocktail sauce.  So I asked the guy now at the counter and he said they were out of cocktail sauce.

    I got home and looking at the shrimp realized they were the smallest jumbo shrimp I have seen. 

    In fact, they looked like popcorn shrimp, which were not on the menu.

    Anyway, we were both happy with the food.

    And I guess that is all that counts these days....being happy with something.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

busy day

 This was one heck of a day

    We had a helper in the morning, and our cleaning person from 11-2.

    At 2 I went to the chiropractor, got a coffee at Cypress House, and was drenched by the rain.

    I got home about 2:55 and told Jackie I was going to enjoy my coffee but she reminded me I had a blood draw at 3:40 in DeKalb and a vet appointment with Beth at 4.  I honestly thought I had an hour!  I need to learn how to tell time.

    Got to the blood draw about 10 minutes late, the vet appointment 5 minutes late and headed to a grocery store in DeKalb.

    Beth is in great shape.  She is 25 pounds, which is 1 pound more than last year.  I wish I could say that about myself.

    I did have to apologize to the vet tech.      

    They wanted a poop sample from Beth.  I took her out for a walk between rains and she dropped a load.  A normal person would put some of it in a sealable snack bag.  But I only had the snack bag, so I put the whole mess into the bag and sealed it.

    I tell you, that dog has the stinkiest shit I have ever smelled.  I even put that bag into another bag, but the smell in the car was overpowering.

    I told the tech she might need gloves and a mask.  I don't think she believed me.

    At the store I bought some meat on sale, along with some cola and headed home.

    We had rain most of the day and the sky was still a little dark.

    I stopped to take a picture of clouds and then headed home again.

    At about 5:45 my phone rings and Jan from the museum said, "You are coming to the Chamber dinner, aren't you?"

    Well hell.  I forgot.  Dinner was to be served at 6:15, so I went into the house, asked Jack if she remembered I was going to the Chamber dinner, and started to get her supper, and Beth's supper.

    Left the house at about 6:10 for the 15 minute drive.  Not too bad, I would only be a few minutes late for dinner.  But Jan was saving me a place.

    I was on the south side of Rochelle when my radio made the strangest noise.    Then my phone rang.  And thecdty's  tornado sirens went off.

    I pulled into a gas station and Jackie said we were under a tornado warning.    I turned around, called the wrong Jan, and headed home.

    By. the time I got home the storm had passed.....thankfully without any problems.  We did get some rain, pea sized hail, and some strong winds, but nothing destructive.

    By now it was 6:40.  I t thought of heading back to the dinner, but the sky just did not look right.  So I stayed home.

    I am even wearing pants!  Not jeans!!  Real "hey I'm an adult" clothing.

    It's almost 9 and the majority of the storms have passed.  

    Lots of rain.  My porch is full of worms.  The retention pond behind our house has water in it and I think there is more rain coming.

    But we are all ok, and that is the important thing.

Peace and Love

    Especially peace

ouch...my turn

 I hit a deer today

    I went to Julia's and decided to drive back roads back home.

    One of the roads was gravel.  I had never been on it, but I knew where it connected to another road that was paved that  I could take.

    I was going about 40 mph when a huge buck walked right in front of the car!

    I hit the brakes, but the van started to skid on the gravel. 

    The deer tried to run, but I hit him in the back end.

    He was a beautiful animal, with a rack that must have been 6 feet across!  Heaven knows how many deer seasons it had survived, only to have me hit it.

    After I hit him, he did a 180 flip and landed face first on my van's windshield.  His antlers  pierced the windshield and cut my forehead!

    There I was, sitting in the middle of nowhere with a 12 point buck's head staring at me through a broken windshield.

    I felt something dripping, and realized I was bleeding and I passed out!  My face was buried in the airbag for I don't know how long.  

    Whether it was the salt in the blood or the deer's compassion, it started licking my face!  That brought me around.

    I stumbled out of the van only to. realize my coat was covered in glass, so I took that off.  But the blood was still dripping down and I looked in the driver's side mirror to see how bad the cut was.

    And I fainted for the second time.

    This time when I woke up, I saw the buck had somehow freed himself from my van, but he was woozily stumbling down the road with large chunks of windshield dangling from his antlers, sparkling  in the sun like earrings.!

    I took my shirt off and wrapped it around my head to stop the bleeding.  Yes, I was cold because it was ony42 degrees and I was shirtless!

    I saw a farm house up ahead and staggered up to it.  I pounded on the door and a naked woman opened the door and screamed, falling backward in a faint.  I stepped over her and looked in the hallway mirror.  Noticing the blood-soaked shirt, I also passed out.

    I awoke when the cold water hit my face.  The woman shrieked at me.  "Who the Hell are you?  What are you doing here?"

    I explained I wasn't going to hurt her, that I had hit a deer and needed medical help.

    "So yo took off your clothes and came here?  Are you insane?"

    I assured her I was woozy, dizzy but not crazy.

    We heard a pick up coming up the lane.  She recognized the sound and looked at me in horror.

    "That's my husband!  He's insanely suspicious of me and goes into a jealous  rage whenever I even talk to another man.  You have to get out the back door and get to the tree line and walk back to your car."

    I told her that was impossible.  Once I got to my van I could not go anywhere.

    "I'll call the sheriff anonymously.  You got to go!  Now!" she yelled, as we heard the truck stop and the engine go off.

    I raced clumsily out the back door and hotfooted it to the tree line.  I then inched my way back to where I thought the road was, constantly checking to see if anyone was following me.

    I made it back to the van and sure enough, a sheriff's deputy arrived just as I was emerging from the woods.

    He had a first aid kit and cleaned the wound, told me it was superficial, and called for a tow truck.  He also let me call a friend for a ride home.

    When I got home I had a stiff drink.  I figured I deserved it. 

    I was just glad this day was over.                                                                               

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace