well.....

The garden is planted and watered

    I  planted 2 types of beans, 2 types of cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and a pepper plant.

    I figure these will be one darn expensive batch of vegetables!

    I have some area left.  Thought about planting lettuce of some type, but have not really decided.  I mean we will have carrots, tomatoes, cucumber....all we need for a salad is lettuce.

    The birds were watching me intently.  I imagine they will be pecking out the seeds as we speak.

    Sigh.

    We have itty bitty black flies in the bathroom.

    I read on line they come from the shower drain, and I should clean it out.

    I absolutely hate doing that.  All the hair the is stuck in there.....that is one thing  that makes me sick.

    We have never had them before and now I feel like we are dirty people.  

    That's on tomorrow's schedule.

    Also on the schedule is the possibility of rain!

    That would be very welcome.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

\

The wooden bins were starting to fall apart

I still have some clean up to do in the yard.  Hopefully these do the trick!

not diggity dog

 I need to focus on the positives in life

    The beautiful day.  My family.  My friends. Our dog.

    Sometimes the negatives just get in the way.

    Like when I went out to plant today. 

    I laid out the stakes, strung the string, and realized it was almost 2 and we had a graduation party in DeKalb at 3.

    I decided to hold off on the planting until we got back.

    Then I could put up the sprinklers, attach the timer, plant everything, test the system and watch it grow.

        We got home a little after 6.  By. the time I fed the dog, got Jackie settled, and was ready to venture out it was a little before 7.

    We had a nice time at the party.  We saw church friends we have not seen for a while and had some awesome brisket and pulled pork.  The food was cooked by friend Jamie and it was great.  I did not get to enjoy all my macaroni and cheese because a big gust of wind sent my plate flying.

    As soon as we rolled up, people asked if we  needed help.  I looked at the slight hill into the party area and said yes, and a nice man pushed Jackie up and then a couple of long girls gave up their seats so she could pull up to a table.

    When we left, a lady helped wheel her down the hill.  I said we could just let her go and catch her at the bottom, but Jackie said no.

    I have a digital watering timer.  Uses Bluetooth.  I can sit in the house and control the timer.  I usually set 2 watering devices to run in the morning.  

    I can't find the timer.

    I looked high and low, but no timer.

    I went to Ace, where I bought it last year, but they did not have any.

    So I ordered one on Amazon. 

    I just got a little pissed at myself and got out of the planting mood.

    But tomorrow is another day.  

    And it will get done.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

planting time

 I finally got something planted!!!

    I know!!  It is almost June and my seeds are not yet in the ground.

    Hopefully tomorrow.

    We have a graduation party in the afternoon, but I hope to go out in the morning and plant carrots, beans and cucumbers.

    Today I planted 2  tomato plants and a pepper plant.

    I got a late start because I had trouble putting my new hand held cultivator together.  My fingers don't work like they used to.  If I dropped a screw once I dropped it 15 times.

    Frustrating, but I put it together and it works.

    I am almost finished with Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.

    I was fairly surprised by his opinions of people who were not white or Christian.  I know he wrote it in the 1870s, but some of the things he says are what people are saying today.  I think that is sad.

    I never imagined tourism in those days.  It is not a modern phenomenon and the actions of tourists these days are similar to those 100 years ago.

    People in his group wrote on walls, chipped pieces off of rocks and statues and complained about people not speaking English.  And of course, food was often not to their liking.

    He went on this journey with 40 or so other people, including some women.

    They travelled extensively through Europe and the Mid East.

    He said early in the book that the trip cost him $2,500.  I did an inflation index on that sum and today the trip would be around $45,000, a princely sum in both time periods.

    I enjoyed the book, but I also wondered about some of the places he mentioned.  Are they still there?  

    He mentioned dozens of towns in the Holy Land.....and of course Jerusalem and Bethlehem got a lot of print.

    Strangely, I have never had a desire to go there. 

    But reading his descriptions makes me think it would be a wonderful place to visit.

    That's it!

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

fini!

 I am done with dirt

    I know!  I said that before.  But tonight I am positive.

    The bags are all emptied, the compost bin has been scooped out, bins are almost full.....and my back and legs are a bit tired.

    Sometimes plans do not materialize.

    For example, today is our cleaning person day.  She comes every 2 weeks,  but was unable to come today.

    Since it is cleaning day, I had to clean.

    My cleaning is a thing to watch.  

    I may be dusting, then vacuuming, then dusting, mopping the floor and none of the room has all three tasks completed.

    I get a little distracted.

    I divide our house into three parts for cleaning purposes.  Today I did the West Wing. Tomorrow I will do the center and I may never do the East Wing.  

    It takes me forever, but I get it done.

    So today:  Caretaker, cleaner, dirt mover, cook, and in a few minutes, dishwasher.

    I also had a chiropractor appointment and he worked on my back.  It does feel better. 

    To celebrate, and to give me the energy to clean, I stopped at Cypress House where I called 3 people the wrong name and confused 2 others with other people.

    On a positive note, I did call 2 people by. their right names.

    For me that's a big deal.

    But not as big as cleaning the West Wing and finishing my dirt moving job.

    And I did wear a belt....so my pants did not fall down .

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

Liar, liar

 I told a lie yesterday

    Actually, what I said then was the truth.  But it changed today.

    I said I was not going to order any more dirt.  And I meant it.

    But Jackie suggested I go ahead and order more.

    So I went on line and ordered 8 bags of top soil.  And 8 bags of garden soil and 8 bags of cow manure compost.

    Do your math.  

    It is now a little after 8:30 and I am sitting with ice on my back.

    I might have overdone it.

    I had a problem that I was too lazy to solve.

    I put on my outside shorts, but did not put on a belt.

    So it was put a bag into the bin, pull up my pants.

    At any point I could have decided that  all I had to do was go into the house and get a belt.  But I didn't.

    24 pull ups....1 for each bag.

    Then I decided to start getting compost out of my compost bin.  

    I have a system.  I take a section of screening that is 1/4 inch opening size.  Usually I take a garbage pail to put stuff in that I don't want in the garden, like plastic, rocks,  nuclear weapons.

    Tonight I did not.

    I opened the bin, took 2 shovels full of compost, put it on the screen, shook it, dumped the crap in the front of the cart, pulled up my pants and repeated the action several more times until I ran out of gas.  Me, not the tractor.

    Plus the bugs were starting to bug me.

    I drove back up the pad in my drive, unhooked the yard cart, and watched in surprise as the cart obeyed the law of gravity and rolled don the slight hill and halfway across the yard.

    I just watched it.  I figured if I  tried running, my pants would have tripped me.

    Tomorrow I will bring  it back to the garden bins, shovel the compost out and maybe, just maybe, spread the dirt and start to plant.

    And I will be sure to wear a belt.  The neighborhood association requested that of me.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

Isn't she a pretty pooch?

If you know where I can buy these, let me know.  We love them!

The cart started on the pad......

no mo

I am not getting any more dirt 

    I have been buying bags of topsoil to put in my new  garden beds.

    I ordered 16 more bags and they were delivered last night.

    So after supper today, I hauled them out to the garden and emptied 16 bags of top soil and 6 bags of mushroom compost into  3  bins.

    The bins are not full.  Each one is about 3 inches from the full line.  I know, that is an arbitrary line, but I am thinking 3 inches.

    Truthfully, I am tired of dealing with the bags.  Next fall I will find someone who has some topsoil and buy some bulk.   I hope it can be loaded into my yard cart so I don't have to shovel it.

    I still have not planted a thing.

    Tomorrow I hope to get out there and use my new hand cultivator and church up the soil.  If I can, I will go to my compost bin and get what I can from there and put that into the gardens  too.

    At this pint I need to have my head examined and ferret out anymore bright ideas.

    I don't think my body can take another one!

    Tomorrow.......cultivate and plant.

    Maybe.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

needles and haystacks

Well, I lost something else 

    I swear, I spend more. time looking for stuff then I do using the stuff I am looking for.

    We have some Cutco knives.  They are made in the USA and are fairly expensive.  We have had them for years.  Recently I sent them away for free sharpening.

    Now they are really sharp.

    When I do dishes, I put them on the ledge behind the faucet so I don't cut myself.

    I wash them, dry them,  and put them away.

    Yesterday I noticed my little paring knife was gone.  I looked in drawers, behind stuff on the counter, in drawers again.  I could not find the knife.

    I knew we had it a couple of days ago.

    I thought maybe I threw it out.

    So I grabbed the 2 garbage bags, some disposable gloves, and sat down in the garage to go through garbage.

    Banana peels, moldy bead, broken glass, lots of yucky stuff I can not even describe.  No knife.

    I was really bummed.

    I went to the computer, I don't know why.  

    I looked at the printer and then at the scanner and there it was!

    That's when I remembered the paper jam last Wednesday and how I attempted to clear it using a tweezers, and a thin knife....the paring knife.

    Mystery solved.

    Sheets got changed today.  When I went to make the bed I took out clean sheets and 4 pillow cases.

    I made the bed and when I went to put on the pillow cases, I only had 3.

    I did not bother to look.  When we go to bed it will show up.  Or not. Time will tell.

    Yesterday I made lemon cookies.  

    They are as hard as a rock.  Did I over bake them?  Too much of something or not enough of another?

    They taste fine.....but I can only eat little pieces at a time. 

    At least I  know where they are.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

really!!!

 Sometimes I am amazed at our lives

    Especially how quickly things happen.

    The Beatles broke up in 1970!  It seems like yesterday.  (All may troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as if they're here to stay.  Oh  I believe in yesterday.)

    And it has been 10 years since the drought was broken.  I hope the Cubs can start playing better baseball than they have the last 7 games.  I can't wait another 10 years!!

    In 1973 the first cell phone call was made.  The phone weighed 2.5 pounds and was 10 inches long.   But it was not commercially available.  

    The first commercial cell phone call happened in 1983.  Seems it took a while, eh?

    Those little bits of cell phone trivia were in the Trib's list of Illinois firsts.  

    When Julia went to college we got her a bag phone.  It was heavy and big, but we felt with her driving back and forth to Blackburn College that it would be helpful in an emergency.  If I remember, it plugged into the cigarette lighter.

    I don't think cars today even have cigarette lighters!

    And honestly, I may still have the bag phone tucked in a box somewhere.

    I remember taking a computer class in the days they were being introduced into schools.  It was in the early 1980s.  That was a big deal!  Some of the "older" teachers were a little bit afraid of them.  Now when someone talks about installing apps or downloading stuff I understand their fear.

    Digression.

    Maybe I said this already.

    I was coming home one night.  It was dark.  I spotted what I thought was a cat in the ditch by our house.

    I turned the car toward it and discovered it was one really big raccoon!  We have been here almost 14 years and I had never seen one in the neighborhood until this week.

    Now I make doubly sure to keep garage doors closed.  I don't want one of these masked bandits wreaking havoc in my garage or house.  And I don't want Beth to encounter one either.

    Finally......I have been using a heating pad for the past few days.  Tonight it does not work.  

    I'll just put it in the box with the bag phone when I find it.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

blocked

 I sam stumped tonight

    I only have one observation.    We had a big hawk hanging around the house for a while.  We have not seem him lately.

    But along Flagg Road by the cemetery there is a big, dead bird in the ditch.  I hope it wasn't the hawk.

    I was hoping it would control the ground squirrels.

    We had a cardinal at the bird feeder today.  I very seldom see a cardinal in the yard.  Maybe a monsignor, but hardly ever a cardinal.  And never a pope.

    I mowed today.  By. the time I was done I was hot and tired.

    Luckily I did not watch or listen to the Cubs.  

    But tomorrow is another day.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

The last word on the bottom line is leaving.

I retired 18 years ago.  The Tilton folks gave me this t shirt.  It has now become a work in the yard shirt because it is light colored.

18 years.  And Jackie had the nerve to suggest I toss it.

Humfff!

short days

 The day seemed pretty short today

    First off, I thought it was Saturday.

    We don't have a helper on Friday.  I turn off the alarm on Friday and the weekend.

    So today we got up at 10:30.   We slept darn well!!

    But I got a late start on my to do list.

    By the time Jackie was up, dressed, and having brunch, it was a little before 1.  That explains why I was going to the store at 8 tonight  because we were out of fruit for tomorrow morning's fruit bowls.

    But I did get stuff done.  Not all of it, but some of it.

    Big Boy is coming back to Rochelle!

    That is the largest operating steam engine in the country.  It is a Union Pacific train and it is making a whistle stop in Rochelle.

    The train stopped here before.  It attracted thousands of people.  Traffic was backed up through town and on the tollway and I 39.

    The train then was in the intermodal yard outside of town. That was packed with people.

    I ended up parking on the road and walking to the train.  I did not realize it was going to take 30 minutes for me to walk to it!  It was hot.  I was thirsty.  I was tired.  When I got there I realized I had to walk back to the car.

    So.....I am not super excited to see it this time.  It is scheduled to be in Rochelle for 15 minutes....a whistle stop..... at the railroad park.

    If I don't have anything to do that day, I may drive out into the country and stop at a crossing to watch it pass.  

    But then again, maybe I will just look at the pictures I took last time.  I mea how much can a train change?

    Anyway, that's all I got tonight.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

TGIF

 This was a busy week

    Beth to the groomers, trip to the nail salon, eye doctor visit, and library board meeting in addition to all the other smaller events.

    I am one tired puppy!

    I did not get a nap today and I may be  a tad cranky.

    We went to Sycamore for our eye exams.  I think we both really liked the experience.   It was our first time there and our 3rd eye doctor in 3 years.

    Afterwards we went to Burger King!!!  I have not eaten at a Burger King for years and years.

    The Whopper was dang good!  Jackie had a Wopper Jr. and she also like it.

    Brought back old memories.  It did, it did.

  We both are  getting new glasses.  

    To me the hardest part of the whole experience is picking out frames.  I have trouble deciding on frames.  Give me 2 choices and I am ok, but more than 2 and I am in a tizzy.  Jackie said no to the red ones.  But I did get some I likes.

    Of course, after I get the actual glasses that will be a different story.

    Tomorrow I hope to get 4 jobs done.  Nothing really large or hard, but they have to get done.

    I just hope I can get a nap in sometime.

Peace an d Love

        Especially Peace

Dag Nab It

 My disorganization has struck again

    On May 7 I went to Rockford.  I visited Dan and Linda, stopped at a shoe store, and went to Home Depot.

    I had over $200 in gift cards and wanted to get a new garden cultivator.

    I picked one out,  a clerk carried it to the front, a man checked it out, and I used all of my gift cards, but I had $23 left on one.

    I got home and realized the stupidity of the transaction.

    I got a cultivator with a long handle.  You use it standing up.

    While that might be ideal for normal gardens, I have opted for 2 foot tall garden containers.

    For me to use the cultivator, I would have to climb up into the garden.

    I can't see myself doing that.

    So I opted to return the cultivator and get a hand held one, which I should have done in the first place.

    I spent the next week looking for the receipt.  And for the gift card with $23 on it.  I could not find  either one.

    Today I took the cultivator back to the Rockford Home Depot.  Customer service rep Bella had the misfortune to ask if she could help me.

    I answered a series of questions.  No, I don't have a phone number on file that could be looked up.  Yes,  clerk checked my purchase at a  register.  No, I did not do self checkout.  Yes, it was around 3 when I made the purchase.

    She spent a long time looking through the transactions recorded on the checkout lane I thought I went to.  No luck.

    She again asked if I was sure it was not a self check out.  Again, I said no, I remember an older guy checking me out and taking the gift cards.

    She walked me down to the registers and I pointed to the one  I checked out from.  It is a self check lane.

    I told her a guy checked me out!  She said that sometimes they do check out people at the self check lanes.

    Back to the service counter.  Going through activity for May 7 between 2:30 and 3:30.....no luck.

    I asked what happens now.

    She said bring in the cultivator, she'll scan it, scan my driver's license, and call a supervisor to issue a store credit.  She added it was possible the scanner will not accept the bar code.

    I told her, "I'll be back in a couple of minutes with the cultivator.  If you decide to run and hide while I am gone, I understand."

    When I got back she was gone.

    Another clerk took over, created an account for me, scanned the package, scanned my license, and called a supervisor.

    Meanwhile Bella came back and she looked at me and said, "You told me to run."

    Honestly, Bella was a saint!!

    Patient.  Understanding.  Concerned for my situation. 

    After the return was approved, I went to buy the hand cultvator.

    Turns out, that is not stocked in the store.  It's an on line order. which I could do at the service desk.

    Unfortunately Bella was with another customer so someone else took care of me.

    But she did have some words of advice:  "Don't lose the receipt or the store credit card."

    And you can bet your sweet bippy I won't!

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

how'd it get there?

 I found my lost box cutter

    I swear, I used it in the garage last week.

    But I found it in my little tool and crap box in the house.

    How did it get there?

    I have no clue.  

    Anyway, I got my cardboard all cut up and stacked fairly neatly.  Now all I need is to get the 2 bins out back, lay the cardboard down, and get the mins full.  And plant them if it is not too late.

    I paid our property taxes today.  Grief.  I am just glad we put the money away to take care of that.

    Not much else to say about today.

    But I did have an interesting experience last night when I took out the garbage.

    Bugs.  Beetles.  June bugs?

    My feet crunched when I walked out of the garage dragging the garbage can.

    And this morning?  Not a live one to be seen.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

C'mon TD

 Sometimes I am very, very stupid

    Feel free to dispute that.

    But what I did today was beyond stupidity.

    I was taking Beth to the groomers.  We had a 3 p.m. appointment.

    I go Flagg Road to Brooklyn Road, Brooklyn Road to Reynolds Road. East on Reynolds Road to Mulligans Grove.

    But there was a train stopped over the crossing on Brooklyn Road.  A very long train.

    Last time that happened I ended up going to Ashton to get across.

    But I know there is an overpass on Thorp Road.  At least I think it is Thorp Road.

    So I headed that direction  found the overpass and after going over the tracks, I looked to my right and saw the train there.  I figured it was also blocking that crossing

    I Googled the groomers.  I called.  I  explained that I would be late.

    The dash screen showed the groomers straight ahead.  So I continued straight ahead.

    The paved road became a gravel road, which turned into a one lane road, which crossed a paved road.

    That is where I became stupid.

    I know the only paved road I cross is Reynolds Road.

    But the map showed the groomers straight ahead.

    I continued down the cowpath.Vultures began circling the van.  Something was wrong.

    I never asked directions!  The map was  just a general area map.

    I turned around, went back 2.5 miles and turned east on Reynolds Road.

    We got there abut 10 minutes late. 

    When I picked Beth up, I took a road that was alongside the railroad tracks.  What I found is the road curved, and the train I thought was blocking the road after coming over the overpass  wasn't, because the road curved.   If I had gone that way I would not have been driving down 1 lane gravel roads in the middle of cornfields.

    My plan was to pick up Beth, make supper, then go into the garage. cut up cardboard, and plant what is left of the plants I bought 2 weeks ago.

    I could not find my box cutter.  10 minutes of frustration looking for it.

    I decided to focus on the positive things I did today.  I planted 4 pots, hooked up my front porch hose, washed and dried the sheets, made supper and am about to wash the dishes.

    Tomorrow I am going to buy a new box cutter, put it on a string and hang it where I can find it.

    As soon as I do that, the old one will surface.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

What??????

We went from a clean kitchen to a mess 

    The original plan was to go to Julia's for tacos.

    Our niece Laurie is coming to meet niece Cindy and they are taking a plane to Spain to do The Walk.

    Ok, I can't remember it.  El Camino Real?  El Camino was a Chevy product at one time, and it may, or may not, be the name of the walk to a famous shrine along the Atlantic Ocean.  It is a popular walk for religious and sightseeing purposes.

    Anyway, she was driving from around Columbus Ohio and Julia was going to make tacos for us all.

    But her ETA was after 7 and Jackie and I don't like eating that late.

    So I made dinner and we ate at 7:30.  I know.

    I was going to grill outside, but the wind was pretty strong and I did not know if I could keep the grill going, so I used our air fryer. 

    Steak turned out pretty good.  

    But now I have a pan for the fries, a pot for the veggie, and the air fryer to clean and I have about as much ambition as a toad flattened on the highway of life.

    Today I picked up doggie do and watered the plants I have not yet potted.

    Sadly, I watched the Cubs for a while.  

    Hopefully tomorrow I will actually do something besides complain.

    Mainly I need to get the pots planted with the plants I bought 2 weeks ago,  

    Just can't seem to get going on it all this year.

    Is that a sign?

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

what a week

This week ran the full gamut

    Celebrating my birthday, a friend's retirement party, and a funeral service gave the week a happy/sad feel.  

    My friend Beth is retiring and there was a party for her and another  middle school teacher.  It was a nice chance to see former co-workers and old friends.

    Another retiree from another year told me a funny story.

    The teacher was retiring at the end of the year, which was a week away.   Kids were tuning out.  Not much effort was being shown.

    The teacher blurted, "You don't seem to give a shit about any of this."

    As soon as the class was dismissed, they went to the principal and told that person what they had done,  in case parents called and complained.

    The principal said, "I've got that covered.  I will just tell them that I am handling it and that you won't be teaching in the district next year."

    Problem solved.

    Sadly, the funeral service was for a former student.  He always had a great attitude and a good heart. I don't think I ever saw him angry or not smiling.

    About 18 moths ago he was diagnosed with cancer.  

    Yet through all the treatments and hospitalizations, his parents and family said he still smiled  He thanked the medical staff who treated him.  He never said, "Why me?"

    He saw joy everywhere.

    I wish I was more like him.

    And the world too.

Peace and Love

    Especially Love

 

Oh my

 Sometimes I wonder about people

    I know prom is a big time for a high schooler.

    Asking someone out. Getting asked out.  Renting a tux.  Buying flowers.  Getting a dress.

    Getting a dress.

    I read a story today about a dressmaker in the south suburbs of Chicago who took orders for custom prom dresses.

    And she didn't deliver.  Several orders were not ready in time for prom despite the orders being placed months ago.    

    One mother said the dressmaker told her the $2,500 dress would be ready for prom.  It wasn't.

    I'm thinking....$2,500 for a dress?  For a high school dance?  Ye gads!

    The woman had no choice but to get another dress that only cost $2,200.  For a dress!!

    The mom spent $4,700 for her daughter to go to prom!

    Another story dealt with a park district supervisor who chartered a helicopter to land for prom pictures!  A freaking helicopter!!

    Might not have been a good idea.  The supervisor was cited by local law enforcement for the landing.  And the helicopter pilot was charged with disorderly conduct.  Seems there were baseball games going near the area where the chopper landed.

    On the plus side, it only cost $800 for the helicopter rental.

    I know sometimes it is hard to say no when you are a parent.  But there are times when you have to say no!  Especially when it comes to expensive dresses.

    Then again, maybe it wasn't the prom goers choice  in the first place.  

    I went to prom. 

    Yes, I had a date.  Yes, it was formal.

    Yes, I had a t terrible time.

    But that is another story.

    Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

gimme, gimme

We have been flooded with donation requests 

    Almost daily, we get a request for funds in the mail.

    Today we got a pen from Doctors' Without Borders.

    It's not just a pen.  There is a flashlight on one end.  Pull the lid off and there is a pen.  Pull the other end off and there is a screwdriver.  Pull the screwdriver out a nd there is a Phillips screwdriver.

    It's really a net little tool,

    It makes me wonder how much money they spend on fundraising.  

    We do support a variety of charities.  I assume one of the ones we support has sold our name to a mailing list.

    In the past week we have gotten them from heart people, cancer people, zoo groups, homeless shelter groups, nature groups.......and those are the ones I remember!

    We have our favorite charities and we give to them.

    But dang, this is a nice pen/flashlight/screwdriver thing.

    Speaking of money.

    I had a museum board meeting tonight.

    Jackie has not been feeling well for a couple of days and has not eaten much.  She texted me and asked me to bring her a hamburger for supper.

    I went to Culver's to get a burger and fries.  I also thought I would get a chocolate malt for me.

    Got out of the car and was walking toward the door and discovered I did not have my wallet.

    I tried ordering on line and paying with a credit card, but I could not remember the third set of numbers.

    So we had grilled cheese instead. 

    I would have rather had the malt.

    I might have to start hiding money in the car for times like that.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

oh no

 This was a nightmare of a day

    Last night Jackie kept saying she did not feel well.  

    She went to bed about 10:30.  At about 6:30 she woke me up to go to the bathroom.

    When she was done, she wanted to go back to bed.

    I called our morning helper and told her not to come.

    We went back to bed about 7:15. Beth was even sleeping between us.

    I got up and went to make my morning tea while she slept.

    It was 12:30!

    I sat down to drink my tea and thought, maybe I should check on her.  I did.  I could see she was breathing, so I went back to my tea.

    The phone rang, which woke her up at about 12:45.

    By the time we were both showered and ready for the day, it was about 2.

    I was still tired!

    I managed to get 4 loads of laundry done.  I hate doing that many loads, but I sort of lost track of things....like clean socks and underwear for me and clean dish towels.  

    What a day.

    I am worried  I won't be able to sleep tonight.  Afterall, I slept over 12 hours last night.  

    She is feeling better tonight.  Not great, but better.  Hopefully tomorrow she will be back to normal.

    I, on the other hand, will never be normal.

    Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

Wordle woes

 I enjoy playing the word game Wordle

    But  sometimes I get confounded, again, by the English language.

    Take a word like brown.  Ends with o.w.n.  That spells own.  As in, I own it.

    But brown does not have own in it!  It has a different sound.

    Blown.  Flown. Grown. Brown?  Clown??

    Same pattern, different sounds.

    Do I have a wound on my arm, or a wound?    Are you a present or are you just present?  And did you present your present?

    Confusing.

    No wonder people have trouble learning the language.

    I have noted this before.  In Dickens' Christmas Carole he writes he dont' and she don't.  When did that become improper grammar and we were taught to say he doesn't/she doesn't?  Who decided that?

    I doesn't know.

    I guess it isn't r really a problem with Wordle.  Although sometimes I get really stumped and have to think!  I am not good at thinking!  It makes my head hurt!

    A final thought/question for the night.  In our kitchen we have several canned lights.  We have been in the house almost 14 years.

    One of the lights burned out.

    I don't think the lights in the cans are LED, but I am not sure.

    What I do know is when I work up the gumption to replace the bulb, the new bulb will be a different color than the rest.

    That will drive me crazy.

    I don't want to replace all of them, because only 1 doesn't work.  Yeet I don't like having 1 dead bulb in the ceiling. 

    I will spend days agonizing over this.

    But I won't replace the burned out bulb until I need to.

    Maybe never?

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

on to 78

How old are we really? 

    Birthdays mark the end of a year. 

    When you turn 1, you are finishing your first year of life.

    I turned 78, so I just finished my 78th year of life.  So, am I really 79?                   

    Honestly, sometimes I feel like it.  Other times I feel like I am in my 60s.  And sometimes I feel like a teenager again, especially when listening to the oldies or Beatles channels on Sirius.

    When I am mowing, I have ear protectors with a built in radio and Bluetooth.  I listen to Buffet and The Beatles when I mow, and I sing along sometimes.

    Neighbor Jackie said she often hears me singing when I mow!  My gosh, now I am a bit embarrassed!  I did not realize I was singing louder than the mower!

    I just hope I wasn't singing to Buffet's Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw.  

    I invited some people over for pizza tonight.  We had a great time visiting and chatting and eating.

    I am just really thankful for all the people in my life.  I can't begin to explain to all of you, those here and those not here, how you impacted my life.

    As the Golden Girls said, Thank you for being a friend.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

Happy Mothers' Day

A late wish for a Happy Mothers' Day 

    You don't have to be a mother to be appreciated this day, but they get all the attention.

    I had big plans for the day.  

    I was going to toss some dirt and do a couple of other little tasks.

    I went to the store, came home  and sat down to watch the Cubs for an inning.  The was the third, I think.  I woke up in the seventh!

    I just can't seem to get enough sleep lately.

    No dirt got tossed.

    But I did notice a guy down the street has a yard tractor with a bucket.  I will wander down sometime this week and see if I can hire him to toss the dirt  for me.  With the bucket, it should not take very long.

    I got my battery powered cultivator and now I wonder if that was the right choice.  I will have to climb into the bins to use it, and I don't know if that is a good idea for me or the bins. I should have thought this through.  A battery powered hand cultivator would be a better choice, just not sure 

    At the rate I am going, it won't matter.

    It's supposed to be cold again tonight, not quite freezing but cool.  

    As you fill up at the gas pump this week, realize Shell Oil reported profits of 7.8 BILLION for the first quarter. BP only earned 3.2 BILLION.  Sometimes capitalism sucks.

    I think we should have a pool going in Rochelle to see what station hits $5 for regular first.  My bet is on the BP station on 251 and Carrie.

    Time will tell.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

buns, baby, buns

 I went looking for some good buns today

    I couldn't  find any.

    I am looking for a bun that holds a bratwurst.  

    Most of the buns are too big, or too small, or too soft and crumbly.

    I have limited places to look locally, and it is not worth driving all over creation looking.  I should have looked in Rockford when I was. there.  But I didn't.

    I think Woodman's is my favorite grocery store.  Not sold on their produce, but the selection is amazing!

    They must have 20 brands of potato chips.  I bought some Mrs. Fisher's and Mr, Mike's. I stacked them in the pantry, hoping they mate and produce little chips.

    If you walk down the cereal aisle you will see hundreds of different choices.

    But I forgot to look for buns.

    Jackie got me up a little before 7 this morning.   She was tired, and said she wanted to go bak to bed for a while.

    We went back to bed and woke up at 10:15!!!!

    Holy smokes!  We must have been tired.

    I was going to go out and throw dirt into my bin, but the wind was too strong.  I figured anything I got into the air would just come back onto me.  Maybe tomorrow.

    Or maybe not.  

    But I have to get the bins  up and filled so I can plant stuff before it gets too late.

    I'm at the point where I regret the whole project.

    But the Rubicon has been crossed.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace 

what the hell

 I'm kind of grouchy tonight

    Just a lot of little things that grate on me.

    Why do people take babies to baseball games?  Every game at Wrigley it seems they show parents with a baby.  Not a small child, a baby.  At one game they showed a mother in the bleachers holding her baby.  In the full sun.

    Why?  The kid isn't going to remember.  The noise might hurt their ears.  Some drunk might spill beer on them and turn them into a beer guzzling kindergartner.

    I pulled onto Flagg Road today  going into town.  I was doing close to 55.  A white car zoomed past me like I was standing still.

    He got behind 2 cars doing the speed limit.  I was right behind him. Why was he going so fast to start with?

    People who do California rolls at stop signs.  Just stop.

    The person in the orange car that burns rubber on Skare Road at 10:30  at night while I am out with the dog.

    Parents who refuse to accept that their precious child did something wrong.  Even when the kid is now an adult, they will provide alibis and excuses instead of accepting the fact their kid is wrong.

    Customer service reps with strong accents.  When I went to cancel something with X finity,  they transferred me to retention expert, who spoke perfect English with no accent.

    Telemarketers.

    Politicians who are afraid to stand up for the 98 percent who are not billionaires or in the Epstein Files.

    Drivers who don't stop for people in crossings.

    And those are the ones I can think of after having a margarita.

     Excuse the spelling and punctuation mistakes.  I am really tired.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

run, run, run

 I did a lot of running today

    Not the kind that is actual exercise.  I could do that once upon a time, but that time has long passed.

    On the rare occasions I don run, I have a lopsided gait  and flailing arms, like goose trying to take off.

    I have plastic arch support inserts for my shoes.  They are wide, which means shoes have to be wide. I have trouble finding shoes I like to wear  everyday.

    I went to a shoe store in Rockford today.  They specialize in creating inserts for people with arch issues.  I had a nice conversation with one of the employees and they explained the options.  I can buy the inserts and shoes, or the inserts, or just shoes.  

    The inserts are around $500 for a pair, plus buying a cover, plus buying something else.  But they have a special of 3 sets of inserts, 3 pairs of shoes, and covers for only l$1,499.

    Being the fashion king I am, I opted for 2 of the special offers.

    Just kidding.

    I think my inserts are fine.  Old, but fine.  I just have to look for shoes.

    I stopped at X finity  to drop off my touch pad and the remote.  The lady said my account was cancelled and gave me a receipt.

    Then I stopped at Home Depot. Our health insurance plan offers a yearly in home health assessment.  They take blood pressures, get my weight, go over my medications, and give me a short cognitive test.

    By the way, the last time I did the cognitive t test I was told that I had done better than anyone else who had taken the test.  My scores were the highest ever recorded.  The nurse was totally sruprised and impressed.

    Anyway, there is a checklist the insurance people send.  Get a screening, check it off.  Get a  flu shot, check it off.  Have the home assessment, check it off.

    If you check all the boxes, you get a choice of gift cards.

    I opted for Home Depot cards.  So today, I stopped at the Home Depot and got a battery powered garden cultivator priced at $119. I had $220 in gift cards because I saved them!

    Score!!!!

    Also stopped at Dan and Linda's and had a nice visit.  I tried entering their street address for driving directions, but the directions always took me to Morton Grove.  Turns out, I had the address wrong !  I was driving down their street looking at the numbers and they didn't make sense.  Then I saw Linda out in front.  I reversed the last 2 digits.  

    I also stopped at a grocery store in Rockford for a couple of things we can't get locally.

    And I started the day at the museum with third graders.  We talked (I talked) about what life was like before we had all the modern conveniences. 

    I had forgotten how energetic that age group can be.  But for the most part, they were good kids.

    One of the activities involves living a pail of rocks.  They lift it manually, then use a rope attached to a pulley to see how much easier work can be done with the right tools.

    I told them to let the bucket down slowly.

    One little one asked what would happen if it dropped.

    I told them that did happen once.  The bucket went through the table, down through the floor and kept going until it came out the other side of the world!  And then I had to go get it.

    I asked them if they believed me. I think. a couple did.

    I told them when anyone, especially an adult, tells you something that you find hard to believe, well, just don't believe that person.

    I did tell them dropping the bucket only makes a loud noise.

    They all believed that.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

dang, it's cold

 I almost froze again while mowing

    I dressed better for the weather:  heavy shirt, with a windbreaker over that and a sweatshirt over that.

    I was fine going into the sun, but it was cold mowing away from the sun.  And the wind!!  Oh my gosh!

    I managed to mow our yard and the lot in just under 2 hours.  I did not mow any of the trees down, at least I don't think I did.  I need to put stakes by them to make them stand out.  Some of the grass was taller than the trees!

    Unfortunately it was too cold for me to trim.

    We are having the house washed tomorrow.

    I know!  That sounds silly! But we have some green areas and they don't look good.  Plus, the siding has collected some dirt over the years.

    We had it done a few years ago and were happy with the results.  Next will be the windows.  Doesn't make sense to do those first.  And yes, someone comes and does them too.  It takes me a couple of weeks while Matt and his crew polish them off in half a day.

    Friend Sheri cane over today and helped me adjust the garden bin.  It was bowed out a little because one of the center supports was loose and I could not get it back together by myself.  Hopefully it holds up.

    I always have buyer's remorse. I always think I bought the wrong product, no matter what ti is.  I have the same problem at dinner.

    When we go out I order Item A.  Someone else orders Item B.  The dishes come to the table and I immediately wish I had ordered B!  

    It's not that I can't make a decision, it's that I can't make a decision I like!

    One decision I always can make is if I am offered more cake.  

    And I never regret that!

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

    

schedules

 I am on week 2 of my scheduled life

    I have earmarked times to do certain things.  

    For example: OnMonday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons I walk the dog, then walk myself.

    On Tuesday and Thursday I write.

    Monday is also a day to mow.

    This is how it went today:

    11 a.m. almost finished with the Trib, decided to take a short nap.

    Woke up at 12:45.  So much for schedules!

    I went  to work on the planters but ran into a problem I can't fix myself.  Sufiice it to say, my planters are not constructed as well as some of the more expensive ones.  Hopefully the fix is in for tomorrow.

    So how many times have I walked the dog?  0.  Spent time writing? 0.

    Oh well.  The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

    I also made Friday my Rockford day, forgetting Jackie has a hair appointment.  So I switched it to Thursday, only to remember I have a museum gig at 12:45.

    After cancelling Thursday's plans, I decided to go ahead anyway, so I rescheduled with people.

    I just have to be home by 5:30 because I have a museum meeting at 6.

    No wonder my stomach aches.

Peace and Love

    Especially Peace

aaaah!!!!!

 One more thing

    I contacted Comcast because I was still being charged for home security even though I cancelled it.

    The rep told me the account is not cancelled until I return the touch screen.

    Today I took the pad off the wall and stopped at the Comcast store in DeKalb.  Again.

    I walked in holding the pad and said I was told to return the touch pad before my account could be cancelled.

    The guy looked at me and said, "That's true.  But that's not your touch pad.  That's the remote."

    To which I uttered a loud "SHIT"  followed by an, "I knew that!"  And I did!  Brain freeze.

    As I drove home I began to wonder.......where did I put the touch screen?

    I thought maybe I had taken it in on a previous visit, which would cause a ton of trouble.  But luckily I found it in the 3rd place I looked:   my electronics recycling box.

    So I am adding the Comcast store in Rockford to my Rockford Friday list.

    I got home, changed into work clothes, and went out to shovel dirt.

    I was out there about 15 minutes when it started to thunder.

    I had some bags of mushroom compost to take out of the car, so I did that as the rain sporadically fell.

    Then I took some potting soil, mixed in some grass seed, and went to spread it on bare spots in the front lawn.

    The rain came down...rather it came sideways!  When it hit me it felt like it must be hail, but it was the "hard rain that's gonna fall"rain that Bob Dylan sang about.

    Jackie texted Julia and Emily and said, "I don't know what the hell he is doing out there."

    I was drenched.  Soaked through.

    The rain lasted maybe 5 minutes.  

    I decided it was not worth changing and going out again.

    There is always tomorrow.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

yikes

 I was a little busy today

    I sat down for supper at 8:30.

    Granted, I showered before eating because I felt dirty.

    I finally got the 10 saplings planted.  These little trees will someday be might oaks.  Well, except for the ones that are not oaks.  But right now. they are so small I am afraid I will now them down.

    Tomorrow I will try to put stakes near them to warn me.

    Again, it was a great idea.  But now I have to trim around them and make sure they get water.  

    And digging 10  holes is not an easy task any longer.  In my youth I could do that in a couple of hours.  Today it took me 4 hours.  And I am sore.

    I also took my windmill out of the garage and put it in my wildflower area.  I anchored it down so the wind won't topple it.  At least I hope the wind won't topple it.

    Julia and Emily stopped over and helped me move the grill onto the patio an and put my bison out by the wildflowers.  Then we carried out a second planter.  I plan to start filling that tomorrow morning, but I won't work on it for long.

    I am not exactly a go getter in the morning.

    I like to have a cup of tea, some fruit, and read t he Tribune.  

    Today I learned about a competition I would be great at!

    South Korea holds a nap competition.  Contestants take naps.  I assume whomever naps the longest and soundest wins.  Can you just close your eyes and pretend?  I wonder.

    The competition is help to promote the importance of sleep.

    Naps are darn important too.

    Just wake me when it's Monday.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

Miracles

Sometimes miracles do happen 

    I called X Finity again today.  Got a different lady. 

    I told her our landline was working, but it was not our number.  We can call out, but not in.

    I also told her I have been dealing with this for over a month and was getting pretty frustrated.   I did not yell, or belittle people, just stated the truth.

    She told me that they sometimes assign a temporary number when they are converting a mobile to a land line.  I told her the land line worked for 3 days, then didn't work.

    She promised service would be restored by 9 a.m tomorrow, May 4.

    I told her tomorrow is May 3, but I will be happy if it is restored May 4.

    Then I realized that she is probably in a country where it was already May 3.

    We went to a retirement party.  

    Either when we came home or before we left, the phone rang!!!  Nobody was there, but it rang.  So I called home on my mobile.....home phone rang.  Jackie called.....home phone rang.  I used the home phone to call Jackie....call went through.

    A miracle!!

    The retirement party was for our friend Renee, who just ended a long and successful career at NIU.

    I actually talked to people!  Most of them I knew, but I even talked to a couple of people I did not know, which is a pretty big step for me.

    When I got home my plan was to do a little stuff outside, but my nephew and niece were e on their way to Rockford from points east and they stopped off for supper.

    It was great to see them.  Their mother, my sister in law, is moving from an assisted living apartment to a room in a memory care unit.

    There was a lot of dark humor, but underneath it all is a lot of worry and sadness.

    Julia and Emily came over for supper too, and we all had a great time visiting, telling stories, and laughing.

    The outside chores?  Never got done.

    But there is tomorrow.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace

Beth brought this in from the back yard.  A rib??

The wooden beds are going......eventually

When your friends realize you need special care and parking.  The really strong young guys who got Jackie in the house were a big help!

OMG

Well,  that was short lived

    Our land line was working fine last Sunday.

    Jackie could call me on it.  I could call on it.  We could use it.

    Last night we could not use it.

    So I called my XFinity friend and explained what happened.  She transferred me to Russell in their tech department, because she could not see any problem with the line.

    I talked to Russell for over an hour.  He eventually said he was passing the issue of our land line up the ladder to a higher tech person.

    He said the process should take about an hour, and then my land line would be restored.

    After an hour, I called our home line.  I got a message that our message box was full.

    OK, so I called Jackie's mobile and asked her to call me on the house phone.

    She did, and the call went through.

    But then I looked at the screen that gives the number of the caller, it was not our number!

    I called that number, the one that came up on the phone, and was given a message that that number was no longer in service and I should call the company's main number.

    What the hell??

    When we call from our home phone number, it shows as a different. number!

    I was just too tired and frustrated to call again.

    We started work on the new raised gardens.  Julia, Emily, Sheri and I moved one garden bed to another.  It was not fun.

    We had pizza and wine to mark the finish of one bed being filled.   3 more to go,

    Beth came in from the back yard today with a bone in her mouth.  Don't know where it came from.  Looks like part of a rib.  She was very proud of her find.  She was not happy I took it from her.

    I scoured the back yard but did not find any other bones.  

    Weird.

    But that seems to be going around lately.

Peace and Love

        Especially Peace