I sometimes just don't get it
I admit, there are things i just don't get!
The little girl who loved the guinea pig I had out today. She might have been 3. Mom said, "Do you want to take that guinea pig home tonight?" The little girl lit up like a Christmas tree with the happiest grin I have seen. "Well, the man says you can't." Mom added, and the little girl looked at me with a sad face. Mom did this four times....each time telling the little girl I wouldn't let her take the guinea pig home.
Medicare sent me an explanation of benefits. They have denied four claims, each for "changing and maintaining body position functional limitation, current status, at therapy episode outset and at reporting." The facility charge was: Hold on to your hats!!!! 1 cent. 1 cent per occurrence. I wonder if the hospital will send me a bill for 4 cents???
I got behind a man in a fairly new car on the way to DeKalb today. Yes, it was foggy. Yes, you do need to be cautious. But driving 35 with 9 cars behind you is not being cautious. If foggy weather scares you, STAY the Hell home!
Oops. Sorry. Start of a rant, but I will not succumb to that internal pressure tonight.
I stopped at a McDonald's for a light supper on the way home. Ordered a small Sprite. Now, I think they just spray soda into a cup with ice that costs maybe 15 cents....maybe. A small pop cost me $1.40!! For a small pop!! I would have splurged and had an eggnog shake or found a pop machine if I had read the menu.
Why don't people put on their headlights when driving in fog? If people can't see you coming, they pull in front of you, like the guy did to the lightless pick up truck today. I think a lot of cars have an automatic setting, so the lights come on when it gets dark enough. People have had to stop thinking about it when they drive, so they forget that on days like today, it isn't dark enough to trigger headlights but it a safety thing to have them on.
Why do people propose projects that can cause irreversible harm to the environment and then say "This will create jobs!" in order to sell the project. Lots of things can create jobs: rebuilding our current roads and bridges, revitalizing national and state parks, cleaning up litter. But oil companies can't make money off of those types of job creating projects.
And yes, I did have a zoo day on our anniversary. I asked, she said yes, because she did not want to go out to dinner until Julia was home, which will be tomorrow. Emily, John and Camryn took her out to dinner for our anniversary. They had a nice time. Serves me right.
And thanks, everyone, for your anniversary blessings. We are truly humbled by all the people who care for us.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Friday, December 12, 2014
I'm getting married in the morning; ding, dong the bells are gonna chime
Tomorrow is our anniversary, and here's the true story
'Twas the night before marriage, and all through the house......
Not really.
It was an apartment. Above what is now B & W Appliance in Rochelle.
We had gone through the rehearsal, talked about the ceremony, and all we had to do was get a good night's sleep.
The rest is John's fault.
John and I stayed in the apartment the night before the wedding. At some point, I picked up my car keys, all the money I could find, and headed for the door.
The conversation went something like this:
"Where are you going?"
Uh....milk. I'm going for milk.
"You are going for milk?"
Yeah, and bread too. Going for milk and bread.
"Where are you going for milk and bread?"
Uh....just across the street. That little mini mart is open.
"Why are you taking your car keys?"
Uh...it's cold?
"Sit down. You are not going anywhere. You are getting married tomorrow. And just in case, give me those keys."
So, I sat, stayed, and the next day dressed in a rented tux and met my bride at St. Paul Episcopal Church in DeKalb. She had a beautiful wedding dress designed by J C Penney, a well know clotheir in the states. We kept that dress for about 35 years.....but we don't know why.
I think it was a cold day. (I always said, it would be a cold day when I got married.)
I was 16, she was 20.
You are right, that is a lie.
There was a white runner they unraveled before people walked down the aisle. It rolled, and rolled, and rolled..... I swear, it could have reached Normal Road if they hadn't stopped.
And the music! It went on for at least an hour after she made it down the aisle. Never ending? You can say that again.
Fr. Briant performed the ceremony. He was a wonderful man; intelligent, thoughtful. But he married us anyway.
The reception was in the church basement. Now Episcopalians call the basement the Undercroft, which I think always shows up on spell check as a mistake and is changed to anti aircraft.
Any way, I don't remember what we ate. I thought it was egg salad sandwiches, but Jackie says I am nuts about that. Who would serve egg salad at a wedding?
It was a low key affair, for a lot of reasons. We paid for it ourselves, we were students, we were young and stupid.
Anyway, she has put up with me for all these years. I know it has not been easy, I am a pain in the ass and a bit of a jerk.
There were times both of us could have walked away without looking back.
She has supported me in my job changes, my performing addiction, my sloppiness, my really sudden mood swings. I like to think I have supported her, and lifted her up too, but it has not been anywhere near as much as she has done for me. (If I count lifted up from the floor, I am way ahead on that!)
45 years is a long time.....and I don't think we'll make another 45. But I do want to say I still love her, and truly can't imagine life without her.
Now, about that present.......
'Twas the night before marriage, and all through the house......
Not really.
It was an apartment. Above what is now B & W Appliance in Rochelle.
We had gone through the rehearsal, talked about the ceremony, and all we had to do was get a good night's sleep.
The rest is John's fault.
John and I stayed in the apartment the night before the wedding. At some point, I picked up my car keys, all the money I could find, and headed for the door.
The conversation went something like this:
"Where are you going?"
Uh....milk. I'm going for milk.
"You are going for milk?"
Yeah, and bread too. Going for milk and bread.
"Where are you going for milk and bread?"
Uh....just across the street. That little mini mart is open.
"Why are you taking your car keys?"
Uh...it's cold?
"Sit down. You are not going anywhere. You are getting married tomorrow. And just in case, give me those keys."
So, I sat, stayed, and the next day dressed in a rented tux and met my bride at St. Paul Episcopal Church in DeKalb. She had a beautiful wedding dress designed by J C Penney, a well know clotheir in the states. We kept that dress for about 35 years.....but we don't know why.
I think it was a cold day. (I always said, it would be a cold day when I got married.)
I was 16, she was 20.
You are right, that is a lie.
There was a white runner they unraveled before people walked down the aisle. It rolled, and rolled, and rolled..... I swear, it could have reached Normal Road if they hadn't stopped.
And the music! It went on for at least an hour after she made it down the aisle. Never ending? You can say that again.
Fr. Briant performed the ceremony. He was a wonderful man; intelligent, thoughtful. But he married us anyway.
The reception was in the church basement. Now Episcopalians call the basement the Undercroft, which I think always shows up on spell check as a mistake and is changed to anti aircraft.
Any way, I don't remember what we ate. I thought it was egg salad sandwiches, but Jackie says I am nuts about that. Who would serve egg salad at a wedding?
It was a low key affair, for a lot of reasons. We paid for it ourselves, we were students, we were young and stupid.
Anyway, she has put up with me for all these years. I know it has not been easy, I am a pain in the ass and a bit of a jerk.
There were times both of us could have walked away without looking back.
She has supported me in my job changes, my performing addiction, my sloppiness, my really sudden mood swings. I like to think I have supported her, and lifted her up too, but it has not been anywhere near as much as she has done for me. (If I count lifted up from the floor, I am way ahead on that!)
45 years is a long time.....and I don't think we'll make another 45. But I do want to say I still love her, and truly can't imagine life without her.
Now, about that present.......
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Brown paper packages wrapped up with string
I was a shopper on the CAN shopping trip tonight
Each year youngsters from families that are not doing so well economically are taken Christmas shopping by the CAN (Community Action Network). I don't know how long they have been doing this, but I have gone the last four or five years.
Parents fill out a form for their wish list. Usually the typical items are there: Gloves, hats, mittens, underwear, shirts. The sizes are given also.
That's where it gets confusing for an old bird like me.
I picked up a pair of jeans for a boy and it was labeled "relaxed fit slim." OK, if you are wearing relaxed fit, you are not looking for slims! I can testify to that!! I have more relaxed fit pants than Eddie Bauer. And not a slim in the closet!
Waist sizes come in all sorts of numbers up to a point. I used to buy 35 in waist pants. Yes, they were hard to find and yes, Beth, they were a little snug. So I went to 36, relaxed fit. I swear, if I don't wear a belt, they fall down around my knees!
I tried 38 waist, but they were too darn big. 36 is too small. Relaxed is too relaxed. I am in the waist size nether land.
Back to my point. There were 80 youngsters signed up for the 5 p.m. trip and another 80 signed up for the 6 p.m. trip.
Jackie and I too too adorable little girls at 5....and the mom is lucky we brought both back! The 5 year old was such a cutie...we thought of keeping her.
That's when I found out that kids shoe sizes come in two ways...young kids and older kids. Why not just make sizes for kids!
Little girls go for Frozen stuff, boys go for camo.
When we got back, they were short of shoppers (go ahead, say it ten times really fast) so we took two boys.
They call the youngsters up to table where they get introduced to their personal shopper.
These two little boys are there and Michelle says, "This is you shopper, Mr. Dickow."
The mother turned and stared at me. Her face was in a state of surprise. "Mr. Dickow? You were my teacher!"
I asked her name and I did remember her, vividly. She was in my fourth grade class, maybe my first or second year teaching. She was absolutely shocked. Her boys kept asking how many times she went to the principal's office, and if she got in trouble.
I said she was a good kid, but she did talk a lot.
She also went with to Walmart on the shopping trip. We had a fun time, and I admit I broke the shopping budget when we were done with clothes. I took them to the toy aisle, and sent Mom off to talk to Jackie.
If my numbers are correct, there were 160 kids there. Each child had a gift card with $80 on it. That amounts to.....$12,800.
Events like this make my heart grow two sizes, at least.
Thanks, Rochelle, for caring about our kids.
Each year youngsters from families that are not doing so well economically are taken Christmas shopping by the CAN (Community Action Network). I don't know how long they have been doing this, but I have gone the last four or five years.
Parents fill out a form for their wish list. Usually the typical items are there: Gloves, hats, mittens, underwear, shirts. The sizes are given also.
That's where it gets confusing for an old bird like me.
I picked up a pair of jeans for a boy and it was labeled "relaxed fit slim." OK, if you are wearing relaxed fit, you are not looking for slims! I can testify to that!! I have more relaxed fit pants than Eddie Bauer. And not a slim in the closet!
Waist sizes come in all sorts of numbers up to a point. I used to buy 35 in waist pants. Yes, they were hard to find and yes, Beth, they were a little snug. So I went to 36, relaxed fit. I swear, if I don't wear a belt, they fall down around my knees!
I tried 38 waist, but they were too darn big. 36 is too small. Relaxed is too relaxed. I am in the waist size nether land.
Back to my point. There were 80 youngsters signed up for the 5 p.m. trip and another 80 signed up for the 6 p.m. trip.
Jackie and I too too adorable little girls at 5....and the mom is lucky we brought both back! The 5 year old was such a cutie...we thought of keeping her.
That's when I found out that kids shoe sizes come in two ways...young kids and older kids. Why not just make sizes for kids!
Little girls go for Frozen stuff, boys go for camo.
When we got back, they were short of shoppers (go ahead, say it ten times really fast) so we took two boys.
They call the youngsters up to table where they get introduced to their personal shopper.
These two little boys are there and Michelle says, "This is you shopper, Mr. Dickow."
The mother turned and stared at me. Her face was in a state of surprise. "Mr. Dickow? You were my teacher!"
I asked her name and I did remember her, vividly. She was in my fourth grade class, maybe my first or second year teaching. She was absolutely shocked. Her boys kept asking how many times she went to the principal's office, and if she got in trouble.
I said she was a good kid, but she did talk a lot.
She also went with to Walmart on the shopping trip. We had a fun time, and I admit I broke the shopping budget when we were done with clothes. I took them to the toy aisle, and sent Mom off to talk to Jackie.
If my numbers are correct, there were 160 kids there. Each child had a gift card with $80 on it. That amounts to.....$12,800.
Events like this make my heart grow two sizes, at least.
Thanks, Rochelle, for caring about our kids.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
The name game.....
Sometimes little things drive me crazy
A few nights ago we watched the Rudolph special. Jackie and I don't remember it, which is strange. I would have been 15 when it aired the first time, and maybe it wasn't cool to be watching a cartoon about Christmas.
But I don't remember watching it with our girls either, which is strange.
At the end, Santa hitches up Rudolph to guide his sleigh and they take off. But there are only 6 reindeer plus Rudolph.
So who is missing, I wondered. But the problem was, I could only name 7. The name of the last reindeer eluded me and frustrated me. So I Googled it. Now I know all eight.
I can remember the four Beatles, but only six of the seven dwarfs. I keep forgetting Dopey.
When I think of tv shows, like Cheers, I can remember all the major characters. Same with Frazier, and the Bob Newhart Show.
But I can't remember the name of the person I met yesterday.
Weird, huh?
The ceiling is finished. Dan came over today and we placed the last six panels. It looks pretty darn good!
I did not do much, John and Dan handled 99 percent of the nailing and drilling.
I am eternally grateful for their help.
I have a return vent to paint and install, which I should be able to do Friday. Then it will be time to trim it out to give it a polished, finished look. But that will have to wait until my arm is ready to do work again.
I even got the tree trimmed downstairs and the room fairly cleaned......have to finish that tomorrow.
That's it!
A few nights ago we watched the Rudolph special. Jackie and I don't remember it, which is strange. I would have been 15 when it aired the first time, and maybe it wasn't cool to be watching a cartoon about Christmas.
But I don't remember watching it with our girls either, which is strange.
At the end, Santa hitches up Rudolph to guide his sleigh and they take off. But there are only 6 reindeer plus Rudolph.
So who is missing, I wondered. But the problem was, I could only name 7. The name of the last reindeer eluded me and frustrated me. So I Googled it. Now I know all eight.
I can remember the four Beatles, but only six of the seven dwarfs. I keep forgetting Dopey.
When I think of tv shows, like Cheers, I can remember all the major characters. Same with Frazier, and the Bob Newhart Show.
But I can't remember the name of the person I met yesterday.
Weird, huh?
The ceiling is finished. Dan came over today and we placed the last six panels. It looks pretty darn good!
I did not do much, John and Dan handled 99 percent of the nailing and drilling.
I am eternally grateful for their help.
I have a return vent to paint and install, which I should be able to do Friday. Then it will be time to trim it out to give it a polished, finished look. But that will have to wait until my arm is ready to do work again.
I even got the tree trimmed downstairs and the room fairly cleaned......have to finish that tomorrow.
That's it!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
I am not quite ready for Christmas
I have only watched one movie, and that was Miracle on 34th Street. I watched that over Thanksgiving. I am not counting Tammy as a holiday movie. Jackie wanted to see that this summer but we never made it to the theater. In all honestly, I didn't think it was that funny.
The outside decorations are up. The lights are not timed properly, but they eventually go on and off. It would be nice if they were in the same time zone. One item does not go on at all. It worked in the basement!
The downstairs tree has not been trimmed yet. It is up, and the freshly molded plastic branches have tenderly and lovingly been fluffed to perfection. I had to buy more lights, then never got back to finishing it.
But the big job is my annual Christmas letter.
For those of you unfortunate enough to get one, I do a false letter, then on the back, I do a real letter. I have been doing this for years.
The first one I sent out started nicely, but went on this crazy, bizarre, downward spiral that was so ludicrous, it turned out actually funny.
A guy I went to college with called me about it. He said he opened the card, saw the letter, put the letter aside, and ignored it. His teenage daughter found it, picked it up and started reading it. She burst out laughing and when David asked what was going on, she managed to stammer, "Read the letter!" He did, then he called, all the way from Delaware.
I wish I had kept a copy of that letter. And of all the other ones.
I think I wrote some pretty funny stuff.
But this year? Nada. Zilch. Can't get my mind wrapped around funny. And the pressure is on. Cards have to go out in the next week. Julia gets home Sunday and the downstairs tree needs to be trimmed. The house cleaned. The lights adjusted. Mickey set up.
At some point I have to go shopping.
And Saturday, celebrate our anniversary by...... going to the zoo. Someone said they didn't want to go out to dinner until Julia was home, so I asked if she minded that I volunteered at the zoo Saturday. She said no, I said yes.
As heard on Chicago Cubs radio: Yes, dear. You're right. I'm sorry.
Or something like that.
I have only watched one movie, and that was Miracle on 34th Street. I watched that over Thanksgiving. I am not counting Tammy as a holiday movie. Jackie wanted to see that this summer but we never made it to the theater. In all honestly, I didn't think it was that funny.
The outside decorations are up. The lights are not timed properly, but they eventually go on and off. It would be nice if they were in the same time zone. One item does not go on at all. It worked in the basement!
The downstairs tree has not been trimmed yet. It is up, and the freshly molded plastic branches have tenderly and lovingly been fluffed to perfection. I had to buy more lights, then never got back to finishing it.
But the big job is my annual Christmas letter.
For those of you unfortunate enough to get one, I do a false letter, then on the back, I do a real letter. I have been doing this for years.
The first one I sent out started nicely, but went on this crazy, bizarre, downward spiral that was so ludicrous, it turned out actually funny.
A guy I went to college with called me about it. He said he opened the card, saw the letter, put the letter aside, and ignored it. His teenage daughter found it, picked it up and started reading it. She burst out laughing and when David asked what was going on, she managed to stammer, "Read the letter!" He did, then he called, all the way from Delaware.
I wish I had kept a copy of that letter. And of all the other ones.
I think I wrote some pretty funny stuff.
But this year? Nada. Zilch. Can't get my mind wrapped around funny. And the pressure is on. Cards have to go out in the next week. Julia gets home Sunday and the downstairs tree needs to be trimmed. The house cleaned. The lights adjusted. Mickey set up.
At some point I have to go shopping.
And Saturday, celebrate our anniversary by...... going to the zoo. Someone said they didn't want to go out to dinner until Julia was home, so I asked if she minded that I volunteered at the zoo Saturday. She said no, I said yes.
As heard on Chicago Cubs radio: Yes, dear. You're right. I'm sorry.
Or something like that.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Kodachrome....they gave us those nice bright colors
I may be an idiot
Technology baffles me. I have a hybrid car with buttons that do things that I have no idea about. I have a digital camera that has 40,000 scenes settings. I am sure my computer is capable of more than spider solitaire, Facebook, my blog, and Snopes.
No matter how many times I try, I can't watch a movie upstairs without Jackie turning on the DVD player.
But sometimes a technology comes along that is slick, idiot proof, an perfect.
This is a short blog, because I want you to see some of the wonderful pictures I took at the Madrigal dinner last Saturday.
I won't blush at your compliments.
Technology baffles me. I have a hybrid car with buttons that do things that I have no idea about. I have a digital camera that has 40,000 scenes settings. I am sure my computer is capable of more than spider solitaire, Facebook, my blog, and Snopes.
No matter how many times I try, I can't watch a movie upstairs without Jackie turning on the DVD player.
But sometimes a technology comes along that is slick, idiot proof, an perfect.
This is a short blog, because I want you to see some of the wonderful pictures I took at the Madrigal dinner last Saturday.
I won't blush at your compliments.
 |
| Ross's daughter did a great job as friar |
 |
| the jokers had great outfits |
 |
| That might be my thumb |
 |
| My date for the night |
 |
| She had a great sweater
Like I said, I may be an idiot.
|
Sunday, December 7, 2014
A foggy day, in London town
I seemed to work in a fog today
Every time I go to the zoo, I park in the same row...row 1. Nearest the outside fence. Always.
So explain why I was wandering aimlessly down the third row looking for my car?
And why did one of the keepers have my keys? Could it be because I left them in a lock on one of the cages?
Of course. I had a little guinea pig named Kit Kat out. The conversation went something like this.
Little kid: "What's the guinea pig's name?"
Seriously disturbed old guy: "Tic Tac."
Female volunteer. "You mean Kit Kat."
SDOG: "Oh yes, I do mean Tic Tac.
Little kid: "Kit Kat? Or Tic Tac?"
Female volunteer. "Kit Kat."
SDOG: "Aw, gimme a break!"
So I alternated between calling her Tic Tac and Kit Kat, with the majority of references being to Kit Kat. Then I took out Skittles, and proceeded to call her Kit Kat.
I don't think the animals know their names. Evidently I don't either.
And I may have driven all the way to Oakbrook without wearing my seat belt. Either that or I took it off and don't remember doing so.
Days like this always make me wonder what else I missed. Maybe some day I will know what I didn't know I didn't know.
Or something like that.
Every time I go to the zoo, I park in the same row...row 1. Nearest the outside fence. Always.
So explain why I was wandering aimlessly down the third row looking for my car?
And why did one of the keepers have my keys? Could it be because I left them in a lock on one of the cages?
Of course. I had a little guinea pig named Kit Kat out. The conversation went something like this.
Little kid: "What's the guinea pig's name?"
Seriously disturbed old guy: "Tic Tac."
Female volunteer. "You mean Kit Kat."
SDOG: "Oh yes, I do mean Tic Tac.
Little kid: "Kit Kat? Or Tic Tac?"
Female volunteer. "Kit Kat."
SDOG: "Aw, gimme a break!"
So I alternated between calling her Tic Tac and Kit Kat, with the majority of references being to Kit Kat. Then I took out Skittles, and proceeded to call her Kit Kat.
I don't think the animals know their names. Evidently I don't either.
And I may have driven all the way to Oakbrook without wearing my seat belt. Either that or I took it off and don't remember doing so.
Days like this always make me wonder what else I missed. Maybe some day I will know what I didn't know I didn't know.
Or something like that.
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