I actually accomplished something today
First off, I took out all the cardboard that had accumulated since Christmas. There were several boxes, and since it was recycling day, I decided to break them down and get them out to the curb.
Mission accomplished.
I hung up my "Patisserie" sign Emily got us for Christmas. It only took me an hour, but it is done. I had to charge my drill, find a bit, which led me to picking up the workbench a little and finding more cardboard. But the sign is up. Mission accomplished!
We bought an area rug. With John's help, it is in the house and on the floor! Mission accomplished!
(Why an area rug? Well, a side effect of using a walker is the scuffing of the floors. We have dark wood floors, and if the walker slides a little, it leaves a scuff mark, much like dragging a heal on the floor. It was decided an area rug would help the scuffing. Besides, it makes the room look warmer.)
And I put together our third Rollinator. Yes, that is right....three of them!
Julia was the one who suggested a third. We were talking about the floor, the carpets, and our concerns that winter weather would be tracked into the house. Julia said, "Get another one to use outside."
So we did.
We now have an outside - going to the store one, an inside on the main level one, and a basement/spare one. Having to haul that thing up and down the stairs is just an inconvenience. Jackie technically should be able to roll to the door, go down the stairs, get her lower roller and be safe and steady. Technically.
All that in one day...and my arm does not hurt! I think that is the first time in six months I have said that.
Don't look for an entry tomorrow. I'm off to the Cubs Convention and won't be home until late Saturday. Late.
This is my first convention and I think I picked a good year to go. This will be an amazing year at Wrigley Field.
I only want to meet/see/talk/get autographs from a few people. Ernie is a given, and maybe one of the young Cubs. But strange as it may seem, I really want to see Pat Hughes. I'd love to be able to talk to him. I have a fantasy that I'll sit down with him and have a beer or two.
Anyway, I just hope I don't do anything stupid!
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Can you feel it?
I feel a change in the air
No, not weather related. No, not health or personal relationships.
I feel a change in Chicago sports.
Hold on, fans; this is going to be a great year.
The Bulls are playing well. They have the fire and drive and could be the team to beat for the NBA title.
The Blackhawks are doing well. Last year they just missed the finals, this year they will win it all.
Marty McFly be damned....the Cubs will start to play good ball around the first of May. This will carry them to the wild card round and they will eventually meet the AL champs for the World Series.
And those champs? They will be the Chicago White Sox!!
The two teams will battle it out, but in either case, Chicago is home to a world series winner.
Which brings us to the last major sport.....football and the Chicago Bears.
Yes friends, I see the Bears making a worst to first move, mowing down the Packers and Lions and Seahawks on their way to a showdown with the New England Patriots, and the Bears will give them a spanking like we haven't seen since 1985!
That will give Chicago the titles in every major sport in America! Chicago will be title town, the center of the sports world, the envy of all the country.
Huge corporations will relocate here to be associated with a winner. Incomes will rise, taxes will bring in enough money to pay off the $100 billion in pension deficits. We will have great roads, better parks, and super public transportation throughout the state.
This is not a dream. This is not caused by indulgence of alcohol. This is clear brained, well reasoned thinking.
Or, it could be I am getting the flu and my body hurts and I have a temp.
Or, I just could be wacko.
Time will tell.
No, not weather related. No, not health or personal relationships.
I feel a change in Chicago sports.
Hold on, fans; this is going to be a great year.
The Bulls are playing well. They have the fire and drive and could be the team to beat for the NBA title.
The Blackhawks are doing well. Last year they just missed the finals, this year they will win it all.
Marty McFly be damned....the Cubs will start to play good ball around the first of May. This will carry them to the wild card round and they will eventually meet the AL champs for the World Series.
And those champs? They will be the Chicago White Sox!!
The two teams will battle it out, but in either case, Chicago is home to a world series winner.
Which brings us to the last major sport.....football and the Chicago Bears.
Yes friends, I see the Bears making a worst to first move, mowing down the Packers and Lions and Seahawks on their way to a showdown with the New England Patriots, and the Bears will give them a spanking like we haven't seen since 1985!
That will give Chicago the titles in every major sport in America! Chicago will be title town, the center of the sports world, the envy of all the country.
Huge corporations will relocate here to be associated with a winner. Incomes will rise, taxes will bring in enough money to pay off the $100 billion in pension deficits. We will have great roads, better parks, and super public transportation throughout the state.
This is not a dream. This is not caused by indulgence of alcohol. This is clear brained, well reasoned thinking.
Or, it could be I am getting the flu and my body hurts and I have a temp.
Or, I just could be wacko.
Time will tell.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
When is the last time?
I swear I am doing something for the last time
And then I do it again.
Never fails. This is the last cookie I will eat and bingo, my hand is in the bag fishing out another three Mallomars.
The last time I save some useless bit of crap and bingo, my basement is full of stuff that has no value to anyone, including me, and I keep adding to it.
The last time I use sarcasm to make a point. Oh yeah, like no one else ever does that?
The last time I am ever in a play....and here I am, playing Loomis, a slightly off handyman in a New York apartment building.
I don't know why I do it.
Rehearsals. Learning lines. Giving up nights playing solitaire to interact with real people. I just don't understand why I do it.
That's where I am. Rehearsing. Learning lines. Having fun with people.
On the medical front, my arm is still a little sore. I met with the ortho guy Monday and I am going to continue rehabbing for another six weeks.
I could have surgery, but he's not sure how much good that will do now. I have most of my arm back, but I do have trouble if I reach sideways for something heavy, like a mug of tea.....but at least now I can pick up a gallon of milk, put on my coat, and sleep without major pain.
It is healing, just very slowly. As it is for "people in my age group."
Just like learning lines.....a little harder to do for "people in my age group."
Sigh....wish I was 50 again.
And then I do it again.
Never fails. This is the last cookie I will eat and bingo, my hand is in the bag fishing out another three Mallomars.
The last time I save some useless bit of crap and bingo, my basement is full of stuff that has no value to anyone, including me, and I keep adding to it.
The last time I use sarcasm to make a point. Oh yeah, like no one else ever does that?
The last time I am ever in a play....and here I am, playing Loomis, a slightly off handyman in a New York apartment building.
I don't know why I do it.
Rehearsals. Learning lines. Giving up nights playing solitaire to interact with real people. I just don't understand why I do it.
That's where I am. Rehearsing. Learning lines. Having fun with people.
On the medical front, my arm is still a little sore. I met with the ortho guy Monday and I am going to continue rehabbing for another six weeks.
I could have surgery, but he's not sure how much good that will do now. I have most of my arm back, but I do have trouble if I reach sideways for something heavy, like a mug of tea.....but at least now I can pick up a gallon of milk, put on my coat, and sleep without major pain.
It is healing, just very slowly. As it is for "people in my age group."
Just like learning lines.....a little harder to do for "people in my age group."
Sigh....wish I was 50 again.
Monday, January 12, 2015
It's all in the delivery
I am an expert on words
Origins, first time of use, definitions.....I have an answer for any of your questions about words.
I had a lesson on words when I taught fifth graders. A former student reminded me of this just yesterday. (I have a lot of former students who are now teaching. I think they saw me do it and figured if he can do it, anyone can. Plus they are probably doing it right.)
Words are developed in strange ways.
For instance, in the late 1920s a dairy farmer in northern Illinois was having a hard time selling his cows' milk.
The country was full of unrest. Everyone was upset. The stock market was on the verge of collapse, unemployment was high and the farmer, Hugo, by the way, was on the verge of losing his farm. No one was buying milk.
He tried to find alternate ways to make money. His wife, Gertrude, was a genius in the kitchen, but they were having no luck in finding new milk products.
One day they were experimenting with cheese. Now they lived in a cottage, with a well out front and an outhouse out back. And no, they did not invent cottage cheese, but good anticipation on your part.
They tried one more experiment, but it failed. The watery substance lacked flavor.
They went to bed, leaving the mess on the cold kitchen counter.
When they got up the next morning, they noticed the concoction had hardened. They tasted it. It was good.
They made up several batches and took it to a grocer, who tried it and said it was very good. He also agreed to sell it in his store.
"What do you call it?" asked the grocer.
Well, they really had no name for it, so they called it Hugo and Gertrude's Amazing Curdled Milk Product.
They were excited to have it sold, so they went to the store early the next day.
Hugo and Gertrude wandered up and down the aisles, but they could not find the product anywhere.
Finally, Hugo spotted a container in a cooler, next to the milk. He was so excited he yelled to his wife. "Yo, Gert, over here."
And that's how Mr. and Mrs. Dannon came up with the name for their dairy product.
The rest is history.
Origins, first time of use, definitions.....I have an answer for any of your questions about words.
I had a lesson on words when I taught fifth graders. A former student reminded me of this just yesterday. (I have a lot of former students who are now teaching. I think they saw me do it and figured if he can do it, anyone can. Plus they are probably doing it right.)
Words are developed in strange ways.
For instance, in the late 1920s a dairy farmer in northern Illinois was having a hard time selling his cows' milk.
The country was full of unrest. Everyone was upset. The stock market was on the verge of collapse, unemployment was high and the farmer, Hugo, by the way, was on the verge of losing his farm. No one was buying milk.
He tried to find alternate ways to make money. His wife, Gertrude, was a genius in the kitchen, but they were having no luck in finding new milk products.
One day they were experimenting with cheese. Now they lived in a cottage, with a well out front and an outhouse out back. And no, they did not invent cottage cheese, but good anticipation on your part.
They tried one more experiment, but it failed. The watery substance lacked flavor.
They went to bed, leaving the mess on the cold kitchen counter.
When they got up the next morning, they noticed the concoction had hardened. They tasted it. It was good.
They made up several batches and took it to a grocer, who tried it and said it was very good. He also agreed to sell it in his store.
"What do you call it?" asked the grocer.
Well, they really had no name for it, so they called it Hugo and Gertrude's Amazing Curdled Milk Product.
They were excited to have it sold, so they went to the store early the next day.
Hugo and Gertrude wandered up and down the aisles, but they could not find the product anywhere.
Finally, Hugo spotted a container in a cooler, next to the milk. He was so excited he yelled to his wife. "Yo, Gert, over here."
And that's how Mr. and Mrs. Dannon came up with the name for their dairy product.
The rest is history.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Was it that long ago?
I have been watching a lot of old TV shows
Newhart, for example. The show where he owned the inn in Vermont. And Friends. And WKRP, although I don't know why, we have that on DVD. By the time I figure out how to load it and play it, I am too frustrated to laugh. So watching it on the cable channel is better for me.
Now I did not think any of those shows were on a long time ago. Friends was on in the 90s, at least. But watching it, you realize how far we have come.
The have a land line in their apartments. Then never use a computer unless at work. They don't shop on line. And I think Ross has a cell phone, but I am not sure. He always uses Monica's phone to make calls.
We have come a long way in technology since then! If they did that show today, everyone would be sitting in the coffee shop on their Smartphones, texting, Facetiming, Instagramming or whatever else people do today. The show would have been totally different. It could be filmed in any Starbucks!
And tonight Dick Lowden (AKA Newhart) was using a typewriter!! Not even a word processor, but a bang on the keys and use correcting tape typewriter! Plus, he took a trip on a train! Imagine that, riding a train from one spot to another in our lifetime. (To be fair, Amtrak does try. OK, so their train out of Chicago to New York was 14 hours late and a lot of passengers complained about having to sleep in a train station in sub zero weather with thin blankets....but hey! We are not Europe!)
At WKRP Johnny and Venus are playing records on a turn table and talking about rock and roll being shocking!
Either civilization has moved along quickly, or I am older than I think.
This week there was a story of a woman who was over 100 years old, and I wonder about the changes she has seen in this world. Enough, probably, to make your head spin.
Then I wonder about the changes I have seen....and the changes ahead.
Talking phones? Hover boards? Electric cars? A Cubs' World Series??
Anything is possible.
Newhart, for example. The show where he owned the inn in Vermont. And Friends. And WKRP, although I don't know why, we have that on DVD. By the time I figure out how to load it and play it, I am too frustrated to laugh. So watching it on the cable channel is better for me.
Now I did not think any of those shows were on a long time ago. Friends was on in the 90s, at least. But watching it, you realize how far we have come.
The have a land line in their apartments. Then never use a computer unless at work. They don't shop on line. And I think Ross has a cell phone, but I am not sure. He always uses Monica's phone to make calls.
We have come a long way in technology since then! If they did that show today, everyone would be sitting in the coffee shop on their Smartphones, texting, Facetiming, Instagramming or whatever else people do today. The show would have been totally different. It could be filmed in any Starbucks!
And tonight Dick Lowden (AKA Newhart) was using a typewriter!! Not even a word processor, but a bang on the keys and use correcting tape typewriter! Plus, he took a trip on a train! Imagine that, riding a train from one spot to another in our lifetime. (To be fair, Amtrak does try. OK, so their train out of Chicago to New York was 14 hours late and a lot of passengers complained about having to sleep in a train station in sub zero weather with thin blankets....but hey! We are not Europe!)
At WKRP Johnny and Venus are playing records on a turn table and talking about rock and roll being shocking!
Either civilization has moved along quickly, or I am older than I think.
This week there was a story of a woman who was over 100 years old, and I wonder about the changes she has seen in this world. Enough, probably, to make your head spin.
Then I wonder about the changes I have seen....and the changes ahead.
Talking phones? Hover boards? Electric cars? A Cubs' World Series??
Anything is possible.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah,
I think the world is getting weird
And I am included in that.
Tonight we had pita bread and hummus for supper, with a little soup.
What is hummus? It spreads like cheese, but doesn't taste like it. We used a hot pepper sun dried tomato batch and it was pretty good, just not too filling.
The soup helped. It was vegetable. And no, we did not make it from scratch.
Although I did have some vegetable beef soup made from scratch this morning and it was incredible. The historical society had its annual meeting, and we had soup and lots of cookies for lunch. And cheese. And some fresh fruits. Come to think of it, I had lots of cookies for lunch.
Then tonight someone posted on Facebook that they had Cream of Wheat this morning. I love CoW, usually I put some raisins and a little brown sugar in it to give is some flavor. This person put butter and sugar on theirs. It sounds gross, but I bet it tastes good. I have no idea what CoW is, except it must be wheat, based on its name.
Tomorrow I will suggest to wifey that we have bratwurst and rosti, made with shredded hash browns. Or maybe some scalloped potatoes.....
I am one of those people who are constantly wondering about the next meal. I want to know what supper is going to be, even if I haven't finished breakfast. Drives Jackie nuts, but I like the anticipation of knowing I am going to eat something delicious.
Even though I liked the hummus, methinks I need real food. Soon.
And I am included in that.
Tonight we had pita bread and hummus for supper, with a little soup.
What is hummus? It spreads like cheese, but doesn't taste like it. We used a hot pepper sun dried tomato batch and it was pretty good, just not too filling.
The soup helped. It was vegetable. And no, we did not make it from scratch.
Although I did have some vegetable beef soup made from scratch this morning and it was incredible. The historical society had its annual meeting, and we had soup and lots of cookies for lunch. And cheese. And some fresh fruits. Come to think of it, I had lots of cookies for lunch.
Then tonight someone posted on Facebook that they had Cream of Wheat this morning. I love CoW, usually I put some raisins and a little brown sugar in it to give is some flavor. This person put butter and sugar on theirs. It sounds gross, but I bet it tastes good. I have no idea what CoW is, except it must be wheat, based on its name.
Tomorrow I will suggest to wifey that we have bratwurst and rosti, made with shredded hash browns. Or maybe some scalloped potatoes.....
I am one of those people who are constantly wondering about the next meal. I want to know what supper is going to be, even if I haven't finished breakfast. Drives Jackie nuts, but I like the anticipation of knowing I am going to eat something delicious.
Even though I liked the hummus, methinks I need real food. Soon.
Friday, January 9, 2015
A trip down memory lane
Sometimes I like the good old days
No, not the times we had cholera and the Black Plague. Those were not fun times. I remember as a kid, my mom yelling at me about playing with the rats because of the connection with the plague. Those were tough days.
I mean the recent good old days.
When you could shop at local stores, buy products made in the USA, have enough money to catch a ball game or two. (In case you are wondering, I may have won the big lottery drawing tonight. Or I may have not won. I never check the numbers. I prefer to wait a day or two, or even a week. I like the tension to build. If someone hasn't claimed the prize by Monday, I will probably look. Maybe .)
Once upon a time there was a really neat wine store in Creston, called The Rouge. It was a place to gather, talk with friends, enjoy a glass of red or white, and a time to chill. I miss the place.
It seems like just tonight I was there, having some wine and visiting with people. Talking about the Cubs, the weather, life in general.
But The Rouge closed, much to the disappointment of a lot of people.
So it must have been a dream. A good dream.
Fridays are usually pizza night...heck, every Friday is pizza night in my house. We did not have pizza tonight. In fact, we have not cooked a meal in.....let's see, 11 days. 11 days! We have existed on dining out, left overs, dining out, left overs and some more left overs from dining out.
But tonight was the end. The food is almost all gone, one way or another.
I have found some pita breads.....but I have no idea what we could do with them.
I also have had some Steak Ums for lunch today....maybe the smell will be out of the house tomorrow.
Cookies...gone. Candy....almost gone. Salad fixings.....enough for three more nights.
I think I will be fooded out for a while.
Quite unusual for me to say that!
No, not the times we had cholera and the Black Plague. Those were not fun times. I remember as a kid, my mom yelling at me about playing with the rats because of the connection with the plague. Those were tough days.
I mean the recent good old days.
When you could shop at local stores, buy products made in the USA, have enough money to catch a ball game or two. (In case you are wondering, I may have won the big lottery drawing tonight. Or I may have not won. I never check the numbers. I prefer to wait a day or two, or even a week. I like the tension to build. If someone hasn't claimed the prize by Monday, I will probably look. Maybe .)
Once upon a time there was a really neat wine store in Creston, called The Rouge. It was a place to gather, talk with friends, enjoy a glass of red or white, and a time to chill. I miss the place.
It seems like just tonight I was there, having some wine and visiting with people. Talking about the Cubs, the weather, life in general.
But The Rouge closed, much to the disappointment of a lot of people.
So it must have been a dream. A good dream.
Fridays are usually pizza night...heck, every Friday is pizza night in my house. We did not have pizza tonight. In fact, we have not cooked a meal in.....let's see, 11 days. 11 days! We have existed on dining out, left overs, dining out, left overs and some more left overs from dining out.
But tonight was the end. The food is almost all gone, one way or another.
I have found some pita breads.....but I have no idea what we could do with them.
I also have had some Steak Ums for lunch today....maybe the smell will be out of the house tomorrow.
Cookies...gone. Candy....almost gone. Salad fixings.....enough for three more nights.
I think I will be fooded out for a while.
Quite unusual for me to say that!
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