I realized something tonight, actually just now
My first td in ten was Jan. 1, 2014.
That means at the end of this year, I will have written something almost daily for five years.
Five years.
During that time:
Emily and John got married.
Emily's house was destroyed by a tornado.
I got an I Phone.
We got a dog.
Jackie got a BMW.
I turned 70. 70? How could that have happened??
I marked 10 years as a zoo volunteer.
We've been to New England, the Baseball Hall of Fame, visited my cousin in New York, gone to visit Julia a couple of times.
We went to Las Vegas and I lost $20 playing roulette. Turns out 13 is not a lucky number.
I went to Christmas markets in France.
I went on a bike trip through the Netherlands with friends.
I've told countless embarrassing stories about me and many boring stories about life.
We've gone through 3 living room couches.
We've seen friends move to the east and family to the west,
I was on the television, but Jackie told me to get off it before I broke it.
I got hearing aids.
This is sort of like the Trump presidency in a way; I never thought it would last!
Life passes quickly, doesn't it?
In a blink of an eye, you are a young man or woman, then flash......you are old.
I wish I had all those hours I frittered away when I was younger in a time bank that I could draw on now. Or even the ones that I fritter away now. And is fritter the right word?
Enjoy your days my friends. Make every one of them count and relish the loved ones around you.
Sincerely,
Your Melancholy Baby.
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
ho hum aliens?
Has Earth been invaded?
Jackie and I were driving home from Portillo's tonight when we think we saw an alien invasion.
Ok, I think I saw an alien invasion.
Here's proof:
What else can explain it?
Aliens have built an elevator from a UFO and are using it to send warriors from their planet to invade ours!
I read in a book, and it was a very true book, written by a real person, that when the alien invasion happens, they will assume a disguise of a bearded man with a round belly, red suit with fur trim, and a jolly laugh. So if you see people like that in the next few weeks, BEWARE!! They may be aliens!
And while it appears this elevator shaft ends in Creston, in fact it ends on the south end of Rochelle.
I have an Italian friend named Antonio and he has told me he personally has seen aliens and may have captured one unknowingly.
"Terry, I hadda go to the doctors office and leave a spaciman," he told me.
I swear, this is all true!
Good night. I need sleep.
Jackie and I were driving home from Portillo's tonight when we think we saw an alien invasion.
Ok, I think I saw an alien invasion.
Here's proof:
What else can explain it?
Aliens have built an elevator from a UFO and are using it to send warriors from their planet to invade ours!
I read in a book, and it was a very true book, written by a real person, that when the alien invasion happens, they will assume a disguise of a bearded man with a round belly, red suit with fur trim, and a jolly laugh. So if you see people like that in the next few weeks, BEWARE!! They may be aliens!
And while it appears this elevator shaft ends in Creston, in fact it ends on the south end of Rochelle.
I have an Italian friend named Antonio and he has told me he personally has seen aliens and may have captured one unknowingly.
"Terry, I hadda go to the doctors office and leave a spaciman," he told me.
I swear, this is all true!
Good night. I need sleep.
Monday, November 26, 2018
s'no fun
I blew my driveway today
I delayed it as long as I could, but at 10:30 I went out to clear it.
When I came in, it was 1:15.
Surprisingly, I was not cold, although my cough does not seem to be better at all. I dressed warmly.
I did not have to use a shovel except by the front door. Everything else was taken care of by my snow blower.
I think it's time to reevaluate my ways. We have a cleaning person every other week, because I have a lot to do. Julia and my brother Carl and I believe Emily all suggested I find someone to plow the driveway in the future.
So next year I will look for someone to plow the driveway. It would take them 10 minutes and they would do a better job.
It's not that I don't like doing it...... but I do have to make some concessions for age.
Blowing was a bit of a problem today. The snow was so wet, it stuck on the blades and no snow would be sucked up. So I had to use a scraper every couple of passes to make sure the blades were clear.
Notice I said scraper because you never, ever put your hand into a snow blower. They have a tendency to chomp off digits if you do.
I'm done for the day. I just finished a little toddy and am headed for sleepland, eventually.
Pleasant dreams....watch out for sugar plums fairies, whatever they are.
I delayed it as long as I could, but at 10:30 I went out to clear it.
When I came in, it was 1:15.
Surprisingly, I was not cold, although my cough does not seem to be better at all. I dressed warmly.
I did not have to use a shovel except by the front door. Everything else was taken care of by my snow blower.
I think it's time to reevaluate my ways. We have a cleaning person every other week, because I have a lot to do. Julia and my brother Carl and I believe Emily all suggested I find someone to plow the driveway in the future.
So next year I will look for someone to plow the driveway. It would take them 10 minutes and they would do a better job.
It's not that I don't like doing it...... but I do have to make some concessions for age.
Blowing was a bit of a problem today. The snow was so wet, it stuck on the blades and no snow would be sucked up. So I had to use a scraper every couple of passes to make sure the blades were clear.
Notice I said scraper because you never, ever put your hand into a snow blower. They have a tendency to chomp off digits if you do.
I'm done for the day. I just finished a little toddy and am headed for sleepland, eventually.
Pleasant dreams....watch out for sugar plums fairies, whatever they are.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
baby, it's cold outside
I think it's snowing
I say that with a little tongue in frozen cheek.
We have several inches on the ground and high winds. Makes for a wild afternoon. And it is a heavy snow....heart attack snow, that's what I call it.
Luckily my snow blower came back to me yesterday. Thanks, Dave, for delivering it before the first flakes fell.
When we lived on Skare Court we had pine trees in the back yard. I loved putting on my shearling coat and going out to stand under the trees in the middle of a snow storm. To hear the wind blowing, or the flakes falling, is truly and incredible experience. If you dress warmly, you won't even notice the cold.
I stood in the driveway tonight, was just out there a few minutes. I will go back out before bed to check to make sure the furnace vent is not buried under the snow.
Tomorrow I will snow blow the driveway, probably a couple of times. Not sure if I am up to snowshoeing in the woods yet, might have to wait a couple of weeks before I try that.
I am thankful we have not lost power. (Knocking on wood.) I know some folks in the area have, and I feel for them and for the crews that work to restore power. Living in the country, no electricity means no water. I can exist in the dark for a while, but not being able to flush is a luxury I hate to lose.
Hope all of you are safe in the Midwest tonight. Snow fall totals range from 6 inches on up in our area, with more to be expected during the night.
As a side note, I thought our bushes needed more lights. So as the snow was starting, which means it was raining, I put 1 strand of cool white lights on each of four bushes.
Yes, I was wet. And it started snowing just as I finished.
All the other lights are warm white lights. And I swear, I thought the boxes said warm! Jackie does not think it looks good, so I will have to pull them off and replace them. But not tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next.
Be safe.
I say that with a little tongue in frozen cheek.
We have several inches on the ground and high winds. Makes for a wild afternoon. And it is a heavy snow....heart attack snow, that's what I call it.
Luckily my snow blower came back to me yesterday. Thanks, Dave, for delivering it before the first flakes fell.
When we lived on Skare Court we had pine trees in the back yard. I loved putting on my shearling coat and going out to stand under the trees in the middle of a snow storm. To hear the wind blowing, or the flakes falling, is truly and incredible experience. If you dress warmly, you won't even notice the cold.
I stood in the driveway tonight, was just out there a few minutes. I will go back out before bed to check to make sure the furnace vent is not buried under the snow.
Tomorrow I will snow blow the driveway, probably a couple of times. Not sure if I am up to snowshoeing in the woods yet, might have to wait a couple of weeks before I try that.
I am thankful we have not lost power. (Knocking on wood.) I know some folks in the area have, and I feel for them and for the crews that work to restore power. Living in the country, no electricity means no water. I can exist in the dark for a while, but not being able to flush is a luxury I hate to lose.
Hope all of you are safe in the Midwest tonight. Snow fall totals range from 6 inches on up in our area, with more to be expected during the night.
As a side note, I thought our bushes needed more lights. So as the snow was starting, which means it was raining, I put 1 strand of cool white lights on each of four bushes.
Yes, I was wet. And it started snowing just as I finished.
All the other lights are warm white lights. And I swear, I thought the boxes said warm! Jackie does not think it looks good, so I will have to pull them off and replace them. But not tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next.
Be safe.
Saturday, November 24, 2018
A succesful hunt
We got a tree today
And I was wondering: When people go deer hunting they often use a tree stand. So when we went tree hunting, should we have used a deer stand?
Just curious.
It tool less than 90 minutes to leave my house, drive to the prairie, find a tree and come back home.
It looks nice. It's a fir, but not a balsam fir. Stands straight.
John, Emily and Cooper went.
There was a time when Jackie and I could get the tree.....but we are long past the point of being able to cut it down, load it, drag it into the house and put it in a stand. Thank heavens for John and Emily.
The tree is up and decorated, but I noticed something unusual.
Hundreds of bugs. Hundreds. Little bugs. Fruit fly size. I sprayed them, hopefully that is all of them.....we'll see in the morning.
I just figured the cold would have killed them, but maybe not any egg sacs.
As usual, I got real sentimental hanging ornaments. Ones I made with my class, my mom made, Julia made, Emily....you get the picture. The basement tree has a set of ornaments Jackie painted, I believe it was our first Christmas.
True: When we were first married, we did not have a lot of money. For end tables, I got two cardboard boxes and put wood grained contact paper on them.
I think our first tree was about 2 feet tall, but it fit nicely on the box.
Memories. That's what makes the holidays.
If you live around here you know we may get some snow tomorrow. Latest prediction: 14 inches for Rochelle.
14!!
Better get some rest, hadn't I?
And I was wondering: When people go deer hunting they often use a tree stand. So when we went tree hunting, should we have used a deer stand?
Just curious.
It tool less than 90 minutes to leave my house, drive to the prairie, find a tree and come back home.
It looks nice. It's a fir, but not a balsam fir. Stands straight.
John, Emily and Cooper went.
There was a time when Jackie and I could get the tree.....but we are long past the point of being able to cut it down, load it, drag it into the house and put it in a stand. Thank heavens for John and Emily.
The tree is up and decorated, but I noticed something unusual.
Hundreds of bugs. Hundreds. Little bugs. Fruit fly size. I sprayed them, hopefully that is all of them.....we'll see in the morning.
I just figured the cold would have killed them, but maybe not any egg sacs.
As usual, I got real sentimental hanging ornaments. Ones I made with my class, my mom made, Julia made, Emily....you get the picture. The basement tree has a set of ornaments Jackie painted, I believe it was our first Christmas.
True: When we were first married, we did not have a lot of money. For end tables, I got two cardboard boxes and put wood grained contact paper on them.
I think our first tree was about 2 feet tall, but it fit nicely on the box.
Memories. That's what makes the holidays.
If you live around here you know we may get some snow tomorrow. Latest prediction: 14 inches for Rochelle.
14!!
Better get some rest, hadn't I?
Friday, November 23, 2018
still hanging on
This cold won't quit
I felt ok today, but I have a cough that just keeps going. It's like an Energizer Bunny of the cold world.
It's worse late evening and during the night. Last night I did get a pretty good sleep, despite being arrested and put on Facebook for shoplifting at the university book store. That woke me up about 2:30, but I did go back to sleep.
I smother my chest in Vick's.....and quietly sing soft kitty to myself, but that does not seem to help for long.
Today I put most of the yard stuff away in anticipation of the Great November 25 Blizzard.
We will be talking about this one for years. I have seen forecasts calling for flurries to 6 inches........and heavens knows how accurate any of them are.
The plan is to get our live tree tomorrow. Hopefully we can do that in dry conditions, and do it quickly.
One year Jackie and I went to get a tree. It must have been 20 below with a windchill of -80. The wind was howling. I found a tree that looked great, despite the gigantic snow drift that surrounded it.
Kneeling in the three foot deep snow, I used the very dull saw to cut that 8 foot beauty down.
Now, Jackie was in the car almost the entire time. She could walk well at this point, but it was too cold for her. It was alright for me to be in the 40 below temps, with the -120 windchill, blowing snow beating in my face, because she was sitting in the car with the heater on high.
Anyway, I cut the tree and loaded it into the van.
It must have been really cold, much colder than the 50 below readings, because in the heat of the house that 8 foot beauty shrank to about 5 feet. It was almost a rectangle.
I think in my frozen state I just cut a tree. It may have looked good in the field, but I may have been hallucinating due to the cold.
Hopefully this year's will be another winner. At least it will be a little warmer.
Now, I have to go Vapo Rub up. Good night.
I felt ok today, but I have a cough that just keeps going. It's like an Energizer Bunny of the cold world.
It's worse late evening and during the night. Last night I did get a pretty good sleep, despite being arrested and put on Facebook for shoplifting at the university book store. That woke me up about 2:30, but I did go back to sleep.
I smother my chest in Vick's.....and quietly sing soft kitty to myself, but that does not seem to help for long.
Today I put most of the yard stuff away in anticipation of the Great November 25 Blizzard.
We will be talking about this one for years. I have seen forecasts calling for flurries to 6 inches........and heavens knows how accurate any of them are.
The plan is to get our live tree tomorrow. Hopefully we can do that in dry conditions, and do it quickly.
One year Jackie and I went to get a tree. It must have been 20 below with a windchill of -80. The wind was howling. I found a tree that looked great, despite the gigantic snow drift that surrounded it.
Kneeling in the three foot deep snow, I used the very dull saw to cut that 8 foot beauty down.
Now, Jackie was in the car almost the entire time. She could walk well at this point, but it was too cold for her. It was alright for me to be in the 40 below temps, with the -120 windchill, blowing snow beating in my face, because she was sitting in the car with the heater on high.
Anyway, I cut the tree and loaded it into the van.
It must have been really cold, much colder than the 50 below readings, because in the heat of the house that 8 foot beauty shrank to about 5 feet. It was almost a rectangle.
I think in my frozen state I just cut a tree. It may have looked good in the field, but I may have been hallucinating due to the cold.
Hopefully this year's will be another winner. At least it will be a little warmer.
Now, I have to go Vapo Rub up. Good night.
Thursday, November 22, 2018
that was nice
I had a great Thanksgiving
We talked to Julia. Julia was born on a Nov. 22. It was a Sunday, and the Bears were playing.....maybe San Francisco?
Anyway, we went to the same doctor that delivered Jackie. Dr. Friedman. Really nice man. Older guy, at that point. Bears fan. Had season tickets.
Julia was born just before halftime, and the good doctor gave us the lowdown as he hurried out to catch the second half.
The Bears played at Wrigley Field then, so we were only a few blocks from the game.
Julia was not an easy delivery. She was not centered properly. A second doctor in the delivery room helped with the birth, using a forceps to gently move her into the correct position.
When the nurse brought her out to me, she was wrapped in a towel. I looked in and saw a little baby covered in brown, slime, and with huge red marks all over her head!
Isn't she beautiful? the nurse asked. I almost ran.
They took her away and cleaned her up. Seems she had a bowel movement during the delivery process. When they brought her back she was absolutely adorable.
Jackie and I had an interesting conversation about her name. Today, we have no idea why Julia. No one in the family was named that, we did not have any relatives with that name. Now maybe it's coincidence, but Julia is the name of one of the songs on the Beatles White album. I love that album. Coincidence??
So today was a triple for us: Julia's birthday, Thanksgiving, and Bears football!
John and Emily prepped the turkey and made mashed potatoes and an appetizer, Judy brought taffy apple salad, Amy brought corn casserole and deviled eggs, Sandy brought a vegetable tray and we only had to do a pie, green bean casserole, and a sweet potato pie.
Clean up was a breeze; almost everything went in the dishwasher.
All in all, it was a great day for food, family and friends.
And that my friends, is something I am thankful for.
Good night, and God bless.
We talked to Julia. Julia was born on a Nov. 22. It was a Sunday, and the Bears were playing.....maybe San Francisco?
Anyway, we went to the same doctor that delivered Jackie. Dr. Friedman. Really nice man. Older guy, at that point. Bears fan. Had season tickets.
Julia was born just before halftime, and the good doctor gave us the lowdown as he hurried out to catch the second half.
The Bears played at Wrigley Field then, so we were only a few blocks from the game.
Julia was not an easy delivery. She was not centered properly. A second doctor in the delivery room helped with the birth, using a forceps to gently move her into the correct position.
When the nurse brought her out to me, she was wrapped in a towel. I looked in and saw a little baby covered in brown, slime, and with huge red marks all over her head!
Isn't she beautiful? the nurse asked. I almost ran.
They took her away and cleaned her up. Seems she had a bowel movement during the delivery process. When they brought her back she was absolutely adorable.
Jackie and I had an interesting conversation about her name. Today, we have no idea why Julia. No one in the family was named that, we did not have any relatives with that name. Now maybe it's coincidence, but Julia is the name of one of the songs on the Beatles White album. I love that album. Coincidence??
So today was a triple for us: Julia's birthday, Thanksgiving, and Bears football!
John and Emily prepped the turkey and made mashed potatoes and an appetizer, Judy brought taffy apple salad, Amy brought corn casserole and deviled eggs, Sandy brought a vegetable tray and we only had to do a pie, green bean casserole, and a sweet potato pie.
Clean up was a breeze; almost everything went in the dishwasher.
All in all, it was a great day for food, family and friends.
And that my friends, is something I am thankful for.
Good night, and God bless.
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