day......eh......386

 A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

    And unfortunately, I come equipped with a little knowledge.

    You should feel blessed I am sharing some of that with you.

    The cicadas will be returning this summer.  These are 17 year ones and will be most common in eastern counties in the central part of the state.

    That's not the information you need.  In addition to natural predators, there is a fungus that attacks the cicadas.  It eats away at their butts.  I just hope it isn't transferrable to humans.  We'd have to rewrite the lyrics to I like big butts.

    You learned something, right?

    There is a product advertised on line called Hide a Pooh.  I hope it is a joke.  It looks like a rock and you drop it over the dog pooh.  I guess you leave it or pick it up later.  The ad was unclear.

    I read things and make notes.  But, I often can't understand the notes.  For example, I am looking at a paper with 350/100 ; Funderburg Easy; You Tube and a name thqt looks like Debby Circuses.  I wrote them, but have no idea whay or what they mean.

    The Chicago Bulls basketball team at the start of this season averaged 21.8 years of age.  That was younger than the University of Wisconsin men's team.  But the Bulls pulled a big trade, so that may no longer be true.

    There.  Now you have information you will never need to know.

    Stay safe.  Stay healthy.

Peace and Love

day....birthday.....385

Today is Jackie's birthday 

    This is the second year she has celebrated during a pandemic.  As we all have.  It is not fun.

    We had pizza last night and tonight we are having Flight Deck.  We have kept the "crowd" down to 5 last night and 4 tonight.  

    Hopefully next year we will just have these past 14 months as a bad memory.  Too much time has been lost, too many friends missed, too many events gone.

    Such is life.

    I went into the yard to pull weeds today.  Figured I would be out there an hour or less, but it was over 90 minutes.  It felt good.  Last year we paid for a clean up because I just wasn't up to doing it, but like I said, it felt good.

    Aside from that ...... just some pictures to share.

Anyone else see a man smoking a cigar?

There's a fungus among us

This just seemed so much faster and easier than cutting the grasses back.

    WTH!!!!  I must be sick!  What is up with my tongue?  Oh wait.....black jelly beans.  I remember.

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.

Peace and Love

day...huh?.....384

 I always hate learning something new about myself

    Yesterday my hearing doctor told me I had lost a little hearing since our last visit in 2018.  Not a major loss, but a loss.

    She said that was just a part of aging and I probably would not go deaf before I die.

    I had noticed in the last few months that even with hearing aids I was losing bits of conversation.  Now my aids have been adjusted and there should be some improvement.

    But if you are around me, you might want to say my name or get my attention before you ask or say anthing important.

    For instance, if an elephant is about to step on me you may want to speak up.  If I am about to stop on an ant, a whisper would be ok.  (In grade school I wrote about my Aunt Betty.  But I was not always aware of spelling.  I called her Anut Betty throughout the paper.  My teacher asked if my aunt was a nut and I was puzzled until I got my paper back.  EOD)   (I decided to use the abbreviation EOD to say End of Digression.  EOD.)

    I often wonder what it would be like to lose a sense.  I talked to a guy today whose wife had Covid.  It was a mild case, but she lost her sense of taste and smell and her sense of taste has not yet come back completly.

    If I went deaf, would I still hear the music in my head?  If I go blind, will I still be able to see the images in my mind?  Would I miss the taste of pizza or the smell of applewood burning?  Would I be able to feel my dog when I pet her?

    A curious mind wonders...and I don't want to have a personal experience with losing any of the senses.  Well, I have lost my sense of style, but that was long ago.

    tay healthy.  Stay safe.  Stay full of senses.

Peace and Love

day.....oh oh.......383

 I have a guilty conscience tonight

    I got something I don't think I deserved.

    Let me explain.

    Last Christmas, Dec. 18 to be exact, we placed a take out order with a chain restaurant in Sycamore.

    When we got home, everybody but John got their order.  His was not in the bag.  I called the place and explained what happened.  I talked to Reuben, the shift manager, and he said next time I come in tell them what I was short and add Ruben said it was ok and they would give it to me.   (Coincidentally, the next time we ordered, from a different place, I got home and found John's order was wrong again!  WTH.)

    I put it off, and put it off, and put it off.  Until today.

    I went back today because Jackie wanted ribs recently and could not get them.  So I figured for a birthday present, I would get her a rib dinner.

    Before you complain, she has plenty of clothes, does not wear a lot of jewelry, has minimal needs at this point but she can always eat.  So ribs, something she wanted, sounded like a great gift.

    Anyway...I went back to the restaurant and explained the situation to the Pretty Young Thing taking orders.  I said if they could not do anything I was ok with that because I had waited so long.  She radioed in the question, then had to go talk to the shift manager.  I stressed, the ribs order was separate from the missing salad.  She said she understood

    I get up to the window to pay and the PYT said they misunderstood what she said and they are not charging me for anything.  

    So I got a full slab rib dinner and a chef's salad for free.  And I feel guilty about it.

    I told her that was not right, I should not get the ribs for free.  She said I "seemed like a nice man and had waited long enough. So enjoy."

    Then I was told to pull off to the side.  I sat there, thinking police were going to show up and arrest me for running some sort of scam.  Or they changed their mind and were not going to give me the ribs. But eventually a guy cam out with two huge bags.

    But I feel guilty.  Should I go back and explain again?  Do I just go in, order some ribs, pay for them and leave?  Then what would they do with the order?

    Do I just go in and say I am paying for a rib dinner but I don't want it?

    Or, do I just assume that is the company policy for an order that gets messed up?

    Trust me...I will debate this for the next month or two because I won't be able to let it go....which was one of my New Year's Resolutions.  Let it go.  We;ll see.

Stay healthy.  Stay safe.

Peace and Love

day.......holy crow.....382

I have so many questions tonight 

    Some of them have to do with t.  Not tea, or tee, but t.

    You know what I am talking about.  Which word does not belong in this list:  snot, cot, pot, sot, depot,  slot, knot......... if you picked depot, you win.  If you picked sot, you drink too much.

    Why is that t silent?  They are all ot at the end!

    And we all have used the word but.  Or butt.  He has a big butt.  But he is from Mars.  

    What happens to the t in debut?  It freaking disappears!

    So question one, why does the t disappear?

    Question 2:  Why do the worms come on my porch?  There were hundreds of them following the rain last night.  I had planned to go out and scrape them carefully up and put them in my garden, but they were all shriveled and dried this morning.  How do they find the sidewalk?

    Question 3:  Why does Ollie's taste so darn good?  We had our first of the year today following a doctor visit for Jackie.  We even brought home some frozen custard for later.

    Question 4:  What is the noise that Jackie keeps hearing that I don't hear even when wearing my hearing aids?  It's a squeak.  From where??

    Question 5:  Why can't I find jeans that fit?  I wear 38-32 and they are too long, I walk on the bottoms.   I try 38-30 and they are too short.  I can't find 38-31.  I am particular about the brand and style......but I may have to (gasp) change.

    Qeuestion 6:  How can I find more hours in the day?  Finding it tough to get everything done lately.

    Question 7: Is it too late to consider a career as a rapper?

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.

Peace and Love

day....blah, blah , blah.....381

 I am still reeling over yesterday

    I just can't get over two mass shootings in what seems a blink of an eye.

    It seems we are not safe anywhere, grocery stores, spas, massage parlors, movie theaters, university lecture halls, high schools, grade schools, college campuses.

    And all I hear is blah....blah....blah.

    You have heard all the crap too, I am sure.  If the victims were armed, if teachers were armed, if armed security guards were present, if... if. ... if.

    What I am not hearing is what are we going to do as a nation to prevent more mass shootings?

    Stricter background checks?  Longer waiting periods?  Preventing private sales to circumvent laws?  Stricter prison terms? Banning certain types of weapons and ammuntion?  Better mental health care for distraught people?

    Columbine weas 23 years ago.  What has changed?

    We can't keep lining up on one side of this or the other.  We need brave leaders from both parties to come up with solutions and to implement those solutions.

    But all I am hearing is blah....blah .... blah.

    It makes me sick to my stomach.

Peace....more than ever....and Love.....more than ever.

day.....wish I was smarter.....380

 Days like this make me wish I had answers

I wish I knew why people go on mass shooting sprees.  Six dead in Colorado, eight in Georgia.  How do we stop it?

Twelve and 13 year old kids carjacking people in Chicago, often using guns.  How do we stop it?

Lawmakers proposing legislation in some states to make it ok for drivers to run down demonstrators with their car if the demonstrators are blocking the road.  How do we stop it?

Hatred of people because of their skin color, religion, nationality, language, sexuality.  How do we stop it?

People hoping to overthrow the government because their candidate lost.  How do we stop it?

There is just too much hatred, too much ugliness in the world.  How do we stop it?

Like I said.  I wish I was smarter.  I wish I had answers. But all I get is a feeling of disgust with humans.

Peace and Love....now, more than ever.