ahhhhhhh

 I got a pedicure today

    I should say, we got  pedicures today.

    As we age, we find it increasingly difficult to trim our own toe nails.  So, when they get to be about 3 inches long, we schedule pedicures.

    Honestly, if you had asked me 5 years ago if I would get a pedicure, I would have laughed at you!  In fact, the first couple of times Jackie went, I just waited for her.  Then one day, I figured, why not?

    Now, I love them.

    Tonight my feet feel so refreshed, my legs feel good too because the girl massaged my legs up to my knee.  It was just so relaxing.

    It is worth the money.  Otherwise I am like a contortionist trying to maneuver the hedge trimmers over my big toes.  

    That was the highlight of the day.  Friends brought their grandchildren over for a visit and it was great to have them running around the house and playing blocks.  Yes, I am a 70 f'in 3 year old with blocks.  That was another highlight of the day.  The visit, not the blocks.

    No ground squirrels today.  I did not even see any, but I think there are still some out there.  I will move the traps around to other trails and see what I catch.  Besides a cold.

    That's about it!

Peace and Love

de ja vu

I may have caught the same ground squirrel twice 

    Not thinking, I let Corki into the back yard this morning.  She approached the first trap, gave it a sniff, looked around and spotted the second trap.

    When I looked next, ol' Corki was banging that trap like a pinata!  At one point, I think she was standing on top of it.

    By the time I got out there, the trap was empty.   It was upside down, which allows the doors to open.  It was also pretty scratched up.  Corki was following a trail, which led behind my day lillies and through the butterfly bush area.  She was hot on the trail, but unsuccessful.

    I reset the trap, and not an hour later, had another ground squirrel.  That makes number 4 since I started trapping the other day.  This one was fairly big, like yesterday's, and was not a talker.  I tried explaining that this was for her own good, she could reunite with her family, but she was fuming at me.

    When I let her out, she went the wrong way.  Everyone else had gone left, she went right.  I figured she was a Republican squirrel.

    I just hope they are happy in their homes.

    I have several holes to fill.  I have to buy some dirt and put it down the holes.  Corki actually stepped in a hole and it could have hurt her.

    On the bush trimming front, I have trimmed 10 of our boxwoods in front of the house.  I have 4 to go.  I have  2 little rechargeable battery trimmers, and I seem to get one boxwood done before the trimmer dies.  So....4 more bushes should take me about 3 days.

    But this all makes it a little clearer on what I will look for:  a battery powered package that has a blower, hedge trimmer, and tire pump working off the same battery.

    You would think that would be easy to find, right?  But I just can't seem to find the right grouping.

    Such is my boring life.

Peace and Love

AARP

 I am blaming it on senior moments

    I received my AARP bulletin and it gave  100 ways to save money.

    I am all for saving money.  But at what cost?

    Turn off my ice maker on the fridge?  They say ice makers use 12 to 20 percent of the power, so it is cheaper to buy trays and fill them.  Really?  I love my icemaker because the trays are never empty when I want ice.

    Take advantage of misspellings.  Fatfingers is a website that allows you to search for e-Bay items which the sellers have misspelled the name or brand.  I guess people won't be looking for a Rallex watch, so you can pick up a bargain.

    There were many good suggestions, but one just popped out at me.

    Instead of throwing out sandpaper, I should get a tennis ball and use the sander over the tennis ball, which will get the gunk out of the grit on the sandpaper and make it usable again.  Seriously!

    One discount they forgot is the one I almost got today at a local chain drugstore.

    I bought my stuff, entered my phone number, redeemed my points, chatted with the clerk, took my bag and went to my car.  As I got to my car, I wanted to check my receipt to see if the prices were right on the items I bought.  No receipt. As I thought about it, I did not remember putting my credit card away.  Or taking it out.

    Turns out, I never paid for the items!

    The clerk was about to head out the door after me when I walked back in and asked her, "Did I pay for this?"  She said no, and she didn't realize it until she tried ringing up the next customer and her computer said the transaction was not complete.

    I was almost a shoplifter. 

    On the ground squirrel front, I caught number 3 today and this was a large one, so it might have been mom or dad for the other two.  I released it in the same spot, and it ran in the same direction, so hopefully they have a family reunion.

    And finally  this from WTH is going on department.

    Went to mow.  Looked for a glass to fill with ice and water.  Took it out to mow.  Came back in.  On the counter was a glass filled with ice and water.  Since Jackie doesn't walk, I assume I filled one glass, found a second and filled that. 

    Luckily, my ice maker kept up with my demands.

Peace and Love

2 down

 I caught another ground squirrel today

    It was a little fella.  I think.  Very pretty.  Also very chatty as I drove him to his new neighborhood.

    He told me he was the youngest of 8, his older brother disappeared yesterday, mom was eaten by a hawk and his other brothers and sisters were really enjoying the bird seed I leave out for them.

    As he ran off into the new neighborhood, I swear he paused and raised a middle finger on his right hind foot.  I hope he finds his brother.  They were both released in the same area.  Hopefully that eases the shock.

    Took Corki for a walk tonight and met a guy sealcoating a driveway.  He said, "Hello Mr. Dickow.  Remember me?"

    He looked familiar, but I could not put a name to the face.

    He gave me a hint.  "I was the biggest pain in the ass you ever had."

    Of course I knew who he was, but the name still escaped me.  I asked if his sister still worked at Walmart and some general questions.

    Finally he told me his name.  I could have fallen over!  He was the biggest pain in the ass I ever had in class, but he was also a kid who went through a terrible childhood.

    So, now he works at a factory full time and on weekends he is sealcoating driveways.  He plans to expand from the one unit he has to two next year.  Looking to the future, he said one of the big driveway sealer guys in the area is nearing retirement and he wants to take on his customers.

    He has been doing this for several months and has not taken any pay for himself for the sealcoating work...everything goes into paying for equipment and supplies and help.  He lives on his factory salary.

    Jackie and I hurt for this kid at Tilton and later when we read about his numerous arrests for marijuana.  

    But he seems to have turned his life around and is trying hard to be successful.  

    I told him I was truly happy to hear how well he was doing, and Jackie would be also.  She was.

    He didn't want to shake my hand because it had sealcoat stuff on it, but I told him I would be proud to shake his hand, no matter how dirty it was.

    Encounters like that always make me happy.

Peace and Love

what have I done

I became a homewrecker today 

    I didn't have much choice.

    Groundsquirrels have taken over my yard.  They are in my raised garden, under the air conditioner.....the trails they are creating are like a super highway for small rodents.

    So I put out my traps and within two hours I caught my first one.

    He was a pretty little fella.  Very active.  Emily startled it and it flew from one side of the trap to the other.

    I took Erwin (he has a name, you know) out to the park and set him free.  He ran quickly out of the trap and them skidded to a stop and looked around.  Nothing was familiar to him.  No bird seed to eat, no hole to escape into, no little ground squirrel buddies to talk to.

    I feel terrilble.  I really do.

    I thought we could peacefully coexist, but there are now several burrows in the yard and multiple trails through the grass.  

    I even found a burrow in my upraised garden.  

    I now think a combination of rabbits, ground squirrels, deer, and poor watering habits lead to my terrible garden.  But I replanted beans and carrots today, hoping they will mature before the first frost.

    Time will tell.

    This was a pretty nice day.  Emily, John and Camryn came for supper, I replanted the garden, watched the sun set with a glass of rose, (no, the sun did not have the rose, I did.  Stop taking me literally!) and managed to catch the ninth inning of what seemed to be a sure Cubs loss, only to hear them win.

    Now....if I can only get Erwin out of my mind.

Peace and Love

out and about

 We went to the store today

    Jackie has not been in a grocery store since the pandemic started.  We went to one in DeKalb today because they had Illinois peaches.

    Every year I crave Illinois peaches.  Sometimes friends Dan and Linda go to a family function and bring me some back.  But the pandemic put a halt to that.

    So I was pleasantly surprised when Jackie saw the add for Eckert's peaches from Belleville.  

    Why Illinois peaches?

    They are juicy.  The flavor is incredible.  They are not harvested 2 months prior and stored someplace, then shipped out, stored again, then  dumped on the shelves.  These are more freshly picked and just taste better.

    Missouri and Michigan peaches are pretty good also, but I just love the Illinois ones.  I have not yet bit into one.....but I will tomorrow and I hope I am not disappointed.

    But I digress.

    We went through the store almost like it was normal.  We did wear masks because we don't totally trust the rest of the population.

    I think she really liked getting back into the world and out of the house.

Peace and Love

Oh, what a night

 Wednesday night was exceedingly tiresome

    It was a dark and stormy night.  I have not been sleeping well, and the thought of storms at night makes me as nervous as a turkey the week before Thanksgiving.

    I magaged to fall asleep and the weather radio sounded an alarm.  I hit the button and went back to bed.  I fell asleep.  And the wether radio sounded an alarm.  I hit the button.

    I no sooner got to bed when it sounded again.  

    Five times.  Thunderstorm warning.  Thunderstorm watch. Counties all around us and including ours.

    At some point after the last alarm, I was almost in sleepland when I felt a movement at my feet.  Corki came up into bed, and came all the way up to our chest areas and then settled in between us.  The thunder or lightning must have scared her, or the weather alarm did. She stayed there for half an hour of so then got up and I put her on the floor.

    I did not get a lot of sleep.

    I have not had afternoon caffeine for three days, so I don't think that is the issue.

    I am going to do some relaxation exercises tonight, and tomorrow I will get some Melatonin and see if that helps.

    I just feel so draggy lately.

    I had rehearsal tonight and Jackie had a library board meeting.  I stayed at rehearsal until her meeting was over, then I picked her up and we went home.  

    We drove through Emily's neighborhood and as we slowly passed her house, I saw a group of people on the driveway across the street.  One guy had a dog. 

    I did not look to closely, and Jackie did not look at all.  I thought maybe it was John and Emily with Oberon, so I turned around and we drove slowly past again. 

    But it wasn't Emily and John, just their neighbors, one of whom is the sheriff.  We got to the corner and Jackie said don't go down the street again, so I went ther long route.

    I have no reason for telling that story.  At the time, it seemed funny.

    And just curious, how many followed up the first line with, "it was late September back in '63?"  Just wondering.

Peace and Love