just thinking about stuff

I have lots of manly stuff

    Power saws, levels, yard tools, wrenches, nails.

    Stuff.  Manly stuff.  I have no idea why I have it.

    I am thinking I will have a yard sale next spring.  I have not used my miter box in two years, my circular saw in heavens knows how long, and the levels I have were left behind by an errant contractor.

    Then there are the boxes of nails and screws and hooks and, well you get the idea.

    I think I will just put it all in the garage and have a one or two day sale.  No clothes,  (for sale...I will be wearing clothes.  Although it is my right to not wear clothes and I just may have the sale in my natural state because I am tired of having the government telling me what I can do) just stuff.

    Camp stove?  You got it.  Pie irons?  You can buy them too.  Fertilizer spreader, yard roller, aerator, rakes..... stuff I don't really use or need anymore.

    Jackie ordered a new bed spread for our bed.  We got it, I opened it, tossed the paperwork, cut up the bag, set it spread on the chair.  Yesterday we put it on and ..... it does not fit.  It's way too small.  Yes, I measured first and thought the size would work.  It doesn't.

    Now I have to contact the company to see how we can ship it back without any labels or bag.  And it is pretty bulky, so maybe I will have to put it in a box and mail it.

    That's what I get for being efficient with packaging.

    And as soon as I sell that level, or that saw, I know I will need it.  That never fails.

Peace and Love

is it Saturday??

 I lost the day today

    I had a Zoom church meeting at 10 and after eating lunch and getting Jackie her food, I sat in my recliner for a quick nap.

    Three hours later, I woke up.

    Seriously, I lost the whole day!

    I did a little project, well, the start of a little project, but by then it was supper time.

    Now I know I won't be able to sleep tonight because it is past 9 and I am wide awake.

    I am curious about how much snow we will get.  I let Corki out about 8:30 and it was snowing.  I have heard dusting to one inch, but we have had more snow than that in November.

    I had hoped to get to church in person tomorrow, but that probably will not happen.  Getting Jackie in and out of a car 4 times, 2 of them in  snow, does not appeal to me.  Plus there is a safety factor for both of us.

    But, we shall see.

Peace and Love

deja vu

 This was another great day with friends

    We are truly blessed with wonderful friends.

    Nadine drove me to the eye doctor's today.  I was not so sure I needed a driver, but after they dilated my eyes, injected a dye into my system, took pictures with a bright flash, and made me read letters of ever increasingly small type size, my eyes were ready for a break.

    And I could not see real well.  Even on a dark day, dilated eyes make driving a challenge, so having her as my chauffer was great.

    Then tonight Renee and Wendy  brought supper.  We had a fun visit, enjoyed great food from Alfano's, had some laughs and watched Corki try to mount legs several times.  Now, Corki  has not done that for a while, so I am puzzled about her behavior tonight.  And the barking. 

    By the way, my eyes are stable.  The little blind spots are not growing.  The rest of the eyes look good.

    The good doctor said that within a few years there will be stem cell therapy that will fix my condition.  He said the macular will be repaired with the treatments, which will be a blessing for millions of old folks.

    And of course, if you did not know, it snowed here today.  When we got home from Jackie's PT session there was snow on the roof of our house.  Granted, it did not last long but it was a sign that fall is coming to an end.

    Julia also sent pictures of her boxes loaded on a container that will be shipped home.  Now all she has to do is get rid of the rest of her stuff.  

    Noe I have a problem....I think Jackie is asleep in her chair.  I have not heard her talk for about an hour.  Do I wake her for bed?

    I hear a stirring.....

Peace and Love

parlez -vous?

 I tine traveled tonight

    Friend Dan and I spent time in France in 2011.  

    One of our Frenchest experiences was going to the Yellow CDafe in Arles.  This is the cafe VanGogh painted in his "Cafe at Night" work.

    We ordered pastis.  This is a liquer that is anise flavored.  When it is served, traditionally you get a caraffe of water and add it to the pastis until it becomes cloudy and more to your taste.  I believe VanGogh was a big pastis fan.

    In my best French, I asked our water for 2 pastis  He grunted and gestured.  I again asked for 2, speaking my best, though inadequate, French.  This went on for a while until he gave up and went to get  someone else.

    When the second waiter came, I again asked for 2 pastis.  He repeated what I said, but shrugged his shoulders.  For the 45th time, I again asked for pastis and suddenly he flung his arms in the air and said, "Pastis!"  Oui, I replied.  He brought us two.

    The thing is.....he said it the same way I said it! The only difference was he  threw his arms up in the air.

    Anuyway, I asked Julia to get me some pastis, which she did and I brought home.

    Dan and Linda came over this afternoon for a little visit with pastis and cheese and crackers.

    Linda had a little amount, Dan had more and I had two, since I was not going anywhere.  Jackie stuck with water.

    As we were talking about it, the subject of alcohol percentages came up.  Jackie Googled it and discoveered  pastis is 45 percent alcohol!  45%!!!  Holy crap, that's a lot.  The bottle even says 45%, but who reads the bottle?

    Needless to say, it is only 8:30 and I am ready for bed.  

    I think pastis is an acquired taste.  I like it, but I will have this bottle for a while.

    And I am always willing to share.....just have a designated driver with you.

Peace and Love

dag nab it

 Sometimes the little things irritate me

    Like the computer mouse going dead in the middle of something.  A message appears on the screen, "mouse battery exhausted, "  but by then it's too late.

    My computer desk chair squeaks.  Not a soft, quiet "crick"....  but a loud, annoying "eeerchhhh".  I have oiled it, but that does not seem to help,  I deon't know from whence the squeak comes, but I have oiled every moving part.

    Plans that go astray sometimes work out anyway.  Emily had a delivery but did not want to have it sent to her house because she and John were at work.  So it was sent to our house.  It was supposed to arrive tomorrow.  So we planned to spend the entire day waiting.  Meanwhile, Jackie scheduled a hair appointment today.  To cut, color and style her hair is about 90 minutes.

    Last night Emily got a text that the package would be delivered today.

    So, I drove Jackie to the hairdresser, dropped her off, drove home and waited.

    When the time came, I went back to help move her from the chair to the rinsing or washing station then waited 30 minutes for her to be done.  I did order a Thanksgiving pie and had a coffee while waiting, so that was not lost time.  (And no, no coffee and pie at the hairdresser but at Acres Bistro across the street.)

    We got home, pulled in the driveway and as I was getting out of the car the UPS truck showed up with the package!  It was perfect timing.

    I also used today to get some information on a passenger side seat for the car.  The seat will twist out, and lower, allowing me to get Jackie safely into the seat.  Then it can be raised, swung around, and locked in position.

    So I called and talked to a rep at he dealer closest to me that installs them.  The cost:  a little over $10,000!  Holy crap!!

    It became apparent to us how helpful that would be when we got out of the hairdresesers and I went to put Jackie in the car, but we missed the seat.  She was on her way to the ground when we found a spot on the floor for her to sit.  Luckily, the brewmaster from the distillery next door  came out the back door and I asked him for help.  We were able to get her into the car.

    I told him thanks for the help and I like his brews.  Which I do.

    So now it is a matter of finding a car where this is a factory installed option instead of an aftermarket device.  So far,  I found Honda, Ford, and Toyota offer the seat, but I can't get a price on line.

    I guess I will be visiting some dealers in the future to see what is available, on what models it is available, and what the cost is.

    I am just getting too old to be lifting her into the car.

    Hell, I am getting to old for a lot of things!

Peace and Love

   

I'm a rich man

 I am a millionaire, but not in the way you think

    Over the past two days I have spent a lot of time outside, working on getting the yard and gardens ready for winter.  

    That gives me a lot of time for thinking, and I got to thinking how rich I have become in life.

    Trust me.....I am not talking money.

    I am talking family.  And friends.  And pets.  And lifestyles.  And health.  And opportunities.

    Jackie will tell you I am pretty much a pessimist.  I always see the glass as half empty.  

    But I have been blessed with a great family,  a wife, two daughters and a son in law and grandchild that are there to help me when I need it.  Other family members who call to check in or comment on my life.  And friends to pick me up when I am down or sit with my wife when I am gone or who come out to visit with a great lunch or who come over to visit and eat supper.

    I have been blessed with opportunities too.  Julia moving to Switzerland nearly 20 years ago was a kick in the gut at the time, but it opened a new world to me.

    I have walked on Omaha Beach, stood atop Eagle's Nest, stayed in a hotel that was formerly an SS headquarters during the war, met a former student in Florence for dinner, walked the streets of Venice and Paris, biked the roads of Holland, hiked up a moutain and stayed in a mountain hut, explored castles built by the crazy Ludwig, slept in a real castle,  watched a once every 25 years festival, and met some great people.

    I have also been blessed with all of you, who read about my boring life.

    Maybe it's the fall nights, and the coming of winter, that have put me in a slightly emotional, retrospective mood tonight.

    I just want you all to know that I do appreciate you...family, freinds, supporters, followers, confidants, confessors..... I am  thankful for all ofyou.

    Peace and Love

oops

 I got busy and almost forgot this epistle tonight!

    Yes, I was watching the Bears.  But I also did dishes, changed smoke detector batteries, replaced a burned out light bulb in the hall, found the table runners for fall, watered the downstairs plants, plugged in my batteries for the rechargable drill, filled the water softener, and before I knew it, it was late.

    Very late.

    The upside to the day:  I will become royalty!

    No, it is not a Nigerian cousin who is making me king or prince, but the good dentist who is giving me a crown.

    I broke part of a tooth off, but the tooth is "sound" so we are putting a crown on it.

    Actually, that is better than what I feared, which was extraction and an implant.

    After the dentist I helped pass out food at the mobile food bank .  There were a bunch of us, and I was appointed traffic director.  That should be in capital letters!

    As Traffic Director I waved cars forward and told them where to stop.  I would also yell out how many families were getting food and where it goes in the car.  Example, a car with a 1 T on the windshield meant one family, put it in the trunk.  If it was 2 B it meant 2 families, put it in the back seat.

    And to be truthful, I was the only person who had not already claimed a job.

    One of the young helpers said, "Have a nice day," to every car that came thru...and there were a lot.  I commended him for his politeness.

    The group had packed up 125 food packages and when we ran out, there were still 6 or 7 cars in line.

    It's sad to see so many people in need, but it is gratifying that agencies and people are stepping up to help.

    By the way, I predicted the Bears would lose by 28 but they darn near won the game.  I underestimated how bad the Steeler offense was.

Peace and Love