Ouch

 I got some negative response to a column I wrote

    Each Sunday I do a little opinion piece in the local paper.

    My opinion on vaccinations and encouraging businesses to post signs if their staff have been vaccinated did not sit well with one reader.

    They were pretty outraged and said some bizarre things.  It's the first time I have received mail like that.

    I read a Tribune columnist and he gets lots of "hate" mail, telling him he is worthless, stupid; you know the ilk.  This person wasn't that bad, but they were pretty negative.

    I once wrote the columnist and asked him how he dealt with it....his answer was to develop a thick skin.

    I have not done that.

    So, to counteract all the bad vibes, here are some good ones.

    To Emily, who keeps us in line with perscription questions and buys stuff from us at Costco, and who comforted me when I was told I had cancer,

    To son in law John, who keeps our computers working and is always there to pick up Jackie, or move furniture.  You are invaluable to us!

    To Julia, who keeps us in chocolate and Swiss wine and who had to get awakened from a deep sleep to help get her mom into bed.  From the floor.  Mom, not Julia.   Don't ask.

    To Jackie, who puts up with my endless sarcasm and dumb remarks.  Well, almost puts up with them.

    To Camryn, who reminds me what it is to be young and full of optimism and plans for the future.

    To friends I have known since high school who are content to talk to me about pretty much nothing and anything and everything at the same time.  I treasure those conversations.

    To my brother and brother in law in Florida, and their wives,  who keep us up to date on high temps, bugs, gaters, lizards and whatever weirdness is in the Florida news.

    To my other family members..in laws, cousins, nephews, neices, grand neices, grand nephews, second cousins....   We may nto talk very often, but know I miss you and really wish we had more time together.  

    To my Rochelle and area friends, who have always treated me better than I have deserved.  You are all good people and I value your friendship and kindness you all show toward me.

    To my theater friends, who put up with my missed lines, wrong entrances, wrong exits and my tendency to say lines backwards.

    To my Exit 99ers, who make me laugh and boost my spirits whenever I am with them...or even thinking of them.

    To all my teacher friends, I  envy the job you are doing through these troubled times.  I could never do what you are doing.  And you keep doing it!  

    To my retired teacher friends, who have discovered new interests and have travelled to distant places.  Good for you!  Keep on moving!

     To all of you who read this drivel about my life.  I know your time is valuable and I appreciate that you spend some of it with me, whether daily, or weekly, or just once in a while.  

    Finally, to the person who wrote me.  I know you will never read this, but I do hope you stay well and healthy, and your family too.

Peace and Love

dippy do

 I had a man come out to look at my yard

    When I mow, it is like a roller coaster.  There are more ups and downs in my yard then there are in a Bears' game.

    My septic lines has settled a little.  Not a lot, but enough to give me a headache when I mow....which is often.

    Hence, the man with the clipboard in my yard today.

    The first thing he said was he was surprised the landscaper didn't put a mound of dirt over the septic lines and let it settle.  I said he did.  But it  settled more.

    I have thought about getting some dirt and doing it myself, but I have thought about it for at least 6 years.  I am not going to ever do that.  And who knows, if the price is wrong I won't do it at all.

    We had a quiet anniversary day.....PT visit, couple of loads of laundry, sanding my table for another coat, walking around in a light coat on a very nice day.  Lots of normal stuff.

    At some point we will get winter.  I am just not sure when.  I don't think anyone is.

    I still have to hang pictures in the den, I know which ones I am putting back, just not sure where they are going.  Julia and Emily may give me some advice because I have a tendency to just hang them anywhere.  I need some structure.

    Anyway, that's my life today.

    Hope you had a great Dec. 13....Friday came on a Monday this month!

Peace and Love

ahhh.....

 Today was a pretty good day

    Emily and John came over, I cooked some steaks on the grill, and Jackie, Julia and I ate supper at the big table!

    John and I had some Advent calendar wine, and it was pretty darn good.  The steaks were not burnt, in fact, Emily's was too rare for her.  But other than that, it was a good meal.

    We opened presents....Julia's birthday, Jackie and my anniversary, watched the Bears play a competitive half of football, and generally enjoyed the day.

    Emily and John did bring Cooper and Obi over to visit earlier in the day.  Obi is huge!  I think Julia was duly impressed. Corki did a lot of barking, but was not too afraid of the big dogs, unless they looked at her.

    Tomorrow I really need to start putting the den back together....still don't have pictures hanging on the walls.  Then I can start organizing the basement.  I have boxes everywhere.

    Or, maybe I'll just not do anything,  which is getting pretty common in my life.

    Looking forward to the 50 degree weather!  That was a short winter!!

Peace and Love

Good gosh

 I was amazed at the storms yesterday

    My heart goes out to the people who were affected by the tornado, or rather tornados. 

    I know first hand the physical and emotional devastation such destruction can bring to a family and a community.

    It's a sobering message that there are no guarantees in life.  Noting is certain except death.  

    So, again.  Count your blessings.  Hug your family.  Call your friends.

    I have to find a good charity to donate to, but I know anything I give will be a drop in the ocean of need those affected will have.

    Peace and Love

rainy days

 We finally got the rain that was promised

    It's actually a pretty crappy day.

    Cold, dark, dreary....and at one point I could not tell if it was raining or snowing.

    That inability to tell the difference reminded me of two old frineds who went to Russia on vacation.

    They had been married 45 years but lately it was hard to find anything to agree about, including the weather.

    They had hired a local Russian man in Moscow to guide them around the city.

    Rudy was a  big, burly, boisterous, but a really nice, intelligent man.  He was also a big believer in the Communist system and pointed out its advantages whenever he could.

    He led Paula and Mike through the city, explaining about the onion domes, the political upheavals, the revolution.  He was the consumate guide.

    On the next to last day they were in Moscow, they had planned to visit some historic sites just outside the city limits.  As they were getting dressed, Mike told Paula that is was starting to snow.  She told him it was raining, so he should wear a raincoat.

    "Nope, it's snow.  Look!" Mike said.

    Paula looked and said, "No you old fool, it's rain.  Grab your raincoat."

    The argued bck and forth for 10 or 15 minutes until Paula finally said, "Rudy is waiting downstairs.  Let's go ask him."

    So they went down and asked Rudy, who had just come in from the weather.

    "Rain or snow?" asked Paula.

    Without hesitation, Rudy answered "Rain."

    Mike sputtered and stammared then asked, "Are you positive?"

    Paula spun around and said, "Rudolph the Red Knows Rain, dear!"

    That ended the argument and led to a famous song....but you know the rest of the story.

Peace and Love

PS....sorry for the groans

I admit it

 Am I supposed to understand today's world?

Seriously.

What the hell is a metaverse?

What is bitcoin and all the other cyber currencies I keep hearing about?

    Have people gone mad?

    I read a story about a person who paid 2.6 million for a section of virtual real estate in Decentraland!  The space was perfect for a virtual store! 

    What the hell does that mean?

    I don't know if the person paid in real dollars or the virtual reality.  And how do you get a bitcoin to start with?

    I understand the person buying the 14,000 square foot home on Lake Geneva WI for $39.5 million.....they must have a large family because the house has 12 bedrooms.  At least they were dealing with an actual piece of property you could sleep in after making a payment in real dollars, which I understand. 

    But virtual real estate?  Decentraland?  Metaverse?

    Might as well be speaking a foreign language.

    I am looking at a notebook where I make notes.  If anyone knows why I wrote down "Third Saturday in May"  please tell me because I have no idea.  So much for making notes.

    I found the perfect gift for someone, but it was sold out.  Figures.

    And I learned a new word:  Axolotl.  

    Now...your turn.

    Does it mean:

            1.      A new type of crypto currency.

            2        A Bulgarian swear word

            3        A word that might not be spelled right but due to the hot buttered rum I am drinking is as close as it is going to get

            4        A salamander.

    And the answer is....drum roll.......a salamander.  But not  a normal one, but one that regenerate parts of its body, including limbs, gills, parts of their eyes, and parts of their brains.

    Scientists are very interested in it for its regenerative qualities.  

    Seems to me we could use th regeneration of the brain technology right about now in our society.

    Cheers!

Peace and Love

Hoime again, home gain

Julia came home today 

    After nearly 20 years in Switzerland, she came home.

    Not just for Christmas, but home.

    John, Emily and I went to the airport to meet her.

    Each Christmas she/we would scramble to meet with friends and family who wanted to visit her.  This year will be a little more relaxed, because she wont be leaving in 3 weeks.

    Julia brought 4 suitcases and 2 carry ons with her, and thankfully the porter at O'Hare helped John load the suitcases.  They were heavy.  (The suiitcases, not John and the porter.)  A friend took her to the airport in Geneva, and we will always appreciate Matt for his kindness.  

    We had a nice family dinner, and I got to open my first window on the Advent wine calendar.....a white from Italy that was pretty nice!

    A new era begins for her...and for us.  She will be bunking with us for a while, wehich means she has to get used to 2 old people who can't remember shit.

    Digressing, the other day I was in a coffee shop in Rockford and they had a message board.  I was uplifted by some of the postings.

    Maybe you will see something here that lifts your spirits or brings a chuckle.

Peace and Love