007 & 1/2

I have been reading James Bond novels lately 

    And it is affecting my life.

    I had a mission this morning.

    Shortly after the sun had broken over the horizon, casting the Earth in golden hues, I set off on my mission.

    Birds were chirping.  The wind was gently pushing chilly, spring air into my face.

    I readied my vehicle and did a last minute check of all my equipment.

    Then I started out.

    First, I cased the neighborhood where the target was located.  No one seemed about.  I checked my rear view mirror often to see if I was being followed.  It seemed clear.

    I noiselessly cruised to the target.  No Beatles were playing.  I was in radio silence.

    I stopped.  I surveyed the scene.  No witnesses.

    I calmly and cooly opened the hatch on the vehicle and nonchalantly walked to the rear.

    Grabbing a last look around, I was stunned to see a car coming down the street.  I turned my head and positioned my body to hid the license plate.  Were they police?  Counter spies?  Russians?

    After they passed, I grabbed the bags of lawn waste and carefully stacked them in the driveway.

    One Two  Three Four....... mission completed.

    I looked around once more and saw I was undetected.

    I calmly and slowly returned home.

    After every mission an agent needs rest.  I looked at the clock.  It was barely 7.  I went back to bed and slept until 11.

    Yes!  11 a.m.!!!

    Usually I drop my yard waste off at night,,,.,but I always feel like a criminal.  I check the street, I look for traffic, I don't make noise. 

    That's what I did tonight.

    I had 8 bags of yard waste.  I don't have a yard waste pickup available.  So I take it to friends' houses in town.

    But I always feel like I am doing something wrong.  And maybe I am.  But they are paying for the service and don't always have waste, so I am making up for the times they don't have waste

    Now, I am going back to Diamonds are Forever.  Or to bed, not sure which yet.

Peace and Love

master gardener?

 I seem to have gotten less knowledgeable about plants

    Back in the day, I could rattle off names of plants.  I could even identify most of the native plants found in our area.

    One time I was on a field trip with an outdoor ed class.  It was late fall, and we were walking through a prairie.  

    Some of the plants had already dropped their leaves.

    I found a particularly attractive vine with little berries....red or white, I don't remember.  I picked a couple and went to your instructor and said "Sonia, what are these berries?"

    "Poison ivy!"  was the reply.

    The oils are still active in the fall, but luckily I did not develop a rash.

    Last fall I had some really big plants in part of my native garden.  I did not like them.  I asked people what they were, and I got a variety of answers.  One was a native sunflower.  I just did not like them, so I pulled several of them.

    There were about 15.....which would have been strange because I don't remember buying 15 plugs of any one kind.  So I sort of think they were weeds, even though they had flowers.

    This year that area of the garden is full of little plants.

    At first, 2 weeks ago, I thought "great, a million sunflowers I don't want."

    I wish that were the case.

    As the plants grew, I recognized them as.......thistle.  A lot of thistle.  A damn lot of thistle.

    I have been digging it out but have barely made a dent in the thistle population.

    I need the cavalry to come to the rescue!

    Thistle is hard to get rid of.  If you don't get the root, it comes back.  It sends out side roots that sprout new plants, so there is a lot of mucking about in the dirt.  Plus you have to have gloves, otherwise you get stuck.

    I'll attack it a little at a time.  By the time football season starts, I may have it under control.

Peace and Love

changing times

 I have always loved newspapers

    When I was in seventh grade, at least I think it was seventh, I inherited a paper route.

    This was a little different type of route.  It was in a factory.

    I would handle  the Daily News and Chicago American.  The papers sold for 7 cents.  I paid 5 cents, so I made 2 cents on every paper.

    Actually I made more because lots of times people would just give me a dine and not take change.  When the papers raised their prices to 10 cents, they charged me 7 and while I made more money per paper, I lost that 3 cent tip. 

    I would set up a little table at both entrances to the factory and when the workers left, they could buy an evening edition.

    I also delivered papers throughout the factory, leaving them at desks in the office area.

    What the route did was give me money for nickel Cokes, greasy French fries, doughnuts  and eventually for college.

     It was a good gig.  

    The guy who delivered the Daily News was a big guy named Swede.  I think.  Time dims memories.  He would have me work on his truck one day a week, stuffing newspapers and also hopping off the truck to deliver papers to various news stands.

    News stands.   Most are gone now.  There was one on Ashland and Irving.  It was a shack built out of whatever the people could scrounge .  I think his name was Jin.....skinnyy man, balding, wore glasses, ....I would also work for him at times.  I would sit in the news stand and sell newspapers and racing forms.  It was right next to a bus stop, and he did a good business.

    But times have changed.

    Daily News?  Gone.  Chicago American? Gone.  News stands?  Mostly gone.

    Newspapers?  Disappearing.

    The Chicago Tribune recently moved its printing operation from a building downtown to a smaller facility in the suburbs.

    In reporting on the move, they noted in 2000 the plant was printing about 600,000 daily Tribs and 1.2 million Sunday editions.  In 2023 they were printing 73,000 daily papers and 172,000 Sunday editions.

    We all know what has happened.  People are getting their information in different ways:  on line, on tv, on social media, all sorts of different places.

    I read the Tribune on line.  But I miss the feel of a real paper, the way it crinkles in your hand, the smell of the page and ink, the ability to do a crossword or cut out coupons. And the ability to take it in the can.

    But as Dylan said, the times they are a changing.

    But I don't have to like it, do I?

Peace and Love

Huh

Some times it is not my fault 

    Jackie's sister did not get her birthday card.

    Her birthday was April 19.  I mailed the card April 12.  It did not arrive April 19...or 20...or 21 or ever.

    See if you can guess the questions based on my response.

    Yes, I am sure I mailed it.

    No it is not in the car.

    Yes I looked under the seats.

    I admit,  I do have a problem, sometimes, with minor tasks.  Yes, I have forgotten to mail a card or 2.  Yes, I can't back up a golf cart in the garage.  Yes I lose my glasses/keys/wallet/phone at least once a day.

    And yes, I have forgotten to take things with when I go places.  Julia had a document to take to the bank.  I was going to the bank.  I took the document, gave Jackie her sweatshirt, put in my hearing aids and drove to Emily's to let out the dogs.  It was there I discovered I did not have the document.

    No, it was not in the car.  Yes, I looked under the seats.

    I went back home and backtracked my steps but could not find it.

    Jackie finally said, "What's that on the chair"

    And there it was.  

    Since I am incapable of doing 2 things at  one time, I must have set it down to pick up the sweatshirt.

    But, I digress.

    Today was May 25.  I went to get the mail and behold!  The birthday card was returned to us!

    There is a little yellow sticker that says unable to deliver as addressed.  No forwarding address.

    I showed it to Jackie.  She looked at it and the address looks fine.

    The card's stamp isn't even cancelled.

    It took over 35 days to go from the post office in downtown Rochelle to our mailbox. I am just baffled.

    The good thing is, I am off the hook!  I did everything right!  This time, at least.

    Sigh.

    Thanks to everyone who has reached out to Emily or me about Johanna.  Lots of stuff to do at this point.  Lots of questions on how to get things done.  

    But Emily, Camryn and Shannon, Camryn's mom, are all working on it.

    There's a long way to go.

Peace and Love

thoughts

We are still in a bit of shock 

    Johanna's death is too new to comprehend.

    In case you don't know, Emily and John were married.  After a few years, John realized he was not living the life that he wanted.

    So he began the journey to Johanna.

    They divorced.  but remained close friends, good friends.  Johanna would help Emily when it came to dogs, and Emily would do the same.  They would go to events together.  

    Johanna was active in VCCT, taking care of lights and sound as well as appearing on stage and even directing.

    And she often was our go to computer person.

    Camryn, Johanna's daughter with his first wife, is our grandchild.  

    The hurt we all feel, but especially Camryn and Emily, is raw.

    Right now we are all dealing with the details that come with a death.  And looking for answers to questions.

    I don't think this will be an easy journey, but one we all have to take.  Any help you can give to make  this journey easier would be appreciated.

Peace and Love

no words

 I can't think of anything to say

Johanna, Emilys ex and Camryn's dad, passed away unexpectedly today.

Please keep Johanna's family and ours in your prayers.  We are all devastated.

Peace and Love

really??

 Timing seems off these days

    I planted our veggie garden today.  That is something I usually have done before Mother's Day.  I just kept putting it off until I discovered I bought peas, and they don't like hot weather.  They need to be planted early.  Uh oh.

    Tonight I had Beth out about 9 and she suddenly took off like a shot and came to a sudden stop.  She had seen something.  So I kept my eyes on the area around her and I finally saw.......lightning bugs!!

    I always associate those fascinating creatures with mid summer, and it is actually still spring.  

    And I saw more than one!  In my yard, and in the neighbors.....there were several twinkling lights.

    But no cicadas.  We don't have any big trees here, so none have appeared.  And I don't hear any in the park, where there are big trees.

    My next challenge is to figure out hoses.  I have timers to water the veggies, but I have to find the correct length hose to hook to the timers.  I think I rolled all my hoses onto one reel, so I may have to unwind them tomorrow.

    Honestly, I hate hoses.  They curl, crinkle, bind, leak, and in general are a pain in the ass.  But I do want to keep the veggies watered so when we have a total breakdown in society the Dickow household will have carrots.

    I had some numbers from the Tribune, but I can't seem to find what I wrote down.  I thought it was pretty darn interesting.  Maybe I can find them tomorrow.

Peace and Love