oh yeah?

 I found some strange fortune cookies

    We have ordered out a lot of Chinese food lately, and I have found some strange fortunes in the cookies.

For exa ple:

Your lucky numbers are 5 7 13, 22 and 0.  Play all 6 and millions will come to you.

Staring at a solar eclipse will cause dementia.

Don't trust hedgehogs speaking Dutch.

You will find money in a public roadway and suffer severe injuries.

Sun may follow the storms  except where you live.

Wear your baseball cap backwards to achieve youth.

When brushing you teeth, avoid going up your nose.

Smoking a Camel is harder than smoking a brisket.

When one bottle of wine is empty, open another.

When 2 bottles of wine are empty, seek help.

Do not expose yourself in a flash mob.

Pay attention to idiots for they are in command.

Fortune cookies may come with Chinese food, but they are made in the US

Often times people write fortune cooky messages to make their friends laugh.

Dark tines will become brighter days.

Peace and Love

alums

 We received exiting offers exclusive to alums today

    They were exciting insurance plans from University of Minnesota and UC Davis, sent to Jackie and me because we are "devoted alumni" of the 2 universities.

    I wonder what degrees we got since we never attended either one!

    All 4 letters used the same language and forms.  I know it is just a marketing ploy, but think of the money they wasted by sending them to us.  On the bright side, it does help the postal system.

    We didn't get the ice and snow that was predicted.  We did have a glaze, but areas around us had more, if I understood the reports.

    I have used may snowblower once.  We have not seen the guy who plows our driveway at all, except for when he stopped by and said he was plowing again this year.    Snow is a no show this winter.

    But, there are still a few days until spring, regardless of what the groundhog predicts.

    The message of "end racism" has been removed from the Super Bowl stadium.  Guess somebody did not want to offend The Orange Felon, who is planning to attend the game.  I know lots of players had that message on their helmets, it will be interesting to see if they still do.

    It will be interesting to  if Tay Tay gets more exposure than the felon.  If so, she will be on his enemies list.  Of course when the felon tells it, he will have more exposure.

    Sorry to be rambling.  

    We had an incident this morning in the shower.  I missed the chair and Jackie slid to the floor.  Luckily Julia was here, something I won't be able to say in about 6 weeks.

    No injuries, and we got her up easily.

    But I had a meltdown.  

    Julia found a chair that may be better because the arms lift, something our transfer chair does not.  This is also a transfer chair and I hope irt makes it safer, and easier, for me to move her.

    A downer note to end tonight, eh?

Peace and Love

Me. crazy??

Sometimes I t think I am losing m mind 

    Stopped at Cypress House for a coffee and when I was standing at the counter I heard a voice say, "Hi Terry."

    But I could not see anyone!  I looked around and there was no one in sight...just me and the dress dummies.

    Was a dummy talking to me?

    No, Krista was in the corner arranging something and I just did not see her.

    I have been doing some exercises at home to help with my balance issues.

    The other night I did them sitting on the edge of the bed, when I was done I lied  down.  I felt like I was in a rocking chair!  My body felt like it  was going back and forth but it was not moving.

    I asked about that at PT today and was told that can happen if I change positions too quickly, going from sitting up to on the bed.

    I had always done the exercises sitting up. 

    Again, I thought I was going cuckoo.

    I ate a fortune cookie tonight and forgot to take the fortune  out.  I wish I had read it first.

    Maybe it said something like, "Good things are coming your way."  Or "Don't give up hope". Or "It's always darkest before the storm."

    The last one is right.  It is dark outside and a storm is supposed to be coming.

    Maybe I'm crazy, but I still have my mind.  For what that is worth.

Peace and Love

snow?

 We have a winter weather advisory

    I think that is a first for this year.

    Imagine that!  Feb 4 and it has been an almost snowless winter!

    I think the forecast is calling for ice and snow and rain and sun and clouds and earthquakes and volcanoes and possibly a hurricane or two.

    I have stocked up on the important things.....bananas and milk.  If it is really bad and we are stuck inside for more than a week and run out of food,, we do have Beth to fall back on.

    Just kidding.

    Had a heart doc chat today.  He said I seem ok, but he is only looking at the physical side.  Yes, he said I should walk more or exercise more.  Do something besides sit on my ass playing spider solitaire.  I like playing solitaire.  I don't like exercising.

    We did get some bad news tonight.

    The folks providing home care called and said they were not coming anymore.

    They felt the lifting situation was putting. their workers, and Jackie, in unsafe situations.  

    So..... no more relief for the time being.

    It is frustrating, both for me and her.  

    I need. the time off to recover physically and for a mental break.  But right now it is not meant to be.

    That bit of news put me in a bummer mood, so pardon this rather subdued rambling.

    I sort of wish President Musk would take over my house.  

    Know anybody who wants a part time job lifting and caring for my wife?  

Peace and Love

American Pie

 This was the day the music died

    I was just a kid in 1959, but even then I knew the world had lost some pretty great talent.

    Buddy Holly. Ritchie Valens ,and The Big Bopper,  Perry Richardson Jr.,  all died in a plane crash near Clear Lake Iowa.

    If you listen to the early Beatles, you can pick up the Buddy Holly influence in some of their songs. 

    My Today in History e-mail reminded me of the accident.

    I was 11 when they died, but I remember Peggy Sue and That Will Be the Day from Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Chantilly Lace by the Big Bopper and LaBamba by Ritchie Valens.  Still great music.  

    And of course, The Day the Music Died, by Don McClean, paid tribute to the singers. 

    E-mail can bring all sorts of useful information.

    For instance, today I got an e mail that said they had hot pictures of my wife...naked!   No, I did not open it.  

    I was also notified I had 45 complaints about a recent e-mail.....and I did not open that either. 

    Same goes for the Endurance ones that promise to expand my manhood, if you know what I mean.  

    And of course the usual ones telling me a package can't be delivered, my computer has been compromised, a bill is late.

    Kinda of sad when your most investing e-mail involves 3 deaths.

    But I guess that is the world today....scams and scammers galore.

    Hell, they seem to be overrunning Washington DC, but that is another story.  A scary one at that.

Peace and Love

 

bump, thump, stump

 I did a good deed today

`Yesterday Jackie heard a bump noise in the kitchen.  I did not find anything.  A little later Julia went to let Beth out and found a bird on the patio.

    The little sparrow was alive, but not able to fly.

    I am guessing the noise Jackie heard was the bird flying into our patio doors.

    I picked it up, carried it into the garage, put a towel in a box and set the birdie in the box.  I put some bird seed in as well.

    This morning the bird was gone.  Sort of.  I found it sitting on the windowsill.  Then it flew to sit on my bicycle.  I had all the garage doors open but it took a while to leave.

    I felt good about that.

    And today was Groundhog Day.  Little critter is predicting an early spring or 6 more weeks of winter, depending on where it lives.

    I think early spring.  I know it is early pothole season because they are showing up everywhere.  I have hit a few thumps already.  And yesterday I stepped in what I thought was water on the pavement when in fact it was. 3 inch deep pothole.  My socks got wet.

    I had an e mail I wanted to print.

    It was about 6 pages, so I hit the print button.

    I did not realize there were an amazing number of pages after the few I wanted.  The printer kept printing, and printing, and printing.

    I went into the icon and clicked on the x, cancelling the printing.

    It kept printing and printing.

    I opened the paper drawer, but when I closed it, it started printing. And printing.

    I can't find a way to stop it from printing!

    What I have been doing is taking the already printed pages with lines on them and feeding them back into the paper tray.

    But how do I end the print job? 

    I have tried everything.  I am stumped.

    I finally turned it off.  Maybe that will end the nightmare.

    Otherwise I guess I will be printing the rest of my life.

Peace and Love

Peace and Love

a gala time

 We wet to From the Heart tonight

For those of you not familiar with the event, it is a fund raiser for 9 different not for profit agencies operating in Rochelle.  Jackie, Emily and I went, as we have done for several years.

Tickets are expensive, because it is a fund raiser.  And during the event there are games, raffles, silent auction items and a live auction of various things.

    For example:  Tonight live auction  items included  beef  packages, pork packages, a vacation package to Gatlinburg TN, jewelry, autographed sports items and a CD autographed by.......Taylor Swift.

    Some of the sports items sold for around $1,000, although some were below that.

    But the Taylor Swift CD?  Holy crap.

    I asked Jackie if she remembered how much it sold for, because in muymind it was just about $2,000.  She did not think it was that much, but to be honest, I had gone to the bathroom and was just getting back when the bidding was about over.

    You have to be a big Tay Tay fan.  I did not see Travis Kelce in the crowd, so we can rule him out.  Besides, I bet she just gives him CDs when he wants them.

    We saw lots of former students who are now bankers, businessmen, teachers,  and city department heads.  It is always great to see former students doing well.

    We sat with some people we did not know.  I am lousy at making conversation, mainly because I can't hear their end of its very well.

    But one man showed me his name tag and asked if I remembered him.  He said he wrote me a couple of times when I was doing my column.

    I said the name was familiar and about 5 minutes later I looked. at him and said, "You wrote me about road construction and how Illinois doesn't pave highways in a way that makes them last."

    He said he did.

    I don't think I have done a column in over 3 years.  The fact he remembered me is dwarfed by the fact I remember what he wrote me about!  For cripes sake, I can't remember yesterday!

    It was a fun night.  We did not buy anything, but Emily did.  In the past I bought an autographed Ernie Banks picture and  another year I bought a base ball autographed Ernie Banks HOF.

    We had a good time.  I admit we got a little tired toward the end, but we were some of the first to leave.

And that's the way it is.

Peace and Love