Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, February 27th, 2019

And then there was one.  One more day in February, 2019.  That’s gotta make most of you feel pretty good.  Cuz after March, it’s April.  And then it’s all sunny skies and rainbows after that!  Woo Hoo!

This day was a day of dual emotions.  I was showered and in the recliner by 9 this morning because I knew I’d be leaving the house around noon and I also knew that the Cohen hearing was going to begin at 9 and I didn’t want to miss any of the hearing before leaving the house.  So, I pro-acted 🙂  And once it began, I knew my internal temp would rise quickly.  I am sure I don’t have to explain myself and frankly, I won’t.  However, those first three hours were filled with text-worthy happenings.

At a little after twelve, I headed out to pick up my longtime friend/colleague in Eagan.  She is also retired.  She left a year after I did.  We headed up to France Ave and I introduced her to Q Cumbers!  I wasn’t sure if my casino/former colleague/Como Park zoo friend was going to be able to make it, but I also invited him as the three of us were in our early stages of our careers at RHS back in the early 80s.  And, as luck would have it, he was able to make it.  Humorously, he must’ve seen us and headed over to us, only to totally skip paying for the lunch.  I was in the bathroom, but the third of us told him he needed to pay.  lol  And so we began the salad bar parade.  This was his first time too.

The three of us have known each other for 37 years.  We taught together in those early years, we played together with other young teachers who were nothing if not fun, and we experienced one another’s joys and sorrows together during those years.  When Eagan High School opened, we lost one of us to a position at that school.  Over time, we lost contact with one another.  As the years moved forward, life stepped in and the most we knew of each other is what we learned when we’d see each other in the halls at school.  The socialization days seemed to be over.  I always missed those years.  We all had a ton of fun together.  In those days, we, as young teachers, didn’t mind seeing those we worked with well beyond the working hours.  We’d party on weekends together.  We’d see each other off and on throughout each summer.  Eventually, that all changed as life will.

Think of it, however.  Thirty-seven years.  You just don’t throw 37 years away because “life happened.”  And since the three of us are retired, we have time once again to reconnect and revitalize our bond.  Nothing makes me happier.  We’ve been able to pick up and move forward from where we left off.  We’ve done this several times now.  One of us has faced medical challenges in the past couple of years, but they’ve come out of it the victor.  Today was another celebration of our friendship and of life.  Retirement is truly grand.  It allows for these types of days to occur.  And nothing’s better than connecting with longtime friends.

We finally began eating at 1.  We didn’t leave Q Cumbers until after 3.  That should tell you how much fun we were having.  We talked of old, we talked of the present.  We mentioned former friends and peers.  Ironically, one of my former students was there with her three children.  I think she said she was the class or 2004.  I taught both her and her brother.

The sun was out in all its grandeur today.  This restaurant is all windows.  It lent itself to a wonderful couple of hours of food and conversation.  And laughs.  Many many laughs.  I’ve always said that I came to RHS at the right time.  I entered a building with solid teachers who held the bar high but solid people who were simply good folks.  I’ve always been grateful for having landed there when I did.  Some of the best years of my existence.  You can’t get much better than good friends who care about you.

So, that was my day.  I was driving my friend back to her house while the third person had to meet a commitment in the north burbs.  As I drove into her driveway, I parked and we continued to talk for at least another half hour.  This is the woman who I used to call “Mary” because I used to tell her she reminded me of Mary Tyler Moore.  Amazing woman.  My friend, I mean.  Well, Mary too, but….you know 🙂

How was your Wednesday?  And are you ready for it to be Thursday already tomorrow?  And then the weekend will be knocking at your door!  Tomorrow night is column night and this week I write about comfort food growing up.  My goal…is to get you to think about those foods you once had growing up that you perhaps haven’t seen for many years.  Then I’ll be back Friday night.  And, if I haven’t told you, Saturday night (5 PM actually), I’ll be calling Bingo at the Legion in Rosemount.  It’s “Halfway to Leprechaun Days Family Bingo and Chili Cook-Off” night.  First the bingo and then the cook-off.  People bring in crock pot after crock pot of homemade chili.  It gets judged by selected personnel and then there are awards doled out.  Last year, the crowd was small because the weather was crappy.  Lots of snow.  This year it should be fine, so I am expecting a lot of people in that backroom.  I look forward to calling it again.  Maybe I’ll see you then, but we’ll chat once before on Friday night, so….have a great end to your week and we’ll see you in 48 hours, give or take 🙂

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, February 26th, 2019

Just another Tuesday?  For me, it was.  Ran out for groceries at one point and I hated the cold blast once again.  Whaddya gonna do, right?  Ugh.  There’s gonna be flood warnings all over the place when this stuff melts cuz I think it’s gonna go fast once this weather realizes we’re in March soon.  OH well…next week highs are in the single digits again.  Slowly, as we head in the direction of St. Patrick’s Day, the temperatures start to climb to 30 degree highs.  Let’s see how that works out.

I’m going to start tonight with the pic.  I forgot to mention last night about this machine that you find in the dual pic tonight.  I thought I’d never see this machine again.  I often think about it when I’m going through the zoo in Apple Valley, but they certainly don’t have this.  When I was a little boy, either I would go with my parents or the parks would go in the summer to the Milwaukee County Zoo.  It was huge in my memory.  And these machines were found in various spots throughout.  They were either gorilla machines or elephant machines.  The two items in the middle come together.  Hot wax is pumped through the tubes into the mold.  After maybe a minute, they pull apart and voila’!  There’s the hollow wax figurine!  I loved those machines when I was a kid.  For only fifty cents, you could get yourself one for your own.  The Milwaukee Zoo’s gorilla machine advertised it as an image of their longtime resident, Sampson the gorilla.  He lived to be well over 50 years old.  I sometimes would get an elephant because it was my favorite animal in the zoo.  When I saw this yesterday, I had to share my connection to it with my friend.  So, he shelled out three dollars (not fifty cents anymore…imagine that), and we watched the machine work its magic.  What fun!  I had to finish that trip with this story because it’s a story worthy of sharing.  A little nostalgia worked its way into the experience yesterday.

I was paging through my magazines on my coffee table today and I realized my Entertainment Weekly was missing.  I started to think when I saw the last issue.  I think my subscription ran out, so I looked online and got a heckuva deal.  I love the magazine and for 92 issues (two years), I only had to pay $29.  Done!  I love getting magazines in the mail.  Absolutely love it.

I keep forgetting to share this story with you too.  A couple of weeks ago, I posted something on my hometown’s nostalgic web page.  I got a FB message eventually and it read, “Did you work at a shoe store growing up?”  Is it possible to forget you had a job as a teen until someone reminds you of it?  That’s what happened to me.  I totally forgot I had worked for Tradehome Shoes.  It was on Front Street, the main street downtown.  I responded in the affirmative, of course, and the guy told me he was one of my bosses at the time.  WHAT?  I had no recollection of that name whatsoever.  I know I had fun selling shoes, but I don’t remember anyone I worked with.  Then he took it to a new level and mentioned a buddy of mine I apparently worked with there.  I had totally forgotten that too.  So, I reached out to my buddy, who was in my grade.  He’s now a retired principal in Madison, Wisconsin.  He remembered the guy right away.  Then he asked me if he and I lived together in Eau Claire for a short period of time while we were in college.  I told him “No.”  Wrong answer.  I got an earful!  lol  Apparently we did.  I have no clue where we lived.  I thought I remembered every place I lived in that college town but I guess not.  He and I need to have coffee some time when I’m back visiting and he can fill me in on the specifics.  In any case, it was cool for my old boss to reach out.  A nice feature of FB.

Got a haircut today.  Happy that’s behind me.  My hair was seven weeks long.  I don’t like it when it goes that long before the next haircut.  The one line I love hearing when I get a haircut though is, “You’re hair is really thick.”  Thank God.  I don’t have to face baldness, I guess 🙂

Started writing the column about Mom on her 44th anniversary of her death.  I think I want to write this outside my home so I may look for a coffee shop to write in this week yet.  Tomorrow is lunch with a retired colleague of mine and a great woman!  Q Cumbers!  She’s never been, so she’s in for a treat.  And it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been there and I’m in the mood for a salad bar, so I’m excited for lunch on Wednesday 🙂

Hope you had a good Tuesday.  A little snow out there tonight.  A little more coming Friday.  And then it’s anybody’s guess.  I had no books or DVDs to run out and buy today so I feel a little unaccomplished, but I’ll get past that soon enough 🙂  Hey!  Have a good humpday.  Maybe we’ll see a little sunshine?  When I’m home, I’ll be glued to the hearing.  It’ll likely **** me off, but we’ll see if I can tolerate watching it.

Until Wednesday night, behave and stay safe.

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Monday, February 25th, 2019

Here’s a question worthy of fun discussion.  Would you rather have a) a winter that is spread out through four months (Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.) or b) have all the winter weather come in one month?  Discuss.  😛  I normally don’t complain about winter.  I really don’t complain about it when it comes in November and December.  I have never been a fan of January and February but that’s because, after football, life is dull until March Madness and finally baseball.  However, this whole month of winter weather, cold and snow, is enough.  It has to go now.  And it’s not going anywhere any time soon.  If you haven’t checked out the temps coming down the path, do so.  You’ll know what I mean.  Today”s cold was once again brutal.  Segue to next item.

I have much to share tonight.  And most of it centers around tonight’s pic.  So, without further delay, let’s jump right in!

I told you last night about the monthly “event” happening today, one of which I had been kept in the dark.  Well, I was picked up at 9, as planned and we drove out on 35E until we got off on Ayd Mill Run.  From there, we headed into an area I was somewhat familiar with and I guessed our destination shortly before we arrived.  Como Park Conservatory and Zoo.  I have never been to this place before, but I have heard much about it.  I was reminded of a time many years ago when I’d take 35E to Randolph to Lexington to Bandana Square where, on weekends for a couple of years in a row, I played Santa for a teacher friend who couldn’t do the job for one reason or another.  It was good money but it was boring because at that time Bandana Square was a dying area.  It all was coming back to me today.

We pulled into the Park a little early as there were other cars with people sitting inside as well.  Just before ten, we got out of the car, into the bitter cold air.  The car’s outside temp indicated -4.  That was without wind chill.  It was a brisk pace we took to the building.  We stood outside for just a few minutes with a bunch of young kids and their adult supervisors.  They finally opened the doors and the warm air bellowing out from inside was calling my name!  My friend had an agenda for us.  The 10:00 agenda was the area with flowers.  We ended up in an area with a lot of ferns and greenery.  We never got to the flowers, so for that reason, I should probably revisit it some day.  We then headed outside again to make for the polar bear exhibit as there was to be a “program” at 10:30.  That was the most miserable part of the experience.  I think we probably took the longest path to get there.  We were both miserable with the cold.  My friend didn’t even have a hat and he left his gloves in the car.  I was dying with a lower back that was screaming “STOP AND REST!”  I had to.  I was never going to make it otherwise.  He finally kept moving and I didn’t blame him.  I eventually caught up with him but I was kinda miserable.  My glasses were steaming up as I finally entered the Polar Bear exhibit.  I did not know this place had polar bears.  How awesome was that!  There were only five to eight of us for the “program.”  While the woman spoke, the feeders/trainers came out.  In the picture, you’ll see she gets him to open his mouth by using two of her fingers and slowly spreading them apart.  It was very cool.  That pic is of the first bear.  Then he went to one side of the exhibit, out into the cold.  Then the other bear, 100 pounds heavier, and he entered the picture and she did more feeding and displaying their ability to respond to her.  I loved it.

We ultimately headed out to return to the main entrance of the Park and took our time.  We stopped and checked out the amphibious creatures.  Penguins.  And puffins.  And a very funny seal who stood on a rock in a pose as if he was saying, “I’m posing.  Shoot pictures of me.”  And, of course, I did.  And then the snake area, which I had no desire to spend time in.  We were out of there and next stop was the giraffe and ostrich area.  It was so freakin’ cool.  And with no one really there, it was even better.  This one ostrich was killing me as I’d be talking to it and he/she was focused on me, but would shake its head as if it was disagreeing with me.  So funny.  After that, it was the gorilla exhibit.  Another favorite of mine.  Lots more than the Apple Valley zoo, sadly.  There were all types of apes/gorillas/monkeys to enjoy looking at.

We finally returned to the front of the place and it was nearly 11:30.  The plan was to be leaving there around that time and so we stuck to it.  We headed out and picked a place for lunch.  Keys Cafe in Roseville.  I have eaten at the one in Hudson.  I love their breakfasts and I had breakfast there today as well.  We chatted about the day and the March event that I’m in charge of and after he had his “Mother’s Sandwich” and I finished breakfast, we were back on the road, returning to the south burbs.  It would be one before I would get home.

Two hours later, it was time to bond with my fellow writers once again.  After lamenting the state of our politics and last night’s Oscars, we discussed a piece written by one of our writers.  Then it was time to end another session and I came home.  Made my first pot of coffee for the day and Willy and I chilled together.  A full day, eh?

The evening is mellow with television programming.  And tomorrow morning, I don’t have to be showered and ready to go by nine.  Thank God!  🙂

Hope you had a pleasant day.  Tomorrow a little snow may enter our lives but nothing to get too bent out of shape about.  Let’s hope for warmer temps though.  Today was stupid!

See ya tomorrow night.  I should mention that one of the writers mentioned to me something I should have known.  I was embarrassed.  Today marks only ten months until Christmas.  How could I not know that?  😛

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Sunday, February 24th, 2019

Happy Oscars Night!  Yay!  My favorite night of the year is back.  When I was teaching, I’d take the next day off so I could enjoy the awards without worrying about being tired the next day.  I know.  I was naughty.  Now, I just enjoy them 🙂

As you know, I watched Bohemian Rhapsody last night before writing the Reflection.  And I told you I would be watching BLACKkKLANSMAN before bedtime.  So, my reaction?  I really liked it.  Another picture worthy of Best Picture nominations.  There were a couple of moments in the film where Spike Lee juxtaposed two contrasting scenes that built the tension quite well.  Knowing it was based on a true story even made it more compelling.  And scary since I don’t think we’re much better than we were then.  I thought we were, but…

I just finished watching A Star Is Born.  Talk about depressing.  Dude!  I have never seen any other version of this film and had it not been up for Best Picture, I likely wouldn’t have watched this either.  I am just not a Bradley Cooper fan.  So often throughout this film, I thought Barbara Streisand was Lady Gaga.  I have grown to really like her and admire her.  It paralleled Bohemian in its effect it had on me.  Ugh.  Now I know why I didn’t want to ever see this story at any time it was made.  In any case, I finished it in time to write this, have dinner and then settle in for the awards.  Watch.  Since I didn’t see Vice, it will likely win Best Picture.  Ha.

How about that wind out there?  Tonight’s pic is probably no different than any of you could have taken outside your back door.  I have not seen drifts this high outside my den door for a number of years.  That’s my central air unit barely peeking it’s exterior out from under that snow.  Crazy.  And I’ve stayed inside all day, listening to the wind and watching it from my computer chair in the den.  I have always loved the wind.  I’m mesmerized by its power.  Today was a perfect example of why I like it.  I am not happy about it in the winter if I have to go out.  Then it’s simply brutal.  I’m glad I had what I needed to make it through the weekend.  That all changes tomorrow.

Tomorrow is one of those monthly surprise excursions with my casino buddy, former colleague as well.  In December, he took me to that VFW lunch buffet and the “Ain’t Retirement Grand!” production.  It, indeed, was a surprise to both of us.  Then the next month’s “event” from my planning responsibility was the trip to the Science Museum and Omnifest.  Now, as February ends, we’re at it again in the morning.  I’m being picked up at 9.  Good God.  Nine!  I have to be showered and ready to leave the house by NINE!  Ugh.  I’m told the “event” will be over around 11:30 at which time we’ll grab lunch and then head back home.  In the afternoon, I have my bi-weekly meeting with the writers.  Then that’s it for plans for the week!  And snow doesn’t look like it’s going to be a factor in anything this week until maybe Friday.  So, ok.  I can live with that.

I forgot to tell you yesterday…as I was driving around running errands before the “blizzard” came, I accidentally fell upon an AM radio station and it happened to be one out of Wisconsin and they were airing the first Brewers’ spring training game!  How awesome it was to hear baseball once again.  One month from now, we’ll be days away from the season beginning.  There’s a reason to smile!

Willy was happy this past 24 hours that I was watching these movies.  He never gets to lounge with me in the recliner as much as we lounged these past two days.  I normally don’t sit there.  I usually will be on the couch if I’m in the living room and I’ll slide into the recliner later at night.  If I’m there, he usually has to be in it with me, resting between the calves of my legs, covered by a blanket.  When I got up from the chair to begin this Reflection, he returned to the recliner, pawing at the blanket and so he is now under his tent once again.  He’ll skip the awards tonight, apparently 🙂

This is gonna be a helluva week in politics.  I’ll leave it at that.  However, I’ll say I think I’ll be fairly glued to the TV on Wednesday.

It looks like schools will have five days this week.  Can they afford to miss any more?  I know after a point, we didn’t want to be canceled because there was a curriculum that had to be taught and you can monitor and adjust only so much.

Oh, I forgot to tell you I got my column cleaned up and ok’d by my peer reader.  So, they have it in the office now and I’m already on the lookout for the next topic.  The next column will appear two days before the 34th anniversary of our mom’s passing.  March 7th.  A date I’ll never forget.  I’m sure you all have your date you remember too.  Whether or not I write about her is left to be seen.  I’ve done it before.  If I can do another take on her, perhaps, but we’ll see.

Have a good start to your week.  If you are watching tonight, I’ll share my top seven predictions with you.  My former head resident from Eau Claire and I have this little contest every year.  We exchange our pics for these seven categories.  He hasn’t seen a movie since Ben Hur.  Yet, he wants to do this.  So we do  🙂

Best Picture: Roma

Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron

Best Actor: Rami Malek

Best Actress: Glenn Close

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams

Best Song: Shallow

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Saturday, February 23rd, 2019

Well, we might as well discuss the elephant in the room.  The weather.  Today was decent enough.  Snow melted nicely on the main roads.  Temp was certainly not bad.  Sort of the lull before the storm, however.  I looked at the Warning before starting this, just to see if anything had changed.  It had.  First, now we’re going to get 1-3 inches only.  However, where it might say “Partly Cloudy” or “Sunny” or “Light Snow”, I can’t remember ever seeing just the solitary word, “Blizzard.”  I, for one, would like to say I’m glad to be inside tonight and not have to be out in what’s coming.  I think for the first time in years, my den patio door is going to be half covered in snow if the drifting occurs like it always does in the winter when the winds go rogue.  Hope you all can stay inside and not have to deal with the weather til morning, if even then.

I’m in a funky place tonight emotionally.  Difficult to explain.  It might have something to do with just having finished watching Bohemian Rhapsody.  The living room grew dark as day became night and the storyline isn’t exactly a Mary Poppins type of story.  I knew little about this band.  I was not a big “band” kid growing up.  I like solo performances but when it came to rock bands, I wasn’t interested in most cases.  I knew some of their songs, of course, but the story about Freddy Mercury I was a stranger to.  I thought it was really a good film and understand why it would be up for Best Picture.  And Rami Malek does an incredible job.  But I think it might have put me in a weird place.

Once it was done, I threw in my leftovers and had those with the lights on and the Duke/Syracuse game in the second half.  It’s tiding me over til I can focus solely on the tube. Then I’m going to watch BlacKkKlansman.  SNL is a rerun tonight, so I need a movie to take me up to bedtime.  Then tomorrow, it’s A Star Is Born and I’ll be seven out of eight for Academy Award viewing tomorrow night.  Willy got all comfy for Rhapsody and I think he wondered why the heck it was so dark so soon and why I was sitting in the recliner before 9 at night.  lol   He rolls with the punches quite well 🙂

The day was rather mundane.  I did manage to get out of the house, primarily cuz I am pretty sure I won’t leave tomorrow.  I suspect there’ll be a lot of drifting and such throughout the night and whatever happens to the roads is something I don’t need to witness firsthand in the morning.  I’m good to stay inside then.  However, I ran to Barnes and Noble because I actually had an idea for something for my writers’ group that is meeting on Monday, but I failed in my attempt.  I’ll try another time.  I was going to stop and get a mocha on the way home, but then I remembered I can make a strawberry/blueberry smoothie when I get home, so that’s what I did and that was lunch.  I opened up a new strawberry yogurt and let Willy lick the underside of the foil cover that has to be peeled away to access the yogurt.  He loves yogurt.  Crazy cat.

I got the column written today.  First draft once again.  I walked away from it then and will return tomorrow to revise and clean it up for inspection.  I like the way it turned out.  I just need to make some modifications so I can have room to write an ending.  lol

A weather alert just came across my phone…”Breaking News: Mississippi, Alabama Storms Spawn Damaging Tornadoes.”  This storm is huge and we’re getting the white side of it.  I think we’re in a better position than those in the south.  Something for which to be grateful.

Ok.  Time to retire to the couch with Willy who is already on his blanket and curled up for the night.  He’ll quickly leave that position and run to the recliner when I return to it for movie #2.  Hope you stay warm and safe and I’ll be writing early tomorrow night so I can be front and center at 7 for the Awards.  Woo Hoo!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Friday, February 22nd, 2019

I was telling a friend earlier today that I think I can count on one hand the number of times we were under a Blizzard Warning, but here we are.  Under a Blizzard Warning.  Sounds like it’s supposed to be 1-3 inches of snow tonight and then 4-6 tomorrow with winds kicking in after…sounds to me like another one of those days my car never leaves the garage.  Oh well.

Guess what I did yesterday?  I went to my fourth of eight movies I need to see before Sunday night at 7.  It’s not going to happen, sadly.  I dragged my butt on this and now I’ll be short one movie.  Likely the movie that wins Best Picture.  Vice.  I could see it tomorrow night in Eagan at 7 but something tells me I won’t be doing that.  As for yesterday’s film, I saw The Favorite.  “In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies the throne, and her close friend, Lady Sarah, governs the country in her stead, while tending to Anne’s ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing, and Abigail sees a chance to return to her aristocratic roots.”  Queen Anne is played by Olivia Colman.  Rachel Weisz is Lady Sarah and Abigail is Emma Stone.  All three women put in one helluva performance.  Colman is up for Best Actress.  Well deserved nomination.  I really enjoyed it.  You giggled at times and then you cringed for the nastiness that was going on behind the back of the Queen.  I likely wouldn’t have seen it had it not been up for Best Picture.  Glad I did.  

The other three I will watch this weekend since I have them as DVDs, are Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, and BlacKkKlansman.  By Sunday night, I’ll be ready.  In the meantime, check out the trailer for an upcoming film called Greta.  It looks great.  Here’s the link.

I got my copy of the Farmington Rosemount Independent Town Pages today.  I had tossed them a picture of Willy peeking out from under that blanket for the column this week.  The one I posted here last night with the column.  I wasn’t sure if they’d use it, but they did.  Awesome.  It adds another dimension for me to picking topics.  It was fun to open the paper and see the column with Willy’s cute mug right there in the column.  Cool beans.

So, I’m presently weighing my options for using that Playstation Vue for my television provider.  I wrote about this Wednesday night, I think.  I’d have to keep Spectrum for the internet but otherwise, all else would go out the window.  I called and found out that I’d need to take in my modem and two cable boxes when I decide to walk away from my contract.  Wanna know what I really will hate missing if I do this?  MeTV.  I have that playing more than I can tell you, and from what I can see, there’s nothing nostalgic for channel choices with the VUE.  I am going to look at other options because I really think I want to end my connection to Charter.  I am still seething about their raising my bill while taking away two movie channels.  I just need to know what I’m going to and that I’ll be happy because I don’t want to try this service and then that service and then another service…That’ll drive me insane too.  Then there’s also the issue of the second TV in the bedroom.  Andy, my consultant…contact me cuz I have a question regarding that.  In any case, I should do this before the 5th of March because it’s when my billing for the monthly cycle ends.  So, I essentially have this coming week.

I have a fun idea for my next column.  Last night, for dinner, I had one of those ring bologna kind of dealios.  Only it was turkey.  And I also had a mixture of cauliflower, carrots and broccoli.  It made me think of the days when I was a little boy and Mom had ring bologna a lot in our home.  I like it then too.  I remember it being a bigger ring, though.  lol   In any case, it got me thinking.  About foods we once ate when we were younger that we don’t really eat any more.  I guess, based on the definition of “comfort foods,” that’s what my topic will be.  I consulted my sister and brother for more ideas.  And they came through with several good ones.  And what I like about a topic like this is it will send readers back years, thinking about what they were raised on by their moms once upon a time.  Everyone likes to reminisce, even if it’s only with their own memories.

So, prepare ye the storm.  Hunker on down and if you have to go out, be safe.  One week from today is March 1st.  This will end sooner than later.  And then bring on the longer days and the colors of spring! Two weeks from tomorrow night, the clocks spring ahead! That’s something to cheer about, right?  I thought so 🙂

See ya tomorrow night, snow, wind and all!

G’Night!

The Weekly Column – “Life With Willy, Chapter 3”

The View From My Room – Year Seven– #23

            A year ago in April, I wrote another installment in the “Life With Willy” series I began once upon a time.  I said I’d return in six months with more crazy adventures about a cat who thinks he’s a human.  I am way past six months, so how about I share a little more about my roommate, Willy.

For those of you old enough, you likely recall doctors making house calls once upon a time.  It was not unusual for the doctor to be at the front door to visit someone inside who was ill.  Those days are long past gone.  For humans. Willy has a problem traveling from my home in Apple Valley to the vet’s in Burnsville.  By the time I’m pulling in to the parking spot, Willy’s is getting sick inside his carrier.  It requires the folks at the vet’s place to clean both the carrier and the cat.  He often gets sick again as I return to my garage, but cleaning a cat by one’s self is impossible, to say the least.

Willy was having litter box issues back in the fall. He was months past due his yearly checkup, but I had decided to just forgo his visits as he’d been fine, and he’s an indoor cat who just turned nine.  However, the issue raised my level of concern, so when I went to the vet to get his food, I mentioned to the ladies about Willy’s issue and how I hated bringing him.  They told me something they had never told me before.  “Dr. Larry will make a house call.”  Are you freakin’ kidding me?  Why didn’t they tell me sooner?  Regardless of the extra cost, it was worth it to me, so I had the vet visit my humble abode a week later.  Willy wasn’t thrilled but too bad, so sad.  Willy is now on a probiotic and all seems to be ok.  Yup.  My vet makes house calls.  How awesome is that?  I’m told most of the patients are cats for whom he does this.  Go figure.

A friend told me when I got Willy eight-plus years ago, I should get him a playmate.  Eight-plus years later, I continue to hear those words echo throughout my home.  Day after day.  Willy doesn’t need a playmate because he has me! Here’s an example.  In my den, there is a recliner.  It’s a small den.  If Willy is in the living room with me and I head in the direction of the hall leading to the den, he’ll often race ahead of me, jump in the chair and sit on the arm of the chair, waiting.  I arrive to the den, walk past the chair, and he’ll swat at me as I walk to my computer chair, accompanied by producing an irritating “meow.”  I’ll ignore him as I sit at my computer.  He’ll sit on that arm, meowing, in three-second intervals. Seriously?  Do you have any idea how quickly that becomes worse than fingernails on a chalkboard?  Life is all about Willy!

Something else he does that is absolutely unbelievable, well, you just won’t believe it.  So, I’m sitting in my recliner in the living room.  At any point, he may join me and rest between my calves. However, there are times when he has no desire to share my chair.  He’ll come up on the right arm of the chair, begin to wheedle his nose in between my right arm and the arm of the chair.  Why?  He’s telling me to get out.  He wants my chair.  His chair, apparently.  And if that’s not enough, I have a blanket folded on the top of the chair.  He’ll face the blanket and either just sit there staring at it or he’ll begin to paw at it.  In other words, “Chuck, you know the routine.  I want my tent.”  Dear God. So, I drape the blanket over the chair, and that’s the last I’ll see of him for several hours.  Usually not until it’s feeding time.  He’ll poke his head out of the blanket, look around for where I’m sitting, and then finally come out from under the blanket to rejoin the human race.  With demands.

At night, as I begin the ritual before going to bed, I do a few things that ends with cleaning Willy’s box and then feeding him some nighttime treats.  I’m not sure I’d ever get any sleep if I skipped the treats part.  My second-to-last duty before his treats is to go into the den, turn off the computer and then deal with him.  Sometimes I’ll get sidetracked at the computer before flicking off the power, and it may not be a rapid in-and-out deal.  To Willy’s credit, he waits.  However, when I finally turn off the computer and spin away from the computer desk in my swivel chair, there’s Willy, sitting, not lying on the carpet, staring at me.  Waiting. It’s hysterical.   And rather charming.

So there’s another Willy chapter.  People have commented they enjoy reading about Willy in my nightly blog when I write about him.  If you’d like to follow along, here’s the link that you can follow as often as you’d like.  https://theviewfrommyroom224.wordpress.com

I told you I’d update you from time to time on my Christmas story I’m writing, hoping to be book #4.  I’m making great strides, and I am happy with my progress.  YAY!  Stay tuned!

Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, February 20th, 2019

Well, this was a fun day, eh?  Unless you had to drive in this.  However, when we woke, I guess it was nice to see that the storm actually happened, justifying every school district who cancelled last night.  They can be grateful that this next storm will hit Saturday if it truly hits at all.  No stress on that one for the powers that be.

My day was all inside.  Yup.  Didn’t leave the house.  Tomorrow, however, you can bet I’ll be itching to get outta here for a bit.  I was enjoying watching the snow fall from my den as was Willy.  He was in the recliner, watching those flakes intensify, then lighten up, then Zzzzzzzz……

When I was at Target yesterday getting the DVDs, I also walked past the produce section and checked out the Cuties.  They weren’t on sale and I didn’t want to spend $7 on a bag of Cuties cuz lately, I’ve been getting some bad ones.  So, I checked out oranges.  And I found bags of oranges on sale.  I crossed my fingers cuz I’ve had more bad luck than good luck when I buy oranges in bags.  I also saw Ambrosia apples being sold in bags.  I didn’t know they sold those that way. I love the Ambrosia apple.  So I bought a bag of those too.  Today, I sampled both.  The orange was delish!  As was the apple.  So, yay!  I win this time.  I just love oranges and I could eat them until my stomach hurt.  I do have to be careful and make sure they’re not being consumed on a really empty stomach cuz the acid will work against me over time.  If you’ve never tried Ambrosia apples and you like sweet, crisp apples, then try these.  I know everyone loves the Honeycrisp apple.  I liked it for a while, but it still has a tart quality to me.  These are perfect. Yum.

Caught up on some TV.  And one of my very helpful former students once again reached out after reading my lament last night regarding the Charter Spectrum tantrum I threw and told me he recently got rid of cable and is now doing Playstation VUE.  I have a Playstation.  He told me what to do and so I did.  They are missing several channels that I would likely miss but not THAT much.  I also had a question regarding how I’d acquire the right to watch my Brewers once again come next month.  I’ve always paid around $170 for the entire season through Spectrum.  He suggested one thing, but I went to MLB.com and checked out my options there.  They offer plans too.  Their price for the same thing I’ve been doing with Spectrum over time is $115.  So, I wrote them and asked them how I’d watch them on my living room TV if I were to buy the package.  I’m waiting now for their response.  I also would save well over $100 a month if I say bye bye to Charter and hello to VUE.  SO, I’m thinking I’ll be doing that real soon.  REAL soon.  That’ll teach ’em!  Don’t mess around with a retired teacher!  😛

I need a new column topic.  It’s already Wednesday.  No ideas right now.  Ugh.

I finished Roma last night.  Not my favorite movie of the season.  I should have at least watched one more today, but I was too busy getting caught up with other stuff I’d recorded.  Justin Cronin wrote a trilogy of books that translated into the new FOX show, The Passage.   That’s also the title of the first book in the trilogy.  “…the fall of civilization and humanity’s desperate fight to survive in what Stephen King calls ‘one of the great achievements in American fantasy fiction…’ ”  It’s really compelling storytelling.  I read the first book but wasn’t all that keen on the story.  Now, however, I’m in hook, line and sinker.  It’s rather intense.  I also got caught up on a show I think is the best new show of this television season.  FBI.  It’s a Dick Wolff production.  The guy who started the Law and Order series.  I like the characters.  The stories are interesting.  And the pace never lets up.  I remember liking the original FBI show from the 60s.  This is quite the upgrade. Then watched episode 7 of True Detective.  One more to go this Sunday.  Damn, it’s good!  Read some today.  Played a little World of Warcraft today.  Could have easily taken a nap today but didn’t.  🙂

For now, we breathe a sigh of relief from yet another storm, but come Saturday, it’s anyone’s guess at this point, apparently, but it looks like we could get the same amount in three days!  Guess I’ll do what I need to again cuz if that’s the case, it’s another bonding day for Willy and Cholly!

Time to go.  Tomorrow night’s column is all about the King.  He’s under his tent right now.  That seems to be his latest routine he’s into.  I write about it in his third column and it will be right here tomorrow night.  I’ll be back Friday night with more specific news, I suspect, about the weather forecast.  Goody goody.  Hey!  Have a good couple of days.  Drive safely.  Eyes on the road!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, February 19th, 2019

Ok.  It’s ten in the evening.  And here’s my first story of the night.  So, for years, I’ve paid a crazy amount of dollars monthly to have Charter Spectrum in my home, with all of the movie channels one can have, and that includes HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz, and EPIX.  For the least several days, I have been trying to record what was the final episode for the season of Berlin Station on EPIX.  And each time I set the DVR, it never recorded.  I was befuddled.  So, tonight, it was being broadcast back to back.  I made it a point to flip over when it was about to begin to make sure it was recording.  And therein lies the kicker to this story.  It was telling me I have no access to that channel.  Really?  I have for years.  Why all of a sudden not now?  So, I called them.  And, as I’ve grown older, I’ve tolerated these kinds of situations a little less patiently.  Well, I got someone on the phone and when asked was the reason for my call, I respectfully but emphatically expressed my displeasure for paying for a service I suddenly can’t access.  It was then I was told that EPIX and Cinemax are no longer a part of the package I have been buying all these years.  They are now a separate pair of items.  Combined, they’d be an extra $20+ a month.  And when I asked if my bill had dropped then, the answer was NO.  I was not going to see a drop in my billing.  Oh, and this change took place on February 15th, and I was notified in my bill.  However, I don’t get a bill, per say.  I pay automatically online monthly.  They just take it out of the account.  And, ironically, the price recently went up a few dollars.  Oh, I wasn’t happy.  And I let her know I wasn’t happy.  And I shared my opinion about how I thought Spectrum should have sent out an email speaking to this change.  Why would I look at my online billing when I haven’t ever looked at it because everything is automatic anyhow.  Grrrrrrrrrr….. I guess it’s time to look at the Dish options.  This is a lousy way to treat a customer who has filled their coffers for many years.  And, if you can’t tell, I’m really ticked off.

OK.  That’s out of my system.  How goes your world?  I bet every superintendent in Minnesota who has called school already tonight before the snow even begins to fall is praying that the morning brings a lousy situation on the roads so they don’t get more criticism for doing so.  The only district in the area that hasn’t called it yet is Hastings.  That’s kind of unusual if you follow closings like I do 🙂  In any case, the heaviest snow is supposed to happen between 3 and 6 in the morning, so when we wake up, we should see a winter wonderland once again and know that the decision to close the night before was a wise one, giving parents a little more time to figure out what they’ll do with their younger children.  How crazy is this, though?  I can’t ever remember so many days of school being cancelled in one winter.  A record, for sure.  And we have yet another storm possible for the weekend, though the numbers have dropped on that for now.  We’ll see what they look like by Friday.

So, many people in the world of education don’t have to leave their homes tomorrow.  A nice thought for all of them.  I did what I needed to do today, firmly believing in the forecast I’ve been following for days now.  Nothing like having a solid reason to be a slug, staying inside all day 🙂  One day I can handle.  Two days, not so much.  I have plenty to read and to watch, so Willy and I will be fine 🙂  He’s all excited about the snow.  Words can’t describe his excitement 🙂

I did run out today after FOUR cleaners came to tidy up the house.  FOUR!  I hate it when they send FOUR!  One of them spoke no English.  One spoke English to some degree.  Both very nice.  Then there was my regular and the fourth cleaner was the cleaner last time with her.  These three other folks were MALES.  I was shocked when the one guy joined her last month.  To see THREE guys walk into the house this morning was a shocker to me.  My normal cleaner isn’t thrilled with having to train three folks in any given day.  All of them pile into the car and go from house to house.  Oh well.  They got the place cleaned up and were outta here in somewhat record time.  After they left, so did I because I had showered before they arrived.  I ran to get groceries.  Ran to Target to get my two new DVDs (which I could watch tomorrow now) and I ran to Barnes and Noble.

When I got home, that was the extent of what I needed to do outside the house.  And now, I’ve shared everything with you I’m going to share 🙂  If you have to go out in the storm tomorrow, be safe.  It’s always the other nimrod who isn’t fazed by the driving conditions.  And then get back here tomorrow night for more excitement in the world of the retired teacher and his cat 😛  Until then, ladies and gentlemen…

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Monday, February 18th, 2019

Are you one of those people who now know what Mother Nature has in store for us this week?  Are you one of those people who want nothing to do with the forecast for Wednesday and the weekend?  Are you one of those people who have no knowledge of the forecast at all?  Pull those heads out of the sand!  We’re under a Winter Storm Watch for Wednesday.  A bigger storm is brewing for the weekend!  My brother in southern Wisconsin said this morning that they received 9 inches of snow yesterday.  That storm that just skirted by to our south didn’t skirt them.  It dumped on them.  Oh well.  One week from this Friday it’s March.  Seriously.  This will all end sooner than later.  I promise.  Really.  No joke.

How was your Presidents’ Day?  The highlight to my day was my lunch with my former colleagues but still dear friends.  And tonight’s pic pretty much tells ya where we were and what I had.  Italian Fries.  There is just nothing better.  Yum for my tum.  We had a great time again.  We missed our February date in the beginning of the month due to weather, so we still managed to get it in before the March date rolled around.  And that’s important to us.  It was, needless to say, a nice lunch.

I made another significant step in the storyline last night as I tried to fall asleep.  Once again, my head wanted to think about the climax of the story but I knew it would screw me out of some sleep time if I latched on to an idea that got me all pumped up.  And that’s sort of what happened.  I am almost to the point of where I can begin to sit down and write sentences and paragraphs and see where my words go.  Once again, it’s an exciting project to have in the works.

Tomorrow is Maid Day.  That means tonight is Pick Up Night.  And in the morning too.  The dining room table needs the most attention this time.  I have brought in my soda containers because leaving them in the garage this past month, I risked having them all explode with the temps dipping way down.  I think I’m safe to take them out now again.  I like having the garage to use as a refrigerator for soda and anything else I might need to place out there.  Once the table is cleared, then it’s minimal what I have to do.  Except, I guess, my coffee table.  There’s a little that’s accumulated over the weeks.  And what do I do with this stuff while they’re here?  I find a temporary place to take them until they are done.  Then I return the stuff to their locations and I continue to live my life 🙂  Seriously.  I get a little anxious the night before the cleaners come.  I was really doing well, too, in maintaining a fairly non-cluttered place since the last time, but this last week, that all pretty much went up in smoke!  Oh well.

Tomorrow is also new DVD day.  And maybe a book.  In the DVD category, A Star Is Born and Can You Ever Forgive Me arrives on DVD.  The first needs no explanation.  The second might.  Melissa McCarthy’s role is up for Best Actress.  The movie synopsis…“Celebrity biographer Lee Israel makes her living profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estee Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee is no longer able to get published because she has fallen out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack.” I wanted to get to this in the theaters but I never managed to do so.  I’d like to see her in a dramatic role.  As for the book, let’s just say I’ll stop at Barnes and Noble tomorrow.  I sorta kinda wanna buy the McCabe book.  However, I’m betting I don’t.  But, I need to allow myself to see it, pick it up, page through it, maybe even read a little of it at the cafe before deciding whether or not I really plan to read it.  And since it’s New Book Tuesday anyhow, I may see something that makes me smile 🙂  Can’t hurt, right?

With 4-6 inches forecast for Wednesday, I will likely be staying inside so tomorrow also means a run to the grocery store.  If the weekend storm remains in the forecast mold it’s presently in, I think stores will be nuts Friday and early Saturday.  This is looking to be the snowiest February in recent memory.  Winter came all at one time this season.  Weird.

It’s Happy Night one final time.  The finale to America’s Got Talent Champions airs from 7-9 tonight.  I plan to watch it intently.  I have my hopes for who wins, but most of these folks could very well win because their talents are so strong.  It should be a good watch, no matter.  And the season finale for Manifest follows.  Two shows to check off the list.  Sweet.

The best news of the day is definitely this.  So far, I haven’t seen it verified by an official source, but I’ll be searching each day to get positive confirmation, but someone on the Mary Poppins Returns Facebook webpage announced that the DVD will be released on March 26th.  That. Will. Be. Awesome!

Ok. Time to make dinner.  Enjoy Tuesday.  The lull before the storm…again.  And we’ll check back here tomorrow night and I may have a video link to the winner of the tonight’s show and their most recent performance.  We shall see.  Til then…

G’Night!