Monthly Archives: October 2020

Nightly Reflections – Halloween, 2020

Boo! Good evening, ghosts and ghouls. We’ve reached the day for all good little gobs and goblins (gobs?) to head out and cast their cute spells on neighbors and businesses to acquire lots of processed sugar to keep them running all weekend long! Boo!

How has your Saturday gone? Mine is actually just going to kick in within two hours when the Halloween visitor arrives and the video viewing and dinner eating begins. My day, however, was peaceful and relaxing. After spending a bit of time with the gang from ESPN’S College Gameday, I jumped over, as I’m known to, to watch the next installment of The New Scooby Doo Movies. And this week’s guest star was…Don Knotts! I remember that episode rather well. I sent it to my brother who is ten years younger and he remembered it too. After letting it run its course, it was back to ESPN before watching the first two episodes of Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles!. More memories. The remainder of the morning was all about college ball.

Treated myself to my normal weekend-type breakfast. Eggs, waffles and toast. Then more football. Picked up a little since I thought it would be appropriate. And, having taken the floor fan out of the room last week, I thought I should vacuum the spot since it hadn’t been done since Willy passed and I was sure there was hair to be sucked up. Plus, I need that area clean 🙂

I wasn’t going to watch the Boston/Clemson game, but as it turned out, it was quite a game and for a while, Clemson was trailing and not by a little. However, that changed by game’s end; although, they didn’t win by a large margin…only four points. So, Boston had no reason to hang their heads. Clemson is the #1 team in college football. It was fun to watch.

Once it was done, I was off to the showers. Got all gussied up and headed out to do a couple of quick errands. I first wanted to drive to the Starbucks in Burnsville to pick up an iced white mocha cuz it seemed like an iced beverage kind of day at that point. Plus, beginning tomorrow, when I go to a Starbucks, it’s all about the peppermint mocha. After all, it will be November. 🙂 From SBs, I drove back to Apple Valley cuz I needed to stop at CVS. Primarily, I wanted to pick up something my doc recommended for my arthritis issues I’m experiencing in my hands. Voltaren gel. Stuff is expensive! But, apparently it’s difficult to keep on the shelf, so I am hoping it works. While I was there, I walked by a display of Rosemount (RHS) items, including RHS/IRISH gaiters. It’s the mask that you put on over your head and let it sit around your neck until you’re ready to go into a public place. I’ve grown weary of the blue medical masks. I have a couple of other masks made for me, but they’re kinda big and they sorta hang on my face, so I’ve been using the blue masks. I figured I would pick up a gaiter. Then I also so those plastic full-face screens. It was only $4 so I thought it couldn’t hurt to have one on hand just in case, so I took the three items to the checkout. The gel was the expensive item. The gaiter was pricey enough too. However, on my CVS card, I apparently had a ton of coupons waiting to be used. After she took all the discounts off, I saved $23 on the three items, leaving me about $23 to pay. I’ll take that, thank you!

After, I ran to Kwik Trip and purchased a gallon of milk. Then home to write. Won’t post until I know my visitor is in the house here. Then I’ll post cuz I kinda wanna surprise him with some of the evening’s agenda. First, I’ll be running to Italian Pie Shoppe around 5:30 to pick up two orders for us. I got his brother hooked on them and in turn, the brother opened up the door for his mom and his younger bro. I thought it would be a fun surprise this Halloween night. While we’re eating those in the living room, I plan to show him the lighter side of Halloween. Mostly from my childhood 😛 First, it will be It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! After that, we jump from Apple TV to Disney+ for a Donald Duck cartoon with his three nephews and Witch Hazel. It’s Halloween night and Donald is treating his nephews poorly until Witch Hazel comes to their aid. That will be followed by the Disney short (and one of my faves as a kid), Ichabod Crane, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Once that’s done, the lighter side will be over and we’ll be done eating and the serious stuff will begin. The final item over which my guest will have no real vote, will be something I saw back in 1975. ABC used to have a weekly “show” entitled ABC Movie of the Week. There are two movies I remember from that series. One was Stephen Spielberg’s introduction into our lives with “Duel,” about a terrorized Dennis Weaver being chased by a semi on a desert road. It’s one to watch. The other one was called “Trilogy of Terror.” Karen Black, a terrible actress, was the star. However, the real star was this voodoo doll Black brings into her apartment. You can watch it on YouTube. It’s incredibly unnerving, and I think it will be effective with my young buddy who seems to enjoy horror, probably more than I do 🙂 After all that, he gets to choose what movie we watch. I recorded the original Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis, in case he’d never seen it. I also own and have never watched the 2018 follow-up to that movie, once again with Curtis. Then I have It and It – Chapter Two. Plus, there’s so many options on streaming services, so I am sure we’ll find something to satisfy his desire to be spooked. And, if time allows, we’ll do a second one as well. After all, we do get an extra hour of sleep.

And that’s my evening this Halloween. Last year, two of us went into Mpls and caught one of those little theater groups who did Impromptu Theater. It was a fun night, certainly a different experience for me. This year, staying in. Now, if you REALLY know me, you know why I’m excited about tomorrow being November 1st, but if you don’t have a clue, I’m guessing you’ll have to wait until tomorrow night. However, for those who know EXACTLY where I’m going with this can just about guess what my possible pictures will be tomorrow night. They can almost bank on it. 🙂 So there!

Hoping your Halloween is without incident. I watched Pit and the Pendulum last night and it was actually fun to watch again. It was still a creepy movie for me. Shudder. We’ll see you in 24 hours, if the Great Pumpkin doesn’t get you first. So, hunker on down tonight under that blanket and get ready for November cuz, throw in an additional hour, but it’s coming!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Friday, October 30th, 2020

Happy Hallow’s Eve! So much going on in the next four days. Halloween, Turning Back The Clock, Election Day, and all the anxiety from the virus surge and the disparity between people’s feelings. I hope a month from now, life is looking a whole lot more hopeful. My money says it will. I guess if I was pessimistic about it, I’d be in the pits of despair now. Which I’m not.

Welcome to the end of your work week. We now know that next week will be the final full week of school in ISD 196. Sadly, it returns to all distance learning again. We all know that NO ONE wants this type of life for those in education. It’s not good for the kids, for the teachers and the staff, and frankly, down the road, it won’t be good for society. These are important years for kids and school plays a big role in getting them to be responsible citizens in society. Yet, with the country exploding with Covid, how can anyone argue against this approach. We know a vaccine is coming. When is still up in the air, but this can’t go on forever. We also know that. I think come spring, life will be improving with the virus. My money says life will be on its way back to what we once knew by April. I won’t be surprised if schools are back full force by then. However, I know I am more optimistic than my friends. Yet, it’s the attitude I choose to have. Defeat right now is not a possible thought for me. We will beat Covid. And we will celebrate the day when we’re told the masks can finally be trashed. How’s that for the Mary Poppins approach to living life? 🙂

Ok. So, it’s Friday. And today I ran some errands that needed to be run. Yet, I need to revisit yesterday so I can explain that first pic. I ran to Treasure Island yesterday once again to pick up the fifth and final piece of Crockpot Cookware. Each week they gave out one piece to members with the TI card. I got down there a couple of hours before the gift room opened so I played my video poker machine until it was time to pick up my final piece. By 12:30, I was heading in that direction, but I had to pass the restaurant that gives me one free meal a day (if I choose, and no…I don’t choose to go down there each day). I stopped in, was assigned a table, told the server I’d be eating breakfast for lunch, and while my meal was being prepared, I went to the room, presented my membership card and my driver’s license, got the piece and walked back to the restaurant. It’s now complete. Yay. The worst part, however, is figuring out where the heck I’m going to put the five new pieces. It’s going to require me going through my cupboards in my kitchen. Not too excited about that. Once done with my meal, I returned to my machine a while longer. And I’m glad I did. I left with some of THEIR money. Two weeks in a row. WOO HOO! And I smiled all the way home 🙂

The other pic tonight is of two sauces I received from a friend in New York who, when he learned of my last pasta attempt, thought I should try this authentic Italian sauce. I’d never heard of it. However, one of my former students who is apparently Italian through and through, has often criticized my pasta attempts as well as my penchant for Hawaiian pizza. In his eyes, I’ve been terribly sacrilegious regarding Italian cuisine. I sent him this pic and waiting to see if he’s impressed that I am now in possession of two authentic products made in Italy. My friend who sent them swears by them. (since writing this previous batch of sentences, I heard from my student…he was impressed, apparently…or at least encouraged. lol He said they sell this stuff at Costco. Hmmmmm….) The jars arrived today, so when I next make spaghetti, I’ll be using the Four Cheese sauce and I’ll likely buy some breadsticks and use the Marinara sauce with that. So, there ya go. No more packages for me for a while now. Sigh.

i followed up on my ballot today. If you remember, I voted last week. Well, it says it was received and will be counted. Good. That’s one less thing I’ll have on my mind. I also decided it was time for Yang’s in Woodbury. I was craving my lemon chicken and won ton soup. I got there, was checked for temp, signed my name and address, and was shown to a table. I kinda had entertainment today. There was a table being set up for what would be five women, probably in their 60s at the youngest. They seemed to be close friends. All came in with their masks, and once they too were “checked in,” they came to the table. They were thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. Tables there are spaced safely and it’s never busy any longer. There’s a maximum should the need arise, but I have yet to see it even close to that at lunch. In any case, today’s lemon chicken and soup tasted extra special yummy. Can’t quite describe it, but it really was very good. And I drove off most content 🙂

Coming back in to Eagan, I stopped at the Cub just off Cliff in that area with the strip mall behind the theater. Got just a few things, including a Jenni-O frozen turkey breast cuz a) it was on sale, and b) I may be home alone and not in Wisconsin this year for Thanksgiving. The jury is still out on that one, but if I go back for my birthday in early December, and then Christmas, I’m thinking I’d stay back from Turkey Day. Plus, I’ll admit the numbers over there with Covid are unsettling and worrisome, especially considering all my family is over there. However, Thanksgiving is a month away so we will rethink the situation as the days and weeks pass.

From Cub I drove across Cliff to Starbucks. I needed coffee beans and wanted to make a deposit into my account, courtesy Treasure Island :-), and also picked up a iced chai tea latte. Once we’re in November, my drink of choice for two months will be peppermint white mocha, in their annual Christmas cups 🙂 Next week, baby!

Tonight, I am going to watch, finally, The Pit And The Pendulum. And tomorrow, for Halloween, I am having a nighttime visitor. If you’ll recall about month or two ago, I had a young man over who wanted me to watch the Spanish horror film on Netflix. Well, he once again has asked to visit and watch yet another (or two) considering it’s Halloween night. His mom wants NOTHING to do with horror films. And I’m more than happy to watch one with him. I actually have the evening planned. He’ll have a bit of a voice in it, but a few things he’s just going to have to sit through. lol He’ll tolerate it cuz he’s a great kid. And they’re entertaining, so I am sure he’ll enjoy. However, I’ll get more specific tomorrow night when I post. By then, he’ll be sitting in the highly esteemed recliner. I know, I know. So selfless. 🙂

So…hoping your Friday night is a night of relaxation for you. You gonna prep for Halloween like I am with a scary movie? I may watch some college ball too. We shall see. Tomorrow morning, it’s more Scooby Doo New Movies and I’ll be watching at least one episode of my new DVD I got a few days ago that I shared here. Saturday morning cartoons. Ya can’t beat ’em. Until Halloween night, may you not be frightened by any weird noises or shadows that cross your path 🙂

G’Night!

“It’s Anybody’s Guess!” – Thursday, October 29th, 2020

It only seems appropriate on this Thursday before Halloween that I discuss the very holiday itself. And what do I do best? I go back in time to share my memories of October 31st from my childhood. The problem with this one is I don’t have the same vivid memories regarding Halloween like I do other things from my childhood but I’ll do my best.

I don’t think I have any pictures of me on Halloween night in any costume. And I don’t really remember any specific costume I might have worn back in the day. I do, recall, one rather simple identity I took on one year. Mom grabbed an older t-shirt, grabbed some magic markers and created a top for me, similar to the one Charlie Brown always wears. I thought it was cool because my my name was Chuck B. No one ever called me Charlie when I was a kid. It was something I wanted but no one ever saw me as a Charlie. It’s only been in my adult years that I’ve acquired that name, but again, only from a small number of people. My immediate boss for years called me Charlie. I have a few friends who call me Charlie. I get “Chuckie” more than I do anything, and such was the case back then. “Chuckie Brown?” Nah. The costume still worked anyhow.

What was popular in the day was the Halloween mask, similar to what you see in tonight’s pic. Oh, how fun it was to go to Schultz Bros. and search through all their options days before the Trick-Or-Treating began. They were sold in either box sets with a top and bottom along with the mask, or you could just buy a mask. I remember in high school, the masks stepped up in complexity and the ones you pulled over your head appeared. People were flocking to Spencer’s in Madison to get their own rubber mask. But, I was more concerned about handing out candy by then 🙂

I may have worn any one of those outfits you see in the pics. Popeye would have been my first choice because I loved the character. Huckleberry Hound and Casper were also part of my Cartoon loves. As we aged, we created costumes versus buying them. And of course, the night just became less magical.

So, I don’t ever remember going out with my parents to Trick-Or-Treat. I do, however, remember going with the neighborhood gang. During the day, we had been hanging together, talking about whose homes would be ones to make sure we visited and those to avoid because they didn’t give out good stuff, traditionally. And, as is the case still today, people who didn’t want kids bothering them didn’t have the front light on nor did they have curtains opened. They were either gone or making sure it looked like they were.

The sidewalks were full of kids those years. If you passed someone you knew, you might get a tip as to where to go or where NOT to go. I remember someone on our block was handing out apples. Seriously? Who hands out apples on Halloween night? Ree-dick-uh-liss! And, of course, the year that some evil entity in the country put a razor blade in an apple, then parents began to step in and make sure they looked at what the stash was there kids were bringing home. Then word was traveling quickly to make sure we go to this one man’s home ( I think he was single ) cuz he was handing out little rolled up stacks of ten pennies. Ten pennies weren’t to be minimized in the day of bubble gum and candy cigarettes and ice cream treats! If they were good enough to spend time hunting down empty bottles, they were good enough to cross the street to make sure we got our stack! He generally ran out of them at some point each year.

What was the best? The homes, and they were rare, that handed out standard sized candy absolutely rocked! If you were lucky enough to get one of those, the evening was a success! I remember getting to that point in the evening where I couldn’t wait to get home and dump the goods onto the kitchen table and sort through what it was I had acquired in an hour or so of walking and “Trick-Or-Treat!”ing. And, when the goods were all strewn about, you began to separate the great from the good from the “No Way.” My mother had a sweet tooth. And she was just as happy to see this stash and I was. She’d do her fair share of thieving from my bag over the initial hour.

I didn’t appreciate it then, but as a teacher, that next day after Halloween was dreadful. Everyone came into the classroom on a sugar high. It was noticeably different. Halloween on Friday or Saturday nights were our favorite years. Now, communities don’t even celebrate the holiday on the holiday. My hometown uses the Sunday before the 31st for their time. They claim it’s safer. I don’t see it. But maybe.

So, there ya go. At the very least, I hope I stirred some of your memories from your childhood adventures on Halloween. I should have mentioned that at some point, we made sure to watch It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! I’m thinking that might have been on the night before cuz we would have missed it had it been on the actual night. We would have been out ghosting and ghouling! I hope Saturday night is a fun night for you, whatever it is you might have planned. I certainly have a different night planned for me, but I’ll share that with you tomorrow night. Speaking of…I’ll see you then. 🙂

Boo!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

To kick tonight off, I’ll return to last night. Baseball ended last night. Sigh. I’m ready for spring training already! And The Price Is Right Nighttime was fun to watch once again. They handled things differently, as you’d expect since they really had no choice if they were going to be able to do this. They’ll do another one next Monday night. Then, they announced last night, the daily version will return on November 16th. Once again, my TPIR returns to my mornings. Normalcy 🙂 I’m curious to see if they have any as semblance of a studio audience. Will be fun, regardless.

Every month, on the final Friday of the month, my health insurance premium will be deposited into my checking account as it’s withdrawn from my health fund that exists only because of the sick days I had accrued over my career. As I’ve told you, for five years and three months, it’s paid paid my health insurance premiums, two teeth extractions, two dental bridges, and a pair of glasses, leaving a little for the start of my Medicare. Tonight, the money is withdrawn from that account as I’ll see when I log into the health account in the morning. And that will be the final time that happens at the amount. Those of us who were under the contract that gave us that perk were fortunate. I had always hoped it would last until Medicare. When I first retired, I had no idea what was realistic to hope for but as it turned out, the account was a blessing for us all. Next stop…Medicare! lol

Not a bad day, eh? Definitely felt warmer and it looks like we can expect this to hang around for at least a week. That definitely works for me. I would like a reason not to wear a jacket out of the house if at all possible.

I learned something today. I have always been of the understanding that the first Saturday in November, we turn the clocks back an hour. Then I saw today someplace that we are turning them back on Halloween night before we go to sleep. I guess it’s the first Sunday in November then. So, in any case, I was surprised to see it happening already. What’s a week, I know, but still. The idea of turning the lights on in the house an hour earlier next week really is unappealing to me. Yucky unappealing. I never really minded this as much as I’m dreading it this year. Is it the Covid thing? I don’t know. I just know lights will be going on around 4:30 Sunday night. I remember when I was teaching…during this time of the year, coming home and grading student work was easier because it was dark so early. However, when we got that hour back and the weather was getting nicer, doing homework while the sun was still out had no appealing factors at all. I was much slower to grade work in the spring than I was in the winter. True story.

I received my final Amazon product I had ordered a few weeks ago. You can see it in tonight’s picture. Frankenstein Jr. And The Impossibles was another Saturday morning delight from Hanna Barbera in September of ’66. It was shortly after we had gotten our first color TV and I remember how cool it was as the colors seemed to jump off the screen when I watched. I’d work the “Color” and “Tint” buttons ’til I was certain the picture looked just like it would if it was on the big screen in the downtown theater. I did the same when Mom and Dad were watching non-children programming. They didn’t appreciate my efforts so much. lol In any case, I was happy to receive this and add it to my library. If I had been keeping track of how much I’ve spent on my 50s, 60s, and 70s library, say nothing about contemporary movies, man oh man. I can’t even begin to guess. But it’s what I love and am proud to have them for my viewing/listening pleasure.

Tonight my mood will drop a bit at ten o’clock as Big Brother All Stars ends their present season by declaring a winner once again. Like baseball and football and America’s Got Talent, I am so glad they could pull this off. Summer just isn’t summer without this show. And the perk this year was we got it later so it didn’t end until now. I absolutely love this show. I’m already excited for the next season come June. 🙂

So, I was going to post this before I ran off to therapy, like I said last night, but I decided to wait until I got home. I should be home by 7:30 or so, and while I’m reheating the last of my fettuchetti :-), I’ll run into the living room and post. Then I’ll scoop up my noodles onto a plate with a couple pieces of buttered bread, sit in the recliner and get ready to watch my show. And that will end my day. 🙂

Tomorrow, I’ll run down to Treasure Island to pick up my final piece of cookware. I’ll catch my free lunch while I’m there too. Might as well take advantage of it. Then, tomorrow night, it’s “It’s Anybody’s Guess.” I think I know what I’m writing about, but right now, I question if I’ll have enough to say about it. We shall see. No matter, until then, you have a good night and a better Thursday. I’m off to talk to a man who has no choice but to listen cuz he’s getting paid to do so! lol

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, October 27th, 2020

SUNSHINE!!! Yay!!! We had sunshine today! Flippin’ awesome! So nice to see when it rose high into the sky. Still a chilly day, but those temps are going to climb, just like the sun did today 🙂 Fifties by the weekend. That will be nice. Almost wish I hadn’t taken the chairs off the patio, but then again, how much would I really have sat outside in 50-degree weather? Not much, likely.

In any case, it was a good day for the visual. Does so much good for a person’s motivation and mood. At one point, after my morning routine, I showered and headed out to drop off a bill at the P.O. and then to run through Starbucks to pick up a chai tea latte and then to simply take a spin for a bit. I actually drove west on 42 until the intersection where casino goers turn left to head to Mystic, while others turn right to head to Hy 13 and Shakopee. I made the right hand turn. I had no desire to visit Mystic. All I wanted was to drive for a bit. I also called my brother-in-law after getting my latte and checked in on how he was feeling. He said the worse was his ribs. He didn’t break or crack any ribs, but he said they’re sore. And, he’s been dealing with a bit of a cold and allergies, so when he coughs, it hurts. I think many of us know that sensation. Otherwise, the moment he heard my voice, he began to chuckle. I asked him why he was laughing. He said, “Well, I know you know what happened…” and then yes, it was clear to me. He was ready for me to razz him on his dinger. I did say that the picture of his face from yesterday that my sister sent me was probably going to be the source of enjoyment at Christmas this year. And we both laughed. So, good news from home. He’s ok. Thursday he goes back in to an individual who will look at his hand and see how the swelling is progressing. They need more information on the hand, but couldn’t do a lot because it was so swollen yesterday. He said he was going in for his haircut today or tomorrow. I know the lady who cuts his hair. She’s a kooky lady, in the good sense. He was looking forward to her reaction upon seeing him. I’m pretty sure she will be seeing it without even knowing he fell. I’d like to be a fly on the wall. I’m sure there’ll be more laughter and that will kill his ribs. We’re all about laughter in Beaver Dam 🙂

In any case, I continued my return back to Apple Valley via Hy 13 and then Cliff and finally, Pilot Knob. It was such a nice day to simply drive. When I got home, I made myself a ham and lettuce sandwich with some chips and watched my Mary Tyler Moore Shows before beginning a little excursion into a cupboard that’s been pretty much ignored for a long time. And that leads me to tonight’s pic.

Guys like their electronic toys. I am no different. I’ve always gotten into nifty electronic devices. One of my favorites was a weather radio I used to use at school. When winter came, I had it in my drawer and if a storm was brewing, I’d be listening closely on my prep period. I had to be able to live up to my forecasting role for both the students and my peers! Well, I had totally forgotten about this little gem of an item that appears tonight in the pic slot. A little Sony TV. Oh, the hours of usage I got out of this. Four AA batteries. UHF or VHF channels. I used it for all sorts of reasons. Its usefulness died when cell phones came into existence and streaming became the thing to do. But how I loved my little TV. If I remember correctly, I think I paid just under $100 for it. I threw four batteries in it to see if it still worked, and it did, but VHF and UHF don’t exist any more, so all I got was static. However, it’s not something I’ll be parting with any time soon. Just because seeing it brought back good feelings. I found more stuff but I decided to share that slowly here with pics. In that cupboard, I always kept the little folder of material I received the morning I adopted Willy. Obviously didn’t need to see that right away, but it’s also a folder I won’t be able to part with any time soon either. I just won’t.

I had to laugh this morning. I’ve told you before about my numbers rising and dropping, randomly, regarding people viewing my wordpress blog page. And I’ve told you how there are times I just don’t get why the numbers change drastically. Sometimes, if the picture is alluring, I get people being curious to click on it to see what it’s all about. But there are times when the picture couldn’t have had anything to do with the viewership. Last night was one of those nights. My numbers were up from last night’s post. Three times as much. Now, my picture last night was my spaghetti ad lib reaction to outdated noodles. I hardly think that picture distracted anyone enough to have them clicking on my blog. Granted, the news of my brother-in-law’s fall mattered to people back home, but there’s no way they would know I was writing about that unless they clicked on it to see what it was I DID write about last night. I just don’t know why, again, the numbers went up but it made me both smile and giggle this morning when I first checked in to my blog site. Oh well. We’ll see if the mini-TV has the same effect 🙂

I worked in the first installment of HBO’S The Undoing with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. I suspect it’s going to be an 8-10 episode limited series. It’s a murder mystery. And, once again, I say no one does it as consistently as HBO. This first episode was enough to keep anyone watching from week to week. It’s why I will part with HBO only after I’ve parted with every other streaming service. It never seems to have a MISS. They are HITS almost each and every time. Then, tonight, Game Six of the World Series! I hope it goes to Game 7 and then I hope the Rays win. The Dodgers don’t need the trophy again. Also tonight, The Swamp Thing is on at 7 AND … drum roll … for the first time in so very very long … The Price Is Right (night version) is airing a special show to recognize first responders. I’ve seen quick previews on CBS. Drew Carey has a very bushy beard. “I wish I could hug you but…” is something he’s caught saying in the commercial. They haven’t been able to film this daily show simply because of the studio audience nature of the show. Same reason Stephen Colbert is still broadcasting in his home. Yet, SNL came up with a plan to battle that. So, who knows. Maybe it will change soon. Though, with the virus forecast, maybe not. In any case, it will be fun to see this tonight. And I think there’s another one next week at night. Fun!

So, that’s where we’re at on this Tuesday. Tomorrow, no plans til night time. Then, I made another therapy appointment. The post will likely go in early cuz my appointment is at 6 and when I get home around 7:30, I will deal with eating and then watching the 2-hour Big Brother finale. So, I want the post done before I leave. Easy enough.

With that said, I’m heading outta here. Glad to hear that the Irish won their second game of the season. It’s sounding very likely that online education is going to be the direction for the district any day. Apparently more positive cases cropping up daily. I guess it makes sense with numbers jumping up all over the country. Is anyone really surprised?

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Monday, October 26th, 2020

Thought I’d change this up tonight. Did you know two months from today Christmas is over? There. Now I feel better 🙂

Happy Monday. If you’re reading this, you survived it. Congrats. It’s not like it was a great weather day, but it wasn’t bad. At least it was dry. I’m waiting for full sunshine again, though. The forecast has a lot of sun icons in it so let’s hope.

Right before I began writing tonight, I reached a decision about my grocery shopping. I am pretty certain that I’ll now be buying apples for me as well as my squirrel buddies. I had one apple left. I cut it up again into quarters. I took it in to the den and what do you suppose was hanging out on my patio? Now, there should be NO WAY these guys know who’s responsible for these apples. They’ve never seen me toss the apples to them. So, I’m going to simply say it was a coincidence. However, when I opened the screen, the squirrel turned around as if to say, “Who dat?” I greeted him, hoping to dear God he didn’t decide to race IN to my den cuz then all of my feminine powers would have come out in full splendor. Instead, when I opened the screen, he seemed a little startled and moved off the concrete slab. When I tossed the first quarter, he was right after it, and not stopping to eat any of it at all, he picked it up in his mouth and up the tree he ran. I three out the other three pieces and then sat in a chair to watch how long it would take for any of the other three pieces to disappear. Nobody showed up after about ten minutes and I wanted to grab some coffee and begin writing, so I suspect when I finish here and return to checking it out, they’ll all be gone. This time, however, because the tree is growing more and more transparent with many of its leaves serving as a base rather than filler, I was able to watch the little food thief run up the tree, and go from branch to branch. And at one point he stopped and lodged the apple into the branch, somehow. And then returned to the ground, gathered a mouthful of leaves and moved back up the tree. I saw a nest about midway up. Perhaps there are babies up there or going to be babies. In any case, I’m now shopping for two…so to speak. lol

The association connected with my development is doing a mailbox overhaul. We were notified that we needed to be sure to contact the folks at the home office as to what mailbox unit # and what mailbox slot was ours. They already have the new one in place, but it won’t be used until they issue the keys. And after we notify them which unit and which box is ours, they record it and set aside our key for the new box. Here’s where they lose me. I don’t understand all the hoop jumping. Why wouldn’t they simply have the new keys placed in our present mailbox? It would seem easier. Then, as if that’s not enough, we have to make an appointment to go in and pick up our keys at the office. Seems overdone to me. But, tomorrow I will be heading over at noon to get my new keys for my mail. Then I can place a checkmark next to that item on my list 😛

I ran to the grocery store today, unnatural as that was for me on a Monday, cuz I needed some bread. And, $50 later, I left Cub. I ended up picking up two different sodas I don’t drink but I want to have on hand for Halloween night when my young horror movie buddy comes over to bond once again with me. Not subtitles this time! And I picked up a few other things, like Swiss Miss hot chocolate packets. I have had a craving lately. Thought since we are days from November, it’s time to have them on hand. So, yay.

Let me tell you about my dinner last night. I told you I was making s’ghetti for dinner along with browned ground turkey. So, I opened the Prego sauce jar and emptied it into a pan and let it simmer. I opened the pound of ground turkey and put that in the pan to brown. While that was happening, I pulled out my spaghetti noodle box from the cupboard. As I was doing that, I got to thinking. Shelf life. How long has this been up here? I was pretty certain I had purchased it not too long ago. HA! “Best if used by 05/17. Went out of date three years ago. Damn it. Everything was underway on the stove. Now what? Well, I reached back into the cupboard and pulled out a box of fettuccine noodles. Shelf life? 2021. Phew! I figured it didn’t matter to me. And since that’s the only person I have to please, I was pleased. lol So, I continued on with my new dish, fettughetti. I like it. Maybe I’ll patent it. Later I was talking to my friend in New Jersey and sharing the story with him. He decided I needed to try a different sauce he loves and ordered two bottles for me that are on their way to my home. I’ll keep you posted on that one. I can’t remember the name of the sauce right now, but it’s apparently authentic Italian sauce from Italy. I know someone who would be proud of me if I use that stuff.

Then, late this afternoon, I learned of a scary story that kinda came with some giggles as well. My sister sent me two pictures of her hubby. I so want to share them here, but it’s not my place and I never do that unless I know the person is ok with it. Usually, there’s no need to do that. However, this story is visual. Last night, he took their younger dog, who is a very strong 3-year old lab with a body of solid muscle, out for his nightly visit to the yard. When he didn’t come back and didn’t come back, my sister began to be concerned so she went outside. It was after sunset so all was dark. When you walk out their back door, you walk right onto the driveway. There is a strip of grass that separates their driveway with the neighbor’s driveway. My sister heard a faint “Help me,” coming from the other side of their Jeep parked in the driveway. She walked around the car, only to find her husband on the pavement, lying in his own blood, with their dog standing beside his buddy, as good as he as ever been. This dog is a wild little sucker, but he loves his dad. And I suspect his instincts told him his dad was in trouble. What apparently happened, from what my sister could make of it, was a rabbit likely appeared out of nowhere, running from the backyard to the street and the husband, not being able to see anything, wasn’t ready for the dog to react in a strong pull of the leash. As he moved with the dog, he must have stepped off the pavement on to that strip of grass and tripped over the neighbor’s driveway edge and went down on his face. His glasses were destroyed. His face was bloodied and his left hand was huge, my sister said. She wanted to call 911 but he wouldn’t have it. She had to try to get him up. It was a challenge. He insisted his hand wasn’t broken. She gave up the fight. This morning, while she worked, he went to the doc. The hand is broken. I think my sister is serving crow tonight. He’ll be fine, but his face is in tough shape. My sister said his nose looked like it had shifted to the east when it had no business being there. No concussion, no broken ribs, but the hand definitely broken. However, they weren’t going to be able to tell how badly until the swelling goes down. So, in the meantime, his hand is wrapped in a cast and he is probably using his recliner tonight. And my sister is looking forward to getting a better night of sleep. Excitement is always the story in Beaver Dam 🙂

And here I thought I’d have nothing to share with you tonight. LOL Hoping Monday was good to you. Time to microwave my fettughetti. Then football. I watched the next episode of Fargo and Tehran. Caught up there. Gotta work in the new HBO first episode of The Undoing. Plenty of time tomorrow 🙂 Until Tuesday night rolls around, enjoy, stay safe and healthy, and hope for sunshine. That’s it!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Sunday, October 25th, 2020

As always, if I don’t start with this, I’ll forget I need to do it. Last night’s pic from a “horror” movie. It wasn’t quite the typical “horror” film as I’ve been doing. But, when I was a little boy, this creation came from the folks who were responsible for Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, The Year Without A Santa Claus, and more. I remember going to see it in October, maybe even on Halloween, and it was a kids’ movie. That image from the pic was supposed to be Boris Karloff. His character was Baron Von Frankenstein. And he had already created his monster. However, he had created something that would destroy the world and he wanted to announce it to all the other horror characters, including Dracula, the Werewolf, the Mummy and so many more. Phyllis Diller was another celebrity lending her voice to the Monster’s Mate. The movie title? Mad Monster Party. It’s kind of horrible, but a little boy wasn’t a critic. He was mesmerized by a movie that looked a lot like a few of his favorite Christmas specials. 🙂 So, there you are.

Second item to briefly mention. Last night’s ending to Game Four of the World Series. Going into the game, the Dodgers led the Rays 2-1. By the ninth inning of a very exciting back-and-forth game, the Rays were down by one run in the bottom of the ninth. If they lost, they’d have no choice to win the final three games to stay in the Series and to win it. However, they didn’t need to worry about that. It was an incredible ending and one more reason why I continue to just love baseball. You need to simply check out the replay from the final at bat. It was incredible. And the Dodgers went to the showers kicking themselves. So, tonight is not a do-or-die game. It’s merely Game Five. The Series is now guaranteed to go to at least Game Six. Yay!

Ok. Now, happy Sunday. Not much to sing about with no appearance by the sun again, though as sunset approached, the sky began to look a little brighter. We need the sun to show up here soon. I have once again spent two days inside. My car is getting plenty of rest like it did in March and April. OH, I did have to run to get milk. But that hardly counts, though I finally showered today. lol

By noon, I was situated in front of the TV cuz the Packers were in Texas trying to rebound after last week’s first loss of the season. And, in fine fashion, they did just that. So, next week…bring on them thar Vikings! This time it’s in Green Bay. Ha!

It was after the game that I showered and ran to Kwik Trip to get my milk. I stopped by the mailbox when I returned to pick up a few days of mail. Once again, there’s no real point to go to the mailbox every day like there was once. Now, it’s a lot of political flyers and other miscellaneous items. Though, this time, I had a couple of bills, one package from Amazon and an envelope from my oldest brother; the envelope contained three pictures (and my class picture) of the time I went with my best buddy to Arkansas over the spring break of my senior year. Holy crappola! I’m not sure I ever saw these pics and I’m not sure why he had them. He is seven years older and he was long gone by the time I was 18. In any case, I’ll be using one of those pictures this week on Throwback Thursday. It will be my FB pic of the day before Halloween comes due 🙂 Another pic was of me and my aunt and the final was of me and my buddy, who I had lunch with here a couple of months ago. I’m waiting for him to respond to my initial text…”Hey! You ready for a blast from the past?” I think he’ll be as surprised as I was, but he’ll also love seeing it. He loved my aunt and uncle and he had a great time on the trip. So, that was a highlight in my day 🙂

As to the Amazon package. Tonight’s pic is of the DVD that was in the envelope. I doubt many people are aware of this film with Alan Alda. It was a fun little 1980s romantic romp with Alan Alda’s normal craziness he brings to every character he plays. The music is great fun, and I never see this film any place any more. So, when I did a search and it showed Amazon carried it, I ordered it. That leaves one final package from that order a couple of weeks ago and it’s supposedly coming Tuesday. We shall see. It’s another piece of my childhood 🙂

I have to tell you how I’m becoming that old person who sits outside, watching the animals in the yard, throwing food to them. It’s just too funny but these squirrels are a blast to watch with my apples. I took one yesterday and another one today. Yesterday, I cut the apple into quarters. This time, however, I stayed to watch. And it wasn’t ten minutes before one squirrel came along, spotted a quarter, picked it up with his little paws and just chowed on it for about 5 minutes at the base of the tree before scurrying up the tree with the apple in his mouth. He was back down (or another squirrel came down once he heard the news), grabbed another apple quarter, nibbled it quickly before scooting back up that tree. Then another squirrel came down (or the same one) and this time, he picked up the quarter and ran it to a different tree. He believes in spreading the wealth, apparently. Or she. No idea what gender these squirrels are! Today was no different, but this time, I didn’t have to wait. I opened the screen, called out to them, “Ok! Dinnertime!” and I had thrown the first quarter and from behind the tree came the squirrel. I threw the other three pieces near him as he once again dined by the base until he decided to run it up. Once again, after two went up, the third went to a neighboring tree. I didn’t stick around for the fourth one. LOL. I get the biggest kick out of watching these guys. My question, however, is do they expect an apple every day and are they inclined to have a biological clock that tells them long about 5 or so dinner will appear? Hmmm….questions for consideration for another time 😛

I finished the final episode of season one of Away. A satisfying ending to the season. No major cliffhanger that leaves you crying for a second one to follow. I watched some of the Broncos game as they were playing in the snow. That was fun. And now, once I post this, I will make s’ghetti for dinner tonight. I’ll throw in some ground turkey that I’ll brown up before adding it to the noodles. It’s a tasty little dish and will keep me happy for a few days. The evening has a brand new series beginning on HBO entitled The Undoing. It stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. It looks intriguing, and since it’s HBO, I am certain it will be worthy of my time. It’s also a David E. Kelly production. I like his stuff. And then, once again, at ten, Dick Van Dyke for an hour. Then sleep. Last night I could NOT fall asleep for my life. I had to reset the timer on the TV and throw in another DVD cuz I stayed awake for the first one. That just doesn’t happen. However, once I settled back in, I was asleep quickly. I don’t get it. My sleeping habits are truly changing and I really don’t like it.

This is our final week of October. As you know, Halloween is Saturday. I am going to have a Halloween buddy over for some horror movies but I’ll tell you about that later. Not a busy week but happy that the temps are going to be rising a bit. The snow should be gone by week’s end. And that makes many smile, I’m thinking. So, I wish you a fine Monday and I’ll be back to let you know how that s’ghetti turned out and maybe I’ll even have my new DVD! That would be groovy cool!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Saturday, October 24th, 2020

Another day of going nowhere. It has its perks, I guess. It’s been a day of college football and a few other things. So, let’s kick ‘er off now, shall we?

Sleeping better these days. I think getting rid of the caffeine and subbing it for decaf was a smart decision. Woke this morning a bit after 7. Strange dreams, but woke from one this morning I wanted to return to. lol That doesn’t happen often.

At this rate, I’m going to need a new recliner cuz mine is getting too much usage. I went into the living room after opening drapes and curtains; I plopped down, flipped on the TV and immediately jumped into the final episode of Season One of Jurassic Park – Camp Cretaceous. It ended on a note that would definitely imply a second season. If the creators and Netflix saw it a profitable effort, I suspect we’ll see a second season by next summer.

From there, it was time to begin ESPN’s College Gameday. This morning, it was being broadcast from TCF Stadium because the big game is tonight between Minnesota and Michigan. The Big Ten took center stage this weekend because it was their debut on the NCAA stage with their first games of the season. Last night’s game between the Badgers and Illinois kicked off the start, and it was pretty much a non-game. The new QB for Wisconsin lived up to the hype. We shall see how he performs in the weeks ahead. I am looking forward to watching tonight’s game on ABC between the Gophers and the Wolverines. Hoping it’s competitive.

After an hour of Gameday, I went to Boomerang to watch this week’s installment of The New Scooby Doo Movies. If you’ll recall, two weeks ago the gang met The Three Stooges. Last week, they fought crime with Batman and Robin. This week, they were assisted by…Jonathan Winters and Maudie Frickert in solving the weekly crime. I always was a huge fan of Jonathan Winters. Maudie Frickert was one of his many characters he’d play. It was likely his most popular. Another episode that brought back some fun memories.

I returned to Gameday and did odds and ends which got me to 11:00 and the games all began. I jumped from one game to another, looking for the game that was the most entertaining. Made some eggs and toast and watched more football. By the end of the first round of games, I was ready to divert my attention to episode 9 of Away. More drama but good drama. There’s one episode that remains in this first season. I hope they continue the series because it’s been a notch above average. Not a lot of action. More over, it’s really extensive character development. And, of course, the driving force of the plot to land on Mars.

Once that episode was finished, I went back to the second round of games, but I also decided it was time for lunch, followed by chocolate chip cookie baking time. I cheated, however. I bought a couple packages of the Nestles’ Tollhouse pre-made cookie dough this past week. All I had to do was pre-heat the oven, place the squares on the cookie pan, and bake! And I even screwed THAT up! I had the first tray in. I went out at 12 minutes as my timer was going off, and I opened the oven door, only to see six squares, barely melted. WTH? Then I realized. I didn’t take time to pre-heat. I turned on the oven and then I just threw in that first batch. Duh. Either I was really excited about making these cookies or I was distracted by other thoughts. Man oh man. I sometimes scare me.

When my four trays of cookie baking finished, it was time to return to the chair. Throughout the day I also read a little here and there. It’s easy enough to do when football is on. Tons of commercials. Tons. And then I got to thinking that one week from today is Halloween and I need to get in a few more stills from movies based on the horror theme. So, I managed to do just that. I began a film from my childhood, snapped a shot of a character in that film, and am using it here tonight. If anyone is able to guess this movie, well, I just don’t think you can do it. We’ll leave it at that. The gauntlet has been thrown.

Last night, after I posted my Reflection, I saw some sad news regarding a former colleague of mine. A well-known social studies teacher who had retired some years before I did had passed away from his battle with cancer. And it hit home with me. And it wasn’t because he and I were ever really close. But I have two bouts of history with him beyond teaching in the same school that I thought I’d briefly share here. Ok. Maybe not briefly.

He was a character. Definitely a distinctively different individual who, in my opinion, was the most well-read individual I had ever known. The man was an intellect’s intellect. He was opinionated, no doubt about it. But he knew a ton about history. The first real interaction I had with him came in the second summer of my existence at RHS. He, along with three of my English department colleagues, and me, flew to Vassar College in New York. We had been the recipients of a National Humanities grant where, for two weeks, we attended seminars and workshops on promoting excellence in the teaching of humanities. I was a tad overwhelmed since I was only two years a teacher, but never let it be said Chuck Brooks was going to let an opportunity like this one slip from his grasp. It was a lot of sitting and listening, but it was also a lot of fun. Before the two weeks were over, I had made a new batch of friends with the ladies who served us our dinner each night at the college’s dinner hall. They even made me a cake on our last night there. To be honest, I think it was either a going away cake or a birthday cake since they wouldn’t be around for my birthday that December. lol Thanks to our social studies colleague, we got to see New York for a day. It was on the first Saturday we were there. There was nothing planned for us on the weekend, so he said he wanted to take us to NY to show us around. I should explain he drove to Vassar early, with his wife, and they did some sight-seeing in New York ahead of our arrival. I believe it was his first time driving in New York. We were a little anxious about that little fact. However, it turned out to be a great experience filled with moments of raucous laughter. One of those moments occurred when we were leaving a bar on the Hudson river shoreline and heading back to our colleague’s car. They were all ahead of me. I mistook another car for his and tried to open the door, only to set off the car’s alarm. By that time, my four colleagues had reached the actual car, and I was scurrying to get to the correct vehicle. And, as luck would have it, the people who owned the car I was “breaking into” had just pulled up to the dock in their boat, and they were running to their car. One of the English teachers was telling me to stay outside our car and explain while the social studies colleague yelled, “Get in! Get in!” Since he was driving and ready to leave without me, I finally jumped in, and he peeled out of the gravel parking lot leaving the rest of the lot in the dust. We laughed about this moment for as long as we taught. One other incident I had with this man on that trip came one night in the dorms. It was summer and the heat was incredible in the dorms. I had gone down the hall to see what he was up to late one night and his door was open, his portable fan blowing on him at his desk, and he sat with his back to me; he was working on something at the desk in the student room. I thought it would be fun to startle him, so I yelled “Boo!” to see his reaction. Oh boy. Not well thought out, Chuck. All hell broke loose and the rest of the night, I feared for my life behind my locked door. The Vassar trip would have been less fun and colorful had he not been with us. And less educational.

My other brush with him during our tenure together came one spring. He was known for his summer trips to Europe with students. “Scholars,” as he liked to refer to them. A small group of kids would travel with him and his wife every summer, and they’d be in Europe for about a month. Well, in the spring of 1992, he asked me if I wanted to be the chaperone to join him. This teacher and I weren’t buddies, by a long shot. We were cordial to each other when we’d see each other, and I know he connected with some students no other teachers could. However, I never expected to be offered a free trip to Europe by him above any teacher. I had no reason to believe he was even aware of my existence to any degree. However, when he asked me, he justified his choice by indicating, “I thought as close as you are with students and all that you do around here, you would appreciate the opportunity to go with these kids and my wife and I on this trip.” I didn’t know he had any respect for me. It’s not like I didn’t think he respected me, but I guess it was that he was aware of who I was and that he must have heard from kids stories about me. And the students he usually took on this trip were a smaller group of usually legit NHS kids. That summer, most of those kids were in band. I pretty much jumped at the opportunity. It would be the biggest trip of my life. It was a special 30 days. I got to know him on a personal level and I came to really enjoy his wife, someone I had never really known. She was a beautiful person. He taught us all so much about all the places we visited in Europe. It’s a memory of my time at RHS I will always cherish. I was so grateful to him for having given me the opportunity. When we returned, life went back to normal and we’d see each other as we passed in the hall and we’d greet each other. And so went my life with this man. But now he’s gone. And it has left me feeling sad. Not so much for me, but for him and his wife and family. It also is yet another reminder of our mortality. I am glad he retired when he did because I think he had a number of good years to enjoy life as it should be enjoyed. And I felt compelled to recognize him here tonight. Out of respect for him and his wife if for no other reason. His journey is over now.

I’m done. My evening is football and then SNL. Tomorrow, more football. Packers play at noon. That’s all I’ve got now. Carry on doing your weekend thing. Come on back tomorrow night! Let’s see if I can be any less verbose.

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Friday, October 23rd, 2020

Well, well, well…I am getting a late start tonight as I begin to write this Reflection at 7 in the evening. I usually like having this up and running by 6:30 but that’s not happening tonight!

Your weekend is here, folks. As gray as it might be, it is the weekend and time for you to step back from reality and relax. Mask up if you have to go ou and then take ‘er off as you head back home where you can just be you 🙂 When I am leaving the grocery store, it takes every bit of discipline I possess not to RIP it off my face prior to hitting the outdoors. Oh well. It’s a necessary evil now. Kinda like I approach the flu shot. It’s not a big deal, but if I was younger, I’d avoid it. However, after a certain age, my friends were encouraging me rather enthusiastically to start getting it. So I did and I haven’t gotten the flu since I began the shot. I don’t even get sick after taking the shot like some do.

How was your Friday? Mine was decent. Since it was a miserable day yesterday, I chose not to go out yesterday. Having gotten groceries Wednesday, I didn’t really have to go out. Except I did want to run to Treasure Island to pick up my fourth piece of cookware. And members can only do it on Thursday or Friday each week. And each week, it’s one piece and one piece only. If you miss that week, you miss that piece. I’ve gotten a 3-qt. crockpot, and three other pieces as of today. After next week’s final piece, I’ll shoot a pic and share it here of all of them. They’re actually impressive considering they’re free. And since I am at a level of membership that I am, I get to have one meal in their restaurant. The normal deal would have been to have a free buffet meal every day if I should want, but they closed the buffet down, obviously, and so they now offer the meals out of their Currents restaurant. Each time I’ve been in there, there’s not many people inside and they’ve spaced the tables a safe distance from others. As for the casino itself, it’s not the place it was. Not busy at all. Of course, I’m there in the middle of the day, so if it picks up, I’m long gone by then. I feel safer there than I do in the grocery store. You must mask up and they do a body scan for temp as you enter. If the machine goes green, you’re good to go. Every other machine is turned off and the stool for that machine is missing. Certain bathrooms are closed so the cleaning crew can focus on the ones that are opened, keeping them clean. You see a lot of cleaning all the time.

So, that was kind of how my day went. Got my fourth piece, had barbecue chicken wings for lunch and then played for a while, leaving with a little extra moola 🙂 Yay! Win-Win-Win scenario. The weather was sucky on the way down, but the way back, it was simply gray and cold and dry.

I had an apple when I got home and was sure not to eat buy half of it. Then I cut it in half and threw it to my buddies, the squirrels. These Envy apples are big. Cutting it in half was enough for the little guys to handle if they carry them up into the tree, which is what I see them do. And the damndest and cutest thing about this. Usually, there’s no squirrel to be found, so I yell out to them, “Hey buddies…here ya are. Enjoy!” And I tossed the two parts. I waited for a bit, but no sign of squirrel life. I returned to the kitchen to do a few things, including make a sandwich for my dinner. Before I began to eat, I thought I’d check to see if the apples were still on the grass. I walked in and looked…NOPE! Too damn cute. Both parts were gone already! And this morning, I was certain I saw one squirrel with the apple I threw out yesterday in his paws, carrying it to a spot on the lawn, burying it under the snow. I could be wrong, but he was burying something and it sure looked like it could have been the apple piece. I know I’m substituting the squirrels right now for Willy, but I don’t see too much harm in that. I will probably keep buying apples all winter long and doing what I’ve been doing now for months. After all, the squirrels gots ta have food this winter too!

Tonight I’m watching the return of the Big Ten to the college football scene. And the Badgers are playing right now. Their new red shirt freshman is starting quarterback. After an injury to their standard QB, this kid stepped in. He’s been highly touted, so we’ll see. He’s already thrown one touchdown pass as the score is 7-0 against Illinois. Have I mentioned how much I love my TV I bought in February. The game is so nice to watch. The picture is incredible. My friend who stopped by this week to drop off that “Cat Heaven” book saw the TV in the living room and commented, “Big TV.” And I glowed 🙂

Final story. The other night, I could swear I heard my name being called from the laundry room. I slowly approached the door to the room, flipped on the light, and entered even slower. As my back was facing the washer and dryer, without warning, the two cupboard doors flew open right in front of me! Holy Christmas Decorations, Cholly! What can I say? No wonder I heard my name. Those poor guys have been stored away in that little crowded, uncomfortable place now for ten months. I’m sure they’re more than ready to get out there and breathe while spreading their wings, so to speak :-). Oooohhhhh….soon, ladies and gentlemen. Soon. Ho Ho Ho.

Hey! Enjoy your Friday night as well as your Saturday. Come on back in the evening to see what new and exciting stuff has taken place throughout my day. I’m sure it will be breathtaking stuff. Certain of it!

G’Night!

“It’s Anybody’s Guess” – Thursday, October 22nd, 2020

Well, if you never taught with me or if you were never a student of mine, you’re about to learn yet another little detail about me. However, if you fall into one of the other two categories, this will ring true with you.

Our students have had their many high school experiences taken from them because of this pandemic. For all the kids, of course, the social aspect of school is missing and that’s certainly a most valuable component to these years of growth. Jump to high school and the kids lost Prom and graduation and any theatrical experiences that were in the works along with sporting events. Moving through fall Homecoming was taken from them. Pep fests and school dances have been missing now for months. And we all believe that the day is coming when all that is coming back. However, there’s something that is never returning to the lives of any student…or teacher for that matter. Any idea where I’m going with this? In this day and age of online learning options, students will never know the joy of a “Snow Day” in their lives. Even if the students and teachers can’t get to the schools, there will be the ability to still conduct class online since many districts have made sure students have the technology. With the snow this week, I thought I’d share what “Snow Days” meant to me over my career. You ready for this? 😛

Every November 1st, I would take greater interest in the weather forecasts. I’d watch The Weather Channel like it was a daily series. I was always hoping for a good ol’ storm. I’d listen to what they were saying about fronts coming in from the west and what the projections were as the front would sweep across the nation. If they said that it was going to bring major snows to the midwest and if they showed potential amounts, this little teacher began crying “Wolf!”

Here’s a scenario that often occurred. The weather folks were forecasting a Winter Storm Watch. I always knew that a Watch eventually would go in one of two directions. It would either become a Warning, indicating a lot of snow and wind and such, or it would drop to an Advisory, which always took a lot of wind out of my sails. But, I didn’t play pessimist. I’d start talking up the “potential” storm in my classroom as soon as the “Watch” was posted. What kids took from me sharing that information was information I could not be held responsible for. 🙂 You remember the telephone game where if 20 people stood in a line and one person told the second person some piece of news? By the 20th person, the story was twisted and twisted from the actual story. Well, my students sometimes did that. I’d hear from my colleagues that I was once again spreading news of a storm coming our way because his/her students were talking about how “Mr. Brooks said so.”

Of course, it the Watch turned into a Warning, then there was no kidding around about my announcement to the world. I’d tell each class before they’d leave my room that we were slated for a major winter storm. And if by chance we should be home the next day, I wanted them to know I still had expectations for them. Of course, they’d only hear, “…if they cancel school…” That would send them out and about sharing the news that “Mr. Brooks said we’re going to be canceled tomorrow.”

Folks, this went on for years. I had the reputation of Winter Storm Forecaster. And I merely shared with people what I was seeing on the Weather Channel. I even bought a weather radio one year from Radio Shack. I had it bad 🙂 Some teachers would stop in my room and say, “You think we’re going to have school tomorrow?” And I’d respond with, “If what they’re predicting actually happens, I don’t see how we could be.” It was often the amount and the time the storm was going to hit. If the storm was going to start at 6 in the morning, we likely would be in school and deal with the snow at day’s end. Over the years, I think we cancelled school mid-day no more than ten times. Students would stop by my room if they had heard possible snow the next day, asking me if we were going to have school the next morning. I’d tell them the same thing I told my colleagues. Oh yes. I became the teacher who cried “Wolf.”

It didn’t help when the storm being forecast fizzled overnight. It totally took away my legitimacy! Teachers would ask at the end of a school day, “Should I take extra work home with me tonight?” The reference was that if we weren’t in school the next day, they’d have the materials they’d need for the following day to be successful in their classrooms. It actually became quite humorous. There were those storms that came through for me and then, sometimes, I had to do reputation maintenance. I always laughed, internally, when I’d be consulted. Teachers were having their enjoyment with this too.

Word had gotten to the District Office that this was happening. Specifically, the man responsible for calling it would comment when he’d see me out and about. It was a point of humor. There was the day when he was at a faculty workshop meeting. I assumed he was there for district reasons and that we’d be hearing something official about the work he was involved with. I assumed he was making the rounds on the workshop day. I was wrong. He got up to the microphone and began. Basically, he said something like, “I understand that your school has the good fortune of having a weather forecaster…” and I knew like I know there’s poop in a goose that he was aiming his words at me. And sure enough, he was. He brought a report that contained information from the beginning of the district how many times there had been a school closure, a late start, and a closure once school had begun. He was damn funny and everyone, including me, was enjoying his humor. And everyone knew before he even stated my name where he was going with his little jab. I had to go to him and take the report from him. I am sure I was ten shades of red, but I have to admit….it was damn funny.

With a couple of years before I retired, one of the counselors had given me a book entitled “Snow Day!” The cover of the book was of a little boy inside his house, looking out his front window at the school bus turning around in the midst of a snow storm. She was always a delightful woman and the book made me laugh. I had also picked up an assistant to my forecasting. She was located in the Science Department. When the cell phone and texting became an avenue of communication, she and I were alive with reports of what we knew the night before a storm. We were watching for other districts and their announcements. Rarely did they close schools the night before until recently. But as soon as we knew we were closed, I was texting all my peeps. This was before the telephone approach from the Superintendent announcing the closure. Well, at the last faculty meeting I’d be attending in our Student Center occurred, I had brought this book with me. And I asked for a spot in the agenda. When it was my turn to speak, I brought the book with me and told my fellow teachers that I would be leaving soon and I was concerned that they would be without the School Closure Expert. I wanted to let them know, however, that they had nothing to worry about. I showed them the book and told them about my Science teacher intern 🙂 I had her come to the front of the room to accept my book and the new role she would fill. To this day, we still communicate about winter storms. You can take the teacher out of the storm, but you just can’t take the storm out of the teacher 🙂

And, believe it or not, is the Reader’s Digest version of my years as the School Closure town cryer. I still laugh when I think of it and when we get a snow storm. Sadly, however, that idea that school is simply cancelled on any given day in winter is no longer something kids can look forward to. One of life’s simple joys for many years. Don’t kid yourselves. Teachers loved them more than the kids!

That’s it. See you Friday night. Hopefully the sun shines tomorrow.

G’Night!