“It’s Anybody’s Guess” – Thursday, April 29th, 2021

After I posted last night’s Reflections, I received a text that arrived like a punch to my heart, and I sat and cried for a while. My neighbor wrote this: “I had to put Sammy down today; he’s no longer with us.” It was like I had lost Willy all over again. I had been watching for both of them to walk past on the sidewalk while I was sitting on the patio. My heart goes out to my neighbor. He woke this morning minus his buddy in the house with him.

Well, I got to thinking and I thought this would be as good a time as any to take a look back at my pets throughout the years. And they ranged from all shapes and forms. This won’t be a sad journey. It will hopefully send you back throughout your life and all your treasured pets you may have had by your side as you grew old.

My first memory of a pet was when I was maybe 5 or 6. We had a little bulldog, one of the ugliest types of dog there is today in my opinion. But I loved our bulldog. His name was Chippy. Somewhere, there’s a picture of me sitting his box with him across my lap. Though my memory is somewhat shaky at such a young age, I remember this dog and how much I loved him. And I remember having to give him up but the reason escapes me. I was heartbroken. From that point forward, I don’t remember any pets in the Maple Avenue house. It was only when we moved down the street to the house on the lake that the pet memories return and they are strong.

Our house was never without my dad’s favorite dog. A German Shepard. I don’t remember one at the old house on Maple, but I can’t remember a time when he didn’t have one on Haskell. And when it came time to put his favorite type of dog down, he’d have a new one sooner than later. As I write this, I have questions I never asked him. What was it about the German Shepard that so attracted him? Did he have a German Shepard on the farm growing up? This dog was Dad’s dog, without a doubt. Anyone in the family will verify. The dog was NOT an inside dog. He built a special place for the dog in his shed. Added an exterior pen for him or her. Duke and Queenie were the two names we heard over and over again. I loved the dog. So did my mom, but the dog was simply just too big to be an inside dog. Mom wanted a smaller dog for the inside and the two different breeds of dog didn’t mesh well, at least not in my mom’s eyes. However, Dad often would bring in the Shepard and we’d all give it plenty of love and affection. It was never lacking either. Tonight’s first pic is of Dad and one of his Shepards. 🙂

I went through the phase all boys seem to go through at some point in their pre-teen years. I wanted goldfish. And it was my job to keep the bowl clean. I learned something about goldfish. They die at the drop of a hat. I couldn’t keep goldfish. Maybe I wasn’t doing the job I was supposed to be doing. Who knows. But whatever, my fish died one after another. I’d go to Schultz Bros Five and Dime to pick out another couple, bring them home in a bag, drop them into the bowl and it was merely How long before these guys end up floating? From there, I wanted a canary. I really wanted a parakeet and I’m not sure why Mom pushed for the canary. It might have been that canaries were less noisy. Maybe they were cheaper. I don’t remember. In any case, I spent my snow shoveling money and bought a cage and food and got myself my first yellow canary. I’d throw the towel over the cage hanging on its stand each night so he’d sleep. I think I might have gone through three canaries in my teen years. They, too, died all too often. Would go to bed one night and the next morning, I’d take the towel off they’d be on their back. Reminds me of an opening scene in Poltergeist. I was a little sad, yes, but it was never an emotion that lingered throughout the day and for days later.

Our grandmother bought a dog for the family. She wanted to do something nice for us since she was living there. He was brown and smaller. I can’t remember the breed or what we called him. He was awesome. However, he was an Energizer dog. This guy had more energy than any dog we’d ever seen. He’d come in from outside and he’d race around the house as opposed to just coming in and finding a place to rest. It got too bad as he’d race across laps of my grandmother and mother and anyone else. If you were in his path, you needed to simply prepare for the lightning bolt to shoot through. Finally, they made the decision to sell him and they did so to a family on a farm where his energy could be allowed to exist. I remember stopping at that farm shortly after selling him and while everyone else got out of the car to go see him, I stretched out in the back seat and cried my eyes out. I just couldn’t handle seeing the dog I loved who was no longer ours. That was my first time I really remember the pain of losing an animal, even though he was still alive.

My dad’s sisters all had chihuahuas. Oh, and they overfed the poor little guys. Seriously. They always looked like they were pin cushions. Well, Mom wanted a chihuahua. And so, we got one. We called him Snoopy. I LOVED THIS DOG. He was just a little runt, as that breed usually is. But he was not overfed. He was simply a delightful little guy. And he loved going for a ride in the car. When I’d go to pick up Mom at the bank at the end of her workday, I’d yell to Snoopy, “Hey Snoopy! Wanna go for a ride?” And he’d come tearing from wherever he was and beat me to the door. Upon opening the door, he’d immediately run down the porch and the steps and head right to my driver’s side of my car. As I’d drive, he’d sit with his back legs on my leg and his front legs on my left arm or the window. And when Mom would come to the car, he’d greet her with all his kisses. She loved seeing him in the car at day’s end too. The time came, however, where Mom wanted a dog that she could consider “her” dog. And so she got another chihuahua. This time, Mom named her Princess. And she looked like a little miniature fawn. (she can be seen in the second pic tonight lying next to me on the couch….I think that pic was from the mid 70s) And she was truly Mom’s dog. If Mom sat down, Princess would follow her right into the chair. Mom took up crocheting in her cancer years, and Princess would manage to squeeze in next to Mom in the rocker as she did her crafting. In Mom’s final months when she was not lucid at all, but rather comatose in an upright position, it would kill me to see Princess sitting on her lap but getting no love because Mom wasn’t moving her limbs at that point. And once Mom died, Princess was simply lost.

I went to college and the next animal I would fall in love with would be the cat where I ended up living my first semester off campus. The woman who owned the house and was still living inside it owned a cat. And this cat, for whatever reason, took a liking to me. I was NOT a cat person at all. However, before that semester ended, that cat worked his way into my heart. And I had become a convert.

Once I arrived in Minnesota, I lived in Eagan for my first year while teaching at RHS. A high school friend of mine was living in Burnsville and she had called, indicating a few kittens that were abandoned in her neighborhood and wondered if I would like one. I didn’t think this one through and I aid YES. I remember coming home from school one day, only to find the kitty had the entire roll of toilet paper off the dispenser and covering the bathroom floor. At night, it insisted on being in my bed with me. Honestly, I had no business being a pet owner yet. Especially of a pet I knew little about. Dogs? That was another thing, but cats I had yet figured out. I talked my friend into taking the kitty back.

In years 2-8, I was living with a fellow teacher and a stray cat entered the neighborhood. We gave it a home in our home. He looked like he had been in a few fights and we felt sorry for him. We called him Brisbane. I have no recollection where that name came from. My roomie kept him when I moved out because the next place I was moving to wasn’t accepting animals.

And that would be it until about 1998. I moved into a relationship with someone who had two ferrets and a cat. The ferrets took me a while to stuff my feminine side out of sight. The cat, however, was a total delight. In the years ahead, I’d receive a ferret as a gift from this person for my birthday. By then, I thought they were precious…and they were. Her name was Samantha and I called her Sam. She was a total delight. And eventually I became keeper of Kitty. The two of them played but never viciously. Kitty eventually got sick and my friend took her to the vet on the day I was staging the Homecoming Coronation Pep Fest. As I was walking to the podium that Friday, I received a text from my friend who was on the way with Kitty to the vet. The text read, “Kitty says she loves you and goodbye.” I was 60 seconds from starting the pep fest. It took every ounce of energy in me to refrain from breaking down. The next summer, I had to deal with Sam dying. Ferrets only live about 7-8 years. She had made it to 7. Her final hours were terrible and I took her in to have her put out of her misery. That was just terrible. I thought then it was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

Then along came Willy in 2010. You know the rest of that story. I still miss him terribly and when I got word that Sammy had been put down yesterday afternoon, I instantly began to cry aloud, speaking to no one but still lamenting the loss of a dog I had fallen in love with. Pets are so wonderful, but the end for them is about as bad as it gets. I’ve said it before…losing Mom and Dad wasn’t as hard. The reason is I didn’t have any control over Mom and Dad’s deaths. However, I was the one calling the shots with Willy. Say what you want…I felt a sense of guilt being the person who decided to have Willy’s existence end. I know I was doing the best thing for my little buddy. I know I was. But at the time…damn, it was so hard to be a good dad for him. And watching them take him from my car because Covid kept me from going in…sadly, it’s a sight I’ll never quite forget. It still brings tears to my eyes to recall.

I am sure today was a long day for my neighbor. I wish his daughter would have come by with her fiancé but I suppose she has her life too. Will he get another dog? Dunno. I know it brings the same question to the surface for me. And it’s a question i continue to ask myself. I am sure I will for some time. Until I end up getting another cat. LOL

Ok. That’s it. Another Guess edition done. Don’t forget…tomorrow night, I’ll be home someplace between 9 and 10. I’ll likely write some of this during the day, but I will want to wait and finish it AFTER track. So, it will come, but it will be late again. Got it? Ok 🙂

The Inspirational Quote of the Night: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, April 28th, 2021

And then only two days remained in the merry month of April. May cometh Saturday. I don’t know about you, but I’m welcoming it with open arms 🙂

How was your humpday? Looks like the sun finally won the celestial battle with the clouds. I hope it stays in power for a string of days now. Sure was nice waking up to the sun coming in through my bedroom curtains. Starts the day out on a positive note, for sure 🙂

As you might remember, today was grocery day. And, Target day. Perhaps a better way to say it, today was Spend Money day. ;-P It began with Target. Target was mostly about toiletries and such. I was just about out of paper toweling. And I never want to be without paper toweling. They double as napkins as well. I use paper towels a lot. Needed some WD40. My razor needs a little lubrication. TUMS was on my list as every so often, I’ll wake with heartburn. Doesn’t happen often and if I buy more than two containers of TUMS in the course of a year, something is wrong. I was nearing an end there, so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t without them because that would make for a long night. Picked up another and Dear God I hope my final box of the blue face masks. There are twenty in a box. That should do it. As long as the straps don’t break off like they tend to do, all too easily. In the non-toiletry department, I needed more Envy apples, and let me tell you. These things are basketball-size. Damn, they’re bigger than my last batch. I’m bringing one with on Saturday to the press box for a snack and I am curious to see what people say when they see this big ol’ honkin’ monster of an apple! And I bought the Family Size box of Chocolate Cheerios cuz Cub doesn’t sell those. WalMart does, but I try to avoid WalMart at most costs. Whatever else I bought, the total came to sixty-some bucks. And with nothing from the frozen food department, I moseyed on over to Cub for the remainder of my groceries, which came to just shy of $70. Joy. However, that marked the end of my shopping needs for the week, thank you. To celebrate the completion of my purchases, all non-frozen, I decided to take advantage of the moment and the sunny weather and I drove on over to Burnsville’s Starbucks. Picked me up a chai tea latte, iced of course, and enjoyed an open window and a little bit of an extra drive to my errand running. When I got home, my least favorite part of grocery shopping…unloading the car and the bags. Blech. Lunch with the Brewers was next 🙂

I wish I could tell you that my Brewer game was as good as my lunch was, but alas…I can’t. They lost the rubber match with the Marlins. It was frustrating at times. However, I opted out of my normal bread and ham sandwich and went bagel and ham on the panini maker. I was in the mood for a warm sandwich. And it hit the spot. Tasty stuff, Maynard. I gotta tell ya…when I was in Cub, I bought something I NEVER buy for myself. I often think of doing it, but then I talk myself out of it, but this time, I didn’t talk myself out of anything. I bought a little cake just for me 🙂 Tonight’s pic tells the story. I saw it as I was picking up my breakfast muffins and I heard it whisper, “Buy me, Chuck” as I was standing there, looking at it. What was I to do? 🙂

I have to tell you about a little discovery I made last night that turned out to be pretty damn funny and cool. I am now going to share a little detail about me I haven’t told you before, or at least I don’t think I have told you. Can never tell with my memory and the fact I write every night. I know I repeat, but now often and to what degree? No clue. lol In any case, I have this behavior that, similar to the one where I never am able to read a used book and not wanting anyone to read my magazine before I do. This one is my delayed gratification syndrome behavior. I buy something but then I don’t use the item I have bought because once I do, I’ve either read it, watched it, listened to it, worn it, etc…you get the idea. Well, a number of years ago, and it would have to be over six years, I remember buying two pairs of shoes and those shoes sat in the shoe boxes in the back of my car for months. I told my boss at the time, the assistant principal, and she laughed at my quirk. Well, I finally pulled them out of the box and brought them into the house. Turns out, one of the pairs I should have tried on before buying. Because, when I went to try on the shoes, it was difficult at best putting them on, primarily because they were slip-ons. And once on, they were tight. I just put them in the closet at the time. The other pair, however, was just fine. Well, over a year ago, a friend and I were in IKEA and he knew of something there that he thought I could use. And as it turns out, he was absolutely right. It was a shoehorn, but one about three feet long so it helped a lot for us physically challenged folks. (lol) Well, my sister a couple of nights ago sent me a website where they sell shoes. Very cool shoes. The company is “Hey Dude” shoes. I won’t be buying any because it looks like they are only in normal width and not wide. However, I began to think…those shoes I bought years ago that still sit in my closet…I wonder if they’d be easier to put on if I used the shoehorn. So, I pulled them out and tried it. And ya know what? It worked! Today, I wore those shoes everywhere I went. Pretty darn cool. I now have a new pair of shoes, that are quite summery in appearance, and I didn’t have to spend a dime, at least not since I did six, seven, eight years ago 🙂 And that is my story for tonight. lol

Tonight, I am choosing not to listen to President Biden. It’s not a personal statement on the President at all. Far from it. I’d explain, but I don’t think I’ll bother. In any case, I figure it will be a good night to get more caught up on some network television I have recorded from last night! Whatever comes from the address, I’ll hear about it be it from the news or my friends. It will be easier on my temper and nerves anyhow. 😛

Tomorrow night is “It’s Anybody’s Guess” night. And then, Friday night’s post WILL BE LATE IN POSTING, just so you know. I won’t be back from track until after nine that night. Just like last week. And for the next four Friday nights. Just sayin’. Again. Have a great day with the sunshine and warmth that’s coming. I enjoyed a couple hours on the patio today, watching the squirrels discover their apple dinner once again. Between that, the sunshine, and the scenery before me, I was smiling once again. Keep the nice days coming!

The Inspirational Quote of the Night: “Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted.” – Percy Bysshe Shelley, poet

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, April 27th, 2021

I suppose to say anything about the weather, at this stage, would be repetitious, eh? Ok. So, I won’t. But I’d sure like to!

Happy Tuesday, all. And how was your second day of the work week? I woke up around 7 and enjoyed a leisurely morning until heading to physical therapy at 10:15. Today was the fourth appointment I’ve had. And, as it turns out, I was correct in assessing my situation with my neck/shoulder/head. My therapist said he can feel improvement in the area that he works in. As I’ve told you, he first uses the massage gun and then his hands. He can feel the muscle that he’s been working on is now getting more loose, thus letting other muscles do their job in the area. IT’s why I told you I have felt less misery this past week. Except for one day when the discomfort went on for a longer period of time, the sensation has been fairly absent, especially yesterday. And if it does rear its ugly head, it doesn’t stay long. If I think it’s going to linger, I use my Shepard’s Hook to massage the area and that seems to also help. My therapist made comments at the end of the session today that after next week’s scheduled appointment, he’d assess my situation and decide if we continue, go every other week, or allow me to carry on with the exercises in my own home. That all sounds like good news to me. 🙂

Upon returning to Apple Valley, I decided I needed to stop at Abdallah’s. They have the Sea Salt Alligators as the special of the month. I love them. And with the end of the month in sight, I thought I’d better get a box before I can’t get them for that price. The other item that is the special this month is chocolate covered cherries. The very thought of a chocolate covered cherry makes me wanna gag. When I was a little boy, my grandmother who lived with us loved her box of chocolate covered cherries. If someone wanted to buy her a present, that was certain to make her happy. And, relentlessly, she’d offer me one. And I, relentlessly, return the offer with a guttural sound that would make her laugh and reply, “Oooooh, I just love these.” The ladies behind the glass at Abdallah’s were making the chocolate covered cherries while I was standing in line. It was pure perfection how they were crafting the chocolate around the cherry, with a stem sticking up out of the chocolate. It really was impressive as each one on the paper next to them was exactly like the other one. Seems to me that would require a patience I long ago lost. lol

I returned home, trying to figure out what to do for lunch. Dinner was already made in my mind, but what to do for lunch. Hmmm…. Then I remembered something. IN the last week or so, I recall driving on 42, past Cane’s, and seeing normalcy. Where one had only to drive by in the last year since Covid entered our lives, you’d see fifteen, twenty cars in the drive-thru since the inside was closed. I was always amazed at how many cars were waiting on that little frontage road. Not sure how Kentucky Fried Chicken stayed afloat during all that. Well, I thought I’d give it a chance. If nothing else, since I was in that area anyhow, if Cane’s wasn’t going to work, I’d get takeout at Panda Express. As I crossed Cedar, there was no line at all to contend with. Thus, for the first time in well over a year, I had Cane’s for lunch. It’s not like I was a heavy customer there over the years, but at times, it has certainly sounded good. But, there was never going to be any situation where I was going to be one of those gazillion cars in line. Amen.

When I got back to the house, something awaited me 🙂 For a while now, I’ve been wearing slippers, one of which held together with duct tape. Last week, when I went to Penney’s and bought the three new shirts I bought, my main mission was to buy new slippers. And because they really didn’t have any, I resorted to Amazon, which proves itself more and more to be the most reliable store one can go to. I hate saying that because I don’t want to see shopping in person go by the boards, but when you need something, if you can’t find it in a friggin’ mall, I guess going to Amazon makes sense. Well, I ordered a new pair of slippers. They didn’t have quite the kind I like wearing, but then I saw this pair in tonight’s second pic that looked absolutely comfy as heck! When I slipped them on, I truly did tell this book by its cover. Putting them on and walking was exactly as comfortable as I expected the new slippers to be. So, tonight, I say goodbye to my old friends and hello to the new kids on the block…and my feet 🙂

I spent the delightfully beautiful afternoon (NOT) trying to catch up on network shows from last night. Just about succeeded. One remains. Tonight, it’s baseball again and record more. Last night, the Brewers were obviously heading for a loss early in the game, so I left the game, monitored it and watched a couple of the network programs. I am hoping if I have to leave the game tonight, it’s because the Brewers are fiercely in control. Still two games on top of the division and that feels good in the first month of ball.

Tomorrow has nothing but groceries in store. And we all know how the retired English teacher feels about that. Basically, two days to ad lib before Friday arrives and more track and field. Friday, a high of 64 and Saturday, with sunshine, a high of 81. Gonna be a whole different experience this week at EHS and the press box. Already excited about it. 🙂

Time to flip on the lights since the sun isn’t going to do its part tonight. And then there’s dinner. Going to be creative tonight. Lo main noodles and shrimp. Shouldn’t be too difficult. But very tasty 🙂 Hoping your day was better than yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow promises to be. And with those well wishes, I head outta here. But I leave you with…

The Inspirational Quote of the Night: “The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page.” – Augustine of Hippo, Saint

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Monday, April 26th, 2021

Remember last night when I wrote about how excited I was about the best night on TV with the airing of the Academy Awards show? As one of my former students wrote after it was all over…”There was 3 hours and 18 minutes I’ll never get back in my life.” Ladies and gentlemen, it was horrible. Absolutely horrific. The ONLY saving grace that kept me watching was I had two friends with whom I always watch the show, via text. They, along with me, felt the same and throughout the night, we texted our disdain for the changes in the pandemic approach to the event. I am including here for you proof that we were not the only folks feeling this way. There are many articles out there indicating the lack of popularity this new approach had with the public. Here’s just one of those reviews.

https://apple.news/AglmX6m4RTX-KRJQ0BqSinQ

Now that I have that out of my system, good evening. How was your day? The week was supposed to start off to a warmer start yet…I’m thinking Mother Nature didn’t get the memo. Cuz today was damn cold again. I had one thing on my agenda today and it was not as enjoyable because of the temps. Today was the day for the writing group to meet. I had sent them a text yesterday, indicating we’d be seeing everyone today and the temp would be 65, thus meeting outside being a good idea. I didn’t just pull that number our of my buttocks. It’s what the Weather Channel app indicated. Well, I just got home from meeting and it’s 48 degrees (“feels like 44”). It was slightly windy and simply damn cold. We sat at the picnic table, but to be honest, the session couldn’t end soon enough. My hands were freezing and the arthritis was killing my left hand and right pinky finger. Aside from the miserable cold, it was nice to chat with the gang again. Maybe May 11th will be a whole lot nicer. It’s when we next meet.

I did run one errand today. A book I had to order because neither Burnsville nor Eagan stores had it in stock. I got the call this morning that Burnsville store had it for me. So, of course, I couldn’t wait one day or two or more. I had to get it TODAY! And, as you can see, it’s tonight’s pic. This was a book by Stephen King and his son, Owen, in 2017. In the novel, “…In a future so real and near it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep: they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze. If they are awakened, if the gauze wrapping their bodies is disturbed or violated, the women become feral and spectacularly violent. And while they sleep they go to another place, a better place, where harmony prevails and conflict is rare.” Well, four years later, here is the graphic interpretation of their work. I like comic books, and I like King, so thought this might be a fun experience. I shared it today at the group meeting. It’s only the first part of not sure how many more to come. That’s fine 🙂 I’ll force myself to get the subsequent volumes. 😛

When I got home, I was only wanting to warm up. That’s when I thought I’d sit down and write. I heard from my writing partner on the way to the writing group gathering today. He sent me the updated work from last night’s 3-hour FaceTime. He has made some changes and additions to what we were discussing, so I am anxious to see those changes.

I now have a real dilemma for me. The time has come. Basically, it comes down to two options for me. One, do I watch network television shows and try to stay as caught up without building up a massive stockade of recorded shows while missing my Brewer games? Or basically the reverse of that? There are all the streaming shows I want to see in the days and weeks ahead. I do not have the ability to binge anything. Just not appealing to me to sit there and just watch TV for hours. Although it probably sounds like that’s what I do anyhow. lol Tonight, alone, there are six shows on simple ol’ network television. 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star, All Rise, Bull, The Good Doctor and Debris. I just finished last week’s Debris this afternoon. Aside from all the F.B.I episodes, both editions, I am now legitimately caught up but that’s only good until tonight. One way or another, I’m either six shows behind after tonight or three. It will be easier when network television ends their seasonal runs with their shows. That will be some time in May for the most part. Just hanging on til then 🙂

Guess what tonight finally is. PIZZA night! Yay! Nothing to prepare. Tasty treat. Easy cleanup. Makes me smile thinking about it. The rest of the night you now know. I am likely to watch my shows, but also keep one eye on the game as it plays on my laptop or phone or iPad. Wednesday is a matinee so no choices to be made there. HA!

Tomorrow has one item on the list of “Things To Do.” It’s Physical Therapy Day. It’s one hour later in the morning from last week’s ungodly early appointment. I make this next statement cautiously, carefully, and deliver it with all the hush-hush ability I can, all while knocking on wood. I think, however, what he’s doing and having me do in the exercises is helping that neck/shoulder/head thing. It’s definitely not gone but it’s definitely not happening as intensely/often as it was. The more he works with the one muscle that seems to be “screwed up” in my shoulder/neck area, the more success I feel he’s having. And that makes all this worth my time. It’s something, at times, I’ve felt was never going to improve. I no longer believe that. Plus, he’s a Wisconsinite and the appointments have been fun. The 50-minutes fly by. Hopefully, tomorrow the sun will come out and the temps will be in the 60s and driving back from TwinCities Orthopedic in Eagan will be delightfully pleasant. 🙂

I hope your Monday night is a normal, uneventful night in your home. We’ll reconvene tomorrow night for more fun and excitement. Have a great Tuesday. That’s not a request; that’s an order 🙂

The Inspiratational Quote of the Night: “A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” – John James Audubon, naturalist.

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Sunday, April 25th, 2021

“Overture, curtain, lights
This is it, the night of nights 
No more rehearsing and nursing a part 
We know every part by heart 
Overture, curtain, lights 
This is it, we’ll hit the heights 
And oh what heights we’ll hit 
On with the show this is it.”

Happy Oscars Night! Recognize the lyrics? You should if you’re old like me 🙂 It’s the song that Bugs and Daffy would sing as their Friday night cartoon show would begin back in the 60s. Loved the start of that show. Seems almost fitting here. So, hoping you’re all planning to watch. I have my picks ready and before this is over, I’ll share my picks for the top six categories. However, let’s begin at the beginning 🙂

Today was the aftermath from Friday night and Saturday. I was thinking I’d sleep late, but ironically, the morning when I could sleep longer, I didn’t. I was up at 7:00. THAT is irritating. However, I got up and watched one of the many shows recorded in my library until The Flintstones came on. And of course, followed by The Jetsons. I made a quick run to Kwik Trip for milk since I wasn’t going to have much of an open window today to run any errands once the morning kicked in.

Last night, I watched another BEST PICTURE nominee on Prime. Sound of Metal. Intense. Interesting as well. Another one of those movies speaking strongly to the human condition. In my opinion, I think it was worthy of a Best Picture nod. It’s quite moving. It’s also a movie I wouldn’t normally have sought out, but because of the nomination, I was going to watch it. I’ve learned numerous times that I likely miss too many movies that don’t get a ton of attention with ads, but still have much to offer the viewer. This would be one of those films. After that, I also took in another The Irregulars and Star Trek Discovery. Both good episodes.

Today was sort of strange to have no real reason to leave the house like the last two days. It’s going to probably feel like that for the next four weeks until my track gig is over. In June, I’ll have two additional Minnesota Pride football games to announce at the Burnsville High School field. But that won’t quite be the same as what I’m doing now. Actually, I shouldn’t say that. I have no idea how I’m going to feel after doing one of those games. I really am out of my comfort zone on this one, but the former student seems to feel I’ll be just fine for their needs, so who am I to argue 🙂

Today was catch-up day from being gone much of yesterday. Laundry. I made my weekend breakfast using eggs. I missed out and will continue to miss out on Saturdays. No time in the morning to really do that, but today, I was going to use my eggs! And I wanted French toast. So, long about noon, that’s what I did. I figure if I eat around noon a meal like that, I won’t want lunch. And it works just about every time 🙂

At about 1:00 today, I had another creative brainstorming session with my co-writer on The Ornament for a couple of hours once again. Actually, three hours. Three hours of very productive chatter. And guess what? The mapping out of the scenes in Act I is now a done deal. Act I takes place in all of November, right through Thanksgiving night when the conflict presents itself. It just got more exciting because now I will start to think about Where does the story go from here? I really like what we have so far. We may very well be ahead of schedule at this rate. We wanted the scenes laid out by the end of summer, but at this rate, it could be sooner. In times of how does each Act measure up for time consumption in the story, the third and final Act will be the shortest. It is the Resolution. The second Act will be the longest. It’s where the conflict develops and everything points to the climax of the story by the end of Act II. Act I is the not as long as I and longer than II. I’m excited to see where our story goes from here and what happens to our characters. I am already becoming attached to a few of them. Which is good. I think that’s natural and the way it should be. Tonight’s pic is the calendar in which Act I occurs. Act II will begin on the Friday after Thanksgiving and will end on Christmas Eve. Act III will be Christmas Day and a little more 🙂 So exciting. I watched a second Best Picture nominee today. Nomadland. Very interesting. And the backstory is the people in the movie were truly living out of their automobiles. Frances McDormand is gold for any script. She’s amazing. This is probably a good time for me to share my picks for tonight’s top six awards. Here ya go.

Best Picture:  Nomadland
Best Director:  Chloe Zhao
Best Actor: Chadwick Boseman
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan
Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya
Best Supporting Actress: Maria Bakalova

Whaddya think? 😛 The Brewers won the rubber match of the 3-game series against the Cub IN Chicago. The 9th inning was real interesting. HA! Tonight, the awards. No big dinner plans. Leftover pork loin from Friday night. I’m thinking I’ll work my weekly pizza night in tomorrow night. Tomorrow is a writers meeting day. Almost 70 today, so it will be nice to gather outside in Eagan again. Beyond that, no plans initially for the week. Hoping your weekend was groovy cool and that Monday is just simply pleasant as it can be for the beginning of the work week. Don’t work too hard, though 🙂

The Inspirational Quote of the Night: “A kiss is a secret which takes the lips for the ear.” – Edmond Rostand, author

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Saturday, April 24th, 2021

Saturdays. They’re going to mean something different for me for the next four weeks, as will Fridays. Because track will be at the front and center of my thoughts and time. And that’s what’s on my mind now having returned from the end of my first weekend or responsibility to the EAA track program. It ended on an interesting note today. But, I can’t just jump past the start of my day.

After finishing last night’s Reflection, I sat and vegged as I’m likened to do after a stint with th microphone. It sort of exhausts me, but that’s not a bad thing. I think it’s just that I’m talking a lot and trying to be somewhat easy to listen to without being overbearing or boring. It’s always been how I’ve reacted after returning home from the Leprechaun Days parade and Bingo, the Fourth of July parade, and especially the RHS Marching Band Festival. That festival wipes me out. I come home and I’m vulnerable emotionally. It’s the truth. No matter how strange that may sound to you, I’m in a pit after that one. I get so excited for it, then I’m constantly on the entire time I’m there, that even walking to my car, I’m beginning to feel the crash. It’s not a sensation I like, but it’s always worth it. So.

This morning, I woke later than I wanted. It was 8:00 and I wanted to be at EHS by 9:00. That didn’t give Chuck much time for Chuck. And Chuck likes a little down time before kicking it in for the day. Oh well. When I woke up, I also thought, Wow. This is like a throwback to my days with OnStage or simply school. I was feeling washed. More so, I think, knowing I had another six-plus hour day ahead of me. Again, not a bad thing. But I remember late night rehearsals for OnStage and then returning to a full day’s dress rehearsal. Or conferences at night and then again right away in the morning. I felt like a productive human being again. Or at least a tired one. lol

So I showered as I missed Saturday morning cartoons (damn it, Jim!), and made no coffee as there was no point. I headed out and made it there by 9:00. Next week, I won’t be quite so concerned as there was a lot of down time prior to the field events getting going at 9:30. And I already was feeling pretty much the rhythm of how the meet would go and my role in it. I was so hoping it would be warmer but that was the last thing we were being given. It was damn cold. In the 30s. Now, I didn’t have to stand out in it like so many did, but the press box was still cold enough. This morning, I opted out of the EAA Track and Field jacket and wore my heavier coat. What I wish I had worn were my gloves. Damn it, they got cold! And the arthritis in the left hand was miserable. I’m sure it was due to the cold weather. Nothing I could do about it.

Well, the kids and their parents came and the next thing you saw, coaches with their kindergartners and first grade out on the field, warming up. It was too damn cute. From 9-12, it would be just kindergarten and first grade athletes. At twelve, we were dealing with second and third graders. This is how it will be each week. Fourth through sixth grade on Friday nights. It was cute to see one coach running with all his little tykes following him, like a duck video I just posted with her ducklings all behind her, following her right off a bridge into a pond. There are fewer events for this first group. Maybe one more for the second group. I posted a copy of the events, minus the field events, for you tonight. My boss, once again as I’ve told you before she is also my student from 1982, has her kids working with her. A senior girl and two boys, twins, in eighth grade. Her oldest daughter is down at the U with her own track schedule. I was looking at the one boy on the track who was responsible for the start of races with his starter’s pistol. I couldn’t help but think he is just one year younger than his mom was when I met her in my classroom. Life is so interesting at times.

At ten o’clock, it was only 36 degrees. Kids were practicing for the relays. This was another “too cute” sight. When the relays actually began, there were some kids who were little prodigies in this sport. Some had the speed of lightning in their souls, others seems so focused out there on the track. Then there were those who, coming down to hand off the baton but kept running and a coach had to stop them to remind them the baton needed to be passed on. There were so many cute moments today over last night, it was sheer delight. One girl was so wrapped up because it was so cold, she just didn’t want to compete at all. So, so much for her on this day. lol

I play role of disciplinarian when I’m not spouting off results or doing “First call for the 50-meter dash” and so on. The kids want to swing and play on the lacrosse nets. I have to tell them NOT TO! Then some kids manage to bring a ball to throw on the field while they’re waiting. My task is to tell them to take that activity out of the stadium. The ball could get away from them and screw up an event. Yes, I’m both the good cop and the bad 😛

My “boss” uses this comparison when talking about the young ones and the coaches trying to get their teams to the proper place when I call for a team that is missing. She explains it like this for the role of the coach. “It’s like herding cats.” That pretty much sums it up. These kids are excited and all over the place. Utter chaos. I’m happy to be away from it in a little box atop the bleachers 🙂

At one point at the start of the afternoon session, two ninth grade boys, volunteering, came to the press box to “hang” while they waited for their next job. And one of them was wanting to be near me and his buddy, of course, hung by him. Well, we chatted, of course. And it was so darn wonderful again. I suspect the one came to be by me because I was, in his eyes, not just an announcer, but I was “The Announcer.” Hehe. Whatever the reason, it was like I was a teacher and these were two of my students, wanting to just hang with their teacher. It sorta made both last night and today worth it. It made my heart smile. My money says I’ll see them in the booth again next weekend. And that’s just fine by me.

At one point this afternoon, I pointed out to my “boss” one little boy, sort of in the middle of the field, just resting on the grass, looking up. It made me giggle. What a life, eh?

My day came to a grinding end, however. We were just about to start the final event and I was in the middle of talking when suddenly, I could no longer hear my voice on the stadium speakers. Just before this, I had smelled something warm. At first, I thought someone had brought in a heater and had it near me. But there was no such heater. This was a “hot” smell. Well, I think it was the forerunner to what happened. We lost power in the booth. IF this had happened last night, we’d have been screwed. No lights? Yes. Screwed. But, it was daylight, so we didn’t need the lights on in the press box. Yet, with no sound, my role was no longer necessary. And I left at 2:45. SO, I wasn’t going home much earlier than planned, but with nothing to do, I was sent home by…”the boss.” 😛

Can you tell I had fun these last two days? I have to tell you…and I can’t articulate this properly to explain it for you, but I feel different today. I don’t know what it is. It might be that I was productively useful these past two days. I had a purpose, and it wasn’t just for me. People relied on me. And it was like I was working again. I can’t say for sure that’s why I feel different, but the feeling is kinda cool. And I’m not going to question it. I suspect it will return next weekend again. As for next weekend, however, I hope the warmer weather has arrived by then with no rain. I think this role of mine will only be more fun when the sun is out and the temps are high. I’m ready for four more weekends like this. Problem is, on Saturdays, I’m not sure what the hell I’ll have to write about unless each weekend has something significantly different and unique to the meets. Time will tell, eh? 🙂

The rest of the night is low-key and that is JUST fine with me. Gonna grill pork chops in a bit. Will definitely watch ONE Best Picture nominee tonight and maybe two. Otherwise, I’ll have to watch the second one tomorrow before the Academy Awards at 7. I’ll still not have see three films, but it’s the best I can do this year. Not happy with myself.

I’m cutting it here and pulling out the pork chops so I can season them before tossing them onto the grill-a-rewski! 🙂 Have a great night and a decent Sunday, despite it forecast to be a sucky Sunday. Come Monday, the temps go up and from the looks of things, we won’t be looking at these recent temps for some time to come. And that’s something I’m also fine with 🙂

The Inspirational Quote of the Night: “There will always be detours in the fascinating game called life. Find the path to your heart’s desires, and stay on course.” – Elizabeth Parker, author

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Friday, April 23rd, 2021

My oh my, you missed a lot of excitement yesterday. So, because Thursday night’s post was a special one each and every week, let me recap yesterday’s adventures in Reader’s Digest format. Ha. Like I have the ability to do that!

Yesterday, I had my dentist appointment at 12:15. I knew full well what I was walking into. A cavity needed to be addressed. Despite insurance over and done with in the dental world, I stuck with my dentist I’ve known for 40 years. My supplemental offers other dentists and if it comes to that for a special problem, I’m likely to use one of those people. However, for the cavity, I figured I’d stay. I actually had that other problem I explained to you Wednesday night. When he heard my story, he looked and said the gum behind the tooth where I was having the soreness was looking infected. He took an x-ray and showed me an area of infection in the base of the tooth where the root canal had been performed. He presented two options. The first was to simply prescribe amoxicillin for ten days and hope it clears up the infection. If that doesn’t work, then I’m likely going to have yet another tooth extracted. As of this moment, all seems quiet in the area that was puffy and sore. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

When I went to pay for the day’s work, the receptionist insisted she try using my supplemental to get them to pay for it. She said she’s used that insurance company before with BlueCross BlueShield. Mine is AARP. Both are United HealthCare. We shall see, but I’m, not holding my breath. Upon leaving, a very funny thing happened I’ll share at a different time when I need filler 🙂 I had my book with me and it was an incredibly beautiful day, so I stopped at Starbucks down the road from my dentist, ordered a drink and sat on the patio and read until I heard from my pharmacy that the prescription was ready for pick-up. Before heading out on 42, I figured I’d stop at Barnes and Noble. I not only bought one book, not two books, but THREE books! I was in a super duper good mood. Money meant nothing for the moment! lol Buying three books only made me happier. From there, I proceeded to CVS. There, I picked up yet another FREE prescription. I pay $7.30 a month and so far, all my meds I’ve needed have been NO CHARGE. Kind of amazing. The remainder of Thursday was uneventful, but I so loved sitting on the patio for a change.

And that brings us to today. I am writing a large part of this post because I won’t be home until after 9 tonight and would choose not to write it all at that time when I’ll be hungry and tired. The daytime of this Friday was, despite no help from Mother Nature, a damn good day. As you know, I had lunch planned for an inside meeting with a retired friend. We haven’t met inside a restaurant for over a year. Today was monumental. It was so nice to be with her, no anxieties and no worries. I don’t understand why people wouldn’t want to be vaccinated. Living life as it was meant to be lived. It was simply a great lunch. After that, as long as I was there, I ran to Penney’s because I am in need of new slippers. The ones I now own are being held together with duct tape. When my spontaneous friend makes a visit, I am constantly under a barrage of jokes regarding my slippers. And normally, I can find slippers without any issues there. However, not today. Instead, I found three very cool long-sleeve shirts on clearance. I saved over $140 on these shirts and paid under $50 on these. That, of course, mean that six shirts must leave my closet.

I got home to see the beginning of a deadly bad start to the Brewers/Cubs game. We lost our pitcher after four batters to a knee injury. When I walked in the house, it was the bottom of the first inning and they led 6-0. Ugh. I won’t even tell you the final score. Tomorrow must be better than today. I watched various shows before heading to track at 5:00.

All the above was written before track because, as I said, I didn’t want to have to write everything after I got home. And I got home later than I expected, based on the times I was told for Friday night meets. The boss basically said the problem rested with the start of the field events. Not sure how but they were not finishing as she had planned, so I suspect the issue will improve for next Friday night. No biggie. However, it was damn cold. Didn’t help I had the window open in front of me, but I really need to be able to hear myself when I’m announcing in a stadium. So, I had to live with the temps. It’s after ten and I’m tuckered, so I am going to make some tea and warm up before heading to bed cuz tomorrow is another long day, beginning at 9:00 or so. I will tell you this about tonight and then tomorrow night, I’ll explain more in depth regarding both days. I had fun. It was great to be useful again and to be back in my element. I was sooooo in my element. There were two ladies working in the booth with me, one a prior student from 2003. Between the two of them and the boss, I had them all laughing. The reasons should be clear, but as I said, I’ll explain more later. It felt good to be holding a microphone again and to be dealing with an audience, but it wasn’t quite like most audiences I play to. More of that tomorrow night as well. I just wanted to check in, share some pics from the evening and then finish off with how much I enjoyed being there. We’ll talk more tomorrow night. Hoping your Friday night was as enjoyable as mine and may your Saturday be as enjoyable. At least, they say, we’ll see sunshine, which should make the track meet even more fun. And a totally different age group tomorrow!

The Inspirational Quote of the Night: “A picnic is more than eating a meal; it is a pleasurable state of mind.” – Deedee Stovel, author

G’night!

“It’s Anybody’s Guess” – Thursday, April 22nd, 2021

As you now know, tomorrow night begins my 5-weekend stint sitting in the press box at Eagan High School’s stadium, announcing track meets for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade. Add yet another event in my list of events where I’m holding a microphone. As I ran through possible topics for tonight, I thought about track tomorrow night and there it was. I thought it would be fun to figure out how this all started and to trace the journey I’ve had with Mr. Microphone and being the Emcee for various gigs. I’m curious to see this one myself 🙂

This is not going to come as a surprise for most of you. For as long as I can remember, I’ve never been shy to being in front of people. I have no idea where that comes from. If I’ve heard it once from people, I’ve heard it a gazillion times. “I don’t know how you do what you do. I could NEVER get up in front of people and talk.” Well, I can remember all the way back to when I was just a tyke living in the house on Maple Avenue. That means I had to be ten and under. My parents loved The Jackie Gleason Show. That means we watched it or didn’t watch TV at all during that hour. I remember one character I always thought was a funny character. He showed up in the bar and was always drunk. His character’s name was Crazy Guggenheim. I could crack my my and dad up with my impersonation. And when ANYONE was over, they’d want me to “…do your impersonation of Crazy Guggenheim,” for our guests. The relatives probably saw him numerous times via my interpretation. Years later, I’d do another drunk…Foster Brooks from The Dean Martin Show. In any case, my mom was crazy excited that I could play a piano by ear, before I had lessons at all. My problem was I only wanted to play by ear. I hated lessons. To this day, I wish I had taken them more seriously like my older brother did. So, I initially blame my parents for putting me in the spotlight, even if it was only in our living room.

As I grew older, my need to entertain stemmed from watching Lou Costello and Jerry Lewis. They always made me laugh. I wanted to make others laugh, sometimes at a higher cost than I had planned. The first time I remember “performing” in front of a larger audience than my small group of relatives was in high school. This was where it began, in essence. I had no fear of being on the stage. I certainly was nervous, but I believed in my ability to entertain. It was my junior year when I was in my first production at high school. Anything Goes. Probably my one greatest high school memory of them all. I was with my friends and I had the lead role of a comedic character stowing away on board to run interference between the woman he loved and the man she was going to marry. It was a total blast. And I got lots of laughs. I. Was. Hooked.

That was followed by my desire to do something for the school before Christmas break. My best female buddy and I went to the administration to do a Christmas assembly in the final portion of the school day. We got permission if we could get a teacher to oversee our planning. We did that for our junior and senior years. No idea if the tradition followed, but we did our part. Funny thing is I fought for it again when I became an RHS teacher. And I got my wish the first December when Eagan High School was in existence. In our humble little assembly, I was the emcee. Go figure.

In my senior year, two more stage appearances. A lesser character in Carnival but still did a couple of solos and got to be the voice of a Frenchman AND a walrus puppet. That spring, in our senior play, I was the principal in Our Miss Brooks. Little did I know what was coming down the road in my future.

Once out of high school, in those three and a half years I didn’t go to college, I got involved in several community productions in the summer. Musicals. I would end up in the chorus each time. They were mega fun, but not enough for me. I created the Brooks and Smith comedy team in town. We performed for lots of banquets and special occasions. Some paid and some we did for charity. It was fun getting laughs again.

When I decided to go to college in 1978, the first year was just about surviving school after a three and a half year absence from the books and faculty scene. Then I was a Resident Assistant and that was maybe the best year of my life, but that need for an audience returned. So, my head resident and I created Wing Feud, the college version of Family Feud. What a blast that was. It lived for about 30 years, they tell me. I also did a comedy hour for a while with a buddy too. It got to be too much with the books, and the Feud and so I let that go. Besides, it was time to student teach.

When you’re in front of 30-40 kids, you’re always performing on some level. The job requires it of you. Define the term “perform” however you want. At times, I wanted my students to laugh because I thought the room definitely needed it. Other times, laughter simply wasn’t appropriate. But I always felt that each new hour of students was a brand new audience I was playing to. And they were sometimes one helluva tough crowd. lol

Before Christmas in my first year at RHS, I was standing on a stage at St. Joseph’s school, emceeing a talent show. This would be the first of several times in my first year of teaching that someone thought I could do this. Why they thought that, I can’t say. To this day, I am still surprised that all this stuff came at me so quickly. All I was doing was teaching. That didn’t last long, though.

That first year, there was the annual Christmas party that was regularly held at Fort Snelling thanks to one of the administrators who would make sure we got in there for that purpose. He had a history with the army. I was asked to not only emcee the program but to BE the program. Four months into my career and I’m being asked to do this. I was overwhelmed. Notice, however, I didn’t say “No.” God forbid 😛

I have told you numerous times about being asked to create a dancelike for the senior parents for the senior assembly held in February. The request came from two of my favorite parents. After a futile fight, I caved. That would also be my life’s mission in January and February for my entire career.

After that, still in my first year, one of the choir directors asked me to write the OnStage script. She had the theme, the music chosen, but she needed someone to loosely tie it together with a script. That was the beginning of my OnStage career that would run 33 years, the length of my career.

To top off my first year of “high profile” events, the RHS secretaries had the responsibility of putting on the district’s end-of-the-year banquet. It would be held in Lakeville at a place I’ve been numerous times since, but I can’t remember the name. It’s just down 35 and to the right once you get into Lakeville. I was asked to, once again, emcee and BE the entertainment. One of the most incredibly embarrassing things I did that night was a skit where I was Mrs. Richard Simmons. The ladies of RHS put me in a lampshade for my head and a bedspread they cut holes in for my arms and legs. I also was given nylons to wear. Dear God. The following December, on my birthday, I walked into the faculty lunchroom and there was a poster of ME, as Mrs. Richard Simmons. I must have posed that May at the banquet and months later, it came back to haunt me thanks to the RHS secretaries. It was damn funny, I have to admit.

For the first two-plus years, I stood in the gym and watched a man run the school’s pep fests. I was so jealous; there just weren’t words to adequately describe my envy. He was good. But I thought I could be as good if not better. I guess if one is going to do something like get up in front of over 2000 teens, they’d need a bit of an ego. SO, I accommodated 😛 In February of 1985, I was asked to run and emcee my first pep fest. Again, I never looked back. I did every pep fest to be held in that gym for the next 31 years. I have so many fond memories.

Shortly after, in 1989, the RHS Marching Band began their tradition of the RHS Marching Band Festival. When they asked me to emcee it, I couldn’t have been more excited. This was going to be such a blast. Yes, I’d have to read script but I also was expected to use my personality and sense of humor to keep the crowd content while bands walked off and onto the field. Again, I was at all of them. More fond memories, and that’s an understatement.

In the years that followed, the kitchen ladies asked me to do the same thing for the District 196 Kitchen staff banquet. I taught them a danceline. We had so many laughs over that and the few rehearsals. Amazing fun. I was also brought into the Ninth Grade Orientation Nights each year. That became my little night of fun. I’d get to play with the crowd as it started and then returned to the crowd as the final memory of that night for the incoming freshmen and their parents. Damn, we had fun at those.

The more I did, and the more I was seen, the more I was asked to do. Some place around the late 80s to early 90s, I was asked to announce the Fourth of July parade in Apple Valley. I’ve been doing that ever since. It’s a fun event and I look forward to it each year. Then came the Leprechaun Days’ parade. Before I knew it, I was asked to call Bingo for the Family Bingo held two hours after the parade’s conclusion. That lead naturally to the Bingo night in February by the same people marking six months from the next Leprechaun Week for Rosemount.

I was asked to represent the faculty three different times as faculty speaker for three graduations over the years. They all have their own separate stories and memories. And I know I’m missing other events that at the moment, have escaped my immediate memory, but it doesn’t imply they’re any less significant in my heart. In the next month, two former RHS students have afforded me the next opportunities with the microphone. You know about the track meets, and on May 15th, I begin my 3-game stint with the Minnesota Pride, “Empowering women to learn, play and coach professional football within a competitive organization that supports teamwork, commitment, respect, diversity, and equality.” It is women’s semi-pro tackle football. The three games will be held at Burnsville High School. That means I get to visit yet another press box in the area. Too fun. This one, I’ll admit, has me shaking my head in uncertainty. I’m not sure I’m the man to do this job, but I’ll try. I can almost promise you if I get everything else wrong, I’ll make the folks in attendance laugh. Isn’t that worth something? 🙂

I have loved each and every opportunity I’ve been given to take the microphone and use what others consider to be my talents. I’m never not nervous. But I always love the experience too. I embrace it, to be honest. I know full well that if I live long enough, the day will come when they’ll stop asking me. I am not stupid. Nor that full of myself. But, for now, I’m in my element and I’m thrilled people still love me in that role. When it’s all over, they may have to work very hard at regaining the microphone out of my cold dead hands. LOL

So, that was quite the trip for me to recall over the last 40-some years. If you stuck around for the complete trip, I thank you. And I promise tomorrow night’s will be shorter, but I can’t wait to share my first track experience with this audience. I have my new jacket all ready to throw on tomorrow afternoon before heading over to EHS. This promises to simply be pure fun for me. So, on that positive note, come back and “Hear all about it!” tomorrow night. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed today’s wonderful weather. Have a good final day at work for the week. And now, for the night’s thought. 🙂

The Inspirational Quote of the Night: “Passover is a living picture of how salvation is properly obtained, as we shall see.” – Zola Levitt, Minister

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, April 21st, 2021

Happy Happy Humpday. And so we’ve reached the mid-point of the week, finally. A long week already in some respects. The next two days should be a breeze, eh? 🙂 At least tomorrow, it will once again feel like spring. A high of 61 with what looks like it will be an abundance of sunshine. Can’t fight that, correct? My sister AND my brother in southern Wisconsin sent me pics of their surroundings today. Everything that should have been green if not brown-turning green, was white. They had some snow this morning. Neither seemed to be too pleased. Then my brother said he’d be in Coco Beach in another week. Oh brother!

As days went, it was a decent one. As I mentioned last night, no commitments to anyone today. Just to me. I had to get groceries, for starters. And we all know how Mr. Brooks loves grocery shopping in the time of Covid. Ugh. Made it in and out as quickly as possible. It was kind of busy, actually, when I got there around 11:30. Once done, I returned home, unloaded the groceries and headed out for my second errand. This one was far more fun than the first one. Until it wasn’t. I headed to Barnes and Noble for a specific book that came out yesterday which I had totally forgotten. So, I ran to Burnsville’s store. Once there, I didn’t see it on the front stands, which was somewhat surprising. And still, I figured it could be on the shelves someplace in the genre section it belonged. I asked at the Information counter. They said they didn’t have any copies. Nor did Eagan. However, the MOA did. And Eden Prairie. Not helpful. So, I simply ordered a copy. I would rather pull it off the shelf with my own mitts, but so it goes. It will likely be here before the weekend is over. Oh well. I’ll tell you/show you the title when it arrives. Not before 😛

So, I returned home. Made my lunch and watched a little Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke. And then, I received a text. It was from my parade boss. She wanted to stop by and deliver a bag of frozen chicken thighs and drumstick sections. You know how I love the thighs and who doesn’t love a drumstick. So, I waited for her arrival. In the meantime, Sammy and his owner made their appearance and it was time, or at least Sammy told me it was, for a Chewy treat. He goes crazy over these things. I absolutely love that dog. Eventually, the boss came, handed over the chicken as well as another bag of apples. For the squirrels. She’s in tune with the animals as I am. One of the reasons we get along 🙂

At 3:00, the Brewers/Padres final game of the 3-game series started. This was a game that, if the Brewers won, it would be a Brewer sweep! And the final verdict? SWEEEEEEEEEP! 4-2. Being a Brewers fan right now is damn fun. This team is surprising all of us. I know it’s only week 3, but it’s a heckuva ride thus far already! If everyone stays healthy, no reason this can’t be the status quo. Right now, spending that $129 on the MLB package is definitely worth it.

A surprise visitor showed up around 5ish. And he just left, so I am starving and in need of food and way behind on the evening’s plan. I was going to make one of those teriyaki pork loins, but not at 8:15 in the evening. It will be tomorrow night’s menu. Looks like cereal and toast to get me through the final four hours of the night. It works.

It’s time to once again begin thinking about Thursday night’s special edition post. I don’t come up with these ideas until the very last minute it seems. The well feels very dry at the moment. Hoping something comes to me so I’m not sitting here panicking at 5:00 tomorrow night. Maybe something will occur while in the dentist chair. It’s just the least of reasons to be there. A filling. Can’t remember when the significance of a dentist chair was so INsignificant. The price won’t be, sadly. And with no dental insurance, issues with the teeth now sucks worse than ever. Oh well. I’ve been fortunate. I’ll not whine too loudly.

I hope your Wednesday has been swell. With only two days to go, and one of them an absolute gem, I hope the week ends on a positive note. It will for me, to be sure. I’ll be sitting in a press box instructing 4th, 5th, and 6th graders where to go on the track and field. I. AM. SO. EXCITED. And it will give me so much material for writing! See you tomorrow night with the GUESS post and then Friday night will be late, after 9 to be precise, after track. Until then…

The Inspirational Quote of the Night: “It doesn’t matter what you say you believe, it only matters what you do.” – Robert Fulghum, author

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, April 20th, 2021

The morning began quickly enough today. I woke before 7:00, likely because my subconscious knew I had to be at physical therapy by 9:40. However, I want to go back to last night before dealing with this day.

Last night the Brewers played at 9:10. It was a great game and was over by midnight. Brewers beat the Padres pitcher who pitched a no-hitter last week. The final score was 3-1. On the road. It’s a great way to start a road trip that has its challenges, especially considering we’re missing two key players to injuries. However, that wasn’t the story of the night. You ever feel like when it rains, it pours with health issues? Well, that’s been me these last few days. Last night, it was sort of coming to a head. Besides the stuff that sends me to physical therapy, and the tooth that will get attended to on Thursday, another issue seemed to crop up in the past few days. Another dental issue. Ugh. Bottom left area of my teeth. The final tooth that SHOULD be there hasn’t been there for years. Was pulled a long time ago. The gap filled in, but it’s always been a little more sensitive. The tooth next to that area has also been sensitive, especially when I use my Sonicare toothbrush. I have to manually brush that tooth and it doesn’t hurt so much. Doc has done x-rays and has no idea why it’s sensitive to the brush and when the hygienist cleans it. It never hurts when it’s left alone. Well, something happened a few days. Suddenly, that whole area began to hurt. Not sharp pain. Just a feeling of soreness. Like it was bruised. A friend of mine told me to rinse the area with warm saltwater. I started that last night. I finally felt the front of the gum and I could feel puffiness, sensitive to touch. It seemed like there was an infection or something similar. I did the saltwater treatment four times before bedtime. It seemed to help alleviate the soreness. This morning, when I woke up, I did it again. But by noon, whatever was infected or puffy was no longer. Thursday, when I see my dentist, I’ll have him look at the area and maybe he’ll have an explanation. I’m just happy to run my tongue over the area and find it like it usually feels. The swollen feeling is gone. Yay.

Physical therapy was good again. I really feel like he’s helping the flexibility and that neck/head pain thing. It’s nice for once to have something like this actually feel like it’s paying off. And the fact he’s a Wisconsinite makes the sessions even more pleasant. We chatted about the game last night and then he asked me if I am an announcer or anything because he thought I had “that kind of voice.” You know where that dialogue went.

From there, I came back to Apple Valley and headed to Corner Medical because it was time to buy another few packages of compression hosiery. However, I found out Medicare and my supplemental will not cover that any longer. Damn it. Nothing I can do about it, so I will buy them one at a time and spread out my purchases over months. More of an inconvenience, but it is what it is. The older man helping me was very nice. We got into a discussion about Medicare and he told me he will be 65 in January. He asked me how I went about picking my supplemental. I told him all about Haven Financial and how great they were without costing a penny. He was most grateful for the information. I was told about the place and I was most grateful so I consider this a Pay It Forward situation 🙂

Last night I also got MLB The Show 2021 up and running. Today, I played myself the first game of the season. Brewers/Twins. And, of course, the Brewers won 😛 I will be playing plenty of baseball in the days/weeks/months ahead 🙂 And it is good! Actually, I was going to play this afternoon until the announcement of a verdict had been reached. It was then that all bets were off and I hunkered down like so many across the globe, and I focused on MSNBC. And then, the verdict was announced. Guilty on all accounts. I think even the universe breathed a sigh of relief. Mpls will be a different place tonight and hopefully, everyone will sleep a little better tonight knowing justice was served. It’s merely a start but it IS a start.

The rest of the evening will be dinner, TV, baseball at 9:10 tomorrow and then snooze time. Tomorrow is a nothing day, my favorite kind of day. It has to be a grocery shopping day. But beyond that, no idea. Thursday is dentist day and Friday is lunch with a dear retired friend day, so tomorrow is all mine 🙂 Plus, I’m three days away from Track Meet Weekend #1! Yahoo!

Here’s to hoping your Tuesday was a good day. I suspect most of you, like most of the country, was relieved with the verdict. The idea of what might have been the state of affairs for days had the verdict not gone that way…just too horrible to even consider. So, as opposed to 4/20 years ago being nothing but sadness and tragedy, this 4/20 has more hope attached to it. As I said, it’s a start. Have a great evening and a great Wednesday as well 🙂 We’ll come back and see what other world problems we can solve tomorrow 🙂

(a fitting quote for this night…hmmmm)

The Inspirational Quote of the Night: “The world turns on our every action, and our every omission, whether we know it or not.” – Abraham Verghese, physician

G’Night!