Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, August 31st, 2022

So long August, and come on in, September! Happy Wednesday to you all.

Three years ago, I had amy first trigger finger surgery. As much as I’d like, I can’t remember the days after it. I don’t specifically remember the doctor taking out the stitches. I don’t remember how my hand felt in the initial two weeks after the surgery. And then, once the stitches were removed, all I CAN remember is going to Twin Cities Orthopedic for follow-up therapy to get flexibility back to the finger affected. That was three years ago. It couldn’t have been too bad or you’d think I would have remembered. However, here I am now. Tomorrow is two weeks since the surgery on my second trigger finger. It’s been painful at times. Oddly painful. All the time my other hand hurting, seemingly begging for its turn under the knife. If nothing else, after tomorrow’s stitch removal and the third surgery, I’ll know what to expect for the two weeks leading up to the final stitch removal on September 15th. I hope my left hand with the first of these two surgeries feels better once the stitches leave. I am sure I’ll be doing a lot of my own therapy. I’ll be rubbing and rubbing the area where he made the cut to help break apart the scar tissue. That much I remember from the one three years ago. Stay tuned cuz I’ll be able to share tomorrow night to some extent.

I also am waiting to post this once it’s 6:00 here. At that time, I can call and find out what time they want me there in the morning. Five gets you ten, though, they’ll want me at friggin’ 6:30 again. Too damn early. I’ll let you know here before I sign off.

So, it was a day of learning for the kids in our district and for me, it was a lot of running around so everything would be in place as I know losing most of the function of my right hand for three days, I needed things set up here in the way of meals and such. I’ll have no dishes in the kitchen needing to be washed as of tomorrow morning. Before I leave in the morning, I’ll have my coffee maker set up so when I get home, I can push a button and the coffee will be made. I’m pretty sure I’ll pick up McDonald’s again when I leave the hospital in the morning and that will get me to lunch. I have food here that requires little to no prep that will keep me from being too hungry for three days. Friday, a former student of mine, now a band director, is meeting me for lunch at the Italian Pie Shoppe. Yup. I’ll be fine til Sunday’s bandage removal. Then, when I can use both hands to some extent, I’ll have more options. After buying corn-on-the-cob a couple of weeks ago the day I had the surgery, sitting down to shuck the corn…what a dumb idea that was. I promised myself I’d use more foresight on this second hand-cutting! Duh.

I did a LOT of running around today. Too much for my tastebuds. I ran down to HyVee first to pick up muffins once again. And once again, they frustrated me. As I stood in front of the muffin display, a worker asked me if I was finding what I was looking for, and that opened my door to complain. I wasn’t a snot. But i said, “You guys are so frustrating. One time I come and you have the banana nut muffins and then the next time, you don’t. I don’t understand why they aren’t just a consistent product you keep here.” She indicated she had some in the ovens baking and that it would be another 45 minutes or so. I told her I was in the process of making sure I was ready to be without my right hand for three days and so I was running around getting items so I didn’t have to do it over the next three days. I showed her my hand with the stitches now and told her the other will look similar after tomorrow morning. So, I said, OK and that I’d return. I did pick up one of their homemade pizzas. I figured that could be a Saturday night meal. I’ve been wanting to try one for months. I also bought a little package of eight potstickers. I figured they might taste good for lunch and that it would be fun. I left and dropped the stuff off at home before running back out. I ran to Von Hansen’s for a few items, then left there and headed back to HyVee cuz it was already an hour later. When I appeared at the counter cuz she took my name and told me to come pick them up from her. She saw me, told a worker to pull out the muffins from I assume the oven. I have a feeling she still had to bake these when we first met. No matter. As long as I was getting them now. However, I wasn’t ready for her to be so very sweet. I got a box full of them with the message on top, “NO CHARGE. Good Luck with your surgery tomorrow morning. From The Lakeville Bakery.” Ok. Nice people still exist. Thank you, ma’am.

After that I did a Target run as well. Then ran home and had those potstickers. I’ll do that again. Those were delish! I still had one more place to go and that was Cub but that would have to wait. It was already past one and I needed to have that lunch and get ready for the writing group. The time came and all six of us were back in our spot in Eagan. It was on the way home when I’d stop at Cub. Now, as I sit here typing, I know that when I come back home tomorrow from Red Wing, I can just hit the recliner and fall asleep with no worries about anything more than healing once again. My left hip has been giving me fits of discomfort. That added to my frustration today. I once again took ibuprofen like the triage nurse told me to do when I spoke to her on the phone yesterday. Did you ever feel like your body was simply falling apart all at once? Stitches out tomorrow, hand cut, next week dental implant, week after more stitches removed…ya gotta wonder what’s next.

As I promised, tonight’s pic is of the two books I bought yesterday. The Galbraith book is actually J.K. Rowlings. This is her sixth in this series. The stories are excellent. No one is going to question Rowlings ability to tell a story. The second book came as a surprise and I already started reading it. I am liking it. It deals with “magical realism.” I tried to teach my fellow writers today about magical realism and how we taught it to tenth graders when we’d teach The Weight of All Things. So far, Other Birds, is a delightful read but I’m only 30 pages into it. I suspect I am going to like this though. It deals with magical realism as well. 🙂

Brewers won today after losing last night. Now we go to Arizona for the weekend. Then on to the Yankees and the Mets. Dear God, help us. I’m going to have some dinner now, so you go do what you have to do. I’ll be back FOR SURE tomorrow night if for no other reason than to tell you I can not write until Sunday night. But I will return to give you an update and to see how easy it is to type with my RIGHT hand bandaged. I am hoping I can still type. I won’t know til I try. Have a great Thursday all and we’ll chat soon! Oh, my time I have to report….as I guessed…6:30. $%$@!!!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, August 30th, 2022

Well, if you were wanting a really nice day this week, I’d say this would have filled that request. At one point, I found myself sitting on the patio of Starbucks on Pilot Knob. I would have stayed there longer and read, but the wind was making holding a book impossible without the pages taking on a life of their own, flapping back and forth, not allowing me to simply read a sentence without the wind’s interruption. So, I had to leave, but I loved sitting out there, regardless.

Happy Last Tuesday in August. Tomorrow we bid this month a fond farewell before beginning my favorite four months of any year. That means this weekend, I’ll pull out my fall scents in the candle department. Saturday while watching the Badger game, the house will smell damn good. As Campbell’s always said, “Mmmmmm Mmmmmm good!”

I bought two new books today. One was a total surprise and the other was a surprise only because I didn’t know this author was writing yet another in the series they created nearly ten years ago. This would be book #6 and it’s over one thousand pages. I love the characters in this series and as intimidating as a book of 1000+ pages can be, I’ll give it my best shot. The problem is next week, Stephen King comes out with a new novel and since it’s King and we’re moving in the direction of October and Halloween, I really want to read his first. More about that book next week. In any case, I discovered this book had been written by this author a few weeks ago but then I forgot it again until last night. So, I knew I’d be buying it. Today, however, I was reading something discussing new books this week and I came across this second little what appears to me to be a gem of a book. I thought about it for a moment, read the book jacket, of course, paged through it, and decided I liked the nature of the storyline too much to turn my back on it, so yup…up to the counter I went. Forty dollars and sixty-five cents later, I had me two new books! And yup…I walked out quite happy with two new hardcovers in my life. Now, they are NOT in tonight’s pics and I won’t be telling you the titles because tomorrow I meet with the writing group again. I believe there are at least two people in that group who read me and will know about these books before the meeting. At the meeting, we share new books, books being read, books read….etc….and I would just as soon keep this new for them tomorrow so tomorrow night, I’ll post a pic of the two books, in case you’re wondering. I have to tell you something funny though. One of the two books had a special little stickum on the cover. And I knew this stickum would leave a gummy substance behind once I peeled it off. Gyod, how I hate that! But a year to two years ago, I came across a product that no longer allows me to let me OCD regarding books run rampant. Goo Gone. That stuff is like a miracle. A little on a piece of gauze, a little rubbing where the gummy crud resides, and in ten seconds, it’s all gone and there is no evidence that a sticker ever existed there. Take THAT sticky residue! I promise to show you the books tomorrow night.

Last night I watched the Brewers/Pirates game as I told you I would. In Milwaukee. And I told you they needed to continue to win. Well, there was doubt going into the 8th inning that winning was in their future last night, but then…they pulled out that bottle of MAGIC and everything changed once again. On Saturday night, Derek Mitchell was introduced to the fans as a brand new MLB player. He appeared in center field in the top of the ninth, and then we won. On Sunday, the coach put him in for the entire game. He received his first major league hit in that game. It was a double, scoring two runs. It was enough to give us the lead at that time. His mom, dad (crying like a sieve), sister and wife were in the stands. Their excitement over his hit was incredibly refreshing and delightful to see. Then, last night, he played his complete second game of his career. We were down by two runs in the bottom of the eighth. With one runner on and two outs, he came to the plate. It was his birthday as well. Like it was scripted, he swung and hit the ball outta field, scoring himself and the runner on base, tying the game. I was going nuts in my living room. These games are playoff intensity games. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, another player with a runner on hit a walk-off homer scoring another two runs, winning the game for the home team! It was so fun to watch. Tonight as they play the early innings, I’ll be watching the fourth LIVE show of America’s Got Talent. I’ll definitely be keeping one eye on the game, but hoping we get ourselves another win. We need it!

I spent some time writing an old fashioned letter to my former head resident from Eau Claire. Obviously, it went the electronic path of an email, but still… I was bringing him up to snuff with the hands and the screenplay and other things in my world as well as asking him about his. Little did I know when I met the man in 1978 that over four decades later, we’d still be friends in communication with one another. One of the cool things about life. One of the VERY cool things about life, actually 🙂

I nearly had a moment of weakness today when I began to wonder as I was driving if the BOGO sale at Abdallah’s was still happening but then my conscience said, “NO! YOU HAVE ENOUGH IN THE FRIDGE!” And it was because of that conscience that I never took that turn that would have had me driving by the Abdallah’s electronic sign. Phew! Next time I want to see that sign, I want it to say, “Caramel Apples Are Here!” Enough said. 🙂

Wrapping up here. A brat and an ear or two of corn tonight. That’s dinner. EZ PZ. And you know the rest of the story. We’ll check back in Wednesday night, pre-surgery eve. If I forget to mention it tomorrow night, let me say it now. With my right hand being impacted this time around, I’m not sure what I’ll be able to do with typing this Reflection stuff for a few nights. I will try and I’ll definitely post something Thursday night as to how it went, but if I have to use the hunt and peck method, then it’s unlikely I’ll continue until the bandage comes off Sunday. However, I’ll wait til Thursday to see how easily I can still word process. I’m hoping i don’t have to miss any nights. Time will tell 🙂

To all the kids and teachers in our district….have a great first day tomorrow. May this year be as close to normal as is possible!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Monday, August 29th, 2022

Welcome to week two of “Let’s slice Chuck’s right hand this week.” I’m tellin’ ya, this hand stuff is really unpleasant. I know it will be two weeks since the first surgery and maybe I should expect the pain and soreness I’m feeling, but dang it all…I’m tired of this. The thought of doing this all over again is about as exciting as watching paint dry. My left hand IS sore. You should see me messing with buttons. Then there’s opening a jar. This morning, I iced it before heading to Red Wing for the Covid test. It feels so good to put it on the ice pack. I got to my appointment and waited for a moment before being called back. It was a mere two-three minutes long. Stick the instrument up the nose, five seconds later, bring it out and send me on my way. I’m surprised I haven’t gotten the results yet as I write this. I think I had them before now two weeks ago when I did it for the first surgery. I’m sure I’ll hear before bedtime. Even possible before I finish this!

Happy Monday! No more Mondays in August. A nice day as well. The state fair folks have to love the forecast for this week. Perfect fair weather. Ya gotta be happy for all who work hard to pull this event off. Since many of the vendors use these twelve days to provide their family with the yearly income, it would be nice if Mother Nature would cooperate and make it an event people truly want to go to because the weather is so inviting. As much as I have come to dislike crowds, I tolerate the fair because of its atmosphere. The kid in me will tolerate anything when the event is geared for him 🙂

Last night, my spontaneous buddy came over and we watched the second episode of House of the Dragon. I thought it was a compelling episode. He said it was a little too slow for his tastebuds. lol This show can be quite violent. At least, its predecessor GoT, had far too much blood for my tastes, but again, the storyline is so hard-hitting it’s hard to opt out of watching. I simply close an eye to the violence when it ramps up. This show was instantly guaranteed a second season. I think HBO once again has a blockbuster series to embrace. Reviews have been good. People seem to be on board. Get used to hearing it and reading it…”House of the Dragon.”

I now have a new ailment. I think it’s my sciatic nerve. In the base of my back on the left side, right in the hip…and the discomfort moves right down my left leg. I called the Cannon Falls clinic on my way out of Red Wing today to make an appointment with my doc. They sent me to a triage nurse first. She wanted to ask me all sorts of questions that would potentially have them seeing me sooner than later, but all my answers to her questions didn’t send up red flags, so she sent me back to the desk for making an appointment. I waited and waited until I finally hung up and figured I’d call again. Which I didn’t so I will tomorrow. She did say use heat and take ibuprofen for now. Ok. Can do!

You’re going to hear less from me in the weeks ahead regarding the screenplay. Here’s where it’s at. The drafting is done. The pro reader we want to read this now that we’ve “fixed” the main character issue he brought to our attention is now going to be busy with a play and he’ll not be able to get to it until early October. I don’t think I’ve ever been in anything more frustrating than this project at this point. I’ve always been a person who lives on immediate gratification. I’ve shared this before. I am so ready for this to be done and for us to be in waiting mode, but that’s not how it’s done apparently. I have to learn great patience as the weeks move forward. He is the one who will read this a second time but this time, he’ll feed back to us the nit picky stuff for us to consider. My writing partner values this man’s experience and insight on screenplay writing and finished products. I totally get it. The child in me, however, wants it done NOW! So, don’t look for much from me in September on this topic. You’ll have to be patient along with me. Misery loves company 😛 I will say I have had people asking if they could read the screenplay and I’m making that happen now. I heard from the individual at Stooges in Beaver Dam this morning. She fed me her reactions after reading it last night for two solid hours after she got done closing the bar and stuff she needed to do at her house. Big thumbs up from her. Then another friend nearby also read it this weekend and she responded this afternoon. She, too, had satisfying remarks to share. I, of course, turned around and sent both “reviews” to my writing partner. He deserves to hear what the people are saying as much as I do. I have to admit it’s satisfying to read the remarks of two people who have read what took us nineteen months. Kinda fun 🙂

Time for dinner. Then the first of a three-game series with the Pirates. They’ve won two in a row and they really need to sweep this team and hope they get some help from the teams in front of them…namely, LOSE. Tomorrow is mine. Wednesday belongs to lunch with one of the finest around and then the writing group. Thursday is surgery. And from there on, it’s rest and take advantage of all the stuff I plan to do tomorrow and Wednesday, so I don’t have to hassle too much with my right hand being incapacitated til Sunday. Plan ahead! With college football beginning Saturday, it will be easy to chill all day and then Sunday, the bandage will come off and I wait another two weeks for stitch removal. “The beat goes on…”

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Sunday, August 28th, 2022

I am so addicted to The Umbrella Academy, I can’t believe it. If there WAS a show I was going to binge, it would be this one right now. I find it hard to believe the first season was so vastly different in how it impacted me, but I don’t remember a ton of that season. I do remember thinking how “different” a show it was. Then along comes season two and I watch the first episode and I’m once again non-plussed about it. Only to return to it months later, about a week ago, and suddenly season two grabs hold of my attention span and though it continues to be really “different,” I am so very much loving this show. I have one episode to watch in the ten-episode second season. That will leave me ten more episodes for the third season which became available a few weeks ago. Seriously, I can’t seem to get enough of it!

Happy Sunday! Well, we got some nice rainfall overnight, eh? A friend of mine in Eagan showed me her neighborhood via pictures and it looks like they got a whole lot more wind there than we did here in Apple Valley. She was showing trees down and uprooted…maybe a slight touchdown of a tornado? I went out to the patio when we got the Storm Warning, talking of winds and such, and pulled in my potted plants closer to the house so they wouldn’t blow away. JUST as I was bending over to pull the first one close, the damnable Tornado sirens went off. I swear I left five years of my life on that patio. No joke. It scared the stuffing outta me. I was catching my breath when I returned inside. Talk about lousy timing! They will remain there for tonight. There’s the chance we could get more storms tonight too.

In the past few days, I’ve been feeling the absence of the screenplay collaboration as we await the feedback from the professional reader. It’s like a void has been created in my life and I seem a little lost without the responsibilities of our project. So, guess what I’ve been doing. At least twice over recent years, I’ve written two different stories to share with readers during December, leading up to Christmas Eve. I got an idea recently for a new story and today, I began writing. As of now, it will combine some reality with plenty of fantasy. That’s all I’ve got for ya at the moment. It may never come to fruition, but for now, I believe I’ll play with it in the weeks ahead. I’ll let the idea simmer more before I get too far into it. I’ll try not to think of it as I go to bed cuz I’ll never sleep if I latch onto something exciting. Been there, done that. The only way to deal with that situation when it happens is to crawl out of bed and go write, regardless of the time. I prefer my time in bed once I’m there 🙂 So, I’ll revisit this topic when I see necessary but thought I’d share it with you for now. I’m kinda surprised and I’m kinda not. lol

Aside from two streaming episodes and my morning of The Flintstones and The Jetsons, I managed to find time in this crazy hectic day (not) to wash the sheets once again. It was time and next weekend, I won’t be able to with one hand bandaged again. So tonight, once again, going to bed will be more pleasurable than normal. Nothing like clean sheets. Nothing at all. 🙂

Spent the afternoon watching the Brewers win their second game in a row. They have no choice now. They’ve slipped out of contention enough in the division they have to look to the wild card. And they’re a couple of games out of that with all of September to play. But they must win now. I am so happy I grilled up the entire package of brats last night. I don’t have to think about what I’ll have for dinner tonight. I’ve got the brats and I’ve got corn-on-the-cob. That will suffice nicely. With a new episode of Big Brother and then the second episode of House of the Dragons premiering, I’m good to go until at least 9:00. If my spontaneous buddy doesn’t pop over for the Dragons episode, I’ll hold off until he can make it here and I’ll likely watch the final Black Bird episode. The series is so unnerving I can’t wait for it to be over. It’s very well done, but the storyline is creepy as heck.

Tomorrow morning I’ll be heading on down to Red Wing Mayo so I can get the Covid test they REQUIRE done at their facility for Thursday’s surgery. From there, I’ll return home via the casino. There’s one more freebie in August that’s camping-themed and I will not be there as long as had I gone there first in the morning and then to the hospital. But that’s fine. I wish while I was at the hospital, they’d consider taking out these stitches. When they do, I hope it’s the end to the discomfort I feel in this hand. I’m not very useful with my hands right now. The surgery is definitely needed on the next hand, and the one that was cut last week is simply sore. The healing looks fine, it’s itching like crazy, but it hurts. I can’t even clean my lenses on my glasses without feeling pain. Pretty much sucks.

Tomorrow, teachers return to workshop prep for two days. Wednesday, the kids show up. Friday through Monday, everyone mentally preps for Tuesday, September 6th. Summer is just about over, ladies and gentlemen.

Hoping your Sunday was a good one. If you made it to the fair, I hope you had a good time. You definitely didn’t get a sunburn today, that’s for sure. I wish you had pictures you could share here. I’ll return Monday night with the Covid test results and a pic of what I was given for the fifth and final freebie of August. Until then, boys and girls….

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Saturday, August 27th, 2022

Good evening and welcome to Saturday night! I hope you survived your Saturday. It wasn’t the brightest of Saturdays, was it? But that’s ok. I hope fairgoers had fun. It’s a funny thing about the fair…once is never enough. The kid in me would be there every day if he lived within walking distance. Short walking distance, of course. lol As I was doing odds and ends around the house late morning, I played the movie State Fair on the TV. Obviously, it’s the only time the movie is played in my home 🙂 It’s a classic of sorts. Lots of good music. Rodgers and Hammerstein. It’s A Grand Night For Singing and the theme song State Fair for starters. The version I have is the ’45 version, but one came out in ’62 with Pat Boone. I prefer it over the ’45 version but I never see the other one offered on the tube and there’s no DVD accessible of it or I’d have it in my nostalgia library. In any case, both are charming films, light and airy.

So, taking you back to last night. I was planning on watching the Brewers play the Cubs until I got a text from….wait for it….yup. My spontaneous friend. He was inquiring if it was a movie night. I was surprised to hear from him on a Friday NIGHT. Normally, he’s in his cabin on the weekend. Not last night and his wife was out with her friends, so he decided it was Chuck night. He’s been trying to get me to watch a film for a while now. He even brought the DVD over so it would be here when we had time to watch it. It’s anime. I’m not all that keen on that style of animation, but I also know this movie, Spirited Away (2002) was not just any animated film. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003.  It was the first, and to date only, hand-drawn and non-English-language animated film to win the award. So, I gave it a whirl. And I have to tell you…I loved the movie. Everything about the movie. It was charming, had a great story, the soundtrack backing up the action was excellent and all in all, I saw why it garnered the award it did. My friend sometimes surprises me with his tastebuds in movies. This was one of those times.

Once he left, around midnight, I was ready to head directly to bed. I was still tired from the day before’s adventure at the fair. I woke this morning a tad after 8. I missed the first two of three hours of cartoons on MeTV. It’s a good thing I have just about every cartoon I ever loved from my childhood on DVD sets, so I can continue the cartoon fun on Saturdays despite the time I wake up 🙂 And that’s exactly what I did. Eventually, I went to the patio to husk some corn. I also cut up an apple for my buddies cuz it had been a few days since I’d fed them. After tossing those to the trunk of the tree, I began to husk. As I was working, who should appear but…my neighborhood cat who likes to visit. So, he sprawled as I husked. Too cute. I got this corn, by the way, yesterday at Pahl’s. I’ll likely get more on Wednesday and husk it because I learned something this past week. I need to have whatever I need to have as of Thursday once my RIGHT hand is in the bandages. The left hand was bad enough but I’m not left handed. I had bought some corn, not thinking about the fact I’d have to husk it. It was an unpleasant experience, to say the least. So this week, I want to have everything prepped as I won’t be using my right hand from Thursday until Sunday again. So excited about this, I can’t tell ya.

I came in from outside when I began feeling drops and thought I’d watch the second episode of She Hulk. I put my friend last night through watching the first one. If I didn’t, he’d never find time to watch it on his own, and now, if he liked enough what he saw, he’d find time to watch the remainder of the series. 🙂 Strategy. It’s all about strategy. 🙂 As Saturday rolled along, I began to “binge” streaming service material. I figured why not. No other plans and the weather wasn’t really conducive to being outside. The Black Bird and The Umbrella Academy which might be my new favorite go-to. I didn’t like the first season that much, but thought it clever enough to give a shot in season two. Now I’m sorry I waited so long to give season two a shot. I have four more episodes in this second season before watching the third season, which came out a few weeks ago. It’s clever but it’s more. There’s drama in this that I think was missing in season one. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it sure has me in its grasp.

Time to deal with dinner and tonight that would mean firing up the grill and tossing some brats onto it. I’ll get a chance to use my Secret Stadium Sauce once again. It’ll provide dinner tomorrow night too. Five brats in a package so I’ll get three meals out of it, actually. Tonight I think I’ll toss some onion rings I’ve been wanting to pull out of the freezer for a long time now, and they will accompany the brats tonight 🙂 Brewers play at 6:10 and then maybe a movie after the game.

I’m hoping your Saturday has been peachy keen. Tomorrow I think will be clean sheets Sunday. It’s time. A week later and I won’t be able to with my hand. As I type this, I may grill more brats on Wednesday cuz the work will be done and my hand won’t have to do much beyond pulling the container of grilled brats from the fridge and push them into a couple of buns. 🙂 We’ll return tomorrow night and see how your Sunday was. Until then, enjoy what’s left of you Saturday night and soak in the rays tomorrow!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Friday, August 26th, 2022

It’s a good thing I didn’t have to be productive today because I was experiencing state fair lag all friggin’ day! I couldn’t get it going no matter how hard I tried. I had several items on my list to accomplish but I was tired through it all. If I sat down in the recliner, I was in big trouble!

Happy Friday and thus, Happy Weekend! Another gorgeous day in the weather department. I truly tried to take advantage of it when I could. I woke this morning at 6:15, likely because my subconscious wouldn’t let me oversleep and miss my implant appointment. I think I slept well, for the most part. When I went to bed, I was trying to text someone and I kept falling asleep as I texted. Keep in mind I did pop two muscle relaxers later in the afternoon yesterday to help stave off issues so I could make it through the fair successfully. And I’ve told you before those little puppies linger in my system for far too long. I was in bed early last night too. It was pointless trying to fight it.

The highlight of my day came when I appeared at the implant place in Eagan. I learned something today about Laverne and Shirley, however. For starters, the nurse or assistant or whatever they’re called in the world of oral surgery came to get me, it was not the person who always comes and gets me. So, jokingly, when the person came out and called my name, she obviously looked at me since I was the only male in the waiting room, and I said, “NOPE. NOT GOING. WHERE’S ****?” She laughed, along with the receptionists, and she said that **** was helping another today. I carried on more as I followed her back to my room. “You tell her that we are sooooooo over.” And she laughed and she said she would. Then she took a mold of my lower and upper teeth and then left, indicating the oral surgeon would be in shortly. When she came in, we were instantly bantering like old friends of many years. I inquired as to whether or not she’d gotten to Kentucky to see her family’s destruction and at one point, **** came in the room. So, it was time to perform some more. She came in saying something and I said, “I am so over you! Talk to the hand!” and things like that. The surgeon was laughing hard and I was pleased. It didn’t take us long to know that “the old gang was back together again.” lol When I was telling my regular dentist about this oral surgeon and her family’s woes in Kentucky and such, he was surprised I knew so much personal stuff about her. I was surprised he was surprised. He’s known me since college. He knows what I’m like, regardless who the people are. In any case, the two ladies started shushing each other because apparently they get “in trouble” with the other assistants and surgeons there cuz they sometimes fall behind. They told me the others are jealous of the fun they have with their patients. And that they really hate how much fun we have. I was dying inside. We continued to talk and giggle and laugh and shush. Today’s appointment was short again, mostly about molds of the teeth and I guess the torque testing is done in two weeks when the temporary crown is placed. When we were done, **** insisted she get me two more pints of the ice cream they give their patients when they have a tooth pulled. One for today and one for the last appointment I had in Burnsville where they didn’t give me any (nor was I expecting any, but **** insists I have some.) Too damn funny these two. Before I left, I told them I’ll likely have a hard copy for the screenplay to give to them when I return in two weeks. I said they could each read it and when done, just to notify me and I’d return to pick it up. They’re both very excited about reading it. So, I got my ice cream and went home, only to receive a call from ****, asking me if in two weeks I was ok with an 11:30 appointment instead of a 12:30 one because, in her words, “that will give us more time to talk.” How do you not love people like that?!

I ran to HyVee and Target for groceries and then headed home. I sat in the recliner trying to watch TV but I fell asleep and when I woke up, I thought it was around 3 or so, but I looked at the watch and saw it wasn’t even noon yet! I am going to be in a place now where, with this screenplay pretty much wrapped up for now, I need to figure out what I’m going to do next with my days. Today was a day where I was a little out of sorts. I finally made myself get out of that chair and head to Starbucks to write this Reflection for a while and then I headed on over to Eagan to visit Trader Joe’s along with picking up corn from Pahl’s eventually. I thought once about a movie, but then figured next Wednesday the kids will be back in their classrooms so I think I’ll mark that moment with a return to a matinee to celebrate 🙂 Sounds like a good plan to me. 🙂

I wanna speak on behalf of Trader Joe’s for a moment. I love that we have one so close. They have the most unique items I’ve ever seen. Whenever I’m there, you know what aisle is their busiest? The frozen food aisle. They have such interesting frozen dinner ideas…I picked up the fettuccine (which I’ve had before and loved) and the Seafood Blend (which I’ve never had). It sounded like a great marriage of two food items. At some point this coming week, I’ll make it and I suspect I’ll love it enough to make sure I always have a bag of each in the freezer 🙂 I picked up a bag of kettle corn that looked good. I almost bought a little container of the old fashioned windmill cookies I used to love as a kid. My mom loved them too. I think she was more than happy that I liked something in the cookie department that wasn’t chocolate. lol

On my way home, I thought about Abdallah’s and wondered if they were still having their BOGO sale on the IMPERFECT products. As I drove by, I saw on the sign what you see in the pic. I knew I was doomed. I drove into the parking lot, got out of the car, walked into the store, and yelled, “Stop this BOGO sale! I’m not that strong!” I went to the IMPERFECT counter and what should I see but a couple of bags of my very favorite item they NEVER have in that area. If it’s there, it’s a good day to buy a lottery ticket. Cashew Clusters! Hot damn! AND, there were only TWO bags there, so yes, I bought the one and got the other for free. If I return to that store in September, and I’m sure I will, it will be to pick up caramel apples and then get the heck outta there before I hear the IMPERFECTS begin calling my name! I have enough here to last me well into October. I only allow myself three a day, if that. My stock will last for some time now. And I saved money on a quality product. I’m good with that 🙂

Tonight will be Brewer baseball, hoping they can get back on track back home against the Cubs. Tomorrow night and Sunday afternoon as well. Beyond that, I have no idea what my weekend has in store. Next weekend Saturday? It’s going to be all about the start of NCAA football! Can. Not. Wait! And then, of course, one week later, the Packers play the Vikings here in the Cities. And summer will be but a fuzzy memory. 🙂

I hope you had a good end to your work week. And I hope you have fun plans for the weekend ahead. If you’re going to the fair, then be sure to have some good fun with intermittent calories interspersed throughout your visit 🙂 Otherwise, be sure to find time to relax and suck in the last of the August air. We’ll return Saturday night to see how everyone’s weekend is progressing. And it is with that thought, I bow out of here. For 24 hours, of course 🙂

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Thursday, August 25th, 2022

Hi there. May I say….What. A. Day. I am so incredibly wiped, I can’t even tell you. I just woke up from a brief nap, unexpected. Once we had returned, we grabbed dinner and then went our separate ways. I went inside my home, sat in my chair, thought about writing but that was NOT going to happen right away. I am going to give this my best shot, but I really am exhausted. A good exhausted, I should add.

This day began like any other; however, I knew I only had a short time in the morning before having to shower and prepare for the arrival of my fair date 🙂 She was a little early, and I was fully prepared for that. lol We were off to Eagan by 9:25. We arrived at the parking ramp on Pilot Knob and waited with others for the first bus to arrive. There were enough people there already to fill the first half of the first bus, but that was changing every second as people were arriving non-stop. Who was first in line? LOL….RHS Marching Band parents. Of course! 🙂

It was a cloudy day but we were all in agreement that it was going to be a great day at the fair if the weather stayed like this. A great breeze accompanied the clouds. We arrived about 20 minutes or so after departing and my fair date was impressed how slick this going to the fair process was. I told her I do it each time. NO stress with traffic, parking and walking a distance to the gate. For $5 to cover to and fro, there is no other option to consider in my opinion.

When we arrived, for the first time, the bus parked a bit further from the gate than we normally have parked in previous years. Going into this today, you know I was paranoid about my lower back and how it was going to hold up. Seeing the long distance I’d have to walk from the bus to the gate already made me nervous. However, I had taken Advil and eventually muscle relaxers to help me with my back concerns. I don’t know how much they helped, but they didn’t hurt me, for sure.

I had my sights on those darn Tom Thumb Mini-Donuts right off the bat! So, we began our walk and I was watching all over the place. I would eventually find them in the area of the small kids’ rides. There were other mini-donuts stands around, but I only saw one and it wasn’t Tom Thumb. My fair buddy got for herself a Chicago dog for her first food item. She thoroughly enjoyed her choice. I took a picture of her eating and sent it to her youngest son in the Coast Guard Academy. His response? Classic stuff: “Notice how she only starts going when I’m no longer around.” She responded to him, indicating he had a choice each year and he chose Renaissance Festival over the State Fair each time. LOL

Lunch time rolled around quickly. I found the Food Building and found my Twisted Sister. An Italian sausage in dough, like pig in a blanket, along with marina sauce. It’s yummy. Also ordered a soda. I didn’t know how thirsty I was cuz that soda tasted like a million bucks. Throughout the day, I’d run into Farmington and Rosemount marching band kids, and I’d stop them and say, “HEY!” That alone scared most of them. lol Then I’d say, “Do you know who I am?” It wasn’t long before one of them had the light bulb go on. “Yes! You’re that announcing guy…” I had a blast doing that whenever I could. I told my fair buddy that she was witnessing what I miss most about being a teacher. I miss the kids. Always have since retirement, day one. The reactions when the kids would learn who I was were simply too cute.

One of the buildings my friend wanted to visit was the Merch Building. And O M G! I found something I had NOT imagined I’d find. And it’s NOT in tonight’s pics. My friend was aware of this item as she had bought it in her life. When I saw this item in action, I just HAD to have it. It will make its debut in my home on November 1st. Yup. That’s right. It’s an addition to my Christmas decor. I can’t tell you how excited I am to tell you about this, but it’s going to have to wait. And, I actually got a second item, but it’s not quite the same. And with that, I’ll walk away from the topic for a little over two months 🙂 I know, I know. How can I leave you hanging like this! I’m a widow stinker. (teehee)

The parade rolled around quickly, beginning at 2:00. got some great pics to share with you and the FB people. I was SO glad to be there for the RHS family AND the FHS family as well. And what an incredible day as the sun had made its appearance by parade time. It’s why I enjoy going on Day One. There was a bonus today I had not planned for. One of my favorite, and I mean FAVORITE students ever was at the fair. She graduated in 2014. She knew my fair buddy’s oldest son as she graduated with him. It was SO incredibly cool to see her. Hugs a-plenty. I learned about her sidekick from those high school years. The two of them still are buds. I wasn’t surprised. She had her daughter with her. Apparently the daughter had just gone through a meltdown and so she wasn’t too excited to chat with me 🙂 I’ve told you before…one of my favorite side checks to my career is seeing my kids years after and having a mini-reunion right there on the spot. I told her she and her buddy needed to reach out to me for lunch, dinner, drinks, coffee…. Seeing her was one of the bright spots to this day.

After the parade, my fair date insisted I walk through the International Bazaar since I’d never been there before. And so I did. It was an interesting area. Had I not recently eaten, I think I for sure would have ordered from their Chinese cuisine booth. But, no room left for something so large. Plus, I had my focus on the Dairy Building after leaving the Bazaar. I had wanted my yearly Chocolate Malt. So very good. But, because of my back and the incredibly long lines, my fair buddy offered to stand in line and pick up my treat so I could go recharge the back. She did this more than once, helping to extend the life of my back today. Once I received it, it was so worth the wait. Just loved it once again. We had decided that it was time to head to the busses. It was going on 3:30. But my friend wanted to pick up some items from the grandstand area where we first began our trek today. Snacks. Nuts and other items. Three for $20, 5 for $30. I picked up three items. She picked up five. Then we got something to drink…me a cold bottle of water and she got a root beer. We were going to pick up Sweet Martha’s but the lines at the one closest to the busses was stupidly long again, so we decided we didn’t need them that badly. It was time to head to the bus area.

By 4:15, we were on the bus heading back to Eagan and once we arrived, we decided we wanted to bond for the last time on this day over dinner. And it was either going to be Korean Fried Chicken or Italian Pie Shoppe. And I was going to get to pick. Gee, I wonder which one I chose. 🙂 After a tasty dinner, it was time to shut this day down. We drove back to my house where my friend got into her car and headed home. I came in the house, not really having enough energy to do anything more than turn on the TV and sit in the recliner. I thought about trying to write, but I honestly had nothing left in me. And before I knew it….Zzzzzzzzzz.

Was he weather beautiful for day one of the State Fair? Was their excitement arriving at the fair, seeing all the people and all the fair attractions? Was it more than special running across a friendly face from the Class of 2014? Was the parade a lot of fun, seeing our kids and the Farmington folks as well? Am I thrilled with my new Christmas item? THE BIGGEST YES I CAN MUSTER! YESYESYESYESYESYESYES! This, simply, was a damn cool day. My back survived, a little the worst for the wear, but I proved to myself I can do this. New shoes and a cane helped my cause, I’m convinced. When I’m done here, I am pulling out the heating pad and rest on it for the rest of the night. This was another fair memory for the books. I told my fair buddy I think we have a new tradition 🙂

That’s it, folks. I’m pooped and I need to watch Big Brother. Then the results show from last night’s AGT. So, I’m outta here. At 8:30 tomorrow morning, I’ll be in the oral surgeon’s chair as they give my implant the “torque test.” I have no idea what I’m in for, but I know after this, the final appointment is to put in the temporary tooth. That comes in two weeks. So, we will see you tomorrow night as you begin yet another weekend! Oh yea…and I bet you think I forgot. I didn’t. FOUR MONTHS FROM TODAY IS CHRISTMAS! Ha!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, August 24th, 2022

A busy day of sorts. But all while the weather was decent. A little warm, but it’s August. It’s just not debilitatingly HOT. And I don’t mind warm. 🙂

Today was the day I would get my teeth cleaned. I am never a real fan of this day. I’ve told the hygienist in the past that since so many of my teeth have been pulled, I should be given a bill based on a pro-rated approach. Makes sense to me, but she just laughs. Oh well.

The appointment was for 12:00 and having relaxed most of the morning, it was fine to head on over to the office around 11:40. Normally this summer, if you wanted to look for a copy of the screenplay, you’d only have to look in my car’s passenger seat. However, I cleaned out the passenger’s seat last night to make room for my State Fair buddy tomorrow. Not thinking that I wanted to show my dentist the screenplay! When I realized it wasn’t with me, I was upset. Oh well. Next time.

I had a new hygienist this morning. New for me. She said she’s been there for nine years. She was a nice enough person, but I’m not sure if she did the job that the other ones always do. After they all do the first stage of the cleaning which is the water sonic thing, they use the scraper tool and go through the entire mouth. She did it in one small area with maybe two to three teeth. Then the dentist came in to check things out as always. I just don’t think she finished. I know she didn’t scrape all the teeth, and I find it hard to believe there wasn’t a need. So, who knows?

From there, I went to Starbucks. I had my new book and I thought I’d sit outside and read for a while before figuring out lunch. I ordered from their patio and then, when I walked in, there was nothing. Unusual that they should take that long when there wasn’t a lot of customers needing their attention. One worker asked me if I ordered an iced white mocha. When I nodded, they said they were out of something and I’d need to do a different beverage. Or get my money returned, and so I went with that. Got back in the car and headed to Applebee’s In Apple Valley. It had been a while since I had eaten the Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad. And it tasted great. During my meal, this younger woman came in with what I assume was her mother and her daughter who was maybe 2 or so. The woman ran to the bathroom for a long time, only to return and begin to shoot little videos or have her mom shoot videos of her hanging her daughter upside down or other such things. She put her daughter on the window sill (that faces Cedar) and shot a video of that too. While she was holding the daughter upside down and her mom was shooting it while the little girl was fighting it, a young family of three had to wait because she blocked the path out. When the woman realized what she was doing, she finished the video and then the young mother wanting to pass said with a laugh, “Gonna post that on Tik Tok?” And she, her husband and son left. I had a moment at that point. I realized that at some point in my life, should I live long enough, I believe I’ll be ready to go when I realize I no longer belong here. The world continues to change and just watching that little scene play out told me I’m truly getting old and one day my eyes will truly stick in my head from rolling them up there so much. Tik Tok and such…so not my world.

A buddy sent me a message this morning. “BOGO Imperfects at Abdallah’s.” If I could have, I would have run out right then and there. Then, on the way to the dentist, I slapped myself for not giving myself more time to stop. So, after lunch, I stopped and checked out the goodies. Abdallah’s is expensive candy, no two ways about it. The Imperfects are reduced but still pricey as heck. But to have a BUY ONE GET ONE sale on the stuff in the back? So my kind of sale. There was a counter with quite a bit of candy. I bought one bag or peanut clusters and one bag of chocolate mints. However, I have four total instead of two. I was just about to run out of my previous purchase of peanut clusters. The Imperfect gods were looking favorably down upon my head 🙂

After that experience, there was nothing left but to go home and begin writing this because I knew I’d be at dinner with my Granite City peeps probably until 8:00. And I would no way want to write after dinner. We’re eating at Olive Garden, a place we’ve met before but haven’t met there for a while. And if the weather forecast comes to fruition, we’ll be happy not to be on a patio during dinner. After what I am sure will be an absolutely charming evening with old friends, I’ll return to see the RESULTS show from last night’s AGT. And the Brewers play at 8 tonight as well. It all leads up to tomorrow’s big yearly event. The return to the State Fair. I’m excited about this but I am concerned about my lower back. I’ve told my fair-going buddy that she’ll need to be patient with me. I just hate making her experience a drag, but hopefully we’ll have a fun day together. I am going to scroll through the new foods tonight on my State Fair app. Who knows what I’ll want to tell you about from the world of fair foods tomorrow night.

Final item…my left hand LOOKS to be healing nicely, but I’ll tell you…the finger is sore and I can barely remove the toothpaste cap from the tube without pain. It doesn’t stick any more, which is good, but I don’t know if this pain is from the surgery, the damage caused by the trigger finger all those weeks, or just arthritis really flaring up. All that while my right hand, in the wings for surgery next week, has been hurting more now. As must as I would like to go down next Thursday just to have my stitches removed and then go home, I know this has to happen. But the thought of going through this all again starting with Monday’s Covid test does NOT thrill me. There. Said it.

Come back tomorrow night to see how the fair went. If I don’t post at all, you can assume I’m either still wandering the fair cuz my fair buddy lost her patience with me, or my back crumbled and I’m in a hospital in some type of harness for my back. 😛 Enjoy your Thursday and we’ll see you that night!

(I purposely wrote all this before heading to dinner. Then….I forgot to post it. Good lord. This December I’ll be 67. Uh Oh.)

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022

This may go down as one of the nicest Augusts we have ever experienced. Not a ton of excessive heat. Lots of sunshine. More rain in this month than all of summer, including more coming tomorrow and this weekend. This is some mighty fine work by Mother Nature. I, for one, am grateful.

Happy Tuesday, all! How was it? I had a little running around to do for a while. After today, the week gets a little busier. Tomorrow a normal dental cleaning. Thursday, the state fair and Friday, the second-to-last appointment with the dental implant folks. So, I wanted to do some things today. Got home and squeaked in an episode of The Umbrella Academy along with The Black Bird. I normally like the streaming service stuff at night or on the weekend, but my nostalgia shows today were not fully watchable because the antenna signal was wonky at best. So, simple answer…go to the services.

Gotta return to last night. The Brewers are on the west coast and that means their games start late. Specifically 9:00 last night and tonight. Tomorrow night, 8:00. Since we have begun to drift from the division and the wild card races, we needed to win that first game against the Dodgers. Especially since the other teams we’re trying to catch up with also won last night. Well, it was a helluva well pitched game and it was scoreless until the fourth inning when the Brewers hit a homer. Then, silence until the ninth inning when the Brewers again scored three runs. The Dodgers lost in a shutout, the first one in their home stadium in two years. Whaddya think about that?! With a win coming out of Sunday and now a second win last night, I think the Brewers could take this series with some new confidence they have to now possess. Their top pitcher is on the mound tonight. Last year’s Cy Young winner. And he’s just as tough to hit this year. I’m hoping along with my Brew Crew fans 🙂

Ya know, I’ve been at the age now for a while where technology scares the crap out of me. I used to adjust so quickly to technology but now, I run from it. Yesterday evening, I figured I should look into bus departure times for the fair on Thursday. I discovered it and saw the price for a round-trip ticket. I learned I needed to get the tickets early and save a buck or pay at the time in the exact amount because the drivers are not dealing with money exchanges. If you only have a ten and the bus is $6, you are going to donate your $4 or you’re not getting on the bus. So, I did what I thought I needed to do. I avoided downloading the app cuz I didn’t need to learn one more thing at the moment. A point in the process occurred when the system asks if I wanted extra protection so my tickets wouldn’t be stolen. I thought it odd, but heck, why not. Well, after I did the whole process and I had ordered my tickets, I looked at my bank account to see if the $10 had already been withdrawn. Not only had $10 been taken out but an additional $14 as well. It was the cost of guaranteeing my tickets not be stolen. WTH? Fourteen dollars? It didn’t say anyplace in that process that hitting YES would cost me $14. I was more than annoyed. First I called my bank. I asked them if they would take the charge away. They said I’d need to call back after the transaction had happened as opposed to the “pending” state it was presently in. Good. More inconvenience. Then I looked at the email from that company. It has nothing to do with the MVTA folks. Except, they do offer this company’s protection. Really? People have stolen tickets online from others? I don’t buy it. In any case, I called them from the number I found on their email. And I have to say it was pretty easy to have my money returned right away. George was the guy on the other end and he was most helpful. As of now, actually, it shows in my bank a $14 deposit but no longer does it show a $14 pending charge. So, I suspect tomorrow the conclusion to this story should occur. lol

I had to call MVTA today to ask them if I could show them the tickets on my phone or if I needed to print them. I was told if I had downloaded the app and bought them that way, showing would have been fine. Really? Good Lord. My printer is basically defunct. So, I called my peeps at school, sent them the email and asked them to print out the two bus tickets. Done deal. After socializing, I ran to Cub Foods and picked up the two fair tickets for $14 each. Done deal for Thursday. Nothing to shell out of pocket getting on the bus or walking through the admissions gate. After that, all bets are off as the Tom Thumb mini-donuts will be waiting for me 🙂 I DID finally download the fair app. I have to say…kinda cool. Map of the fairgrounds a nice feature. Shows the new foods and where to find them. I am sure I’ll be using it a lot with my fair date. I should have her download it too so she can check things out before then.

I picked up a few groceries while at Cub and brought those home to put away. Then I left and ran to Barnes and Noble. New book Tuesday. I’m not showing you, though. It’s a secret for now. I’ll share next week 😛 After that, I came home to eat lunch. My errands were done for the day. I really wanted to run to Starbucks again after eating, but last night, late, I finished reading the screenplay, fine tuning it as well as cleaning any errors. Until the professional reader reads it one final time and submits his observations to us, I am done with that project. It’s already weird I haven’t done anything with it. As I asked before, what will I do when we’re just waiting for the shoppers to make us offers. I am going to miss this process, regardless of how challenging it was. It filled my world and gave me a super cool purpose 🙂 I know it’s time to kick in my next project and maybe after Labor Day, I will.

My hand is sore. I need to remind myself it’s only been five days since a stranger cut into the palm of my hand. I am going to ice it tonight while watching the third LIVE America’s Got Talent semi-finals. I think that will help. My right hand has been hurting because of the trigger finger. I can bend my left hand’s index finger and no issue with the trigger finger there. It’s worth the discomfort. But I am not looking forward to another one next week happening.

I’m done here. I’m hoping you had a good 23/22 and may 24/22 treat you as well. I’ll be in the dentist chair at noon. Dental cleaning. It isn’t enough to spend $5000 on one dental implant. Now I get to have her clean the teeth. Last time I was there, I told her my appointments should be pro-rated since I have fewer teeth in my mouth than I did five years ago. She wasn’t buying into that theory.

Enjoy your night and your Wednesday. See you in 24 hours 🙂

G’NIght!

Nightly Reflections – Monday, August 22nd, 2022

And so begins another week in August, days away from welcoming September into our lives. Then, it’s all smiles here. My favorite four months are waiting in the wings for me 🙂 Believe it or not, October may be my favorite, even though December brings the fondest and best memories any human can possess. In any case, It’s Monday, it’s nearing its end and we already focus on Tuesday. Or do we?

How was YOUR day? I think today and tomorrow belonged to new teachers and workshops. Come Wednesday, it’s all about full faculty workshop meetings. And that’s for two and a half days, then next week two more days. On Wednesday and Thursday next week, the kids report. Then a four-day weekend and the party is officially over on September 6th. That, ladies and gentlemen, is when I get my movie theaters back 😛 And I am overdue for a visit, believe me!

Hey…last night was the premiere of the prequel for Game of Thrones. This one is House of the Dragon. Now, for a number of years, my spontaneous buddy would find his way over here on Sunday nights to watch the newest episode of GoT. He doesn’t have HBO so he knew he could watch it here with me. It was only fitting I invite him for a return engagement on Sunday nights again. He was on his way back from running his daughter to college and wouldn’t make it here until nearly ten, but I had no issue with that. He’s the one who would have to work this morning. So, he popped in, I had our beverages prepared and for an hour, we were glued to the television. It was easy to be skeptical about this attempt to try and reignite the fervor that GoT had with its fans. However, upon completion last night, we both agreed that the first episode came through loud and clear. It was an accomplishment. So, the tradition continues. Sunday nights will be all about HBO and my buddy and bonding over more GoT entertainment 🙂 It was fun.

So, today was another Monday at the casino. I arrived, played my video poker until 1:00 and then walked to the free gift giveaway area. Today they were giving away the folding table (keep in mind this has been a camping-themed month for freebies). I went and picked mine up and then…well, truth be told, I wanted to return to playing more, but if I wanted to leave a winner this week, then I needed to leave right after getting my gift. And I did. And I walked out with more money than I had when I walked in. My little video poker machine was very good to me this week. Amen and Alleluia!

When I pulled back into Apple Valley, I came home, had a little lunch, and then went out to park it at Starbucks to continue my screenplay work. It was a great day to sit outside once again and do this task. I made it another fourth of the way. That leaves me with about 30 pages to go and that will happen tonight and tomorrow. Then my writing partner will get it back and the process will continue. What am I going to do when this is all said and done and we’re just sitting around waiting for the buyers to communicate with us? I’ve thought about that. I’ve gotten to where I loved the creating process, as difficult and challenging as it could be, but it’s sort of what I was made for. I believe that now. It will definitely be an interesting fall for me.

Another HEY! This morning was the FIRST morning when I could shower with no bandage. And no plastic bag. I remembered I had blue latex gloves from the early COVID days. I wanted to cover up my surgery so I could hold on to a bar of soap and do no damage to that area. If I was told NOT to submerse my hand into water, could hanging on to a bar of soap with some force as I use it to clean be good for the affected area of my hand? Well, the latex glove allowed me to do what I normally would do and not to be paranoid about potentially harming my hand. I am glad I remembered. And it was nice to finish showering and feeling like I really was showered. In two weeks, I get to experience this all over again. Ugh.

I got a proposition today, or more so last night. The mom of my horror movie buddy began to inquire about a possible State Fair expedition with me. After some discussion and a disclaimer by me that I might slow her pace with my lower back’s needs for frequent recharging rests, the decision was made. We will jump on the bus Thursday morning and head on out to the fair. We’ll be there when the RHS Marching Band (as well as my second favorite band, the Farmington Marching Tigers) will be in the first day’s parade as has become the tradition. I like to be there to show my support for these folks. And this will be the first year since 2019. In 2020, Covid squashed it for all of us. In 2021, it was hard to find someone who felt comfortable being in a crowded area yet, so this is the first time back and I am excited. I hope my back handles it and I hope my fair-going partner doesn’t tire of my “Ok, I need to sit for a moment.” Let me tell you, however…there are two ways to go on this for me. One, I could simply say it’s too much for my lower back. Short and sweet. Or two, I’m going and I’ll deal with it as long as my fair buddy understands. I’m not ready to sit back and life pass me by because of my back YET. I will not go gently into that good night…For now, I’ll go kicking and screaming 🙂 Tonight’s pic shows my distraction from the screenplay as I looked to see what the times are when busses will leave the Eagan station for the fair. Starts at ten and leaves every fifteen minutes. A good thing :-).

Ok. Pizza night. Chicken thighs are but a sweet memory. lol Come Thursday, I likely may not want dinner cuz I’ll have had an unusually extended lunch at the fair 🙂 I know what I’ll get right away and what I’ll get from the Food Barn and then anyplace else…well, I’ll have to see. Great pics coming Thursday, I promise you. Tonight, the Brewers play the Dodgers at 9:00. Tomorrow night too and Wednesday at 8:00. Come Wednesday, dental cleaning. Come Friday, the torque test on the dental implant. Two weeks later, the temporary tooth. That sure has been one long process over months. Throw in there another surgery on the right hand next week. Is it any wonder I want to get on with September?

Have a good night and a better Tuesday. I may check out a movie, actually. We shall see. Screenplay is first priority. After that…it’s anybody’s guess. 🙂

G’Night!