Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, November 29th, 2022

If you’ll recall, last week, maybe Friday, I tried to tell you that this day was possibly coming. I explained how the forecast, daily, seemed to add a little more to the possibility of a snow event. Until we had a Weather Advisory, and even still numbers were changing, so to see it change into a Winter Storm Warning last night was a thrill 🙂 lol And, the Novak Weather people think we could get two more rounds of major snow, one on early Saturday and one more Monday into Tuesday and that could be mixed with freezing rain. So, stay tuned. But I, for one, think this day was the best kind of day November or December could bring us 🙂 Today was my kind of day. So very nice. I’m sorry for those of you who have to drive and I hope you arrived at your destination safely when this day began and that you arrive(d) home safely tonight. Once you’re home, close that garage door and be happy you made it home safely and soundly.

I went NO WHERE today. I had a definite place I could go to but I was not going to head out for anything today. I was reading on FB that the roads were sucky, not that I needed to read that, but yea. I suspect law enforcement was very busy today. I remained in comfy clothes all day and was real glad I went to Target yesterday to help me through the day here. Now regarding last night’s news I was waiting to continue today.

I told you last night about the mass on the right side of my neck and the history of such an occurrence in my history. Well, I woke up and I think it was better but it was still too large an area to be that swollen or inflamed and for me to ignore. I thought once last night that I would cancel the virtual appointment with a Mayo doc, but I’m glad I didn’t. My Zoom began at 10:45. This is the second time I’ve done a virtual with a doctor. I think it’s slick. One good thing I can say about technology. She was as nice as could be. After I explained everything to her, she said to be on the safe side, she’d like me to get an ultrasound but she was pretty sure she recognized the symptoms. She believes I have a clogged eustachian tube due to sinus drainage. She prescribed a nasal spray that I need to use for two weeks. She said that should eliminate the size and the discomfort it is providing me. Good enough for me. The spray is a steroid and I think I’ve even used this in the past for sinus issues. My pharmacy indicated it was ready at one point this afternoon but I was NOT going out in this weather. I’ll get it tomorrow and start using it immediately!

Speaking of tomorrow…another therapy appointment for me and that will be followed by a trip to Toyota since I’ll be traveling in December and it’s time for the checkup anyhow. I hope they don’t find anything else cuz I have another meeting with the writers at 3:00 tomorrow. I will need to find lunch between the therapy and the Toyota appointment. Since Applebee’s is now closed in Burnsville, I will have to hunt down a new place. Hmmmmm….

I know I’ve told you this before, but it doesn’t hurt sharing it again. When I was a tyke, I would pray the rosary each year around this time that there’d be snow on the ground for my birthday. My mother was not thrilled I was using the rosary and prayer for such a reason, but that’s ok. The Virgin Mother and I had a tight bond. And she usually came through for me. lol I eventually graduated from birthday wishes to snow for shoveling so I could make money! That really thrilled Mom too. I didn’t pray for this snow, but I was secretly hoping we’d get some, if I’m being honest. Now it just looks like Christmas, so sending cards, shopping for gifts, watching holiday movies and shows, and staring at my tree has a setting to accommodate my love for December. This weekend’s Christmas concert at Gustavus and the next day at The Well has a backdrop now and I think that’s awesome. And driving in the neighborhoods now, all people’s decorations will be snow covered and they will be beautiful. Is it any wonder I am jointly responsible for writing a Christmas movie screenplay?! Ho Ho Ho.

I received a package today in the mail. Check tonight’s pics. I can’t say for sure, but I am pretty certain it is from my department coordinator, the older woman who we have breakfast with once a month at Panera. She has been sending me something every year for my birthday (which isn’t til next week) and today’s came a little earlier than normal. It’s something that I can begin on the First Day of Christmas, and I think I can decide when that is 🙂 Ho Ho Ho.

I’m glad I stopped at Target yesterday. It provided lunch today and will do the same for dinner tonight. will continue to work on my Sunday concert script tonight too. I am getting closer to finishing it and then once again I will send it to my friend in the main office at RHS, she’ll print it for me and then I’ll take it home, cut it up by the various numbers and adhere each number to a big notecard. And I’ll be good to go Sunday.

Ya know what’s kind of funny but also kind of irritating? I often will write my Reflection pieces. When I do that, I have to try to recall what it was I said in the earlier part of the Reflection as I near the end. And I don’t really enjoy rereading what I wrote, so if I repeat myself from time to time within the same Reflection, you now have an explanation. lol

I hope you are all home safe and you don’t have to go out again until tomorrow when the roads will hopefully be cleaner. Now we prepare for the cold winds. It sounds like it’s going to be miserable outside tomorrow. But again, I tolerate this through December and then…it can just disappear and we can have May. Ta Da! See ya Wednesday night, the final day of November!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Monday, November 28th, 2022

Happy Monday. After an extensive weekend, you survived your Monday back in the saddle! Congratulations. And as it turns out, you survived what is sounding more and more like the lull before the storm! “…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 9 PM CST TUESDAY… WHAT…Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches. Highest snowfall totals will be found along a swath from near Mankato through the Twin Cities metro to near Rice Lake WI. WHERE…Portions of central, east central, south central and southeast Minnesota and west central Wisconsin.” Yup. Tomorrow night at this time, we should be able to sing with a definite amount of accuracy, “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!” As I told someone else, if we can’t have green grass, or leaves on the trees, or flowers blooming, or daylight until 9:00, then give me SNOW!

Today grew increasingly more interesting and somewhat stressful. It began after my normal stuff. I had my second physical therapy session at iSpine in Burnsville for 11:30. Last week, for the one appointment, I had an occupational therapist handle me, but today, a physical therapist drove the boat. Taught me a couple new exercises to do at home and had me try out a new machine for my neck issue. It was a good morning at therapy. From there, I headed on over to Applebee’s for lunch and that’s when the world began to change its shape.

I wrote about this a long time ago, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned it lately simply because there’d be no reason to do so. Once upon a time, and keep in mind I am a hypochondriac, I had sort of an achy area on the right side of my face, and more specifically my neck, just the area below the right ear and along the jaw line. It felt like I had a lump. Or something was inflamed. I went to Urgent Care to have it looked at by someone far more objective than I was being. A female doc met with me, and ordered an ultra sound, but she was not overly concerned. Certainly not as much as I was. lol Well, when the results returned, she said nothing showed up. She mentioned that likely a gland was clogged and needed to be unclogged. And how I was to do that was to take ibuprofen, ice it, and suck on lemon drops to provide saliva to help wash away the clog. I thought she was nuts, but ok. I was happy to not hear something terrifying. And, her prescription of ibuprofen, ice and lemon drops seemed to work. Ok, you needed to know that to understand today.

So, in the final minutes of my therapy session, my therapist was playing around with that same area of my neck, indicating that the muscle there might have something to do with the neck/shoulder issue I continue to experience. And I told her about that area being a problem much of my life since that event years ago at Urgent Care. And, just last night, it felt like that issue was flaring up again. So, my therapist started pinching skin that area. It’s very sensitive to the touch and always has been. It was odd because as she pinched, I didn’t feel that sensitivity and that sort of surprised me. No matter, I left but as I drove away, I thought it felt like I could feel that area of my neck almost blowing up. By the time I got to the Apple Valley Applebee’s, it felt like it was growing on that side of my face. Not so much onto my check, but just below the base of the jaw line. And, frankly, I was starting to freak out again. I had my lunch (I couldn’t even finish it because I was too distracted with my situation) and headed to the AV Medical Clinic’s Urgent Care. They told me when I approached the receptionist that it would be a FIVE hour wait. WTH??? What is with everyone since Covid? It seems like trying to see a doctor is damn near impossible. At least a month waiting time. It just blows me out of the water.

Well, I called my clinic to ask them what I should do cuz I didn’t know what to do. Did my therapist agitate something with her pinching and, over time, it will settle down? Will the ibuprofen, ice and lemon drops work again? The area of coverage seems to be larger, Things like this shouldn’t happen to a hypochondriac. The long and short of the chat was I will be virtually meeting with a nurse tomorrow morning. I made it rather clear I preferred not to travel tomorrow if the forecast comes to fruition. They wanted to at least start with a virtual meeting. At least I can show them the area. And by tomorrow morning, this thing may have settled down. I will pamper the crap out of it all night. I am having no other issues with this. No sore throat, no problem breathing or swallowing, no real pain, just this area of what seems to be swollen or inflamed. Best way I can describe it. Frustrating at best. I have rambled on about this enough now. I will update you tomorrow night. Time to move on.

I made it to Target before heading home and calling Mayo. I wanted some stuff before tomorrow. If I want to stay in tomorrow, I had no choice but to get it today. And I did and now I’m all good 🙂 We’ll see what tomorrow brings. Tonight? TV, I guess. My plan today was to head to Starbucks and continue working on the Sunday concert script as well as my story I’m writing. But that didn’t happen once the face issue reared. So maybe I’ll try that tonight. I should have a lot of time tomorrow, for sure 🙂 My next therapy appointment for the week is Wednesday as well as a Toyota appointment. I was saddened today when I first tried to run to the Applebee’s in the Burnsville Center. I had no idea that it had closed. But it had. Says so much about that area and the Center and where this country is with its shopping. I miss seeing people out and about shopping. I get how easy it is to do the shopping online, but I still prefer to be where I can see and put my hands on products before I buy them. Have always felt that way, but I also buy online. One of those things I just hate changing. But it’s going to change whether or not I like it. Oh well.

Tonight’s pics require a bit of explanation. These are four of the cast members from The Ornament. Now, whoever buys our story, we will supply them with the “models” for our ornaments on the tree. The buy will use whatever method they choose to create the ornaments. However, I thought you should see who we modeled four of our “kids” after. First, there’s Angela the Angel. She is the matriarch of the tree. To her left you have Sergeant Drummer, a soldier from France. Second-in-command on the tree. Beneath Angela we have Ferdinand the Flyer. Ferry is a plane who is afraid to fly. And next to him, Ginger, the gingerbread girl. Ginger is a young lady who is fiery and filled with what my grandmother would call **** and vinegar. She’s a joy. A true joy. So, you now have met four of the stars from the story. 🙂

Ok. I’m ready to put ice on my neck finally. Let’s see if I can shrink this thing some. Hope your Monday wasn’t too rough. Tomorrow, it’ll be like you never had that long weekend! I remember that well. lol See ya Tuesday night. Hopefully with better news.

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Sunday, November 27th, 2022

Well, the beauty of retirement really comes into view on nights like tonight. When I was teaching, after having had four days off, returning on Monday was always a little bit of a drag. I don’t care how much I loved what I was doing and the students as well, losing one’s freedom again to the routine and regiment of the job was never something to get excited about. And still…today I bought something at HyVee and the young man checking me out looked to be of high school age. I asked him if he was presently in high school and he said he was. I then got to the reason I asked him. “Are you ready to return tomorrow after a small vacation?” He said he wasn’t but it’d be ok anyhow. I told him I had taught at RHS for 33 years and I never was ready to return after this holiday break. His reaction to the years…”WOW! REALLY?” and then he told me he was an RHS junior. As I walked to my car, I realized something I don’t think I ever really thought about at all. I realized I’m proud to say that I not only put in 33 years at RHS but that I simply taught for 33 years. Never really thought about it as that big of an accomplishment but I guess it really was. I guess that’s why I never fought anyone who, when they learned I was retiring, would say, “You’ve earned it.” Just a side note because I had a side thought today. IT’s all about sharing here, dontcha know 😛

I managed to get out of the house for a bit today. You already know I ran to HyVee but I also then stopped at Starbucks (shocker) cuz I had two missions to accomplish. One, write this and two, start formulating my script for what will happen one week from today. The Rosemount Community Band (RCB) will be performing its Christmas Concert once again. And once again, not only do I get the enjoyment of being their emcee, but I get to listen to an incredibly talented group of adult musicians play my favorite genre of music this time of year. If you’ve never been, you should think about attending. It’s free and it’s damn good. It’s 4:00, December 4th, at The Well. Happiness guaranteed. The primary pastor at The Well was in attendance last year, as she is for every concert. She really loved something special I did and when I saw her in the summer at our concert in their parking lot, she asked me if I’d be doing it again. I had no answer for her. Then, in October, she asked me once again. It seems she was really a fan of what I did. I told her it wasn’t my place to approach the new director with the question about me doing it again as the concert is about the RCB and not me. I in no way mean to steal the stage or the spotlight from their hard work leading up to the concert. The pastor told me if not, she was going to figure out a way for me to still do it at her church because she loved it so. Well, I brought it up to a friend in the band and he said I should do it, and since I have a relationship of sorts with the new director, I thought I’d bring it up in the most delicate manner possible. lol And he said YES. So, at some point between the songs, I will invited the little ones who come to the concert with their parents to join me in front and then I will read to them ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas…In Rosemount. Yes, our first book we presented to the Rosemount Community way back in 2013. Almost ten years now. Wow. IN any case, I will read it once again to the children who surround me on the floor. I’ll then share a little bonus I will do once the concert is done and if they return to me with their parents. I think we could have a cool tradition started with this. Maybe? Hopefully 🙂

My day began with a smile. The student I had coffee with earlier this past week was heading out of town on his way back to South Dakota. I had texted him, asking him if I could see him for a brief moment before he left. He sorta surprised me by giving me little warning. Thus, he came to the home of his former teacher for the first time, really seeing how that former English teacher lived. Yikes! Tomorrow he begins his career. By the end of the week, he’ll be in the process of moving into his first apartment. Who doesn’t remember what that felt like in their life when they were in the same position? I recall coming to the area to find a place to live, finding one on Rahn Rd in Eagan. A small apartment where I’d live for a year. Having no furniture but Mom and Dad helping a bit by bringing a U-Haul up with some stuff in it. And then that first morning of New Teacher workshop. I remember it well and I was super excited. Well, I wanted to help him mark his first day as well as his first apartment where, in his own words, “I’ll be able to decorate it for Christmas!” Let’s just say he has his first Christmas present and his first piece of Christmas decor. I’ll tell you more later when I know he has opened it, but I told him he couldn’t open it until at least after his first day of work. I really wanted him to wait until he was settled in his apartment but that could be as late as the 9th or 10th and I couldn’t ask that of him, so after he gets home from work tomorrow night, it’s anyone’s guess when he’ll open it 🙂 Many adults made life for me so much more enjoyable as I grew up, well into my late 20s. This is my way of paying it back and supporting a great young man. End of story 🙂

I should be coming here to Starbucks every day to work on my new Christmas short story. Not sure it’s going to be a reality by the time I need it to be. Mid-December for sure. We’ll see. Tomorrow is my next physical therapy visit. I suspect I’ll be introduced to yet another machine if not two. When it’s all said and done, I’ll be doing work on four machines. Two for my back and two for my neck. I need to make an appointment with Toyota cuz I’ll be traveling in December twice and it’s time for a checkup apparently. Wednesday of this week is another therapy appointment. I have GOT to get to Wakanda this week. I wouldn’t mind getting to The Fabelmans as well. Saturday afternoon, my spontaneous buddy, his wife and I will travel to Gustavus, pick up his daughter and her boyfriend, head to lunch and then return to the chapel for the Christmas Concert once again. You may not remember, but last year they invited me (his daughter specifically) and I thought it was one of the most beautiful concerts I’d ever experienced. And when the choirs sang “Angels We Have Heard On High,” thoughts, for unknown reasons, went to Mom and my tears began to form and drop. I was sniffling and wiping and finally my buddy’s wife who was sitting next to me handed me a Kleenex. I leaned over and said, “I have no idea what’s going on!” lol I told him last week that I’d be bringing my own this year. Music is so emotional and all bets are off when it comes to Christmas music. I better not have that same reaction this coming Sunday! I don’t think it would happen with a band as it did with voices and orchestration. I considered myself so fortunate to have been asked and I told them last year immediately that they need to invite me again. And so they have 🙂

It’s another Packer Sunday night. Once again, it won’t be an HBO MAX White Lotus evening. I’m ok with that. I just hope this game is not the embarrassment it has the potential to be. Dinner tonight will likely be HyVee’s potstickers and Cub’s Udon noodles. Easy and tasty. Last night I didn’t realize until it was nearly time to pick up my friend at the airport that I had forgotten I had an apple pie in the grill in the garage I could have had yet another piece of for dessert. I use my garage this time of the year as my second fridge. Works pretty slick 🙂 In any case, I’ve done all I can to withstand the temptation of having TWO pieces today! I guarantee I’ll have one tonight after my main course! That Baker’s Square pie is too good to forget! Geeeez!

Ok. The Christmas season has begun and tonight, I share my first of many Christmas items I have inside my home. Today, one of them surfaced. Nothing dashing and beautiful. Just fun. A countdown to when Christmas is coming. Not that I want to see the days dwindle, but I was raised with the Advent Calendar being at the forefront of life! I have another version that IS beautiful and speaks to nostalgic times. It’s one of my favorite items to pull out each year. I think you can distinguish between which is which in tonight’s pics. Have a good day tomorrow and we’ll check in tomorrow night as to what new experiences they provided me at iSpine. Goody Goody.

One final thought as it’s presently passing through my head. It may not do that again for a month. Something that hasn’t changed since I was a child, at least not much, is something that makes me smile and gives me warm feelings when I see it on the road this time of year. Now that Thanksgiving is in the rear mirror, people are shopping for their trees and I find it absolutely delightful to see trees on top of cars, bound and tied down for a windy ride on the way to the new residence for a month or so. It’s as nostalgic as nostalgic can get. Glad some things don’t change 😉

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Saturday, November 26th, 2022

A beautiful Saturday on this Thanksgiving weekend. Hope you were able to get out and enjoy it. A high today of 51. I love being able to go from the car to the destination without a jacket. That changes tomorrow with a high of 36 forecast. And you know how I was telling you about how I’ve been watching Tuesday’s forecast? How two days ago, it was under an inch and the chance was 50%. Then it jumped to 70% yesterday with 1-3 inches? Well, now, it says 88% chance of 3-5 inches. Stay tuned. I may get my wish and skiers might get theirs as well as snowmobilers. C’mon! If we aren’t able to have green grass and leaves on trees and beautiful plants in our yards, then let winter be winter, 100%! It will help that Christmas spirit out there that has been rather alive with the shoppers these past 48 hours.

I am going to vent about something my phone provider does that irritates me to no end. Verizon. When I was teaching, I got the educators’ discount. It was great. I appreciated it. Then, when I retired, they eventually caught up with me and said they would have to take it away, and I certainly understood. They then said, however, that I was eligible for the “loyalty” discount. It was a decent discount and was their way of saying thank you for being a customer all these years. Then, a couple of years ago, maybe even last year, I got notification from Verizon in an email that I needed to validate/renew my discount if I was going to continue to receive it. I’ve been a customer since forever. They know that. Why do I have to validate (and frankly HOW do I do it) my continued “support” of their services? When I called last year or two years ago, I remember I was already in a bad mood and when I started talking to the woman at the other end of the phone, I was frustrated from trying to do their “easy several step method” in renewing my discount. Nothing was working and I took it out on the lady who was lucky enough to have to deal with me. She put me in my place when my language went south and she was right to do so. But dang it. How stupid, Verizon! Well, it happened again. Got the email once again and once again, the wording of the email makes it sound like they still somehow think I’m getting the educator’s discount and I’m not. So, I called while I was in my car and I was in a perfectly fine mood. “Tabitha” answered and was happy to help, totally understanding my confusion and frustration with having to do anything. As she was looking at my account, she noticed I should be eligible for the age discount. Here’s where I get concerned. From here on, I will see a monthly bill that will be ten dollars less than what I was paying. But, frankly, based on what she said, I should have been receiving this discount all the way along in recent years. And now, did she renew the longtime customer discount? No idea but I guess I’ll find out when the bills come.

I also went into my Social Security account to check out this increase in the amount we are all getting starting in January. I’m going to see an $170 a month or so moving forward in 2023. That’s nice since I got that lovely little item from the state regarding the proposed property tax quotes for 2023. Damn. They just continue to rise and this time, the rise is bigger than normal. And since my property tax is not in my mortgage payment, it’s twice a year I groan writing that check and sending it to Hastings. Damn.

I’ve included something here that is really cool and if you can’t view it, I apologize in advance. It’s a FaceBook post regarding Beaver Dam’s Swan Park, now fully lit with Christmas decor. This park has been around since forever. It had a real turn-of-the-century look to it once upon a time but over the years, it wasn’t kept up and it didn’t provide the joy it once did for people in my age bracket and older. I remember Indian night when the local Indian tribes would come and entertain us with rituals from their culture. There was a pond with dancing waters, all lit. It was really quite cool. The park has been in restoration mode now for over a year, but for a number of years, the city has been providing smiles for all ages in that park beginning the night after Thanksgiving. Each year, they add to their inventory of Christmas lights and decorations. It’s a place that now draws in folks from neighboring cities who bring their families to walk through the park. It is NOT a drive through. You can drive around the entire block because that’s how much space the park takes up. This post shows all the lights as of last night. My sister and her husband drove by on their way back from dinner and she said the beauty of the park was beyond description. So, I hope you can view this. I love my hometown for doing this for the people.

Tonight is the night I hang out at home until around 11 or so when my horror movie buddy’s mom calls from the airport indicating her plane has landed and she’s ready for me to pick her up. Thus, I had my fire in the fireplace last night. I gotta tell ya. This new wood my friend brought me, I believe he said it was oak, is really strong in the scent department. I’ve never had a fire in that fireplace so smell up the house. That’s not a bad thing. I’ve always loved the smell of a campfire. I just wasn’t ready for the scent to be so strong. It was kinda cool. I walked into my kitchen after it had died and the scent had made its way all that distance! Too funny.

I’ve been meaning to share this pic with you since buying that big Hallmark book I shared with you a week or so ago. They had given me a bonus bag for spending over $30. You can see the four items I received. Kinda cool. Love the ornament. The glass is fun. The cardinals are actually a salt and pepper shaker, but they’ll never be used for that, and despite having more mugs than I know what to do with, the mug is huge and nice. Maybe a candy dish? Dunno but I’ll find a use for it each fall.

Just finished watching the Badger/Gopher game in Madison. Exciting game and an exciting finish. Enough said. The rest of my night could be football or it might be a movie from streaming or who knows. And tomorrow…a slow day. Maybe a good day for Christmas cards to begin. Packers play in the evening, so I’m free to hang out at home or to wander out and about. We shall see. I am hoping you had a great Saturday and that Sunday allows you to enjoy a peaceful prep day before returning to work. Cuz it’s comin’ folks!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Friday, November 25th, 2022

Ok, I started this little routine in January of 2022. And each and every month, I came back to it on the one day when it mattered. And now, for the last time in 2022, I will say it again. One month from today is Christmas. We’ve reached the Finish Line for that reminder 🙂 From here on in, you’re on your own. lol

Well, have you been in post-Thanksgiving mode all day or has it been a productive day for you? Once again, the weather has been delightful. And it made for a good Black Friday for those who wanted to partake. I remember many a Black Friday where people standing outside in line at Best Buy, for example, were dressed from head to foot in winter apparel. I once upon a time LOVED Black Friday and I’d be up early in the morning, would have breakfast at Perkins after picking up the newspaper and getting the ads, and I didn’t mind the crowds at all. That stopped when buying presents for people had really slimmed down, not by my doing. Whether it was family or friends who had pulled out of exchanging gifts, there just didn’t seem to be such a great need for Black Friday in my world. And then, as I aged, I was happy to not be out early at Perkins, but I have to admit…I miss it. Oh well. All good things come to an end, eh? I have a dear friend who was out there at 4:00 this morning. Not sure where she was starting at that hour, but yup. She’s got a big family to buy for, for starters, and this woman can find bargains within bargains. I haven’t heard from her yet but I suspect she was successful once again.

Speaking of Black Friday, my email has been blowing up for days now regarding this day and the sales. Amazon and so many more. Driving me crazy! I suspect Cyber Monday will replace the Black Friday emails. I did hit one store today. I wanted to buy a gift, a surprise gift, for someone about who I learned something recently. I figured they would appreciate my gesture and the gift itself. They’re also going to get a Christmas scented candle from my stock. 🙂 To tell you too much more would reveal the individual and the gift. And I can’t ruin that surprise. This is a Pay It Forward act. When I was growing up, probably til I was almost 30, I had many an adult who did nice things for me because I was just starting out and blah blah blah and I always thought that if the day came where I could do the same for someone else in my situations, I would. I like to think I’ve followed through on that self-promise over the years, but I’m never going to stop it. It brings about too much joy and good feeling. 🙂

I had my appointment at noon today with Corner Home Medical. It was time to establish a relationship with this business and cut ties with my Midwest Medical people up north. And what an appointment it turned out to be. A younger woman wearing a mask…and her office in the back of the store with a mini-viewing screen of a picturesque village and a lit Christmas tree. When I saw it, the first thing I told her was she needs a clearer picture, and that set her off on her rant about how she doesn’t understand why it’s so blurry and this that and the other thing. She then revealed to me that she is a Christmas addict. She puts her tree up on November 1st! You can about imagine what happened from here on regarding the reason I was there and the “Squirrel. Squirrel,” moment she created. Now it was all about Christmas decorating and more this that and the other thing. Of course, I had to prove to her just how much of an addict I am by sharing with her the news of The Ornament. She was a delightful young lady and she made a comment about reading a Christmas story this weekend, so with a copy of the script in my car, I offered to her a chance to read it. She was more than excited and seriously, the customers out in the store had to wonder what the hell was going on in that office in the back. She was most appreciative, proven by the number of times she said “Thank you so much.” It sounds like I’ll be hearing from her early next week to come in and retrieve the script and she’ll be ready to share her reactions. I told her to make sure she had Kleenex nearby. She seemed like the kind of person who might be impacted emotionally by our story. It really was a hoot the time I spent there. I walked out with my supplies and all was right with the world. 🙂

I made a stop at Fresh Thyme for grapes and mandarins. Then I ran to Mister Car Wash cuz it was time for another car wash. I am telling you again. This place is so friggin’ slick. Three lanes to choose from. Two are MEMBER and one is the solo wash. This time, there were multiple of us driving into the MEMBER lanes. There is a device overhead that picks up the sticker they apply to the front window that somehow indicated to the bar to raise cuz this is a member driving through. And despite it being busy, it was just so slick. I simply got in line, waited for the worker to indicate I could drive ahead and to put my car in neutral as the wash itself takes over control movement of my car. And then…one two three and I was coming out the other end in their wind tunnel, car all clean! This winter especially, I suspect this place will be busy if we have any kind of a winter with snow and salt and sand. Check it out if you like a clean car but don’t want to sit in car washes at gas stations forever. This is an awesome setup.

I once thought driving to Treasure Island would be fun today, but by the time I finished with stuff, it was late enough in the afternoon I questioned driving there. I wouldn’t have been there long before the sun would have set and I am not comfortable driving at night. I can do it, but if I can control the situation where I don’t have to, especially distances, I just won’t. And today was under my control, so yea. Was sort of a no-brainer. Tomorrow night, not so much. I am picking up my horror movie buddy’s mom from the airport around 11. However, the way there is so heavily lit that it’s not bad at all. It’s when there aren’t lights along the sides of the road that shakes me. And the road to the casino is NOT lit at all.

Tonight is all about my leftover turkey, taters, green beans, dinner rolls and APPLE PIE! YAY! It was really good last night. I do not have apple pie but MAYBE three times a year. It’s such a treat and the Baker’s Square pies have always been tasty. Having a piece last night was the perfect topping on my dinner. And I even waited like a good adult for the main meal to settle before jumping in to the pie. I should have gone to the grocery store today, but when I drove by, they looked too darn busy and I didn’t feel like being amidst lots of people. Come dinner tomorrow night, I might really regret that. Could be a weekend of eating out. 🙂 Not sure what’s on the viewing agenda tonight, but I have enough choices, that’s for sure. I also could start my Christmas cards now 😉

One last item from the Beaver Dam files. There is quite a love triangle going on in my hometown these days. It involves my sister, her husband, and….Sunny, the kitty who has adopted them versus them adopting her. I shared this with you a while back but haven’t really updated you. This little princess has both my brother-in-law and my sister wrapped around its little paw. And they are in absolute love with this little girl. I am constantly amused with her pictures and her captions. Today’s was too good to keep to myself. So, check out the pick and then apply these words that accompanied that picture. “I have the patio door open a hair. Just wanders in…😴” Simply too too funny and precious. And now you’ve taken part in it as well 🙂

I hope this second day of the Thanksgiving weekend was a good day for everyone. Appreciate the weather this weekend cuz it looks like it’s changing Tuesday as we may usher in a new round of snow. This morning it said “under an inch,” and now it says “1-3 inches.” When I’ve seen this in the past, along with the percentage was 50% and now it’s 70%, well it usually was something plowable. In other words, winter might be coming and if we could get snow again, then one of my Christmas wishes would come true. For as long as I’ve been able to think, I’ve always wanted snow on the ground for my birthday and that’s coming up. So, think snow, please. Everyone will be happy 🙂 See ya tomorrow night before I journey to the airport!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – THANKSGIVING DAY, 2022!

Gobble Gobble. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. It’s nearing its end and I hope you had a wonderful day and were able to celebrate it as you wished. It was a nice day as weather goes on this holiday each year. No travel worries for anyone who will be driving tonight or even later this weekend. My day was, up to this point at least, quiet. And I was perfectly fine with it. When I stay here over the years on this holiday, I probably live in the past too much. But I have such vivid memories of this day as a little boy and maybe not so little. As I told you, I was never a sports fan until the mid 80s, so while my dad and brothers would watch football in the living room, I was in the family room still enjoying other viewing options. And, in some respects, I relive some of that on this day when I’m by my lonesome. I know one thing about this day when it’s me and only me here…I’d never have any health issues related to my blood pressure. I couldn’t be more at peace on this day in my home. 🙂

I started my day with some parade fare. I don’t get into the parade like I used to, so I stayed with it for a while before watching Hey There It’s Yogi Bear! That is such a vivid memory for me, sitting in the theater and watching one of my favorite cartoon characters in an actual feature film longer than a cartoon. And it had Boo Boo and Ranger Smith and Cindy Bear! I just didn’t think TV would ever cross over into the world of movies. But sure as heck and it wasn’t the last time it would happen with TV icons I loved. In my bedroom all day, I played three more movies from the 60s I would watch by myself in the family room while the bigger folks watched football in the living room. A Man Called Flintstones, Gay Purree, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. That last one was not animated. It starred Bing Crosby and I remember liking a lot of the music. But it was a fantasy. So, those sounds came floating down my hall into the living room here from time to time. I guess I could say it was the 1960s in my bedroom all day. 🙂

The first game of the day between the Lions and the Bills was one helluva game. Probably the best Lions’ Thanksgiving day game in years. They darn near won too. It was down to the final 60 seconds. Very entertaining. Then, as I’m writing this, the Cowboys and the Giants are about to begin. The sportscasters are all picking the Cowboys by plenty. It may not be quite the game the first one was, and then, of course, to end the day of football, it will be the Patriots in town with the Vikings. Two losses in a row? We can only hope 😛

At the half of the Lions game, since I had no desire to be in the house for the half-time entertainment so I chose that time to run down to Dunn Bros. to pick up coffee beans so I would have coffee in the morning. Could have been tragic come morning had I forgotten to do that! It was eerie out there too. The roads were incredibly empty. I was actually surprised that Dunn Bros. was even open, but I was grateful they were. Around three, I put the Jennie-O seasoned turkey breast into the oven. That will take about three hours. It will be accompanied by mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, dinner rolls, a salad and that Baker’s Square apple pie to top it all off. That will be my menu in a couple of hours.

It’s an unusual day back in Wisconsin for my siblings as this was the day we celebrated Thanksgiving for as long as I was alive. This year, my second-oldest brother and his wife handed over the duties to their son and his fiancé and their new home. Thus, they were idle today. I am not sure about all my siblings but I know my sister was also hanging out at home with her hubby and that little girl Sunny, the neighborhood visiting feline. She’s now doing sleepovers with them in their sunroom. Too darn funny and too darn sweet. She’s in good hands and will not be impacted by a rough winter as she knows a warm place to go if her real owners are going to be that irresponsible. Don’t even get me going on that topic. Grrrrrrr…..

So, that’s about all I know regarding this day. Tomorrow will be errands, including facing grocery shopping. The day after this day is never pretty in a grocery store either. At noon, I have an appointment with Corner Home Medical regarding CPap supplies. After that, I may catch a movie, but I suspect there will be many people contemplating the same option and with so many movies out there, it should be an active day at all the theaters in the burbs here.

I sincerely hope your day was a great one. Next up…. HO HO HO.

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, November 23rd, 2022

So, my day began on a very positive note. Ignore the fact that the skies were blue and the temps were sane. But I got a text that led me to coffee at 11. Granted, being showered and groomed, ready for public viewing not the preferred lifestyle of a retired guy, but once in a while, for a good cause, why not!

Happy Day Before Thanksgiving. I hope you are ready for your turkey day tomorrow. As much I didn’t NEED to go, I wanted to hit a grocery store for some fruit today. I had run out of my grapes and Cuties and didn’t have the opportunity to shop yesterday. So, mustering up all the bravery I could, I planned to hit a store. But first…

Thanksgiving for the Brooks clan this year will be a little different from previous ones. As a matter of fact, Thanksgiving changed for my family when Mom was diagnosed with cancer back in the late 70s. My second oldest brother took over the responsibility with his wife and had everyone over and did so for years and years until this year. This year, they are meeting on Saturday at the home of my nephew. He and his fiancé bought a new house and wanted to have everyone over for their first hosting event. With me making two trips back next month, I figured I could stay here and do what I’ve done in past Thanksgivings with my Jenni-O turkey breast and mashed potatoes and green beans and gravy and apple pie. The only thing different is I won’t have ham as an option as I have in previous years at my brother’s. The perk is being in comfy clothes all day and night 🙂 I shall be fine.

But first…. One of the best students I have had the joy of teaching and one of the best kids to ever come out of RHS, had reached out a few days ago and I forgot he was hoping to get a copy of the screenplay before he headed back to South Dakota. So, he reached out this morning regarding connecting. I told him 11:00 at Starbucks. Once showered and groomed, I was off. I got there early so I could chill and read a bit. And then in walked my little freshman boy who is now 23 years old and on the verge of beginning his adult life with his career this Monday. He moves into his first apartment Monday as well. Do you recall how you felt when you graduated from college, landed that first job and headed out to find that first place of your own? I remember coming over from Wisconsin in August of 1982. I found a place in Eagan on Rahn Road, pretty much across from the fire station. I didn’t have ANYTHING but Mom and Dad helped me out with some old furniture and such and at some point in that month, I had my first one-floor apartment and I was already to play grown-up. And oh how exciting it was. So, I am fully on board with what my former student is going through. And he was a little impacted by my love of Christmas way back when I had him in ninth grade. He saw my love for the holiday and I do believe I have worn off on him a bit. This is the kid (young man) who texts me every November 1st and says “Merry Christmas” because he knows the tree goes up Oct 31st/November 1st. Today, when we were talking, I said “Wasn’t that video of my new centerpiece of the puzzle with the train engine on it?” and he smiled and said that was one thing he was looking forward to. To decorate HIS own place with Christmas stuff. Yup. I am so excited for him. It is truly his time. We had the best reconnect coffee. This one has always been special in my heart. It’s because he is special. He doesn’t even know how special he is. He will be a success as he moves into adulthood and relationships with many. He’s an instant like and I wish he was closer so we could coffee or lunch or dinner more often. He has two younger brothers, all who are now out of the house, one in college and two on their own. I am so grateful as I have said before about others, that he still enjoys keeping me in his life and finding time to bond over Italian fries (usually) or whatever. I should have invited him over instead of coffee cuz I could show him a whole lot more fun Christmas stuff. 🙂 He’s lucky he dodged that bullet! lol

That was the thrust of the day. I left Starbucks, wondering what I’d do for lunch. Decided Subway would have to do for the lack of a better idea. Came home, ate and then, after an internal discussion of “Go” and “Stay,” I headed out to Cub in Eagan up by 35E exits and entrances. That store is notoriously slow. I figured I’d drive through the parking lot to see if there were many people there. I promised myself if the parking lot looked like a usual Wednesday afternoon, I’d stop and run in and get some fruit. If not, I’d just keep on going. Well, the parking lot was packed and so I left. Figuring I was over there anyhow, I thought I’d make a friendly stop at Barnes and Noble. And guess what?! I found a little gem I hadn’t been looking for. And yes, it’s tonight’s pic. I have had total admiration for this athlete over the years. His hard work and what it has given him is a story for young people who need a role model when it comes to the topic of hard work and overcoming obstacles. It’s not much more than 200 pages, but I expect to enjoy reading more about this remarkable young man. It also reminded me it’s time to start watching for anything on television in the world of figure skating. It’s that time of the year and it will begin soon. And I love spending hours watching the competitions each winter. 🙂

Oh yea. Want to share something with you I ran across today on Facebook. Apparently it was just released on YouTube. Kinda fun. Hope you enjoy it. I did 🙂

The evening is all mine. No real urgency to watch any network stuff I have recorded. I think I’ll watch the final episode of ANDOR on Disney+. After that, not sure what I’ll watch. Maybe one of the three holiday programs/movies. We shall see. Tomorrow, it’s all about my childhood memories and football 🙂 Oh, I discovered this little item on FB today. Looks like it was just turned into a YouTube product. It was kind of fun. And thought maybe you’d enjoy it too. So am sharing it here. Hey. Have a very happy Thanksgiving, be you alone or with loved ones. It’s a day away from work and that’s a good thing, right? I’m always happy now to be around for yet another. This will be #66. Seriously, when you think about it in those terms, it’s rather remarkable. I HAVE LIVED THROUGH _ _ Thanksgivings. Mom made it through 61. Dad made it through 76. I wouldn’t mind beating them both, but we shall see how that plays out, eh? IN any case, happy happy Thanksgiving. We’ll reconvene tomorrow night if we’re not too full and get the lowdown on how the day went. Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, November 22nd, 2022

Well, this was one of those days where I blinked at 10:15 and before I knew it, it was 4:00! This day flew by. And it was full of stuff! No complaints here at all 🙂

This was quite a day. The weather was decent, temps moderate and lots of sunshine again. It had a little bit of everything. Let’s just jump in right away.

At 10:15, I headed on over to iSpine in Burnsville for my first official session on my back and neck issues. When I walked in and approached the receptionist, I recognized it was not the same woman as was there last week for my first assessment with the doctor. This woman was younger and the look on her face said something I wasn’t detecting. She said, “Chuck Brooks?” and I nodded. She then said, “You were my English teacher.” And so began another small world incident. She was a 2004 grad, I believe she said. I had also taught her brother. She had mentioned that her parents had bought our books and she couldn’t have been nicer. We reminisced a bit before the therapist came out to pull me away from Old Home week to begin my appointment. lol For the first half of my appointment, I sat opposite the therapist and answered a bunch of questions as she was trying to decide what the second half of my appointment would look like. And once I had answered all the questions, it began. I was led to a machine I remember very well from the summer of 2016. Its objective to work my lower back. I was strapped in this machine, and she put a certain amount of weights on the back of the machine, then I was to do 40 reps of leaning forward, lifting the weights and then slowly leaning back until the weights returned to their resting place. Forty times. We will start from there next time on that machine and she’ll gradually up the ante on the weights. Then we walked over to where I was answering her questions and she placed a weight inside the box, asking me to lift if off the shelf, place it on the floor, pick it up, walk it to a certain point in the room, return with it, place it on the floor, lift it off the floor and return it to the shelf. She did this three times, adding weights each time. The third time was enough. We will move from there going forward. Then I sat on this cushioned table and was shown two exercises to do with my legs, again working on the lower back and those two exercises will be my homework, as I was told, for the next visit. Two more coming up next week. They will work on my lower back and my neck issue. Four machines will do this work as well. Two for the back and two for the neck. I am hopeful they can fix the neck issue and I hope the lower back becomes stronger. An hour was over and I was on my way to the next series of stops.

I ran to Von Hansen’s in Apple Valley to pick up the crab salad and sausage sticks. From there, I was off to Famous Dave’s where Baker’s Square pies reside. I know a lot of people don’t know that, but when Baker’s Square went down in Apple Valley, they apparently cut a deal to still sell their pies through Famous Dave’s. I don’t know if you need to reserve a pie during the holidays but I walked in and simply asked for an apple pie and voila! It’ll be mine for Thursday. Then I was off to grab some cash from the ATM. Then I had to head to CVS and pick up a prescription. I was getting threatening texts from them to pick up the prescription today or they were putting the product back on their shelves. lol Ok then. And finally, from there, off to Kwik Trip to get my chocolate milk, which they did NOT have again. Grrrr… They had WHOLE chocolate milk, but I in no way want WHOLE milk. I figured I’d hit the Kwik Trip in Rosemount to see if they had my product I wanted. But first, I had to head home cuz my retired buddy was waiting to hear I was home so he could come pick me up and we’d be off to the first of two stops on our adventure.

As I drove into the garage, I got a call from Corner Home Medical. FINALLY, I am going to be a client of theirs for my CPap supplies. With my previous supplier going under, or supposedly going under, I was told by the receptionist at that office to find another supplier. Now I have and I can put that concern on the back burner. I had to make an appointment to meet with one of their people at Corner Home Medical so we could take about the supplies I was going to need soon. Checkmark that one off my list.

My retired buddy showed up and off to Yangs we went in Woodbury. We had a wonderful lunch, as always but then headed on over to Gerten’s just off 494. I have been at this place twice now. Once in summer and now once in the holiday season. I have to tell you. Walking in to their store with the product in the cart, I was bowled over by ALL the Christmas I saw. I had NO idea how much Christmas product this place had, none of it having to do with greenery or dirt! This place was awesome. And I just wanted to look and look and look. My friend was sort of on a time schedule and was trying to move me along. Finally, he had to tell my inner child that we could come back and take in all the Christmas splendor later but for now, we had to pay for the items and head back to the burbs. lol I really was this kid in awe. It was quite the place.

He stopped at the Sam’s Club gas station because of their prices, filled his tank, and then he brought me back to drop me off at the house. Did you see the pics tonight? The real reason for going to Gerten’s was he wanted to buy me an early birthday present. And he did just that. The Deluxe Charmer Door Step Square is the greenery item with the birch rods and the pine cones and the red berries as well as the pine branches. They require nothing more than setting them on the patio and sitting inside my den, gazing out upon the item, allowing it to bring me happiness. And that’s where it is and that’s what it shall do. Pretty cool, eh? While I was there, I simply had to take a bunch of pictures of other things that struck me at the store. And it was so darn nice to be out and about doing all this. When we got back, it was around 3, I believe and I still had a mission.

I wanted to go to that Kwik Trip in Rosemount to see if they had my milk and they did. Success! I also had received an email today from one of my favorite people at RHS in the main office. She was inquiring about where things stood regarding The Ornament. I called as I left Kwik Trip and told her to meet me in the parking lot and I’d fill her in on the news. I arrived, she came out to the car, we hugged and I gave her the lowdown. At least three of my former colleagues on their way to their cars, saw us, came over to say hi to me, briefly chatted and then they were on their way and my friend and I continued our chat. She’s a helluva lady and I love her to death. She’s considering retirement in the next couple of years. Bravo to her.

I came home and tried to write but I was really and honestly tired. I crashed in my chair for a bit before waking up, having the energy to kick in the Reflection of the night 🙂 And so here I am. And that was my day. How about yours? For most of you, tomorrow is Friday! How awesome, eh? The holidays are about to kick in full force. How many of you have your trees up? All the cool kids are doing it 🙂 Come on back tomorrow night and we’ll see what more excitement has transpired between now and then 🙂 Until, however, relax tonight. Lots of excitement coming down the road soon!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Monday, November 21st, 2022

And then there were three…days before Thanksgiving. 🙂 Definitely a beautiful day for late November. Lots of sunshine and blue sky. Can’t complain about that.

Happy Monday! And today is the first day the US is playing in the World Cup and they are up one/nothing against their opponent. And this is a sport I have NEVER had any interest in nor do I now. I hope the best for our team, of course, and more so, I hope the best for the entire tournament. It’s an event like this where some of the worst tragedies occur, so I hope there’s no violent acts that occur while the tournament is in progress.

Last night, I was paid a surprise visit from…guess who….yup….my spontaneous buddy. He was on his way home from the football banquet that was held so he stopped by for a “nightcap.” In our discussion, he learned something about me he never knew, which surprised me. The topic came up because I was telling him about Thanksgiving when I was pre teen. I told him how my dad and brothers would watch the football game (back then, there was only one game played that day) and how I wanted nothing to do with it cuz I had no love for any sports. Give me a good cartoon movie or Martin and Lewis or Abbott and Costello any day. He went on, after his shock, to ask me how it was I came to be the Brewers/Packers/Badgers fan I am today. So, I told him. The first sport I paid any attention to was more out of peer pressure than anything. I had arrived to RHS in the fall of 1982. It was the fall when the Brewers were taking on the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Everyone and their brother who knew I was from Wisconsin was asking me if I was excited for the Series and if I’d be watching. Rather than tell everyone I hated sports, I figured I should maybe watch the game. And so I did. I kinda liked what I was seeing, so the next season, I watched some games. And that continued until 1987 when the Brewers opened their season with a 13-game winning streak and they were getting a ton of attention because they were heading towards a new record. In that time, we had our first no-hitter and THAT was exciting too. And eventually in that season, Paul Molitor would go on a hitting tear and hit in 39 consecutive games. That sealed my love affair with baseball. Next up was Badger football. I am thinking it was either the late 80s or early 90s. The Badgers were slated to be in the Rose Bowl in 1994 and once again, the questions were plentiful. “Are you gonna watch? Are you excited?” Heck, I didn’t know the first thing about football. So, once again, I figured I better watch it. And they won. And it was kind of fun to watch, despite my ignorance surrounding the sport. Well, that interest continued the next fall but now, I was curious how I’d feel about watching a Packer game. Again, until then, no desire. That kid I tell you about who’s hiding out inside me had no desire to be engaged in any sporting events. But, I slowly fell in love with football that following year and now, here I am. My three sports are football and baseball, with baseball my favorite. I will watch basketball if our team, Badgers or Bucks, are having a good season and God only knows how much I love March Madness cuz college ball is simply too fun to miss. You can’t replace college kids’ excitement at these events. I became a fan of tennis while I was in college and that about sums my interest in the world of sports. So, my buddy of many many years now knows one more thing about me. And I guess you do too. lol

I’ve got news on the screenplay front. By the end of the week, if we haven’t heard from the one man who we’ve been waiting on to read and respond to our script, we will move ahead and register and copyright. My writing partner FaceTimed last night, and he shared that the period of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the business end of this department of entertainment goes on hiatus. In other words, we may not get many people to read it until after the new year. Ok. I continue to learn about the business. But at least we can copyright it. We have our pitch letter ready so frankly, we’ll be in a good place when January first rolls around. There’s the update on The Ornament.

I should warn you about something that’s coming and beginning Friday. I’ve tried not to overwhelm you with Christmas pics this month, but come Friday, all bets are off. You’ll see at least ONE pic per night that deals with some Christmas item I will highlight for you. I’ve been dying to do this, like I did last night with that Hallmark book, but now, it’s going to be me unleashed with Christmas pics. So, you’ve been warned 🙂 I would love to see unique items of yours that you’d want to share with us all. My writing partner also is sending me a new ornament he picked up for me yesterday. It’s cute as a bug’s ear and I can’t wait to receive it and then to share it with you. I am still slowly pulling things out of my Christmas cupboard and such for placement in the house. I can’t tell you how I love sitting in my chair, muting the TV and just staring at my tree at night, taking it in and feeling the joy it provides.

Something I should have done today but didn’t cuz frankly, it was taking me forever to leave the house today. However, I need to hit up Barnes and Noble for, believe it or not, at least one more box of Christmas cards. I’ll likely get two boxes and that will give me four different cards to choose from when sending them to people on my list, and that may mean some of you 🙂 I have two styles of cards leftover from last year. I counted them this weekend and I won’t have enough, so I will need to buy more and B/N has a sale usually and then I get my membership discount. I love buying Christmas cards and I love sending them. It’s just one more thing I do in this season that brings me joy. Then I’ll need to buy some Christmas stamps. Usually I buy enough that I am still using them the following Christmas. lol It’s the truth.

Ok. I thought I was done, but I have GOT to share this with you. I’ve told you before that I was sitting at Starbucks on the patio when an older man got out of his car and said to me, “Well, Governor Walz, imagine meeting you here.” Well, he’s here, is appears, every day. And he’s said it from time to time. Today, he said it but then he introduced himself to me. A very nice man, 74, and still very active in a career. He had some impressive stories he shared regarding his career. He’s a booking agent for musicians, basically. However, we discovered we had some common ground between us. It seems he grew up not far from Beaver Dam and his choir director was a man who would become the choir director in our middle school in BD. A man who died far too young but who had the most incredible bass voice you ever would hear. He bowled everyone over when he starred in the community theater production in BD as Tevye, the main male in Fiddler on the Roof. We had a really nice conversation and eventually, he went to sit down to work on what he had to work on and I continued on with this. I never cease to be amazed by small world incidents like this. When he said, “Did you know Harry ______?” I just about dropped my jaw. A name I haven’t heard in some time. I was actually Harry’s tennis manager when I was in ninth grade. I think I did that because I had buddies in tennis and I thought it would be fun to be the manager. At the time, I knew NOTHING about tennis. Ha.

Ok. Don’t say I don’t share 😛 Time to call it a day. Tonight’s pics are simply the two styles of cards I have right now and thought they’d make an appropriate pic for tonight. Hope your Monday was a good one but for many, it was your Wednesday. Life is all about perspective. 🙂 Until tomorrow night, boys and girls. I’ll share with you tomorrow night how lovely it was to be back in the various machines for my first back therapy session tomorrow morning. Joy.

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Sunday, November 20th, 2022

Well, sanity has arrived to the weather department once again. Blue skies and milder temps with little evidence of winds. Not a bad day, as winter days go. Fall days, I guess, for another day or two. 🙂 And so begins the countdown to Thanksgiving.

How was your Sunday? How was your Saturday night, actually? It’s where I want to begin tonight. I have GOT to tell you about a movie I watched last night that I am so excited to have watched. But first, I’ll tell you about Where The Crawdads Sing. I watched that as the first of my double feature films last night. As movies go, it wasn’t bad. It was slow, admittedly, but it’s a mystery of sorts and I was curious to find out who was responsible for the crime being investigated. I’d give it a 7 out of 10. I wasn’t sorry about watching it like I have been other movies. HOWEVER, it was the movie after that I was most pleased with and unless I shared it here with you, I doubt you’ll ever know it even existed. As a matter of fact, it gets its own paragraph. 🙂

I saw this as a movie last summer in the theaters. I had never heard of it, and consequently had not seen a trailer or did I know anything about it. Then, a few weeks ago, I saw Peacock had added it to their inventory of movies. It was then when I watched the trailer. And I thought the trailer was simply delightful. It’s the kind of film that, had 20th Century Fox been behind it, they would have distributed it through their SEARCHLIGHT division of films. It’s the more artsy and edgy Fox department of cinema. The movie’s title is Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris. It’s an hour and fifty-five minutes. Rotten Tomatoes gave it 94%. The fans seeing the film gave it a 93%. It’s billed as a drama but it has its light moments, for sure. There are two actors I recognized from previous films, but I didn’t recognize them by name. I doubt you will either. The gist of the story is a widowed house cleaner, struggling to make money, comes upon a bundle of it thanks to the military and her husband being killed in WWII. She has one wish and to fulfill that, she has to go to Paris. The movie is filled with delightful characters and the drama never gets overly heavy. You might shed a tear or two, but it has a Disney (50s) ending and I thought it was just too wonderful not to share here. I am also including the trailer for it so you can check it out without too much work. If you love the movies and you enjoy something sweet and kind and charming (very much like what I think The Ornament turned out to be, happily), you should check this out if you have Peacock. Here’s the trailer.

After my double feature last night, I watched the sixth episode of Manifest. I continue to be amazed at how much more Netflix has taken the story originally on NBC for three years and filled it with life beyond all of our expectations. I have a former student who was always a fan so we were excited when Netflix decided to take on one final “season” and help the fans out by give the story closure. He tells me that the ninth episode is a game changer and the tenth episode (the final in this first installment of episodes) is a definite cliffhanger. I can’t wait and yet, I don’t want the series to end cuz I don’t know how long we have to wait for the final batch of episodes. But it sure is compelling stuff they’ve created.

Today has been a slow day. Nothing on my list really. I left the house at one point so I could get out and grab some fresh air as well as head to Starbucks to write this and be with people, even if those people were all strangers. I think that’s why I like going to coffee shops, I’ve decided. I can’t go too long without some evidence of life beyond mine 🙂 I want to get back to watch the Cowboys kick the stuffing out of the Vikings. Oh. Did I say that? Oh. Excuse me.

Not sure how the rest of my day will go once dinner comes and goes. I may continue to work on this new story I’d like to share in the final days leading up to Christmas Eve as I did the year before Covid hit, but this is not easy. And I’m not sure if it’s less easy because I’m still in screenplay mode or if it’s something else. I think it’s a cool idea and something I’ve been excited to write since I took the challenge on, but I didn’t expect these many mental obstacles. Once again, stay tuned.

I was in great discomfort this morning with my neck. No matter how I sat or what I did, I couldn’t get it to simply settle down, so I popped two ibuprofen and massaged it with my Shepard’s hook and CBD cream. I’m not sure which was responsible, but just like that, it disappeared and hasn’t returned. Could have been the ibuprofen, but that’s not where my money is. That hook is one of the best gifts I’ve ever been given because it comes in handy for the issues I have with my neck. When I was being assessed at iSpine last week, I brought it up and I was told they could likely help repair that too through therapy. I’d like to go a week without thinking about it, say nothing about suffering from it. So, we shall see. But in the meantime, I’m happy for the hook and the cream!

Speaking of iSpine, my first appointment is Tuesday. My buddy and I are going to take that day, after my appt., and head to Yangs in Woodbury and then Gertens since we’ll be out there anyhow. He has a plan. I’m along for the ride 🙂 Other than that, a quiet week leading up to the holiday, and we’ll talk more about that on Wednesday. I really am considering getting to Wakanda this week. It’s two hours and 41 minutes long! That would wipe out an afternoon, for sure! The next film I CAN NOT WAIT TO SEE is The Fabelmans. It’s Spielberg’s movie about how his childhood and his love for movies. The previews have done nothing less than hype my excitement for seeing it. It will be available Wednesday, but the closest will be out in Woodbury at The Alamo Drafthouse. I’ve written about that place before. I love the place. I wouldn’t mind seeing it there at all. It will definitely be my Christmas movie of the season since I don’t think anything else is coming that I’m anywhere near as excited about seeing as this one.

Finally, the Hallmark Christmas book I promised I’d share with you. I tried to take pictures that really demonstrated the light within the book and the cover which is so unique. If you’re near a Hallmark store, stop in. They have them there. I know $60 is a lot, and if you were to give this to a child, they’d destroy it in a heartbeat because it IS a pop-up book that needs to be handled delicately versus roughly. There are basically four scenes that unfold. All dang impressive. It now rests on my coffee table, and I took a picture of that so you could see how big this thing really is! It’s awesome! There’s three ways to enjoy the book. One, simply look and read it to yourself or aloud for others. Flip the switch to TWO and you get the light and the music. Switch it to THREE and you get the light, the music and the professional narration. It’s a keeper for years and years to come 🙂 Ho Ho Ho.

I’m done. May your Sunday night be your final hours to relax before starting what is most likely a 3-day week for all of you. Time to ring in the holiday season, even though I’ve been doing it for twenty days now. I know, I know…you’re jealous. 😛

G’Night!

(a note about the pics…trying to hold the pages open and still get you the full effect of the beauty of the page was difficult. I gave you an aerial photo to show you just how big this book is. Then, I started with the pages and ended with the cover so it would be the photo that people see as it’s posted on my FB page)