City Council …1 / W. Center St. Witch …0

  Last evening I donned a fairly conservative  outfit, actually put on some eyebrows and lipstick, and headed down to the Sandwich City Council meeting. Don’t they realize that this seriously cuts into my cocktail hour??

  I picked up Den’s 91 year old Aunt Neenie, who lives one house West of us and took her along…more for moral support that anything else…I was a little concerned when she had to “haul ass” up into the high steppin’ GMC, so I got out and gave her a little push to help.  Ah yes, we were a pair, Neenie and I…Just watching our antics getting in and out of the truck was worth the trip.

 

I ‘m not going to bore you like the city council meeting  bored ME….The train horns were first on agenda, and there were about 12 neighbors who showed up for the “entertainment”…Suffice to say,  nothing really got resolved.   I was singled out to speak first.  I wonder why???…I sat at a microphone and felt like I was being drilled by the US Senate …( same type of crowd…) But I had my notes, yes I did. After I did my speaking and sat back down, I was suddenly struck with a KILLER headache that almost took me down.  We were sitting in the FRONT row!!  Imagine the headlines in the Sandwich Paper…

Wicked Witch of West Center Street Overcome At City Council Meeting…Her Last Words…”I’m Melting…I’m Melting!!….”

I dug some Ibuprofen out of my purse and managed to choke them down without water… Several other of our “disgruntled neighbors” sat at the mics for the bitch session, but I really didn’t pay that much attention..I was in some serious pain! Here’s MY theory about why the headache… My dental appointment wasn’t the “piece of cake” I had surmised…and the magic needle stuff had suddenly worn off…in the middle of the council meeting.!!! (Or perhaps the meeting set it off!) My head felt like it was a pulsating entity all it’s own. As soon as our part of the meeting was over, Neenie and I hightailed it back to West Center St.   My head still hurts today! No wonder the dentist’s nurse called this morning to see how I was…They KNEW this would happen, those evil tricksters!!

 

So….the saga of the train horns continues.  It was pretty depressing to know that even if they put a “No Train Horn” zone on each end of Sandwich, we still have 4 crossings going through town that they will blow at…And they are required by the National Railroad Administration to blow their louder (now 110 decibel) horns 20 seconds before each crossing…Which is ALL the way through Sandwich….This means we will just have to live with them. BIG WHOOP… Full Time Rv’ing is sounding better all the time! …That would be me..above in the black hat, now known as The Wicked Witch of Center Street…The good witch is trying to warn me not to go to the council meeting, but, alas , I wouldn’t listen.

You may notice there are no recent photos on this blog…and it is a relatively short one, at least for me…I STILL have the damn headache hanging on…That will be the last time I let a 12 year old dentist talk me into his “recliner” for  “just a little work”!!! I’ll blog again Friday..hopefully in a better frame of mind!! 

See Where Boredom Gets Ya????

  Between the hot weather and my way of handling a BOOOOORING day…I made the decision to get rid of extra baggage….like hair I don’t need.  

I now resemble a 62 year old with severe dementia, that got her hands on a pair of scissors and tried to “make a statement”..The statement??…”I AM BORED , I AM HOT…AND.. I am a licensed beautician”… Three very dangerous combinations, obviously.  Hey, now I can wash my face AND comb my hair with one swipe of the washcloth!!!  Also, this “do” is very “camper friendly”, if I were IN my camper.

This morning we were lazing in bed and heard the drone of a plane and it sounded like it was flying pretty close to our house…Den peeked out and saw a crop duster doing his thing, which took him almost directly overhead.
 

  Reminiscent of RV’ing, I jumped out of bed , ran downstairs and grabbed the camera.  Yet again, it seems I am standing outside and taking pictures in my jammies…The difference here is that our neighbors are quite used to seeing me in various stages of embarrassing apparel.

This heat is really becoming a royal pain in the derriere.  (Speaking of that, did you see Jonathan's picture of the day?    Nice glutes Nellie!! 

Today I had a dentist appointment to get a filling…WHAT?? I haven’t had a cavity in years…! I was raised with Ipana toothpaste, after all!!  “Brusha, brusha, brusha, new Ipana toothpaste”…..(If you remember that, then you are definitely part of the boomer generation.) I HATE the dentist…nothing personal. Why would anyone WANT to be a dentist?…To stick your hands in someone else's mouth and root around while they are breathing into your face with questionable breathe?..And they PAY to get that degree!!!

I reluctantly went.  By the time they swabbed on the new and tasty (NOT!)coconut/pineapple numbing crap, I was already panicking.  Then the dentist came in. He looked like he was no more than 12 years old, and he had a needle in his hand.. Why, oh why did I let them talk me into this appointment…? Surprisingly, all this numbing actually worked fine..now if they could just find a way to get rid of the drilling noises…WHIRRRRRR...ZZZZIIIIIIING…..WHEEEEEEEE….Drilling for oil?? Next came “filling the hole”..I felt like the 7 dwarfs were loading things in and out of my molar…Finally the “buffing and polishing”.  This felt like a jack hammer inside my mouth...and then the finale… “bite down”…Stick you finger in there one more time and I WILL!   When they  finally sat me back up I asked “Dosh thish numbnesh go way efentshually?” drool,, drool…Oh boy, I ought to make a great impression if this stuff isn’t gone by the City Council Meeting tonight.  “ Has she got a flask in her purse?? and why is there drool coming from the corner of her mouth?”

After my dental excavation, and after taking another long look in the mirror at my very SHORT, DARK hair, I decided I needed a slight makeover…I got out my frosting kit (no, not the one for cakes) , put on my very stylish frosting cap..and proceeded to highlight my hair for tonight’s performance….

BEFORE….

 

 TRA DA!!…AFTER!

…That’s all for now..I will let you know how my debut at the Sandwich City Council Chambers turns out….Who knows..I might just knock ‘em dead… (Either that or they’ll throw my sorry (but very stylish) ass out!)

It’s Hot as the Keys..Why Not Go There???

Ho Hum days in good old Sandwich Illinois….I figured as long as it was going to be HOT here, just like the Florida Keys weather …I may as well “wax nostalgic” and pretend I was there again. These are  some pictures taken in August, 2005, when we still had our Cougar..

This was where we stayed on the way to the Keys, in LaBelle, Florida.  We had just left Fort Myer’s Beach for our daughter’s wedding.  This is an Army Corps campground on an inland waterway coming from Lake Okeechobee.  It was empty, except for us.  Maybe it was because it was August..in Florida…in the sweltering heat…It was, however, one of the cleanest parks we have ever been in.

 

These were taken at Long Key State Park, about half way between the mainland and Key West..We are right on the Atlantic Ocean. They were still trying to clean up from Hurricane Dennis…me too..  From here, we left the Cougar and drove into Key West to spend the day with our daughter and her husband…HEY, THEY INVITED US!!!…Didn’t you want your parents with you on YOUR honeymoon??

 

 

   

I loved Key West..so much history there…so many bars….And yes, that is a real lizard on the counter hanging over the outside counter. (clik the pik to feel like you’re in Jurassic Park) I think he had been over served…he was drooling on the sidewalk.  I know the feeling. The guy hanging out in the doorway of the The Green Parrot Bar was my cabana boy for the day…he was quite the “looker” and followed me all over the island.

 

 

These two newlyweds were our tour guides while we were there…We must have eaten 5 dozen raw oysters (with saltines and chili sauce..that’s how they serve them).  I’ve had never had them raw, but surprisingly really loved them..and they are a natural condiment with a cold beer. Or else the cold beer was the main reason I “really enjoyed them”.

..This was our sunset that evening at Long Key State Park.  We had a super time… I LOVE Key West and would go back in a heart beat…I HIGHLY recommend that state park….Just watch for the sand fleas…but what fabulous views….Also be wary of Hurricane warnings…I think I mentioned in a previous blog that we left the next morning being chased by Hurricane Katrina. Fastest exit the Cougar ever made!

ALLLLL RIGHTY THEN…I am feeling better already.  Have you noticed that I really don’t give a hoot how you are feeling?..If you are bored to tears, or falling asleep, I don’t care..…It’s all about me. I needed a little “injection” of the Florida Keys ,and like one who is addicted to travel, I just got my “fix”…I sure thank you for being there with us!! Wasn’t it fun??  Sorry about the oysters…

Slow Couple Days, But I Found A Purpose….

 

Wednesday the heat go up to “NO FUN” degrees.  I refused to look at the thermometer on our deck. The humidity was right up there, and so was I…on the ledge again.  I just don’t get it…I used to be able to sit outside in the hot sun for hours, loving the summer.  In the past few years I have turned into a steaming shrew who runs from the sun and heat like a vampire runs from daylight.   I sat at the computer on the pretend leather seat for a while, and when I got up, I almost had a puddle on the chair…Looked a little suspicious.

  Bogie went home with the kids Wednesday afternoon.  They had a great time in Hayward, and booked a room at the resort for next year.

  I told you we had a couple slow days…This is how slow they were…Have you ever really looked at those “word verifications” they ask you to type  in when you comment on a blog?? Who the heck makes them up? I decided to give meaning to a few of them, and use them in a sentence..

1. FLOTSISM… Nellie and Jonathan’s dog has a bad case of flotsism.

2.  CLICA….I clica the TV controlla to changa the channela.

3.   ENTALL….Entall of us goin’ campin’, just some of us.

4.  FORTIN.. I can hold my breath fortin seconds.

 

OK, I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one day…I TOLD you it was a slow couple days….

    About one week ago, after another sleepless night of train horns, I decided to take some kind of action.  I know a lot of neighbors are upset over the change in the train frequency and the noise of their horns on our street.  While I was in a “snit” , and feeling very much like the “Wicked Witch” of West Center St., I hoisted my mean, sleep deprived self into the GMC and went to see our Mayor.  I do know our Mayor.   I went to high school with him, and have known him most of my life.… He also knows how I feel  about the trains from a “letter to the editor” I sent to our local paper last fall.

I’m sure he wanted to become invisible when he saw me come in the door, and I’m also sure he knows  that lots of other people in town feel the same way I do.  Our Mayor, Tom Thomas, told me to get some of my neighbors together and come to the next city council meeting.  I don’t think he realized that I would do just that.  I was also not surprised when he told me that the train horns HAVE been notched UP a few decibels in the last 2 years…AHA!!!! I KNEW IT!!! So….. I peddled my bicycle up and down West Center Street this afternoon (in the 93 degree heat, I might add), knocking on doors and handing out notices of the meeting. From what people told me, I think they may need a few more chairs……

 SO….NOW I AM NORMA RAE……

Left is our Tiger Eye Sumac, middle is the home of the Wicked Witch, and lastly is my Blue Hydrangea that ended up pink…Go figure…Thanks for reading!!!!

Taking Care of Business..Important Business!

  Monday I took a look at my calendar and saw that I had a mammogram scheduled at 1PM…I realized this AFTER I had my coffee.  For those of you who DON’T schedule yearly mammo’s ( and for most of you men), they tell you  that they prefer NO caffeine before you have one..I have never been one to live by the rules, but I did refrain from a second cup.

  Took my shower about 11AM…let’s see…NO powder…NO body spray…NO deodorant….Again, these are the rules you must follow before this test.  This cannot be fun for the technician who is stuck in a small room with the door closed, and a very nervous person who is not allowed any personal hygiene products.

I used to work at this Hospital back in 1967,8 &9…I was a Nurse’s Aide (why are you laughing??) I earned $4.50 an hour.  What really blew was that I  had to work the first 2 weeks for free to be trained “on the job”..Since the time I worked there, they have renamed the hospital, taken it to a higher level of trauma, and put a huge new addition on it…I learned more about the human body at this job than I ever did in 2 years of anatomy and physiology class in college! WHAT AN EYE OPENER!!!

  

…Kim must  have drawn the short straw at the front desk, or else they all ran when they saw me walk in with my camera.  WHY is it all of the health care workers look like they are 12 years old???  Kim was a real trooper…She proceeded to stick little mini, multi colored “markers”  on every flaw the “girls” had, (you ladies know what I’m talkin’ about) ,so none would be mistaken as a “bad spot”. I looked like one of the scary attractions in a carnival tent. I really need to get serious here for a brief moment…As much as we women despise this process, it is a small imposition compared to the possible consequences if you DON’T have the test!  A Mammogram is some of the best life insurance you can get, next to a colonoscopy (don’t worry, I won’t expose you to that one!)

Mission Accomplished….

….Now just let me get home and get this stuff OFF of my body..OR….I could play an evil trick on Dennis…hmmmm…better not.

On my walk this morning, I discovered a new species of tree growing just down the street from us in the neighbor’s yard…I had never seen this one before, but I loved the foliage!

 

…I know for a fact that I could cultivate a tree like that for our yard in no time, and it would be 4 times as tall!!

I know this scenery is not remotely comparable to Rick and Paulette's, The Warners , or The Bayfield Bunch.  Actually, these pictures are pretty boring compared to most of you blogger’s great pics…but it’s what I got here in Sandwich, IL.  This next one is for Sam .  

…Sam’s favorite things are my nemesis…the dreaded trains…at least this one goes through town pretty fast…AMTRAK.

I have a few more photos to share with you….I found the one on the left when we were at our son’s house last Friday..I forgot I had given it to Kelly to keep, seeing as he was in the Navy too…. The one on the right Dennis found in our basement….

Den’s Uncle, Clarence Bark, Jr., on the left and right..when he was in WWII…and today (middle)….85 years young. Actually, the photo on the left hung in the Sears & Roebuck store in downtown Chicago during the war. The store picked a picture of a young man from each branch of the military who were from the Chicago area.  Then they blew them up, making them very large, and had them all together on the wall as you went down the stairway of the department store .  We were lucky enough to find this picture in Den’s mom’s stuff after she died.

 

These last 6 pictures were taken at Midway Airport after Honor Flight Chicago flew in with the Veterans who spent the day in Washington D.C. in August of 2008.  Uncle Jr. was one of the WWII Vets who made the flight.  We took his wife, Jeanette, up to meet the flight and surprise him…They were met with an honor guard at the airport…Not a dry eye in the place!

Below center is Hershel, his guardian and a Vietnam Vet , who was assigned to Jr. to push his wheelchair and keep track of him..Every vet had a guardian. On the right and left is one of the Honor Flight Vets who wore his Navy uniform for the occasion.  He and Jr. became good friends on this Honor Flight.

 

WE  ARE SOOOO PROUD OF YOU UNCLE JR…AND ALL OUR VETERANS!!!

I am now a complete “wet mess”, so I gotta stop….Thanks for following.