Going Up the Country and Down it Soon Too!

Have never seen it but I like it because of the free Showtime/Encore weekend

Before I get rolling let me say on DirecTv (at least up in this hizzy) all of the Showtime and Encore channels are unblocked (free). I check every holiday weekend for this phenomenon and this time, though it is not a holiday weekend, I hit the wrong button on the remote and went to one by accident. This, of course, led me to checking them all and then, upon seeing they were open, I went through the entire weekend and set recordings for things I thought we might like to watch. I do not suppose that it is a coincidence that their series, Outlander, begins it's second season tomorrow is it? Whatever - I will take whatever they want to give me and be grateful.

Some more sad news from the house next door. Remember yesterday I told you about their dog Gus passing away? Well, this morning I saw that another dog of theirs, Maximus, went to the Happy Hunting Ground. Two dogs in two days must be difficult to bear. Maximus was ten years old and, based on the size of Great Danes, I bet that was a pretty long life. We will be very sad when we lose Jeff, just like we were when Maisy died, and, just like then, I will say we will not get another dog but I am not sure if that will stay true.

Tomorrow we head back to Woodstock. "I'm going up the country, babe don't you wanna go?" It seems like Deja Vu every Saturday. Obviously, we like going or we would not continue to do it every week. Cha Cha and I enjoy each other very much (well, I enjoy her very much and she either enjoys me or, at the very least, pretends to enjoy me) it is nice to talk without distractions on the way there and on the way back and get recharged for the week while we are there. It is fun to see how it is always between negative 72 and negative 76 degrees o the bank clock there every week. It is a very charming town and we really like it there. I think we might have to get a Volkswagen Bus one of these days for our rides to Woodstock. We would paint it like tye-dye, of course,

I think I may have written about it here but we have a bird's nest on the wreath on our front door. It had three eggs in it but one blew out because of the high winds we have in the MIDDLE of these corn fields and it smashed. I cleaned that up so the mommy and/or daddy bird didn't have to be continuously be reminded of their loss. We have all been going through the garage to get into and out of the house so as not to disturb the nest. I suppose, other than being on the front door, it s a pretty good place for a nest. All the birds have to do is fly either over or around the house and there is a free 24-hour-a-day smorgasbord there for them.

Speaking of birds...my favorite baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals, have had a rough start this season so far. They are 0-3 while the Chicago Cubs have not lost a game yet. It is still really early in the season but I knew the Cubs had a good team this year with all of their off-season moves. I have said for the past few years that the Cubs would be doing well soon. I have nothing against the Cubs but a lot of their fans (not nearly all of them) are not very kind or sportsmanlike. The Cubs have started to work their farm system like the Cardinals have always done and the farm is starting to yield some good produce (plus the trades...). I just hope the fans can be cordial and sportsmanlike if they do well. Maybe my problem is more about the poor-sport fans than about the team itself. I always enjoy going to Wrigley Field and I don't even care who they are playing when I go. I have been to many, many Major League Baseball parks and it is one of my favorites. Here is to an enjoyable MLB season.

I think I heard that American Idol is done for good. Some pretty decent performers have come to light because of that show but, after season one, I was done with that show. It was a good vehicle for musicians to get some exposure and recognition.

My wandering heart is pretty pumped (which is good for a heart)

Things are leaning pretty-much in my favor to being able to go to Puerto Rico in a few weeks. There some slight chances that I will not be able to go but I already have tickets on a big ol' jet airliner and hotel reservations. There is still a slight chance I may not get to go but the smart money says I am going. I worry about staying on the straight-and-narrow there with my new way of eating but they are, basically, a tropical island so they have to have lots of fruits and vegetables there, right? I am sure they have a lot of chicken there. I will do fine and look forward to new things and obstacles all the time; I am excited like a kid just before Christmas. I have been a traveler my entire life. When I was a kid I spent every summer weekend on a bus to somewhere new in the country with the Fox Valley Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps. We also went on family summer vacations by car every year before those trips began. Heck, I took a plane from my homeland (Germany) to my adopted nation (The United States) when I was almost year old. I guess I was born to travel and I don't really care where I go and how I get there so long as I get back home at the end and that doesn't even make that much difference as long as I am with the people I love.

Okay, I am done. I will probably not blog at all this weekend with Woodstock tomorrow and my parents coming over for a visit on Sunday. Thank you so much for being here today and for stopping-in when you can; I really an happy that you do. Try to stay warm (which is almost impossible in these here MIDDLE parts of late). Have a great weekend no MATTer what is on your agenda. If I see you in Punxatawney tomorrow I will expect you to be there every week thereafter. TTT?...MITM (out) TA!

Be Well
Be Happy
Be Peacful