Bird Poop Warning!

They are already studying-up for this afternoon

I planned on blogging something fantastic and then I vacuum and, when I now sat down to blog and I cannot remember what I was going to blog about. I am sure it would have been an award winning blog too.

If I were you I would stay away for Maple Park, IL this afternoon. I believe lightning will strike there. I have not been inside of a church since... I cannot even remember. It has to have been a wedding. Today Jill's brother and sister-in-law, which makes them my brother-in-law and sister-and-law, are renewing their wedding vows. They are doing it in the same church where they got married and the church where we got married. I think the last time I went to church was in Virgil, IL other than weddings. That mass was held outside and a bird pooped on my shoulder. I am not kidding. We were not sitting under a tree. He just flew by and dropped one right on me. I took it as a sign and have never gone back. If the powers from above are going to be that obvious I am going to listen. So, stay away for St. Mary's Catholic Church this afternoon if you know what's good for you. We always chalked the bird thing up to me not being Catholic and attending a Catholic mass but I had attended many Catholic masses (one even with some kind of Middle Eastern language on Christmas Eve with Splenda). I was even married in the same Catholic church that we will be at today. Beware! All signs point to poop on shoulders.

It reminds me of a story about my Great Grandma Kitty (Katherine McGuire). While she was in Germany visiting my mom and welcoming me into the world something similar happened to her (but she was Catholic so it must have been for different reasons). As my mom tells the story, Grandma Kitty always walked with her purse over her forearm with her arm outstretched in front of her with her palms up. One day a bird dropped a deuce right in the palm of her hand. I was there but I do not recall that. Though my memory is failing me I am not really hard on myself for not remembering something from when I was four months old.

I am hearing that the Republican Party is trying to attack Hillary Clinton through her two bothers. It sounds like the brothers have tried to profit from the relation to the former (and maybe future) first family. I don't think this tactic will work. Jimmy Carter became president in spite of Billy Carter. Will they hold George W. up against Jeb Bush? That one is a bit different since his brother was President but I do not think they will hold him to be the same knucklehead that W. was. Many of us have siblings that are totally different than we are. I guess they cannot find anything on Hillary so they are going to attack her in a useless round-about way. I have already decided that, unless something catastrophic or totally scandalous comes-out, I am voting for Clinton again (a different one this time). I voted for Obama twice and I am very happy that I did. I plan to vote for another Clinton twice, as I did with the last one, too.

Yesterday I finished whitewashing the fence, I got the two plants that Cha Cha wanted planted planted and I cleaned out the refrigerator. It was a fun-filled, action-packed day. Jill was right, the part of the fence that faces the street looks really nice white. I don't know why I ever doubt her in MATTers of the yard. She has great vision in that regard. That is why I am just the labor. She does ask my opinion from time-to-time and I do help with the small picture but most of the big picture is all her.

Well, we have lots of stuff to get done today (just like every day) so I had better wrap-up. My advise for the day is to watch out for birds. Thank you for stopping in today. I hope you have a great rest of your weekend. TTTMonday...MITM (out) TA!

Can Jeff Come Out and Play?

I am taking a break after cleaning the refrigerator. That took close to an hour. I am a very thorough cleaner. I take everything out of the fridge and I take all of the shelves and drawers out. I wash  everything (the shelves, the drawers, the inside walls and floor of the fridge, I clean the bottles that have gotten sticky, I take those two identical bottle of catsup or ketchup and drain one into the other  so we only have one... I cannot believe how many different salad dressings we have, I know it will have to be cleaned again in a couple of months, I am simultaneously doing laundry again. I do laundry at least four times a week. That is separate days and not separate loads; I do multiple each of those four days. I am on load two for today so far.

This morning I saw our squirrel again. Right now Jeff is looking up in the trees and barking like crazy so I am assuming the squirrel is taunting him right now. I find it quite amusing. I think I told you that we bought a big block of corn. It is like a 10" X 6" thing that is about two inches thick that is all stuck together by molasses or something. I laid it on the ground and the birds and rabbits have been eating it. The moisture has made it start to fall apart. We have a little metal cage thing that is designed to put suet in for birds and hang it up so I took some of the corn and stuffed it on the basket and climbed one of our trees and hung it around one of the branches about eight feet up or so so the squirrel can get some without being eaten by Jeff. I don't imagine he will come down with Jeff out but it will make it easier to get away if he is eating and Jeff goes outside. The birds don't bother Jeff and they seem to be used to him too but, he doesn't chase them. I think Jeff is still aggravated from that day that the squirrel was throwing nut shells at him from up in the tree and off of the house. I need to give a name for the squirrel. Rocky (Rocket J. Squirrel) seems too cliche'. Maybe Nutz? Taunty? Looking for suggestions. I did let Jeff out last night and he tore out like gang-busters or a house on fire. He chased after a rabbit (probably one of the ones who are alive because of me and the patio chair safe-house). Jeff is really fast but the rabbit serpentined and escaped under the fence. Silly rabbit, fences are for escape!

Can Jeff come out and play?!

Speaking of fences - Fabio ran me over to Menard's last night and I got more white paint to finish my white washin'. It kind of seems like it's gonna rain today so I am waiting a bit to see if painting would be a waste of time. The gate under the white arbor that I painted yesterday looks really nice white. If I stay mentally handicapped long enough we should have pretty much every thing looking new around here. While we were out Fabio also took me to Walgreen's to get some of my medicines and I also got a pill box that breaks the day up into four times (morning, afternoon, night and bedtime) so I can remember what pills to take when. It kind of looks like an advent calendar but there is no candy. I never thought I would get to this point. I have always been very healthy; especially for a pleasantly plump fellow.

I think it will rain today because I mowed the lawn yesterday. If I had washed the car it would be a guarantee. Depending on who you talk to my mind has always been somewhat suspect.

Bill Cosby was asked about the many rape allegations he has thrown his way of Good Morning America today, He answered in such a way that I am not understanding what he said. I guess he will be on Night Line tonight with more of the interview but if this was the tease (and the tease is generally some of the best parts to get you to watch the show) I will not watch it. I probably wouldn't have anyway because I am convinced, with the number of women that have come forward, that he is guilty of the allegations. If not, why would he not have come forward before now? I am open-minded but, had this been me instead of Cosby, I would have been all over the place denying this stuff. But, I am not Cosby and we are all different but come on?!

Sounds like he tried to take his own advise

I am glad I waited to paint outside today because it is raining now. Now I will have to wait and see if it clears-up for this afternoon. The washer and dryer are telling me they are needing some attention too. I will be right back to wrap this up. Okay, new load is going and another load folded. Thanks a lot for stopping by; you always make me happy. I hope it dries outside so I can paint the fence today. Have a great rest of your Friday and your Frinight. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Whitewashed!

BYOWW (bring your own white wash)

Yesterday I painted (white-washed) the gate to the fence on the side of the garage at the front of the house. Cha Cha is big on keeping me mentally engaged: it's odd how "mentally engaged" is a lot of physical work. One minute I felt like Tom Sawyer and then, when I couldn't trick anybody into painting it for me, I felt more like Daniel Larusso (Danielsahn). I have another larger section to paint but I do not have enough paint to finish that portion so, starting it would be silly.It is pretty far to walk to get more paint. The gate I painted is under a white arbor and it looks really nice white. The other part is an eight foot section of fence that is on the other side of the arbor with a lot of vegetation separating the arbor from the fence. It just faces the road in the same direction of the gate so we thought it would look good matching. I think it looks good the way it is now too so, we will see once the boss gets home and makes the managerial decision. Now I feel like heading down to Hannibal again. Sounds like a nice weekend trip for the indigent huh Cha Cha? Maybe a good weekend trip for the demented?

Will The Simpsons kill off: Principle Skinner, Dr. Hibbert, Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Kent Brackman, Lenny, Reverend Lovejoy, Otto Man, Ranier Wolfcastle... with Harry Shearer leaving the show? Did anybody else do any voices in that show? Supposedly, he is leaving over a contract dispute. I loved him on Saturday Night Live. A Mighty Wind and in This is Spinal Tap... I didn't know that he played the original knucklehead in the Leave It To Beaver pilot that would eventually become Eddie Haskell but not played by him. I am a huge fan. Either The Simpsons will have to work-out a contract or they may as well close the doors. Harry Shearer, Martin Short and Christoper Guest did one of my favorite Saturday Night Live skit of all time. I would love Harry Shearer to host SNL now that his dance card will probably be freed-up. I wanted to put the clip of the skit but SNL guards their copyrights so closely so this is the only one I could find.

This is one of my favorite Saturday Night Live sketches of all time

I am tired of all the Tom Brady talk already so I am not going to talk about all of the cheating that is coming out from as far back as 2004 now.

I am so happy to hear that American Idol will be in their final season this coming-up season. That show, in my opinion, has done more to ruin television than any other show in television history. It was the one that lead to all of the: real housewife crap and the bachelor garbage and dating shows and living with stranger shows and swapping partners and the dancing and the kids competing in adult sports and competitions and the models and the chefs and the cops and the Honey Boo Boos and the athletes' wives and the fighting over storage units or the pawn brokers or the fighting deadly animals... I hope all of those shows just shrivel-up and die. And, I still cannot believe that daytime soap operas are back. I am excited, but terrified, to see what will replace all of these shows when they. hopefully, die.

I am going to: clean the kitchen, start some laundry, take a shower, vacuum the upstairs

We are supposed to get our flight information 75 days before our trip. It is 68 days before our trip and we have not received that information yet. I really hope we fly Virgin Air. We are flying over the Atlantic Ocean and it is Virgin Atlantic, right? See what happens when you have so much time on your hands? Maybe this is the real reason Cha Cha keeps finding projects for me to do. It is nice to have time to get all of the things that have needed to get done for a long time done. There is a lot of work to be done on in the basement. I am on a very new medicines since my doctor appointment yesterday and I am trying to get acclimated to those. My seizure medicine got boosted and I am now on anti-depressants at the request of Jill. I do not think I am depressed but I am blue from time-to-time. I also got a pill to take when I go to bed to help me sleep. I have taken one each night the last two nights and it has really worked. I still feel a bit tired throughout the day but I am guessing I still have some caching-up in the sleep department.

Thank you for coming by; I am so happy that you do. Have a great day. It is chilly again in this neck of the MIDDLE. They are talking rain over the next few days so the grass will grow and I will be able to mow the lawn again next week. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Maybe Santa Claus Spreads Illnesses?

Santa even looks like him doesn't he?

I am doing a lot of reading lately for many reasons. I am trying to keep my brain active despite what its plans are. We are at war and he doesn't know who he's messing with. I am not sure if that was me typing for me or me typing for him but he doesn't know who he's messing with. Anyway, I was reading about Wenceslaus I, who was the duke of Bohemia. He was assassinated in 935 in a plot that was said to have been planned by his brother Boleslav the Cruel, Why would they suspect someone named Boleslav the Cruel. He sounds like a nice guy if you ask me. Because of this, however, Wenceslaus was made the patron saint of the Czech state, posthumously made a king and had a Christmas song written about him. He was born in Prague. Some say that Santa Claus was based on King Wenceslaus (his name almost ends in Claus I see now that I type them together and Santa means Saint is Latin). I say Wenceslaus is Santa Claus - enough blogged about that! Case closed.

Yesterday I went to see one of my neurologists. Right now, until next week, he is my only neurologist at which time I will have two. I like the current guy but I have been advised by several people, including my primary physician, to get a second opinion. I am fairly certain my current guy is correct on most things considering my passing-out, my "spells" I call them, and my forgetting so many things. I am amazed by what I do remember and I am saddened by the things that I cannot remember. Anyway, I am on two new medicines. One is an anti-depressant and one is to help me sleep through the night. He also mentioned something about me not being able to work nights anymore. I have been wanting that to happen for over three years but I did not want it bad enough to get it this way. I do not see how he can make that happen but, godspeed Dr.Ta, godspeed. He was pretty emphatic that I cannot work nights though. We will see what the other neurologist says.

I don't believe DNA changing has anything to do with it

I just got done mowing the lawn. What a beautiful day it is outside right now. I wish the farmer's markets had started in town. I guess it wouldn't MATTer because they are on Thursdays in my town. I think, when they start, Jeff and I may go down there every now and then. He still gets a bit excited around a lot of people though so I will have to think really hard about that. He is just a very sociable.

The geniuses in the world just figured out why we get sicker in the cold month than we do in the warmer months and I think they are wrong. They say that our DNA changes in the winter which change our immune systems which activates our inflammation-associated genes. You don't think that, with our houses and offices and vehicles sealed-up make it so we cannot escape the germs of others and we just pass the illnesses around all winter long? Stupid geniuses!

Like colds and illnesses I think less people read blogs too so I think blog readership is down. I am okay with that. I just write to write and, more recently, so I can reference it when I forget things (often). After my doctor appointment yesterday we went to Walgreen's to pick up my two prescriptions. They only had one of them (the one to let me sleep all night long) but they did not have the other one. They even called the neighboring town (Sycamore) and they did not have this one either. They said they would have it Thursday but, I just now got a call from their robot that it is ready. I cannot even remember what this medication is for. I should have blogged about it last night so I could remember I guess.

Remember that I wrote about there being a vote to decide which woman to put on the twenty dollar bill? Well, Harriet Tubman won the vote. I have always been a big fan of hers since seeing the movie about her; I think it was called A Woman Called Moses. I saw it on the 3:30 Movie back in the day; it was on right after school. Now the people making this push just have to convince the Department of the Treasury to get Andy Jackson off and Ms. Tubman on the bill. Why don't they just add a $25 or a $15 bill or something? We have a $2. I think a $15 or $25 would be more useful.

Okay, this is long enough. Thanks for letting me prattle. Have a great day. I hope your weather is as good as what we are having here right now. If it isn't, come on over. I am happy to share. TTTT...MITM out (TA).

Guten Tag Meine Freunde

Please do not use if your issue is medically related

I am so tired of my healthcare provider. I may change the clinic that I go to though that is usually a pain in the butt. Maybe I will just change my primary physician because Cha Cha uses a doctor that she says is very responsive. I go to Dryer Medical and they have this thing called MyChart whereby I can (supposedly) communicate with my doctor. It is kind of like a message board that you are supposed to be able to contact your physician through what is basically an email and they see it right away and can respond to you. A simple "thank you for the information" would suffice in most cases. I sent a message to my doctor yesterday 07:28 and I do not even know if he or his staff has seen the message yet. So, at the urging of Cha Cha, I called my neurologist yesterday (because he is not a member of the Dreyer team and does not use MyChart) and he wants to see me today at 14:00. I am guessing he will examine the inside of my head but he won't find anything. I have always liked that joke as I recall.
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I like that I can watch movies that I have, allegedly, already seen for the first time. I think I may have wrote that here before but I am not certain of that either. I woke up very early this morning, as usual, and turned on HBO and the film Divergent was on. I remember the title but don't remember any of the film. I will often ask Cha Cha later if I had seen that movie previously. My feeling is that I have not seen this one but much of it seems familiar. It seems like it is a movie made from one of those book series that the kids read when they were young and I may have gone with them to see the movie. The synopsis says the movie is from 2014 so that theory is unlikely unless this is like number three in the series or something.

I heard that Tom Brady received a four-game suspension in the DeflateGate Scandal. Some call it Ballghazi. I think it is funny how the Watergate Conspiracy is still influencing naming things today. I suppose that is what history is all about though isn't it? In case you are unfamiliar with that football deflating scandal it was during the NFL play-off game between the Colts and the Patriots. Without going into too much detail because, if you are a football fan, you are already familiar and, if you are not, you don't really care. It has to do with footballs being under-inflated so they could be gripped better for passing and catching too I suppose. It is easier to catch a pillow than a cinder block. Anyway, they have to have a fall-guy and the quarterback seems to be the best suspect and, it sounds like, it was at his request. Some teams had suspected it was going on in previous games. When Brady threw an interception one of the opposing players had, unknowingly at the time, a piece of evidence. There were thoughts that Brady would be suspended for an entire season so they are probably relieved it is only for four or the 13 regular season games. This will give back-up QB Jimmy Garoppolo a chance to show what he's got for four weeks or so. Or that new guy Jon Grady.

While I am writing this I now am watching a training film called Sling Blade. I am trying to get some pointers about not knowing much and getting along in society so I am prepared. There are some methods in this training video that I will probably not consider using. Nothing is 100% though I suppose.

I like this better

Jill has this great plan that, since I took German in high school and she took French that we should both brush-up and work on our foreign languages for our trip. I call "not fair" for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we are only going to be in France for two days and in Germany for like acht or neun. Secondly, I have a bonafide, clinically diagnosed, inability to remember things. I have been listening to German pop music in hopes that something will seep in and fill some of the cracks. Our music is much better. Maybe forcing the brain to learn things again that you knew from long ago will help to repair it. Maybe relearning old memories will be like Spackle. I now know that atemlos means breathless. I think I will try to re-learn German. Can you believe one could take six years of a language and only be able to babble like a two-year-old? It is the old "use it or lose it" adage. Wouldn't it be odd if I studied Deutsche rigorously and then I forgot how to spechen Englisch? How about she speaks and kisses French, I drive German and dress Italian and we both spend Arabian? If you just kiss regularly in France are you still French kissing?

Okay I have to get some things done around the house before I go see how looney tunes I am now. I don't really know what he will be able to tell by just talking to me. Are they going to order another EEG? I have been in a regular-person sleep cycle for over a month now though I am still not sleeping very much. I am. at least, sleeping during the hours humans have grown accustomed to sleeping. Being in Europe will mess that up won't it? Maybe we will just defect and stay over there. I guess that isn't really defecting though is it? Unless we go to a Communist country. Okay, I am just rambling as I sometimes have a habit of doing.

Have a great day. It is a chilly one outside again in these here MIDDLE parts. Danke Schon for coming by. TTTT...MITM (aus). Auf wiedersehen TA!

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Yesterday was a nice Mother's Day. We met my mom and dad for brunch. After that Cha Cha and I went home to change clothes and worked in the front yard for a few hours. Believe it or not, that is what Cha Cha likes to do and I like her happy so I help when called-upon. We took a break and headed to the two large home / gardening stores in town. When we got back home we did a bit of work in the back yard first. Jill cleaned out the flower beds and planted some of the plants that we had bought earlier. I grabbed an ax and a saw and started chopping and/or sawing the seven or eight dead branches from the trees. I find it amazing that, once you cut this deadwood the tree grows better than before. Just like a team or a company "cutting the deadwood."

One Good Deed Deserves Me Being Attacked

When we got back we started working on the side of the house. After we finished there, on the way to the front, we started to get yelled-at by several robins. If you remember May 4th's blog (if not, you can just scroll down to that blog if you wish) I posted a photo of the baby robin in a nest in our fence. Yesterday we saw that baby robin and it now looks like a miniature robin with feathers and a pink breast. During all of the freaking-out from above the baby robin tumbled to the ground. Maybe their screaming was saying "get out of there because there is a big goof with yellow hands coming for you." I approached the robin and he/she hopped or bounced or whatever they do because it could not yet fly. I was worried that predators (maybe even Jeff) would either try to eat the baby or, in Jeff's case, want to play with it and kill it my accident. So, since I was wearing my yellow chore gloves, I moved closer and it bounced faster. The sky was immediately filled with six or seven birds swooping me and dive-bombing but I was undeterred in assisting the baby to get back to its home. I heard them but did not know they were swooping until afterward when Cha Cha told me. But, that would not have changed my resolve anyway. I placed the baby back in the nest and we moved to the front of the house. I am sure that they have forgotten all about the giant who saved their baby but I feel better. You hear people say that you should not touch wild animals because the parents will reject then after that but, that is a myth. Do we reject our children when they are touched by dogs or cats...? That baby bird is probably a legend today; there are tales being spun right now about the baby robin who survived an interaction with a human and survived. I know baby birds cannot usually fly when they first leave the nest and they just hop like this one was doing but, with the dog in the yard who likes to play with bouncing things, this was not the proper time to try this. I bet the baby will gone today flying and pooping on cars everywhere.

That reminded me of the time we were in Hawaii (the big island I believe) and we came over a hill and there was a baby turtle crossing the road ("to get to the other side" I presume). I stopped the car and got out and carried the turtle to the edge of the road (the direction he/she was going, of course). As soon as I got back in the car and started to drive away a car came over the hill right behind us. I never even thought about being rear-ended but, karma protected us by timing, and we were not harmed and neither was the turtle. I am sort of like an Avenger of animals. Maybe I am Captain Kritter or something. I wonder what kind of wildlife I will be called-upon to save in Europe. Probably dragons with all of those castles that they have. That one might be trickier.

I bet it has changed as much as I have in 52 years

Speaking of Europe, I talked to my dad at breakfast yesterday about their time in Germany while he was in the U.S. Army. I am not sure why but I am excited about seeing the Army base where I was born. I am going to contact them before we go and see if we can get onto the base. I am not very hopeful about that with all of the terrorism in the world. I am not sure why these sorts of things are important to us (me anyway). I bet, once that baby leaves that nest, he/she will never come back here so why do I want to go back? Although we do provide a pretty good smorgasbord for all of the wildlife here. Maybe we can eat in the mess hall there? Yum!

If rainy days and Mondays always got The Carpenters down how did they feel on days like today when it was a rainy Monday?

Today one of my fun chores around the house, thanks to the rain, is to clean the three bathrooms. I guess it is considered two-and-a-half baths according to whomever decides that sort of thing. The laundry is going and the washer just sounded for me to begin load number two so I will be right back. Okay, the second load is washing and load number one is drying. The folding will commence in approximately 45 minutes.

The folding is done and it is now 16;17. While I was cleaned the 2 1/2 bathrooms. They are pretty spick-and-span. I also called the neurologist and he wants to see me tomorrow afternoon. I am very tired now and, when I am done writing this, I think I will lie down for a bit. If I don't whatever is in charge of me will probably lay me down anyway and my way won't hurt as much. I am gonna stop now and clean-up my cleaning supplies and lie down. Thanks a lot for watching me clean the bathrooms and for being here; you give me something good to do to occupy my time/mind. The more thinks that require me to thing the better. Strike that, reverse it. I will blog tomorrow morning before I go see what new is wrong with me. TTTT...MITM (out) zzzzzzzzTA!

P.S. I didn't even attempt to proofread today.Double TA!

Steel Cut Blog

I like this game much more than blackjack

I am learning three-card poker so I can play it at the Aviaton Club de France in Paris. It is a pretty easy game in concept but, so is blackjack. I think there are lots of ways to bet both of these games; that is what I am trying to Mattster this game. It seems like three-card poker is to Paris what blackjack is to Las Vegas. I have played blackjack in both Las Vegas and Atlantic City (and a few casinos that are not those two cities) so I think I can handle Paris. I feel like I have got a pretty good handle on three-card poker; like blackjack you are best to just bet with the odds I have read that almost all of the staff in Paris casinos speak English as well as French. Gambling is not one of my biggest goals while in the The City of Light but it would be cool for just a bit. I have a poker chip collection and I would at least like to get a chip. Right now my favorite chip is from The Playboy Club Casino in Atlantic City from when I was 18. I wonder where you get those rectangle chips they use in Europe. Maybe those are only for tournaments and such? Maybe there is a Walmart in Paris where I could look? Perhaps those are just for larger denominations? I wish there were a way to just type words and there would magically be answers to things like that.

I will try not to talk so much about our trip before we go but, as you can tell, I am quite excited to create new memories that I can forget. It is nice to have something to look forward to before I cannot remember it. It is also nice to have something cheerful to focus on given the recent developments of yesterday. What will I have to focus on to get my mind off of things after August though it tends to do the un-focusing on its own. If I still cannot work I think I will do lots of volunteer work. I have to get a better bicycle or get that segway I have been considering if I want to do stuff at places across town. Most of the places I would volunteer (hospital, retirement homes...) are not very close. I have done that United Way Day of Caring in the past and that is coming up on June 18th. That may be a good place to start and get some ideas. There is also a new library being erected in our town and it is huge. I am very familiar with the dewey decimal system since I am old school. It figures we would finally get a new library when everything is online.

I started watching Game of Thrones on Netflix last night. I have always been a trend-setter four to five years after the trends start. Jill has been bugging me to watch it for a long time. I knew I would like it but, now that I have nothing but time, I started to watch. It sounds like keeping track of the characters is difficult for everything so I will feel like I do all the time now.

I am standing next to the stove in the kitchen with my computer on the kitchen counter. Does that turn my laptop into a counter top? I am making oatmeal for Cha Cha and I. Fabio already came down and made his own breakfast. I am going to lose some weight between now and the cruise so I don;t look quite as American when I leave America. I am making oatmeal. Actually it is called steel cut oats. Cha Cha tells me they are "supposed to be healthier for you." I have heard so much lying about products in my life that I just eat and wear and drive...what I like and leave the B.S. to the B.S.ers. I will eat it and. if I like it, I will make it again one day. It is done now and it looks and smells like oatmeal to me. I think it might be like what wheat bread is to white bread but that is just a guess and I base it on nothing but the ideas from my broken brain.

We are thinking about dressing like typical Americans abroad

We have to get some new clothes for the trip too. You don't see jeans a lot in Europe. Isn't it weird that I don't want to be known as an American? I actually think it is nice to see people from other countries here why would I think that they would think any differently about us being there? I have the impression that a lot of the other countries look down on Americans. I hear that a lot but I am curious to find out if that is true. Maybe this would be a chance to change their opinions for better or worse. I really do not want to cause an international incident or anything. I guess I would probably be able to stay since I was born there; I was born abroad but became a dude. Cha Cha might be able to stay by marriage. Are Dockers too American? Do they wear shorts in other countries? I have lots of research to do. Life is all about continuing to learn isn't it?

As usual, I have lots to do so I better stop here. I have to start another load of laundry and put the dryer lint outside for the birdies. It is a really nice day so far; a good day to build or furnish a nest. I hope all of you muthas and mothers have nice days tomorrow. Thank you for stopping by. If you're in Europe and reading this send me a message on how we should dress. TTTMonday...MITM (out) TA!