Dear John

My old friend John is having health troubles. It's been at least a year since he's cared about food. He only eats before bed, usually a sandwich of some sort. Sometimes he'll have a snack during the day, but he doesn't get hungry and he doesn't enjoy eating.

He doesn't walk easily, having lost a toe to diabetes in 2016. But for the last two months, he's found any physical activity exhausting. Even folding laundry.

So he's finally going to do it: he's going to get the defibrillator his doctors first recommended a decade ago. OK, that's not quite accurate. 10 years ago, a different cardiologist wanted to implant a pacemaker. But that physician has retired and, I guess, technology and terminology have evolved in a decade. So now it's a defibrillator.

I'm glad and I'm mad. Glad that he's finally doing it. I love him and want him around for years to come! Mad that he waited, literally, 9 1/2 years. He's a decade older, a decade weaker, than when the procedure was first recommended.

Oh, well. I have slowly learned that I can't run everyone's lives for them, much as I would like to. All I can do is love and support him. And pray.

"Love that chicken from Popeye's"

Not so much.

Worked late Thursday night and treated myself to a two-piece chicken order to go. Some treat. I've been subsisting on Immodium, water and crackers for 36 hours.

Friday I worked from home and actually did get some stuff done: finished a pair of works in progress and handled calls. Buoyed by my productivity, I ran a couple of errands in the evening sun and felt OK.

I woke up this morning hopeful, but my gut cruelly dashed my hopes.

Lesson learned: When I'm at the train station food court, and Popeye's is the only fast food restaurant that doesn't have a line, there may be a reason.

When good things happen to good people

Last night, at home in front of the faithful, Anthony Rizzo hit #200. To put this achievement in perspective, his is now #9 on the list of Cub home run hitters. Of all time. And he's only 29.* He's passed Hank Sauer (who played in the 1940s) to enter this elite club. If he stays healthy, 300 is certainly not out of the question.

If you read this blog often, it's no surprise that he's one of my favorite Cub players. One of my favorite people on the planet. In addition to the home runs, he grinds it out, day after day. He doesn't just hit them out of the park. He'll do whatever it takes to get on base or advance the runner -- even if it's the more thankless walk or hit-by-pitch (I'm looking at you, Javy!).

AND he's let the camera catch him cry in frustration. Or apologize to an umpire (I'm looking at you, Donald Trump!). His honesty in his emotions and his unfailing good sportsmanship make him an excellent role model.

Best of all, he's grateful. He lives my "One Word." Every day, all the time. A cancer survivor himself, he's used his birthday as a fundraiser at a local grocery store chain (donate $1 in his name to help fight pediatric cancer). His foundation built the new parents' waiting room at Lurie Childrens Hospital.  He regularly visits the little patients at Lurie, and his twitter feed is full of words of encouragement to the kids and their parents.

In 2017, Rizzo won the Roberto Clemente Award as the player who best represents major league baseball through philanthropy. He donated the prize to survivors of Hurricane Maria. Because Clemente was Puerto Rican and died bringing earthquake relief to his home.

Later this month, he's hosting his seventh annual cook off. Popular Chicago chefs will prepare the meal and Cub players will serve. It's already sold out. Last year, it raised more than $1 million to battle cancer.

I wrote this off the top of my head. I'm sure if I took the time to research Rizz' good works that I did Hank Sauer's stats, I'd find much, much more.

Anthony Rizzo, thank you for making me happy and proud to be a Chicagoan and a Cub fan.

*OK, 30 in August. It's a stat he doesn't seem too fond of.

"The happiest days are when babies come." Melanie Wilkes

Oh, Me of Little Faith!

I admit I was a little nervous about this series with the Cardinals. I mean, they're a good team. And what did the Cubs do? They swept their way into FIRST PLACE! (Kings of the hill, top of the heap.)

Sunday Stealing

ONE DIRECTION ASKS

1. Name three things you love about yourself. I'm basically happy and optimistic (even and especially when the situation doesn't warrant it); I am good with animals; I try to do good.

2. What’s the bravest thing you ever did? I interrupted a rape in progress, dialed 911 and stayed with the woman until the police arrived. Then the police took me for a ride in the car to see if the perpetrator was still in the neighborhood. We didn't find him, so I didn't have to confront him. But I would have.

3. Talk about the craziest night of your life. The night I partied with Bruce Springsteen. If you want to read it, here's the link. (If you don't, well, that's OK, too. It's not like Bruce often retells the tale of the night he partied with me.)

4. Name three things you want in life. Not to worry so much about money, to catch up on my reading, to feel good physically.

5. Who’s your biggest celebrity crush? To borrow from Chuck Berry, I'm one of the good women who'd shed a tear for a brown-eyed handsome man.

6. What’s your most common mistake? I'm indiscreet. My mouth gets me in trouble.

7. Which three things would you save if there was a fire? My purse. It's filled with all kinds of stuff. (PS I don't consider my cats as "things," so they were not in my consideration set.)

8. What’s your favorite sport? Cubs baseball.

9. Talk about something good that recently happened to you. I loved the TCM Film Festival. Every day I got to hang around with literally thousands of people who love what I love ... old movies.

10. Which fictional world would you want to live in if you could? It's not a fictional world, really (Concord did exist in the 19th century), but I'd love to hang out with the March Sisters of Little Women.

11. What’s one thing you can never say no to? Sweets

12. Talk about a childhood memory. My grandpa built a swing in the backyard, next to the garage. I loved that swing.

13. Name five things you find attractive in others. I like people who are: Cub fans, pet lovers, kind, funny, able to live their faith without being sanctimonious (I have a minister, thank you).

14. Are you good at making final decisions or do you easily change your mind? I am decisive

15. Name three guilty pleasures of yours. Nilla Vanilla wafers, Elvis movies, big picture books and magazines about Diana and her boys. (Baby Sussex! Please get here! I can't wait to see you!)

It was like a movie!

Enjoying the moment of his life (Chicago Tribune)

Taylor Davis is in his third season as a Cub, but he still hasn't played in 20 major league games. I don't believe I've spoken his name. Until yesterday.

For on Saturday, he got his first-ever home run as a major leaguer. With the bases loaded. Against the Cardinals! That's a story worthy of Roy Hobbs in The Natural. To put that one big swing of the bat in perspective, Saturday morning, he'd batted in three runs over the course of his career. This morning, he has seven.

 

So let's take a moment to give Taylor Davis his due. He's 29 years old. Was drafted late (#49th round) by the Marlins, who promptly traded him to the Cubs. He played more than six seasons in the minors on teams like the Tennessee Smokies and the Iowa Cubs. He was called up to the majors in 2017, as the Cubs third catcher -- after All-Star Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini. If Victor hadn't broken his hand last month, Taylor Davis would have been riding the bench yesterday.

But Saturday, Taylor Davis got to start a game. Finally his name was penciled in on Joe Maddon's line up card. And he made the most of his day in the sun with a Grand Slam.

Here's to Taylor Davis, and all the other players who grind it out, game after game and season after season. Because they are ballplayers.

Roy Hobbs, I give you the last word.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Don't Envy Me (1963)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) What is it about you that you believe your friends and acquaintances envy? I often hear that I'm smart. Only I know that isn't quite true. I'm quick, which is different.

2) Do you have a friend or acquaintance that you envy? Joanna. She's so sophisticated and has such style.

3) This song was not a hit, even though it was written and produced by the supersuccessful team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Tell us about a project you had great confidence in at the beginning, but didn't turn out as well as you'd hoped. Growing out my hair. I wanted it long enough to pull back, or maybe wear in a topknot. Only I couldn't bear it in that in-between stage, so I hacked it off.

4) George Hamilton is better known as an actor. He is proud of his performance in the 1960 movie Light in the Piazza. He played an Italian who romances an American girl on holiday in Florence. Did you ever find love while vacationing? No.

5) George had a small part in Godfather III. How many of the Godfather movies have you seen? Have you read the book? Yes. I wonder how many people have actually read it. One of the snobbier cliches is that "the book is always better than the movie." The Godfather, while carefully and brilliantly plotted, is really not that well written. It's oversexed and sensational. The movies -- except maybe Godfather III -- are more elegant and expressed a deeper meaning to Puzo's work than Puzo himself conveyed.


6) He's gotten a lot of publicity over the years for his personal life, including his 1966 romance with First Daughter Lynda Bird Johnson. At the time, she was living in the White House. Tell us about a memorable experience you had "meeting the parents." I was involved with a very nice, very smart man who had some rather serious commitment issues. One night, he confided to me about abuse at the hands of his dad. Everyone loved and admired his dad, and it made him reluctant to start his own family. If a fine, upstanding man like his father couldn't handle marriage/career/children without cracking under the stress, who could? I looked at it as, "Your dad was a psycho for doing that to you!" Well, shortly thereafter he introduced me to his dad. I had a very hard time warming up to this outwardly charming older gentleman, because I knew what had happened in the past. My boyfriend kept saying, "That was long ago!" But it wasn't long ago to me. I'd just heard about it.

7) George is also known for his year-round tan. Have you ever used a tanning bed? Or self tanner? I once bought a package of tans at a local salon. I wanted to be the color of Mailbu Barbie. With my genetic makeup, that's never going to happen.

8) In 1963, when this record was released, President

Kennedy made a historic trip to Ireland. Have you ever visited the land of your ancestors? Yes. I went to Berne, Germany, where I'm told my favorite grandpa once lived. Unfortunately, he was already dead by the time I made this trip, so I couldn't discuss it with him.

9) Random question -- The last of a batch of delicious chocolate chip cookies just fell on your kitchen floor. Would you eat it? Yes. I'm the worst housekeeper ever, but I do love a good cookie. 

WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

 
1. What are you currently reading?   
Kick Kennedy: The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter by Barbara Leaming. Kathleen ("Kick") was the second daughter of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. She had a style and personality that naturally drew people to her. A close confidante of her brother Jack, she was sophisticated beyond her years and yet still very much the Boston convent girl.

When Joseph Kennedy was named ambassador to England, Kick took London by storm. Fleet Street deemed her "The Little American Girl," and published photos of her on society pages, attending embassy parties and doing charity work. Young aristocratic men flocked to her, and that's where the trouble starts.

For in the 1930s and 40s, Catholic girls were expected to marry Catholic boys. All the boys in Kick's London set were titled and Anglican. Wartime heightened passions, and she falls for England's most eligible bachelor, William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington. Or "Billy" as he was to Kick. It's a recipe for heartache.

This isn't Leaming's first book on the Kennedys. She brings a sure hand to the subject matter, inclusive but not sensational. She places her reader in London society and the Kennedy family at a very particular time. Even though I know the barebones of Kick's story, I am enjoying this book and learning from it.

2. What did you recently finish reading?  

I Am Not Ashamed by Barbara Payton. It's hard to imagine a life less similar to Kick Kennedy's. As the book opens, Barbara Payton was a 35-year-old prostitute, with hole in her smile where her front tooth used to be and a long scar across her stomach where a john knifed her. In the afterward, we learn she died at age 39.  

Barbara was a real woman, a tabloid staple in the 1950s. She was once a natural beauty who quickly found success in Hollywood. She put more effort into offscreen partying than onscreen performance, and consequently threw her career away.

Barbara didn't think about learning her craft, or being a mother to her seldom mentioned son. She concerned herself with clubs, furs and jewelry. Relationships for her were strictly transactional. For a book saturated with sex, there's very little passion and no joy on these pages.

Barbara was one of those people who excused her own bad behavior by saying, "At least I'm honest." Her road to an early grave was inexorable and excruciating. This book, while compulsively readable, was fascinating but not likeable. I'm not sorry I read it, but I don't recommend it.

3.  What will you read next?  

Maybe another biography? Or a mystery. My TBR pile is stacked dauntingly high with both.

April Prompt -- Day 30

"Your preferred method of communication" 

Phone calls. I like to blab. My niece, nephew and my friend John are all confirmed texters. I find that keyboard frustrating. I prefer to blab and blab.

For more about the April Challenge, click here.

Image courtesy of Youngkeit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I was afraid of this

When I took Friday off as a sick day, when nothing was particularly wrong, I was worried that I would pay a karmic price for it. And I have.

My back aches. On the left. It's from the right that my spinal stenosis emanates, so this is something else. Dr. Google seems to indicate it's my old friend, the kidney stone. It makes sense, I suppose. I was guiltily aware during my trip to California -- 6 days, including travel -- that I wasn't "pushing water," as my GP suggests I do every day. It's just that between 4-hour flights and all those movies, I didn't want all the bathroom time that goes with "pushing water."

Oh well. I have two meetings today that I can't miss. And I don't know that staying home would make me feel any better, anyway. As I understand it from last year's battle, I just have to let it run its course. My friends at CVS just so happened to send me a coupon for $2 Extra Strength Execedrin.

I know it's silly to believe that I brought this upon myself with Friday's mental health day. But I think this might be a case of what Snarkypants lives by, a kind of pre-knowing. Perhaps on Friday, when I was consciously still feeling fine, my body was already sending almost imperceptible messages to my brain about the discomfort to come.

Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

April Prompt -- Day 29

"A happy moment" 

Looking into my Connie Cat's bright eyes.

She came from a hoarder situation and was in difficult shape when I adopted her. A young life of nothing but a bad diet and minimal care had taken its toll. Her gums were mushy and eyes were cloudy and light sensitive. She was afraid to be held.

It's taken some effort on the part of me and the vet, but her eyes are clear and her breath isn't as bad and her appetite is good. Best of all, she crawls into my arm and purrs and purrs. She loves to play with Reynaldo. I have given her a happy life. Whenever I consider that, I am happy.

For more about the April Challenge, click here.

Image courtesy of Youngkeit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

April Prompt -- Day 28

"Where you want to be" 

The corner of Clark and Addison. Within the Friendly Confines of  Wrigley Field. Watching my Boys in Cubbie Blue!

For more about the April Challenge, click here.

Image courtesy of Youngkeit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sunday Stealing

 Sunday Stealing: Facebook Favorites

    Your favorite songs All My Loving (The Lads from Liverpool), Tears Dry on Their Own (Amy Winehouse), September (Earth Wind & Fire)

    Your favorite bands The Beatles ... and, um ... more Beatles

    Your favorite actors or actresses 

It changes. Currently I'm going through my Cary Grant period. He was both debonair and fearless. I like a handsome man who is willing to be silly, and does silly so well!

via GIPHY

Lucille Ball, too. Gorgeous and goofy. And, always, all in.

via GIPHY

    Your favorite books The best books I've read recently have all been biographies. The one that has stayed with me is Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larsen. Her life was a tragedy, but the influence she had on her siblings was lasting. Because of that, this largely unknown woman has had an impact on millions of lives over generations. In no small part, because of her, we have The Special Olympics and the Americans with Disability Act.Your life wasn't for nothing, dear Rosie.

    Books you dislike There's a series about a Key West food critic who solves mysteries that almost caused me physical pain. The heroine is SUCH a ninny!

    Your favorite movies I recently saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid again on the big screen and found it even better than I remembered. Funnier, more touching, and too cool.


via GIPHY

    Your favorite TV shows Friends and This Is Us spring to mind.

    Your favorite foods/drinks Burger, fries and Coke

    Your favorite animal I suppose I must say these two. Though I consider them less "animals" and more "roommates."

    Your favorite scents Cinnamon

    Your hobbies/ things you do in your free time Fart around on the Internet, read, watch movies

    Your pet peeves Space hogs. Unless you paid for two seats on the train, you shouldn't take two seats on the train. You're rude, and you're stealing. Shame on you!

    Things you collect Books

    Things you like to swap Nothing comes to mind

    Places you've been Here and there, hither and yon, around

    Places you'd like to visit There are places I'd like to return to. Colonial Williamsburg, Boston, Hot Springs, Graceland, The TCM Film Festival ...

    The songs you dislike Blurred Lines. Whenever people talk about how positive and upbeat Pharrell Williams is, I'd like to remind them that he wrote this piece of shit and appears in the video.

    The movies you dislike I really didn't like Wolf of Wall Street.

    The TV shows you dislike I don't like sci fi

   Classes you liked in school American History, English

    Classes you disliked in school Math, science

    Crafts you would like to learn Is cooking a craft? Maybe I should learn to cook.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Every Time You Go Away (1985)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is about separation. Who is the last person you said goodbye (or maybe just "so long") to? You know, I don't recall. Sorry.

2) This week's featured artist, Paul Young, was a gifted athlete during his school days and briefly played professional football (aka soccer). Sam enjoys playing tennis, though her serve doesn't give Serena Williams anything to worry about. What's something you enjoy doing, even if you don't excel? I am a terrible singer, and yet every morning I sing in the shower.

3) Mr. Young and his wife Stacy were married for 31 years, until her death in 2018. What do you think is the key to a happy marriage? I have no earthly clue.


4) Paul Young's performance of this hit song was one of the highlights of the July 1985 Live Aid Concert. This international benefit raised more than $100 million to alleviate hunger in Ethiopia. Tell us about a charity you support. Planned Parenthood. I want all babies to be wanted, and all mothers to be healthy.

5) This song was written by Daryl Hall, of Hall and Oates. What's your favorite Hall and Oates song? "She's Gone."

 

6) In 1985, when this song was popular, the New Coke was unsuccessfully introduced. What's the last beverage you drank? Milk

7) In 1985, the New York Stock Exchange had to close because of Hurricane Gloria. Has a hurricane shared your name? (Find a list of recent/upcoming storm names here.) I don't see myself there.

8) 1985 was the year that the Titanic wreckage was discovered. There have been at least 11 movies and TV shows about the fatal voyage. Have you seen any of them? I've seen Leo and Kate as Jack and Rose, of course. And I've seen parts of a Barbara Stanwyck/Clifton Webb version in glorious black and white.

9) Random question: Would you rather own and run a coffee shop or a shoe store? Why? I admit neither one of these options stirs my soul. I suppose a coffee shop. I really hate the smell of coffee, but I guess that means I wouldn't be tempted to drink the merchandise. My niece majored in culinary arts, so she could help me. 

April Prompt -- Day 27

"A recent compliment" 

"Thank you for doing all this." On Tuesday, a coworker appreciated my 1) staying late to make sure our admin had her gift on her chair on the next morning (Administrative Professionals Day) and 2) taking it upon myself to get to the source of some friction on our project. 

For more about the April Challenge, click here.

Image courtesy of Youngkeit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Playing hooky

I called in sick today, pleading migraine. I worry about the karma of this move, since I was pretty much fine. Just bored and a little annoyed by my boss.

Very little was accomplished. Legs were shaved. Cats were cuddled. Farmville 2 crops were tended. At about 3:00, I was reasonably sure no one from the office would call me and I took myself to lunch.

I had a massive bowl of the best clam chowder in town and tried their drink of the day: vanilla vodka

Must remember to order this again.

and Coke. Separately, vodka and Coke are two of my favorite things, so why not try them together? It was good, tasting a bit like a black cow with a kick.

I enjoyed checking out who else is at the bar on a Friday afternoon at 3:00. There was:

•  A trio of older men who appear to meet here regularly. They were watching a rerun of last night's Cub game, and it all seemed new to them.

• A man in a blazer and khakis who had his laptop under his arm as he bellied up to the bar. The bartender knew him, so I guess this isn't the first time he's done this. I've heard of "work from home" days, even "work from Starbucks" days, but not "work from pub" days. Oh well, I was a delinquent myself today so I have no room to judge. Is it common for bars to have wifi?

•. A table of tourists having a late lunch. They were animated and happy.

Then I went grocery shopping. Then I took a nap. I wonder how many days like this I could string together before I got bored ...

 Image courtesy of gt_pann at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

April Prompt -- Day 26

"Organized or messy?" 

Let's see now: I arrived home from Hollywood on April 15 and my suitcase is still in the living room. It's empty. But I haven't gotten around to re-rearranging the closet in the den to make room for it. So what does that tell you?

For more about the April Challenge, click here.

Image courtesy of Youngkeit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

April Prompt -- Day 25

"Happiness is ..." 

I'm very lucky that I can take pleasure in the little things. It's a gift I inherited from my mom. My day can turn when I notice how blue the sky is, or if Anthony Rizzo gets a clutch hit, or Connie begins purring in my arms, or I hear Sir Paul on the radio.

Life is full of happiness.

For more about the April Challenge, click here.

Image courtesy of Youngkeit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

She's back in my inbox

My oldest friend is back online, and back in touch! It's been about a year since she fell off the radar. She lost her job, then lost her car and her apartment and moved in with her cousin. Her health problems and depression escalated and she withdrew. Never logging onto social media, seldom checking her email, not often answering her phone.*

I've been worried about her, of course, but I have given her space. She moved to California to be with her cousin, she adores her cousin, and I thought she just wanted to be with Sharon. Too bad that wasn't the case. She's been stuck inside her own head. She told me she was becoming agoraphobic.

Anyway she has a new doctor who added Rexulti to her prescription cocktail and it has made a big difference. Her sense of humor -- one of our bonds -- has returned. She's begun writing (fan fiction, just for herself). Is back on email and Facebook and I am always happy to see her name on my screen.

She still has lots of health problems -- primarily bladder issues -- and in addition to meds she's doing talk therapy with a PhD. But she seems to feel that she's making progress, and that is exciting.

I have missed her. I am glad she is back.

*It's an "Obama Phone," a flip phone, so if I want to send her a photo, I have to do it via email.

April Prompt -- Day 24

"A motto to live by" 

Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.
Nora Ephron

For more about the April Challenge, click here.

Image courtesy of Youngkeit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

April Prompt -- Day 23

"Something that is always easy for you" 

Loving critters. I have a natural affinity for things with fur.

For more about the April Challenge, click here.

Image courtesy of Youngkeit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net