Category: Kids

2025 1st Quarter Recap

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01/25 (Sat)
We attended a LEGO train show at the arboretum.

01/27 (Mon)
Deactivated/deleted all my X accounts because F you know who.

01/31 (Fri)
Decided The Pink Stuff is a scam. I’ve owned it for years and I’ve yet to find a single thing it can clean better than the other products I own. In fact, it barely cleans at all. If someone knows what I can use this stuff for, please let me know, because it was a waste of money as far as I’m concerned.

Got a photo of the Rock Dove (aka city pigeon) that started showing up recently. We decided to name him Vinny (and as time would go on, he invited his friends and we’d have up to 8 of them at a time under the feeder).

02/01 (Sat)
Finally found a use for my E.T. TV tray from the 80s – to hold my Sonic order while I eat in the car.

The Philly Cheesesteak at Sonic is pretty good, by the way.

02/02 (Sun)
Put out a new welcome mat. I realized I didn’t have any for that time period between Christmas and spring, and this one suits my sentiments exactly.

02/04 (Tue)
Loving these pretzel twists from Trader Joe’s. Not quite the same as the ones Sonic sells, but still quite good when made in the air fryer.

02/14 (Fri)
Celebrated Valentine’s Day like the romantic couple we are by getting Mexican takeout (ironically from the same place as last year) and finishing the Dexter prequel, Original Sin.

02/15 (Sat)
Went to an ice hockey game at an arena close to home. A longtime friend and her sister are on a team that was playing an exhibition game that night. Joe and I sat by her husband (who happens to also be my ex from the mid-90s haha), his friend, and their two kids. It was nice getting out of the house for an event even though I hate going out at night. It’s also really cold inside the arena so I was so happy to get home and under the covers with my heating pad to warm up my cold feet! It was nice seeing everyone, though. I met my friend, her hubby, and her sister in the 90s on a BBS; and while the friend and her hubby have been to our house for a game night, I hadn’t seen the sister in decades.

02/16 (Sun)
Had to contact Discover to get a new account because someone got ahold of the card # and was making fraudulent charges labeled as Apple.com

02/21 (Fri)
Migraine City! That is what this month has felt like as I’ve had one every week. Typically I get at most two in a month so this is concerning. Not sure if it’s due to tight muscles in my neck, dry eyes, or hormones, but it’s annoying nonetheless especially because over the counter headache medicine isn’t making it go away like in the past, so they last two days.

02/24 (Mon)
Had my longtime ComEd electric account hijacked because someone can’t do their job correctly. Apparently someone in the same town called to put electric in their name and somehow ComEd wasn’t listening properly and changed my account instead of the correct address that has the same number but a totally different street name (that doesn’t even sound like ours so how they made the error I’ll never know). They couldn’t reinstate my old account so I had to get a whole new account # too. So annoying!

02/25 (Tue)
Received my new Discover card and had to go through all my auto-pay accounts to update the payment information. At least it was relatively warm outside (60 degrees) so I could open the windows and listen to the birds.

02/26 (Wed)
Had to contact Amazon a second time about getting a refund for a gift I returned over a month prior. When I spoke to them the day before they assured me they would process the refund, which they did, but they shorted me $4.42 for some reason, so I had to get them to fix the error. They acted like they were doing me a favor which infuriates me. I returned the item. I got confirmation I returned the item. The confirmation also listed what was paid for said item. So why didn’t they refund the full amount in the first place?

02/28 (Fri)
Tried to get Paczki from a local bakery called Hannah’s that everyone on Facebook was raving about, only to arrive and find they had two flavors available and wouldn’t have any others until later. Call me crazy, but as a bakery shouldn’t you have all items available upon opening? We left empty-handed because I didn’t want to give them our business. We got some Paczki from Caputo’s for $2 each and were labeled as also being from a local bakery but they were quite dry and I didn’t care for them.

03/02 (Sun)
Tried a Burger King iced coffee for the first time and wow, it was not good. I asked for a plain iced coffee but I swear it tasted subtly like mocha to me. In any case, for almost $3 I’d rather get an iced coffee from McDonald’s; it tastes much better and is only $1 via the app deals.

Although now that I’ve found the perfect products, I’d rather just make iced coffee at home.

03/03 (Mon)
Had a new hot water installed. You can read about that debacle here.

03/15 (Sat)
Visited my parents for the first time in nearly a year. It was actually a pleasant experience without Brother #2 there (which is why we chose a non-holiday timeframe). We worked on everyone’s computer (what else is new haha), got some food from the local Burger King (the location of my first job in the 90s), enjoyed some of my mom’s food as well, and played a game called What’s Your Like?

03/17 (Mon)
Made corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot for St. Patrick’s Day. We splurged this year by getting Vienna from Woodman’s which was $27.79 but it was the most tender cut of meat with almost no fatty pieces.

It was a bit on the saltier, side, though, so if we get it again next year I might rinse off some of the spices (the meat was marinated in it instead of having a spice packet).

03/21 (Fri)
What the hell happened to McDonald’s Shamrock shakes? They are awful now! We usually get one every year, but missed out last year, so I’m not sure when they changed the formula but I will not ever get one again – it tasted medicinal.

03/24 (Mon)
Learned our association hired a new landscaping company. I really hope they actually stick to a schedule and not show up on random days multiple times a week making noise with their leaf blowers like the last company.

03/28 (Fri)
Joe took the day off work and we ran a bunch of errands before visiting the arboretum in the afternoon. We were delighted to see not one, not two, but three belted kingfishers by Sterling Pond, but I was not able to get a photo of any of them that I liked because they were way too far away and kept getting spooked whenever we got closer.

I did get a photo of this bluebird, though.

And this Northern Flicker peeking from behind a tree.

03/29 (Sat)
Joe’s son, E, and his girlfriend, A, paid us an early afternoon visit. I made chicken salad sandwiches for lunch which they really seemed to like. So much so, A wanted the recipe (apparently neither one had ever had chicken salad before).

03/30 (Sun)
Paid a visit to West Branch Forest Preserve to get some fresh air where I was finally able to photograph a Brown Creeper!

We timed our visit perfectly – it had rained in the early morning and started to drizzle as we made our way back to the car. We stopped and picked up Bibibop on our way home.

The next morning someone posted about a loose dog they saw about four miles from the preserve. The dog looked a lot like the dog we saw that afternoon. The lady with it didn’t have a leash on the dog, so now I’m wondering if it just got ahead of her and lost, or something happened to her. I had been tempted at the time to tell this lady to leash her dog, but I don’t think it would have made a difference.

Notable series this quarter:

Shrinking (Apple TV)
We finished season two which I thought was even better than the first season. We binged it hardcode during Apple’s free preview weekend.

Dexter: Original Sin (Showtime)

I wasn’t expecting to like this prequel but Patrick Gibson really picked up on Dexter’s mannerisms beautifully. The actors playing a young LaGuerta, Batista, and Masuka looked a lot like their older counterparts as well. We were hooked and had to stop ourselves from binging it too quickly. Once we were finished we were inspired to watch the original Dexter series which we fell in love with all over again. There was so much we had completely forgotten in the two decades since the series originally aired. And while seasons 5-8 weren’t as good as 1-4, overall it’s still an 8/10 for me.

November Recap

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11/01 (Fri) – The new Cure album, Songs of a Lost World, was released and I listened to it on Spotify because despite pre-ordering it from Amazon in September, it was not delivered on the release date as promised.

I was apprehensive about a new album, because I have not fallen in love with any new material since Wish (1992), but it’s pretty good. Not an album I would listen to all the time, and devoid of any songs I would add to my “Cure Faves” playlist, but it has a very cohesive sound. If I had to compare it to any of their earlier work I’d say some songs sound like they were written at the same time as Bloodflowers, but the album’s sound flows similar to Faith or Seventeen Seconds. There are no radio hits on this album, but I am looking forward to listening to the instrumental second CD from the deluxe version of the album whenever Amazon feels like sending it to me.

Later that day The Cure streamed a live show on YouTube. They played the new album in it’s entirety and then moved onto songs they always tend to play live, with two encores, totaling three hours. It was amazing! They really do put on a fantastic live show – they always sound good and play for a very long time. I can only hope they choose an outdoor venue for any upcoming tours so I can see them live again (not willing to risk COVID or more damage to my ears at an indoor venue).

11/02 (Sat) – Decided to attend Crabtree Nature Center’s Waterfowl Watch which was a bust. Why are the birds always on the opposite side of the lake from any viewing area? It’s so frustrating! Needless to say we didn’t stay long. We stopped at a nearby park with a pond which was completely empty. The only highlight was stopping at Pita BBQ on the way home to get some delicious food for lunch.

11/04 (Mon) – Saw what I think might have been a juvenile red-headed woodpecker on the suet feeder but it flew off as I approached the window for a closer look.

11/06 (Wed) – Woke up feeling extremely sad and disillusioned over the election results and could barely pull myself out of bed. I naively believed Americans were smarter than this. I thought more than half the country had more integrity and empathy for people. Clearly I was wrong. I should have known better after what happened with the COVID pandemic, but despite my “negative attitude” I’m actually a pretty optimistic person. I really didn’t think people would rather see a convicted felon who is downright idiotic and a compulsive liar in office than a black woman. Look, I’m not a fan of any politician (although I dare say our governor here in Illinois is pretty great), but people really believe Pumpkin Spice Palpatine is the best choice to run this country? I weep for our immediate future and the long-term ramifications of this awful decision. Shame on America.

I ended up drowning my sorrows in a Chicken Big Mac from McDonald’s. I think they are better than the original Big Macs, mostly because I find McDonald’s burgers off putting these days. They changed something in them a year or so ago and now I hate them.

11/07 (Thu) – ABT came over to look at the washing machine that we had purchased in August because during a load it made a horrible loud noise and was shaking quite noticeably during each spin cycle ever since. The technician, David, was very knowledgeable and knew right away it was the shocks. ABT has great service, but the downside to their warranty repairs is having to wait for them to come out to diagnose the issue and then come back once the necessary parts come in. David explained these machines are made with very cheap parts and not to expect a lifespan of 15 years from them like we had with the previous washer. He also recommended I use the highest water level possible to reduce the strain on the new shocks once they are installed. So much for a water-saving efficient machine, am I right?

11/09-11/10 – Weekend Recap

11/10 (Sun) – Picked up a few different Christmas Tree Cake items from our local grocery store.

While the muffins are better than the donuts, I didn’t think either one deserve to be purchased ever again. I cannot find the ice cream anywhere, and after doing a little digging, found out it was a Walmart exclusive but even they don’t seem to have it (or at least their website isn’t indicating it’s available). I’ve been boycotting Walmart since they ignored my feedback a few months ago and will only shop there if I absolutely have to (like to get the ice cream or another pair of my favorite leggings).

11/11 (Mon) – Saw a white-breasted nuthatch for the first time in the backyard.

11/14 (Thu) – Saw a red-bellied woodpecker in the backyard for the first time this season, and the nuthatch came back so I was able to get photos of it.

11/15-11/17 – Extended Weekend Recap

11/15 (Fri) – Fell in love with these horseradish potato chips from Trader Joe’s. They aren’t overly spicy but have just the right consistent flavor to make them addictive.

11/19 (Tue) – The new Cure album was finally delivered. Thanks, Amazon.

The squirrels chewed the crap out of our oldest squirrel baffle to the point where both the piece that wraps around the pole of the shepherds hook and the baffle part itself (both of which were made of plastic) was compromised, so it kept sliding to the ground. When Joe got home we went to Menards to get a new all metal baffle. The problem? It wouldn’t fit properly on the squared off shepherds hook we had been using, so we ended up getting a new rounded one from Lowes. The problem? The stupid baffle still wouldn’t fit securely to that either! The baffle looked to be the same exact one we had gotten from Menards a few years ago but clearly they did something to it to make it suck. Joe ended up adding some neoprene between the pole and the fastener to get it to grip it tightly enough that it wouldn’t just slip down, so now we have two identical shepherds hooks and two almost identical all metal squirrel baffles to keep those pesky squirrels away from the seed and suet feeders.

In-between Menards and Lowes we got Taco Bell for dinner and it came with this retro looking cup which I thought was cool.

11/21 (Thu) – Sometimes procrastination pays off. Our passports expired four years ago and we had been dragging our feet over going somewhere to apply for new ones. Then the rules were changed and we learned if you were still in possession of your old passport, and it had expired less than five years prior, you could apply online for a renewal and use a photo taken with a mobile phone, so we did just that. We don’t have any international trips planned, but you never know when we might want to move out of the country. ;)

I also ordered a new iPad from Costco. Well, not a new model – I got the 10.9″ 10th Generation model from 2022 as it was on sale for $250 to replace my iPad that has bright spots forming on the screen. I use it primarily to watch YouTube when I walk on the treadmill and play Tsum Tsum, so I didn’t necessarily need the latest and greatest model.

Update: As of 11/30 it still hasn’t been delivered even though the estimate was 11/29. I chatted with Costco who is looking into it. I’m worried because the one I want, the silver, is now showing sold our everywhere. I hope they don’t try to give me a blue one. I already ordered and received a purple case for it which will not look good with the blue since you can see that in the cutouts from the ports and along the screen on the front.

11/22 (Fri) – Our new TV was delivered by Costco.

11/23 (Sat) – We got breakfast for super cheap from Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

Thanks to T-Mobile Tuesday all that was $6.

We had to go inside a bank for the first time in years so I could cash a check my mom randomly sent me; she had made it out to my maiden name for some reason so I needed to show them my marriage certificate.

11/25 (Mon) – A few days prior I got an email from FedEx about a package that was coming, but I didn’t recognize the “sender”, so I was very confused and kept racking my brain trying to figure out what it could be. The package arrived today – it was my free gift for donating to the American Bird Conservancy. This full color coffee table book is really cool!

What I can’t seem to understand is why the shipping companies will often only include the shipper and address of a warehouse or third party instead of the entity responsible for the shipment when you check the tracking details. I would have known right away if it said “American Bird Conservancy” as the shipper, but it had some weird name and address that tied back to a printing company even though American Bird Conservancy was on the outside of the package.

We had something similar happen with a lost package through USPS and to this day I have no idea who the package was from or the contents due to the limited information. USPS even admitted they delivered it to the “wrong business”, but never did a thing about it after claiming they would try to retrieve it.

11/27 (Wed) – David from ABT returned to repair the washing machine. It’s not as bad as before, but it still seems to shake a bit during spin cycles, although it could have always done that since I don’t stand around watching it during the cycles unless I hear something weird.

I might take a video of the shaking and the other parts of the cycles where it makes what to me sound like abnormally loud mechanical noises and ask ABT their opinion on if that is considered normal by GE’s standards. I’ve already been told it’s normal for it to release a small amount of water into the drum hours after a cycle like it’s been doing. I think that’s bullshit and GE just has a poorly designed washing machine, since the old one never did that. I keep the lid open all day after a load anyway, so it shouldn’t cause any mold to form.

David encouraged me to buy the extended warranty with ABT for $200 which will cover an additional four years past the measly 1-year warranty with GE. The machine only cost $550 to begin with, but the repair if not under warranty would have cost a whopping $415! I cannot believe these companies with their cheap parts charging so much to repair stuff that breaks so easily. We truly are living in some shitty capitalistic times. No longer will your appliances live for decades because corporate greed is way too strong.

11/28 (Thu) – Watched the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving parade and National Dog Show, as is tradition, even if both often leave something to be desired.

Also put up the new upside suet feeder we bought from Amazon. We’re hoping this will keep the sparrows away.

It seems like a new tradition now to buy a bird feeder for Black Friday since we had gotten our seed feeder last year during the same time frame. The woodpeckers took to it quickly, and hopefully the chickadees and nuthatches (we have two now) will too.

Update – Still haven’t seen any chickadees on it, but a nuthatch was spotted on it and a red-bellied woodpecker ate from it too.

We weren’t planning on hosting Thanksgiving this year but Joe’s daughter reached out two weeks beforehand asking if we were and offered to bring a side dish (which ended up being a Hello Fresh carrot dish which had an interesting ginger flavor we liked). We decided to go ahead since the only difference would be the size of the turkey we needed; I wanted to make all the traditional sides regardless of who was coming over. Joe’s son, E, could not make it due to his work schedule, and his daughter’s SO, J, was busy with his family, so it was just K and us. She arrived a bit before 4 and we had dinner where I tried this new Canada Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale.

It was ok, but not something I’d ever buy again.

After dinner we chatted and played a game called Mantis she and her SO had brought over last year.

We bought our own copy shortly after. It’s really addictive and we played for hours. We were having so much fun, K didn’t leave until almost 12:30 am. By that point I was absolutely freezing. It’s one thing to have the thermostat set to 68 degrees when you’re already in bed, it’s an entirely different thing when you’re still walking around the house. It took me a long time to warm up once in bed, even with the help of a heating pad. I didn’t fall asleep until 1:30 am and felt like I was hungover the next day.

11/29 & 11/30 (Fri & Sat) – We really didn’t do much except make a quick run to the library and eat Thanksgiving leftovers. It was a very chill couple of days.

Notable movies this month:

Trap (2024) – As soon as I saw the preview for this movie, I knew it was going to be good, and other than a couple of WTF scenes, it was. I was really impressed with Josh Hartnett’s acting.

Bernie (2011) – Starring Jack Black, this movie was based on a true story of a guy who strikes up a friendship with a wealthy widow and things turn sour in the end. What was fascinating was all the support Bernie had from the community despite what he did.

It’s What’s Inside (2024) – Wow, this one took a very strange but gripping turn. When I don’t look at my phone during a movie, I know it’s a good one.

Strange Darling (2023) – This was one of those movies that kept you guessing over and over again.

Inside Man (2006) – Who doesn’t love a bank heist? This one took an even more interesting turn than most; don’t let the release year dissuade you.

Jackpot! (2024) – Starring Awkwafina and John Cena, an unlikely duo, this was just pure fun. Not every movie needs to win awards to be entertaining and this was thoroughly funny and enjoyable. Hard to find a good comedy these days.

Thanksgiving (2023) – A horror movie that was a bit too gory for me, but kept me engaged even if I guessed the killer pretty quickly.

June Recap

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06/01 (Sat) – Put out the new welcome mat we got from Walmart. The dog related one we got years ago, also from Walmart, was discolored and faded, so it was time.

We also decluttered and organized the garage, mostly the tool side since the storage bin side was still in good shape.

Tried Taco Bell’s limited time Big Cheez-It Tostada.

Was it good? Yes! Is it worth $4? I don’t think so. I did enjoy it, though. They took my favorite item off their menu so a trip to TB is rare these days.

06/06 (Thu) – Finally got window treatments installed on all the upstairs windows. It hasn’t been a priority, and I was feeling decision paralysis because I wasn’t sure if I wanted them to all match or not. Plus with the new windows installed they cannot be mounted on the inside of the frame, which I prefer, so I just wasn’t excited about anything. Finally just went with a blackout cellular shade in the workout room / Joe’s bedroom (yes, we sleep separately, and no, it has not ruined our marriage *), light-filtering cellular shades in the office, and room darkening vinyl pull-down shades in the main bedroom (because there’s already curtains installed as well). All of them were obtained from Lowes and are not the highest quality but they look nice so I don’t care.

* When I was sick in 2019 we started sleeping in separate rooms because I would toss and turn all night long and Joe needed his sleep since he was the only one working. Then when I got better we decided it made more sense for us both to get quality sleep by not sharing a bed. He snores and I’m a fairly light sleeper in general.

06/07 (Fri) – Discovered our cherry tomato plant, which we bought less than a month prior, had tomatoes growing on it. Then the next day they were gone, eaten by something.

06/08 (Sat) – We went to K’s house to hang out with her and her friend, J. We’ve met a few times but this was the first time we really could talk extensively. I really like her, and it was a fun day.

06/10 (Mon) – Next door neighbor got a puppy – a black lab & Saint Bernard mix named Hank. We’ve never really spoken to the neighbor until later in the month when she was out with her boyfriend and the puppy. Since then we’ve gotten to play with the puppy a couple of times. He’s super cute and is gonna be a big dog.

06/16 (Sun) – Learned that they’re opening a Bibibop (Asian fast food place) close to home. There are two about equidistant apart from us but still a half hour drive. The new one will be less than 10 minutes away. I’m happy because our preferred location shares a parking lot with the emergency vet we took Wookie to right before she passed so I can’t bear to go back there now… and for whatever reason didn’t want to go to the other location, so I haven’t had my fix in months.

06/22 (Sat) – Put out the memorial garden stone my mom sent us for Wookie. It’s by the front door where its less apt to get stepped on by any of the landscapers.

Went to see Joe’s daughter’s new condo and had lunch with her and her SO at Pepe’s near their new home. We haven’t eaten at a Pepe’s in years and it’s not nearly as good as I remember so I doubt we’ll go back.

06/27 (Thu) – Watched the presidential debate. Boy was that a mistake. How have we come to this? Our choices are between an evil piece of shit or a guy with dementia. We’re screwed unless both these guys drop dead before November. One can hope!

Went to Old Time Pottery to look for some inexpensive garden décor and found these items for 25% off.

Spent less than $20 and that includes a large pinwheel I plan to place in the front by our tree. The one I got from Dollar Tree a few years back looks frayed already even though I didn’t use it until a month or two ago. It’s fabric, though, and the OTP one is plastic, so it should last longer.

March Recap

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03/01 (Fri) – The kids came over for dinner. We got takeout from our favorite Mexican place and played a new version of UNO they gifted us (it was our belated Christmas gift exchange) – UNO No Mercy, which was brutal, but fun. I’m now the proud owner of the Funko Pop 5-pack of The Cure. Joe received a Nightmare Before Christmas vinyl LP and a Jack Skellington Funko Pop.

03/02 (Sat) – I finally got an eye exam, at LensCrafters, which I had been putting off until I was told by my allergist that my daily Flonase use could cause eye issues and to have my retinas examined. They try to upsell this digital retina imaging where you don’t have to get your eyes dilated so it’s quicker (but you have to pay out of pocket for), but after some quick googling I learned they see less of your retinas that way, so I opted for the old school method which insurance covers. Sure, it requires you to spend more time at the exam, and then wait a few hours for your eyes to return to normal, but it’s free. Also, my eyes are perfectly healthy, so that’s good.

03/03 (Sun) – Visited the baby owls and on the way back visited Armstrong Park to see what it’s looking like since they started restoring the creek bed. It’s awful now! All the trees that housed the northern flickers and attracted migrating birds are gone. I understand the need to repair the erosion but it’s really disappointing. It was one of our favorite places to visit, not to mention closest to home, and I don’t think it’s going to attract many birds now. Total bummer.

03/04 (Mon) – Spotted some mourning doves hanging out on the abandoned robin’s nest on my neighbor’s light outside their door and called the association to ask them to remove the nest. I debated asking the neighbor directly, but we’ve never spoken and I didn’t want to chance her refusing, so it was better this way as they sent out a pest control person the next day to remove it. Neighbor has a video doorbell or I would have done it myself, honestly. Neighbor rarely uses their front door but we use ours often to walk Wookie and it was not fun getting dive-bombed by the mother robin last year. Not sure if mourning doves are less aggressive, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

03/09 (Sat) – Joe filed our taxes (refund small, but better than having to pay) and we tried out a new to us Polish deli that’s been around for years. While we didn’t like everything we tried, we like enough (pierogis & stuffed cabbage) that we’ll definitely get food from them again.

03/16 (Sat) – So there we were, driving along the west side of the Morton Arboretum with the windows open, taking in the sights and listening for birds, when we heard what we thought was hooting in the distance. It was too faint for the Merlin app to identify, so we pulled over and decided to investigate on foot because it didn’t sound familiar like a great horned owl. Luckily the hooting continued and we were able to track it to a group of pine trees where this barred owl was perched.

Talk about exciting! Neither of us has ever seen one in the wild before. The funny thing is just minutes before we heard it, I was thinking about how we should look for a barred owl, but I didn’t say anything to Joe because I don’t know why that thought even popped into my head. It’s not as if anyone had mentioned seeing one there recently. So strange.

Also, I’m shocked at how well the photo came out considering just how overcast it was on this day, not to mention windy, and how high up the owl was.

03/19 (Tue) – Finished the black oil sunflower seed and started feeding safflower seeds to the birds. While it has lessened the pesky squirrels trying to climb the feeder, it’s just as messy as the other seed. The bag is only 8 lbs, so I’m sure we’ll be out of it quickly. We also bought a small bag of sunflower hearts, which I suspect the birds will tear through in a matter of a week, maybe two. Which is fine, because by the end of April I plan to remove the seed feeder and put up the hummingbird one. Moving forward, I will be using the suet feeder only in the late fall and winter months. I hate how messy the seeds make the patio. Luckily my favorite birds – chickadees and woodpeckers – are the ones who primarily use the suet feeder.

03/30 (Sat) – I had heard there was a common loon hanging out at West Branch forest preserve recently, but hadn’t had the opportunity to look for it until this day. I texted my birding friend who just so happened to be going there and she was kind enough to text me back when she saw it, so we decided to look for it despite the overcast weather.

Sure enough, it was there, but it was so far across the lake that the best photo I could get of it is not so great. I’ve never seen one before, though, so that was exciting.

On top of that, while walking around the lake to see if we could get a better vantage point (spoiler alert – we couldn’t), we saw two more water birds we’ve never seen before – buffleheads and horned grebes. The buffleheads were in a group of three, and there were 7-8 grebes, although the one I got the best photo of was off by itself not too far from the shoreline.

So that’s three more birds added to the life list. I’m at 78 and hoping to hit 100 this year.

03/31 (Sun) – We had a low-key Easter this year. We didn’t go anywhere or invite anyone over. Heck, I completely forgot to decorate until three days beforehand! We made the last of the ham from Christmas in the crockpot, and had mashed potatoes and green beans with it.

Wookie

Throughout the month we’ve been taking Wookie to her internal medicine specialist & local vet for her chronic kidney disease. She’s not doing well, unfortunately, although after starting her on subcutaneous fluids she did perk up. Her decline in energy was rather slow so we didn’t realize she was acting differently until she started feeling better. It’s been super stressful trying to figure out ways to help her and come to terms with the fact that she might not be around come this time next year if things keep progressing the way they have.

I think I was in denial when she was first diagnosed back in mid 2022, because even with knowing this would shorten her lifespan, I didn’t think about it too much because she was acting perfectly normal. Now that things have changed, it’s becoming too real and I’m already suffering from pre-emptive grief.

To make matters more stressful, she fights us when we try to give fluids at home (we’ve tried multiple times), so I’ve been taking her to our local vet daily (except Sundays since they are closed) to have them administered, and will continue to do so until her next follow-up appointment with her specialist in mid April.

I’ve joined a couple of Facebook groups about her condition but all the information is overwhelming. She’s on a special kidney friendly prescription food that she doesn’t like so I keep having to add stuff to it to encourage her to eat and I worry I’m harming her kidneys further in the process. Logically, I know that ultimately she needs to eat, even if her diet isn’t exactly the best possible thing for her condition, but I feel guilty anyway. I just hope the new medication the internal medicine specialist started her on helps.

November Recap

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11/01 (Wed) – Started the month off strong by getting our flu shots at the CVS in Target.

11/03 (Fri) – Joe’s daughter made us dinner (stuffed pepper soup), which we ate at his son’s apartment.

11/04 (Sat) – Visited my bestie, K, and brought Wookie along since she tolerates K’s dog, Teddy.

11/05 (Sun) – Woke up to a layer of fog which is always cool to see.

Visited the marsh and saw the great horned owl again.

Joe put up the new white cellular blinds in the living room. We had purchased them at IKEA in late September but left the paper black ones up in October for Halloween.

11/06 (Mon) – Saw an Eastern Chipmunk for the first time ever by our house!

11/07 (Tue) – Enjoyed some avocado toast for breakfast. I was never a fan but I recently cracked the code, at least for me – Ezekiel bread (from Trader Joe’s), salt added to the avocado, and Aldi’s asiago cheese everything but the bagel seasoning sprinkled on top.

Donated clothing to a place I found called Repeat Boutique. I like them because they allow people in need to “shop” for clothing for free, unlike Goodwill or Savers who keep raising their prices and seem to attract resellers more than anything.

We also saw a new gastroenterologist as we’re both overdue for colonoscopies. We really liked him and scheduled our procedures.

11/11 (Sat) – Had our first chickadee visitor to the feeder!

My dad messaged me online requesting help as their landline was down (and no one has a cellphone) so I put in a repair ticket with AT&T.

I found out there was a new update for my Apple Watch, but when I went to install it, I was told I need to update to the latest iOS (iOS 17) on my phone first. There’s a bit of an issue, though, and I’m so happy I thought to look into it before it was too late – the reminder app I use multiple times a day isn’t compatible with the iOS 17. In fact, the app hasn’t been updated in 8 years, so I guess we’re all lucky it’s worked this long. The developer doesn’t have a way to contact them (although I did @ them on Twitter recently and they kinda blew me off) and doesn’t seem interested in keeping the app going. So I guess I need to now find a good reminder app before I even think about updating, because everyone is saying it crashes and won’t let them edit reminders, etc, and I have reminders well into the future I do not want to lose (stuff like when to cancel a free trial and whatnot). UGH!

11/12 (Sun) – Another marsh visit and another owl sighting. It usually hangs out in one particular tree, down to the same exact branch, but this time we spotted it in a different tree altogether, and even saw it flying around because blue jays and a kingfisher were chasing it.

Before this, I did something dumb. We had purchased some Thanksgiving items at Aldi before going out in search of the owl and to the arboretum, including a 3 lb Butterball boneless turkey breast. I placed it on the counter while filling my water bottle, then promptly forgot about it. Didn’t think about it again until hours later when we were driving through the arboretum when it dawned on me I hadn’t remembered putting it in the freezer. Pulled up the security camera in the kitchen and sure enough, it was still sitting on the counter. What a waste of $12, not to mention food. Someone said it might have been ok (it was left out about 4 hours), but I wasn’t going to risk giving people food poisoning. Joe said at least it wasn’t TWO turkeys (which we almost got), so there’s that!

11/16 (Thu) – Saw two chickadees at once! I think they are a couple (a Google search revealed they often mate for life).

11/18 (Sat) – Did a little grocery shopping at Target and managed to procure two packages of the best Milanos Pepperidge Farm makes – the limited edition amaretto hot cocoa flavor.

Somehow managed to get the same nasty Dollar Tree cashier I wrote about in the October Recap, even though it was a different DT location! I immediately recognized her and was sad we’d have to deal with her. She was nicer to everyone before and after us than she was toward us. Perhaps it’s paranoia, but maybe it had to do with the fact that we were the only ones wearing masks? I know some people treat masked people poorly. As if trying to protect my health is a bad thing.

We also visited a store called Wild Birds Unlimited that sells, you guessed it, nothing but bird supplies. It was really fun to look around, but ultimately we left empty-handed. I would like to support a small business such as that, but it doesn’t make sense to pay twice as much for everything either. Perhaps if I was rich I wouldn’t care as much. They clearly aren’t hurting though, as they were quite busy.

11/19 (Sun) – Another trip to the marsh to see the owl (obsessed much?) where we also saw a large flock of sandhill cranes overhead.

11/23 (Thu) – The kids came over for Thanksgiving and K brought her SO. They introduced us to a new card game called Mantis, which we loved. So much so that I ordered it from Target for pickup.

Bonus – it was 50% off for Black Friday, so only $10.

11/24 (Fri) – Joe ran to the grocery store for a few items and came back with a surprise for me – Little Debbie Christmas tree cakes! Apparently they also make them in chocolate (psst, those aren’t great, I recommend sticking to the original flavor).

I also learned I can use the Canon app on my phone as a wireless remote for my camera.

This would have been helpful on Thanksgiving when taking a group family photo.

Enjoyed Thanksgiving leftovers, which are truly the MVP of the holiday.

11/25 (Sat) – Received our new bird feeder, which was discounted on Black Friday.

Who needs a new TV when you can get a bird feeder instead? ;)

11/26 (Sun) – It snowed enough to stick. Yuck. I did get some cute photos of the birds and squirrels in the snow, though.

11/28 (Tue) – Joe had his colonoscopy. I didn’t like how I wasn’t allowed to be with him until the actual procedure and needed to stay in the waiting room until he was in recovery, especially because they were running late and he didn’t go in for over a half hour past his scheduled time. They found and removed some very small polyps so he will need to go back in three years. We’re not really sure how many total polyps there actually were, though, because the doctor told him 6, there were only 4 documented on the illustration they included in his aftercare paperwork, and the biopsy report stated there were 5.

11/29 (Wed) – The chickadee couple, who disappeared for nearly a week, came back!

Also viewed my Spotify Wrapped results. These will come at no shock to anyone who knows me. Even the timing was on point – I listened to The Cure most in the winter months because, you know, melancholy, and Sofi Tukker in the summer because of happiness and positive energy.

I do wish you could exclude comedy albums from their analysis, though, because I start an album, fall asleep, and have to listen again over the course of a few nights to finish. I’m not obsessed with these comedians or anything.

11/30 (Thu) – We had our dryer vent cleaned. I chose a company recommended by the association which is different than who we used last year. There were two guys – one who went up on the roof, and one who did things to the dryer, including checking the hose in back and the lint trap, plus checking for gas leaks before and after doing the service. He also made sure the dryer was still heating up before they left. The last company just did work on the roof, sucking up the lint (which was really loud compared to this place) and didn’t check the dryer at all. I think we’ll stick with this newer company as they seemed more thorough (and the price was literally only $1 more at $90).