Oh, I Think So

Today is my sister's birthday. She always likes to do something different and/or unusual on her special day and because of Covid, anything different or unusual has to be an outdoor thing. This year brought us the work of Jim McCall, a retired fashion designer who lives at 2080 W. Touhy in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago. Mr. McCall decorates for Christmas as only a retired fashion designer could. There is a Nativity scene. Creatures from under the sea or from the fiery bowels of Hades are represented. There are brides and other fancy people. This is a serious display and while we were there, Mr. McCall turned on the lights so we could enjoy a fuller effect even though it was not quite dark enough. I took pictures. Here they are. Thanks, Mr. McCall. This is seriously wonderful.

Yesterday was my birthday and thanks to Covid-19, I pretty much did nothing except got to Starbuck's to get my free birthday drink. Anything I wanted and what I wanted was a grande decaf latte with skim milk. I've not had a Starbuck's beverage since mid-March and it was not the best coffee I've had from Starbuck's but the price was right and it's a drive-through location. I drove home and drank it there. There was a Starbuck's location in my former location of work and I would get a large decaf latte with skim milk every day at least once. It was an exciting location -- the trains would arrive and passengers would queue up and get things like a barranquilla mastricatto with oat milk. Perhaps it was called something else but the oat milk was real. How does one milk oats? I am curious. My sister and brother-in-law cooked me up my fave chicken with carrots and rice dish and brought it over in the early evening. I got into my apartment and tucked right ...

Chicago is a wonderful city with plentiful parks. Some parks go blocks from streets down to the lake and there are lots of them. People love parks and people love the beach especially in the summer. Soccer players lover the beach and they don't care what the weather this as they out there when it's crappy and there they are when it's a lovely day. Today, I had visitors -- my sister and brother-in-law -- pay me a visit with cookies and the offer of a walk. It was delightful! It was 37º but sunny and lots of people were out with their dogs and significant others with birds at feeders enjoying the sun, free seed, and plentiful suet. Christmas is in less than two weeks and who the hell can tell? This is one of those times when we have to let it go. Christmas, New Year's Eve and Day, Christmas Eve, all are on the back burner as we will not be gathering in large groups for large dinners and lots of decorative papers going the way of recycling. Getting delightful v...

https://youtu.be/BNGv0ivUsqE The above -- apologies, you will need to copy and paste to view as YouTube refuses to imbed -- is the YouTube entry where this fine Scottish fellow builds a castle for his cat, Nala.  It is a magnificent thing to behold and Nala would be skulking around, bragging what a lucky cat she is, except for the fact that she's a cat and cat's know they need to be idolized.  It's a castle, y'all, and she is the queen of it. I found this YouTube channel - 1bike1world -- when I was attracted to the picture of Nala in the basket of the bike, cruising down the road, being driven by her chief architect and castle builder.  She is not just a well-traveled kitty, she is loved. These two make the most adorable of companions.  I want to hug the kitty because I just want to hug kitties. Courtesy of 1bike1world, Dean Nicholson, and Nala