John’s thoughts, rants, and crazy ideas
We all have that friend or family member who at some point is totally in their element, a place that transcends them into a zoned-out mental state discussing some topic that you find mildly interesting. You Can ask him/her a question about computers, dinosaurs, woodworking, or cooking and the next thing you know you’re immersed in their world, listening to a conversation exploding with details you never expected. You may be at the zoo with another family and one of…
We purchased a flat of strawberries from the Cissna Park FFA this week and today, Suzanne was making a strawberry pie to take to her dad’s tomorrow. I grabbed one from the bowl she was working out of and took a bite. Not too sweet but very juicy and the first thought that went through my mind was ‘Pretty good, but not as good as Bacon’. There are many foods I crave and yes, bacon is probably at the top…
We’ve all been there, first time to the church picnic to find out everyone else knew to bring their own table service; attending your child’s first athletic banquet to learn you were supposed to bring a rose to give your athlete during the ceremony; or your first company Christmas party and everyone but you brought a gift for the exchange. And, all you can say is: If I’d have known That was us last Friday when Suzanne had her follow-up…
As humans, too often are we faced with the loss of a loved one. In most cases, despite their age, that moment in time when we are informed of their death is still a shock. Tears flow, memories rush through our minds, and more tears flow. Eventually, we return to a sense of calm and our rational being takes over and you realize that they were what? 94, 97, or even older? When you finally put it all in perspective,…
If you’re in the same age bracket as me, I’m sure you find yourself opening boxes in the attic to find out what’s inside. In your mind you’re thinking, I don’t need my kids going through all that stuff somewhere down the road. That was me just the other day when I decided to open a mystery box. Well, it really wasn’t a mystery as I sort of knew the box was full of name badges and buttons from my…
Suzanne had her Monday and Tuesday all planned out. Since her Biopsy was scheduled for Tuesday at noon we made an appointment with her prosthodontist on Monday to maximize our trip. And since she had Monday afternoon off, a shopping visit to a big fabric store was on the agenda as well as a nice dinner out. As we packed and prepared to leave Monday morning, I got a call from the UIC Dental school that Dr S. was ill…
Like many families, our kids are somewhat scattered, each of them has developed their own local relationships. The chance to visit and share in their activities is in direct relationship to their distance away from us. Family and the relationships it provides are important to the human condition. Everyone needs that interpersonal connection and find a way to fill that void if it exists. For Suzanne, a local sewing group aids in that process, a golf league for me, but…
It’s hard to believe it was thirty-five years ago today that Suzanne and I were married which joined our two families together. This journey has had way more than its fair share of ups and downs, but how did we get here? After my daughter’s death, my wife Cindy developed cancer and she too died. This left me in Cissna Park with two sons, working in my new second profession, farming with my in-laws. With few friends in the area,…
In college, I minored in Political Science, hard to believe that was 50 years ago. I have always enjoyed discussing current politics and how our government works (or doesn’t). Lately though, with all that is going on, the extreme divisions in our country, the inability for people to even discuss different points of view, and the turmoil overseas, it’s hard trying to keep up. That same problem exists even in my own household. No, not turmoil or inability to communicate,…
Back when Suszanne owned the Du-All building in Cissna Park, we were landlords. We had three apartments above the Quilt Shop that had tenants most of the time. Some tenants were needy, some were easy to get along with, some were problematic, and some were just what a landlord wants, paid on time, and never heard from. We didn’t mind being landlords as it added cash flow to the business and utilized the property we had. This year, we (actually,…