My 700th post: Here’s 15 of my Favorite Posts on the Teepee

I’ve been blogging nearly 19 years, having started in November 2006. 

If you look at my Blogger Profile, it says “On Blogger since March 2010” but I started a few years earlier on another platform.  In 2010 I moved to Blogger and brought my old posts with me.

This post marks my 700th, and truth be told I have been less than proud of several of them.  But the other night I was looking at a few “oldies but goodies” I’d almost forgotten about, and thought I’d come up with a list of 15 of my favorites.  

I’m not saying these posts are my best ones, but they are the ones I had the most fun writing or sharing. 

If you’re curious to check any of them out, all you have to do is click on the image.

1. Back in my working days, women in the office were getting a little crazy so a club for dudes only was started.  Who was the first to join?  A woman.2. A 1900’s high school sat up the road from my sister’s house—before it was demolished, a haunting we will go…3. My dad and his brothers were country rock musicians and had a successful band.  Here is some of their music.4. Once upon a time… I was Batman.5. What do you do when you find a headstone with your name on it?  You look for more headstones.6. What if Christopher Columbus had been prevented from “discovering” America?  A great sci-fi novel thinks it knows.7. In Pittsburgh in the 1960s, letters to Santa were delivered to the North Pole via a moon rocket.  (THIS IS MY SECOND MOST-VIEWED POST)8. What happens when a young woman walks thru the lobby of my apartment building in her underwear?  I have 33 opinions on the matter.9. Who was the girl who played an ugly duckling on the Brady Bunch?  One weekend, I was determined to find out.  (THIS IS MY MOST VIEWED POST)10. A long time ago, my brother Duke tried to hypnotize me. (THIS ONE IS MY PERSONAL FAVORITE.)11. It’s one thing when a Star Trek character is changed into a woman, but when it’s a Star Trek friend…12. The trial of a bully who tried to take down a nerd and lost—TWICE. 13. I’m not afraid to admit it, I’ve had a man crush or two in my lifetime.  Here’s those men I crushed on.14. In 1973, a plane flew over our farmhouse and took this picture.  50 years later on a historical website…15. And finally, from way back in 2006—one awesome grandma.

While going thru these posts, I came across so many I wanted to share I may do a Part 2 in the near future.  Isn’t that exciting?  Hello?

To you folks out there who take the time to visit and read and comment on my blog, thank you so much.  Your feedback makes this all worth it.

I don’t know if this is making a difference, but what’s the alternative?

This Sunday morning I got up early and made a cup of coffee and turned on the local news for the weather, and was astonished at what I was seeing.  That ‘No Kings’ protest held nationwide on Saturday, they were showing the turnout in Pittsburgh.

Thousands showed up, lining the streets from the Hill District to a gathering at the City County Building downtown that had to be 10,000 people.

I was expecting hundreds, not this.  It was gratifying to see, exciting, humbling.  I felt guilt too, not being part of things.  I also felt a little depressed, as I couldn’t help but wonder if all this clamoring for democracy was falling on deaf ears.

When I googled my question, I got this (courtesy of that infernal AI):

Yes, protests can make a difference. Throughout history, protests have been a driving force behind social and political change, exposing injustice, demanding accountability, and inspiring people to work for a better future. While not all protests are successful, research suggests that when organized effectively, they can influence policy, shift public opinion, and even impact elections.

Pretty generic stuff, but still made me feel a little hopeful.  I will NEVER understand how we wound up with a convicted felon in the White House again, even if his campaign was largely funded by that Nazi Elon Musk.  The sad fact is, the majority of voters in this country are assholes.

Sorry, that’s how I feel and I’m tired of keeping silent.  There was no excuse for voting that crook back in office a second time, let alone the first. 

Well, I didn’t get on here to write mean things about Trump and his minions.  I just hope that common sense eventually prevails and we get our country back on track to something resembling a real democracy again. 

A few weeks ago I started a blog titled “I miss feeling patriotic”, but felt so down writing it I threw it away.  Seeing this protest brought back some of those proud feelings for our country again, at least.  I hope it helped other’s spirits too.

 

Fast cars, fast ladies (just kidding) and lunch at Rockefellers Grille

This past Wednesday, a few of us from the Lutheran Senior Center took a road trip to McKees Rocks, home of Rockefeller’s Grille.

Here’s short chubby me and tall skinny Mary before our trip.  Mary chose not to go, she just returned from a family vacation.  I was a little bummed, but glad she’s back.

On my way to the center, I stopped at the barbershop to tell them the restaurant we were going to and got a resounding “boo” from my haircutter and the patrons there.  No one was too impressed with the place.

It didn’t matter too much to me, I was just glad to get out of the house and be with friends.

It’s a good thing too, as this wasn’t one of our better outings.  Our waitress was short-tempered, my own meal was drowning in tomato sauce, and we only had 20 minutes to eat before our Access ride showed up early. 

Plus mine felt overpriced; my lunches never go over $20-22.00 and this one was over $30.00.  But I will say it again, I’m just glad I was able to go. 

Here’s a mish-mash of pics, you know how I roll!

This is Melvin, a regular at the Lutheran Center.  In his nineties, very quiet, but has managed to make a lot of friends.  You should see photos of him from the early 1950s, his “hot-rodding” days.Here’s the Rockefeller’s Menu, the back was as full as the front.My gal Evvie listening to some wild stories.  Boy, she has my dad’s eyes.And here’s Evvie’s lunch, a club sandwich & fries; it looked & smelled so good.Here’s my lunch, eggplant parmigiana and a side of linguini.  Everything was drowning in tomato sauce, the eggplant & pasta were both mushy and tasteless.  Had a nice salad before this came out, wound up bringing most of this home to “doctor up” for dinner.I couldn’t resist sharing this.  When we were heading into the restaurant, a 1957 DeSoto convertible was sitting in the parking lot, with black & white leather seats.  What a sweet ride!Finally, here’s that leftover eggplant I had for dinner—I spooned off half the sauce, added some olive oil, minced garlic & dried basil and put it under the broiler for 5-10 minutes.  It looked & smelled a little better the second time around!

Between you & me, I haven’t been in the best of spirits lately—I keep having these post-covid relapses where the left side of my head & face will burn and ache for 1-2 hours a couple times a day.  I’m trying to not let it stand in the way of getting out there, but sometimes it’s too much. 

It happened on the way to the restaurant, I sat there in silence and thankfully it did lessen. 

On the trip home I was pain-free, and my tipsy pal Dennis & I discussed signing up for Social Security, and should we make plans to visit Club 412 (a gentleman’s club aka strip joint we passed on the way home).  I’m sure those women on our shuttle were getting a real earful—I hope they know we were kidding!  That’s it, thanks for reading!

 

The perfect meal, clearing the air and an extra about that space heater

How many blogs have I written that started off with a hamburger?  I’m afraid to look.  Anyway, this was last night’s dinner and while chowing down I decided it does NOT get any better than this.

This is a 1/3 lb Bubba Burger on an Arnold Potato Roll.  It’s topped with sauteed peppers & onions, and steak sauce.  Hands down, Bubba Burgers are the best burgers you can buy.  Those are Red Robin Steak Fries, and if you cook them just right (32 minutes in a cold oven set to 425F, shut off the oven, open the door to let out steam, then close it for 2 more minutes)… absolute perfection.

That roasted broccoli is God’s gift to man.  Cooked a little longer than 30 minutes?  Delicious.  Take it out a little earlier than 30 minutes?  Delicious.  You can’t go wrong.

Okay, enough of my meal.  Speaking of meals, why am I always taking photos of my lunches & dinners?  I don’t always share them here, but I still take ‘em.  If you’d like to see more pics, why I’d be happy to.

I wanted to say something about my friend Diana.  After my last post, three people reached out and asked if something special was going on with us, and if there wasn’t, how come?  That was nice they asked, I got a big kick out of it.  But if I gave anyone the wrong impression there was more between us, I’m sorry. 

The simple truth is, Diana & I are only friends and will never be more than that.  Diana lost her husband to covid 3 years ago, and now wants to devote her golden years to her garden, church, events in her community.  (She lives in nearby West Virginia.)  

As for me, I’m not ruling out the possibility of hooking up with someone someday, but I’ll be just fine if it doesn’t happen.  I like my apartment in the city, I like watching too much tv and eating too many hamburgers.  And I am not a church goer.  And that’s that.

Finally, here’s that “extra” I wanted to share about my new space heater.  What you’re looking at below is my LASKO Oscillating Tower Fan.  It has 3 speeds, rotates, has an ionizer feature, and it came with a handy remote.

I bought this fan in 2017, and it’s been a real champ.  In the summer, it distributes the cool air from my main vent throughout my lving room.  It does the same with warm air in the winter.

3-4 years ago, the remote stopped working.  I replaced the batteries, it didn’t help.  I contacted Lasko, and they sent a replacement.  It didn’t work either.  When I let Lasko know, they said “The remote isn’t the problem, it’s the circuit panel in your fan.”  Made sense to me.

The fan has manual buttons on top, but then the IONIZER button stopped working, and the highest fan speed went next.   But here it is, 8 years later and I’m still using it.

Okay—a couple days after getting that Dreo space heater, summer finally arrived in Pittsburgh and I decided it was time to pack it away until the fall.  (Our building won’t switch over to heat until October, and there’s bound to be some chilly days come September.)

I’m not the type to just toss it in the closet—I packed it in it’s original carton, packing materials included.  After it was safely stored away in my bedroom closet, I came out into the living room and DOGGONE IT—I forgot to pack up the heater’s included remote.

I sighed and plopped down on the couch, picked up the remote and aimed it at the TV, pressed the ON button for no particular reason.  My LASKO fan to the right of my set suddenly came on.  What the—!!  

I pressed the Oscillator button—my fan began rotating.  I pressed the timer button, the fan increased to speed 2.  I pressed it again, it went to Speed 3.  Speed 3 hasn’t worked in 3 years! 

I pressed the ECO button on the remote and the blue IONIZER light above my fan lit up.  That hasn’t worked in 3 years either!

So not only did that little space heater deliver some much needed warmth, it’s given my old fan some new life.  I did look up both brands (Dreo & Lasko) and they are not owned by the same company, they are competing brands.  So go figure!

Okay that’s it for now—until next time, thanks for listening and take care everyone.

Tales from the Tiffany: The space heater story I mentioned in my last post

Here’s something interesting about the Tiffany (my apartment building).  They advertise that central heating & air is included in your rent—but that’s not entirely true. 

Built in the 1950s, every apartment has a “heating/cooling pipe” in the bathroom ceiling, and a propeller fan that blows a steady stream of air on this pipe.

You have a thermostat in your apartment to contol the temperature.  BUT:

• From October 1 to April 30, that pipe in the bathroom ceiling is HOT. 
• From May 1 to Sept 30, that pipe is COLD.

So there are days thru the year when you wished for cool air, but it’s not time for the switchover yet.  And there are times (usually early May) when it got switched to cool for summer, but outside temps are still chilly.

That’s what happened a few days before Memorial Day.  The local weather forecast chilly temps for May 20-26 and Steiner (our landlord) sent an email to everyone with suggestions for keeping warm as they’d switched to cold on May 1.  Don’t turn on your air!  Keep your windows shut!  Sip warm drinks!  Take hot baths!

I told my friend Diana what lay ahead.  She gave me the same suggestion she did last year when something similar occurred, and this past winter when the pipe in my ceiling went cold a couple mornings and was not supplying heat.  “Why don’t you get a space heater?”

Here’s another picture of my friend Diana, from her recent trip to Utah to visit her son & daughter Anyway, the first time she suggested a space heater I thought of that metal box with glowing orange rods we had in our farmhouse in my childhood; it’d burn you if you got too close.  I told her “No way!”  Then I’d lose my heat again, she’d make the suggestion, I’d remind her I’m a man and can handle a little cold air.

Then this Memorial Day cold spell came along, and over that week I watched the temperature in my apt drop from 70F to 66—62—58—!

So, one night while shivering under my blankets in my chilly bed, I got out my tablet, pulled up space heaters on Amazon.com and was very surprised. These portable heaters looked smaller and a lot safer than the contraptions I remember from the 1960-70s. 

I placed an order for one and prayed I wasn’t getting rooked.Just a couple days later, I’m sitting here on my computer and an email pops up from Amazon.  “Your order has been delivered.  The driver has left your package under your mailbox in the lobby downstairs.”  Yes!

I grab my phone to call Diana and tell her the space heater is here, and run downstairs.  I go into the lobby and see a CRATE-SIZED BOX from Amazon under my mailbox.  What the—!!  How big is this heater anyway??I call Diana back and tell her this box is HUGE.  She says “Maybe it’s like one of those Russian nesting dolls, and they just packed it in different sized boxes to keep it safe.”

I say “Nope—it has HEAVY stickers all over the box, and when I tried to lift a corner it won’t budge!”  

I called Amazon and said if you’re still in the area this is too big for me, come and take it away.  No way do I have room for this thing.  The Amazon driver returned, pointed his tricorder at the carton on the floor and said “Er… this isn’t your order.”  

He went around the corner to the smaller mailroom (for first floor tenants only), and returned with a much smaller box.  “Here’s your package, sorry for the mixup.”

Whew!  I brought it upstairs, unpacked it, was surprised at it’s compact size.  It only stands a foot tall.  Anyway, I couldn’t be more pleased.  It’s whisper quiet, gently rotates and pushes out a WHOPPER of very warm air.  I have a bookcase thermometer that had been displaying 59F when I plugged it in, 20 minutes later it was 72F in here.

That’s my story and here it is.  How did I go this long without one?EDIT:  Wait, this story isn’t over!  To be continued…

Relapse, remission. Relapse, remission. Relapse.

Right off the bat, I want to say I’m not looking for a slew of sympathetic comments or anything like that.  A lot of us deal with chronic health matters.  It just helps me to put this out there, on here.  It helps me feel less alone.

A couple Wednesdays ago (the day I went to the Grant Bar & Lounge in Millvale, two blogs back) I had a pretty serious relapse. To be fair, I’ve been dealing with “long covid relapses” almost daily for months; but they usually just last a couple hours before winking out until the next day.

This last occurrence… I came home from that outing, lay down to take a nap, and woke up with the left side of my head & face in a good amount of pain.  It’s pretty much been a lot of inflammation and burning in the eyes & mouth since.

(Also the smell of burnt oatmeal—which isn’t as bad as the smell of diesel fuel a year ago, but it’s still unsettling.)

I had a telemeeting this week with my neurologist, told him I was aware this affliction is chronic and can last a couple years, but it’s been 17 months now and I am wiped out. 

He said “Douglas… who told you it would resolve itself in 2 years?”  I said I read that in an article published by the BHS.  He said he was not aware of this having a finite lifespan, and that he has others with post-covid conditions that have lasted longer than mine.  This was most depressing.

He told me they believe it settles into “compromised” parts of the body, and brought up mine.  I have a dark area on the left side of my brain that used to be the source of headaches & seizure activity when I was younger.  And a few years back, my jaw was in pretty bad shape from TMJ. 

(I recovered from TMJ in 2021, but my masseters have never been the same.  That’s what hurts a lot now.)

He didn’t have any real answers for me either, other than avoiding stress and ultra-processed foods which can cause inflammation, sleep 8 hours daily, avoid alcohol & tobacco products.  He said “I’m convinced Naproxen could help with the inflammation, but you can’t afford the spikes in your blood pressure.  You know ibuprofen is dangerous for you, right?” 

He asked if I would consider meeting with a therapist (psychologist) to share my feelings.  No.  I do enough of that here on my blog, and a little at the senior center, but mostly with my good friend Diana.

Here’s a recent photo of Diana at Bruce Canyon in Utah; she recently traveled there to visit her son & daughter who both reside in Salt Lake City

She really has been a terrific friend and insists I don’t owe her anything but I do.  She recently retired, but keeps busy writing a weekly column for her local paper, organizing events for her church & community.  I’m surprised how much time she makes for me.

(I actually have a funny story involving Di, myself and a space heater, maybe I’ll write about that next time.)

Well, that’s all I have.  All I can do now is wait for the next remission and hope the relapses weaken over time.  A couple days ago I woke up and made a promise to myself to go to the Lutheran Center that day, regardless of discomfort. 

Made it there and saw my friends, and had this wonderful lunch below—turkey & smoked gouda sandwich, potato salad, Mediterranean vegetable soup, grapes, chocolate donut. 

You can’t ask for much better than this.

I think I need a Jattebo in my life—well, in my apartment

Have you ever stumbled across something and thought “I really need this, and I wasn’t even looking for it”?   I did this just recently, and I’m feeling a little excited, wary.

The other night I was watching videos on Youtube of people showing off their new apartments, and one young stockbroker was proud of his (pretty pricey) sectional sofa from IKEA.  I loved the style and color, but I’m not looking for a couch.

But the more I thought about it, I began to wonder “what if I bought just ONE of the sectional pieces?”   This single seat piece costs $530.00. 

It’s surprisingly heavy (and being IKEA, you have to do some minor assembly and even attach the fabric yourself, ugh).  But it opens to reveal storage, and I have the perfect place for it.

When I moved into my apartment in 2017, I bought this olive corduroy floor pillow for watching tv while lying on the floor.  It’s larger than you think, around 26” square.  I don’t really watch TV from the floor anymore.

But the JATTEBO one seater is covered in a similar olive corduroy, and the seating portion is 28” square, like a big square ottoman.  But it also has a 28” high, 10” deep back, behind the seat.  I don’t see myself doing a lot of lounging on it, and it’s much lower in height than my sofa and other chair in the room.

But I think the Jattebo would be a perfect guest chair to just plop down on, no arms or pillows in the way.  And it would be nice to come home and have something to drop my jacket & bags on, when I first walk into my apartment.

Here’s the storage available under the seat, and there’s an optional 10” high headrest you can purchase if the back is too low for you

At least I know the color will work—it complements my navy blue couch, don’t you think?  I have some real thinking to do…

By the way, as long as I’m here I thought I’d show you my other chair.  Two years ago, after getting rid of a cheap brown vinyl chair in my living room I was looking for something brighter and more modern.

I found a white chair I really liked, but worried it wasn’t masculine enough or might clash with my sofa.  And when I showed it to my sister, she said “I’m not sure a white chair is going to work in that room.”

I appreciated her honesty—so I grabbed one of my dining room chairs, draped it with a cream towel and let it sit in my living room for a week to get a feel for the real thing. 

It did help me to decide, and I ordered the white chair, and was very pleased.  More of an off-white, the fabric is a heavy canvas; and I found a super-soft burlap lumbar pillow from an Indian seller on Etsy.  Here’s the before and after pictures.

It takes some getting used to, the first time you sit on it; the seat cushion is suspended from the floor via straps, like an old school lawn chair.  All I know is, it’s sturdy but soft, and I knew it looked just right in here, in front of my extra-large living room window.

I just hope the JATTEBO works out in here as well.  It might even motivate me to put together that coffee table I bought from Wayfair 2 years ago that’s still under my bed.  Stay tuned.

We’re a couple of swells: Our latest outing to the Grant Bar & Lounge

This past Wednesday, a pretty large group of us from the Lutheran Center boarded 2 shuttles for the Grant Bar & Lounge in Millvale, Pa.

Here’s me & Dennis at the center, ready for our road trip 

The Grant Bar has been locally owned & operated by the same family for 90 years, and has a great reputation for their food and service.  They’re also known for their coconut cream pies, and it’s highly recommended you order a piece before you order your meal, because they go fast.

To be honest, I almost didn’t go.  I’ve been dealing with a relapse of the long covid symptoms that seem to be worsening these past couple weeks.

But this chronic condition kept me from attending most of the outings in 2024, so I’m determined to get out there as much as I can.  And on that happy note….

This menu is straight out of the 1970s… but there was lots of good food at good prices. My own bill, with drink & tax came to $18.23.  I also left a $4.00 tip.Here’s Deb who sat directly across from me, looking positively angelic with that light behind her pretty hair!

Dennis:  “I’ll take a bacon cheeseburger and french fries, and a ribeye sandwich and onion rings to take home.  And a bowl of your chicken noodle soup and a salad and a bowl of cottage cheese, and a container of the soup to take home.  Then I want a piece of your coconut cream pie, and a piece of your banana cream pie to take home.  And bring me two Bloody Marys, so I don’t have to wait for my second Mary after I finish my first one.  Did you remember my burger?”Here’s Evvie, looking her usual radiant self—I want to give a big shout-out to Evvie and Mary (who sat on my left), they managed to save me a seat at that very crowded table.  They are very dear friends.Here’s my meal, a Reuben & some of the biggest onion rings I’ve ever eaten.  It was DELICIOUS, I wound up bringing half of it home and having a great dinner too.  The following day when I spoke to Mary, we agreed we should go back there soon.

And finally, one of the ladies (Kim) bought a slice of that famous coconut pie and shared it with Mary and myself.  A tasty treat, thanks Kim.  That’s all, folks

Broccoli cheddar soup for two, isn’t it romantic

The other day when I walked up to the Lutheran Center for lunch, I opened the door and was greeted with a delicious aroma.  I hurried and checked in, went to the dining area, only to learn there’d been a cooking class that morning for cheddar broccoli soup and I missed out.

They said “Doug that’s what you get for only looking at the lunch calendar—we have an activity calendar too, y’know.”  I asked if there was a tiny mouthful left.  “Nope, not a blessed drop!” 

I suddenly felt like George Costanza on Seinfeld, after asking for free bread from the Soup Nazi:  “No soup for you!”  One of the ladies handed me a printout of the recipe, so I thought I’d try and make it myself.  Here’s the ingredients:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup For Two (makes 2 servings)

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup cooked, chopped broccoli

I’m sure there’s plenty of broccoli soup recipes out there, I think what makes this one special is it’s simplicity; you’re using broccoli you cooked beforehand and you’re only making a small pot.  (But a little goes a long way, you’ll see.)  Now let’s get started!

1. Saute the chopped onion with the melted butter until the onions are tender.  I’m using a smidge more onions than 1/4 cup because that’s how us men roll.2. Stir in the flour, salt & pepper until well blended.

3. Gradually stir in the chicken broth & milk.  This felt so thick, I wound up using 1 cup chicken broth, not 3/4.  Bring to a boil, cooking and stirring until thickened about 2 minutes.4. You should have a tan, silky base.  Add in the precooked broccoli and heat thru thoroughly.5. Remove from the heat and slooowly stir in 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese until melted. I got myself a bowl and sprinkled some more shredded cheese on top.  In hindsight, I wish I’d bought a sharp cheddar, not mild.  It also needed more black pepper.

I enjoyed this with a baked ham & horseradish sandwich, but the second day I heated up a bowl with half a strip of crumbled bacon stirred in, and it was DELICIOUS.  By the way, this actually made enough for 3—just saying!