Yes, I am 88 years old now! And eight is my favorite number… whatever that means? The family surprised me with a gathering on Sunday and I was really surprised. Actually we celebrated 3 birthdays. Our elds\est daughter had a birthday and a son-in-law- had a birthday…3 days in a row! It was a happy delightful wonderful celebration having with all the kids and grandchildren together.

And how do I feel about being so close to 90 yhears old? I feel just fineand not bothered by the thought. Not at all, honestly!

This morning on TV they talked about an upcoming program for this weekend about Australia having the most venomous creatures on the planet! But I know about that thanks to my friend “ENNY”. She sent me a list of the snakes, and in all my years on this planet I never knew there were some that were so very, very ,very poisonous. Thanks, “ENNY”. Any time you want to tell me something about Australia I will be glad to read it. Maybe I should just check the library fro a book about the continent,. There was some
mention of the platybus being venomous too and I had never heard that. I wonder hos much we Americans really know about Australia.

It has been a while since I sat here and “BLOGGED” but I have an excuse. I am getting lazy in my old age! But I want to comment on the recent comment from my Australian friend, “ENNY”.
She responded to my blog about our little snakes in our garden. She gave me the names of some Australian snakes and I copied them so I could look them up and find out more about them. But
imagine kangaroos getting hit by cars!!! Around here it is
deers that get hit!
It seems that spring is going to be really late in coming to
Chicago this year. Today is cloudy and cool and damp.
Not at all like spring. We do have spring flowers blooming but they are shivering too! We will probably go from this weather right int summer with HOT days! (But I shouldn’t complain. Australia is getting ready for winter!)

NIKO is doing great…loveable as ever, He is so funny when we return after being away for a couple of hours (or even less than
that) He hears us drive in and starts barking and waits at
the back door. We can see him as we approach and he is
jumping about twice as high as he is standing on his hind legs.
Too cute. I guess he loves us as much as we love him!
Our entire family loves him. Everybody loves NIKO! In Australia
you have wild dogs, called DINGOES if I remember correctly?
There must be many animals there that we don’t see anywhere lse, eh? How about bugs, insects, and things? I should go to the
library and check up on Australia, right?

Now, perhaps I have written enough for one day? I am tired of fighting with this computer. I already lost one blog before I
could publish it. So, I’ll say Au Revoir for now.

We had a couple of spring days in Chicago last week, but not long enough. Had a couple of rain days too and today, altho the sun is shining it ie very windy and cooool. But I guess we must be patient. We had many spring floweres just the same. And the lilacs were spectacular this year. Maybe summer will happen next week!

We have those little garter snakes in our back yards and thais a sign of spring too. I wonder if they have snakes in Australia? Or do they sometimes see koala bears or kangaroos running around? That would be something different.

Niko likes very much to be outside now and the other day we saw him bothering one of those garter snakes. It was about 14 or 15 inches long. We did not want Niko to hurt the snake so I went out and poked it with my cane and he crawled away safely. But I am not able to be out there with Niko all the time so I’ll just have to let happen what happens. The snakes are practically harmless anyway.

I just went over what I have written and made several corrections. Probably did not get all my mistakes so please overlook them. After all I am not an expert at anything.

WEll, since the sun is still shining I think I’ll put a jacket on and go out. Maybe I’ll pick some of the rhubarb and cook it. Maybe tomorrow will be a little warmer.

I would like to write more, but I am a bit tired. So I” make this a short BLOG. It’s probably not very interesting either. My brain is tired too, I suppose. Maybe I’ll do better next time.
‘Bye for now!

The calendar says that spring is one month old already and we have not seen it except for one or two brief teasing visits. But now that 1/3 of it is over maybe it is here to stay for a while before the heat of summer.   But, we need all kinds of weather and that’s what we get in this zone.  So why complain???

NIKO had his first haircut sine we got him, and is cute and loveable as ever.  In little more than 2 months he will be 2 years old.  I am an antique compared to him.  I don’t think i will out-live him.  Some dogs live to age 14, or so.  By the time Niko is 14, I will be 100 years old!   Hmmmm!  I suppose I COULD make it, couldn’t I?  The odds are against it, however.

When I turned 65 I wondered if I would make it to 70 and when I turned 75 I was sure I would not reach 80.  Now I wonder if I will make it to 88 in June?  I have a niece and a nephew who, when I reach 90 in 2 more years, they will be 80 and 85.  The three of us are hoping to make it to that time and have a really big combined celebration!   Maybe I’ll invite President Obama to the party.  And maybe Oprah, too.  That would be the 3 BIG O’s…Obama, Oprah, and Otto!  How about that, eh?

Maybe I will invite my friend “ENNY” from “down under”?  She would be a real “out-of-towner”.  Hey, Enny, have you ever travelled outside of Australia?   Marthe and I have been to Europe once, and to Mexico a few times, and to Canada many times, since she is from that wonderdful country.  I would like to travel more but it is a litle late for an old man to be flying around yet!   I’m happy  that I can still type a blog!

HAPPY SPRINGTIME TO ALL WHO READ THIS!!!

It seems to me that everyone should have such a pet as our NIKO!  He surely gives us a lot of love, and a lot of laughter!  He likes to go out and play in the snow, but he certainly hates to go out when it is snowING.  Same when it is rainING.  But, hey!, we can put up with that, he is a good little fellow.   He loves to sit on laps.

Last Saturday we observed the annual “earth day” and turned out the lights for one hour.  It wasn’t bad to watch TV in the dark.  Then on Sunday we awoke to a snow scene and it did not seem as beautiful any more since it is now supposed to be SPRING.  But we know that spring is really ‘on it’s way.  But can’t help thinking of Australia and those countries who are just beginning their autumn.  Right, Enny?

That’s the only name I now for “ENNY”  Don’t even know if male or female????  Maybe someday I will know more, eh?  Now I think this enough for one blog, altho I could go on and on.  I’m going to take a nap.

 

In little more than one week it will be EASTER and I think spring will be here.  We are going to the home of daughter #4 this year.  That will \be easier than hosting the Easter meal at our house.  I think the kids should take turns at hosting it, don’t you think so?  We did it for so many years and now we are getting to be “elderly”.

By the time we wake up tomorrow Spring will be here, officially!  And how welcome she is! It seems that we waited a whole year for her to get here.  We knew she would make it eventually!  I have not seen a robin yet, but others in the family have reported it to me.  So, they have returned and I’m sure I will see them soon, maybe even today?

By tomorrow, the first day of spring I will begin a new diet!  Not for losing wait, but because I have a new “condition” .  It is called CELIAC DISEASE!  Not ‘catching’, but inherited!  And I have no idea who passed it down to me…great grandpa?  Uncle John?   Anyway, it is simply an allergy to wheat products and other grains like rye and barley.  That means NO BREAD!  (Unless it is “gluten-free” as it is the gluten that is the problem.  So anything containing gluten must be avoided.  NO BREAD?!  How will I get along without my favorite dessert…jelly bread?  Guess I’ll need to invent something new to use jelly on!!!   How about scrambled eggs?  I have had ‘JELLY OMELETS’ in the past.  MMMmmm, good!  But i am sure we will find some gluten-free breads.  There is such a thing as potato bread, and corn bread, both of which ar acceptable.

Now I need to get back to finish our income tas report.  It is due by April 15th!  I can do it if NIKO stops interrupting me.  And, YES! we still love the little guy!

As usual, I will welcome a comment from you. Thanks. 

At last I can show you what NIKO looks like.  But from the picture we cannot see how small he is.  I did try to measure him, but it was difficult because he does not stand still for something like that!  He is ABOUT 18-20inches from head to tail and ABOUT 10 inches high at the shoulders, barely a lap full of dog!  But he is more than a bushelful of joy for us.  Everyone who sees him, loves him.  We will need to be careful that someone doesn’t steal him when he is alone out in the back yard!.

Jenn showed me how to attach a photo to a blog-post, but I forgot to ask ker to show me how to find now many readers I might have.  Thanks to Enny in Australia that I get some comments, I enjoy getting them.

Yesterday was a really lovely spring day with blue skies and so much sunshine!   Today is about 25 degrees cooler, cloudy and rainy although it is more like a spring rain than an autumn rain.  We can tell that spring is near.  We don’t expect any more snow, but we don’t know for sure because we DO have blizzards sometime in March!   In 5 weeks it will be Easter, then we will know that SPRING is really with us.

Okay!  This is over 500 words, and time to say, G’BYE!

Last Sunday we celebrated birthdays of 2 granddaughters, ages 9 and 12.  It was here at Grandma’s and Grampa’s house as usual for most parties.  But this time the whole family was unable to attend because of previous commitments…only 14 or 15 were in attendance!  But we had a good party just the same.  Of course our little NIKO was here and had a “cousin”  DAISY here to  keep him company.  But I must be getting OLD because I  was so tired by the time the party was over! 

But the next day I felt better.  Maybe that’s because I know spring is coming and tomorrow the temperature will be well above normal…good news!   ….and no parties until Easter!  Then a couple of birthdays and in June several b’days, including mine, and then a double of graduations and more b’days, and then it will be AUTUMN again!  … and so on and on and on.  Time is going by so fast, and time is running out for me. 

Incidentally, last weekend our grandson, ANDY, asked me why I don’t post more blogs.  Ha! I didn’t even know that he read them.  So, why doesn’t he comment on them???  He’s going on 18 and should be able to do that.  He seems to be quite knowledgeable on the computer. Which reminds me…maybe I should ask him about putting a picture of NIKO on a blog  so my Australian friend ENNY can see him!  Good idea, because by the time I figure it out myself I may be too old to do anything on the computer!  What do you think?

Enough for now, I am going to take advantage of our brilliant sunshine today and take a walk with NIKO!   G’bye for now!

And we thought our California fires were bad!!   It seem that those in southeastern Australia are much worse.  My heart goes out to all those affected by the fires.  We can’t imagine how frightening it must be to have a home in their midst!!!    I do sincerely hope it is nowhere near Canberra where “enny” lives.

I was looking at a tiny map of Australia and it doesn’t look as tho the fires are too near to Canberra.  At least it didn’t seem like it on such a small map, not according to the TV reports.  But anyway, I pray for those people who are experiencing the flames! 

We’ve been complaining about “too much snow” in Chicago this winter.  What would Chicagoans do if we had to experience another “Chicago Fire” as in 1871?   Of course that was 50 years before I was born but I’ve heard about it and read about it enough to know how devastating something like that can be.

Today, however , was a very mild day and it took practically all of our mounds of snow away !  The temperature rose to 61 degrees and that would be 16 or 18 in Australia.  Just count your blessings, Chicago!

Today I hd a comment on my Groundhog Blog from my Australian Friend.  I offer a brief explanation about the custom  which seems to be more popular in Canada and in the U. S.

It began in the 1800’s in Pennsylvania by the largely German population.  I don’t know HOW it began, but they decided that on Febreuary 2nd if the groundhog emerged from his winter nap, and saw his shadow he would be predicting 6 more weeks of winter.  But that date is actually 6 weeks before the first day of spring.  So, no matter how you look at it, it is 6 weeks of winter or 6 weeks until spring. A bit silly, eh?  But people have fun with it.

In any case, we here in Chicago will be mighty happy to be rid of winter this year, because it has been such a very cold month.  We are expecting a real warm-up this weekend and it will be more like spring.  I know that Australia is about to go into Autumn.  Well, I hope they will have a nicer Winter than we are ready to say “Good-bye” to.  It’s good, isn’t it that we do have 4 seasons, and that each one is 3 months long.  I like that. 

And now I’ll say G’bye to my Australian friend.