Sunday, June 22, 2025

Last night we went to bed at 10:15pm, finally waking/getting up at 6:15 (slept through the night again). After a trip to the bathroom, I returned to bed, did my Kegel exercises, read a little (I’m afraid my Kindle book loan is going to expire before I finish it), fell asleep, finally waking/getting up with Teresa at 8am.

If I haven’t already mentioned it, my lesions have returned.

We left the apt about 10:30 and, as expected, found the Niles Diner busier than last time. There were only 3 tables available but still we got a booth. Teresa had her usual eggs, hash browns, toast, and coffee but today added sausage patties. (She thought the hash browns were better the first time but maybe that was because it was a new thing for her.) I had my usual eggs over easy, hash browns and an English muffin but today added a skirt steak. Of course, we had several coffee refills.

I’m still in the process of getting my new phone setup with my old Whatsapp, email, etc. accounts. It’s a little confusing because we’re working with 3 cellphones and 4 cellphone numbers.

The check came to $45 and I added a $7 tip and was able to break the $100 I got the other day from the ATM.

We returned to the apt so Teresa could change from sandals to shoes.

We left again at 12:30 and drove to the River Trail Nature Center. Teresa enjoyed the exhibits inside the center then we had a short walk on their circular trail through the woods. Still too hot to do more!

This is an opossum that is sleeping or…wait for it…playing possum.

I drove us to Panera Bread so she could work on her purse project while I called Best Buy looking for a case for my new cellphone.

An older (probably younger then me) woman walked past our table and complimented me on my hair. The man right behind her, probably her husband, said, “Look at mine”. I saw he only had hair on the sides and I responded, “Oh, you cut yours”. Just a few minutes later a young man walked past and pointed to his arms, then me, and gave me the thumbs up. 😊 I had an iced tea and later Teresa had a bowl of broccoli cheese soup.

I called the Best Buy in Palatine and got their automated phone system. “How can I help you?” “I need a case for my new cellphone.” “Do you have your order number?” ☹ I finally got through to a human being and was assured they have cases for my Samsung A36 cellphone.

We drove there and I bought an upgraded cellphone protector – a Zagg Invisible Shield Glass+ Defense expressly for the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G for $27.49.

We drove back to the apt to rest a little before supper and when I went to install the case I found it’s a screen protector, which I already have, not a protective case. ☹

I ran out of underwear so I did a small load of whites in the Maytag washing machine. Interesting how it senses how little clothes are there and only puts in a little water. Just before we left, I moved them to the dryer and changed into my hiking pants. We left the apt at 7pm and I took Teresa to the Himalayan Restaurant in Niles. I ordered garlic naan (bread) to share and fish tikka masala (not spicy) for Teresa and chicken tikka masala (not spicy) for me. She loved her food but when she tried my chicken she remarked she liked it better than her fish. The total check came to $48.48, including tip.

We returned to the apt, I took my dry underwear out of the dryer and Teresa seemed suitably impressed with the job it did.

 

FUNNY

Saturday, June 21, 2025

Last night we went to bed at 10:45pm, I got up once at 2:45 (took about an hour to fall back asleep), finally waking/getting up at 7am with Teresa.

Today is officially the first day of Summer.

We left the apt at 8:30 and had breakfast in Egg Harbor in The Glen for $53.66, including tip. ☹.

BREAKFAST

My old cellphone allowed me to resize photos before emailing them but this new phone doesn’t give me that option and/or I don’t know how to do it.

Afterward, I had planned on walking around the area but in the direct sunlight Teresa said it was too hot today.

I drove to Beck Lake and we walked on their forest preserve trail for about 20 minutes.

We returned to the apt and there was a box on the porch with a heater for us to use in our freezing basement apt.

I drove us to ubreakifix in Arlington Heights where I got a screen protector installed for $38.49 but they didn’t have a case for my cellphone. We parked in a municipal parking lot and walked over to some streets closed off for restaurants. Teresa chose Scratchboard Kitchen

where she ordered the half chicken and I a burger with fries.

The itemized bill:

$25.00 – Smash burger

$3.00 – Coke

$35.00 – half roasted chicken

$2.52 – 4% service charge

$7.86 – tax

$15.00 – tip

$88.36 – TOTAL

Teresa didn’t like the chicken, said it tasted old, so I ended up paying $88 for a burger, fries, and a Coke?

I drove to Target looking for a cellphone case but all I saw were for iPhones.

Back at the apt I plugged in the new heater in the living room and a lot of the lights went out. I contacted our host and she told me the location of the circuit breakers. After a couple tries, I finally figured out the television, laundry room lights, half the kitchen lights, and half the living room lights and the two outlets on the north wall were on the same circuit. The only thing that worked is I could plug the new heater in the bedroom and the cord would just barely reach under the door to the living room. But at least now we have some heat.

 

FUNNY

Friday, June 20, 2025

Last night we went to bed at 10pm, I slept through the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:30. Teresa got up at 7am.

One of my readers cautioned me on taking Diphenhydramine (HCI), especially at my age, which I confirmed online. I’ll have to wean myself off of that – although I have enough tablets for at least a year. Maybe I can gift them to someone who has an allergy.

We left the apt at 8:15 and this time I found a shorter southern route to downtown Des Plaines where we stopped in Shop n Save and purchased a pair of kitchen gloves and I also bought a $2 Sun-Times.

We had breakfast in the Sugar Bowl; our order was similar to yesterday but Teresa preferred the hash browns from the Niles Diner. I started a difficult crossword puzzle only to discover it was the NY version and the Sun-Times version was further toward the back. The cashier was from Costa Rica and Teresa had a nice conversation with her.

We drove to Woodfield mall where Teresa was on the search again for a black purse/bag. We didn’t find anything but when she got hungry we stopped at Mac & Cheese in their food court where she ordered a bowl of soup from a Mexican server. In the meantime, I went to Stan’s Donuts where I bought an apple fritter and a medium latte. (They sure are stingy with the apples in the fritters these days.)  When she tried her soup, it was too spicy and she didn’t eat any more.

We stopped at Golf Mill where I made another ATM withdrawal. For some reason my Capital One card doesn’t work in the Chase Bank ATMs but fortunately my USAA card works. Later I discovered USAA reimbursed my $3.50 ATM fee from the other day. 😊

We stopped in Target where we purchased a couple travel size bottles of shampoo.

We drove to Old Orchard shopping center where Teresa purchased the tote bag for $88 she found yesterday in Viulo.

Teresa wanted ice cream so we returned to Oberweis Dairy and she had a scoop of butter pecan and I a scoop of mint chocolate chip.

When we returned to the apt it was no longer freezing, not sure if it’s because the lady upstairs changed the A/C setting or because I forgot to turn off the space heater.

We left at 6:30 and Jeannie was waiting for us at our outdoor table in L. Woods in Lincolnwood. (The parking lot was nearly full but luckily I got the last (actually, first) parking spot on the street and didn’t have to parallel park or squeeze between two other cars. Even diagonal parking is a work in progress for me, trying to end up fairly evenly between the two lines.)

My daughter has a nice bump, seeing as she’s just starting her 3^rd trimester. She hasn’t had any morning sickness or nausea but mentioned being clumsier having broken a few glasses and plates.

We gifted her some baby clothes we got from Carter’s and a stuffed bee we bought at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Teresa gifted her a beautiful purse and two bracelets she made.

Teresa had her usual salmon and loved it, I had their Friday night special, the fried perch, and Jeannie had a hamburger.

It was a beautiful night and the longest day of the year.

I picked up the check of $127.42, plus a $20 tip and we left at 9pm.

We’re going to meet for breakfast next Saturday morning at Egg Harbor in Highland Park.

 

FUNNY

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Last night we went to bed at 10pm, I slept through the night, finally waking/getting up just before 6am. Teresa got up at 7:15.

I put her towel in the dryer so when she came out of the shower she had a warm towel. She loved that.

We left at 8:30 and stopped for breakfast at Elly’s Pancake House on Milwaukee in Glenview. The waitress was Mexican so she helped a lot with Teresa’s order. Teresa had an egg skillet and hash browns, toast with a side of sausage links. I had 2 eggs over easy with hash browns, pancakes and sausage links. We both agreed the hash browns were better at the Niles Diner. Of course, we both had coffee. The total came to $40.66 which I put on my Mastercard.

We drove to the Chicago Botanic Garden where it cost $10 for parking and we got lucky because today was one of the 3 free entrance days they have each year. It was a lot of walking but she enjoyed everything and said it’s 4-5 times larger than Jardin de Botanico in Medellin.

I drove us to Whole Foods where we each had a bowl of minestrone soup and oyster crackers for $11.88.

She shopped in Old Orchard on her “impossible quest” for a purse/bag to hold her craft supplies. The closest so far is Vuori in Old Orchard for $88.

She wanted ice cream so we stopped in Oberweis Dairy in Glenview for cups of ice cream.

We each had single scoops, vanilla for her and butter pecan for me.

We returned to the apt for a few minutes to change clothes and wash up before we left at 6pm. I drove us to Medieval Times in Schaumburg and we got seats in the 3^rd row. I took a number of videos and sent a few to Laura.

Our dinner consisted of tomato soup, garlic bread, baked chicken wing and breast, half a baked potato, and a small chocolate éclair and a choice of drink. Teresa loved the show and several times said, “los niños son felices”.

It was over by 8:15 and we returned to the apt.

Teresa just pointed out that the Pantene shampoo I bought in Walmart is actually conditioner. ☹

After conversing with our host, it turns out what I thought was a heater is an air purifier. I finally found the small heater in a window well.

 

FUNNY

 

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Last night we went to bed at 10:45pm, I slept through the night, finally waking/getting up just after 6am. Teresa got up at 6:45.

We left the apt at 8:15 and drove to Deerfield Bakery in Buffalo Grove. I took a bear claw although it was not the same as I remember. I also had French toast and Teresa had a couple fried eggs with ham but didn’t get her new favorite, hash browns. We each had lattes and the check came to $37.04.

I was planning on going to Lake Geneva but with the rain decided on Plan B. We drove to Elgin and stopped in Jewel where I bought flowers plus a few other things we needed for $46.08. we drove to Memorial Park in Elgin and I was a little surprised I couldn’t find my mother’s grave. I stopped in the office and they gave me a map with the location and after that it was a piece of cake. It was a little grown over with grass but I cleaned it best I could with my bare hands. Teresa suggested we come back with a spatula to clean it properly. In Elgin I showed her the house we lived in after I was born and the house my dad built with the help of our uncles. I stopped in Sycamore and bought gas and was surprised I remembered how to do it (nothing changed there) and paid for it with my debit card without any problem. We drove out to Northern Illinois University in Dekalb and I could see how much its grown, at least on the athletic side. We stopped at The Junction Eating Place for lunch. Teresa had a hot open face turkey sandwich and I meatloaf. We enjoyed our food and only after finishing found out our young waitress was Mexican so Teresa could have talked to her directly, Lunch cost $38.82 including tip.

I finally discovered the USB-C port in the car so I could keep my cellphone charged. Now if I could just figure out which button is for cruise control.

I drove us to Woodfield mall and Teresa saw the same stores she sees in Medellin like H&M and Zara and a few she didn’t know.

We couldn’t find a decent place for coffee (Teresa wanted to return to Deerfield Bakery but they closed at 5pm) so we drove to Golf Mill so she could buy pajamas because it’s still cold in the apt. We tried Ross, Penney’s, and Target and ended up back in Penney’s where she bought a size X pair of flannel pajama bottoms for $5, just so she wouldn’t freeze at night.

In a pouring rain, we stopped in Panera Bread and bought bowls of broccoli cheddar soup and her extra was an apple and mine a bag of kettle chips. She liked the chips so much she had me exchange her apple for a package of chips.

When it wasn’t pouring today it was at least raining lightly but by the time we returned to the apt at 9pm it had stopped.

I guess these are supposed to be universal symbols on the heater but I have no idea what they mean. The fan is working lightly but I don’t think it’s giving out any heat.

 

FUNNY

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Last night we went to bed at 10pm, I slept through the night, finally waking/getting up at 5:30. Teresa got up at 6am.

Now outside of Medellin’s pollution my eyes feel great.

Today the plan is to start doing touristy things.

I uninstalled and reinstalled Waze and now it’s speaking English and I have it set to avoid toll roads. 😊

We left the apt at 7:30 and I was driving south on the Edens Expressway, doing 63 MPH, when the speed limit was “55, strictly enforced with cameras” and every car was passing me. ☹

I drove to Mekato’s Panaderia (Colombian bakery) on Lincoln Ave in Chicago. I paid $5 for 2 hours of street parking and we had pastries and lattes (more like café con leches) but Teresa was able to talk to the owner in Spanish.

MEKATOS

We drove down Lake Shore Drive to the Museum of Science & Industry but she seemed more impressed with the lake than the Chicago skyline.

It cost $22 to park then $111.90 for 2 entrances and tours of the coal mine and U-505 submarine. She enjoyed both even though she didn’t understand any of the narration.

 

We stepped into Stan’s Donuts and I noticed one of my favorites, the apple fritter. We had lunch in the Museum Kitchen - sharing a bowl of macaroni & cheese and a chicken sandwich and a Coke. I showed her the doll house and the space center and when we returned to Stan’s Donuts my apple fritter was gone. ☹

We left about 3pm and Waze kept asking me to turn left (probably to get me to the Kennedy Expressway) but I had heard there was outbound construction this summer so I just ignored her.

We stopped at a Ross store on Lincoln Avenue and I found 3 inexpensive shirts I can wear here. (I brought mainly sleeveless t-shirts that will probably come in handy soon.)

We stopped at JoAnn’s Fabrics & Crafts on Golf Road but they were closed - permanently.

We’ve been checking out lots of stores; Teresa is on an impossible quest looking for handles for the purses she makes. I told her if craft stores don’t have them, she won’t find them at other stores like Ross, Marshall’s, etc.

We returned to the apt to rest up a bit.

I used Samsung’s Smart Switch to transfer my A52 apps & data to my new A36. (It didn’t finish until we returned from supper but it looks like everything’s there.)

We were freezing in the apt when we left at 7:30 for supper. I took Teresa to the Himalayan restaurant but as soon as I stepped inside and felt the air conditioning I said, “nope, this isn’t going to work tonight”; I don’t need to be any colder. I drove to Barnabys and it was a little cold but I put my jacket on and I was fine. I ordered a small sausage pizza for us to share and a small Diet Pepsi for Teresa and a large root beer for me. She liked the pizza although she mentioned it was slightly spicy. We’re not going to have it every day but I loved it.

We stopped at a 7-11 where I bought a $3 cigarette lighter so Teresa can work on her project.

I kinda got lost on the way back to the apt as I was trying to find a southern approach off Wolf Road but I think the sign wasn’t well lit. I ended up going back up to Golf Road anyway and coming down that way. Oh, well!

I told Teresa there’s no hurry getting up tomorrow based on what I have planned.

 

FUNNY

 

Monday, June 16, 2025

Last night we went to bed at 10pm, I slept through the night, finally waking at 5:30 and getting up at 6am. Teresa got up at 6:30.

Today we should be able to get our internet situation fixed and other things (like contact with the outside world) will start falling into place.

Took my shower; didn’t take long to figure out how to get hot water.

The toilet seems to run nonstop but when I checked it’s some technology I’m not used to so I couldn’t help. It turned out it’s just a slow filling tank.

Someone left behind a couple packages of Clif’s Builders Protein bars. We took one along with us for an emergency in case Teresa gets hungry between meals.

The apt is still cold but I can’t hear the A/C come on, not sure if it’s because of my closing the vents last night or because it isn’t hot outside yet.

Well, it seemed the A/C kicked in just after 7:30, so it must be on a timer.

We left the apt at 8am and rode to the Niles Diner where we had a nice breakfast. Teresa loved her eggs sunny side up with hash browns and feta cheese on the side. She was amazed our coffee cups got refilled so often and she had no problem with cream instead of milk.

I loved my eggs over easy with hash browns and sausage and an English muffin.

I gifted Ziggy o

ne of my lesser bags of Colombian coffee. He wasn’t even working in the kitchen, I found him smoking outside in the parking lot.

We stopped nearby at Ross – Dress for Less where I bought 6 pairs of the thinnest socks I could find and a pair of ProFoot arch supports and Teresa found a number of inexpensive things. Nearby was a Chase Bank where I withdrew $200 all in 20s for a $3.50 withdrawal fee.

We arrived at T-Mobile 15 minutes before their 10am opening. Because of that I found a store named ubreakifix nearby.

When they opened at 10am I inquired as to how much it would cost to repair Teresa’s cellphone. I was told $140 for parts and they would arrive in about 5 days. That didn’t sound worth it so we went to T-Mobile where I purchased 2 sim cards and 2 monthly plans for $84.99. I had them put the sim card with phone# 312 617-0869 in my Samsung A52 cellphone.

To ensure the new Samsung phone was unlocked they recommended Best Buy.

Before I forget:

BEFORE CHICAGO

Teresa has a Samsung Galaxy A04 with Phone# 312 207-9701

I have a Samsung A52 5G with Phone# 323 209-9833

In T-Mobile we purchased:

a Sim card for Teresa with Phone# 312 617-0859

a Sim card for me with Phone# 312 617-0869

Teresa’s cellphone had the Claro sim card and (one we forgot) for Exito points. We had them insert the Claro as her primary and Chicago sim card as the secondary (I think). This is getting complicated.

We went to Best Buy and they didn’t have the Samsung A52 5G so I decided to buy a new Samsung A36 5G cellphone for me and Teresa will take my old cellphone. We will have to use Samsung Smart Switch to transfer my contact, photos, etc to the new cellphone and also her stuff to my old cellphone. This is getting complicated.

But when we return to Medellin, Teresa will take my old cellphone with Phone# 312 617-0869 and I will take the new one with 312 617-0859 (I think, maybe).

In the meantime, for this month at least, we will both use my old A52 cellphone with 312 617-0869.

We went to a strip mall where they had a Michael’s arts & crafts store but they didn’t have anything Teresa was looking for.

Next door was a Famous Footwear where Teresa found a nice pair of Nike gym shoes. Next door to that was a Carter’s but we were hungry so we walked to the mall entrance where there was an Outback Steakhouse. Teresa had the unlimited soup and salad but of course only had one serving. She also had a Coke Zero. She loved the salad but found the French onion soup too salty. I told her that’s because of the cheese and its normal. She also loved the loaf of bread (of course without butter) they brought to the table. I had a Caesar salad with chicken and, finally, a root beer. The check came to $47.08 and I left a $7 tip.

We returned to Carter’s where we found a couple dresses and shoes for my (still in the oven) granddaughter.

The way they package things these days they can be almost impossible to open, sometimes almost destroying the product within.

We returned to Potbelly Sandwich Shop where she had a bowl of Broccoli Cheddar soup and I a bowl of chili. I couldn’t get my old phone to work for a Whatsapp call to her mother (not sure how I named her in my directory – MT, Mother, Maria – couldn’t find her) A call to Wilson an operator said he didn’t have a Whatsapp account. Teresa talked to Laura for about half an hour. I finally got a question in about why when I changed Waze from Spanish to English it still speaks in Spanish. Laura suggested 1) Uninstall and reinstall Waze or 2) Use Google Maps. Both good suggestions.

We stopped across the street at a Shop & Save where we bought a few apples and a small package of blueberries. Teresa saw a 3-pack of taffy apples she wants to bring back to Envigado. We stopped across the way to Potbelly where we had their soup again.

We stopped around the corner in Dollar Tree but it wasn’t even as good, certainly not as well organized, as Dollar City.

We left about 9pm and returned to the apt aiming to go to bed early so we can get up early.

I opened the new cellphone and plugged it to charge. I have to be careful because it doesn’t have a protective screen nor case.

The apt is freezing from the Air Conditioning and I can’t find a thermostat. I texted Milena to increase the temperature by 4 degrees.

I figured out my phone had T-Mobile as the Primary SIM so I switched it to Claro. We’ll see if we can call Colombian phone numbers now.

 

FUNNY