Fighting Illini Basketball Game

University of Illinois basketball has struggled over the last few years. Last year their record was 12-21. They’ve not played in an NCAA tournament game since 2013. But starting in January this year they won 7 in a row. Things were looking up, and people were becoming interested. Patrick obtained two tickets for the Indiana game on March 1. Then in February the Fighting Illini lost 4 in a row. Since then they have bounced back and now have a 4-game winning streak. Their next game is tonight against Ohio State.

Before Patrick departed Chicago on Saturday I reminded him, “Don’t forget to bring the tickets.” “Not a problem,” he replied. “They’re digital, they’re on my phone.”

P. arrived home Saturday afternoon. I treated him to hambingers for supper. I'd made him a treat to take home with him,Cinnamon Pecan Bars. I made them without the cinnamon chips because I did not have any. They ended up tasting like butterscotch bars. Yum.

We planned Sunday lunch at a restaurant before the game. I suggested Everyday Kitchen which is fairly new, and their menu looked a little atypical. They’re also located within walking distance (albeit not close) to the basketball arena. We drove two cars so that I could return back home while P. and J. went over to the game. Turns out two cars was not necessary. P. had left his phone plugged in back at the house, and the digital tickets were on the phone!

We enjoyed our lunches. P. chose the Dixie Benedict which was basically sausage gravy over biscuits. I liked the Shrimp & Grits. I did think the tomato-okra stew made the whole thing look more like a soup. J. stayed safe with a Breakfast Burger. It was really "tall" topped with a fried egg, and he ate it with a knife and fork. I don't think he could have eaten it in the traditional burger fashion.

Then we went our separate ways. A couple minutes before 1:00, P. texted me “Dad brought a f---ing knife to the game.” His frustrated language was because he thought J. wanted to take the knife back to the car, and they’d already been delayed with having to drive home to retrieve his phone. As it turned out, J. walked outside and put his knife down in an obscure place. The knife was still there when they left, and all was o.k.

I saw the last 6 seconds of the game. Things could have gone either way, but Illinois beat Indiana 67-66.

Patrick was a senior in high school when these t-shirts were purchased

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Cinnamon Pecan Bars Prep time:             10 minutes Bake time:            25 minutes Makes:                  2 dozen 1 box butter pecan cake mix (regular size) 1/2 C. packed dark brown sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature 1/2 C. butter, melted 1/2 C. chopped pecans 1/2 C. cinnamon baking chips Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and brown sugar. Add eggs and melted butter; mix well. Stir in pecans and baking chips. Spread into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Affordable Eats / Taste of Home, c2019

Be Kind

30th Anniversary

Thursday, February 14, 1990, Valentine’s Day, we woke up to no electricity.  An ice storm had materialized overnight, and downed electric lines were widespread throughout the city.

John and I proceeded to get ready for work ….. by candlelight.  Patrick was two-and-a-half years old.  He has fading memories of eating his breakfast with a candle flickering.  The biggest disaster of the morning -- I couldn’t curl my hair!  I was mortified to go to work without curling my hair.  I later thought, I should have at least brought my curling iron with me and tried to “style” my hair in the ladies’ room.

My workday began at 7 a.m., and I arrived at PCU on schedule.  No electricity problems at the college.  As was our custom, John got Patrick ready for the day and took him to daycare.  Shortly before 8:00, John called and said daycare was without power and was closed.  We decided I would work a half-day which would be until 11:00.  Then John would bring Patrick to me, we’d go home and John would go to work at Solo Cup in Urbana.

I had the forethought to call my sister Susan who lived in Urbana to see what her power situation was like.  All was o.k. with power at her house, so I invited Patrick and me over.  Susan’s townhouse was not far from where John worked.  Apparently east Urbana was not affected by the blackout. 

Susan had to go in around 1:00-2:00 at the bank where she worked.  Normally she would take the bus, but I offered to drive her.  Turned out to be a good idea because the bank, near Lincoln Square mall, was without electricity and closed.  No one had bothered to call and tell her.

example of a newspaper
coupon

I no longer recall what transpired after that, except we decided to have Monical’s pizza for supper.  There was a store a short distance from the Ferg’s domicile so John walked over and carried out a pizza (maybe two since we were feeding 4 adults, but I don’t remember).  At that time the newspapers constantly had coupons for Monical’s 16-inch pizzas for $6.50.  I do not recall the price of Monical’s pizza 30 years ago, but $6.50 was a really good deal.  I think a heck of a lot of people who did not have electricity were carrying-out pizzas.  John said it was doing a booming business.

I guess Jim’s place of work was probably using backup power.  He worked in a computer department at the U of I, and a backup source of power would have been crucial.  Later that evening Jim’s parents came over to stay the night because their place in Champaign was dark, too.  They’d been killing time at Market Place mall.

At some point I must have made a trip home to get essentials for an overnight and preparations to go to work the next morning.  Although John probably went home to see if the electricity had been restored.  Maybe he brought our supplies back.  It seems more likely that I would have gathered up what we three needed.  I do not recall, but I did end up with the all-important ELECTRIC hair rollers.

EB for Easter Bunny

Bedtime: John and I got the spare room with a double bed.  Patrick had a pallet on the floor.  He had EB with him, too.  Mr. and Mrs. Ferg got the master bedroom.  Susan and Jim slept downstairs in the living room, Susan on the couch and Jim on the floor.

Following morning:  I prepared myself for work, i.e., curled my hair.  But then I heard on the news that PCU was closed.  They had not lost power, but so many faculty/staff/students were dealing with the ramifications of being without electricity that they just called the day off.

John went to work.  I took Patrick to daycare which had its power restored.  I then went home and hung out in a cold, cold house.  Temp in the 50's (possibly colder?).  I had my 1970’s transistor radio and I listened to all the chatter about people making do without electricity.  I had a thought that I could do laundry or vacuum, but that was quickly squashed.  I did dust.  And I washed dishes which warmed up my hands.  I think I maybe wrote a letter or two.

John picked up Patrick after work, and we bugged out for my parents’ home in GC.  We’d previously asked Jim to stop by our house Saturday morning and see if power had been restored.  Sometime before noon he called and told us it was o.k. to return home.

And that’s the history of our two-days as refugees.

Boy, I Feel Foolish

I paid a bill to Christie Clinic via online banking in December. A couple weeks later I received the uncashed check back from Christie with a typed note that it was a duplicate payment and that I didn’t owe anything. I don’t really know how this happened because according to my records it did not look like I had previously paid for this particular appointment.

I hung on to all of this, and this week when I received a bill for an appointment in January, I decided to take the uncashed check in and ask if I could use it. The check was valid for 180 days, until the end of June.

Initially the cashier said “yes.” Then she turned the check over (which I had not done), and it was stamped as if endorsed, and there was a hand-drawn X across the stamp. I showed her the note explaining why the check had been returned to me. She said I would need to talk to someone elsewhere. I said I did not want to take the time to do that -- it was approaching noon and I had a couple other places I needed to go -- so I said I’d just pay by credit card.

After I left it occurred to me that the cashier probably thought I was scamming the system: that I had a canceled check and was trying to reuse it. The letter explaining the returned check was not on Christie letterhead and probably just looked like something that I had typed up.

I almost wish I’d gone ahead and talked to the other person she wanted me to see. But I simply didn’t want to spend who-knows how much more time when I could just pay the bill and be done with it.

Lesson learned.

From No Supper to 3 Meals

Last Wednesday I had no idea what we would have for supper. I reviewed what was in the freezer and what was in the pantry, and I came up with absolutely nothing. I finally decided it would be pancakes.

Then it occurred to me that I had a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon, and that I could swing by the grocery store on the way home. I took a quick look at the store’s advertisement. Nothing really appealed to me or made a suggestion. But then I saw Marie Callender’s pot pies in the frozen foods ad section. That clinched it. Pot pies for supper.

Stopping at the grocery store after the appointment, I headed straight for the frozen food aisles. But in doing so, I had to walk past the checkout area. There, on a display, were deli-baked whole chickens. Those chickens are usually in the deli area, seldom at the front of the store. It seemed to be an omen. So I quickly revised our supper menu and picked up a roasted chicken. I also grabbed a couple pot pies for a later meal.

We ate half the chicken for supper Wednesday night. Along with mashed potatoes and frozen vegetables. Of the other half of the chicken, I saved a leg and a few chunks of breast for a lunch meal for me. And the remaining chicken became a Mexican soup for Thursday’s supper. Also Friday’s supper and a couple lunches.

I went from having no idea what was for supper to having 3+ suppers planned pretty quickly when I impulse-buyed the deli rotisserie chicken.

Hearty Mexican Chicken Soup
Total time:            30 minutes
Serves:                   8

1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 qt. (4 cups) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (15.5 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed
1 C. thick & chunky salsa
2 C. shredded rotisserie chicken
1 C. frozen corn
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro
1 C. Mexican-style shredded cheese

Cook yellow onions in hot oil in large saucepan on medium heat 6 to 7 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cumin; cook and stir 1 minute.

Add broth, beans and salsa; stir. Bring to boil. Stir in chicken and corn. Return to boil; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Stir in green onions and cilantro. Serve topped with cheese.

Note: Add one can RO-TEL diced tomatoes with chilies. 

Kraft Foods     01/2020