Champaign-Urbana Archives - Page 2 of 179

January 7, 2023January 7, 2023 Cynthia Voelkl Cancer, Champaign-Urbana, The Guys

Having a beer with Owen

We had our rescheduled late birthday lunch with Owen, Trinity and Leo yesterday afternoon at Fries and Peanuts (the Esquire). Kerry did a masterful job of carding Owen and serving him his first official beer. A Riggs lager. Like father, like son. Although Ernie’s not drinking these days he did have a celebratory beer with Owen. Probably a bad idea in hindsight but sometimes you have to say the hell with it all.

It was such a treat to be out and see friends! ❤️

One last Happy birthday to my Owen.

The evening was pretty quiet. It’s never a good sign when Ernie puts his hood up. Poor little gnome.

I made a batch of gruel, well, I guess congee, for Ernie today. Remember when I used to make gruel all the time for him? He lost his taste for it when he was in the hospital this Spring. However it’s started to sound good again to him.

I’m going to make another batch in the slow cooker tonight and see how it turns out.

Last night I told myself I was going to catch up on all the emails and messages I need to do today. But guess what? I’m not. I’m going to attempt to relax. I’m going to read. I’m going to watch some trashy tv. I’m going to practice deep breathing and I’m going to make some more gruel for Ernie and constantly nag him to drink his Pedialyte. We’ve moved on from Gatorade. Go, electrolytes, go! If it were during the week I’d try to get him in for more fluids. I probably should have done that on Friday. Sometimes it’s so hard to know what to do. We’ll get him through the weekend and then we’ll see.

I’ve got to get Hattie in to see Dr. Mary on top of everything else.

Timing, Hattie, TIMING.

Onward.

December 20, 2022December 20, 2022 Cynthia Voelkl Champaign-Urbana, Christmas, General Life

Random is as random does: December 20, 2022

1. I keep starting a post and never finishing it. That tells you right there what the inside of my head is like. SCATTERED.

2. In terms of Christmas I think we are just waiting for one or two last things in the mail and we’ve already started wrapping presents! Early for us. As I told someone the other day, the real test will be if we manage to get them all wrapped BEFORE Christmas Eve. That would be a breakthrough!

3. We went to the Rosebowl on Sunday to see the Hot Club of Urbana for a Charlie Brown/Vince Guaraldi show. It was lovely to be with friends and hear live music.

4. Last time we ordered Chinese there were ads inside the fortune cookies. Honest. Sigh.

5. The other night we were getting into bed and Hattie was doing her requisite howling until we hold up the blanket so she can crawl in between us. Ernie said, “I saw an article on how to tell if your cat is listening to you,” Then he turned in his side, and continued sleepily, “but I didn’t read it.” I don’t know why, but that made me laugh and laugh and laugh. Somehow Hattie and Ernie were not nearly as amused.

6. Last time Ernie was getting an infusion (one of his regular ones, not Friday’s marathon) he commented that when the bag is getting low, it feels like the last hour of an antique show. You don’t start packing up but you start rearranging and maybe taking a few things off shelves, etc., because good show or bad show, you CAN’T WAIT TO FOR IT TO BE OVER! It made me smile because I can remember that feeling so clearly even though it’s been eons.

7. That reminded me further of when we used to do an antiques show in Indianapolis that seemingly lasted forever. I think they were four days. A Cox show maybe? I don’t remember, we only did it a time or two, or maybe only once. Across from us was an older couple. She told me that they started selling antiques during the war (WWII!). They were lovely, and although the show went to 10 pm, at 9 pm sharp they put sheets over all their merchandise, moved their chairs to block entrance into their booth and went on home. Nobody questioned it, we all just waved good night to them. I always loved that.

Ok, I need to go wrap a few presents, tell Hattie to stop howling and do something productive. I’m a bit anxious for our drive to St. Louis on Thursday but thus far it appears that Thursday is preferable to Friday so we’ll cross our fingers.

Onward.

August 3, 2022August 3, 2022 Cynthia Voelkl Champaign-Urbana, Friends, Music

BVF: and then there’s RB Morris

There’s nobody else like RB Morris.

There just isn’t.

Nope. Not a one.

And as much as I love RB any which way, acoustic, solo, duo, etc., RB with a band just fucking kills. And when that band is made up of the great Greg Horne and Tim Lee and Susan Bauer Lee. Well, hell. I get that floating feeling that I get when I’m in a field of golden flowers.

And Mockingbird was there.

As I said in my slightly rambling introduction (I think I rambled more as the night went on, ahem), I was a little intimidated by RB before I met him…I mean come on, he’s so damn talented. Then this lovely man with the soft voice and sweet smile showed up at our house. We just absolutely love him. The next time he played at our house he brought Greg Horne with him whom we loved as well.

A few years back we went down to Nashville to see David Olney playing at a record release thing…and who was opening? RB Morris. It was the first time I’d seen RB with a band. My, oh my. Oh my. As I said before, RB ALMOST blew Olney off the stage. ALMOST (because, hey, David Olney), but damn he was great. So yet again, I must say, when Teri told the line up for Saturday, the top of my head about popped off!

Oh, and one of my favorite moments of the night was when Greg Horne serenaded me with Waiting for my Gin to Hit Me (one of my favorite songs that the Skeletons did). I love you, Greg!