I was trying to think of something non-Trumpy to blog today, and then I saw this, and honestly, I got nothing better, so let’s start the weekend with a smile and have a good weekend, all.
22 responses to “It’s a tough town.”
Leave a reply, join the conversation.
David C said on June 5, 2026 at 9:07 am
No doubt about it, cats are assholes. Why I love ours so much, I don’t quite understand.
88 chars
Mark P said on June 5, 2026 at 10:07 am
You got a nice dog neighborhood, and then the cats start moving in, and it all goes to shit, cats breaking in, fighting in your front yard, probably dealing catnip, and the cops won’t do anything.
198 chars
alex said on June 5, 2026 at 10:43 am
Our cat just murdered a perfectly good bird, didn’t even eat it, just dragged it under my car and left it to rot away. Fuckin’ lazy-ass fleabag doesn’t do a damn thing about the chipmunks invading this place.
This has been such a fabulous week for being outdoors, grilling out, al fresco dining, gardening. I spent less screen time than usual this morning because I want to savor every moment before the scorcher they’re promising moves in next week to spoil the fun.
470 chars
Julie Robinson said on June 5, 2026 at 11:19 am
Well shucks, where was Barney Fife when we needed him?
I’ve scrolled a little and I’m done. Focusing on chores and prepping for a wedding next weekend. Gotta find our glad rags, which haven’t been needed much.
And then there’s this: the wedding is in Kansas City, where two members of our extended family live, people we’ve been close to in the past. They are too busy to see us, no matter what I suggested. Their mom says it’s been over a year for her too; they just can never give her any availability. I’ve been upset, because when will we get another chance?
Then we got a text from our friend, the bride’s father. The groom’s parents wondered if we’d like to attend the rehearsal dinner? We’ve never met them. This kind gesture has brought me to tears.
And that’s the state of my emotional regulation right now.
831 chars
Icarus said on June 5, 2026 at 12:13 pm
Julie Robinson, that’s a lot to unpack. I’ve always felt that if someone can come within your city limits, you can make the effort to meet them the rest of the way.
Speaking of travel, it was 5 years ago today that we came down to Olive Branch, MS, to meet our new niece, and Nightingale’s parents suggested we buy their house. I don’t know why the visit couldn’t wait until our annual Christmas trip but I definitely wish we hadn’t come here. I miss my Chicago house, warts and all.
489 chars
Deb said on June 5, 2026 at 1:58 pm
That cat story reads like a filler from the Dacron Republican-Democrat. And Julie, I wonder if these relatives have something going on they don’t want others to know about. Hoarding? Serious illness? Poly housemate? The fact that they’re ghosting even their mom is odd, at best. The groom’s parents, though — such kindness. I hope you have a fabulous time.
357 chars
Julie Robinson said on June 5, 2026 at 2:28 pm
Both sons and their wives go to super right wing churches, and one family home schools. We don’t hide our liberal faith or political beliefs, nor does their mother. Obviously we’re being punished.
But my husband has heart problems and I don’t anticipate another visit there. They rarely travel and certainly never here. It’s a shame.
Did I mention my mom went to the storage unit last weekend and now there are six boxes sitting in my living room? She has already filled up her room and the hallway, and I have trauma from dealing with her hoarding. In the week they’ve been here one item has left the house, a pair of shoelaces. She’s suggested that children’s clothing my grandma made belong in a museum. It’s nothing special and has lots of wear. She’s delusional. I’ve mentioned the boxes several times and am about to blow. Tomorrow they go back.
So all of that is part of my emotional mix. Time to go hit the pool.
930 chars
Dorothy said on June 5, 2026 at 3:05 pm
I want to be sure 4dbirds sees my message in the previous Nancy post. Also I typed out a funny thing said by my grandson that I’m pretty sure you will all enjoy. An antidote to sad and upsetting times.
203 chars
Brandon said on June 5, 2026 at 4:29 pm
I hope the cat will be all right.
In other news, this man went against the advice, Neither a borrower nor a lender be, but it may pay off big.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/he-lent-elon-musk-1-million-to-save-spacex-from-bankruptcy-now-his-7-2-stake-could-be-worth-90-billion/ar-AA24UxqE?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=6a23301d47384d70962b7f96aa496dc5&ei=17
374 chars
ROGirl said on June 5, 2026 at 4:40 pm
Cats may be murderous and destructive little critters, but at least they don’t eat their own poop.
98 chars
Mark P said on June 5, 2026 at 4:54 pm
ROGirl, that’s a pretty low bar.
34 chars
Suzanne said on June 5, 2026 at 6:45 pm
And now, the Chicago Bears are supposedly moving to Hammond, IN. It’s only costing the taxpayers of the Hoosier state $1 billion.
131 chars
4dbirds said on June 5, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Dorothy,
Thank you for the kind words. I’ve been surprised by the flowers, food, cards and visits from people. I am not exaggerating when I say Katie and I have hardly been anywhere in the last six years. I was able to work remotely after her diagnosis and when Covid hit and used door dash as my personal delivery person. No more poker night, movies, game nights and other such activities. It makes me feel good that she is remembered. Thanks, Nancy, for the laugh over the cat fight.
Barbara
504 chars
basset said on June 6, 2026 at 6:46 am
Won’t be the first time for a NFL team in Hammond – the Hammond Pros played there in the first seven years of the league, 1920-26. Actually, they were mostly a traveling team with no real stadium, but they had the name.
222 chars
Jeff Gill said on June 6, 2026 at 8:02 am
And their home field was mostly Wrigley Field, as I recall, or was that just the 1919 Hammond Bobcats? But the Bears have been “based” out of Soldier Field only since the early 1960s. My parents’ first date was to a Bears game at Wrigley in 1957.
Off to celebrate my mother’s 91st birthday; she doesn’t know who I am, but she’s happy to see me, so it’s all good…
367 chars
Icarus said on June 6, 2026 at 1:18 pm
I could be wrong, but I think the Bears will build a stadium in Arlington Heights. Why else would they buy the former racetrack? This was all a gamble to see what they could get but will be just fine using their own money.
But they need to move quickly. Last year’s miracle season might have been a fluke.
310 chars
Suzanne said on June 6, 2026 at 2:33 pm
Icarus, I agree that da Bearss will end up in Arlington Heights. I have relatives in Naperville who have been Bears season ticket holders for years but are giving up on tix because of increasing costs. Much of the monied class is Chicago is on the north and west sides of the city (well, suburbs anyway) and aren’t likely to travel all the way to Hammond/Gary for games. I don’t think the Hammond area has the infrastructure to accommodate hoards of people coming into the area for games. For years that area has been known as the armpit of Indiana and I think it still is.
577 chars
Deborah said on June 6, 2026 at 2:40 pm
Are the Bears going to keep their name? Their logo is basically a football shaped C for Chicago obviously. I only know one person who got season tickets to Bears games, she lives in Rockford so Arlington Heights would be a smidge closer for her. She’d probably not go anymore if they move to Indiana, that’s just rude.
318 chars
Deborah said on June 6, 2026 at 2:52 pm
Hammond is the armpit of Indiana, my ex-husband lived there briefly and LB and I drove over there from Chicago about 15 years ago to pick up some furniture that he didn’t want anymore, it was a short period of time when LB’s dad and she were communicating, she wanted the furniture that she remembered from her childhood and he was happy to get rid of it. It wasn’t a very nice place as I recall, pretty worn down. It was a creepy drive from Chicago too, we had to take that terrifying highway flyover as I recall. I think there are trains you can take to get there.
566 chars
Julie Robinson said on June 6, 2026 at 4:20 pm
Oof, agreed about Hammond, and Gary too. Maybe it’s a ploy to get Illinois to cough up more money, but I also don’t see Chicagoans trekking out to Hammond, especially not from the northern or western suburbs. They’d be more likely to drive to Wisconsin. It’s all so stupid anyway, spending public money on stadiums.
Jeff, hope your mama is having a good birthday.
Mine has spent the last two days looking for her debit card in her room. I paid a bill for her and she didn’t put it back in her purse. At least she’s agreed that the boxes in the living room have to go back to the storage unit.
599 chars
Peter said on June 7, 2026 at 6:08 am
I for one am happy the Bears are going to Hammond. Hammond is a nicer version of Gary, but that’s not saying much. The proposed site has plenty of environmental issues; perhaps their remediation will be a benefit paid for with the funds Indiana has pledged to the project, but then again it’s Indiana.
There have been a lot of complaints and wailing about relocating to Indiana, but Hammond is much closer to Chicago than Arlington Heights. There are plenty of hotels in and near Arlington Heights – it’s close to O’Hare – but other than the casinos and some highway motels there’s nothing in Hammond. I would think football fans will stay downtown and take there South Shore to the game, so the tax loss to Chicago will be minor.
Who’s going to build the stadium? The construction workers will be from Chicago and the south suburbs.
It’s well established that the “economic” benefits that are touted with every stadium project are dubious at best. Sure, the Cubs pull in a lot of visitors, but how many out of state visitors do the Sox pull in? Better yet, how many out of state visitors do the Packers pull in, seeing as they have a multi-year waiting list for locals to buy tickets. Having the stadium in Indiana pushes the subsidies off to another locality while Chicago still reaps the benefits.
The stadium may also help with local investment, and the suburbs and neighborhoods around that stadium could use that far more then the northwest suburbs.
1475 chars
alex said on June 7, 2026 at 8:57 am
A lot of Chicagoans have moved to northwest Indiana for more affordable housing, and at least along the lakefront it’s not the terrible hell hole that so many of us remember. I was pleased to discover Miller Beach, part of the city of Gary, which looks nothing like Gary and has great rental properties for summer vacay. There are neighborhoods where the terrain looks like Winnetka, the housing stock looks like Arlington Heights, and the real estate prices look rather more like Gary than Winnetka or Arlington Heights, although I expect that gap will be closing as things continue to gentrify and develop.
Sharing a gift article/video of Scott Pelley’s first interview since his firing: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/07/magazine/scott-pelley-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.oVA.Jd72.utNAbPOuWjtc&smid=url-share
He was more magnanimous to Bari Weiss than you might expect, suggesting that someone who’s in this far over her head should be pitied more than scorned. He compared her situation to being asked to fly a 747 full of passengers to Paris with zero experience as a pilot. An honorable person would say whoa, that’s not something I can do.
1168 chars