June 30th, 2022

 Plans change…. Picnics get canceled, parades get postponed, party’s get pushed back.

I’ll mark that in my calendar. Oops, Plans change…

I never planned to be sitting on a couch at 4:15 in the morning in Riverside on the last day of June in 2022.

I didn’t plan on my career moving from the trading floors of the Chicago Board of Trade to a trading office in Oakbrook Terrace…

….and I sure as hell didn’t plan on being a full time dad during the Summer of 2022!

I’m grateful for my home and job. There is someone somewhere envious of where I live and what I do for a living.

I told a guy at work this week that

I am the happiest I’ve been in ten years. Having the Shepkids with me has brought us closer.

I don’t know what the next ten weeks will bring. I have no clue what the next ten months will bring…

…and where will I be in ten years?

No Clue! Plans change, but really we change!

All I know is that in ten years I’ll be closer to my train ride to heaven and ten years further from the day I met my parents.

It’s gonna be a hot soma bitch today… Fourth of July weekend preparations… baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevrolet!

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean--

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down --

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

With your one wild and precious life?

Mary Oliver

The Summer Day

June 29th, 2022

 Only the names change…. Things really don’t change too much. We have periods of liberalism and periods of conservatism.

Lately the candidates are horseshit, career politicians. Voter turnout has been low and we end up with a shitshow…. Put your boots on Illinois. The shit is only getting deeper.

On the bright side we are sliding into the Fourth of July weekend. Parades, picnics, music and ‘Merica!

Enjoy your humpday…. It’s Farmers market day!

June 28th, 2022

 Election Day in Illinois… all I’m going to say is don’t bitch if you don’t step into the voting booth.

I will be honest and say Gun control and abortion are not the key topics on MY platform.

I just want elected officials that get shit done and work well together. Give me a fair playing field to move safely and save some money.

I just want Mayor Daley back and I want the Chicago Outfit strong again… Mobsters and Machine Politics…. the Chicago Way!

So enjoy a warm summer day… vote as often as you can all you Cook County registered voters and remember to vote for your Judges.

June 27th, 2022

 It’s already the last week of June and the fourth week of full time fatherhood.

The Shepkids have settled into the Summer of ‘22 comfortably. It’s been awhile since I’ve had some Quiet time, but that’s alright. The Summer of Dad will be memorable.

I’m a man of few words today… enjoy the last Monday of the month. It is going to be beautiful!

June 26th, 2022

 I’ve gone to Wrigley and Comiskey many times by myself.

I actually enjoy the solitude of sitting in the ballpark watching the game and not worrying about anything for three hours.

Today I’m taking all three of the Shepkids to the Sox game. Fist time, just me and the kids. Hazel has never been to The Baseball Palace of the World.

The seed will be planted today that will make my daughter reluctant to ever date a cub fan.

The kids will feel at home with the smells in the concourse. They will sing to “Nah, Nah,Nah, Nah… goodbye.”

They will know the team the Sox played today were originally the Saint Louis Browns and they will probably drive home knowing the disappointment of supporting the Pale Hose.

Today is their mother’s 45th birthday. In a forgotten time she would be there wearing my Carlton Fisk jersey, but unfortunately for her she won’t be around.

Thoughts and prayers for Terri as she continues her best Ginger McKenna…

The weather will be picture perfect on this last Sunday of June. The hot dogs smothered in grilled onion. The nacho helmets dripping with golden cheese and for three hours not a care in the world…..

Well…..

“dad, can we go home

Now?”

“How much longer?”

“Dad, I don’t want mustard on my hotdog!”

Someday I’ll go to a Sox game again by myself…. With my walker or hopefully just a cane.

June 25th, 2022

 It was another American Day that has torn us apart even further.

Why can’t it be as simple as the Friday night snack?

“ I’m going to make popcorn for the movie tonight….”

And a reply that seemed fitting for the day,

“Dad….. I’d like to have my own choice!”

So Hazel got her bowl of Greek yogurt with Captain Crunch Peanut butter…

Right now my job as a dad is to put clean underwear in the dresser drawer. Make pancakes and pizzas. Give back rubs and say “I Love You.”

The Shepkids will have the common sense and education to handle politics and society in due time.

Yesterday the most important woman in my life had the power to choose Greek yogurt over popcorn.

If the day comes when she might need to make a choice… I hope she comes to me and I’ll drive her wherever she needs to go.

Not sure what today brings…. Actually I do know what today brings.

Laundry, dishes, cooking, vacuuming, nurturing, redirecting, protecting and putting a handful of Captain Crunch into a bowl of Yoplait.

Lastly,

Happy Birthday Mo.......

June 24th, 2022

 What we worry about today, we laugh about tomorrow….

“Dad, do you want to see the game I’m playing on Robolox?”

“Not really!”

But I do because I remember my Oldman never took the time when I asked him if he wanted to play Pong.

My Gramma had a big rock in her front yard. It was white with “6130” painted in black.

Whenever I was bored she made me paint that rock. It was the first thing I ever painted.

I ended up painting her storm windows and screens. The last thing I painted for my Gramma was her single car garage at 6130 N. Indianola.

It all started with a rock….

I’m worried these video games are turning these kids into minions…

Does anybody have a rock they need painted?

I got a kid!

Today is Saint John Day. The guy who took his cousin into the desert, tripped out on psychedelic locust and started a radical religion.

Thanks Saint John… if it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t have had Nuns!

Today’s quote was from a dad to his son in Riverside, Illinois on a June evening.

June 23rd, 2022

 In just a week we will be finished with June of 2022… gas prices are expensive and air travel is horrific.

This is when you better hope you live in a good neighborhood.

It’s the summer of the corner tavern, the backyard, the block party, the Parish picnic.

Maybe a Staycation and being a little more grounded will bring us together?

Nothing wrong with walking over to the corner for an Old Style or sitting in the backyard with an Old Style or standing out on your street with an Old Style and there sure as hell isn’t anything wrong with having an Old Style with Father Garrity at Saint Basil’s Fest!

Fourth of July is less than two weeks from now and Back to School is a blink away.

Lather up, GoldBond up, throw ice in the cooler and charcoal in the Weber….

Like Porgy said to Bess….. “Summertime and the living is easy.”

June 22nd, 2022

 Going into this third week of having the Shepkids full time has taught me more about them.

Their daily habits, their tastes, their language, their understanding of each other. It is all coming to light.

I’m also learning more about myself. The Summer of ‘22 will definitely end up being a summer that sticks out in time for me.

I’ve had a few summers in my life where life changed. This year will be one of them.

Today is National Chocolate Eclair Day. In the 1990’s I lived down the street from Oak Park Bakery. Many times I’d get off the Congress el and grab an eclair after work. They make a fine eclair…. And coffee cake …. And chocolate donuts…. And pies…. And cakes…. And cookies!

But it’s the chocolate eclair that made life worth living for during the Clinton Years.

Do you have a favorite bakery? A favorite baked delight?

Today’s quote is from Khalil Gibran

June 21st, 2022

 The longest day of the year and boy is it going to be a scorcher.

I don’t think anyone on the block is meeting for a pickup game today. If they do it’s going to be just a few innings.

It’s a good day to sit in the basement and watch “Leave it to Beaver” and “Brady Bunch” until the Cubs or Sox game.

Maybe sit on the front porch and listen to WLS and hope someone’s mom makes lemonade or opens up a can of “Hawaiian Punch.”

Our house had window units and fans in the 1970’s. My dad hung sheets in the dining room to redirect the air.

I loved visiting my Aunt B. in Indianapolis because her apartment had “real” air conditioning and shag carpet.

It’s going to be hot today, but those times in the bottom left hand corner will start narrowing today. Slowly at first, but it will be dark at Five o’clock sooner than later.

So cherish the heat and short shadows this afternoon.

Today is a good day for watermelon, hot dogs and soft serve ice cream.

Make sure you let the hose water run for a minute before you take a swig and have two bucks in your pocket for a 7-eleven trip.

“That's when I had

Most of my fun, back

Hi, hi, hi, hi there

Them summer days

Those summer days!”

I wonder if my parents were stressed and worried the whole time I was frolicking in the Summer sun?

If they were I never knew!

I suggest to you the usual…..

GoldBond up baby!

Also make sure to crank your favorite summer tunes from the days of your innocence!

For me it is Sly and the Family Stone….

June 20th, 2022

 Last week when I realized that it wasn’t a joke, we really do have a day off on the Monday after Father’s Day?

I thought…. How great is that!!!

I can hang with the kids on Monday! I can have a gin and tonic after Fathers Day dinner! I can have a cigar…. I can have the sausage trifecta and I can sleep in…

I did have a cigar… I woke up with cotton mouth!

I did have that extra kielbasa…. My ankles are cankles this morning!

I didn’t have a G&T, I had a chocolate shake instead…. My tummy started bitching after midnight.

I didn’t sleep in…. I woke up at 3:45 Monday morning.

I’m programmed to go to work on Monday. Getting the day off doesn’t afford me a pool day with the kids. It costs me to stay home today.

My company doesn’t make money on days off!

It’s fitting that it’s the day after Father’s Day because I sound like Don Shepley this morning.

Bitch, Bitch, Bitch!

“Man…. The Monday Morning Chalkboard sucked today!

All Jumbo did was complain!”

I should just write… I just deleted four crappy paragraphs. All I did was bitch and moan. Today I’m going to be short and sweet.

Enjoy your family today. Enjoy a hot Monday and the day off. Tomorrow is Summer Solstice.

In conclusion, use sunscreen today. Your shadow is short. GoldBond your nooks, they’ll be sweaty. Sweep the Shed. You might as well do something productive today!

June 19th, 2022

 The first tree that I planted was in 1984. It was a three foot starter my dad and I bought at Courtesy in Forest Park.

We plopped it smack dab in the middle of the front lawn. Our block was hit hard several years earlier by Dutch Elm so the trees planted by the village were all about 12-15 feet high.

Our little tree looked perfect.

Around 1989 my dad and I started putting Christmas lights on the ShepTree. By 1994 the tree was tall enough that I had to climb a ladder to reach the top. Towards the late 1990’s I used a pole with a hook on the end to throw the lights over the higher branches.

In 1999 the tree was a good twenty five feet tall. We no longer were able to decorate our tree for Christmas.

All the Oaks and Maples on the 200 block of South Lombard are magnificent. They create a canopy of shade lost in 1978 by disease.

Standing there fifty feet tall in the middle of 220 S. Lombard is the ShepTree. It gives shade to the family that bought the house in the late 2000’s.

My dad and I planted a tree for another family to sell lemonade under. Throw snowballs under and rake leaves every autumn.

Everything my dad did influenced how I look at things or how not to look at things.

He led by example… not always good, but that was left for me to decipher.

I drive the Shepkids past the ShepTree on occasion.

The seeds we plant will last a lifetime and create shade for those we don’t even know.

Examples are like seeds…. Plant them and watch them grow!

Happy Father’s Day Boys… hope the itching of Manscape Day has subsided.

June 18th, 2022

Friendship gives life the boost and hug needed to continue forward.

I think the term “best friend” has become awkwardly used. Maybe it’s because I’m entering the Old Fart era of my life and Old Farts don’t call each other BFF’s?!?!

I like going with “dear friend” when I talk about my circle.

I have Dear Friends from the 1970’s and I have Dear Friends from 2017.

The year I started my Exile East of Mannheim.

Eleanor Rigby didn’t have any friends… she was a lonely lady. As I’ve gotten older I feel less sorry and more suspicious of people that lack friendship.

Friendship starts with your parents. We watched them Interact with their friends.

Learning from their example and then teach our children with leading by example.

The circle of life, the circle of friends.

I thought the more friends that I accumulate… the longer the line at Harnett Funeral Home will be when I start working at The Heaven Board of Trade.

BUTT,

Actually it’s the quality of friends that you have. The ones that are next to you when you lose a job, or find out your wife is cheating, or when your parents are dying….

or like last week….

When you have a major adjustment in your life and you get flooded with “what can I do?”

Today is Saturday the 18th of June, 2022. Make a memory with a friend…

I’m making a memory with the Shepkids…. “Dad, can we go see Lightyear tomorrow? It’s gonna be too cold for the pool!”

F**k me! I don’t like Buzz lightyear. I’m from the Woody camp! Though one thing you must always remember no matter if you’re Buzz or Woody…

“You’ve got a friend in me!”

June 17th, 2022

 The day that I found John Shepley was the best day of my life.

It was a day full of passion and glory…

It was a day when I found out I didn’t need a very big house or a beautiful wife. I didn’t need a fancy car and being a runner at the Board of Trade was a great start to a lush career.

I’m finishing the second week of being a full time father and I haven’t been this happy since the time Julia Roberts and I were secretly dating in the early nineties.

I don’t know why someone picked June 17th for Manscaping Day?!?!

Kind of a hot and prickly day to be shaving the Love Trio… don’t knick your boys with the razor and don’t believe that it looks bigger after you ‘scape.

Enjoy this gorgeous weekend, the last weekend before summer officially starts. Father’s Day and Juneteenth…

What day did you find you?

The truth is I never dated Julia Roberts and every day I find John Shepley… also the kids version of the Morning Chalkboard doesn’t mention “Manscaping.”

It says “Take Claire to Pebble Beach!”

June 16th, 2022

 I was taught the appreciation of hard work more by my Gramma than my father.

I learned at an early age that work was a chore and sometimes a punishment from my father.

I learned at an early age that work was a job and an opportunity to make money and SAVE money from my Gramma.

My Gramma raised a family during the depression. My dad was raised in a strict family that punished him often.

Luckily I had learned the balance between them. It was my dad that always used today’s quote. It was my Gramma that taught me how to use her lawnmower.

Early in my career my dad and I took the Lake Street el into the loop together. When we arrived and before we’d separate to other sides of the loop he’d say,

“Son…you can judge a man by the way he finishes the job.”

Last night I was on my balcony when George rode up the street still littered with the debris from Monday’s storm.

He was coming home from his first job.

George got inside and plopped down on the couch.

He was tired, he was hot…

I asked him how it went and he replied that it was fun, but hard work.

So I hit him with his Grandfather’s quote.

My biggest fear as a father with a special needs kid is raising someone who will be employable.

I might quote my dad often, but I will use Gramma LoLo (Loretta) as an example to teach my children how to be a hardworking person.

Work hard from the moment you start until the end of the day. If you go out boozing the night before unemployment you better be there ready for the number in the morning.

Today is Bloomsday…. If you read James Joyce you know what the day is all about. June 16th, 1904.

GoldBond UP one more day…

June 15th, 2022

 Hot sun and it’s not even summer in the city… Summer officially starts next week and slowly the sunrise and sunset times will start to narrow.

It’s a pool day and also Farmers Market day in town.

Short and sweet

Today…..

You got this! GoldBond UP!

Hope you caught the full moon last night. You’ll have another chance tonight.

June 14th, 2022

 When the storm moved out last night twenty neighbors scattered into the street to remove debris.

That wasn’t only on my block. Neighbors throughout Riverside assessed the damaged and picked it off the streets.

The winds culled the old tired limbs and trunks to make room for new growth. Nature has been doing this for many years. We just built homes under them recently.

Forty five minutes of work and the street was clear…. It takes a village.

The Divorced Dad District worked together and smiled in awe at the damage that was left.

Today is Flag Day…. Not a Sox or Cubs flag! Not a Trump or Pride Flag!

Not a flag of the country where your heritage bleeds.

The American Flag……. The one that flew in Iwo Jima and Ground Zero.

Last night the men, women and young adults picking up branches weren’t Republican or democrat.

They were Americans that worked together in Riverside, Illinois.

GoldBond Up Baby!

June 13th, 2022

 When I started this chalkboard the plan was to tell the story of a divorced guy putting it all back together.

One weekend I’m dad and the next weekend I’m Jumbo. This weekend pancakes and the next Manhattans.

I can go to Google schedule right now and tell you who has the Shepkids on the third weekend of October in 2047. It’s important to know just in case I need to get them a Halloween costume in twenty five years.

This past weekend was supposed to be a mom weekend. I was going to go to Saturday’s Sox game. The weekend ended with a simple question from Hazel…

“Is mom going to ever call and see how we are doing?”

It was real hard to take the high road with the tone that Hazel’s little voice asked the question in.

I took the high road…

If the journey I take shifts every weekend to a dads weekend… the first thing I’ll do is change the Google calendar.

Full Moon tomorrow and Bloomsday is Thursday.

This week we will also have a high Jumbo heat alert. You will need to powder up your nooks this week.

DON’T FORGET TO GOLDBOND!

June 12th, 2022

 About two weeks before George was born I was standing on the trading floor. Johnny Harrigan pulled me to the side and gave me some of his Southside Wisdom.

“Jumbo, for the next 10 years almost every movie that you watch will have a talking animal, a talking truck, a talking tree or talking skyscrapers!”

Johnny sure as hell nailed that one!

Last night was Saturday Night Movie night. You guessed it!

Last night had talking fish!

We watched a Disney movie called “Finding Nemo.”

It’s a very painful movie to watch especially when “Peaky Blinders” new season came out this weekend. My kids insisted on a talking blue fish over Svengoolie!

It’s going to be a long summer!

The Shepkids are settling in to the sobriety and calmness of being with dad.

They are figuring out that they need to be ready for the 7:20am opening bell. That they might have a huge number at 7:30am and to pay attention and know what the bid/ask is until the closing bell at 2:00pm.

The fast paced structure of Dad’s daily routine just finished week one.

A routine usually takes about twenty one days to take effect. The Shepkids should have a happier stature by Fourth of July.

It’s a work in progress and we will all keep swimming until we find the lost fish at the dentist office.

…and in closing,

Let’s face it Chicago baseball fans… sit back and enjoy another horseshit season on both sides of town…

June 11th, 2022

 I think a cool overcast Saturday morning is just what the soul needs to prepare for the next song…

That is exactly what we have this morning in Chicagoland. The mourning doves are cooing and what little sunshine peaks through the clouds quickly turns into muted daylight.

Last night I had the thrill of picking Hazel up from her friends birthday party.

Hazel was so excited climbing into Betty the Blazer. She told me about the games they played, the fashion show that they had and she caught me up with the gossip on the incoming fourth grade class at Highlands Elementary.

These are the little things in life that I’ve missed since Exile East of Mannheim.

I think I was more excited driving back to the Divorced Dad District of Riverside than my little redhead. The further East we drove the less the sugar buzz for my Hazelnut.

We got home to an empty pizza box and two boys playing some crap on the computer. Hazel regained her sugar buzz and went into her birthday party recap.

Fritz quickly told her he didn’t care.

George was a little more polite… “that sounds great Hazel now get out of my room!”

On Sunday June 5th the world crashed at the feet of my baby girl. On Friday June 10th those feet danced and skipped with her classmates.

Fitting example of the Thomas Shelby quote this morning….

Many years ago we’d all meet on the el platform with blankets and beer coolers. The trip into the loop trying to figure out how to sneak a chest of ice cold Strohs into Bluesfest.

Today I’m trying to figure out how to sneak a beer at Bluesfest without getting busted by the Shepkids.

The path of life is long and winding, but sometimes you pass something that looks familiar, but seen through older eyes.

The blue jays are landing on the balcony looking for nuts and Fritz will soon be up looking for pancakes… I bid you all adieu from the old dad enjoying a peaceful moment of solitude.

June 10th, 2022

 The original purpose of the Morning Chalkboard was for the kids to see what the day would bring and maybe a little quote. Errands, extracurricular activities, weather… daily reminders.

I put a chalkboard up at my home and it has evolved into a therapeutic tool for me and a routine for many of you.

Now that the Shepkids have joined me in Exile East of Mannheim they are back to waking up everyday and seeing it.

Today they are going to see a quote by George Bernard Shaw. If they ask me what it means I will tell them this…

Sometimes life is painful and difficult, but find glory when the days bring happiness.

They have seen the ugliness of depression, but on a gorgeous June afternoon they chased ducklings along a river and skipped rocks by the shore.

The clouds always move along and the sun will eventually shine on our face.

It’s going to be a great weekend in Chicagoland…. Bluesfest weekend!

I’m putting our lives in the hands of Mayor Lori Lightfoot….. thoughts and prayers!

We need the mob and the machine back in Chicago! Richard J. And Mr. Accardo kept things in line.

June 9th, 2022

 Time has a funny way of distorting the truth. We might remember things the way they once were, but either the memories, the places or the people from the past don’t live up to our expectations.

Perfect example is the house we grew up in or the park we played at as children.

The memory of these places is grand, but when you visit them as an adult….. we scratch our head and think to ourselves….

“Damn, I remember this to be much bigger.”

Today is National Strawberry-Rhubarb pie day. It’s not even in my top five favorite pies, but if I see one…. I’ll eat a slice in a heartbeat.

I associate strawberry-rhubarb pies to my Gramma and Great Aunties.

Having a slice of their pie and having them around isn’t possible anymore. Though they suddenly come back to life whenever I have a piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie!

When I grab a peppermint Patty at the 7-eleven I think of my dad. What I wouldn’t do right now to have my oldman drive us over to White Hen for a Kay-O and a peppermint Patty!

Do you know Kay-O’s aren’t around anymore?

“When you run out, run out

To White Hen! When you run out of anything…. Run out toooo White Hen!”

Today’s quote comes from Gatsby. I’m reading it for the 27th time. This time I’m reading it out loud with Hazel.

Gatsby realizes Daisy doesn’t match the memories he once had of her.

Times change, people change, memories of our youth never match the expectations of reality.

It’s going to be a gorgeous afternoon in Chicagoland.

Grab something that brings back memories from your past.

Like Harry once said, “Heeeeey everybody! After the Sox game head over to Chicken Unlimited and get yourself a bucket. Then wash it down with some cold Falstaff!”

June 8th, 2022

 Looks like I’ll have to postpone the Summer of Scott and Zelda again for another summer.

I don’t know what the hell is going on this week, but hindsight will soon show the silver lining.

I spent the Summer of 1978 with my dad while my mom was down in Indianapolis. I turned twelve that July. My dad and I jumped on the Lake Street for my birthday and went to the Loop to see “Jaws 2.”

That was the summer I had my first Maxwell Street Polish. I took the el to Cub and Sox games. It was a glorious summer until I had to go back to Indianapolis.

From that summer on I looked at my parents differently.

I’m not sure what memories will be made in the Summer of ‘22. The martinis will be fewer. Less books will be read. No naked ladies in my bed eating bacon and probably less Louis Armstrong and Cole Porter.

I see chicken nuggets, Nickelodeon and Roblox in the near future and Hazel listening to B96 in the bathtub.

George has a job at Farmers Market and works out with Jerry Owen.

Fritz will continue to tell me about Minecraft shit and scientific crap that I’m not hearing, but saying… “wow, that’s really cool Freddie!”

Hazel, well Hazel… she’s daddies little girl. By September she will say “I’m sorry” only when needed and hopefully she won’t have the Hinsdale temper tantrums any longer.

I sure wish I could wake up knowing my dad was down the hall. It would be nice to wake up and see a couple CTA tokens on my nightstand.

Now it’s the summer of ‘22… Dad IS down the hall and he’s wearing his “I Love Hot Mom’s” t-shirt… I know Don Shepley never wore one of those… actually all his T-shirts were just plain white.

See you in ‘23 Mr and Mrs Fitzgerald……