3 wins out of 4 games!

"You won three games at Music Bingo tonight??? Wow!!!"

 

Not me, g'friend, but two of my friends there tonight. Marcia won the first game, "Summer Vibes #1", so her beer was gratis at Midtown Sports Grill. Pretty nice! Then Elissa won a free appetizer with the second game - that was "Girls Night Out #1" - so her giant pretzel was free! Some other table took the 3rd game, with its "Modern Country Mix #1", but that was just a free drink, as there weren't enough players to have a money pot.

 

"Wow. That's more winning than y'all's group has had for weeks. Usually it's just one of you that manages to get a win. Or, like last week, you have no winners."

As I said then, it's more about the music than the wins for me. Sandy is very competitive, so winning is very important to her. And she didn't have that tonight. Elissa was the big winner, taking the $50 gift card for the 4th game. We were all happy for her, but I think Sandy was a bit put out that she didn't get a prize.

 

"That's okay, there's always next week!"

 

Actually, there isn't. Yom Kippur is coming, so they won't be available for Music Bingo next Monday. I was a little bummed out, but Marcia said we can do dinner on Tuesday next week. That will work! I'm supposed to have a Two First Posts meeting that day, but it's been moved to Monday... so I would have missed Music Bingo, too!

 

"Hallelujah! That's going to work out great for all of y'all!"

 

Right? I just love when the Universe sets it up like that! Here's proof positive that I was in the right place, right time this evening, if I had any doubts. My odometer wanted to catch my eye before I turned off the lights in my driveway! The mileage read "247586" - that's a straight, and that's always a winning hand in poker! Plus, it's my second straight in less than a week - that's unheard of for me! So glad I was out with my friends on this Monday!

 

"I'm glad you were, too! And is that what you had for dinner? It looks like one of those sandwiches from Panera."

 

Good eye, g'friend! Yes, that's the Chicken Pesto Ciabatta Dipper, which is back for a while. I was there for a luncheon with Kathy Mayin last Friday. She and I are working on building a friendship, so when she suggested we get together sometime soon, I went right ahead and said, "Let's do it today!"

 

"Wow. And she went for that?"

 

Surprisingly, yes. She really does admire my getting out and about so often. As I told her, sometimes I have to "throw myself out of my house", and she may want to consider taking that action herself. I picked her up for this luncheon, as the restaurant is just around the corner from her. However, I told her that if she arranges for the CAT bus to get her to an event that I'm going to, I'll gladly take her home afterward. it's just that if I have to come and get her to go to an event, that's easily an hour that gets lost in driving. She understands, and tells me she wants to do that, but we'll see. I do hope it will! She definitely needs to make a commitment to herself to get out more.

 

"Yes, I know. She sold her car because the insurance had increased so much. She had looked into her options beforehand and was sure the CAT and Uber would be fine. The thing is, she just needs to plan better, as CAT requires several days' notice to come and pick her up. She insists that she doesn't want any of us to go out of our way to take her places, and I'm taking her at her word. I do hope she will join me for future events!  

 

"I hope so, too. Events are certainly more fun with friends!"

old authors + new technology = hilarity in RH

The absolute highlight of the show on this rainy evening?

Having this friend with me to share the experience!!!

Sure, I would have enjoyed seeing the Richmond Hill Community Theatre troupe in action, as I have in the past - sure I would have.

But being there with Yvonne made it sparkle a bit brighter, especially with rain trying to dampen the occasion.

Forty-plus years of friendship with most definitely make that happen!

So, just what was going on out there?

Titled "Writers Runaround", the performance consisted of a series of six skits, each with writers from the past in a modern setting with today's technology playing a part. 

The first one, which was reprised as the sixth, was called "Happy Hour", set in a sports bar with big-screen TVs drawing their attention.

Who are "they"?

From left to right, that's Oliver Wilde (Christy Schultz), Jane Austen (Laura Ross), Dorothy Parker (Kelly McDavid), and Ernest Hemingway (Kenneth Pereira). 

When we tuned in, 'Dorothy' was getting pickled with martinis, 'Ernest' was hoping for bullfighting on TV, and the topic was "Star Wars" and which movies had been the best of the six that came to cinema.

Hahahahaha! Really was a lot of fun!

Of course the chatter had drifted to other topics from there in the first skit, but circled back to 'Bobofet' before it wrapped up.

In the sixth skit, they again talked of "Star Wars", but also about the movies made from their books and how much they'd disliked them.

'Jane' was especially irate about "Sense And Sensibility" - which makes me wonder what she would think of the new version coming out!

(smile!) 

The second skit pitted Homer against his agent in "Homer Nods".

As I told Yvonne, I know my ex would have laughed at this one!

'Homer' (Lisa Marie Tyler) had come in person to speak with 'Penelope' (Brianne Shuman) because the agent was ignoring her phone messages.

Imagine that!

Of course the woman's phone rang incessantly with other clients, showing that the phone itself wasn't the problem.

And just what did the writer want to discuss?

Writing "The Odyssey", which the agent loved because it was a sequel to Homer's first hit, "The Iliad" - and "the public loves sequels!"

(smile!) 

The third skit was definitely the favorite of both of us.

Perhaps partly it was because both of us had experience with online dating, back about 17 years ago.

Partly though, I think it was because "I Don't Get Out Much" featured two authors we both liked: Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson.

Kudos to Jeff Harding and Kelsey Ingram for bringing them to life so well!

In the skit, her younger sister had set up an online dating profile for her that matched the two death-obsessed poets, with the ideal first-date meeting place as a cemetery.

And I contend that the two might have met, as both lived in Massachusetts and both were alive in an overlapping time frame.

What if, when his wife died in 1847, when he was 38 years old, he had been approached about meeting with the 17-year-old poetess?

From his viewpoint, she would be the right age, as he and his wife had wed when she was only 13; from her stance, younger women frequently were set up with older men as possible husbands.

Perhaps Poe might have lived a bit longer if he'd had Dickinson in his life.

As it was, he died in 1849, just 40 years old.

Dickinson never married and died in 1886 as a 55-year-old spinster.

Ah, the thoughts I think sometimes!

(smile!) 

After an intermission, "From The Wastepaper Basket of W. Shakespeare" had us all laughing!

Four women took turns unfolding the rumpled papers from the trash can, revealing that spam mail has lasted through the centuries!

"Dear Occupant", "Dear Tenant", "Dear Resident" - hahahaha!

Plus there were missives from his mom, his 'shrew', his mistress!

Also entreaties from his buddies to join them at this pub, that eatery, his play!

Then there were the dunning notices about late rent, late utility payments, late this, that, and the other.

But there were also the rejection letters from theaters, other troupes, other venues in other towns, with several suggesting "Hamlet" was terrible, and such a terrible name it had, too!

Yes, that was much fun, enlightened by having four voices!

(smile!)

"Penguin Encounter" was the only other play that didn't have an actual writer as one of the characters.

It was also the most modern, even though it didn't feature any technology.

Instead, we watched as a former couple, 'Ernie' and 'Rita' meet at a library that is giving away remaindered books that had been donated by the publisher.

As remaindered products, all of the books were missing half their front covers, to prevent them from being sold.

'Ernie' (Tony Castellano) had discovered to his delight that the half-covers led to some very funny puns, like "A Tale Of... Charles" and "Jane... Mansfield" and "Gone With The... Margaret" - hahahaha!

Eventually, 'Rita' (Chancey Doyle) loosened up and got into the game, too, finding one she knew he would like - "A Farewell To... Ernest" - but he was already gone.

That was quite a bittersweet ending that I rather liked.

(smile!) 

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday evening, and for only $10!

Hopefully, their next show at the Richmond Hill City Center will be a matinee, as neither of us like driving in the dark.

But my sweet little Saturn wanted to let me know that this had been one of those "right place, right time" instances.

The mileage on the odometer when I parked in my driveway?

247568... sure looks like a winning poker hand to me!!!

(smile!) 

247500

"What do you have there, girlie?"

Aw, c'mon, you don't even want to take a guess?

"Well, if I were to venture forth a hypothesis, I'd have to say it's mileage related. I just don't know where you've been that would make it remarkable."

I've been spending my nights with the Dane for almost a week. This will be my first night in my own bed again.

"So Tony and Laura did make it home from their vacation in Missouri! Good!"

Yes, they did, and I no sooner confirmed that earlier this afternoon than I took off for the AMC cinema for a double header! Rain or no rain, my dog-sitting was done and I didn't need to be 'home' by a certain time to feed him. Not that I had total control over that, but I did try to be conscientious about it.

"Yes, I know you did."

Now, I'm back in my driveway for the night and I know it's the right place, right time! Just look at that odometer reading! Such a nice, round number, isn't it? My little Saturn now has two hundred, forty-seven thousand, and five hundred miles. That boils down to 9900 miles per year over 25 years. LOL!

"What? You've driven much more than that..."

Nope! Over the last few years, ever since the A-fib came around, I've hardly logged in 6000 per year. I had hoped to remedy that this summer with a trip to Augusta for baseball with my cousins and a trip to Alabama to see my stepmom and nephews. None of that materialized because of my right leg issues. Now, cooler temperatures are on the way, so it'll be next year before those become possibilities again. Meanwhile, I'm looking for physical therapy to make those realities, not just maybes.

"For sure that needs to happen. You've got a big birthday coming next year, so you need to be able to celebrate it in style."

I don't know that many folks would consider 69 to be a "big" birthday, but I know my brother Ronnie would have. That was his favorite number, you know.

"Yes, dear. Everyone who ever knew him knew that. (smile!)"

I'll have to plan some special trips that he would have liked, too. Yes, celebrating for two sounds like the right thing to do. (smile!) 

Did you know that Mozart piece wasn't an opera?

I had been sure that I'd be seeing an opera tonight. The Savannah VOICE Festival always gives us an opera near its end, you know. For this SVF14, the choice was Mozart's "Die Zauberflote", usually simply called "The Magic Flute". Hooray! I'd never seen that one, though I have heard some music from it. That was a very funny piece called "Pa-Pa-Papageno", featuring the bird-catcher, 'Papageno'. Evan Stark did a wonderful job in that role!

"So you did get to see that opera! I'm so happy for you!"

Well, as much as I'd looked forward to it, I hadn't realized that it's a musical, not an opera. During the show, I thought perhaps someone had restaged it, with lots of talking between the songs, to cut down on all the translation. See the songs were all in German, with English subtitles displayed on the film screens at Asbury Memorial Church. You follow?

"Of course. That's how it's been done every year in the past. That's why you made sure to bring your glasses this time."

Correct about me bringing my glasses, but they don't always have an opera. Sometimes they perform a musical instead. I had misunderstood and thought tonight's performance was to be an opera, but that isn't what I got. And here's the thing: that's how it was composed and presented back in September of 1791, just two months before Mozart's death. "The Magic Flute" was a collaborative work with Emanuel Schikaneder for his theatrical troupe. They didn't call it a musical, though, but the German term: singspiel. Literally, that's a "singing play", i.e., a musical!!! How about that!!!

"That's amazing that musicals go back that far!"

Yep, just by a different name! "The Magic Flute" was actually a fairy tale, written to show that things aren't always as they appear. In the first act, we learn that the 'Queen Of The Night' isn't the good guy but the bad one! I'm glad Melanie Spector was able to explore her evil side for this one! Then there were Benjamin Sokol as the supposed bad guy, 'Sarastro', with his confused henchman, 'Monostatos', played to hilarious consequences by Henry Drangel!

"Was that Melanie coming down the stairs?! What great makeup and poise!!!"

Yes, that vision in black was her! Her headdress even had a light in it for a spooky aura. The guy is Eric Sebek, in his first theatrical work with SVF! He told me the other night that he's been part of this festival for eight years, but this is his first role - he was so excited about it! That's because he played 'Tamino', the lead role!!! He was a prince in search of 'Princess Pamina'... what silly, rhyming, names! Emma Petersen played that role. Together, they were quite charming!

"Oh, I remember him from last year! Him and his brother and their dad!"

Yes, and his dad was there tonight, too, to watch Eric shine! I had so much fun with this one, and loved working as the directional wench. That volunteer position usually goes to Lonnie Breslow, but he and Penny were ushers this time. Kim Owens handled the lame, granting them special access. However, I think I'll try for that spot at the foot of the stairs again. That made me privy to first sight of all the singers after their transformations into the characters. Yes, please!

"Good for you! I hope that's how it will work out next year for you."

Thanks! I felt I was definitely in the right place, right time! My odometer even tried to confirm that for me, but I missed the special mileage reading by ten miles. My guess is I had "247247" back at the church, but didn't see it when I parked. Still "247257" has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? (smile!)

vacay in georgetown, with 8th graders and mileage change

"Did you say "8th graders"?"

 

I did indeed! Today was the final play by those students at Savannah Country Day School. The next time I see them, they'll be in the Upper School plays! This matinee was also the final performance of "Bright. Young. Things.", which is about a reality TV show which has students competing for the top prize. It was pretty funny, but also serious.

 

"That sounds like an ambitious piece for middle school kids."

 

Oh, I'm sure it was a challenge, but they all rose to the occasion! 'Rochelle' (Julia Drake) was supposed to be having a day with her dad (Knox Dew), a janitor, but the TV station called him in to clean up a mess someone made. Next thing she knows, she's put on the show in the place of a competitor that bailed. She'll be showing off her knowledge against a set of twins, 'Jasmine' (Isabella Badea) and 'Sheara' (Arabella Hassan), who are both hoping to win this year. There's also 'Hester' (Sophie Arvizu), who has brought along the foot of her pet rabbit (who is deceased, not hopping along on three feet). 'Amber' (Katie Rodman) is just 10 years old, but she managed to get selected, though she is quite nervous about it. Then there's the lone male, 'Bernie' (Emmett Winchel), who plans to be an actor and is only there because his parents insisted. Quite a nice assortment! However, as they discover, they weren't chosen for their skills so much as for the tension that would be on stage between 'the underdog', 'the villains', 'the brain', 'the cutie', and 'the hero', to draw the audience in.

 

"Oh, how dastardly! Picked for their personalities, not their intelligence! I hope the kids didn't find out."

 

Oh, of course they did! One of the four 'producers' let it slip. Then one of the twins got mad at the other for saying she was going to "let" her sister win! It truly was fun! And afterward, the 8th graders gave flowers to the teachers and stage crew. Very sweet! I liked that the play was done 'in the round' on stage. That definitely gave a more intimate performance. And I managed to snag a front-row seat! Right place, right time!

 

"Very good! I know how much you prefer those."

 

That wasn't the only coincidence that happened. My odometer clicked over into another thousand position as I was leaving the show. How about that! The mileage was 245999 as I had pulled in, and became 246000 as I was leaving. Woohoo!!!

 

"That's a pretty wobbly photo you have there. Was that from your left hand shaking, or was that jitter from the car?"

 

A bit of a combination of both, I'm sure. By the time I noticed the important odometer reading, I had someone behind me, so I rushed the shot. I'm actually surprised it came out as well as it did!

 

"Well, I kinda sorta like it, too."

 

Thanks! It's been raining much of the day, too, so Stella hasn't had much outside time. Susan canceled the party on the patio because of the light rain, but I just grabbed my umbrella and took Stella out anyway. At least it was true this time when I blamed the neighbors for not coming out. (smile!) The ridgeback was just happy to be outside with me. We stayed out there for about thirty minutes, then I took her in and dried her off. Can't have her catching a cold!

 

"That's for sure! What's next on your vacation agenda?"

 

Tonight, I get a scifi double header of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones! "Men In Black" starts momentarily, then "Men In Black II" follows right behind it. What nice additions to my vacation film festival! Plus, I've recorded "Free Guy", which I watched again this morning. Yep! Life is good!

a penny - thoughts of italy - and the odometer

"Ken, what are three things that said I was in the right place, right time, on this Monday evening?"

Ding, ding, ding!

Here's the penny, lying on Habersham Street, just to my left as I was used the crosswalk to get from the handicap parking spot to Midtown Sports Grill.

I actually had to look twice to make sure it was real.

Just look at how dinged up the poor cent is!

The only part of the date that's legible are the first two digits: 20.

Which year of this century is anyone's guess, but it was there to encourage me that I'd made the right choice to come out tonight.

Right place, right time!

And just why was I there?

Music Bingo with my friends, of course!

That's Marcia having a chat with Russ, the bingo emcee, checking to see if she did know him from the Habersham YMCA.

Yep, that's right!

She and I had a great talk, sharing memories of Livorno, Italy, as well as Florence and some of the Amalfi coast.

Her husband was stationed there three years while he was in the Navy.

 

Such a lucky break for them!

And what's this that I selected for dinner tonight?

Chicken wings with Hot Honey Garlic -so totally addictive!!!

Marcia had recommended them, so that's what I had.

It took me the entire time that we were there to make my way through the six wings and drumsticks...

but how delicious!

They were like candy... so sweet and sticky... RAWR!!!

I'm sure the reason I didn't win was because I was too distracted by the dessert-style meat on that plate!

I came closest on the last game, "Random Mix #2", needing only "You Oughta Know" for the win.

Guess I oughta know to keep the food simple for these games!

 

Then we gave our hugs of goodbye and were on our way!

But what else did the Universe have in store for me?

Nothing but a fancy mix of numbers on my odometer when I got home!

Yes, that's right.

The mileage read: 245757 - that's two pair, a winning hand!

That "57" corresponds to Sandy's age right now, too, but that's due to click over to "58" next month.

(smile!)

Right place, right time!

May 25th for eagle's landing

That will be just in time for my bday68 celebration!

We had real progress at the Two First Posts meeting tonight, and that was good, it was very good.

I felt vindicated in what I'd said at the last meeting.

We had all been asked why we wanted Mike and Kat here.

I'd been the only one to speak up.

"We're just glad that [Kozik and Hancock] want to take it on, because none of us want to do it and none of us have experience doing any of this."  

By the end of that meeting, it looked like we'd slid backwards toward an abyss of indecision.

Not so from the very start tonight!!!

I still feel that I've missed some talks somewhere along the way, but it was clear from the outset that the two Post Commanders - Doug Andrews and Eddie Patterson, Jr. - had been conversing and want Mike and Kat at the helm of the kitchen and bar operations.

Hallelujah!!!

They must have felt as frustrated as I had two weeks ago.

We've all been waiting so long for this place to open.

It's been more than a year ago that the remodeling began.

It's been right at a year ago that several of us came to check out the work and realized that an opening date was still months away.

Now, that date has been determined: May 25, 2026, just in time for the Memorial Day festivities.

Oh, and my birthday, too.

(smile!)

So, who all was in attendance at 1730 for this momentous progress?

For Post 36, there was Doug Andrews, Billy Cope, Michael T. Powers, and me.

For Post 500, there was Eddie Patterson, John Parker, and Brenda Pough.

Plus, we had Mike Kozik and Kat Hancock, ready to get this party started.

By the time those two departed at 1911, we had a rough draft of the contract, with them understanding and agreeing to paying a set monthly rental fee for the space and equipment in return for receiving 2/3 of the net profit for sales of food and beverages.

As Doug has said repeatedly, we are not in this to make money; we are here to provide a service to our military and veteran family.

Hooray for him!

Hooray, also, for Eddie and John spurring Post 500 members to supply circular tables ($173 each) and packs of chairs ($169/pack) for any functions to be held here.

Hooray, also, for Brenda for printing out sample lease agreements for any groups who are interested in renting our space for their functions. 

Hooray, also, for Mike fetching Post 36's stored items (six 6' tables, six bar stools, the Budweiser sign, and  'Iron Mike', and others) from Post 135 and bringing them here to Two First Posts at long last, with Michael T agreeing to be here for that long-awaited delivery.

Hooray for Doug for setting up a google group for Two First Posts.

Hooray for Eddie for making out the list of items to be accomplished to make this place ready (pouring the concrete pad outside the kitchen door; reversing the front doors and adding panic bars to comply with fire code; obtaining a lockable liquor storage cabinet).

Hooray for John and Doug for donating funds ($500 each) to be dedicated to stocking the bathrooms (wall mirrors at sinks, toilet paper holders, tissue holders, trash cans, hand soap, paper towel dispensers). 

And, last, but certainly not least, hooray for Billy for taking on the task of wiring the internet, security, and the entertainment systems, with him coordinating with Joe Cetti for the seven televisions to be purchased, the mounting hardware for six of those and A/V cart for the other (designated for training purposes).

Whew.

No one directly took on the elephant in the room, about the enormous debt (more than $800,000 already spent on the purchase and remodel of this building) taken on by one man: Doug Andrews.

We all need to work together to help this dream become reality for him.

He said we'll open on May 25 of this year - we can make that happen!

 

My odometer reading as I pulled into my driveway bodes well for that.

Such a nice, round, even number for the mileage: 245300.

Yes, I am glad to have been at that American Legion meeting tonight.

Most definitely right place, right time. 

(smile!) 

disparate singers, but winners for me!

What do Barry Manilow, DMX, Cheap Trick, The Alan Parsons Project, and Phil Collins have in common?

No, seriously, I'd like to know how those five entities wound up on my "Bar Favourites Mix #12" card at Music Bingo tonight.

Perhaps this is some kind of British joke, right, as the only unifying factor is that they were all American artists.

Regardless of why they were on my card, let me just say this: THANK YOU!!!

This was the last game of the night, which is usually a "blackout" game that nets the winner a $50 gift card to Midway Sports Grill.

That's what I thought we were playing, too, until I pointed out "my first bingo" and Elissa said, "You've won! Get up and let him know!"

So I did and she was right!!!

Holy mixed bag of songs, Batman!!!

Wow... I have FIFTY DOLLARS for MSG... wow!!!

I almost didn't come because I thought they might already be leaving.

The meeting of Two First Posts had run until 7:30, so I didn't arrive until 8.

Monday had clocked in with a high in the low 80's, as forecast last Friday, so the weather was perfect for sandals and shorts.

This would be my first time at Music Bingo this year, due to issues with weather (me) or Jewish holidays (them) or American Legion meetings (me).

How wonderful to see Marcia and Sandy and Elissa again!!!

How wonderful to sing along with my friends to so many songs!!!

And how wonderful that the Bingo DJ had technical issues that delayed the games for almost 40 minutes, allowing me to arrive while the first one was still in progress... wow.

I'm taking this odometer reading as a right place, right time sign.

Is it a palindrome?

No, because 245146 is not what the reverse reads.

Is it a poker straight, perchance?

Nope, 'tis not, as those numbers only yield a pair of 4's.

Then what's my deal-i-o with this mileage???

I like the way it sounds when I say it: two four five, one four six.

It's a nice mixture, just like those five artists on my bingo card.

(smile!)

6 of 7

"Are you referring to the Borg from "Star Trek" with that designation?"

Um, no. That would be Seven of Nine, and she/he/it was a Borg drone, who was in several episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager", one of the spinoff series. I'm simply stating the number of movies in the NCG Rom-Com Film Festival that Carolyn and I saw together. Including the one from today, that would be six of the seven! This last one was "My Best Friend's Wedding", which was a perfect end, just as the Elvis film was perfect as the first one for us. Lots of music and talk of friendship!

 

"I thought you owned that Julia Roberts movie."

 

Yes, Comcast did reward me with that one. And, yes, I did see it quite recently. However, I watched Cameron Diaz in her debut movie last weekend and it was good to see her again. Good for her for accepting her lack of singing ability and being brave enough to let it be used for humor! That's really her singing "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" in the karaoke scene. And her 24-year-old self is so charming that the initial boos turn to loud applause as she croaks her way through it!

 

"But she was so good singing in the nightclub in "The Mask"!!!"

 

No, dear, she just looked good doing that. She lip-synced "Hey, Baby, Ain't I Good To You", but it was Susan Boyd who sang for 'Tina Carlyle'. 

 

"Oh! Wow. I guess they must have really wanted Cameron for her looks."

 

Perhaps so. She was just 21 years old then. But for this movie, Julia Roberts picked her to be in it. Amazing, right? She recognized her comedic talent.

 

"That's great! What a nice little tidbit of trivia!"

 

Carolyn is just full of stuff like that. We talked about the movie from last week, "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days", too, which we'd had to see separately, due to schedule conflicts.  

 

"Yes, I recall you saying that. Did y'all die at Chili's?"

 

We did! When she asked where I wanted to go, that's what I said, so that's where we went. I was wanting some chips and salsa, as well as that Cajum Shrimp Alfredo Pasta. As I told our waitress, Lexi, I am hooked on that dish! I ate all the shrimp, and the bread, but took most of the pasta home for another meal. I took home most of the chips, too, as well as a fresh serving of salsa that Lexi brought me! This is the third time I've had her there.

 

"Very nice to have leftovers!"

 

Most def! And when I arrived home, the Universe had one last thing for me.

 

"Let me guess! A cool odometer reading!"

 

You betcha!

I almost missed it, too, but a flicker of light drew my eye.

Mileage: 245030.

A nice round number...

must be from Mama. 

Right place, right time...

watching a movie about friendship...

spending time with a friend!

(smile!)

244800

Those numbers in the blog title?

That was the mileage on my odometer when I was safely home again from my foray into the chill temperatures.

I needed a break from the meals of soup, and Melaness provided that: a gift card to Texas Roadhouse!

Plus, that restaurant had gifted me a coupon for a free appetizer!

After all was said and done, I essentially had three meals for less than $13.

I ordered the Country Veg Dinner and the Killer Ribs, two favorites!

Yes, I realize that Chili is "soup", but I like to open up the baked potato and then pour the chili all over it - so very good!

That's a meal that goes on a plate quite nicely.

Sadly, that's not what I received.

The first issue was my order had been canceled due to a lack of chili.

That was AFTER they had texted to tell me my order was ready.

 So I bop over to the pickup window - which is OUTSIDE, in the COLD - only to have the girl inside tell me the order was canceled and I'd have to pay for the ribs.

Say what?

So when she went to get a manager, I went inside, out of the high forties F.

The manager explained that they were out of chili at the time the order was placed, but they had it now.

Okay, I could wait...

but, he told me, I would still need to pay, because the order had been canceled so the money had been returned to my card.

But I paid by gift card...

oh, he said, then it probably wasn't refunded to that.

No matter, as I didn't have it with me...

hmm... that's okay, he would still honor the coupon for the ribs, and he'd zero out the balance due for the re-order.

That was good, and I thanked him for handling it so well.

Then I got home and found I had two sweet potatoes and no baked potato.

I also only had two rolls instead of four.

Fine.

At least everything still tasted good.

I ate the chili and one sweet potato right away as a late lunch.

Half of the ribs and french fries followed suit.

Now, I'm going to have the rest of the ribs and a roll as dinner.

Tomorrow, I'll eat that luscious salad for lunch.

That will be good, I know!

I'll check my gift card later to see if the charge was ever refunded to it.

Meantime, I'm going to watch a bit of 'mercial-free TV.

The governor election won't be until November, but the testosterone-laden vitriol is already spewing all over the screen of my Element.

Time to step over to PBS for something new to me!

I chose a fairly new series, "Native America", starting with the very first episode of the first season.

I'm hoping "From Caves To Cosmos" will have a healthy serving of science along with the history.

Earlier, I watched "Infinite Highway", which was an excellent story of a 16-year-old girl's journey from her first flight to getting her pilot's license.

I highly recommend it!

first day of 2026!

What kind of weather song does WSAV have?

Sunshiny start, with near-normal temperatures for this area!

Couldn't ask for a nicer start of the year!

I celebrated with Gouda and the bread from yesterday's Carrabbas feast!

 

Then it was time to kick it, Elvis style, and take care of business in the kitchen.

Not washing dishes... getting my cabinets outfitted with a spiffy new Elvis collection, ready to make sure I stayed on track!

Believe me, I have appointments with others already to post onto them!

Busy, vibrant, woman!

The first of those is the 3 PM "Anticipation Ceremony & Bowl Burning" over at Asbury Memorial.

This will be the 16th time for me, but at least the letter is already written.

That's right.

The yellow SASE I'm using will have the exact same letter I wrote in anticipation of this year, as I didn't accomplish a single thing I'd written back then.

As I told Cheri Hester, I didn't even recall writing any of those goals!

She thought that was funny!

So, since I wouldn't need two hours there, that gave me some much-needed time here at home.

Dawn gave me a new calendar, one I really like, with much larger spaces for each day.

More room for birthdays and anniversaries!

FB may remind me of birthdays, but it doesn't yet have the ability for the other.

Now, I just need to remember to look at the calendar on a regular basis!

While I was doing all these other things, I was also cooking my mustard greens for my New Year's Day dinner.

Didn't they turn out beautifully?

The hoppin' John used Rotel diced tomatoes, NSA, and the brown rice is a better fiber choice.

Those set off the contents of the cornbread from Food Lion, which was sweet enough to call dessert!

It all went quite well with "The Age Of Adaline", which I regard as a New Year's Day scifi romance.

This time, I found myself bawling at the end and missing Mama something fierce.

Once I was under control of tears, I drove over to Asbury to give my letter to Cheri.

I didn't stay long, though.

Greenwich Cemetery closes its gate at 5 PM, which means I had about 5 minutes to spend with Mama.

That was all I needed.

Two others drove in as I was leaving.

I guess they needed a touch and go, too.

After that, I had time to stop by home and pick up a gift card for supper with Carolyn.

We were to meet for a 6-ish PM movie at AMC, and I was going to surprise her with the meal.

And lookee there!

I had four 4's in the mileage on the odometer! 

Right place, right time!

Or not, as she never did show.

I'd waited an hour before calling to check on her arrival time.

Oops - she thought we were getting together tomorrow.

 

Back home I went, with visions of Positano leftovers in my head! 

Peacock had a delightful Pakistani movie, "Polite Society" from 2023, which had a girl who wanted to be a stunt woman.

Very nice!!! 

Right place, right time, after all!

this is how we do it...

We had another emergency meeting at the Two First Posts site, but this time it wasn't just us chickens.

There were five members from Post 500 of the American Legion, our brothers in this venture, as well as five from Post 36.

We had all lost our physical meeting spaces three years ago. 

Plus, we had a guest, Savanna Newsome of the construction folks, sitting in to offer any help.

So, what was the rush for this 5 PM meeting?

The USO wants to rent out the ballroom for a Christmas-themed event for about 100 children and Santa. 

We don't even have a building manager yet or any staff!

That's why we'll be meeting again for the next two weeks to at least fill that managerial position with a temporary person.

I'm glad I was there - right place, right time, as per my odometer!

That mileage of 244111 was when I was home from the meeting.

I don't know just what the pattern means, but I like it!

I'd finished up my AMC A*List just before I went to Montgomery Street.

I'd watched "Predator: Badlands" again on Monday, as I'd wanted a laugh.

I even mentioned that to Paul, when I called him for his birthday58.

He had found that to be an odd choice for me until I explained about the poor lonely pants! 

"Eternity", though, is brand-new one and poses an interesting question.

Set in the hereafter, it asked: do you choose life everlasting with the one that got away or with the one you had for several decades?

I'm talking about husbands, with all parties dead at this point.

She had to make a choice between the first one, who died in the Korean War, and the second one, with whom she had 65 years, children, and grandchildren.

I thought it odd that they were all young, like in their twenties.

Only the first husband would have died at that age.

When I left the cinema, I'd stopped over at the southside AutoZone.

When I'd replaced the windshield wiper on the driver's side a year ago, I'd made the choice to leave the other in place.

Well, the one on the other side has been shredded - and not in a good way - for several months.

Lots of rain is in the forecast and my passenger-side needed help.

Plus, I'm tired of hearing that shredded piece flapping on the windshield. 

I'm thinking I'll go ahead and replace the driver's side, too, as it's starting to show a bit of wear.

Meanwhile, it's time for "Georgie & Mandy" and dinner!

It's been a drizzly day, overcast and gray, so comfort food, please!

That means Mama's salmon stew, amended to Tina's tuna chowder, served in my Donburi bowl from Okinawa. 

So glad I had the oyster crackers on hand, too!