Beans!

 

Terra curled up on the bed and I could
not resist this phot op.

Can you tell I trimmed her nails?

Overworked and Underpaid

I jest, of course, having retired years ago. And anyone who read about the yard work we had done knows I’m thankful for my husband. He wasn’t thrilled about spending so much yet agreed for my sake. Of course, he is also glad it got done.

At any rate, he developed a craving for Kentucky Fried Chicken yesterday. He planned on having it delivered but I offered to drive over upon learning about the fee (see above – lol) and even wait when he couldn’t get the order placed online.

Well, the deal he found was only available via the Internet. I parked the car and called him. It took a while for him to call back and I was really hungry, so I went through the adjacent Taco Bell drive-thru for a burrito.

I’d planned on eating it at home, though, until he told me the wait time of over fifteen minutes. Then he called again while I was eating. Already irritated, I couldn’t believe when he told me he’d accidentally placed the order with a KFC in Toledo, Ohio, hundreds of miles away. It took an effort to let him start over. First, he called the other restaurant to cancel.

~sigh~

Thank heaven I had my iPod with me. I listened to an old comedy routine by Mitch Hedberg. He was awesome and I find his shy unwillingness to make eye contact charming. I’m forever saddened that he succumbed to his heroin addiction.

Some time after I finished my burrito, he called yet again and the wait was now just four minutes. The real kicker is that I suggested that the order wouldn’t go through without the phone number field filled. He said it would have been highlighted on the screen. Wrong. I wanted to smack him when I got home.

Even worse, I like cold fried chicken as much as he but the piece I bit into today wasn’t fully cooked inside. Yuck. Looks like we’ll be microwaving those pieces remaining. And it was not too bad, so I will not complain to anyone at KFC. Meanwhile, for your viewing pleasure, here is a clip of Mr. Hedberg:

Isn’t it funny that my husband spent decades working in IT (Internet Technology, for crying out loud)? Aren’t you proud of me for not giving him a rap on the noggin?

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Eagles and Daffoldils

Reading Strayer’s latest adventures in cat rescue/neuter/release endeavors, I was happy to see her photographs of American bald eagles. I understand they do live in Ohio but seeing vast numbers in Alaska are the only sightings I can confirm. What a joyful memory.

Photo Credit: Chrissy Lou
on Pexels.com...

After approving of and paying for yesterday’s landscape work, I stopped to smell some flowers. Yellow joyfully shouts ‘Spring!’ to me and was the color of my mother’s most fondly remembered sundress.

Did you know that Benjamin Franklin was not a fan of this choice for the United States’ national bird? Do you enjoy live nature camera feeds?

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My Saturday Surprise

Yesterday I ran a couple of errands and decided to go through the car wash. I took the Cruze days before while the Volt remained encased in road dirt. The relative warm temperature and sunshine changed my mind; I drove home and hooked up the garden hose. It would save money, I thought, as well as give me exercise.

I couldn’t have been more wrong on that first point.

Before I even got started, a man approached. Solicitors annoy me, but what he said got my attention. We went around to the back yard where he’d noticed overgrowth from his company truck. The full scope shocked him so much he went to get his boss while I spoke to my husband. We agreed to the price as long as I received documentation.

I signed our agreement and, to my delighted amazement, the owner said they would immediately get started (!) and likely finish the same day (!!).

Sorry, but I can’t help sharing yet another horror movie quote. ~shakes head~ In “Evil Dead II”, the character Sarah meets two locals on her way to her parents’ (evil possessed) cabin and they make a deal. The fellow offers to carry her bags for “a hundred buck” before seeing Sarah’s huge travel trunk.

Ugly, yes; but I have a clean(er) slate...

You see, these groundskeepers had no clue the tangle of vines awaiting them. Even the boss joined in, which isn’t normally the case. They worked for at least five hours, taking turns to rest as exhaustion set in. Exorbitant as the fee might seem (a staggering $2,000 USD), I don’t regret it. Thank heaven we will not end up strangled by this debt.

The Virginia creeper was killing every one of my trees and shrubs, including a honeysuckle I forgot existed, bent beneath the other vine’s massive trunk. Now it won’t be such an uphill battle cleaning up surrounding areas because (unfortunately) Virginia creeper sets roots wherever it touches. So I still have my work cut out for me, as they say. In fact, I should work a little each day now.

This is what they hauled up...

To reiterate the difficulty level, I saw one fellow all but collapse against their truck when I peeked out front and later learned about their numerous falls on the steep slope. Bringing the guys some bottled water, I asked how they manage such heavy labor. “We all have kids, and kids are expensive,” said one of them. I had to laugh.

Can you believe they went on to another job after that? Isn’t it heartening to find ambitious young people?

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M3GAN – A Movie Review

Finally, I’m going to do as promised. For anyone interested in science fiction/horror flicks, I absolutely recommend M3GAN. Its self awareness as a spoof on the genres tropes seemed (surprisingly) lost on my husband. He didn’t laugh like I did. Then again, I regularly watch horror movies after his bedtime. Heh…

The striking, formal clothing
blew my mind...

I agree with him that the uncanny valley of the robotic doll and its transformation added terrifying tension. There are reasons some of us fear the direction artificial intelligence is heading.

Amazingly, neither of us noticed any flaws I can recall. Every event I predicted always took an ultimately imaginative and frightening twist.

From the color palate, costumes, actors’ performances, and realistic (and limited) CGI, it riveted me. Even the runtime proved reasonable. Nods to other films added so much fun.

I’ll stop here. And if you’re still reading, I appreciate it. ~grin~ And for those interested, here is a clip that has become popular on Youtube:

If you watched the creepy video, can you believe a young gymnast (!) performed the dance? How did creators match the CGI face so wll to the action? And how on earth do people move like that?

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Mellow Yellow – & – A Question: Why?

A few houses across the street from us is apparently owned by the folks who run Statik Autobody here in Franklin, Ohio. It took me a while to decipher the fancy script spelling out the name. lol The business is downtown but they occasionally have vehicles at the house. This latest caught my eye. Some might consider it gawdy but the color reminds me of sunrise over the Atlantic ocean. As if I don’t miss The Outer Banks everyday as it is. ~sigh~ Anyway, I grabbed a photograph while out walking.

I really like this golden glow...

Sorry about the window glare but
this angle shows it better.

I also stopped to capture an image of my crocuses. Sad to say, they’re too short to really show past my retaining bricks but I enjoy them. 

I should have tried a more
interesting angle...

Then I was visiting Ellen’s blog at 15andmeowing and found myself reading about her 2015 visit to New York City. Since the city’s decline, I couldn’t help thinking of a quote. In ‘The Stand’ teleplay, Nadine said to Larry, “The Big Apple is baked.” How sadly prophetic. ~sigh~ But again, I’d rather go to Nags Head, North Carolina.

All that said, I stumbled across a listing on IMDB (Internet Movie Database) that “The Stand” was remade in 2020 as another mini-series. It left me shaking my head. I’m sorry, but actor Gary Sinise is Stu Redman. And I adored Alexander Skarsgård in the television series “True Blood”. Yet I cannot imagine anyone else but Jamey Sheridan as Randall Flagg. I could go on and on.

Needless to say, I’ll pass on watching this newer release. Seeing 2019’s “Pet Semetary” left a tiny psychic scar. Spoiler alert: they changed which of the Creed children perished and it did NOT work for me.

Are you a film buff? Does Hollywood need the reboot instead of movies and TV programs? -

Lesson(s) Learned

My husband and I continue listening to a podcast called “Stuff You Should Know” while out and about. The other day we heard a shocking tail about Newport, Kentucky. Across the state line from Cincinnati this virtual suburb boasted a small population in the 1930’s. For whatever reason, illegal casinos popped up and, of course, mobsters moved in.

Long story short, a young Frank Sinatra entertained along with many others until Las Vegas became the go-to din of iniquity. One huge venue called The Beverly Hills Supper Club in Newport turned into a legitimate business in the 1970’s. Alas residual mobster activity continued and mysterious fires sprouted among various nightclubs. Refusing offers to sell, this business man apparently fell victim.

Unlike normal sabotage operations occurring on a quiet Sunday morning, this devastating event took place on a Saturday night. And those thousands (!) enjoying celebrations such as weddings, or just a simple night out were the ultimate victims. Hundreds died yet authorities prevented investigation by bulldozing the place within days. I’ll let you learn more if interested by checking this out. I’m shocked never to have known about this beforehand as its impact upon the city remains, including litigation over proposed development on what many consider a sacred sight.

I mentioned this tragedy to my older brother-in-law, curious if he’d heard this news during his young adulthood in Northeast Ohio. He had not. On a side note, he volunteers at his house of worship’s security team. What prompted my tell is that he and needed to cut short the brothers’ weekly video chat for a fire drill.

In a true ironic twist we endured our own sort of fire drill that very afternoon. I’d been cooking a blackened chicken recipe but didn’t notice smoke building up until our smoke detector sounded. A representative of the home security called and we promptly assured him no assistance was required. He chuckled at my self-deprecating joke before notifying our local fire department.

However, we were too late and a fire truck pulled up. Zack, leading his emerging responders, asked if he could double check inside our home. I agreed, apologetic while expressing an understanding that we’d receive a bill.

“No, don’t worry,” he replied. “There’s no charge involved.”

As if we needed more proof of Jezebel
being deaf, she did not react until
the very tall fireman Zack
stood behind me.

I later surmised the silent young people in uniform might have been on a convenient training mission. At any rate, I again confessed that my chicken was definitely blackened and received more laughter. After ascertaining our safety and making sure we didn’t need anything, Zack took down my name and number for their report. I, in turn, asked their names because they were so professional, polite, and thorough.

Have you ever pulled this type of embarrassing stunt? Isn’t my brother-in-law's volunteer work laudable?

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Silly Updates & Sillier Quirks

Reading that several blogging friends never tasted pet food reminded me of a funny story. Perhaps ten years ago I was visiting my parents and felt a wee bit peckish. Not wanting to be a bother, I spied a snack container and decided to snag a few nibbles.

Gah! Were they dry. No doubt you’ve guessed that they were dog treats. My mother enjoyed a good chuckle.

As for the equally unpalatable gnocchi, it turned out wonderful. I made pesto using Thai basil and chopped walnuts which, along with wilted baby spinach and a few other ingredients, disguised the dumplings’ texture while the recipe also provided a side dish every bit as good as what I used to order at our local Bravo! Italian Eatery. In fact I enjoyed a small bowlful just this morning.

My quirks are things I never really recognized until reaching my 50’s. One is a bad habit – unplugging an appliance by its cord rather than the sturdier plug. So far I haven’t short circuited anything but the practice could be hazardous. Funny enough, I think it’s because my torso and arms are both a bit shorter than average. This makes reaching the back wall above a countertop a tiny bit awkward, especially with my overall weight gain. ~sigh~ I’ll try breaking this (let’s face it) lazy tendency before any household equipment succumbs.

Another personal glitch made itself known at the cinema Sunday afternoon. This one developed in my youth, perhaps during school activities. In a nutshell, during any lengthy event I begin wishing it to end. Regardless how much I’m enjoying myself there is a point I’d rather be at home cataloging favorite memories. Tomorrow (I hope) I’ll share what film we saw and my experience.

Do you agree that gnocchi’s rather unfortunate shape gives sauce a clingy surface? Are there any movies you would see at the cinema?

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