Thursday, December 12, 2019
December is here in full swing. Mostly I've been hiding in my rooms. My rooms are: a bedroom too small to accommodate it's queen sized bed, a den too small to be called a bedroom, and a barn corner with a small wood stove. All together they could be considered a spartan man cave. I watch a lot of Hallmark movies Read books a chapter at a time. Take my pills and my insulin. Watch my wife come and go through her busy schedule. She's fun to look at. December has gotten so busy that I find myself overwhelmed. An old Tin Pan Alley song sums it up for me: "May all your days be merry- Your seasons full of cheer- but "till it's January- I'll just go and disappear- Santa may have brought you some stars for your shoes- But Santa only brought me the Blues....Those brightly packaged, tinsel covered, Christmas------Blues!
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Lucky 13
Hey friends. Merry Christmas. Time for more Delaware musings. We moved into our "downsize"
house in Delaware about a year and a half ago. It suits us fine.
Back when we lived in Maryland I used to do a lot of shopping along the Delaware Rt. 13 "retail corridor". Our old place was only 22 miles from our new place. Our new place is crazy near that "retail corridor" So now when I shop in Seaford, I'm hanging out where I used to, for the last 27 years. All this is on the Delmarva Peninsula. Rt. 13 is a north/south road that kind of bisects the peninsula. From our house we can hear trucks on Rt.13. A distant roar. We can hear train whistles
too. I like those. Our neighborhood is farms and forest and suburbia. Rt. 13 is in most places a median divided highway. In most places 55mph. There are no ramps. Just stop lights and stop signs.
And tiny towns like Greenwood, and bigger towns like Dover and Salisbury. Rt. 13 goes thru 3
states: Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Rt. 13 is full of: hidden entrances, vegetable stands,
strip malls, Royal Farms gas stations, farm fields, forests, traffic lights, main streets in small towns.
Rt. 13 is one big automobile accident. Exactly one year ago on our wedding anniversary we were coming home from a wonderful dinner at the best restaurant in Seaford. We were sitting at a red light of course on Rt. 13. We got smashed fairly hard in the rear end. We were the last car hit in a five car
accident. Welcome to Delaware and Rt. 13. Happy Anniversary. Luckily we weren't hurt. The other 4 cars, not so lucky. Fortunately no one killed.
Now it's this year's anniversary. Wife and I went to a place in Milford we like called "Irish Eyes".
A fun time. So driving home it crossed our minds that this time last year we had a mishap.
I was telling wife that I thought the Subaru was whining or groaning especially at highway speeds.
She took the car in to the shop the following day. They found the noise: wheel bearings going bad on rear wheels. While they were at it: oil change, oil pan leak, front brakes. So: Eastern Shore Lloyd:
"you just tore up 1700 bucks". Happy Anniversary!
The day before our anniversary I went out to Rt. 13 to get wife an anniversary card. I went to seven! different places on the Rt. 13 retail corridor. The very first place I stopped was an antique store called "Antique Alley". I got her a nice old butterfly pin. I saw some tumblers with cartoon characters on them and I fell in love with them. I will give them as Christmas gifts. After our anniversary I was showing my December bride the glasses and she asked if she could have the
"Tweety bird" glass. I went through the seven glasses I had bought and found the "Sylvester" glass.
I put the two glasses on the kitchen counter where she was making lemon tarts and said: "This is a set. I got them out on Rt, 13. Happy Anniversary and Merry Christmas"!
OK. This post is way too long and I've forgotten how to write. I gotta go out to Lowes now.
Guess where that is.
LLITTY :::::+:::::
house in Delaware about a year and a half ago. It suits us fine.
Back when we lived in Maryland I used to do a lot of shopping along the Delaware Rt. 13 "retail corridor". Our old place was only 22 miles from our new place. Our new place is crazy near that "retail corridor" So now when I shop in Seaford, I'm hanging out where I used to, for the last 27 years. All this is on the Delmarva Peninsula. Rt. 13 is a north/south road that kind of bisects the peninsula. From our house we can hear trucks on Rt.13. A distant roar. We can hear train whistles
too. I like those. Our neighborhood is farms and forest and suburbia. Rt. 13 is in most places a median divided highway. In most places 55mph. There are no ramps. Just stop lights and stop signs.
And tiny towns like Greenwood, and bigger towns like Dover and Salisbury. Rt. 13 goes thru 3
states: Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Rt. 13 is full of: hidden entrances, vegetable stands,
strip malls, Royal Farms gas stations, farm fields, forests, traffic lights, main streets in small towns.
Rt. 13 is one big automobile accident. Exactly one year ago on our wedding anniversary we were coming home from a wonderful dinner at the best restaurant in Seaford. We were sitting at a red light of course on Rt. 13. We got smashed fairly hard in the rear end. We were the last car hit in a five car
accident. Welcome to Delaware and Rt. 13. Happy Anniversary. Luckily we weren't hurt. The other 4 cars, not so lucky. Fortunately no one killed.
Now it's this year's anniversary. Wife and I went to a place in Milford we like called "Irish Eyes".
A fun time. So driving home it crossed our minds that this time last year we had a mishap.
I was telling wife that I thought the Subaru was whining or groaning especially at highway speeds.
She took the car in to the shop the following day. They found the noise: wheel bearings going bad on rear wheels. While they were at it: oil change, oil pan leak, front brakes. So: Eastern Shore Lloyd:
"you just tore up 1700 bucks". Happy Anniversary!
The day before our anniversary I went out to Rt. 13 to get wife an anniversary card. I went to seven! different places on the Rt. 13 retail corridor. The very first place I stopped was an antique store called "Antique Alley". I got her a nice old butterfly pin. I saw some tumblers with cartoon characters on them and I fell in love with them. I will give them as Christmas gifts. After our anniversary I was showing my December bride the glasses and she asked if she could have the
"Tweety bird" glass. I went through the seven glasses I had bought and found the "Sylvester" glass.
I put the two glasses on the kitchen counter where she was making lemon tarts and said: "This is a set. I got them out on Rt, 13. Happy Anniversary and Merry Christmas"!
OK. This post is way too long and I've forgotten how to write. I gotta go out to Lowes now.
Guess where that is.
LLITTY :::::+:::::
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Stream of Consciousness
Hello Readers. I love you. Here it is November 12th in Delaware. The high yesterday was 73. It is snowing as I write! Plan for today: Write here. Watch the snow turn to rain. Watch the rain. Watch Hallmark Christmas movies. Stare into the abyss.
Here's a little Delaware story. When we moved the 20 miles from our Maryland farm, I moved three hobby cars with me. One was a 1970 VW Beetle. I have a post or two about the car years ago in this blog. Last Spring I took the Beetle to Georgetown, De, with it's Maryland tags, to the MVA for inspection. It failed in a hundred ways. But it was running great and had brand new tires and every single light worked and wipers and everything else. So I drove the car away from the test bays and over to the admin building. I talked to the folks there ( after a wait of course) about antique or historic tags. But, long story, no joy. So I wander out to the parking lot a very sad bug owner. While I was getting ready to leave, a passerby said to me "nice beetle". Then I heard myself say
" Yeah, you want to buy it, it just flunked inspection!" The guy says simply and quietly, "yes".
"How much you want for it?". I hear myself say: "I just put a grand into it. It's worth $4 K even without the inspection. I'll take $2K- or offer!" He says I love it I want it but there is one thing
I have to check. Let me pull out the back seat and see the battery compartment. If there is rust there it is usually bad. I said OK as long as you yank the seat and reinstall it. So he does, and it is fine.
We shake on the $2K . A few hours later he shows up at our house with the cash. After title etc.
he says "this is kind of a coincidence deal". I said "because I sold you a car in the MVA parking lot
on the spur of the moment?". He said, "well yeah, this is a very cool house, and my high school science teacher built this house and I have been in it several times years ago.
Here's a little Delaware story. When we moved the 20 miles from our Maryland farm, I moved three hobby cars with me. One was a 1970 VW Beetle. I have a post or two about the car years ago in this blog. Last Spring I took the Beetle to Georgetown, De, with it's Maryland tags, to the MVA for inspection. It failed in a hundred ways. But it was running great and had brand new tires and every single light worked and wipers and everything else. So I drove the car away from the test bays and over to the admin building. I talked to the folks there ( after a wait of course) about antique or historic tags. But, long story, no joy. So I wander out to the parking lot a very sad bug owner. While I was getting ready to leave, a passerby said to me "nice beetle". Then I heard myself say
" Yeah, you want to buy it, it just flunked inspection!" The guy says simply and quietly, "yes".
"How much you want for it?". I hear myself say: "I just put a grand into it. It's worth $4 K even without the inspection. I'll take $2K- or offer!" He says I love it I want it but there is one thing
I have to check. Let me pull out the back seat and see the battery compartment. If there is rust there it is usually bad. I said OK as long as you yank the seat and reinstall it. So he does, and it is fine.
We shake on the $2K . A few hours later he shows up at our house with the cash. After title etc.
he says "this is kind of a coincidence deal". I said "because I sold you a car in the MVA parking lot
on the spur of the moment?". He said, "well yeah, this is a very cool house, and my high school science teacher built this house and I have been in it several times years ago.
Monday, January 7, 2019
I'm Still Here...Sort of
My last post was 3 and a half years ago. I went through a lot of changes as people almost always do.
As I type to you now my friends I am a quite different person. I hope a better person. I think most of us remain basically the same. Just to reach the age of 69 and a half.... that in and of itself is a pretty
good chunk a pie. Then add to that, I was a suburban kid with parents that stayed together 50 years.
Now my wife and I are 31 years married. When I got cancer she saved my life. I've never known not knowing when or where my next meal was to be. Or where I might sleep. When I was a kid, we were not rich, but my dad worked every day. Middle class. Nobody in my family hardly suffered, nor my brothers and sister. Christmas trees. Clothes for Christmas for school. I always had shoes. Not the ones I wanted. I was not spoiled. I happened to live in a land where it is possible to be spoiled. My whole life and having a great life is because I was simply lucky. My DNA and timing in space/time simply gave me an easy life. You would think I should be thanking and celebrating every day. More and more I try to do just that. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be posting this post. My dear friends and readers I wish you a wonderful Solstice, Advent, Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, New Years Eve, New years Day, the Twelve Days, Twelfth night, I'm hoping to post a little more often. So I'll talk to you soon. Thank you.
"Silver-white Winters that melt into Springs"
LLITTY ::::::+::::::
As I type to you now my friends I am a quite different person. I hope a better person. I think most of us remain basically the same. Just to reach the age of 69 and a half.... that in and of itself is a pretty
good chunk a pie. Then add to that, I was a suburban kid with parents that stayed together 50 years.
Now my wife and I are 31 years married. When I got cancer she saved my life. I've never known not knowing when or where my next meal was to be. Or where I might sleep. When I was a kid, we were not rich, but my dad worked every day. Middle class. Nobody in my family hardly suffered, nor my brothers and sister. Christmas trees. Clothes for Christmas for school. I always had shoes. Not the ones I wanted. I was not spoiled. I happened to live in a land where it is possible to be spoiled. My whole life and having a great life is because I was simply lucky. My DNA and timing in space/time simply gave me an easy life. You would think I should be thanking and celebrating every day. More and more I try to do just that. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be posting this post. My dear friends and readers I wish you a wonderful Solstice, Advent, Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, New Years Eve, New years Day, the Twelve Days, Twelfth night, I'm hoping to post a little more often. So I'll talk to you soon. Thank you.
"Silver-white Winters that melt into Springs"
LLITTY ::::::+::::::
Monday, August 3, 2015
been a while
Summer daze.
My last post was in the Spring. Now it's mid summer. Just had a blue moon on Friday. And now it's August. The mornings have been wonderful. I sit in the shade There is always a bit of a breeze. Wife occasionally joins me. We drink coffee. Evenings have been fantastic. Sunsets. Lightning light shows. Bright moons and moon shadows. Saturday, August 1st I took the little airplane about 14 miles to Cambridge to fill it up with gas. It only holds 14 gallons. My Ford pick up hold 25 gallons. I made this flight in the morning when the temperatures were in the seventies. They have a restaurant at the Cambridge airport, and it was packed. I had a great breakfast and reflected on the great summer and how crowded the "ramp" (airplane parking lot) was. The temp got up to eighty by the time I left for home. Wife had taken her show dog to the doggie workshop. Her dog won big on Sunday. My buddy Clark was over later. It got up to ninety on the temp! We swam in the pool. Too hot to do anything else. Toward sunset when it cooled back down we went to Federalsburg, a town 5 miles away. For dinner in the diner. We took the VW with of course no AC. But it has those little wing windows, remember those? Clark drove, and he used to have a "V" about 35 years ago.
Trump.
I like Trump. He's entertaining. And funny. Everybody likes him. GOP's like him because he's critical of Obama. Dems like him because he will harm the GOP. I like him because he's zest for the boring news cycle. I'm a liberal. All my friends are conservatives. All my friends hate Obama. I love Obama. I'm getting older. I mean we are all getting older. I don't care too much about anything anymore. So I'm not into politics much. But I'm curious about religion and politics and how they mix. I want everyone to like me. So I hope you will still like me if I like Obama. And maybe I can make some points with my conservative friends by liking Trump. Right now there are two things that I don't understand about the coming debate: 1. Why don't we hold off about all this until November when the election is about a year away! This is like xmas decorations before Halloween. 2. Why is the media and electorate so excited about the upcoming debate? The debate is a pseudo event. Invented by a cable network. The number of candidates allowed to debate is arbitrary. You could have such a debate any time you want. It's unofficial. Also, aren't all the candidates Republicans? They are on the same side.
Religion.
Lately I've been hearing more and more folks say the expression "have a blessed day". Some people just can't help but try to advertise the fact that they are Christian. By saying "bye bye" in that way, they are including me in their religious world. Maybe I should reply: "Blessed by whom?" There are lots of gods to choose from. Muslims seem to be doing 90 percent of the terrorism in the world.
Faith based murder. I wish Christianity could distance itself from Islam. Christians don't believe in "killing the infidels". Too bad that the Christian God is the same God that Islam worships. The God of Abraham. Granted, he is a pretty violent God.
Ethanol
A few Sundays ago in this beautiful Summer it was another gorgeous day with the usual chance of showers. I was in need of non-ethanol gas. As you know, all our gas at the pumps is 10 percent ethanol. Forced by the government. Why, I don't know. All vehicles run worse because of it. The fuel does not store well. It rots engine parts. Turns everything black with a layer of crud. I
needed some "non eth" for my mower. So I went in my truck with some gas cans to find non eth in Cambridge about 20 miles south. The place I had heard about did not carry it. I had heard of another place further south. So I went looking, but no joy. I found myself about 20 miles north of my friend's new place on Hoopers Island. So I decided to go there. I had never been to Hoopers or Taylors Island. With no directions, I got lost and wound up at Taylor's Island. Got directions to Hoopers. Crossed it's bridge. Got more directions at the general store. Found my friends place.
OMG. I couldn't believe it. 700 feet of bay front with 270 degree view of bay from windows of the house. The sea wall was of incredible quality on the whole 700 feet. The house is a 65 year old cottage in desperate need of renovation. With a small guest cabin and two nice sheds, all in need of renovation. If you want waterfront, then you need to do what my friend did. Go big on land, small on house. I was so impressed, I was speechless. (that's indeed rare for me). I need to do a whole post on this place. I was supposed to go to Easton for a date dinner with wife that night. I followed behind my friend to go back to Cambridge, but I was way late for our dinner plans. I couldn't call with no cell service on the island. But I finally got hold of wife and she agreed to take her car and meet me at our favorite rendezvous. As my friend George was leading me in his truck I got him on his cell and told him we were driving in the area where I had heard about the non eth but there was no station where the directions took me, George then said "Look to your left, a Marine Gas sign! I did, and there it was! I made a ubee and said goodbye to George.
A dark quiet booth. My seafood and her veggies. A Sam Adams summer ale. Wearing a dressy shirt my wife had brought for me to cover my salty grey t shirt. We ate in satisfied silence. I was going to tell her all about Hoopers Island. Finally I said: "Honey, you look like a million dollars clear of taxes"
My last post was in the Spring. Now it's mid summer. Just had a blue moon on Friday. And now it's August. The mornings have been wonderful. I sit in the shade There is always a bit of a breeze. Wife occasionally joins me. We drink coffee. Evenings have been fantastic. Sunsets. Lightning light shows. Bright moons and moon shadows. Saturday, August 1st I took the little airplane about 14 miles to Cambridge to fill it up with gas. It only holds 14 gallons. My Ford pick up hold 25 gallons. I made this flight in the morning when the temperatures were in the seventies. They have a restaurant at the Cambridge airport, and it was packed. I had a great breakfast and reflected on the great summer and how crowded the "ramp" (airplane parking lot) was. The temp got up to eighty by the time I left for home. Wife had taken her show dog to the doggie workshop. Her dog won big on Sunday. My buddy Clark was over later. It got up to ninety on the temp! We swam in the pool. Too hot to do anything else. Toward sunset when it cooled back down we went to Federalsburg, a town 5 miles away. For dinner in the diner. We took the VW with of course no AC. But it has those little wing windows, remember those? Clark drove, and he used to have a "V" about 35 years ago.
Trump.
I like Trump. He's entertaining. And funny. Everybody likes him. GOP's like him because he's critical of Obama. Dems like him because he will harm the GOP. I like him because he's zest for the boring news cycle. I'm a liberal. All my friends are conservatives. All my friends hate Obama. I love Obama. I'm getting older. I mean we are all getting older. I don't care too much about anything anymore. So I'm not into politics much. But I'm curious about religion and politics and how they mix. I want everyone to like me. So I hope you will still like me if I like Obama. And maybe I can make some points with my conservative friends by liking Trump. Right now there are two things that I don't understand about the coming debate: 1. Why don't we hold off about all this until November when the election is about a year away! This is like xmas decorations before Halloween. 2. Why is the media and electorate so excited about the upcoming debate? The debate is a pseudo event. Invented by a cable network. The number of candidates allowed to debate is arbitrary. You could have such a debate any time you want. It's unofficial. Also, aren't all the candidates Republicans? They are on the same side.
Religion.
Lately I've been hearing more and more folks say the expression "have a blessed day". Some people just can't help but try to advertise the fact that they are Christian. By saying "bye bye" in that way, they are including me in their religious world. Maybe I should reply: "Blessed by whom?" There are lots of gods to choose from. Muslims seem to be doing 90 percent of the terrorism in the world.
Faith based murder. I wish Christianity could distance itself from Islam. Christians don't believe in "killing the infidels". Too bad that the Christian God is the same God that Islam worships. The God of Abraham. Granted, he is a pretty violent God.
Ethanol
A few Sundays ago in this beautiful Summer it was another gorgeous day with the usual chance of showers. I was in need of non-ethanol gas. As you know, all our gas at the pumps is 10 percent ethanol. Forced by the government. Why, I don't know. All vehicles run worse because of it. The fuel does not store well. It rots engine parts. Turns everything black with a layer of crud. I
needed some "non eth" for my mower. So I went in my truck with some gas cans to find non eth in Cambridge about 20 miles south. The place I had heard about did not carry it. I had heard of another place further south. So I went looking, but no joy. I found myself about 20 miles north of my friend's new place on Hoopers Island. So I decided to go there. I had never been to Hoopers or Taylors Island. With no directions, I got lost and wound up at Taylor's Island. Got directions to Hoopers. Crossed it's bridge. Got more directions at the general store. Found my friends place.
OMG. I couldn't believe it. 700 feet of bay front with 270 degree view of bay from windows of the house. The sea wall was of incredible quality on the whole 700 feet. The house is a 65 year old cottage in desperate need of renovation. With a small guest cabin and two nice sheds, all in need of renovation. If you want waterfront, then you need to do what my friend did. Go big on land, small on house. I was so impressed, I was speechless. (that's indeed rare for me). I need to do a whole post on this place. I was supposed to go to Easton for a date dinner with wife that night. I followed behind my friend to go back to Cambridge, but I was way late for our dinner plans. I couldn't call with no cell service on the island. But I finally got hold of wife and she agreed to take her car and meet me at our favorite rendezvous. As my friend George was leading me in his truck I got him on his cell and told him we were driving in the area where I had heard about the non eth but there was no station where the directions took me, George then said "Look to your left, a Marine Gas sign! I did, and there it was! I made a ubee and said goodbye to George.
A dark quiet booth. My seafood and her veggies. A Sam Adams summer ale. Wearing a dressy shirt my wife had brought for me to cover my salty grey t shirt. We ate in satisfied silence. I was going to tell her all about Hoopers Island. Finally I said: "Honey, you look like a million dollars clear of taxes"
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Easton Easter Saturday
The equinox has past. And Easter is today. I was awakened by a cough bothering me. The end of a mild cold I've had for two weeks. Or allergies, or both. So I got out of bed. When I went downstairs to the kitchen and looked out the window, there was the sunrise. I stood there and stared. The bright orange large ball had just broken over the eastern horizon. Bare trees were softening the brightness which helped my eyes and I could see the sun's shape perfectly. I watched the sun rise through the trees and then over the trees. It always happens faster than I expect. And halfway through I could no longer look directly at it. It was a real Sunrise Service just for me. And my thermometer was just above freezing. I was maybe going to have a spiritual rush, But I couldn't slow my mind down enough to meditate. My "me" was standing still at the window watching. My "self" was suggesting things: Hey maybe I should go outside to watch. Hey maybe get bundled up real quick and put shoes on, brew some coffee? Hey that fence line scrub brush really needs some attention. Is my wife awake? Etc. It was over so fast. I was too keyed up to play my sunrise/sunset game where I force myself to visualize the earth spinning. Standing on the earth like you're on a surfboard and you are moving toward that sun and revealing it as you ride.
Then I came upstairs and started writing to you. That's Easter so far. So good. Wife and I are going to Easter dinner with family on the Western shore today as well as visiting her father on the way.
Yesterday was pretty and windy. I had a small load of straw in the truck for my wife's friend and my wife lead me to the location in the Subaru. They were going to lunch, but I was afraid my cold might be contagious. So I took off on my own and spent a few autonomous hours in Easton, my favorite town. I parked the truck on the street downtown and did some walking. I went to the library. (I can say that sentence in Spanish). I wanted any book by my hero Bart Ehrman. I asked and was directed to the card file. Oh God I thought. Will I be fingering through cards? But no, it was just a dedicated computer that could tell you if they had a book and how many copies of it they had. They had one book by Ehrman. So I inquired again and the nice lady came up with a number by looking at her computer. So I checked out the book, his latest. I walked half way across town which takes five or ten minutes and went to the Goodwill store. I looked at the books, but didn't get any.
I looked at shoes and found two pair perfect for me. They must have just come in because usually all the 9's and 10's are gone. High quality leather dress shoes for $15. Kinda gross? Yea I agree. But I love these shoes and will wear a pair to the Easter dinner. Next stop: "Rise Up" a coffee brewery. I'd been hearing about it and had to see it. Fantastic is all I'm going to say.
Then to Easton Diner. I had a long slow meal in a hidden booth. Started my Ehrman book.
Then the last stop before home. The "Dollar Tree". I've talked about dollar stores before. They are a phenomenon. In this store: everything is actually a dollar. I bought 18 items. One item is worth mentioning here, this Easter morning. I'll get to it in a few more lines. The Dollar Tree had loads of Easter bunnies. Candy eggs. Stuffed animals. Cute stuffed bunnies. Also an isle dedicated to the fourth of July. The stars and stripes on anything you can imagine. They had a top hat made I guess of paper and foil. I will be getting one of those for sure in the near future. Don't know why I didn't buy it, but I will!
OK, I'll tell you about the most AMAZING thing I got at the Dollar Tree and this will wrap up my story. In with the candy eggs, the candy bunnies, bags of jelly beans, Chinese versions of Chuckles, etc. an item caught my eye. It was a chocolate cross. A chocolate cross! For $1. You can't get a very big piece of chocolate for $1. Yet the "presentation" of this product is fairly large. About the size of a paperback book. A cardboard box with a clear window on the front displaying the product. The cross is surrounded and embedded by gold plastic shrink mold.
Unlike virtually everything else in the Dollar Tree, it is American made! When I saw this, I had to buy it. Had to. And I can't explain why. It seems to me that it would be offensive to devout believers and Christopher Hitchens fans alike. And on many levels. I both hate and love this cross.
I'm a cultural Christian. And I want everyone to like me. If I have problems with all the faiths, I think I'm better off keeping them in the closet. I could write a separate post just about this candy cross, but I'm not going to. You can think about all the weird things about the cross. The paradoxes.
I could say a lot. But I'm not going to.
Just permit me one little remark. I want to imagine a Vampire. Picture a defenseless woman cornered. She has no silver bullets, nor a wooden stake. But she had been to the Dollar Tree in Easton and there on the table within her reach is the Palmer Happy Easter Candy Cross. She grabs it and faces it to the bloodthirsty creature. He yelps and backs away like Superman being hit with a kryptonite snowball. He cries in horror. The woman is saved. He agrees to leave, sunrise is near. Then his eyes turn from red to aqua blue and gleam a bit. The woman thinks he is leering at her sexually. The gleam increases and the vampire says: "hey is that cross milk chocolate? Does it have nuts? I don't like nuts or mint. It's not bittersweet is it? I'll be human in an hour. I can hang out."
For me, it seems it's always about the carbs.
Happy Easter.
LLITTY ::::+::::
Then I came upstairs and started writing to you. That's Easter so far. So good. Wife and I are going to Easter dinner with family on the Western shore today as well as visiting her father on the way.
Yesterday was pretty and windy. I had a small load of straw in the truck for my wife's friend and my wife lead me to the location in the Subaru. They were going to lunch, but I was afraid my cold might be contagious. So I took off on my own and spent a few autonomous hours in Easton, my favorite town. I parked the truck on the street downtown and did some walking. I went to the library. (I can say that sentence in Spanish). I wanted any book by my hero Bart Ehrman. I asked and was directed to the card file. Oh God I thought. Will I be fingering through cards? But no, it was just a dedicated computer that could tell you if they had a book and how many copies of it they had. They had one book by Ehrman. So I inquired again and the nice lady came up with a number by looking at her computer. So I checked out the book, his latest. I walked half way across town which takes five or ten minutes and went to the Goodwill store. I looked at the books, but didn't get any.
I looked at shoes and found two pair perfect for me. They must have just come in because usually all the 9's and 10's are gone. High quality leather dress shoes for $15. Kinda gross? Yea I agree. But I love these shoes and will wear a pair to the Easter dinner. Next stop: "Rise Up" a coffee brewery. I'd been hearing about it and had to see it. Fantastic is all I'm going to say.
Then to Easton Diner. I had a long slow meal in a hidden booth. Started my Ehrman book.
Then the last stop before home. The "Dollar Tree". I've talked about dollar stores before. They are a phenomenon. In this store: everything is actually a dollar. I bought 18 items. One item is worth mentioning here, this Easter morning. I'll get to it in a few more lines. The Dollar Tree had loads of Easter bunnies. Candy eggs. Stuffed animals. Cute stuffed bunnies. Also an isle dedicated to the fourth of July. The stars and stripes on anything you can imagine. They had a top hat made I guess of paper and foil. I will be getting one of those for sure in the near future. Don't know why I didn't buy it, but I will!
OK, I'll tell you about the most AMAZING thing I got at the Dollar Tree and this will wrap up my story. In with the candy eggs, the candy bunnies, bags of jelly beans, Chinese versions of Chuckles, etc. an item caught my eye. It was a chocolate cross. A chocolate cross! For $1. You can't get a very big piece of chocolate for $1. Yet the "presentation" of this product is fairly large. About the size of a paperback book. A cardboard box with a clear window on the front displaying the product. The cross is surrounded and embedded by gold plastic shrink mold.
Unlike virtually everything else in the Dollar Tree, it is American made! When I saw this, I had to buy it. Had to. And I can't explain why. It seems to me that it would be offensive to devout believers and Christopher Hitchens fans alike. And on many levels. I both hate and love this cross.
I'm a cultural Christian. And I want everyone to like me. If I have problems with all the faiths, I think I'm better off keeping them in the closet. I could write a separate post just about this candy cross, but I'm not going to. You can think about all the weird things about the cross. The paradoxes.
I could say a lot. But I'm not going to.
Just permit me one little remark. I want to imagine a Vampire. Picture a defenseless woman cornered. She has no silver bullets, nor a wooden stake. But she had been to the Dollar Tree in Easton and there on the table within her reach is the Palmer Happy Easter Candy Cross. She grabs it and faces it to the bloodthirsty creature. He yelps and backs away like Superman being hit with a kryptonite snowball. He cries in horror. The woman is saved. He agrees to leave, sunrise is near. Then his eyes turn from red to aqua blue and gleam a bit. The woman thinks he is leering at her sexually. The gleam increases and the vampire says: "hey is that cross milk chocolate? Does it have nuts? I don't like nuts or mint. It's not bittersweet is it? I'll be human in an hour. I can hang out."
For me, it seems it's always about the carbs.
Happy Easter.
LLITTY ::::+::::
Saturday, November 22, 2014
A Normal Day
I've been living the retired life for 7 years. Like everything else, it has good and bad about it. I think where I am right now is great in every way. Like everything else, it won't stay that way. I may be at the best time of my life right now. But more likely I've already peaked. I am a grumpy old man. No, that's too kind. I'm a grouchy old man, who is losing his memory. But today was paradise. I got up and saw a beautiful day and my room was chilly cold and I think I sleep better that way. I limped downstairs and the coffee was made and my wife had already done her barn stuff and was sitting in her office with her dog. Sort of a normal day. I want that normal day over and over. I already have everything I want. I poured my coffee. I went back to the desk and greeted and talked to my wife. Then I grabbed the coffee and a little snack and went back to bed, sort of.
My computer is slow and needs a tune up. So while it boots up, I'm eating my snack in bed watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. Then I open up e mail and e news. I swing my desk chair around 180 degrees so I can put my feet up on my bed. A little nap. I want this day for my Groundhog Day. I have everything I want. I call my wife on cell phone, she is directly below me downstairs. I ask her if we could go to lunch. She says yes. I could write a thousand posts about my wife and how sharp she is. And this day is just fine. I'll take it. We can call it a normal day, or a best day. It's bright and sunny and we have a pretty ride to Suicide Bridge Marina. The trees are leaving their colors down, soon to be bare. For some reason I think this is paradise. Don't change a thing Mr. Destiny. It's hard to get waterfront tables at "Suicide" They weren't crowded. We got the best table in the place. We had a nice hostess and a great waitress and a fine meal. I guess that's almost in a normal day. I'll take it. The rest of the day I watch Hallmark movies. And I write to you. I have everything I want. And I want everything I have. Except for about three full rooms of junk. Oh yea, we saw a beautiful sunset tonight too.
I stole the theme of this post from my friend Geoffrey. I credit him with the idea.
llitty :::::0:::::
My computer is slow and needs a tune up. So while it boots up, I'm eating my snack in bed watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. Then I open up e mail and e news. I swing my desk chair around 180 degrees so I can put my feet up on my bed. A little nap. I want this day for my Groundhog Day. I have everything I want. I call my wife on cell phone, she is directly below me downstairs. I ask her if we could go to lunch. She says yes. I could write a thousand posts about my wife and how sharp she is. And this day is just fine. I'll take it. We can call it a normal day, or a best day. It's bright and sunny and we have a pretty ride to Suicide Bridge Marina. The trees are leaving their colors down, soon to be bare. For some reason I think this is paradise. Don't change a thing Mr. Destiny. It's hard to get waterfront tables at "Suicide" They weren't crowded. We got the best table in the place. We had a nice hostess and a great waitress and a fine meal. I guess that's almost in a normal day. I'll take it. The rest of the day I watch Hallmark movies. And I write to you. I have everything I want. And I want everything I have. Except for about three full rooms of junk. Oh yea, we saw a beautiful sunset tonight too.
I stole the theme of this post from my friend Geoffrey. I credit him with the idea.
llitty :::::0:::::
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