Cashing in a Magic Dime

My granddaughter has more toys than she needs. She also has more clothes than she needs. That always poses a problem for me when it comes to gifts for birthdays. I don't want to add to the excess. Giving only money may be fine in time, but this is my granddaughter who still uses her imagination in ways that make me smile!

Gemma recently turned seven years old. She loves playing with me. We make up all kinds of games to play. However, she had to have something tangible as a gift, but not something that would add to her excesses.

The Fishing Trip (A Final Version): Dedicated to Chas Henderson

My friend asks me if I’m ready to go, but I’m mixed about making the trip. 

Most people don’t even know I exist to care if I go, but those who know me are giving me mixed signals. I tell him that I am ready, but that I need a moment to make sure it’s really okay with everybody. “People tell me they are okay with me going fishing, but I suspect they really are not.”

Remembering Dad: Lunches with Ron MacDonald

Dad was proud to be a Marine. He would defend the Marine Corps against all other branches - except when we had lunch with Ron MacDonald. Ron was a client who worked at Westop Credit Union, and had retired from the Army as a Sergeant Major. Like Dad, Ron served during the Korean War. He also served during the Vietnam War.

Three Songs About Masturbation

Masturbation can be such a sticky topic. Most people want to keep their thoughts on the topic as private as their practice of it. We are told that we should love ourselves by some of the greatest minds that have ever lived, but we still find that if the topic of masturbation comes up that many people just want to jerk the conversation a different direction. Oh well, different strokes for different folks.

If music is art, and art reflects life, and masturbation is part of life, then it follows that some music is about masturbation. Of course, some is!

I selected three songs by artists who wrap their fingers around this topic and massage it with various stories of beating it in the game of love!

The Census Taker

Though I understand the reasons that the census must be taken as it pertains to representation in Congress, some of the questions that are asked seem to me to be totally irrelevant to knowing how many people live where I live. That is likely why I had put off filling out the census form in 2000 and failing to fill it out and send it back drew a knock on the door from a census taker.

Movie Review: The Unkindness of Ravens

After a chance encounter on the internet, I have been following Lawrie Brewster and Sarah Daly since about the time they released their first film, "White Out." Some might say it's a story about climate change. I would say it is an exploration into the degradation of the human spirit and soul in an apocalyptic setting. It's available to stream if you want to see for yourself.

Me, Myself, or I

I try to consider the points of view of other people even if I am likely to disagree with someone’s opinion on a topic. I find it extremely difficult to give much intellectual credit to an argument in which there are misspelled words, poor use of grammar or punctuation, and incorrect use of words. If the person does not have the intellect to state his or her opinion correctly, why is it incumbent upon me to decipher it to figure out what the person really means, and then hold the opinion in high esteem?

Recipe: Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

I love sausage gravy and biscuits. However, I am so often disappointed with the lack of flavor and zing of the serving when I order it at restaurants.

I decided to try my hand at making it one day, but I didn’t want to go through all the trouble the really good chefs go through to make it to their high standards. Despite its simplicity, this recipe makes a very tasty meal that mocks the flavor those classy chefs provide through their painstaking process.

It is so good, in fact, that it is often requested by visitors, and has become a family favorite!

Recipe: Ellasagna

Here is the recipe for Elliana’s lasagna, aka Ellasagna

Recipe: Blackened Salmon or Steelhead

It isn’t so much that I felt twenty dollars for a small filet of blackened salmon served with a salad was necessarily out of line. It was more that I really enjoyed it, and did not want to get it only when I happened to be at a restaurant that serves this delicacy.

Salmon is not particularly difficult to prepare. Some recipes are more complex than others, of course, and some are better than others.

The objective with most of these recipes is to have the salmon remain moist. Blackened salmon, however, is a bit dryer and flakier, and quite flavorful.

I figured I would have to give it several tries before finally getting it correct. That didn’t happen. My first attempt came out so good that I have not adjusted the recipe since, except that sometimes I use steelhead instead of salmon. I actually prefer the steelhead.

Movie Review: Three Wise Cousins

Deciding to go to the movies was the easy part. It is always more difficult for Linda and me to decide on which movie to see, especially when there is not a grandchild involved that limits the scope of choices.

Neither of us is into science fiction or blood and gore, so the two big movies were easily eliminated from consideration. We both like comedies, but so often what you get are a few jokes with a plot that lacks any substance. After reading reviews and watching some trailers, we decided on an indie film that was quite highly rated for both its humor, and its substance in depicting Samoan culture, titled "Three Wise Cousins."

Mr. Grumpy (2014-2019)

Mr. Grumpy was found dead at the age of five in the front yard on the evening of October 10th.

Grumps was rehomed in 2014 when he was about six months old from a lady who was unable to keep him. It took a while for him to lose his edginess around people, but he was quite the charmer once he did! He went from hiding in a closet all day to the cat who would come regardless of which cat you called. Sometimes he would amble up just to make sure you knew he was available to pet.

Prancer (2001-2019)

On the afternoon of August 10th, a car pulled into the driveway. Unfortunately, Prancer had found a piece of ground to sun upon in the tire tracks of the driveway, and the visitor who pulled in did not see her. Her death was immediate.

Farley's Wit: The Story

Farley’s Wit began at a time I was locked up in a dispute. I believed it would be easily resolvable, but the series of events suggest that people chose the most difficult route possible and complicated the process to the point that it became unresolvable. At the last possible minute, they turned their representation over to a law firm. Any hope that they were brought in to come to a mutually beneficial solution was abruptly dashed. 

The law firm was unresponsive and didn’t seem to take the matter as seriously as I did. The problem for me, though, was that negotiated resolution was the only possibility I had to get this behind me quickly. They could wait me out, which was obviously their tactic, and made litigation a prohibitively expensive option for me.

Remembering Dad: He Loved Trivia, But Not Trivial Pursuit

The most difficult speech I ever gave was Dad’s eulogy. He told me he wanted me to do it shortly after learning he had cancer on the night the funeral director came over so he could get his and Mom’s arrangements out of the way. He wanted it to be light, and he wanted it to be about him.