ambigram - that's a word?

Yep, as much of a word as ambivalent or ambidextrous.

That "ambi-" is from the Latin "ambo", which means "both", as in someone who is ambidextrous uses both hands equally well.

As for "-gram", that would refer to a something visual, such as a written word or drawing.

This particular prefix and base were not combined as a single, unique, word until 1983, when the physicist philosopher Donald Hofstadter did so to describe his art.

Therefore, the word "ambigram" is the same age as my first niece (Christina), my eldest niece (Christy), and my first nephew (Stephen).

(That helps to put it into perspective for me.)

So, why the fuss today over such a thing?

Well, here is the reason: today's date, in numeric form with the year fully expressed and with month and day expressed in two-digit format and excluding any punctuation, is not only a palindrome, but is also an ambigram.

It doesn't matter how one reads it - left to right, right to left, right-side up or upside-down - the numbers come out with the same exact meaning.

Admittedly, the font does matter, and using a sans serif helps make it true.

Take a little time, play with it, even set it up to read vertically instead of horizontally.

The result is the same: 12 02 2021 = 1202 20 21, spaces inserted to make my point.

How did I mark the occasion?

For my dinner, I created an Italian favorite, using a favorite Greek soup, as well as leftovers from Tuesday!

First, I heated up the Progresso Chicken With Orzo & Lemon, which is a pretty quick and easy version of Avgolemono soup.

I added some chopped spinach - 'cause I love them veggies! - and more lemon juice, to brighten the taste.

Then I tore the two pieces of bread from Truffles into pieces that were about one inch square.

When the soup was boiling, I threw in the bread, stirred, and turned off the heat - it was done!

Ribollita was my reward, as it had been when I first supped on it in Siena - magnifica!

And what did I do for entertainment?

I watched "Annie" 'with' Christina!

'Tis the holiday season and so the local channels are wooing our attention with fabulous specials... and this beloved musical, with its current Broadway cast, was on ABC - hooray!!!

I could certainly sense Mama's presence, joining in with us as we texted back and forth.

I'm sure she approved of this stage version, even though some of its songs were different from those in the movie that had Carol Burnett.

A musical is a musical is a musical, and this was certainly that, especially with Harry Connick, Jr., as Daddy Warbucks!

What a sweet surprise when I realized the older, stouter, bald, man was that crooner!

Guess how I finally knew it was him?

I had closed my eyes to listen to the voice and thought it sounded like that of Mel Torme, though I knew he had died years ago.

And, justthatfast, I had the correct identity!

Very nice, very nice!

So glad that first niece was able to join me tonight!

i thank You, God.

almost like summer again!

No, dearie, I'm not referring to the weather, though it has been a bit warmer.

I speak, instead, of the frequency with which I have had the pleasure of the company of my first niece and her girls.

Four times we have met and dined together, in just barely more than two weeks.

Indeed, that may well be more often than during this past summer, her first summer off as a teacher for the state of Georgia.

Hard to believe we've been able to see so much of each other!

Plus, I've been able to travel a bit, which is very nice, too.

Let me count the ways and places, shall I?

For Veterans Day, we basked in the sun at Jalapenos in Richmond Hill.

Two days later, we were together again at Chelsea's wedding in the countryside, at Meldrim Woods Plantation on a spectacular day.

On the second Sunday after that, Olive Garden in Savannah gave us more than three hours of dining and visitation, again in sunshine.

And now, on this second day of Thanksgiving dining for me, I am in Hinesville for the feast she has prepared!

Not that I came empty-handed... oh, no!

Is this a rocket ship?

Is it a potbellied submarine?

Is it a wind-up bath toy?

Nope, not hardly, and not even close!

This is one of the smoked quail from Smitty's feast yesterday!

I had guessed that Chris had perhaps never had that type of bird... and I was correct!

What a nice surprise for him... and it's so pretty, too!

(smile!)

What a beautiful day!

How does that saying go?

Oh, yes...

Good company, good meat, good golly, let's eat!

21 1/2 pounds of turkey, Mama's squash casserole, macaroni 'n' cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potato souffle, dressing with gravy, cranberry sauce... no need for the rolls or mashed 'taters, I had plenty! Plus dessert!

So glad I have seconds, and probably thirds, that came home with me!

Yes, I can most def get spoiled by this.

i thank You, God.

on a sketti sauce kick

I blame that first niece of mine.

She and I and her two girls went to Olive Garden on Sunday and spent two hours inside the restaurant, getting good and steeped in the aromas and indulging in all that flavorful Italian food.

Then we spent another hour and more just outside it, watching the girls at play, continuing to smell all that garlic and tomato sauce wafting past in people's to-go orders or the boxes of leftovers.

Plus, we had the thawing odors of spaghetti with meat sauce and four-cheese ziti in the $5 add-ons we'd brought out with us.

Yes, it's all Christina Ann's fault...

so, thank you, dear!

I had that add-on for dinner on Monday - it certainly hit the spot and was so good!

Come Tuesday, though, I was still wanting something Italian.
Alrighty then!

I had bought several Mini Panettones last week - I'd just treat myself to one of those Italian fruit cakes.

So I did, and it was perfect with some hot tea!

Today, I woke up craving something tomatoey and noodleey and yes, those are words.

Well, fine.

I still had some Tomato And Basil Sauce in the fridge - and I had canned chicken breast - and I always have some kind of pasta in the pantry... so I created Sketti Sauce Soup.

I kid you not!

That's it in the photo!

And it was so good, that I made some more for dinner after my third movie!

I did, I really did, and I ate every bite!

(smile!)

So, what was that about a "third movie"?

Hey, it's for real!

I finished off my A*List trio today!

I started on Friday with "The Youngest Evangelist", getting odd looks and questions after from the movie crew.

How come?

I was the only person, in the two days it had been playing, to buy a ticket for it and they wondered what it was about and if I liked it.

Actually, I had very much enjoyed it!

I had even found myself laughing out loud several times, remembering things from my childhood as the narrator told these little stories from his youth.

In many ways, it was just like "The Wonder Years" and "Everybody Hates Chris", following the adventures in the life of a 12- to 13-year-old boy.

Really fun!

Tuesday, I watched "Ghostbusters: Afterlife", another one that was kid-centric, but this time it was a middle-school girl at the heart of it - a girl who was a science nerd like Grandpa Egon.

Recognize that name?

Well, this entire movie was like an homage to the late Harold Ramis, as certainly demonstrated with much heart near the end of the film.

Yes, I wept, but it was a good cry, and I look forward to doing it again.

(smile!)

Kudos to the casting crew, by the way.

McKenna Grace was absolutely perfect as the child who never knew she wasn't the only science brain in the family; plus, Finn Wolfhard is perfectly believable as her brother.

And tonight?

Well, we all know how I love a good theme to my choices... so, "Encanto" it was!

More kid stuff, with an animated format, plus it was a musical!

So, there you have it!

Oh, one more thing about that second movie: it was loaded with cornball jokes and puns!

One of the jokes was even the one that Tom Hanks did about the fish with no eye!

Hahahaha! Hahaha!

(smile!)

best Veterans Day - and warm!

This photograph sums up the reason for it being such a success quite nicely, too!

Yes, that's my first niece, flanked on her right by Littlest Girl and on her left by Miss Chlo!

And just where might we be on this glorious day?

At a place which is rapidly becoming our 'usual': Jalapenos of Richmond Hill.

Oh, yes, we are making sure the girls know to love Mexican food as we do!

And, look!

We're outside on the patio!

And Christina is wearing a lightweight, sleeveless dress!

The girls are clad in lightweight clothing as well, with Chloe in shorts!

That's because, for the the first time in over a week, the day 'twas brillig to the max!

It actually almost reached 80 F - i thank You, God!

I so needed a break from the cold, as did they, and Christina had taken them over to the park to burn off some energy before I got there.

Not that it mattered!

They ate chips and queso and then ran and danced outside, leaving us to entertain ourselves with face-to-face conversation, as we are wont to do - i thank You, God!

On Saturday, we'll all be reunited again, for the wedding of their Aunt Chelsea to her Dillon, and that's going to be quite a busy day...

so, it was extra-special to have this lull in the action today, for just us.

Almost three hours, too.

And lots and lots of hugs.

i thank You, God.

wedding gown practice!

The gown of soft, fluffy, white was fashioned with much love, by many hands, from the latest pristine packages of... toilet paper!

That's right, folks!

There were three ladies serving as mannequins for the making of wedding gowns in less than fifteen minutes - whew!

What a rush job!

Chelsea had her mom on her team, so, quite naturally she won - her 'dress' even had 'lace' sleeves!

I was part of the team putting together the fashion-express dress on Melinda's mom, one of three hostesses for the event.

That big green thing in the first photo?

That would be my butt!

Thanks, Christina, for taking some photos of all of us working frantically!

Too bad Nana's 'gown' was coming apart at judgement time - lol!

Thanks, Tammy and Lori for being on Team Nana with me!

That wasn't the only game, of course.

Christina had several in line for us: looking at photos of Chelsea and Dillon and trying to guess where they were; guessing how many questions Chelsea would answer correctly as her man did; smart phone scavenger hunt.

I lost that last one, as I was the only one there without one of those flat, featureless, phones, but that's okay.

We all had fun and that was the point!

So, we'd eaten chicken-grape salad on croissants and we'd played games... time to open presents, with the little girls bringing them in to Chelsea!

Here she is, opening the heart of flowers tote, taking time to read the card (I loved that!), and bringing out my gift: two 14" aqua-tone fish platters from Jekyll Island.

Her favorite color! (I had chosen them to coordinate with the Rachel Ray cookware on her list.)

She and Dillon love seafood! (In particular crab legs, but I already knew that.)

I am so happy to have given her something she really likes!

Now to await the big day!

By this date next month, she'll be a married woman.

I'm looking forward to seeing her real dress!

(smile!)

welcome home, with blondes!

As I was the first to arrive, I quickly laid siege to the outdoor patio at the Jalapenos of Pooler. 

That proved to be perfect!

It was partly shaded, due to the prevening time, and fairly cool, so as to please Christina and Michael.

It turns out that Miss Chlo is the most spoiled and prefers air conditioning, as evidenced by her repeated attempts to go inside - not this time!

That's her, to Leila's left, at the side table.

Miyah is there, too, while Alyssa chose to sit with us and the queso dip... well, for the moment!

By the time we left, the sun was setting and the patio had diners at three other tables.

I'm sure they all breathed a collective sigh of relief when we took the girls away!

Trying to restrict them to the patio had worked well; trying to keep them to only part of that space had proved more problematic.

But look at how much fun they were all having!

Surely there was somewhere else we could go to let them expend energy (so they'd maybe sleep late on a Sunday morning)?

What to do that wouldn't break the bank?

Trust Michael to know just the place!

The YMCA there has a playground that's still fairly well lit, so that's where we headed.

Guess what?

We had it all to ourselves!

The swings, the slides, the running paths, the things to climb onto - ours, all ours!

Marvelous, simply marvelous!

Thanks, y'all!

Wmla to all!

(smile!)

vcrs lvng thru aunt t, vol 4

Nothing like a hearty meal to fuel the day's adventures, eh, matey?

And nothing like mixing it up between two cultures to stoke me engines for the fun in store!

That be Chicken Teriyaki from Asian shores, surrounded by a sea of Italian green beans - aye, and mighty filling it was!

The movie of the day was "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan", a tale of a swashbuckler if ever there was one!

Then, off in search of the Self Family Arts Center!

Oops, that would be the Performing Arts Center, as it now be known, and that Jamaican lass down by the road is guarding the entrance.

No fears, my name be on the list of those allowed, granting my dear blue Saturn safe passage!

Now, to retrieve my ticket for the night's musical, then seek other entertainment betwixt this moment and show time.

And there it be, not ten minutes away by foot: Pirate's Island Adventure Golf!

Would ye look at that mighty ship, stripped down to its bones, with naught but bones to steer it!

Of the two routes at hand, Blackbeard's Original Adventure was the one for me, beckoning me toward its many green-jeweled tiers and the treasure that lay all about - aye, that's the one for me!

What, ho, why is that butterfly-bedecked bag atop the post?

Oh, aye, that be with me, in case my spectacles be needed later tonight.

On to the mini-golf adventures at this Pirate's Island in Shelter Cove!

Here, Blackbeard lore and history abounded at each hole, with tales to shock and amaze!

This be the sight after the fifth hole, of the man lost to the perils of going over the waterfall in a barrel - perhaps not of his own will, eh?

Aye!

And the sixth hole was on top of the waterfall!

Oohs! Aahs!

Not to be outdone, Lucky 13 had a few loopy hills for thrills.

Aye, that be my little pink ball on the green, and it went into the hole with just two strokes, too.

That meant I had par for three holes in a row!

And what be here?

No, me wee lass, that was not mickey mouse incognito!

Perhaps it was a tattered heart of a battered pirate?

Or, then again, maybe it was simply hole 14, with a Par 2 rating... which was made with aplomb by yours truly!

That be a mighty fine first shot, was it not, that landed me 'tween the hard place, the rock, and the cup?

That made a fourth par, with a fifth on the next, and birdies on the 16th and 17th!

Aye, I was feeling mighty full of meself by this time.

No wiggle room on this last hole, though!

That cannon doubled my strokes - ack!

Even so, my score on the last half of the course was four strokes better than that of the first half.

Then 'twas time to bid farewell to the good Captain and thank him for the use of his land.

How kind of his henchmen to have scattered those bits of lore hither and yon, to brighten the knowledge and perhaps even scare children to behave - bwah ha ha!

Now, time to slip on those Kinky Boots and meander back over to where my car held my spot.

Show starts in thirty minutes and I have a protein bar to wolf down to tame my hunger!

No refreshments will be here and face coverings are to be worn at all times to keep the actors and crew safe from harm - bravo to that fine lot!

And would ye look at that lovely sight!

I had thought when I bought the ticket that there would be a row in front of me... but I am right there at the edge of the stage!

No blokes in front of me to block me view!

And doesn't it look like that backdrop just stepped out of the movie for this busy, vibrant woman?

It truly does, doesn't it!

How blessed I am to have this fabulously-scored musical drop into my lap for my last day of  vacation on Hilton Head!

i thank You, God!

vicarious living through aunt tina, volume 1!

Please note: my adventures in Hilton Head are not titled as such, thanks to a chance comment made by my first niece. Henceforth, they shall be known as the "Vicarious Living Through Aunt Tina" show, with the installments not named as episodes but taking a cue from one of my favorite movies. Enjoy!

My first stop was at a dollar store, in search of soft shoes - mission accomplished!

Sure, they were bigger than I needed, but the slippers felt perfect to my still-sore feet, and were, as specified, only a dollar.

What a deal!

The store was in the same shopping center as the Northridge Cinema 10, my true destination.

Right place, right time!

Surprisingly, I was not the only person looking for a film, on a Monday, in the early afternoon, but, then again, it may be the sweet selection on the roster there.

(That preponderance of commas is specifically for my first niece, who was once told by a teacher that commas were not meant to be "sprinkled like glitter" in writing. To that I say: Bah! Glitter, like commas and exclamation marks, are glorious!!!)

Now, where was I?

Oh, yes, sharing a movie, in  real cinema, with like-minded folk!

Probably, like me, they had never even heard of this one.

"Killian & The Comeback Kids" had not even rated a preview at the theatres in Savannah or Pooler, but certainly should have.

I know the story, about post-high school twenty-somethings in a small town going downhill, finding themselves reunited by music upon the return of the only one who had left and gone to college, might play well, especially in Statesboro.

The tale might also do well as a psychological study of the effect a loner can have when allowed to play a role with others.

I thought about staying for a second film, but the blue-sky day was calling me outside... hooray!

That's because Adventure Cove Miniature Golf & Arcade was right there, just down the street that I had walked yesterday!

I even had a coupon for it!

No one even batted an eye at my sloppy slippers.

(smile!)

Too bad the physicist wasn't there to play the two courses with me, as I know he would have enjoyed it, too.

This was one of my favorite holes on the "easy" course.

It was Hole 4 of Paradise Falls, located up a flight of stairs and on top of a small "rock" mountain.

Four strokes was what it took, too, even though it was supposed to take just three.

Perhaps I was distracted by the view from up there...

yeah, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

In fact, here's that mountain, in this photo.

I was looking back from Hole 10 and happened to espy, with my little eye, the big "rock" from whence I'd come six holes earlier.

Such a fun course, and hardly anyone on it! 

In no time, I was over on the supposedly more challenging course of Lost Lagoon.

This whack-a-mole layout on Hole 13 looked like it could be a problem, with its upper tier having three different tunnels to the lower one, but I tamed it with a bogey, so... not bad!

A bogey, by the way, is one over par; I had several of those, including a few double-bogeys.

See this waterfall on the final hole of the course?

The trick was to shoot hard enough to make it over a channel, and through the waterfall, onto the putting green on the other side.

Better believe that was a bogey for me!

But, again, such fun I had, for more than an hour, out in the sunshine, listening to the rock'n'roll piped in, as I walked and stretched and got in some exercise!

 

I fared fairly well, too, on my scores!

 

For Paradise Falls, I hit nearly half at par, with six bogeys, for a score of 58.

 

Over in Lost Lagoon, I only had six that were par or better, with four of them being birdies!

 

That would be one under par - hooray!

 

I also had quite a few double bogeys mixed in, yielding a total of 62 strokes.

 

And what movie was awaiting me at the condo?

 

"The Natural", with Robert Redford playing baseball!

 

It reminded me of one of the "Quantum Leap" episodes that I love so much.

 

In that episode, he was an aging pitcher trying to make another go at getting into the major league; same here, only Roy Hobbs didn't want to be a pitcher, he wanted to hit homers.

And "Futurama" had a surprise in store for me!

They were playing mini-golf, just as I had done today!

 

What a lovely way to know the universe was looking out for me and that I was loved!

 

Right place, right time... and tomorrow will bring new delights!

 

i thank You, God!

birthday mousse trampoline!

"Oh! Were you in Hinesville?"

How did you know???

"Well, your first niece has a trampoline... and a dog named Mousse!"

So she does! Maybe watching "Psych" is improving your skills of observation!

"Hahaha. Is she showing a trick the dog does?"

Actually, she was conducting an experiment, by saying "high five", but giving the hand signal for a handshake, to see if the dog was reacting to the words or the gesture.

"Very interesting! And the result?"

The dog thought she was crazy and just sat there patiently, waiting for her to get it right.

"Hahahaha! Good dog!"

 Junior would agree, he thought it was funny!

"Oh, how good that he was there!"

Most definitely! I was finally able to give the almost-teen his birthday gift! That was back in July, but I had thought it was in August.

"And just what did you have in that oddly shaped package?"

Two puzzle books from the dollar store and the Molecube that I'd bought at the Jepson on my last visit.

"Oh, sweet! That's like the Rubik's Cube, right?"

Close, but with a sudoku twist. You have to solve for nine colors on each side.

"Well, that should keep his dad busy!"

 Yes, indeed! He worked on it a few times before heading out to the grill to tend the meats.

"Was there shrimp? That shrimp was soooo good that last time!"

Of course there was shrimp! And ribs and hamburgers and hotdogs, too! He even griled the corn on the cob, as well as the broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots!

"Good! That meant Christina kinda sorta had the day off in the kitchen!"

Oh, please, you know she doesn't do that! She made macaroni and cheese, especially for me! And we had brownies with Nutella swirled in for dessert!

"That sounds yummy!"

Oh, yes! That macaroni and cheese was the bomb diggety!

"You know I meant the brownies..."

Yeah, I do, but I just had to rib you about it! I had two servings of the casserole, but only a tiny 1" x 2" piece of the sweets. But I knew I couldn't just sit around after, so when the kids went out, I did, too.

"So, I see. Didn't the girls get in the pool?"

Miyah did, but Chloe really isn't into that. But they both always entice me to come over to the trampoline and play "BOOM shocka locka" with them!

"That's where they put their hands up to the net and you push them over from outside?"

That's right! I started that more than a year ago and Miyah always wants me to play it... and so does her little sister! Every time I come to Hinesville! LOL!

"How wonderful that they have a game they equate with you! Does anyone else play it with them?"

 Not that I've heard. It's just for me and them!

"Most excellent!"

Most excellent, indeed.

(smile!)

chicken dinner with the bfe!

Poor J-Dawg! 

 

First, he was craving food from one of our favorites, The Diner on Abercorn.

 

No, that wouldn't work on two counts.

 

For one thing, it was now called The Palace.

For another, it had closed at 3 PM.

Okay, still trying to stay local, he chose Betty Bombers.

Sure, I've been there twice this year, but he had not.

But, again, no, that wouldn't work.

That place is now closed on Mondays.

Dagnabbit!

Fine, he said, how about Buffalo Wild Wings???

Woohoo, a hit outta the park for a home run!

He had his traditional and boneless double header, and I had the Naked Tenders and their great salad.

Plus, we had two hours of dinner conversation with each other and have plans to meet again after Labor Day!

And... he remembered to bring the "Psych" collection!

It had belonged to The 'Cole, but she was giving it to me!

That's right: five seasons of Shawn and Gus solving crimes and showing off their friendship!

I'm so glad I got the bfe started on this series!

He bought me some old movies, too, so that was a bonus, but its the detective show that was most pleased to receive.

As for the mask chosen for our meeting tonight, he didn't get it at first.

No, seriously.

He thought it was maybe a spider.

I let him work it out on his own, though, and he did, fully appreciating that I had worn the kitty face especially for him, cat-lover that he is.

Oh, and guess what else was in the box?

A letter he wrote to me, from that time we'd run into each other in the Twelve Oaks parking lot, back at the start of summer last year.

So, why hadn't I chosen to put my face on for him, as that is the mask he inspired?

He told me the last time I wore it for our party-of-2 that it was creepy to him.

Must the color mismatch.

(smile!)

No worries!

Now, to shop for milk and such and get back home...

I have "The Wall" at 10 PM with Christina again!

 

So glad that show is back!

 

Curious as to how many text messages we send back and forth during it?

 

Well, ninety is our average!

 

Woohoo!

re-creating a memory

For example, this was breakfast this morning.

I call it "Ants on a Log" wrap.

It's in memory of a trick that parents use to get kids to eat celery, in case you've forgotten.

I love peanut butter and I love raisins, so having them mixed together and nestled on a crispy stalk was fine by me.

I guess that's why this popped into my head as a possible protein snack ... or even a tasty breakfast!

I have found it's best if the mixture is allowed to rest a few minutes - perhaps while that first sip of coffee is taken - to allow plumping of the raisins.

And just what was being recreated here?

Well, actually, to me it resembles r2d2.

I am quite sure my first niece's brother would concur, especially with that mystic blue glow emanating from the television set.
She and I were watching "The Wall" together, since the ether allows us to reach out and touch each other for that activity, 'talking' back and forth in texts.

(smile!)

I noticed a lull in responses from her and called her on it; she immediately confessed that her attention was, indeed, elsewhere.

She had found two wire mesh trash cans and thought to attach them to form a different type of display for her Paparazzi wares... and it worked!

She said the holders of the earrings clipped right into the mesh and it was quick and easy!

It's rather pleasing, in a space-age fashion!

Then, I thought about another picture she'd sent of something she made about two weeks ago, based on a memory of a luncheon we'd shared at a restaurant a few years ago, Larry's, that no longer exists, as the owner wanted to retire and no one in the family wanted to take over.

Good for him for retiring anyway!

For our luncheon that day, we decided to have dessert and both of us saw it on the menu at the same time: bread pudding!

And when it arrived, it looked much like this concoction she had baked, including the fruit cocktail in it.

Did she have the recipe?

No, she had found a basic recipe online for bread pudding, and then fiddled with it.

In other words, she tends to cook like I do!

She said it was good, but it wasn't quite right yet, so she was going to have a few more experiments to figure it out, changing one ingredient at a time.

For instance, she had combined white sugar and brown sugar; the recipe she used called for the brown, but she didn't have enough.

I suggested she use the extra-cherries fruit cocktail, as that would be pretty.

I'm looking forward to sampling the future results...

I do so enjoy bread pudding!

(smile!)

ceviche! chalk! church!

"Oh, lookie! It's your darling first niece!"

Yes, it is! At long last, too! Feels like forever since we've been together in person!

"I thought y'all were meeting for margaritas on Tuesdays?"

I wish! The last of those was on 13 July, which I had called our penultimate luncheon before she returned to teaching. Then there came the spate of thunderstorms that curtailed our outing the next week... and one thing after another ever since.

"Oh, that's right. Then the breast cancer scare for you and the 'kids might have COVID' scare for her after school started, and Bananas' games and now the opera festival taking up weekends and evenings. "

Exactly. But we were together today! Me and her and the girls, munching Mexican food!

"Just they way y'all like it!"

That's right!

"Was this at the Jalapenos here? I don't recall any of them having outdoor seating."

We were at the one in Richmond Hill, which is kinda sorta (joke for the bfrb, as it's nearly his 39th birthday!) halfway for both of us. As you can tell, this is post-meal, as there is no shrimp ceviche in sight. It's gone, gone, gone, baby!

"So these were at the catching-up-with-life and breathing-the-same-air portion?"

You got it! Miyah had a green crayon, but Chloe had none. But Miyah had spotted a red one under a table... so she fetched it out, then gave her green one to her little sister. How super sweet, right?

"Oh, that really was! Good for her!"

Yes, it was. She had a real meltdown earlier during the meal, just before the food came out. She'd had her tablet turned up LOUD, so I'd turned the volume down while she was in the bathroom with Christina. Upon her return, she'd cranked it up again, so I'd asked her to turn it down. That's when she started losing her cool, stomping, putting on her 'mad' face, mumbling her words, repeating herself again and again. I took the tablet, to keep her from turning it up, and she carried on for probably another twenty minutes, stomping around on that outdoor patio. We didn't talk to her, just made sure she was safe, as we ate our food and talked. Then, she returned to the table and started eating, not even looking at the tablet, as if nothing had happened.

"I guess ODD is like epilepsy in that way. There are no physical signs that someone has the malady. That's why it can be disconcerting when, all of a sudden, the electrical storm hits their brain and causes a radical shift in their behavior or personality."

So true. A doctor is to determine this week if she has the disorder. I wonder if they'll be running an EEG to look at brain activity? Christina said she hoped the doctor would be able to see Miyah in full-tilt tantrum mode; I suggested she might want to provoke an attack, to help them make a diagnosis.

"Good idea. As you well know, it's very hard to diagnosis anything that is ischemic in nature, be it a gremlin in a piece of electronics or more like your breast leakage deciding to stop three weeks before you finally have a surgical consult."

So far, Chloe doesn't seem to have those issues. Then again, her birth mother wasn't taking drugs during that second pregnancy, so perhaps Miss Chlo will be okay.

"That's definitely something to hope for."

Both girls are sweet as can be, most of the time. Take Miyah - even though I had taken her tablet, as her real self, she drew a picture for me, of me with her and her sister. With no prompting, apropos of nothing. How about that?! I have it up on my refrigerator, like the proud G'Aunt I am!

"I know you are!"

You bet I am!

"So, when does the chalk come into the story?"

Right about now, funk soul brother!

"Hahahaha! I love that song!"

Me, too!

"And you were saying..."

Right about now - oh, you mean to carry on with the tale. Gotcha! We four went to the park, just down the street, where, the girls had their birthday party last year. When it started raining, we forsook the swings and slides for the covered area, where Christina broke out this new artist box of chalk. That was all that was needed for fun!

"And are those your scribble flowers that you always draw?"

Two of them are, but the other two are not. Miyah had asked that I draw one for her, so I did (upper purple), doing it in slow motion and talking of how I was doing it all the while. Chloe, naturally, wanted me to draw one for her, too, which I did (lower pink), again giving the full demonstration of how to do it.

"And they had copied your actions and drawn their own flowers???"

Yes, they did!!! See why I said I was a proud G'Aunt??? They listen so well!

"Wow, they really do. Miyah's looks really good!"

I know! They even put on the stem and little 'leaves', just like I do.

"What's with the sign?"

None of us saw that until after we'd been drawing a while. Then, the supplier of the chalk - that would be Christina - who was relaxing with Mousse, not creating artistic endeavors or her own - spotted that solitary warning. Ack!

"So, that's when y'all stopped drawing?"

Heck to the no! In for a penny, in for a pound, right?

"I see. So, I take it that Christina is the one who spotted the water hose, too, and set about removing the evidence when y'all were done?"

Absolutely correct! Then Miyah and Chloe had fun stomping in the puddles until it was actually time for us to depart.

"Not all to Hinesville?"

No, just them and their dog, Mousse/Moose. Hey, maybe that's what he should be called! Maybe I'll try that and see how he likes it the next time I see him and them.

"Okay, you do that. Hey, looks like you finally made it to church again."

Hey, looks can be deceiving, kiddo, but I did end up feeling like this was Sunday.

"You're deliberately being disingenuous, aren't you?"

Just a smidge! I truly was at Asbury Memorial, though. Doesn't it look like I'm wearing a very fancy tiara?

"Yes, dear. Was that at Billy's sermon this morning?"

Oh, no, I missed that. In fact, I haven't been back since... well, since before my adventures in Florida and California, actually.

"If you aren't allowed to sing, you don't want to go?"

Yeah, pretty much. Though that wasn't the case today! Sherrill Milnes even led us all in singing "Hallelujah" this afternoon!!!

"Well, hooray for that, and a rousing 'Amen!', too!"

My thoughts exactly! How fabulous to sing, even masked up, alongside those stained glass windows, surrounded by those peach walls and vaulted ceiling! "Inspiration" was the title of this segment of SVF-9, and inspirational it was, with fourteen songs voiced by eight artists - make that nine, as the great star of the Met chimed in!

"Oh, I just know Carolyn would have loved that!"

Yes, she would have. Hopefully, next year we will be out of pandemic mode and the concert of religious works will be free, as it usually is. Then she and I will enjoy it together!

"That would be magnificent, and such a blessing!"

Yes, it would be. Now, I've take the time to smell this warm rose - you know how much that means to me - but then I'm off to catch a movie! The Ryan Reynolds one that I've awaited so long is finally in the cinema... and I've been so very busy that I haven't been able to see it yet. What's up with that???

"Busy, vibrant... right? That's a good thing, a very good thing."

So very true! I feel like I've been holding my breath since last March, waiting, waiting, waiting, and hoping for a cure. You know, not just for this COVID-causing virus, but more in the spirit of R.

"I am well aware. Now, relax, breathe, and see "Free Guy"! And just let it be the movie it is, not the movie you wish it might be. That way, you can be surprised and enjoy it."

Thanks... I'll do that.

"Sweet dreams! You've had a delightful day with those you love!"

i thank You, God.

gift from the bfe

"Don't tell me, let me guess - he finally remembered your birthday!"

Nah, not really. He may have thought about the last time we met for lunch, but he didn't actually say the words. He did, though, buy my lunch at The Noodle Bowl, so that was very nice. Oh, and he told me The 'Cole was getting rid of her dvd collection of "Psych" and he had it set aside for me!

"Well, that's very cool! Was that last month?"

 No, it was May 18. We never did get lunch in June, due to my travels.

"Oh, that's too bad. I mean, that you and he didn't get together, not that you were so busy with your holidays in Florida and California. Where did y'all dine today?"

At the Olive Garden, yesterday. That was his treat, too, with both of us scarfing up soup and salad!
We spoke of stars and spectroscopy and some show on youTube called "42nd Street Forever", that just has trailers for grind house films. I need to remember to tell Jim Reed about that.

"Did you tell the physicist about that youTube show Paul and Cathy turned you onto?"

You mean "Absolute History"? But of course! And he had countered with "Drunk History", which uses celebs to re-enact famous events.

"That sounds like it could be humorous..." 

Yeah, I think so, so I'll try to keep it on my radar.

"Did he have the box of videos for you?"

Nah, and, honestly, I forgot to even ask about them. That's okay, I already "got" my 64-1 gift from him... and I got it myself!

"Oh, you mean that trip in early June to Bath & Body Works?"

Exactly! The coupons were in his name, so it's as if he got the smell pretty stuff for me, or gave me a gift certificate for them!

"Yeah, I hadn't thought of it that way. I really like the Japanese Cherry Blossom body lotion, both the way it feels and the delicious aroma!"

Yeah, so do I! That was completely free, too... and I just got his new coupons in the mail, so I'll be sure to bounce out there and get another free body lotion! I won't be getting anything else this time, though. The four foaming hand soaps were not only on sale, but I had a second coupon for an additional discount, courtesy of the bfe. I was nearly out, so that was good timing!

"And what are the four that you choose?"

Kitchen Lemon is the one in the bathroom now and I've been using that since I got it on June 2nd. The other three are Aloe Water, Boardwalk Vanilla Cone, and Sunshine & Lemons. My plan had been to switch them out every month or so, but that hasn't happened yet.

"And just why had you bought four of them, instead of just one?" 

They were on sale, four for $20. Plus, I had a 20% discount from the bfe. Between the two, the deal gave me two free for buying two. Rather nifty to know math!

"Rather nifty indeed! and who do we have here!?"

Alyssa and Leila and Michael! The girls were in town for VBS at Bible Baptist Church, so Michael hung out with me until they were done. Then we all had dinner at Chili's! That was on Monday.

"And what's that? In their hands?"

Those are the souvenirs I bought for them at Jelly Belly! Alyssa  has BB8 and Leila has Chewbacca, my favorite Wookie! Michael really loved that I got them "Star Wars" character tins... as I knew he would! He and I share that love of that science fiction franchise!

"Very nice! And here's Christina Ann!"

So she is! This was from our penultimate Tina Tuesday of the summer. She returns to school on the 26th, sadly, but that's a good thing for her.

"I hear you. Are y'all at Rodeo again?"

You know it! I treated her to lunch, just as I had treated her brother and the twins the night before.

"Good for you! Feeling more financially sound?"

A little, but I also wanted to do her a favor, as she did for me that day. I'd arrived too late for lunch and a movie, so we went grocery shopping... and she had coupons for all of my fruit and veggie purchases! I ended up paying less than six bucks for almost $30 of food! 

"Wow! That's amazing!"

It was! So, my pantry is restocked with canned vegetables and I have cherries, carrots, and onions, too. I'll need to buy milk, of course, but my shopping for the week is done!

"Wonderful! "

Yes, yes it was! Now, I need to skedaddle! Smitty and I are meeting for the quarterly taxes, as well as sales taxes from last month and May. My goal is to get the laundry done before that, so I'm going to be cutting it close.

"Perhaps the clothes can wait until next week?"

Only if I plan to go commando... and that ain't hap'nin', captain!

"LOL! Your first niece would love that you used her saying!"

Sho' 'nuff! Later, tater!

"Later, gator!"

fascination 4 fastina

I have found my dream car!

I was over in Old Town Kissimmee, waiting for Christina and her family to arrive for the Cruise-In of the antique cars...

and there it was...

1960 Catalina, dressed in Raspberry Metallic, with fins for miles...

and hubcaps all gleam...

oh, yeah!

(Cue music from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"!)

Not that the Catalina was the only car sporting fins for the occasion, oh, no.

There were plenty of 1983-and-older vehicles doing so, with a Toyota Celica side by side with a Chevrolet Bel Air!

Gorgeous colors, too, like massive jelly beans waiting to be tasted and savored - how delicious!

Mama would have been so pleased with me...

I kept my hands in my pockets or behind my back!

No touching was allowed!

(smile!)

Here's a car showing off another of the things that make these special to me:

a plethora of gauges on the dash!

No idiot lights for these beauties!

This one, a 1972 Pontiac Trans Am dressed in gold and with the classic Firebird on the hood, reminded me of the 1973 one owned by my first husband, Keith.

It was white, trimmed out in blue, and it took us from Pensacola, Florida, all the way to Galeta Island, Panama, via the Pan-American highway!

Small world: Rene, one of the staff at AMC 11, is from El Salvador, and we were talking about that road two weeks ago!

 

On Wednesday I'd been treated to this beauty!

It's the May 28, 1978, pace car for the Indianapolis 500... 

and it's also the car used by Ken's daughter's boyfriend to pick up the girl for dates!

True story!

The car belonged to the young man's dad.

That young man is now the beloved son-in-law of Ken and Wanda, and has been for more than three decades.

Ken bought the car 32 years ago from that original owner.

How nice to keep it in the family!

(smile!)

For today's showing and cruise, Ken brought his considerably older "Santa truck" -

at least that's its sobriquet!

He even dons the suit and beard of the jolly chap in December for the neighborhood kids!

Not today, though -

far too hot and humid for that!

He had happened upon the truck while on a trip to Michigan - a trip that coincided with a birthday - and so Wanda got it for him.

True story!

I so enjoyed talking with this couple -

glad I got to do so twice!

(smile!)

By the time Christina arrived with the little ones, the bright sky had faded to dark and a steady drizzle had started.

The Cruise-In, as the parade of cars through the streets of Old Town is called, had started, too, but we managed to catch the last fifteen cars, or thereabouts.

That really brought back memories of the 12-hour Woodward Dream Cruise - held in August annually in Michigan - that Jeff and I had finally seen one time in our fifteen years of marriage.

Good times, good times!

And here I was making new memories, with Miyah, Chloe, and Christina, in one of my favorite places in Florida!

(smile!)

Not much later, and after the rain stopped, we caught up with Chris and Junior - or they caught up with us, however that worked!

Hahahaha hahaha!

We dined at A&W, with Junior having his first Coney and first A&W root beer - all with his approval!

Then we crossed right over to The Great Magic Hall for the 10 PM show.

After all, that was truly the reason they had ventured out from Silver Lake Resort, as I had pledged to treat them to the event... and they knew I would never stop asking them to come to a show with me.

And so they did!

And a nice young woman took this photo to mark this time I shared with them for Nathan Coe Marsh's style of magical feats, including a calculator trick that gave us the date and time that it occurred!

(smile!)

 

I'm so glad to have seen his show again!

In many ways, today was a bit of a repeat of what I'd done on Wednesday after my arrival at Barefoot'n Resort.

I'd dined on a footlong Coney, with onions, and root beer, at A&W, being sure to send a photo to the ex.

Then I'd looked at some of the fancy cars before going to the 7 PM show at the Magic Hall.

I'd sent car photos to Chris and he had joined me in Old Town, showing off his car, naturally.

(smile!)

That photo above, by the way, is from the Wednesday evening show, hence the numbers scrawled on the placard read "616730" for the "math magical moment" calculated then.

(Tonight's read "6191027", fyi.)

The photo to the right is from an earlier show today, seen solo.

This magician is the one I saw twice in 2018: once, live and in-person, right here in Old Town; then, a few days later, on television!

Yes, here is the amazing Jafo!

His repertoire has changed a bit from that long-ago show,  but I was glad to "see" the invisible purse and hear the clink of coins against glass again - very nice!

What was nicest of all, perhaps, was being treated like royalty by these two fine fellows.

How did that come about?

Well, I'd mentioned to Nathan how glad I was that the Magic Hall was still there, how much I had always enjoyed it, and that I had written it's first review on TripAdvisor, after my first experience with their illusions and sleight of hand.

Nice to see that the place has done so well!

For all three shows I attended this time around, there were at least 15 people sharing the thrill with me.

Hallelujah - the choir is flourishing and growing...

and now I can include five from my family!

(smile!)