Wednesday, July 14, 2021
no kilts for mister willie!
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
all done, with a day left over
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
last bananas in july for me
No kilts for me tonight, but plenty of four-legged friends - it was Bark In The Park!
This time, the focus was on those canines which are part of the Savannah Police force - bravo!
What else did I spy with my little eye?
Jacob, in his cowboy hat, and Bruce, in his Man-Nana outfit, keeping company and chatting at the stairwell!
As for the fleeing Pep Band on the field, that was pure serendipity giving me an extra cool photo!
I went down at the end of the second inning.I had photos to share with Jacob and Bruce, from two weeks earlier.
Yes, real prints, that could be held in the hands as reminders of a treasured time!
I'd dropped off prints for Jesse, Dakota, and the Coach at the front office on my way in.
I love being able to share the love for Mister Willie!
As for that photo above, I had moved to the right field area in front of the beer loft.
I was still on my feet, as I had been since the start of this incredibly slow game.
After two hours, with the game still in the 4th inning, I headed outside, to sit on a park bench.
That worked beautifully!
By the time I reentered Grayson, quite a few folks had left and the sun had started setting.
(I even snagged a banana Moon Pie on my way in! Shhh... it's a secret!)
The game was only in the bottom of the 5th.That's okay, though.
I was finally able to have a seat... and what a seat it was!
My cherry seat, finally!
And this time, during the Salute to the Troops in the 6th inning, I even got a handshake and a "Thanks for your service" from a roving Banana! Wow!
Then, in the seventh inning, the game really livened up!
The bases were full of Bananas!!!
That's my favorite of the bunch, Bill LeRoy, on first, with all waiting to see if lucky number 7 can knock one over a wall for a grand slam!
GRAND SLAM! GRAND SLAM!
I shouted that over and over, to no avail.
Still, a good inning!
Top of the 8th and what happened?
Pitcher change, that's what!
Not only did the bases get loaded with Bacon, but the Macon team even got a free run as the pitcher walked the next man!
But, hold on, there... it gets better!
GRAND SLAM! GRAND SLAM!
I shouted that over and over, and, yes, I was cheering on the visitors!!!
A good play is a good play, it doesn't matter which team makes it, right?
And guess what?My impartiality was rewarded!
The next batter hit a triple!!!
Here we go with the first run over home plate...
then came the man who had been on second base,
coming on in for the second run off that hit...
followed closely by the guy from first!
Three runs from a single play!
Not quite a grand slam, but pretty close!
Minutes later, that tall cool dude who'd swung that mighty bat came home, too!
Five runs in that one inning for Macon, bringing their total to seven, versus the eight runs for the Savannah Bananas in this home game.
And just who was that batter?
Livan Reinoso, the third-base Bacon man.
Magnificent!
Maybe next year he will be a Banana?
That would be grand!
Yes, this has been an "over the moon" evening!
(Get the joke? About getting the Moon Pie?)
(smile)
Friday, May 28, 2021
gift of baseball, and circus, too
My favorite catcher, the inimitable Bill LeRoy, was back yet again!!!
Hallelujah!
Dan Oberst was back, too, playing first base with great aplomb...
and Kyle Luigs was again on the mound, keeping the Lexington County Blowfish scoreless.
Not that those fellas weren't trying their very best to get a man across home plate!
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
trip thirty-three around the purple planet
Many thanks to the Publix at Twelve Oaks for the delicious paczki!
Happy Mardi Gras to them and to me and to everyone!
This year, I bought a box of apple pastries for me, plus another of those,
and one of custard-filled, for Mister Willie.
Hopefully, I'll get those to him tomorrow... so I won't eat them all!
(smile!)
Part of my reason for leaving my house today was to get the doughnuts.
Specifically, I knew I had a palindromic odometer reading nigh and wanted it
to coincide with a meaningful location.
After all, I'd found a penny after completing my routine at PF last night.
So, the penny had caught my attention with its right place, right time vibe.
Then, as I pulled into my driveway, I noticed the odometer: 212208.
Just another four miles to the palindrome, I'd thought.
Now, where did I want to be for that magic click over?
I had thought it would occur at the grocery store, but no.
That reading was only 212210.
Decidedly not enchanting.
Back to home would be too far and I'd miss the magic moment.
Mister Willie's house, like mine, was too far and not the place to go.
Well, I thought, the penny had been at Planet Fitness...
and I had my change of clothes and my shoes in the car...
and the time of day was near my usual afternoon outing there...
so, that's where I headed!
I think I may have made it fair and square, too, but I was too busy driving to check.
The photograph of 212212 was snapped at the red light at Waters and Stephenson.
I think if I had gone up Abercorn to Stephenson, I might have saved a tenth or two
and made it a legit arrival at the purple planet's parking lot.
Close enough for me!
(smile!)
Plus, this was my thirty-third trip to that site!
That's a palindromic number, too!
I'm not saying this is my 33rd time of working my program there - not at all.
This is only the 32nd time I've done any sweating on those premises.
(smile)
Today was different, though.
Today, I actually talked to the personnel there about the machines.
Good thing that I did!
My program has been making some progress, but I was wanting to streamline it.
After all, did I need to use both the Hammer Strength MTS Iso-lateral Row as well as
the regular Row?
Just what was the difference, if the same muscle groups were working in both?
And why was it that with the former machine I had it set to 20 pounds, but the latter
could be worked at ten pounds more and was easier to use?
Well, there was a reason for that difference.
Unbeknownst to me, the weights on the MTS machines, set for each side (i.e., lateral),
are to be combined if working both arms (or legs) together instead of singly.
In other words, for the Hammer Strength MTS Row, set at 20 pounds per arm, I have
actually been lifting 40 pounds, as I was working both arms simultaneously.
No wonder that machine took more effort than the 30 pounds on the Row machine!
So, basically, I have to keep in mind that if the machine requires me to adjust two sets of weights, but I am using both arms together, than I must add those two weights to get the
true total mass.
Knowledge is power to cause change for the better.
Sounds like I need to reassess my program and determine which machines to keep using.
That's a good project for this rainy, chilly week!
(smile)
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
out for a reconnaisance mission with bananas
Even after a pregame conversation with Mister Willie that lasted better for 35 minutes, I was still adamant about not venturing out there.
That was before Scott actually went to the ball park, of course.
Once he'd gained admittance and started sending photos to 'make it real' for me, I tried even harder to stay home.
All I had to do was wait for Jim to post the link at 8 PM for the weekly Wednesday night movie.
This time, it was a tribute to Carl Reiner, a nice comedy for us PFS fans.
But the timing was off somehow and the movie was delayed for an hour.
So, I popped off fb and wandered over to the Coastal Plains League site, to check out what was happening with the game.
The hometeam had scored five runs in the first inning!
The Macon Bacon pitcher apparently thought it was batting practice, allowing one runner after another to get a hit and make the rounds, showing the Banana Baseball Rules to just be online hijinks.
Point 1 in the Bananas' favor.
The game had just started the fourth inning when I'd had all I could stand, I couldn't stand no more, as Popeye would say.
It was just after 7:30 PM when I pulled out of my driveway; it was fifteen minutes later when I parked at Grayson Stadium.
That was rather easily done, too, plenty of spaces - good, they were obeying the state law and not packing the park.
Point 2 in the Bananas' favor.
The Bananas were at bat, so it was bottom of the fourth inning, with Macon still scoreless.
I hung out out at the third-base gate, taking in the ball park sounds and looking at Bacon in the field until the inning's end.
Then I started scoping out foot traffic in the walkways.
Besides a few parents escorting children to the bathroom, folks appeared to be staying put.
Point 3 in the Bananas' favor.
After surveying the sky and the parking lots, I swung back to the front apron.
I was glad to see everyone wearing face coverings, in accordance with the new law in town.
Not only the Bananas' staff and employees wore the face coverings, but also the attendees!
Good for the Bananas for compliance with that safety rule!
Point 4 in the Bananas' favor.
The ticket office was open, which surprised me, as I know ticket sales are online only.
Matt confirmed that and told me it was for beer bracelet purchases.
Hmmm... at least that was off the entry apron, but it still bothered me.
Still, it was good that the concession stand wasn't swamped.
But that was offset by the beer loft being full of careless drinkers.
No Point this time for the Bananas.
As long as that reckless bunch of alcohol imbibers in the latest COVID-active demographics stay in the loft, then the Savannah Bananas have scored just enough points for safety for me to consider attending a game.
That decision will be finalized on Tuesday, July 7.
But will I be bringing Mister Willie out there with me?
Not this time.
I want to experience the entire game-going procedure before risking his health.
And I will go nowhere near the beer loft and all the spittle flying over there.
Where will be sitting?
Ah, good question.
Wherever I can find space for my herd of snapping alligators.
Maybe I should take my tape measure with me...
Saturday, August 8, 2020
saturday night lights
I have to blame Paul.
Well, maybe I don't have to, but I'm certainly going to.
I'm also going to graciously thank him for that hour-plus delay.
If I had left home when I'd intended, I might well have been part of the terrible wreck on Truman Parkway that still had traffic tied up - and seven police cars - when I did drive onto that road.
So, thanks, Paul, for being on a hike out there in Oakland and giving me a call to keep you company.
(smile!)
I arrived in time for the bottom of the third inning.
Unbeknownst to me heretofore, that's when the Banana Nanas gather in the first-base concourse to practice their moves.
And see those enormous yellow plastic bats they're wielding?
That means the song they'll be dancing to will be "Swing Batter" -
I love that country song!
Hooray!
I gathered my chicken sandwiches, hotdogs, potato chips, cookies, and Diet Coke - yeah, yeah, silly I know - and headed into the stands to check out seating for my party of five.
(Don't forget my 4 'gators!)
How about that!
4th row, just to the left of home plate, under those cooling fans!
4th inning was underway, and the bases were full of Blowfish.
That's when the Bananas' pitcher struck the batter and walked in their first run of the game.
The Bananas had four runs in the 2nd, so maybe they figured Eli Ellington could go a little longer.
That worked out okay, though.
Jose Gonzalez, Jr., tapped his second home run of the season, bringing in two of the three runs in the 5th.
That's him, running from second to third on his way around the bases.
Bill Knight, who scored an RBI with his own at-bat, is waiting for him there at home.
Good work, Savannah Bananas!
The Lexington County team tried to make a comeback in the 6th, even managing to steal home at one point!
But, in the end, they couldn't get the runs needed.
Why no photo of that steal?
Well, Split was distracting me.
First, he was to my right, bustin' a move and nearly bustin' his butt.
Then, he was to my left, muggin' for the camera with a bevy of PYTs, then with a pair of first-graders.
I'm glad I was in the stands for that bit of fun!
I'm glad the Bananas won, too.
They'd lost both games of the doubleheader on Blowfish turf under Friday night lights.
I guess that gave our team the incentive they needed to win for us tonight!
I'll have to let Mister Willie know.
He'd called earlier to tell me that Dakota had spoken to him and would be looking for me at the game.
I never did run into her, but I asked another staffer to pass along my thanks to her.
That call had really boosted Willie's spirits!
Now, I'm settling in with the very first episode of "Saturday Night Live" ever aired.
That was back in October of 1975, with George Carlin hosting.
It'll also have two musical guests, Billy Preston as well as Janis Ian.
I wonder how else it will differ from the modern SNL version?
Let's see, shall we?
(smile!)
Monday, February 15, 2021
how i spent valentine's weekend
You are correct, mon cheri, about the donation of a piece of my heart to others, as well as the week day.
"Fine, fine, have it your way. So what have we here? A nice steak dinner to celebrate?"
"You go, g'friend! That will be good to heat up on a cold night sometime soon."
Yep, February isn't over yet. Fortunately, Jim Reed is still doing the PFS movies, so I had Oliver Reed in this 1967 film, "The Trap" for free entertainment. To my surprise, it turned out to be a variation on "Beauty And The Beast"! You know how much I love that story!
"I do, especially the musical version which came out in 2017."
Funny you should mention that - I watched it via TBS On Demand the next morning! A woman forced to stay with a coarse, but gentlemanly, guy, learning to love him after he rescues her, him learning to love her, her leaving and returning to her family and town, but then realizing she wants to be with La Bete and returning to his waiting arms. Lovely story!
"Sounds like it was! So Thursday was a winner and Friday seems to have begun nicely, too."
So it did, with Carolyn joining me for a movie for three days in a row! Friday, we saw the new historical movie, "Judas And The Black Messiah", about events she actually lived through. On Saturday, we went to another historical film, "Hidden Figures", much more enjoyable, but also set in the early 1960's. I really liked seeing Kevin Costner again!
"LOL! You keep picturing yourself dancing with him, don't you, dearie? I know you do!"

Oh, it certainly was! But the universe had a treat up its sleeve just for me! See that fellow in the denim outfit, with the sweet tush and broad shoulders and lush hair? That's my man, Scott Bakula, in a 1995 episode of "Murphy Brown" that takes place in a bowling alley! That meant a lot of bending over! LOL!
"Ooh la la! Is that him stretched out on a lane?"Hahahaha! No, that was from "Split", a movie I watched on Streampix on Saturday night when I got home. That channel was free, so I tried to take advantage of it while I could, to see some movies that were new to me. This movie was out in 2016, but I'd never heard of it. Fun!
We were having a rare luncheon, just me and her, at Olive Garden! The holiday Monday gave her a chance to come to town and so she did! She's a Paparazzi jewelry big shot now!
"How wonderful that y'all had a girls' day out! And I'm glad to hear she'll have more jewelry to flash about. She's a gypsy, just like Mama!"
Yes, I picked those up, one with custard, the other with apple, both the last two boxes Publix had. I gave all of them to Mister Willie, too, as I do at near Mardi Gras each year. To my surprise, Gloria let me in and we all had a visit together for the first time in over a year! What a delicious treat for all of us!
"I heard that! Good thing that you had your face on instead of one of your other masks!"It really was! And I had such compliments all day from it, too, starting with one of the waiters at the restaurant, then from the cashier at the grocery store. Willie and his sweetheart really liked it, too, as I wore it the whole time I was visiting them. That was about forty minutes!
"How marvelous!!!"Yes, and my Monday was not yet done! Christina and I watched back-to-back episodes of "The Wall" 'together'! I don't know why there were two of them, but that was good fun for us! They both ended well, too - what a sweet bonus! We like the happy endings, just like in fairy tales. Oh, I just realized something: "Quantum Leap" usually ends well, too! Maybe that's another reason I like it so! Marvelous! (smile!)















































