Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Monday, October 31, 2011

QOTW 10-31-11 "WHERE'S THE BEEF?"


Question Of The Week 10-31-11

What phrase from a commercial do you find yourself repeating a lot?


We know the famous Wendy's commercial that became an ad legend.  We often find ourselves repeating the line Clara Peller delivered so wonderfully in the 80's.  Doesn't everyone know it?  "Where's the beef?"

My sister's favorite ad line is from Shake n' Bake commercials, "...and I helped". 

I am always saying "Sorry Charlie".   It was a commercial for Starkist Tuna where "only the best tuna" got to be Starkist.

It is amazing the commercials that grab our attention and are then used in our day-to-day lives.   What's commercial sticks with you?


(Thanks to my daughter Chelle for this Question Of The Week)


P.S. Happy Halloween
Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

PAINFUL AND NOT ITCHY

We have all heard the expression "He (or she) has an itchy trigger finger".  Well I have a trigger finger but it is not itchy, it is painful.  The middle fingers on both of my hands will lock up and it hurts terribly to open them. Do you know of anyone who has this or have you ever been diagnosed with trigger finger?  Is there a way to treat it without surgery?  Some nights by the time I go to bed I am in such pain that I cannot get a good night's sleep.  The possible reasons are rheumatoid arthritis, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes,  injured tendons etc. I cannot bear the thought of going to a hand specialist because we are so sick of visiting doctors.  It is my hope to find relief in the form of home remedies or the successful treatments others have used.  Please let me know if you have any suggestions.  Needless to say this ailment affecting the middle fingers of  both my right and left hands makes it difficult for me to express myself to people who irritate me.  I cannot give them  the international anger gesture.:)

Friday, October 28, 2011

PONDERING TIDBITS


Do not mark on greeting cards.  Post-it notes are great to stick on the envelope with their name and in the card with your sentiment.  This way the recipient can recycle the card..



The new chicks are now named.  They are Bonnie, Clyde, Huey, Huey and Huey.

We received our annual order of fresh Medjool dates from California yesterday.  Oh my goodness they are wonderful.  Yesterday Ron offered a visitor a date.  She had no idea what he was talking about so she must have thought he was asking her out.  She did not know dates were fruit.   She was just sure we were offering her prunes.

My laptop computer broke this past weekend.  Our desktop quit on me for a while today and was very difficult to get going again.  My cell phone broke when I dropped it the other day.  Now it appears our coffee pot is going out. Guess Mercury is in retrograde again.

Do your pets recognize carry-out boxes and go crazy as soon as they see one?

Should you tip the restaurant employee who hands you your to-go order?


How much should you tip the golf cart driver who takes you from the parking lot to the casino door?

Can you remember ever seeing your parents run?

 NOT YET!!!!


Hope these thoughts will keep your mind active over the weekend.  Have a good one and DON'T change your clocks.  We don't "fall back" until November 6th.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

STICKER SHOCK

 Can you tell there are FOUR carts in this picture?  It is an invasion!


My husband has not been able to walk very far since his radiation and chemo treatments.  For that reason I have done all the shopping. Yesterday he  got in one of those motorized carts at WalMart and shopped for the first time since January.  I thought we were going to have to call the paramedics to revive him.  Not from the exertion of the event but from the extreme shock he experienced in seeing the prices since his last visit ten months ago.

What are you doing to stretch your dollars and what price increase has caused you to stop buying certain products?  Are you wasting as much as you did a year ago or have you become more frugal and in what way?


Shoot, I should have saved this as a QOTW. (Question Of The Week).

INTERESTING ADDENDUM:


I cautioned Ron about using the cart and reminded him of how rude some cart drivers are to pedestrians in the store.  I gave him all kinds of tips (my usual helpful advice) about giving the walkers the right-of-way and reminded him to be courteous to them.  We managed to obtain the last available motorized cart and while I was attempting to read the instructions and get him to try it out gently,  Ron took off in a flash leaving a trail of dust in his wake (and a few people fleeing for their lives).  I also believe I heard scary laughter as he embraced this new found freedom. My shopping time was spent pretending I did not know him.  He got back to the van and griped about all the people that got in his way.  Oh dear, he is ONE OF THEM now.




Monday, October 24, 2011

QOTW 10-24-11...HELPFUL OR BRUTAL?


QUESTION OF THE WEEK 10-24-11


Do you want to hear the honest truth?








Does your make-up look good?  Is your hair okay?  Do you have any gunk in your teeth?  Is your fly open?  What about that stain on your shirt?  Are your fake eyebrows crooked? Is your wig or toupee straight? How is your breath?  Did you really say that? Are you really going to wear that?   Should anyone, especially your closest friends, tell you the brutal and honest truth?

(Do I really look okay or is my vision failing me? As we get older do we worry more about our appearance?    "Please tell me if I ever start looking like Myrtle Brown" was a bargain made with Ron years ago.  Myrtle was an elderly customer at the bank.  She had bright red hair with white roots.  She applied her rouge in circles like a clown's make-up and her clothes were ancient and ill-fitting. Yet she strutted around as if she were a model on the  runway.  No one would ever have told her that she looked very strange.  As comfortable and confident as Myrtle appeared to be, would she have preferred the truth to having people laughing behind her back?  Should even our closest friends be expected to tell the brutal yet honest truth?)

Friday, October 21, 2011

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

It is my custom to lock the goats in their pen around 6:00 every evening.  They are easy to bring in by simply shaking the pan of sweet feed that entices them through the gate.  My primary concern at that time is to be able to stand clear while spreading out the feed in various containers as they begin the battle of the bites.  There is enough of this treat for each of the goats but just like with their hay, they only are interested in what another goat has instead of what is still in the feeder for them.

My task at that time to is to simply exit the pen unscathed.   It is my single goal to get out and shut the gate before they trample me in the melee.  Meanwhile, once the goats are all in, Slim believes her work is done and she has already made her escape. I am left to fend for myself.


Last night as I scrambled to get out the gate my boots became tangled in a wire from the hay bale.  As I went down my life flashed before my eyes and the urge to yell "timber" came upon me.  Once on the ground I held perfectly still as it was time to assess the damage.  That is the rule for us old folks when a fall occurs.  Don't move until you are sure you are okay.

First you imagine the worse.  I will die here while Ron is sleeping peacefully in the house.  He won't even miss me until after dark when he gets up for his supper.  If I don't die, I will at least be crippled for life and we will both have to move to a nursing home until we are well enough to take care of ourselves.  Then what about all these animals?  Who will take care of them and our property while we are gone?  My toes are wiggling and that is a good sign.  Thank goodness I had on boots and not my sandals.  My knees seem fine also.  Thank goodness it was cold enough for me to be wearing long pants and not shorts.  My hands are a little scratched from absorbing the fall but nothing appears to be broken.  Slowly I get up off the ground and brush away the hay bits and chocolate-candy-looking goat droppings stuck to the side of my face:)


I am happy to be alive.  All is well with the world.  Back inside the house Ron is awake and in his recliner.  I rush to convey the events that have just occurred and anticipate the rejoicing we will do together regarding my close call.  He smiles and say, "Could you get me some more peach juice when you go back upstairs?"




Wednesday, October 19, 2011

SEEDS AND MORE AS THEY GROW

Marigolds that sprouted from seeds stuck under the tractor.  Because of Ron's illness the tractor has been sitting there long enough to allow these lovely blossoms to grow.





This is David the mama cat.  She was named as a kitten before I knew she was a she.  Isn't she a pretty girl?








Say hello to David's son Vern.  We call him our "forever kitten".  Vern looks like a miniature of his mom and does not seem to grow.  Boomer's kittens born the same time are three times bigger than Vern.




Don't be afraid of Furbie.  This is the oldest barn cat we have.  This is the only picture of him other than pictures with his head down eating with the other cats.  Furbie will not let me touch him.  He shows up to eat then is off about the business of keeping the barn clear of mice.  Can you tell from the expression on his face that you do not want to cross Furbie?

I call this kitten Lil' Bear Junior.  His father, Lil' Bear Senior abandoned the family when LBJ was born and does not send child support.  This kitten is very soft and cuddly. He finally lets me pat him and seems to be very happy here. I will try to get a picture of his sister Patty Cake to show sometime.  



And to be fair to the chickens, here is a picture of Mr.Gibson with four of her five chicks.  I can not get a picture of them face forward because when I get near them, Mr Gibson screams "Run, run, run away!" and they do.

Goats will appear in the future along with an update on Chicklet and Little Joe.  (It is fun hearing Joe learning to crow.)  Also I will try to include the guinea fowl someday soon

Monday, October 17, 2011

QOTW 10-17-11...WHAT DID WE DO BEFORE

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 10-17-11



Do you always use the drive-thru and can you remember a time before businesses had  pick-up windows?




(My sister suggested this Question Of The Week after she had spent a day in her car going from her drive-up pharmacy window to her dry cleaner's window, to the bank's drive-thru and finally the fast food place.  She managed to run all her errands without getting out of her car. She loves drive-thru and can't imagine what she would do without it.  On the other hand, Ron and I rarely get in a drive-thru line and usually park and go inside.  However, we are retired with lots of time and my sister still manages a home and office workload)

The above picture is of a drive-up library in Arlington, IL.  What is the most unusual drive-thru you have ever found?

Sunday, October 16, 2011

RE-REPORTNG THE NEWS

 Why didn't the headline read:

Hotel Casino Proudly Displays American Flag.

A Hotel Casino that shows it patriotism by a proud display of the American Flag, was recently dragged into the news and labeled un-Amercan simply for enforcing their own employee handbook regulations.

“The Casa Monica Hotel located in St. Augustine, Florida, is an American-based, homegrown historic hotel,” their email reads. “The property reflects its pride in America and great patriotism by flying the Stars and Stripes high over the hotel. The American flag greets every guest and employee with its symbolism of our belief in this great country.”

Instead the headline reads:

Hotel Fires Man Who Wore U.S. Flag Pin

One employee decided to wear an American Flag pin and was sent home for disobedience and eventually fired when he refused to remove the pin from his hotel uniform.

The employees of this hotel wear uniforms.  Their employee handbook clearly states, ‘No other buttons, badges, pins or insignias of any kind are permitted to be worn.’ No matter an individual’s national preference, political views or religious affiliation, it is a standard regulation which ensures equality for all Grand Performers (employees).”

The media is painting the hotel as evil and unpatriotic.  The stories on the internet and television show the fired hotel employee in his regular clothes (not the hotel uniform) and they play a sad tale of how he was denied his opportunity to reflect his pride in America.  Of course he is an American.  He is suing the hotel isn't he?  After all that's the American way.  And the media is helping him win his case by twisting the news in his favor.

I did not want to hear this story and I did not want to defend this hotel but it came within by line of sight completely by accident and I saw nothing else to do but try and set the record straight.  My heart simply cannot take much of this leaving out the all the truth.

Keep repeating, "I must not watch the news!    I must not watch the news! I must now watch the news!  I must not watch the news!  I must not watch the news!  I must not watch the news!........        


Here is a uniform that would allow the young man to display his pins and his patriotism.





Saturday, October 15, 2011

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF FARTING

I watched a very good movie yesterday called MAO'S LAST DANCER.  It was a drama based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin. 

At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet.  

One particular scene in the movie struck me.  Poor Li was crying loudly at bedtime because he was missing his family.  All of the children were threatened with punishment by their caretaker if the crying did not stop. The other boys were trying to cheer Li up and finally one of them stood in front of him and farted loudly.  All the boys started laughing, even Li, and the crying was over.

Why is it that such a gross act brings such laughter to boys and men all around the world?   (Okay I laughed too.)


I do recommend this movie if you're looking for a good PG 13.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

CAPTURE THE FLAG


Here is Rooster Chicklet, in charge of the flock.  Notice his proud tail feather, flying like a beautiful flag unfurled.  You can see that the tail feather balances him and makes him walk proud.




Oops, what is this?  It appears to be a tail feather missing a rooster.  Something seems to have happened among our flock that caused proud Chicklet to lose his banner of rule.




Introducing "Little Joe",  Chicklet's nephew who is only six-months-old.  As you can see, Little Joe is already as big, if not slightly bigger, than his uncle.  You will also notice that Chicklet's tail feather is missing and his shoulders are slumped in shame.  It appears they had a lively game of "capture the flag" and Chicklet lost.  It wasn't very fair because Little Joe doesn't even have a tail feather yet.  He does, however, have a healthy set of spurs. It seems he just might know how to use them.  


And the rooster wars continue...




Be sure and click here if you missed the 10-10-11 QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  I know you have a story to share.



Monday, October 10, 2011

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 10-10-11

Do you recall a time when you were persuaded or coerced by a friend, family member or employer to do something under false pretenses?
'

Sunday, October 09, 2011

WORLD'S BEST SUGAR COOKIES

Recipe for Crisp Sugar Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup margarine (or butter)
1 cup cooking oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon soda
4 1/2 cups flour

Thoroughly cream together sugar, margarine and eggs.  Stir in oil and vanilla.  Sift together dry ingredients.  Add to creamed mixture and blend well.  Refrigerate until dough is firm.  (24 hours is good)  Form into small round balls and place on cookie sheet.  Press with fork and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees until lightly brown.

Recipe makes about 10 dozen delicious cookies.


My best friend from elementary school and junior high visited this week with her 94 year old mother.  I do not get to see my friend often and I had not seen her mother in 50 years.  We had a lovely lunch and I served these cookies for dessert plus I was able to send a basket full of cookies home with them.


Wednesday, October 05, 2011

WHAT TO DO -- WHAT TO DO --???

Our city friends have a dilemma.  Their neighbor's dog barks all day.  These neighbors bring  the dog in at night which is  a good thing, but they leave the dog out during the day.  The neighbors are at work and are probably not aware that their dog barks all day long.  Barking dogs do not make for good neighbor relations.

My friends have just built a new patio and deck and they especially want to enjoy this lovely weather outside.  You can guess how well that is going with the constant barking of the dog next door.

How would you approach this matter without alienating the neighbor?  Anonymous calls or letters are out of the question.  They already know this will have to be handled face-to--face, but what in the world should they say?  Most of us have been on one side or the other or even both sides of this issue.  It usually never has a good outcome.  


Surely out there among my blog friends there is a perfect approach that will help our friends determine a path to follow.


Monday, October 03, 2011

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 10-03-11



Which is more therapeutic -- forgiveness or revenge? 

Several months back I came across an article that stated we are healthier when we get revenge than we are offering forgiveness.  This theory came as a shock to me.  Have you ever experienced "sweet revenge" and did it make you feel better?   It seems to me that I have always been better off to "forgive and forget".

Here is another question for those of you who prefer a lighter topic.
You attend a community covered-dish dinner.  As you approach the dessert table you notice one piece of chocolate cream cheese cake is left.  
Do  you:
A. Take it and pile it on top of your already full plate of food?
B. Leave the line to get a clean plate for the cheese cake and risk someone else getting it?
or
C. Scream at the line to halt and announce that piece of cake belongs to you and they should not touch it for fear of reprisals?