the dog - um, wolf - and the butterfly

I am so grateful to have had events to keep me entertained this weekend!

Sure, the one on Friday had been by happenstance (Sandy and Barbara had gone down to the Lucas for what turned out to be a sold-out show, as I had two weeks ago).

I had hoped they might join me for this Rambam production at SavChTh, but I knew they're timing might be tight, coming from another play down at Tybee.

I went to this middle-school play anyway... even in long pants!

Yeah, that was a bit of shock to these folks from the Jewish school, but that's okay.

No need for the students, or their parents, to be prejudiced against me.

(smile)

So, just what was the play?

Glad you asked!

It was "Red vs. The Wolf"!

As you could guess, it's a retelling of a favorite of fairy tale of mine, this one by Judy Wolfman.

I know, I know... sounds like an inside joke to me, too!

(smile!)

The story itself is quite short, so in the show, it was retold several times, from different perspectives.

You know I loved that!!!

The first time around was the usual way that folks are familiar with, with the "big, bad, wolf" taking advantage of both Red Riding Hood and her Grandma.

Then, the Wolf has his turn, and what a picture he paints of the girl as a spoiled brat that is only taking treats to her Nana so she can stay in her will... lol!

The third time around, the forest animals - the rabbit, the bird, and the butterfly - are re-enacting the scenes, to much hilarity!

The butterfly, in particular, was fabulous!

She kept those colorful wings flapping the whole time she was growling as the wolf!

I laughed good and loud for that!

(smile!)

 

And now I have the lyrics of the song by Heart skipping along on my mental jukebox -

perfect!

I bet I haven't thought of "Dog & Butterfly" in many years!

I got to see Heart in concert in late 1977, when they were touring for their "Little Queen" album and I was going through my first "C" School in Pensacola.

The Sanford-Townsend Band opened for them at the show in Mobile, Alabama.

No dog or butterfly in that concert, but there was a "Barracuda".

Hahahaha hahaha!

(smile!)

dear God, it's me, faustina

I made a point of going to church today, hoping to find You there within those peach-toned walls of Asbury Memorial Church.

No such luck.

Some new kid, still in seminary school, was in the pulpit instead of Reverend Billy.

Yes, I realize that I didn't really expect him to be preaching today.

Joan Hester Byrd has died and I know he is mourning his Mama.

I cannot expect Billy to be back for some time.

Still, I was not prepared for the young man today and his talk of suffering and injustice and prejudice and all such.

I wanted, and needed, a more positive and life-affirming message...

words of hope and redemption and peace...

and found none of that, not even in the song choices.

It's been a hard few days, as You know, though there have been bright spots that popped up between cloudbursts.

Yes, literally as well as figuratively.

(smile)

I realize that it's been hard on others, too.

Having to call the police about Damon on Thursday night was very hard, but I knew it had to be done.

All parties needed to be crystal clear on where things stood.

There's been a definite lack of communication over at that house and I've been mindful to let them know where I was going and when I would return, trying to set an example for Damon and his two children.

In return, he has been talking to me, letting me know when he was going off to meet a girlfriend or to work on a job site, and he's been asking how my outings went with mi amigas to the movies.

No one has raised their voices since Thursday night, so that is very good, and definitely a step in the right direction.

I have not attempted to be a babysitter for Dylan or Carissa, nor have I been their cook or housekeeper or entertainer.

I think it's important to have that line drawn, to make sure that all understood that I was there to tend to the dog and the cat, not to them.

Damon seems to respect that.

As I said, not once has anyone raised their voice since Thursday night, nor has he huffed up and been intimidating since then.

Those are all steps in a positive direction.

i thank You, God.

Even Dane is closer to his usual self, at last, but he really is a sensitive creature.

As I told Barbara and Sandy, "he's a gray pit bull that gets easily blue."

When I saw them for an unscheduled Ray Romano film on Friday, they had wanted me to go out to dinner, too, but it was already close to the dog's bedtime.

I knew he would not sleep until I was there.

Then, last night, after our viewing of the movie about religion and preteens, they were going to Barbara's for dinner and SNL, but, again, I abstained.

For me, it was good to have been with my friends, talking about our usual things, giving me a break from the turmoil of the late week.

It was good for me to know that the time I was away also allowed Damon and his kids to have their own time together.

I do hope they will learn, some day soon, how to be a family.

They all seem to spend their time apart from each other.

Please, help them to find their own routine of sharing their days, and nights, with one another, instead of all doing different things with lit screens.

Meanwhile, as I said, I went to church today, perhaps for the first time this year.

Yes, I went to two of the Taize services, mostly because I was already there for the WNS meals, and I've watched a few times online, but that's not the same thing.

I went to pay my pledge to the church, honestly.

And, while I was there, I was hoping to feel Your presence.

Instead, I was so distracted by the blah-blah-life-is-bad 'prayer' from the youth leader, then by the blah-blah-life-is-bad sermon, and felt nothing spiritual.

I left right after the doxology...

when I heard someone that sounded like Joan Hester Byrd singing along...

and I realized it was the voice of the woman standing half a pew from me...

and that brought me some peace.

The roses in the sun, the ones I had lingered to smell on my way in, again caught my eye and again I lingered by them, inhaling their warm perfume... 

and that brought me some peace.

On my return to my car, 

parked along Henry Street,

I spotted something.

Right in front of the bumper, 

there shining against the asphalt 

as clouds raced above 

and vehicles raced by,

was a dime.

The date was 1991.

I knew it was a message from 

the ten angels written of earlier this month...

the ten angels who loved me so dearly...

the ten angels physically gone from this Earth...

the ten angels still sharing love with me.

i thank You, God.

1-dollar weekend movie festival: april

As I told Barbara, I'm using this particular reward from Comcast to watch the movies I own, but have not been able to watch for many years.

And just why is that?

They're on VHS videotape.

I haven't owned a VHS player in quite a while.

Sure, I bought one when I bought the Element TV... but I gave it to Michael as part of his bday30 gift, with the "Star Wars" movies that Mama and Frank gave me for my bday40.

So, as I said, I hadn't watched these movies for at least two decades.

There are a couple of movies that I have on both VHS and DVD, but most are in the video cabinet as one format or the other.

Almost all of the movies I've watched with the  have followed that rationale...

all except the first one.

 

That was the first weekend in April and I had not yet devised my theme for usage.

I had a hankering to see "La La Land" - given the snippet shown with Nicole Kidman before every movie at AMC - so I went ahead and scratched that itch, watching it three times!

Aaaahhhh... that's better!

Nothing like a bittersweet romance with singing and dancing!

 

But what to watch the next weekend?

Something funny, for sure, something light and cheery, something like... "Roxanne", from 1987!!!

That was exactly what I wanted!

And here's the thing: I remembered the story perfectly, allowing me to focus on details.

This scene, with the astronomer explaining quarks to the fire chief with the big proboscis, captured the smart tone of the film.

And that duel on the hillside with Steve Martin wielding a tennis racket... and the bar scene with the 20 metaphors... all quirky and sweet and wonderful for watching again and again!

 

By April 23rd, I'd chosen "Little Shop Of Horrors", the 1986 musical.

During the second viewing, I realized the stars were not Audrey and Seymour, but the trio of teens in the background of every scene. 

What a great job: so many clothing changes, so much camera time!

Crystal and Chiffon went on to have careers in film and television, while Ronette stayed in the music world.

Guess their 17-year-old selves thought this would lead to that?

My guess would be they did not!

Nor had I thought, in 1981, when I was 23 and living in Okinawa, that there would ever be a car in space, like this beauty in "Heavy Metal".

But now, somewhere out there, is a Tesla.

This 1960 Corvette has it beat for curves and style!

And the movie, composed of eight shorts tied together with a ninth, with music from my hard-rocking days, was such a blast from the past for me!

Nazareth, Grand Funk Railroad, Devo, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Journey, Stevie Nicks, Riggs... and, of course, Sammy Hagar with the title track!

My favorite short featured a scruffy cabbie named Harry Canyon, who ends up having a damsel in distress drop into the back seat - wait a minute!

I recognize that sequence!

If not for it being animated, it's the scene from "The Fifth Element", isn't it?

Perhaps that part of that later movie was meant as homage to this cult favorite.

Hmmm... and I just may have decided which movie is next in the film festival!

(smile!)

keep those hands washed, folks

Notice this: I'm not saying to not have fun.

Life is short, so be sure to enjoy it, especially with those you love.

I'm just saying that SARS-CoV-2 is still alive and kicking.

That Omicron version has had some definite staying power.

That's because it's able to mutate so easily into forms that have a much better success rate at causing COVID...

which, in turn, adds to its success in staying alive and invading new hosts.

Those new hosts are us, people.

 

Remember when I introduced XBB.1.5, the new kid on the block?

That's that lovely lilac swath that kept continually growing and expanding, accounting for almost every case of COVID detected.

Well, after holding sway as the leader of the pack for more than three months, there's a new contender for the title of most virulent coronavirus: XBB.1.16, the sweet sixteen variant.

Showing its fighting color as a deep purple haze, it's definitely gaining strength.

 

Here's the difference: it's showing up all over the United States.

Whereas XBB.1.5 definitely originated in the northeast and then spread over the holiday season, XBB.1.16 is responsible for about the same proportion of COVID cases in every region of the continental states.

Want to be safe?

Stay in Hawaii or Alaska, as they seem to be devoid of coronavirus issues.

I have friends who have recently gone on cruises and came back with the disease and I know others who have gone to concerts or sporting events and turned up sick three days later.

Are they going to stop going on such outings?

Am I going to stop going on such outings?

No, and I speak for all of us.

We're all fully vaccinated and we've had the omicron variant booster.

The virus would make us feel bad, but it won't be a death sentence.

Want to decrease the risk?

Wash your hands.

Stay away from folks who are coughing and hacking.

Wash your hands.

Keep a mask handy in case you want to wear it.

Wash your hands.

Try to keep a little distance between you and strangers.

Wash your hands.

Wash your hands.

Wash...

your...

hands.

coffee on the porch with the dog and cat

It was a dark and stormy night, but that's a story for another time.

Now, it's morning, and a bright, shining, morning.

Only me and the animals are at the house.

Sure, Tony and Laura are out, having gone to Missouri.

Noah is having his junior prom and his Mama had to be there for him.

(smile!)

I have Dane and Frosty 'til their return Tuesday.

Not that we're alone here...

but that's a story for another time.

banana ball with the ex and a poodle

x1821
Hi there! Millie and I are going to watch the game with you.

1821
Major coolness! Was just leaving for the stadium!
[I had spent almost three hours doing vine pulling, tree cutting, and limb stacking in the front yard.

I was glad to have hotdogs waiting at Grayson...

and hoping for a parking space and a seat.]

 

1901
Start the clock!

x1902
The clock? Do the games finish at a prescribed time?
 

1902
2 hours
 

1903
Animals just scored, second man up.
 

x1903

I must be on a delay. Stand up triple just happened.
 

x1904
Ah, now I see the countdown clock.
 

1904
Took me twenty minutes to walk from where I parked.
 

1905
Just got second run!

 

x1907
Big homer.

x1909
Are the party animals like the bananas? I had surmised to Amy that the bananas were like the Harlem Globetrotters - in other words, they never played another team *like* the Harlem Globetrotters.
Not so here?

x1909
I asked because of that slip and slide stunt that the party animals just did.

 

1911
Both teams are based here, created here. Only the bananas play challenger teams out of town.

1912
Home run [for the Bananas]!

x1912
So is Grayson their home too?
 

1913
Not all towns have challenger teams. Yes, both are based at Grayson.
1913
Animals travel with bananas to towns without challenger teams.
 

x1914
I feel like the old man at the end of Moonstruck.
"I'm so confused."

 

1917
LOL!

1920
So, end of first. Animals had 4 runs, bananas just one, so the animals get the point for the inning. Most points wins.

1921
Only in 9th inning do things change. Then, every run counts as a point.
 

1925
Did you see that back flip catch of the pop fly? Amazing!
 

1930
That bananas batter has his own walk-up band! And hit a home run!
So, animals had no runs, bananas scored a run, so bananas get the point for the 2nd inning. Game now tied.

 

x1935
I had Amy on the phone for a while but I did see that backflip catch!
 

1935
Man who stole first just came in. Animals have a run.
 

x1937
Am I hearing music during gameplay?

1938
Oh, yeah. Hardly ever stops.
 

x1939
Hmmm.

1939
Dogs on the diamond, kicking [licking] peanut butter. Lol

[Bark In The Park night - I love those!]
 

1940
Have you not seen the umpire dancing? Music never ceases.
 

x1940
I guess I haven't. Poodle doesn't care for the peanut butter.

1947
No on field promotion, just shenanigans in the stands.
[my words, not the banana marketing machine's]

1950
Home run. Did you hear the train?

x1951
I guess I didn't. I had the sound on mute during the phone call.

1954
You know how walk up music would stop before the pitch? Now, just
keeps on going, then another song starts, with the batter still up.

x1955
Yeah, this really isn't about baseball is it?

x1957
What is this about every fielder has to touch the ball before the
runner goes to second?

 

 

1957
Not hardly. All about keeping people entertained. Very like a circus.
1959
No walks. When batter gets 4 balls, its a sprint and he gets to keep running
with no one allowed to try to get him out until all have touched the ball.

x1959
Oh.

2001
That goes for any man on base, so if bananas get a sprint, man on third can run in. 

2005
Animals got that inning point, too. So, score is 3 animals, one bananas.

x2007
This is just chaos, to me. So many new things to learn. So many things to UNLEARN, if these players ever won a shot at professional baseball.

2009
Just now, while an animal was at bat, the stands was singing happy birthday to an unnamed random fan.

x2010
I haven't noticed time for a pitcher to warm up at inning change. I haven't noticed inning changes!

x2010
Heard the happy birthday.

2012
Yeah, there's no warmups.

x2012
I get it now. During inning changes, they distract you by going to the broadcast booth. Smart.

[Note: that only happens for those watching online.]

2012
Bottom of the fifth.

 

 

2018
Salute to the troops at top of the sixth.

x2020
Guy in the broadcast booth just said 202 straight sellouts.

2027
Correct. All the games are sold out this year, too, even the away games.
[I had already left and was walking to my car.]

x2028
It may not be baseball per se but it's a successful business model.

2029
Jesse is a marketing major, as is his wife.
He is the team owner.

x2030
Is he the guy in the yellow suit and bowler? They were talking with him during the military salute.

2031
Yes.

2045
Home now! Just turned on the game.

x2045
Oh, you left before it was done?
[Not something I ever did during real baseball games.]

2046
Only missed the one inning? That's a surprise.
Yes, wanted to beat the rush. Others already were leaving, too.
Probably only tourists staying for the whole thing.

x2047
I get it.

2048
Nice that Bill Lee was on the mound!

x2049
I don't know him but I know they made a big deal out of him.
 

2051
He's a big deal from years back. They have had him pitch several games now.

2101
You notice they arbitrarily change rules. Like this game, each run in the 8th inning counts as a point. That rule is only supposed to apply to the ninth.

x2102
I can't keep up.
 

2102
Fifteen seconds left, but that means naught.
 

2103
What bothers me are the rule changes. Unnecessary changes.
2105
This particular change will make the game longer. More beer and liquor sales.

2110
And it's done!

x2111
Yeah, I think I'm going to bed.

2111
Back to our regularly scheduled lives!
2112
Good night, dear. Nice to have you 'with' me tonight!
 

x2112
Yeah, it was fun.
 

2113
I have one more game and I am done. Though I do know some folks locally who plan to have a game watching party. :-)

***

My thanks to Jeff for that textversation keeping me company tonight!

 

My thanks to that former Marine and his wife and daughter for making room for me to sit!

 

And congratulations to Jack Skole of the Party Animals for the first CYCLE of the season.

SINGLE - 1st inning

DOUBLE - 7th inning

TRIPLE - 6th inning

HOME RUN - 3rd inning

a flamingo, perhaps?

It was such a gorgeous day, though maybe a bit cooler than I'd like.

After all, it was ten degrees cooler than yesterday.

But, still, feeling in need of a walk, I headed to Forsyth Park.

The SCAD students had their sidewalk chalk art contest yesterday, and, as the forecast rains had failed to materialize, today would be a good day to peruse their creations.

Rather, it should have been.

I parked at the south end, with my plan being to walk down to the north end and check out the art along the main corridor between the fountain and on down towards Sentient Bean.

I suspected I would not find much as soon as I hit one of the side spokes wheeling out from that splashing fount.

No art, not even faded, just ... none.

I saw the numbers in the corners of some squares of walkway, but not a single drawing.

Mostly what I found was like this.

Some of the artists had made use of two or three squares to create their message.

Most had just utilized the one allotted bit of sidewalk.

The only remainder of the single-frame story they left behind after several hours in the sun?

These faded remnants of color, some present as a muted band, some just random washes of something that had meant more yesterday.

There was naught, save that lone flamingo, that could serve as a resemblance of the Sidewalk Chalk Art Festivals of the past.

Oh, well.

Perhaps next year will bring a fresher, brighter, gallery!

(smile!)

bday6 for the littlest girl!

This time, it was at a park that was new to all of us!

Hillary Park, with a baseball field and jungle gym and lots of room to run!

Not that I did any of that... but all those kids sure did!

Here's the birthday girl, Miss Miyah Papaya, holding up the gift from her G'Aunt Tina!

(smile!)

There's her Mommie, my first niece, off to her right.

Behind her is her friend Zander, who she met at a fast food place about six months ago with his grandma... and who she continues to see there on a near-weekly basis!

And that girl in the red-checked top?

That's Chloe, who's only 4 but is bigger than her sister.

Hopefully, Miyah will soon catch up to her!

(smile!)

I did mention that there were kids, right?

Usually, there would be the twin cousins, and maybe a couple of long-time friends from daycare at these parties.

It isn't that classmates don't get invited... they just don't usually come out, perhaps as the parents don't know them well enough.

Thank goodness that wasn't the case this time!

Honestly, I didn't ever stop to count who all was there, but I'm thinking Miyah had eight to ten classmates there!

Chloe even had a few friends over!

(smile!)

Good thing there was plenty of Little Caesar's Pizza!

Lots of chips, too, and then, when it was time for cake, everyone got to choose the color of icing they wanted on their cupcake!

I really do like that idea of cupcakes instead of a big cake - less messy and you get that personal touch of adding your own sprinkles.

(smile!)

The band that was holding practice while we were there had already left by the time the party was winding down.

I'd thought of asking them to play "Happy Birthday", but I don't think they had time to take requests.

(smile!)

 

They sounded pretty good.

In my mind, I could hear their mothers saying, "I know you need to practice, but you're not going to be making all that racket here."

Concerned about the rain in the forecast, they probably hoped the pavilion would be open.

I'm glad Christina grabbed it first!

Not that it rained... but it had lots of bench seats and picnic tables!

Perfect for the party!

six in one night!

"Six what?"

Six plays!

"Holy cow! How did you manage to see that many in one evening?"

Actually, they were done in less than two hours!

"That sounds highly improbable."

Gotcha! They were ten-minute plays! And I only found out about them this afternoon.

"Well, that was a major coup!"

Oh, but wait, it gets better: it was free! Just the right price for me and Boo and Kal.

"Wow. Maybe this was at a high school? I know David Poole is over at Savannah Arts Academy and I keep waiting to hear about something over there."

Yeah, me, too, but not yet. Still, you were right about it being at a school. The Jenkins Hall Theatre at GaSoU put it on, as a showcase for some of their student directors.

"How very cool! Something different for y'all! And it was over in the Black Box?"

It was! And because they hadn't advertised until today, we were the only non-students there, and there weren't many of them. Tomorrow night should have a bigger house, but this was perfect for us.

"Do you remember any of the plays?"

Well, I'd thought ahead and brought a pad and pen with me, so I took a couple of quick notes after each one. Sadly, for the first one, I wrote "Forget Me Not"... and cannot recall just what it was about.

"Hahahaha! Nice bit of irony there!"

For real, but not intended. Like I said, I was just trying to capture the essence of each during the quick set change.

"Well, that's one down, five to go."

Heard. The next one had three miners, trapped by a cave-in, and set in the 1880's. One was an old harmonic player, one was a young woman determined to find a way out, and the last was a lazy young man with a crush on the woman. There was a definite sense that none of them were destined to escape.

"That sounds pretty interesting, to have such depth in only ten minutes."

It was, and I'm sure the bfe would have liked it. I really liked the third play, mostly because it surprised me with a familiar face: Travis Spangenburg!!! "Trapped In The Pages Of A Book" had him as a fellow who'd driven off his writer girlfriend when he got jealous of the better version of him in her novel. Right? Instead of taking that as a call to be a better man, he'd insisted on carrying on as he had. Really good!

"Mister Yellow Stockings was there??? Wow!!!"

Right? I just may have gasped when I saw him! The next play featured the old miner, this time as a younger man lost between two time frames, one with "No Cigars" and the other with a pregnant wife, talking over his plight with a fellow professor. The fifth play, "New Gen Fight Club", had a solo player, the young man who'd played the wandering husband from Panama in "Intimate Apparel". He was pretty intense in this one as he berated his peers to become ready for their roles in the future, to not be content playing dishwashers and store clerks and wait staff. But it was the last play that grabbed me hard. It would have been a good one for a discussion.

"Then why didn't y'all do that? You didn't go out to eat afterward?"

No, Barbara had eaten already, and Kal doesn't spend money in restaurants. And, as they were going to her place, and I had not dined yet, we split off.

"Well, I'm here."

So you are. Okay, let's talk about "Not His Fault". It started with three young women, each taking turns at the interrogation table to explain their side of the story. I was ready for the "he did this to me" accusations of the "me, too"... but, that's not what happened. In each case, they had been 13 years old when they had their sexual encounter with the teacher. In each case, the relationship had begun with a simple interest shown by the man to the newly teen-aged girl, a relationship the girl had accepted as from a mentor. And, in each case, the girl had taken on all responsibility for the sexual encounter, choosing to believe they must have led the man on.

"But... that's not their fault. They didn't have the knowledge or experience for making such a decision at such a young age! Didn't anyone try to tell them they were innocent?"

Apparently not. There was a definite sense of them having repeated their stories many times over some period of time.

"Wow."

And let me tell you: they nailed it with their performances. Really outstanding, and just a bit sad, too, that they were able to do that. It showed both how far we've come as a society and how much still remains to be done. Definitely progress has been made, especially since these college students recognize the stance of the victim as well as that of the perpetrator.

"I agree. What an intense note to end the "Dramarama" on."

It was. Maybe tomorrow I'll go again, if I get back in time from Hinesville. Maybe. Then I'll be able to talk to the performers about these shows. Maybe.

got hotdog?

Of course I did!

Nothing better at the ballpark!

Especially with catsup on it...

right?

That'll be my inside joke for Ronnie.

(smile!)

 

By the time I got loaded up with food (hotdogs, a burger, a couple of bags of potato chips, and condiments) and drink (Sprite), and up to an open seat, it was 5:45 PM.

I'd been at Daffin Park for right at an hour.

Admittance to Grayson Stadium had been nine minutes earlier, with the Bananas Pep Band playing "Welcome To The Jungle".

Everyone in line ahead of me had rushed in to snag seats.

I was the only one who'd wandered onto the apron to enjoy the rock and roll music.

(smile!)

As for the seat itself, it wasn't one I'd usually go for, but it turned out to be perfect.

I got to enjoy watching the dude from Daytona - i.e., Matt, the "Young Professor" - chatting up a visitor.

That was while I ate part of my first hotdog.

(smile!)

Another few minutes later, I observed Bill LeRoy atop the Bananas' dugout as he started working the crowd.

I guess he was standing in for Jesse tonight, as the Man in the Yellow Tux was absent for this home game.

That was fine by me -

Bill's butt is much better than his!

(smile!)

By that time, it was already past 6 PM.

Stuff and nonsense that had naught to do with baseball and everything to do with the circus ensued for the next thirty minutes.

The first-time visitors to either side of me chose that time to buy souvenirs for family back home.

They even fetched more food and drink.

None of them - nor even those in front of me or behind - were from Georgia, let alone this area.

Anyway, it finally got late enough for something else.

That's when the Party Animals stormed over the left field wall, pirate banner waving proudly!

Hooray!!!

(smile!)

So, enough clues!

Have you figured out where I was seated?

Not the exact place, just in general?

Well, that was definitely the first base gate, as well as first base, in the above photo.

That puts me along the wall at stage right, across from the aluminum bleachers. 

I was lucky, only four rows up.

The dog above belongs to this hunky, kilt-clad, Man Nana, who had come to stand before us to try to get the attention of the one in the center of the stadium running the "who's been married longest" gambit.

This fine fellow had found one across the lane who were wed for 56 years!

Sadly, they were beat by another pair by only 2 years.

Still, it must have been rewarding to have this man championing their cause...

it certainly was rewarding for me!

(smile!)

 

Oh, what about the game?

Well, the Party Animals easily took the first inning, getting in two runs after filling the bases.

So much for that "Mr. Electric" pitcher the Bananas had made such a fuss over!

The Bananas took the point for the second inning.

The third saw neither team score.

By that time, the temperature was sliding quickly toward 60 and I left.

It was not quite 7:45 PM.

Perhaps if the Big Ass fans were not running that might have changed my departure time, but I doubt it.

Even with my flannel wrap, my hands were chilly.

 

When I reached home, I tuned in to the game on youTube.

It was bottom of the fifth and the Party Animals had taken the 4th.

The 5th became another scoreless inning for both sides.

I took care of downloading my photos, then checked back just before 9 PM.

Yep, the game was still going, having advanced to the 9th inning.

By the time the bottom arrived and the Bananas had their last at-bats, the Party Animals were ahead, 6 points to 3 points.

The Bananas did score one last time, but that was not enough to make up the deficit.

Ah, well.

The time was 9:08 PM when I turned off the game.

Soon, the episode of "The X-Files" with Burt Reynolds will come on to amuse me.

Life is good!

(smile!)

cleaning out the fridge

Today, I was up early... like, early enough to catch "Toon In With Me".

That's on at 7 AM, right?

I had to wait for it to come on.

Like I said, I was up early.

They always try to have a theme and this time it was a celebration of Daffy Duck.

This guy, Eric Bauza, is the new voice of the wacky fowl and, if you listen closely, you can catch the resemblance to the voice of Sylvester the cat.

For real.

Mel Blanc had just changed the tone of it to more exasperated for Daffy.

That was back in 1937, on this very day, when Daffy first aired on TV.

That means Daffy and Mama were created the same year, making the duck 86 years old today.

She would be that age this coming December.

Such an odd thought that she and this cartoon character have that in common.

Fortunately, after the show was over, I was able to catch a bit more sleep.

After breakfast, I decided to finally clean off that top shelf in the fridge.

It's been a fright for some time now, but, as I'm the only one here, it didn't bother me enough for me to do anything about it.

Today, something changed.

 

When I got the milk out, the sticky places and crumbs bothered me.

So, while I had breakfast, I left a wet paper towel on part of the shelf, to soften things up.

After I had that half clean, I shifted things over so i could do the other side.

That's when I caught a clear sight of this.

I'd picked up that apple juice the last time I was at the Red Cross center...

that time I was turned away for having no pulse...

and, yet, I still had this.

Was it any good?

No, it had expired in November of last year.

I had it for a year, untouched, before then.

Wow.

Good to finally clean out the refrigerator.

J'ai ri, j'ai pleuré, j'ai chanté

"Magnifique! Francophone film festival has returned?"

Oh, I wish! Thought this musical today was truly magnificent!!

"Another musical already???"

Yes, and like two of the others, this was at the Savannah Children's Theatre. Ah, but this performance... this was not for small children, though it had a few in it. And everyone in this cast, from the teens graduating this year to those in elementary school, gave nuanced depth to their roles. Just incredible!

"Oh, wow! They took on "Les Miserables" this time?"

More than took it on! They conquered it in a way that performances done by adults could not. Having such a cast of fresh faces in such emotional roles added a flavor that I have yet to experience in other manifestations of this tale. 

"Yes, I noticed that you wrote 'I laughed, I wept, I sang along'. Did you really?"

I most certainly did! At one point, near the end, I was so emotional that I could see the cast was getting emotional, too. I daresay Barbara and Kaye may have been a bit overcome, too, especially as the young man portraying Jean Valjean was SUPERB. The couple acting as the innkeeper and his wife were hilarious, too, so that was a great counterpoint to all the serious stuff.

"I do hope they had a good audience."

Hey, we were lucky to get in! They have sold-out shows for this one! I'm so glad Gloria managed to get us three in. They are always so good to me!

"And was this French food afterward?"

No, it was Indian. Barbara had been quite keen to try the new place, Kabob and Kabob, and I'm glad she was. It turned out the Roasted Beef Dill Rice was just what my queasy stomach needed!

"That sounds amazing!"

Oh, it most def was! And so was the bakhlava! I took half of both dishes home with me and look forward to making a second meal of them tomorrow.

"Good for you!"

Good for all of us! We'll each have extra meals to remind us of this outing!

(smile!)

new rules as they go along?

Yep, that's exactly what they did last night. 

"You want to catch me up, buttercup?"

Those Savannah Bananas.

"I thought you were too ill to go to the game."

Oh, I am. Thank God for Laura bringing me electrolyte beverages to help replenish all that I've lost since late last night, when the diarrhea started again. I'm not even going to wash those containers the leftovers were in, they're going right into the trash.

"Damn, g'friend. Good of your sis-in-law for stepping up to your rescue."

For sure. I'd sent her a text to give her my Bananas ticket and, when she responded, I'd told her about me being so ill all night and all day. None of them could use the ticket, but she and Tony went to the store to fetch fluids for me. I kept my distance, but did give her the Easter bag with her "early" birthday gift: a package of lily of the valley bulbs! She's a May baby, like me, and those are our flowers.

"That's very nice! You know, you really should do better about dropping by on them."

I know. I guess I'm waiting for Damon and his family to move to their own place, but I'm not sure when, or if, that's ever going to happen.

"Yeah, yeah. Now, what's that about the Bananas? I guess you were watching the game on their youTube channel?"

I was indeed. And the first thing I noticed? The people watching online were "buying" memberships and "donating" money to the team.

"Say what???"

Yeah. It's like there's this Cult of Banana and, like with all religious sects, they're only too glad to accept funds from online worshipers. People even "donate" so someone else can have a "membership" to the group. I tried to find out just what folks received in return for their money, but never located anything that spelled that out. At least the Bananas' spokesperson was good about thanking each person for their "donation"... although, again, nothing was said about any benefits attained through such transfer of funds.

"Yeah, sounds like an evangelical cult to me. But what's this about a new rule they made up tonight for the Banana Ball World Tour?"

Okay, here's the setup. The Party Animals have been taking charge, as they have more often than not. So, it's the bottom of the 8th and the Bananas have a man on base that's stolen his way to third. My Number 1 man - yes, that is his number - is taking what will be his last turn at bat.

"Are you sure that's Bill LeRoy?"

Of course I am! See that marvelous catcher's butt? All those squats really pay off! (smile!)

"Yes, dear."

So, there he is, with the play clock counting down. All the Bananas need is one run to take that inning's point, as the Party Animals didn't get a man across the plate that inning. And, wonder of wonders, Bill gets a hit... the Banana runs in... and they end the inning with that walk-off run (even though they still had one out to go)... gaining the point... and tying the game... with three seconds left on the play clock.

"Well, that sounded pretty exciting!"

It was! And since three seconds of play was all that was left, and the game was tied, I expected them to go into the showdown rounds. But, nope! The play-by-play guy said that as the eight inning had been completed with time left on the play clock, then the 9th inning could be played to complete the game. Say what???

"That sounds like one of those bullsh*t rules your brothers would make up so they could win playing pool against you."

Exactly. I thought the same thing. So, I turned the game off. I'm done.

"What does that mean, that 'I'm done'? You not renewing your 5-game membership?"

I mean I'm done for the night with that nonsense. I'm going to rethink my membership strategy, offer to buy game tickets for friends and families on my plan when I get the chance next year, making sure folks know they have to pay me upfront. I think that will be more satisfying to me, and them, than watching the madness online.

"Now, that's a good idea!"

Thanks. Now, it's time for "The Vicar of Dibley", so... bye!

couldn't get a ticket/ was a sold-out show

Note to self: get over this aversion to paying for parking downtown.

If I had been in line when the box office opened at the Lucas, at 6 PM, I most likely would have gained entry to "The Mighty Wurlitzer Comes Home".

That would have cost an extra dollar at the meter, but still been cheaper than the fees (an exorbitant $4 for a $10 ticket) charged to purchase online.

 

Still, I was out front as the vaudeville team entered...

and when the showgirls paraded in!

Very nice!

 

I was still there, under the marquee lights, when those sparkly silver dresses came prancing back out again, accompanied by the stylish ushers!

How lovely of that young man to turn and pose for me!

I wish the vaudeville player had, too, but...

what a winning smile this guy had!

 

I followed them around the corner, snapping pictures as they headed back toward the stage door and out of sight.

There's a scene not seen often in an alley!

Such fun, even though I'd missed the show!

i thank God for my imagination!

By the time all the fun watching the various troupes in the alley was over, I still had time on the meter, as I'd paid the full limit up to 8 PM - after all, I'd thought I'd be inside the Lucas.

So, I still had twenty minutes to go.

You know what I did on this lovely spring day, right?

I went to Ben & Jerry's!

Chocolate chip cookie dough, nondairy, was my reward for this trip downtown!

Well, that, and sitting to eat it in Columbia Square, to listen to the burble of that little green fountain.

Bliss!