palindrome mileage: 2 3 0, 2 3 0

"Well, just looky at that, would ya! Purty as a picture, it is!"

That's putting a pretty fine point on it, aren't you, given that it is a photograph?

"Girlie, ya gotta loosen up! I'm just havin' a bit of fun wit' ya, sis."

I hear you, I do. (smile!)

"So, jes' where'bouts were you when you got this bit of heaven on your 22-year-old odometer?"

Believe it or not, I was on Montgomery Cross Road, near Hodgson Memorial, and it was right about 2:30 PM. I'd dropped off my amiga Barbara to retrieve her car just a mile earlier, so I was watching for it. We went to the Summer Camp Movie at AMC today! Even better, it had been at her suggestion!

"Oh, she got ya, did she? LOL! You know that's what happened! She knows what a sucker you are for "Sing 2" and that's how she rope-a-doped you on in there. Hahaha!"

That could be, but I choose not to be that jaded, thanks. She enjoyed the movie just as much as I did! Plus, she despises alarm clocks, but she set one this morning, that's how important it was for us to not miss the "Alice In Wonderland" musical at the start of the movie.

"Dang, just what time does she wander out of bed? She retired like you?"

Honey, there ain't anyone retired "like me"! Barbara says, I'm "a lucky lady to stay so busy," and I know that is very true. However, me keeping a slate full of activities isn't by happenstance, ya know.

"Yeah, sis, I know. You stay up on what's happenin' 'round town, especially the free stuff."

You betcha! And I try to keep mi amigas apprised of goings on, too, and lure them out into the town.

"Go on wit' your bad self. Breaking out those college words! That's okay, I read, or at least I used to, so you keep on keepin' on."

Thanks, I think I'll do that very thing, Ronnie. I must say, I took a lesson from you, too, on the importance of living life how I want, without a mind to what others might say. Just like you, I don't have responsibilities to others, only to myself. That's rather freeing.

"Fer sure. Sometimes ya hit a little lull in the action, but that all works out. Looks like y'all had lunch, too?"

Hahaha! That isn't lunch, it's a luncheon! (smile!) And it was just me dining.

"Looks purty enough to eat! Is that peach cobbler? Man, I always loved that, especially the way that Mama used to make it."

Good eye! Yes, it is, but it's Pirates House's version. Really good, but... not like Mama's.

"And what's that other thing? The one in the middle? Some kind of beef salad?"

Nope! You're not going to believe this. Those pink-purple slabs in that salad? They're called watermelon radish! They're delicious! So mild, too, and quite crunchy! That salad had a lot of great textures going for it: mandarin orange slices, sweet and juicy; crunchy wonton strips instead of croutons; a couple of different types of greens to keep it fun; and a fig vinaigrette liberally dosed over everything! Honestly, I hated to see it end!

"Girlie, you're a hoot! Now, c'mon, where's the rest of the meal?"

Honestly, that's it! If not for the biscuit and corn muffin that served as an appetizer, that would have been all I ate. I just wanted something light and nutritious, as hot as it was outside. Just brutal. i thank God you aren't going through this heat. Between the humidity and the temperature, we've had several days that were close to 110 F.

"Thanks, sis. Those really hot days were hard, but not as hard as the cold ones."

I'm with you on that.

"So, tell me, what made you come all the way downtown for a salad?"

And peach cobbler, too, don't forget. (smile!) Actually, I had to be at the Morris Center for the SVF-11 event, as I'm ushering it. In fact, I better tie this up, as I'm already running late. But this is to be a concert, with Carlton Moe, and I really like his voice and sense of humor.

"Well, I won't hold you up. You have fun at the opry, girlie!"

Opera, not opry... and yes, I will! Love you, boy!