mexican, murder, m&ms

Having missed out on my usual Friday fare due to Hurricane Helene, I remedied that.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't have wanted to be this close to the bar, but no objection tonight.

From this vantage point at the Jalapenos of Wilmington Island, I had a near-perfect view.

View of what, you may ask?

One of those big TVs that bars keep on sports channels.

Before I left home, I'd started watching the Detroit Tigers in their bid for a Wild Card for the American League in the MLB playoffs.

The afternoon game had not been going well, but it was on so I watched, hoping.

Top of the 8th, the Houston Astros are in the lead, 2-1.

Detroit scored four runs that inning, with three coming in from a double by 31-year-old Andy Ibáñez, after the Astros' pitcher helped by loading up the bases for him.

Wow.

How I would have loved to see that baseball game in person!

It's been a while since I've been in the stands to witness a game's outcome changing due to a change in pitcher.

Very nice for the Tigers!

The game was over about the same time that my Mexi-Chicken Bowl was all gone.

Off to the Tybee Post Theater!

I'd planned to buy popcorn and drink there, but I'd paid three of my dollar bills to Juan.

Why did I do that?

He'd given me a discount on my dinner, essentially making it free for me.

Well, actually, that would have been courtesy of Betsy Kameron.

She gave me a Jalapenos gift card for Christmas and I still had $12.00 on it.

Dinner tonight came to $12.83, so my plan was to use the gift card, then pay the balance with a credit card, so I could leave a tip.

When Juan saw the gift card balance, he lowered my tab, so the card covered it.

How very kind of him!

So I was kind right back.

(smile!)

The peanut M&Ms became my dessert... and, yes, they went on the credit card.

I still spent only what I'd planned to, and that was good!

 

Oh, did I mention that my entertainment was free?

It most certainly was.

When I'd seen the event listed, I'd reserved four seats, but I ended up the only one, as none of my friends, including the physicist, could make it.

A free premiere of GPB's new show, "The Marlow Murder Club", from PBS Masterpiece, and they didn't want to go.

I'm so glad I was there!

Here's the premise: a retired archaeologist, with a penchant for crossword puzzles, skinny-dipping, and words like "kerfuffle", moves to the small town of Marlow and gets involved with solving the murder of her neighbor.

I was so rapt that the ending caught me unaware and I gasped!

I've just let Jim Casey know about this new series, as I know he will enjoy it.

October 27th, that's when it'll be on TV.

I'll be sure to watch it, too.

Right place, right time.

 

Free Mexican fare with a side of baseball, free program pilot at Tybee, and a second event involving an archaeologist, too, at this venue, plus a lovely evening's drive.

The air is clear and clean, the weather song sings of fall coolness at night, and the heat index has taken a breather.

Marvelous!

whispers from a dead man...

That's the first thing to mind shortly after the movie started.

I heard Ray Liotta's voice saying, in hushed tones, "If you build it, he will come", and my instantaneous response had been, "whispers from a dead man."

He died two years ago, at 67 years old, from heart failure.

 

Nonetheless, I kept watching "Field of Dreams".

I've smelled that corn in the hot summer.

I've walked around the bases in that baseball diamond.

I've sat in those bleachers by that clapboard house.

I've touched home plate, and stood on it, too.

That place in Iowa is part of me now.

 

Besides, I was watching this time to pay homage to the late James Earl Jones.

He died a little over a week ago, at the age of 93.

He was born in January, too, just like Elvis Presley, but four years before the King of Rock and Roll graced this lovely planet.

 

My friend Reggie shared this photo on fb.

She had vouchsafed it as being factual, something the folks at the Empire State Building had done to honor the passing of the one who will forever be the voice of Darth Vader.

It brought to mind an episode of "The Big Bang Theory" in which Sheldon had tracked down James Earl Jones to ask the man to be a speaker at the comic-con he was creating.

J E J said, "You do know I did other movies..."

to which Sheldon nodded...

"but you don't care about those, do you?"

Sheldon shook his head.

"You only care about "Star Wars", don't you?"

Sheldon nodded agreeably.

Then J E J said, "I like "Star Wars", too!"

(smile!)

So, how did I happen to have access to "Field of Dreams"?

AARP's MFG had hosted the movie on the 5th, but I had forgotten and missed it.

But... they had granted access to it until the 20th!

The screening was several days before the death of J E J, so it wasn't as if that was their rationale for either showing the movie or extending access.

Right place, right time, for me, and tonight was the night.

 

Even though I knew in advance where the tears would flow for me.

That's because it's always the same place, every time, ever since the first time I ever watched this baseball classic.

It didn't matter that Burt Lancaster was still alive back in 1989, nor that he would be for another five years after the movie debuted.

After all, it wasn't the actor I wept for...

it was the fictional character, Doc "Moonlight" Graham, that brought the tears.

When he choose to step off that magical diamond in the corn field, in order to save the little girl's life, he also choose to give up his dream of playing baseball...

again...

as he had earlier in his life, when he forsook sports to become a physician.

That part always makes me sob.

It's such an irreversible decision.

What a movie about life...

flashbacks with ronnie, from fb

This was from 17 September of 2011.

I look a bit like a startled bird there, don't I?

He and I had gone to see the Savannah Sand Gnats.

He was 49 years old, I was 53, and my car had 100,001 miles on it.

Amazing times those were!

Here's one from Christmas Eve of 1984.

How can I say that with such conviction?

That was where all of the family spent that day every year, after my mother and my stepdad were wed on September 28, 1984.

This was taken at Mama and Frank's house, and that's Christina Ann with her papa.

Ronnie was a 22-year-old father of my first niece, who was 21 months old.

Here's another from that same holiday gathering.

This one shows two of my three brothers, hamming it up as they always did then.

Smitty was 24, two years older than Ronnie.

So much has changed since then.

I'm blessed to have these photos of good times in the past.

two full minutes of screen time!!!

 

 

It's even better than I thought!

When I viewed the game video again, I discovered that our little quintet did even better than I'd thought with getting famous.

How so?

Well, we inadvertently photobombed Jesse Cole when he was giving kudos to the second Savannah team, the Party Animals, who had their last night of a home stand with us watching from the cheap seats.

The Savannah Party Animals were created in 2020 as opponents for the Savannah Bananas for the newly-created BananaBall games.

Even though the first BananaBall games were played in 2019, it wasn't until the BananaBall World Tours began that the need for another team who knew the rules became vital.

Enter the Party Animals - which, as happenstance goes, was one of the five possible names for the collegiate level team which was started in 2016.

There are now two other Savannah teams that play BananaBall, one of which - the Visitors - played in this home stand against the guys in pink and black.

The other team is called the Firefighters, but I don't know much about them.

Both of these new teams formed last year, to allow more games of BananaBall to be played in more venues for more fans, with sold-out crowds being the norm.

Wow, right?

Anyway, as I was saying, our front-row aluminum bleacher seats set us up in exactly the right spot to not only watch as Jesse got pranked by two of the Party Animals, but for at least one of our five to be in every frame from 1:39:00 to 1:41:00 of the video.

Never have I ever had that happen before, not even when sitting with Mister Willie!

Wait, yes I did, but that was for my birthday in 2019... what a blast that was!!!

Still, that was not with Christina Ann and her girls.

That's what made this so very special!

And they were in the game video at multiple times, too!!!

 

The first was at 1:04:00, when our section was background for the hair-whipping contest.

The next was at 1:13:50 for six full seconds of our section on screen.

 

For the sing-along with "Hey, Baby" at 1:15:48, there we were!

Me, my first niece, and her friend, standing tall and singing along!

Nice, right?

Our first big bout of screen time came during the Bananas Foster promo, with us serving as unintentional background for the spokeswoman from 1:18:55 to 1:19:15, then again from 1:19:33 to 1:19:50 - wow!

That was a whopping 37 seconds!

 

Plus, later on, when Pink's "Raise Your Glass" was played - it's apparently the theme song for the Party Animals - Christina and Kayleigh were both not only onscreen, but seemingly highlighted for the five-second segment from 2:02:02 to 2:02:07 - woohoo!

My party of five is even in the highlight reel after the game.

Wow...

what a grand time we had!

Thanks, Party Animals, for documenting that for us!!!

Right place, right time!

(smile!)

10,330 people have seen me on youtube!!!

Not just me, either, but also my first niece, her younger daughter, and her friend!!!

 

"Say what? How did that happen?"

 

We're in the video of the Savannah Party Animals game!!! I had thought it would have been on @TheSavannahBananas, but it wasn't. Turns out the other Banana Ball-playing team for this town has their own youTube channel, too! It's @thepartyanimals.bananaball, for future reference to myself and everyone else.

"Good for you for searching them out!"

Thanks! I watched the video for over an hour this morning and could not believe how many times we showed up in it. And that was all before the 5th inning! But the segment when they were talking about Bananas Foster is when we showed up repeatedly. Repeatedly!!!

"Wow, those front row seats in the bleachers really worked out for y'all!"

Yes, they did!

i thank You, God!

busy with 2 little blondes at the ballpark!

Here we are, wonder of wonders, having literally walked right into five open seats!

Even more incredible was this: they were on the very front row!!!

My gratitude to the angels for these, as it was well past 5:30 by the time we walked in!

My first niece snapped this one of me, Chloe, Miyah, and her, with the sun heading back behind the bleachers.

She'd brought along her friend Kayleigh.

That girl was definitely there for fun!

When Steve, the bartender for the Savannah Party Animals, came by to offer shots, she was the first in the section to open wide!!!

One of the gals in the next row followed suit, and I'd bet Steve ended up with an empty bottle by the time he got to the beer loft area.

Just what was in that bottle is anyone's guess, but the song clip told me this: tequila!

If not for A-fib, my mouth would be open, too!

Yes, that was definitely one of the perks of those front row seats we had!

The game was only 13 minutes in the tequila man came up to Kayleigh.

Not three minutes later, a series of Party Animals came past us, with treats in their hands.

Not for us grown-ups, but for the kids!

Specifically, the guys were in search of Cupcake Girls, and our two little blondes won out!!!

For being such cuties, they were each awarded a gorgeous, frosted sweet, nestled in a protective plastic shell... but not for long!

The girls gobbled them right up!

Within an hour, Miyah had obtained another treat: a yellow Banana baseball!

Chloe kept trying to get one, too, but no luck.

So when it was suggested that the big sister let the little sister help get autographs, that brought smiles to both of the girls!

This photo was about thirty minutes later.

One of the dancing Party Starters came by and, when Chloe asked her to sign the ball, the woman was delighted to do so!

Miyah kept scooting closer and closer while the woman talked and personalized her autograph for Chloe; it was quite cute to watch!

But the icing on the cake came afterward.

As the Party Animal moved on to others, the little sister sat down and handed the baseball to her bigger sister.

The item had turned from a sports memento into pure treasure, with both girls admiring it.

What an absolute treat for me!

The game ended within the next thirty minutes.

The Visitors won, but by what score I knew not.

I still don't know!

For me, it was a night at the circus, under the stars... and that was absolutely perfect!

bananas in boston, boy-o!

"That's Fenway Park, the home of the Red Sox! Wow!!!"

Heard! Those Savannah boys have been playing their Banana Ball at major league stadiums on their 2024 World Tour.

"Look at all those people that turned up and turned out for all that!!"

Amazing, right? That stadium holds over 37,700 and it was sold out. SOLD OUT!!!

"Oh, man, Jesse Cole is making money hand over fist, isn't he?"

I'm sure he's doing quite well, but here's the thing: he's touring like a rock band. Know what I mean? Not only does he have to get all the Bananas there, but he also imports the Banana Pep Band, the field emcee from Daytona Beach, Mark "The Shark" Ediss for music, all the pitching and hitting and catching staff, the dancing umpire, the dancing first base coach, and who knows who all else.

"Plus, this time, the Savannah Party Animals were all transported to Massachusetts, too."

That's correct, as Boston didn't have a Challenger team.

"Just out of curiosity, why had you tuned in? You haven't done that for a while."

Well, they're all playing at one of the oldest "big leagues" park in the whole country. I was curious to see how much yellow the fans would be wearing. Let my tell you, there was a whole lotta sunshine in those stands!!!

"Wow."

Right? Plus, I wanted to refresh myself on the Banana Ball rules. Not that I don't miss those days of baseball with the team, but those have been gone since 2021. Ah, well, change is the way of the world, right? Back on track: I'll be going to see the boys at play at Grayson Stadium next Saturday. I exchanged four of my tickets for that Saturday, June 15, game, for which I already had one ticket. That gave me 5, for me, Tony, Laura, Noah, and the boy's girlfriend. A family day at the ball park! Yeah, only it didn't work out that way. Noah, 18 now, and his girl didn't come to Savannah for the summer, so I invited Smitty and Mary. Woohoo! It's been quite a while since me and my brothers were there together!

"Oh, that will be very nice! Definitely a little something different for y'all to enjoy!"

I'm really starting to get excited about it! Oh, by the way, the Savannah Bananas will be on hiatus, so our game will be with the Party Animals and whoever they can scare up to play against. Honestly, the renegade boys in pink and black are actually the better ball players. They really are. Several of them used to play for MLB teams, so their baseball skills are top-notch. In that photo, they're waving their pirate flag, having bested the Bananas 4 to 1 in front of that sold out crowd.

"Good for them! I do seem to recall you bragging on the boys in pink before."

Yeah, I think next Saturday will be a good time! I'll just have to remember ear plugs to keep the circus noise level in the stands from being a distraction from the baseball. Guess I'll bring extras for my brothers!

i caught ya with your backfield in motion

Today is definitely not a Saturday!

Yes, I did see a cartoon this morning, but no Bugs Bunny.

This time, it was Popeye, trying to feed spinach to Sweetpea.

Yeah, like a baby would have anything to do with that green stuff!

Very funny!

The title was "The Football Toucher Downer" and this scene was from the tale the sailor was telling the child about when he, Popeye, was a scrawny squirt, with his team getting overrun for the Blutos until he, Popeye, relented and ate his spinach.

The game was the thing that caught my attention.

Football is a big draw in the southeast, and it hardly matters whether its little kids or bulky grownups tossing that pigskin around - football is the real deal.

Just ask either of my brothers and they'll tell you that's the truth.

I may love baseball on the diamond more than them, but the gridiron has their hearts.

Most of what I know about football I learned from Mel and Tim of Mississippi.

They're the two guys who sang "Backfield In Motion", back in 1969.

I was eleven, at an age when I was really paying attention to things like lyrics.

It probably didn't hurt things that I was a real Daddy's girl and Daddy loved football.

Shoot, Daddy loved all kinds of sports!

Mel and Tim did, too, interweaving football and boxing and baseball and basketball into the mix in their song about a girlfriend who was cheating on them.

Still, it did teach me some terminology, like first down and all that.

Super Bowl parties are responsible for me understanding what those meant.

So, here are the lyrics so we can all sing along with them in the video.

 

"Backfield in motion, yeah

I'm gonna have to penalize you, yoo-hoo
Backfield in motion, baby
You know that's against the rule, huh

 

Offside and holdin', yeah
You oughta be ashame' of yourself, baby
Offside and holdin', yeah
Holdin' on to someone else

 

You know you're cheatin', baby
Fakin' the bout
You know you're balkin', baby, oh yeah
Strike three, you're out

 

And I caught you with your
Backfield in motion, yeah
I'm gonna have to penalize you, yoo-hoo
Backfield in motion, baby
You know that's against the rule

 

First down, you start cheatin' on me
Second down, I was too blind to see
Third down, you know I love you so
Fourth down, baby, I got to let you go

 

'Cause I caught you with your
Backfield in motion, yeah
I'm gonna have to penalize you, yoo-hoo
Backfield in motion, baby
You know that's against the rule

 

Now you will see, oh yeah
Just how I felt, you better believe it, baby
You beat me to the punch, honey
But you hit me below the belt

 

And I caught you with your
Backfield in motion, yeah
I'm gonna have to penalize you, yoo-hoo
Backfield in motion, baby
You know that's against the rule

 

Backfield in motion, offside and holdin'
Backfield in motion, double dribble, baby
Backfield in motion, woo, clippin', honey"

(Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Melvin Harden / Hubert Timothy McPherson)

 

Really is a cute song!

And today really is a beautiful breath of warmth again!

Last Monday, Savannah had a high in the mid-80's.

But when November rolled into town on Wednesday, the temps didn't even reach 60.

Seriously.

Brrrr.... I hated that so much.

But life is good again, with the lows this week right where they should be again.

 

Plus, I've got my shots up to date, and it's been long enough that my immune system has its new warriors in place.

That's a good thing, as it's definitely cold, flu, and COVID season.

The latest data is showing a decline in COVID cases, which is to be expected.

The United States finally has over 80% of the population vaccinated.

So, while it's gonna be a bugaboo with staying power, at least most are living through it.

This Omicron remains quite a versatile beast, morphing with each new host - that means with each person that gets infected by it - but its bite has weakened a bit.

Almost gone are all the XBB variants, replaced by three new contenders.

That would be the HV.1 - the somber taupe band near the middle -

the FL.1.5.1 - the minty green block near the top of each column -

and the EG.5 - that's the peachy block topping off each column.

Of course, this graph can only tell what's going on from those who are tested in hospitals, urgent care clinics, and doctors' offices.

Still, it's good to have some idea of what's going on out there in this part of the world.

Now, let me stick a mask in my pocket before I head out the door!

I keep hearing coughing people everywhere I go.

I certainly do not intend to join their ranks.

What say you?

banana ball, 2024

"I thought you weren't going to do that anymore."

 

Honestly, I don't plan to. But I did tune in for the "2024 Banana Ball World Tour Draft Day", as they're calling it, to see what's in store for next summer. It was to begin at 7 PM, but there were already more than 13,000 tuned in to the youTube channel. And when it began, it was clear that Grayson Stadium was full, too.

 

"That's surprising. I didn't hear that anything was scheduled for there tonight." 

Nor did I. They had a big bandshell on the diamond, with folks in the stands and on the sidelines. And they made sure all the staff and players got to take their turns on the stage. They made a production out of announcing each and every game's location this coming year.

"Well, I'm sure they wanted to show off how big a staff they have."

Oh, for sure. The Banana Nanas got to introduce a site. My favorite catcher, Bill Leroy, had a turn, as did the pitching coach in the cowboy hat, Kyle Luigs. Even the Man-Nanas got to be part of the show!

 

"Any real surprises?"

 

You bet. I guess having ESPN involved has given them some credibility with MLB. The Savannah Bananas will have games on several major league baseball fields!!! That will give them more visibility to more folks, too.

"So, I guess there are more 'Challenger' teams for them to play against?"

 

I guess so. I do know the Party Animals will be their opponents for some 'away' games, but that team will also host its own games here in Savannah. Oh, and the stadium here will have 1000 more seats, though I don't know where. Oh, and there will be a new team here, the Savannah Firefighters. I guess they really are trying to get their version of baseball to as many fans as possible.

 

"Still for $25? Still all you can eat?"

 

Well, the price has gone up 40%. Tickets are going to be $35 each, but still AYCE. I wonder if they're going to guarantee a seat with each ticket? And how is parking going to work?

"And you're planning to go?"

Nope. I've told Tony and Laura that they can buy the 5-game package off me. I mostly watched this tonight to let them know how the deal is working. I've let them know that I can buy extra seats, too, but they'll have to tell me specific games when that window opens for me. I think that will be in February. I don't know, that's when the first games are, so maybe the window will be earlier? Who knows. I've warned them to get there early, too, for the games, like two hours early, at least. They still want to go. Good for them. I know that Noah really gets a kick out of it.

"I just have to wonder how long this craze will last."

Me, too. It was good to see a real baseball game this summer. I miss those here.

real baseball with the great scott!

He had not even known it was a bobblehead giveaway night until I told him.

Then, when he found out who the bobblehead would be, he was quite excited!

 

But first came the standing in line at SRP Park before 5 PM...

and more standing in line on the concrete plaza...

and, yes, even more standing in line...

in the sun, on a day with a high in the upper 90's...

for over an hour, to make sure to get one...

as soon as the gates opened at 6 PM

for the 7 PM game.

Well, actually, to get two bobbleheads, one for each of us.

(smile!)

 

Thanks to my diligence - 

and to my early arrival for our place in line - 

our quest was fulfilled!

The Spencer Strider head-bobbers were ours!

So, just who is this guy?

He's a 24-year-old pitcher for the Atlanta Braves who made brief showings in their minor leagues - including the Augusta Greenjackets - before becoming known as the strike-out king.

Quite a coup to get this one...

and pure serendipity that I happened to be there!

That will make quite a nice gift for someone! 

I'll just need to determine which of the Braves fans in my life will receive it.

(smile!)

Meanwhile, we were pretty well wilted from all that standing in the sung, and most definitely in need of shade and rehydration.

Good thing we had an hour to just sit on a shady bench and drink ice cold sodas...

oh, yes...

that's better...

and much some salty fries to replenish electrolytes.

(smile!)

Okay, time to mosey over to our seats!

That would be along the third-base line, about three rows up from the field and close enough to maybe get a foul ball, in Section 107.

He had made absolutely sure that we would not be in an "unlucky" section - and this was one of the sections which has not yet been determined to be lucky or unlucky for Scott to see a winning game, as opposed to Section 101 which is dead to him.

(smile!)

Remember, he has a lot of rules about what to eat (got to have pistachios!) and when (hotdog in the 4th inning!), about where to sit and when it was okay to walk around, about how many innings had to be played for a game to count as a "win" to him, regardless of whether they had won by official MLB standards.

(smile!)

For me, having a Polish Boy special and following that up with a Kona "Lucky Ninja" while enjoying a real baseball game, played by real baseball rules, was perfect!

Ah, but into all lives a little rain must fall.

Midway through the fifth inning, a few raindrops fell.

A freshening breeze and darkening sky meant more would follow, and lightning made sure the game was called to a halt as all calmly get under shelter.

Then it rained cats and dogs and parakeets, too, for long enough that quite a few folks left. 

We stayed, hoping for the best...

and stayed, looking at all the water on the tarp...

and stayed, talking about religion and churches while sitting in the elite seats behind home plate...

as the stands emptied and 10 PM went by.

At long last the announcement was made:

play would resume at 10:45 PM.

That was enough for me.

I had a busy day ahead of me and the two-hour break in the action had sapped me.

Hey, I'd stayed and kept my friend company, and we'd both enjoyed our time together, but he understood.

I was compelled to go, and he was compelled to stay.

After all, the game wouldn't count as a win if it didn't go to 9 innings.

(smile!)

 

As for me, my first goal was a cool shower.

Then I pulled up "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" again, loving the corny jokes and puns...

letting the familiar story of a toon in trouble and Bob Hoskins' antics soothe my sun-baked brain...

enjoying the feel of a day well-spent.

Yes, I'm definitely on vacation.

(smile!)

i thank You, God.

vacation in Augusta!

When my paternal cousin Beverly invited me on April 3rd to the wedding reception for her son, my initial plan had been to bounce up and then back.

As time went on, I thought I might want a longer visit in Augusta.

I knew Bev wouldn't have room at her house for anyone else, so I contacted my maternal cousin, Sharon, to see about a visit with her, too.

I never did get word back on that.

Okay.

Time marched on, as it does, and soon enough it was July.

Decision time!

Hadn't the Eagle Scout mentioned that he would be in Augusta this month for a series of baseball games?

After all, the Augusta Greenjackets are now an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, the team that he travels the country to watch play all the different teams, at all the different levels, in all the different stadiums. 

Sure enough, he would be there from the 18th to the 21st!

Well, alrighty then!

Real baseball was in my future if I traveled up before Saturday.

That choice was easy to make!

That meant I needed a place to stay.

Bev recommended the Partridge Inn, a very nice place that was out of my budget.

When I countered with the downtown Econo Lodge, that's when Alan called.

Did I know their daughter had several Air BNB rentals?

Nope!

So, now I've talked to Terrie and she has a rental in the Harrisburg area of Augusta, just a few blocks from her house and her parents' house.

Superb!

It's a two-bedroom house and she'd give me the family discount.

Wow!!!

So, I've taken it for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.

 

Maybe I can get someone to split part of it with me?

Even if that doesn't happen, it'll still be far less than two nights at the Partridge.

And get this: it's a brick one-story, with a teal door and teal shutters, just like mine.

A change of place to wake up, but with the feel of home?

Yes, please!

i thank You, God!

mother nature back to watering the grass

I got home from the movies and Aldi's just before the bottom fell out.

I went around the house, opening windows, opening doors.

The rain had dropped the temperature better than 10 degrees F, maybe even as much as 15 degrees F.

I sat in the sunroom under the fan, breathing in the coolness...

and my thoughts ran to the newly mowed grass.

This is how it looked on Friday evening.

It had been less that two weeks since I last mowed.

Seriously.

But a week of daily rain had pumped it up.

Now the Y-grass was well over knee height.

Time to start up the Ryobi!

Barely thirty-five minutes later, I had to stop.

It was just after 7 PM and the battery was drained.

Just drained, totally empty, spent.

That's because I had the blade set at about 2 1/2 inches.

Yes, I did!

I was not willing to spend time every two weeks cutting the back yard, which I rarely use, so I was determined to kill off some of that thick growth.

As I'd only been able to mow for 35 minutes, I trimmed scrub oak and poison ivy for an hour, throwing the branches over the fence into the front yard.

Saturday night, after the sun was off the yard and the little evening breeze had started, back at it I went, with a full charge on the battery.

Thirty-five minutes later, the Ryobi stopped dead in its tracks, the battery having done all it could.

Another third of the back yard lay vanquished, hay from yesterday's mowing already dry from the heat.

Back on the charger went the battery!

More branches went over the wall and to the curb!

Sunday, after I returned from Hinesville, back I went into the yard, battery in hand, an hour of light in the sky.

And here is the result!

The back yard was completely cut!

I was even able to do the smaller half of the front yard before the Ryobi was ready to call it a day!

Hallelujah and hooray!!!

And just what had been the driving force, the motivator to get it done?

More rain was coming.

Monday, the 3rd, was our last day of no rain for the upcoming week.

My hope was the heat would persuade the remaining green stuff to stay in check.

After taking a shower to cool off, I had a nice, cool, dinner from cookout leftovers after making sure the battery would be charged for future mowings.

I had sliced up the bratwurst and mixed it in with the fruit salad that Christina made, letting it sit.

Then, I shucked two ears of corn - only 25 cents each! - and let them boil while I showered.

Such a great dinner!

And, I even had a bit of the Summer of Magic to entertain me!

"The Unnatural" was on Comet and streaking in my direction!

And just what was magical?

Truly, the transformation of an alien into a human could not have been anything but magic.

The alien's love of the game had eventually changed the very blood in his veins.

No longer would it be a toxic green substance that would burn anything it touched.

That non-carbon-based liquid had become the same iron-infused fluid that courses through our veins and arteries, fluid which turned red upon exposure to air.

I do so love that episode of  "The X-Files", and there it was, waiting for me, with its baseball games, and its love of the game, and the love between the 'black' ball payer and the white cop who protected him.

Right place, right time, on Monday.

i thank You, God.

Right place, right time, tonight, too.

Home before the storm, movies done, and another favorite Mulder-Scully episode soon.

I finished off my A*List trio this afternoon, with a second viewing, solo, of "Asteroid City".

(The bfe had expressed an interest, but time has run out, as the film leaves tomorrow.)

Saturday, I started it off, in the company of four little blondes and a martial artist as we watched "Kung Fu Panda" together!

And Monday, I went to "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken", which was very much girl-power and also had a different spin about mermaids.

I don't think the four little blondes in my life would like it very much!

That's okay, it's meant for teens and tweens, and they aren't quite there yet.

Now, as I said, "The X-File" of interest is about to come on.

It's the one starring Willie Garson and a young - only 13 years old - Shia LaBoeuf, "The Goldberg Variation".

This Willie was the gay best friend of Carrie on "Sex And The City".

He was 57 years old when he died in 2021 of pancreatic cancer, the same disease that had taken my only grandpa from me in early 1982.

Willie was 35 years old in this episode, with him as an incredibly fortunate man who liked building complex machines to perform simple tasks... like making a basketball eventually go through a hoop.

In other words, machines that featured sleight of hand, so to speak.

Definitely a Summer of Magic show!

(smile!)

finishing the season with Scott!

How marvelous!!!

I was able to have my final Savannah Bananas game as I'd had my first of this year: in the company of my favorite Eagle Scout!

Like the Marines, right?

Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout.

(smile!)

He had texted earlier, to say a friend of his had four tickets, but wasn't able to go... did I want to?

I told him I already had one, as this was the last of my five allotted games.

Well, did I know anyone who would like to go?

Hey, it was already after 3 PM...

that meant it was pretty short notice for folks to try to get out there and be in line in time to snag seats for the sold-out show.

I told him I was going to be there early anyway, as I had been invited for the 4 PM meet and greet with the top Banana team owner and his new book and I had paid the extra for that.

I could save a seat for Scott, and for whoever else came along with him.

Marvelous game plan!

So, that's the way it went down.

Here I am, posing with Jesse after he signed the book.

Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to flip the book around so the cover was showing.

My thanks to the other patron who volunteered to take my photo!

Jesse then took a group of us on a personal tour, sharing highlights of the team's history, as well as some missteps along the way.

That very much reminded me of Jim Reed's tour of Savannah through the lens of his own history, warts and all.

He also pointed out the historic timeline for Grayson Stadium, which has been updated to include the Bananas, as well as the posters for the famous men of baseball who have played here.

 

The tour eventually wound its way onto the field itself.

That was a highlight for me!

I made sure to tag first base while I was out there.

I would have liked to walk the bases, as I did back in 2012 when I visited the Field of Dreams...

but folks with me for this tour were watching Maceo dance and I didn't want to distract them.

I did take a moment to make sure Jesse knew of Willie's death.

He did, saying he held a tribute for him last weekend and would soon hang the Panhandle Slim painting in the grandstand.

(smile!)

Speaking of dear Mister Willie, I tried to get his seat, and the ones near it, for the game tonight.

Unfortunately, even though I was there and already in the stadium before the gates opened, some others who were with the meet and greet got there and were fully ensconced.

They were from Kentucky, same as the Challenger team, the Florence Y'alls, donned all in pale blue.

That is, the team was in that color, not the tourists.

(smile!)

I snapped this of the Bananas showing them how to dance and let their freak flag fly.

(smile!)

 

Being here this early, I discovered what goes on before the gates allow admission at 5:30 PM: rehearsals of the show, just like for any other theatre troupe.

The Banana Nanas came out and practiced their moves -

the Banana Splits went through their routine about six times -

even the band went onto the field and warmed up.

But not the ballplayers, not on either team.

No tossing of the ball back and forth, no practice pitching, nothing related to baseball.

That part would follow after those early game-watchers were in the stands and on the bleachers and in the picnic area.

Honestly, I have a real appreciation of this as theatre, perhaps cast from the same mold and patterned after the days of vaudeville.

P.T. Barnum would have been proud to have a man on stilts serving up a last pitch and final out!

I'm just glad that the Florence team did manage to post a point on the board - I was cheering for them the last few innings, too!

As I told Scott and Brian and Brian Junior, you don't invite someone to your house and then not let them have a good time, right?

Absolutely!

The Bananas finally won a game, scoring five points, so I guess Scott's pistachios did the trick!

I'm so glad he was there tonight!

And guess what?

No rule-breaking shenanigans for this game.

It was even over before the end of its two-hour time limit, letting me get home before dark.

Wow!

(smile!)