Saturday, April 30, 2016

Power Washer

Ed bought a power washer, detergent for car washing, squeegees, long-handled sponges, lint-free rags, and some kind of spray gadget that attaches to the hose to do the windows.

My friend Kim was the first person to get her car washed at Ed's Home Car Wash & Dry.  I helped with the wipe down and the dry.

Once he was done with the car, he turned his power washer on the truck.

That'll be $70.00, please.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: Reading Comprehension In Question
2014: Snapshot From The Road: Trucker Dogs
2013: The Luxurious Nomadic Life
2012: He’s Just As Handsome In Black And White
2011: Crab Cakes And The Chesapeake
2010: Young, Poor, Footloose And Fancy-Free
2009: Badass Badlands
2008: Proof That God Exists
2007: Spring In The Desert
2006: Shadows Of The Setting Sun
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Friday, April 29, 2016

That Face, That Face, That Wonderful Face!

source:  CBS photo archive
Healthy ways to satisfy a sweet tooth.  

Barbra Streisand has always been, and will probably always be, my favorite performer.  

Charming doesn't even begin to describe this cute little Dutch town.  


I LOVE chicken salad, and this is one of the best recipes I've seen yet.  

Soooo many ways to eat avocado.  It's truly a magical fruit.

Women may also have to register for the draft.  SO glad I'm not 18.

Are you saving enough money for retirement? 

Canadian cuisine.  I'm suddenly hungry.  And I happen to know one particular Canadian who looooves butter tarts.  

Still mourning Prince?  Get his Love Symbol as a font.  

Marcella Hazan!  Her bolognese.  Her semifreddo.  Her tomato sauce.

Tired of your current gig?  Here are 63 businesses you can start for under $10,000.  


How to identify any language at a glace.  



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: 
We Both Share The Same Blood

2014: My Choice
2013: Pregnant And Dating
2012: They Really Don’t Want You Coming Through This Gate
2011: Deep Down, She Knows She’s A Princess
2010: A Three Hundred And Fifty Foot Long Dream
2009: Dillinger The Horror Hog
2008: Supernatural Hair
2007: They Must Have Been On Sale
2006: Sorry, no post on this day.
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005! 

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

The Calm Before And After

The skies may look clear in the photo above, but this week was a worrisome one for me concerning the weather.

We had a load that was taking us directly into the path of extreme weather.

Every weather organization and all of the news outlets were calling for tornadoes.  Not just one.  Not just passing through.


An outbreak.  Several.  Touching down, and staying on the ground.

Violent, destructive tornadoes.


Tornadoes with GIANT hail.  One news article even said "grapefruit sized".

Some school districts cancelled classes, others let out early.

We were driving right through the Dallas-Fort Worth area, then north into Oklahoma towards Tulsa.  Exactly where all of this activity was going to be taking place.

I have to say, I was a little concerned.  Even more so because I'm the night driver and a) I've never seen a tornado other than in the movies, and b) I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be seeing it heading my way at night.

Fortunately we didn't hit any bad weather.  Not even rain.  Although, Wednesday morning in Oklahoma the sky was looking a little tornado-y and I still wasn't convinced it was over.  I definitely drove Ed crazy with my constant updates and checking all the weather apps and alerts on my phone, something I've never done.  


I won't be deleting those apps anytime soon since the tornado season is just beginning.

I wonder if there's an app showing the nearest storm cellars?  I need to be prepared.




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: Cheese On Horseback
2014: A Life That's Good
2013: The Big Weekend Event
2012: Bringing The Sea To The Sleeper Bunk
2011: The Lonely Road
2010: Boys’ Town, Old Digs And A Non-Working Number
2009: She Needs To Wear A Bell
2008: Budding
2007: I Hate When He Does That
2006: The Toes Of Summer Are Peeking Out
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Girl Catcher

Went to my nephew's baseball game this week and got an unexpected surprise.

One of his teammates is a girl!



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: Oklahoma Tin
2014: She's There Already
2013: Still Waters Run Deep
2012: The Princess Of Fruits Welcomes You
2011: I Love This Lookout
2010: There Ain’t No Rodeo On This Rodeo
2009: Covering All The Bases
2008: Ed Fantasizes Out Loud
2007: Better Late Than Never
2006: The Last Best Chance
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Monday, April 25, 2016

Do Your Brain A Solid And Read A Book

Several years ago I did a series of Top Ten lists for The Guardian.  One of those pieces covered a few of my favorite podcasts.

Of those podcasts, "Good Job, Brain!" - a top favorite of mine because it's all about trivia - is coming out in book form this September!  As a September baby, I can't think of a better birthday present!

And for those of you who don't know what a podcast is or how to use your iPhone, iPod, or iPad for more than playing games on Pogo, this is a good thing.  You do still remember how to read a book, right?

Here's the little blurb that came to me with the book announcement:



- - -

With an average of 70,000 downloads per week, “Good Job, Brain!” is the No. 1 podcast in the Hobbies category on iTunes. Listeners of the show will be thrilled to get their hands on the podcast’s forthcoming book, “Good Job, Brain!: Trivia, Quizzes and More Fun From the Popular Pub Quiz Podcast,” set for release in September. 

Co-hosts and co-authors Karen Chu, Colin Felton, Dana Nelson, and Chris Kohler will fill the pages with more than 100 mind-blowing stories, hilarious mnemonics, and tricky puzzles.

There’s “Brad Pitt or Lasers,” the quiz that asks which of two unrelated objects came first. Another game, “William Fakespeare,” has readers identify pop songs based on lyrics—which should be easy, except those lyrics have been translated into Shakespearean English. “Good Job, Brain!” also features brand-new content not from the show, including puzzles that make sense only on paper, original poems to help remember popular trivia, and stories about flying tailors and aimlessly traveling ships full of garbage. 

“Good Job, Brain!” will give the traditional trivia book a fun reboot.

- - -

This book needs to be on your coffee table, your kitchen table, your bedside table! Or, for some of you, available in the loo. Wherever you think you need mental stimulation. I can't wait to read it. 


You shouldn't wait either. You can pre-order it HERE. Think about it as a birthday present for me, but really it's for you. Does that even make sense? 

And if you haven't heard the podcast, you should be listening listen to that also. You can get those HERE

It really wouldn't hurt to exercise your brain a little bit. You don't want to fall into the low-information populace. We already have enough of those people in the world.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: 
Massive Collision In Wyoming

2014: Even His Feet Are Handsome
2013: Not Evolved Enough To Clap Just Yet
2012: A Cat’s Life
2011: Not So Lucky
2010: A Capitol Idea
2009: Blooming Where The Sun Don’t Shine
2008: Eddie Wakes Up Smiling Friday
2007: Gnocchi From The Gods
2006: Blurry Super Hero
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Friends Don't Let Friends Exercise Alone

This morning my friend Kim came over to exercise with me.  Actually, we all exercised - me, Kim, Ed, and my mother.

Ed, Kim, and I did the Walk Away The Pounds video, and my mother walked on the treadmill next to us.

I haven't done much of anything lately, so keeping up with them was hard for me.  I'm nursing lower back pain but I pushed through it to do the one-mile walk.  I felt the burn in my legs and hated every minute of it.  I have a long list of things I hate and exercise is very close to the top of the list.  I'm hoping one day I'll despise it less.

Kim loves working out. She hikes, walks her dog daily, and likes doing exercise videos. But she also has weight to lose, so by helping me, she helps herself.  I have to say, if it weren't for her showing up at my door this morning with her high-energy nudging, I probably wouldn't have done a workout today.  I appreciate her being there.

I've fallen off track and it's time to get back at it.  Ed is and always has been on board so he's in, my mother's doctor told her she needed to lose weight so she's in, my friends are going to join in to drop 20 pounds, and my brother said he wants to lose a few pounds in the next few months so he's in.  I think with everyone joining in, it'll help me stick to what I have to do because I don't want to be the only one not making progress.  And Ed and my brother will be the most difficult to keep up with because they're goal-setters who actually stay on track until they meet that goal.

One day at a time.  That's what they say.  




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: 
I Would Never Mute This Commerical

2014: State Line
2013: No Pity
2012: Stop Grackling!
2011: Chicks And Kids
2010: Ultima Lavada 9:00 PM
2009: Eddie Touches Up The Old Girl Friday
2008: The Morning Sun Greets Guadalupe
2007: Starting Soon. No, Really.
2006: This Mary Doesn’t Go To Pre-School
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Saturday, April 23, 2016

A Spark Of Male Bonding

Ed welding part of the trunk of the 1946 DeSoto my brother's been working on.

The atmosphere was electric.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: 
A-MAZ-ING

2014: Ghosts Of Retail
2013: Orange Is The Devil
2012: Sixteen Hundred Miles Makes All The Difference
2011: In Need Of Some Color
2010: 122 Years And Counting
2009: Sixteen Days Old
2008: Racism Comes With A Convenient Handle
2007: Evening Tide
2006: Glittering Pasties And Swinging Tassles
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005! 

Friday, April 22, 2016

Addictive Retro Fun

This is Mattel's Classic Football game.  We got it when it was first released in 1977 and it's the first handheld video game my brother and I ever played.  I'm pretty sure it was one of the items circled in the Sears Christmas Wish Book catalog. 

The game consisted of a tiny thin cursor that blipped down the football field.  The goal was to dodge the other "players" in the game and get to the other side.  It was as addicting then as any smartphone game is now.  We fought over whose turn it was.

My brother now has it on display in his garage and when I saw it, the memories came flooding back and I stood there with a smile on my face and chuckled at how something so simple gave us such joy. 




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: Boldface
2014: Ciudad Juárez En La Noche
2013: Live It Up!
2012: The Last Supper
2011: New York Always Stands Out
2010: Visitor Number 933 To Room 525
2009: Makes A Nice Desktop
2008: Leaning Tower Of Texas
2007: It Should Be Called “Thimble Shot”
2006: Southern Hideaway
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Rise Up


Here's another artist introduced to me by one of my readers, a guy living in Colorado who clearly has fantastic taste in music.

He also turned me on to Grace Potter and the X Ambassadors.

This is Andra Day.  She's got an amazing voice and I love her retro look.

Here are the song lyrics:

You're broken down and tired
Of living life on a merry-go-round
And you can't find the fighter
But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out
And move mountains
We gonna walk it out
And move mountains

And I'll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I'll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
And I'll rise up
High like the waves
I'll rise up
In spite of the ache
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
For you [4x]

When the silence isn't quiet
And it feels like it's getting hard to breathe
And I know you feel like dying
But I promise we'll take the world to its feet
And move mountains
Bring it to its feet
And move mountains
And I'll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I'll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
For you [4x]

All we need, all we need is hope
And for that we have each other
And for that we have each other
We will rise
We will rise
We'll rise, oh oh
We'll rise

I'll rise up
Rise like the day
I'll rise up
In spite of the ache
I will rise a thousand times again
And we'll rise up
High like the waves
We'll rise up
In spite of the ache
We'll rise up
And we'll do it a thousand times again

For you oh oh oh oh oh [3x]



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: 
Slide

2014: Sitting In The Sun Of The Southwest
2013: The Sunniest Black Hole
2012: A Visit From Woodland Creatures
2011: The Man I’m Spending My Nights With
2010: Let’s Hope This Industrious City Can Get Our Truck Fixed
2009: Free Range Horns And Humps
2008: The Earth Is Sending The Paper To The Folder
2007: Some People Are SAD; I Am Not One Of Them
2006: An Eye For Fashion…And Other Things
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Take It To Ramon

Ramon's Automotive on South Fourth Avenue in Tucson, Arizona.  Ed took his radiator here for repair and was very happy with the service and their knowledge.

It probably didn't hurt that Ramon's is less than 500 feet from Mi Nidito, where Ed conveniently had lunch while he waited on the repair.

So if you're in need of a good repair shop...lleveselo a Ramon!



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: California Field
2014: Happy Easter!
2013: A Tree Grows In A Truck Stop
2012: The Herb Whisperer
2011: Turning Tables With Adele
2010: A Different Kind Of Dumster Diving
2009: Federal Glow
2008: My Mother Is An Oxymoron
2007: The Restroom Shell Game
2006: The Pressure
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Monday, April 18, 2016

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Sunday Reading

HiFalutin Western Grill in Tucson, AZ
Straight from my internet surfing to you:

Aristotle said, "To be excellent we cannot simply think or feel excellent, we must act excellently."  Here's how.

And to think I've been using Google Earth to see if there's enough room to pull a truck into a parking lot.  This is much more interesting.  


Dethrones? Are you telling me there are people who actually thought Trader Joe's was better than Wegmans??

Shrimp Scampi is one of my favorite dishes, and I make it like a star, but these other ideas don't look so bad either.

This is good advice even if you're not newly married.

Remember how the type of an old typewriter looks?  Well so does Tom Hanks, the actor, who collects old typewriters.  He loves them so much, he collaborated with a company to create an app that allows you to have the look, feel, and sound of an old typewriter on your newfangled devices.  It's called Hanx Writer.  Check it out here.

I need to start taking more photos.  These can really unlock you if you're stuck for ideas.  


Chris Sacca is awesome.  'Nuff said.

Living tiny in the Big Apple.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: Do You Give Good Internet? I'll Be Right There.
2014: Where Are We?
2013: Where You'd Go For Camel Repair
2012: The Color Of Happy
2011: Taking Possession Of The Sound
2010: The Bridge People
2009: Knocking Us Off One Candy Bar At A Time
2008: How To Entertain Yourself When Hanging Out With Sight Impaired Adults
2007: Is It REALLY Such A Mystery??
2006: Heading South And Going Country
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Round Trip

We just finished the second week of our dedicated run and it really wasn't so bad.  We've been taking an alternate route that I like much better - trees and grass and activity, not just bare desert.

I like working two and a half days and being home more than four and I'm going to enjoy it for as long as it lasts.

Happy Weekend!




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: A Delicious Bridge And Tunnel
2014: More Important Than Taxes
2013: Stadium Seating
2012: Where Ed Was Found Roaming The Aisles
2011: If You Happen To Have A Few Hundred Million Lying Around, Have I Got A Deal For You
2010: Another Day At The Port
2009: Buggin’ Out
2008: Hangin’ Out With Ray Stoker Jr.
2007: Sunset On The Move
2006: Happy Easter
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Friday, April 15, 2016

My Number One Man Next To Our Number One Tree

Today the nursery planted the last of our ten trees.  We gave them names.  Well, not really names, but numbers, to identify them more easily - "Number three looks a little crooked." and "I think number seven should be moved a little to the right."

In this photo, Ed is standing next to Number One.

They look soooo pretty and they flutter in the breeze artistically.  I believe they actually shimmer.

I can't wait to watch them grow!




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: The Eggplant Link Is The Tastiest
2014: Compliance By Guilt
2013: The Difference A Zero Makes
2012: Pre-Digital
2011: The Sun Sets On The Roughrider State
2010: Diamond Studded Proof
2009: How A Book Defies Its Cover
2008: How To Up Your Chances For A Sweet Monkey Lovin’ Romp
2007: Activities Director
2006: Ah, But It Is SO Worth It
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Hmeep Hmeep!

I have been wanting to stop at this roadrunner for years.  The New Mexico state bird sits high above Las Cruces and can be seen for miles from the interstate.

Unfortunately, I've still never seen it in person.  Every time I passed by I wondered how I'd get a picture because it's not a place where you can just pull off the road and get a good shot of it.  Or so I thought.  


Ed took this picture when he stopped to do a load check - apparently there's a rest area right there!  Why didn't I know about this?  And how did Ed find it first??  When I woke up, he told me there was a little present in my email.  It was this photo.

The roadrunner stands 20 feet high and 40 feet long and was designed by artist Olin Calk in 1993 as part of a recycling education project.  The artist wanted to call attention to "consumption, recycling, and stuff we throw away." so it was originally made exclusively from materials procured from the city landfill.  A few years later when it needed a little sprucing up, thrift store finds and scrap metal from the Las Cruces recyclying center were added.  The belly is made almost entirely from discarded white shoes!  

What a great way to turn rubbish into something beautiful and unique.




* Hmeep Hmeep! is the way artist Paul Julian - who voiced the "beep beep" sound effect for the Roadrunner cartoons - preferred to spell this sound effect, so I'm going with that.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: Spring In The Sky
2014: Power To The Tree
2013: For Mommy
2012: There’s Always Room For La Dolce Vita
2011: Drop It Like It’s Hot
2010: The Art Of Being Tardy
2009: Vantage Point
2008: Cape Cahd Hadba
2007: Waxing Brilliant
2006: Seven! Seven! Seven! Seven! Seveeeeennnn!
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Yellow Pop

There are maybe three things to take pictures of on my property - cactus, the mountain, and sunsets - and since it's spring and the cactus are in bloom, you're getting cactus flowers.

This is the first of many that we'll see over the next week or so.  On this purple prickly pear, the flowers are yellow.  Look at all the buds!
The saguaro behind it will have white blooms and other cacti in the area have bright pink and orange.  I hope to get a few of those, too.

What's spring look like in your part of the country?



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: Union Wharf
2014: Mysterious Exercise
2013: Doris Day Spends The Weekend In Texas
2012: Evening Ball
2011: Taxes And Ta-Tas
2010: Ah, The Subtle Contrasts Of New Jersey
2009: A Fishy Pishy Is Never Dishy
2008: Before The Luck Ran Out
2006: Five Guys I’m In Love With This Week
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Monday, April 11, 2016

Pretty Purple Prickly Pears


A young purple prickly pear cactus pear bearing caducous deciduous "leaves" - they will eventually fall off leaving little prickly glochids in its place.

The cactus are ready to flower, most of them are showing buds.  They should be in full bloom in a few days - come back to see photos of the flowers! 





~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2015: 
Visually Artistic Lighting

2014: I Lost Sleep Looking At All These Links
2013: Five Facets Of Comfort
2012: The Daily Rant Brings You The Daily Commute
2011: Not For The Shy
2010: A Barge And A Lady
2009: Easter Preparation Takes Its Toll
2008: Eddie In The Blue Friday
2007: The Man Filter
2006: There Is Still A Chance
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!