One of the great things I like about Saturdays is breakfast. For six other mornings, I choke down a variety of tasteless cereal or gooey oatmeal but Saturday is the big one. That's when the Missus goes all out with eggs, bacon, and get this...hash brown potatoes. All topped off with home made toasted bread and a steaming hot cup of black coffee. As the good ol' boys say, "It jest don' git any better than that."
However, this tasty treat does not come without a price. It all started a number of years ago, I'm not sure when (old folks have trouble remembering you know) but it was after just such a gourmet meal that I performed a little dance to show my appreciation. I did a little side-step shuffle such as the vaudeville stage performers were famous for and with elbows swinging high and side to side and with a stupid grin plastered all over my silly looking face, I made up the following song:
Oh, it's a Saturday morning breakfast,
a Saturday morning breakfast,
The greatest little breakfast in the land.
A Saturday morning breakfast,
A Saturday morning breakfast,
Cooked especially for me by Ruth Ann.
This was followed with a flourish, one foot forward, stretched toward the audience, arms wide to welcome the applause. We both a good laugh over it.
But on the following Saturday the skillet was nowhere in sight. The eggs were lying there, cold and unbroken. One lonesome potato sat on the counter, the skin intact. My first thought was that I had once again done something to offend the Missus, failing to pet a cat perhaps. That wasn't the problem.
"Where's my Saturday Morning Breakfast Dance?"
"Huh?"
"The Dance, like you did last week. I want to see it again. It's my price of cooking breakfast."
The encore performance was noticeably less enthusiastic but it got the job done. However, a pattern was firmly in place.
Somehow, Saturday mornings aren't quite what they used to be.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Blue and Gray
Although it's hard to believe, yesterday I actually left the sanctity of the Man Cave, ignoring the college hoops on TV, and ventured westward to the town of Yale, Oklahoma. The Saturday Tulsa World had an article about a Civil War reenactment of the Battle of Round Mountain to take place at Jim Thorpe Park. If you have never seen one of these, they’re kind of a hoot. History buffs gather up in full costume of the period, Confederate and Union, and play out the battles with as much accuracy as possible. They set up campsites with amazing authenticity using canvas tents and even iron kettles for cooking. It’s a family hobby with these guys; as the wives and kids join in the fun with their own old timey clothes. I dressed up as a photo geek with two cameras hanging over me and strolled around the camp snapping pics of the soldiers. Everyone was quite cooperative in having their photo taken, especially the kids.
The battle itself started with the explosion of canon fire which scared the bejesus out of all the dogs that spectators had brought along. I think I lost what little hearing ability I have left. The reenactment on this day was not quite what you would see in the movies. The Rebels would advance along a line, kneel down, and fire off their powder filled rifles and muskets and then the Union boys would move up and do the same. I noticed that a lot of the fat boys out there were the first to be “killed” as they got to lie down and rest while the others continued with the skirmish. There was no hand-to-hand fighting except for a very brief encounter where two guys brandishing long sabers, dared to ride their horses into the opposing camp and wave their weapon around.
When the battle ended, I had shot a couple hundred photos, some of which you’re gonna have to look at in the coming days.
Oh, and about this blog. My number of “followers” has been stagnant for as long as I can remember. How am I to establish a cult without more followers? If you enjoy these ramblings, pass it on. Tell your friends and neighbors. Appreciate it.
The battle itself started with the explosion of canon fire which scared the bejesus out of all the dogs that spectators had brought along. I think I lost what little hearing ability I have left. The reenactment on this day was not quite what you would see in the movies. The Rebels would advance along a line, kneel down, and fire off their powder filled rifles and muskets and then the Union boys would move up and do the same. I noticed that a lot of the fat boys out there were the first to be “killed” as they got to lie down and rest while the others continued with the skirmish. There was no hand-to-hand fighting except for a very brief encounter where two guys brandishing long sabers, dared to ride their horses into the opposing camp and wave their weapon around.
When the battle ended, I had shot a couple hundred photos, some of which you’re gonna have to look at in the coming days.
Oh, and about this blog. My number of “followers” has been stagnant for as long as I can remember. How am I to establish a cult without more followers? If you enjoy these ramblings, pass it on. Tell your friends and neighbors. Appreciate it.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Bird Bath
The bird bath in the backyard has not been without its problems. I bought it a few years ago at a statuary place in Skiatook. I liked the design; a faux wood with a cute little squirrel at the base. The first problem was from a raccoon (although it could have been a cat) when I found the bath lying on the ground one morning with a huge chip out of the base causing stability problems. A few well placed rocks helped to get it back in service. But a few days ago, when the ice melted, I noticed that the bath no longer held water. Well it did, but only for a day or so. Then it was lug a bucket out there or unreel the garden hose. Obviously an unsuitable situation. The thing is made of cement you see, and apparently the years of cold weather and the recent 6 below had taken its toll.
I wasn't all that upset as the bird bath had some inherent design flaws. It was too deep for the little birds; chickadees, wrens, and such but the blue jays and cardinals loved it. Then, during hot weather, the Oklahoma wind and heat sucked the water out of it at the rate of about a gallon a day requiring constant maintenance. It was time for a change.
The idea was to come up with a suitable spa for the birds that did not require a bucket or a hose, in other words flowing water. Now I've had a little waterfall fixture back there for quite some time; nothing fancy mind you, just some rocks piled up with a pump and a piece of tubing. What I had in mind was to create a flat area, with varying depths, suitable for the different species of birds. This proved to be beyond my skill levels. Try as I might, I couldn't figure out do it and keep the water level where I wanted it and at the same time, contain said water in the intended area without flooding Osage County. My best idea, theoretically, was to make a mold from whatever and with a bag of instant cement, make my own basin. But then there was the matter of the spillway, how to control that. It was all sooo much trouble.
It was then that I remembered that my friend Bill had given me a piece of pond liner from his water project (his looks great) and used that as my starting point. Much to my surprise, it was none other than the Missus who came up with the idea of using the old bird bath basin as part of the new design. A few well placed rocks and some gravel provided the variance in depth. Turns out, all I had to do was chip out a portion of the concrete on the old bath and I had my spillway. Didn't matter that it leaked a little, the liner would catch it and divert it down the waterfall.
A half day of back breaking labor and voila, a free flowing birdbath. I brought the Missus outside to admire my work.
"Nice," she said. "The cats will love it. Now they only have to jump half as high to get a bird."
I"m bringing in the bulldozer tomorrow.
I wasn't all that upset as the bird bath had some inherent design flaws. It was too deep for the little birds; chickadees, wrens, and such but the blue jays and cardinals loved it. Then, during hot weather, the Oklahoma wind and heat sucked the water out of it at the rate of about a gallon a day requiring constant maintenance. It was time for a change.
The idea was to come up with a suitable spa for the birds that did not require a bucket or a hose, in other words flowing water. Now I've had a little waterfall fixture back there for quite some time; nothing fancy mind you, just some rocks piled up with a pump and a piece of tubing. What I had in mind was to create a flat area, with varying depths, suitable for the different species of birds. This proved to be beyond my skill levels. Try as I might, I couldn't figure out do it and keep the water level where I wanted it and at the same time, contain said water in the intended area without flooding Osage County. My best idea, theoretically, was to make a mold from whatever and with a bag of instant cement, make my own basin. But then there was the matter of the spillway, how to control that. It was all sooo much trouble.
It was then that I remembered that my friend Bill had given me a piece of pond liner from his water project (his looks great) and used that as my starting point. Much to my surprise, it was none other than the Missus who came up with the idea of using the old bird bath basin as part of the new design. A few well placed rocks and some gravel provided the variance in depth. Turns out, all I had to do was chip out a portion of the concrete on the old bath and I had my spillway. Didn't matter that it leaked a little, the liner would catch it and divert it down the waterfall.
A half day of back breaking labor and voila, a free flowing birdbath. I brought the Missus outside to admire my work.
"Nice," she said. "The cats will love it. Now they only have to jump half as high to get a bird."
I"m bringing in the bulldozer tomorrow.
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