done

 short & sweet.

mailed my taxes off today at 4:15

done

No return -rant

 Once again I have found a restaurant that will not see my return.

We stopped at the Sirloin Stockade in Round Rock on Monday.  We have eaten here many times.

Not anymore.

It has nothing to do with food.  The workers were excellent.  The girl taking my money was smiling and happy to see us - it seemed.  Our waiter was right there for us.  One cook worker took time to show me hidden restroom...with a smile.  The guy cooking steaks, I think, was more interested in getting a tip in his jar than being functional.  None of this was a problem.  Wait.  Maybe the lack of chocolate cake for my wife might be an influence.  

The problem is the price.  A cheap buffet type place should not cost almost $40 to eat.  That is way over the top.  We use to eat in one in Corsicana before the Flu bug hit.  The price was quite reasonable.  But, now, $20 each.  This is outrageous for a simple buffet.  And that price was with the Senior discount.

I still go to the Golden Corral - but never go on the weekend.   These places serve canned green beans, canned corn, canned everything.  The fried okra was done 3 hours ago and is mushy.  The fried fish is okay albeit sometimes a big grease laden.  Pies and so forth are okay except I am diabetic.  Whatever happened to the sugar free cookies and ....

No sense going on.  

I suppose the problem is the costs that have gone up when there was a perceived shortage - supply problems.  That has ended.  Did the cost come down?

2 years ago, I could buy 2 liter Coke products on special for $1.  Now Cokes are up to $2.50.  Why.  I know, the water to make cokes has increased or the bottle caps or the plastic bottles.  Nope.  None of that.  It is just greed.

winter bluz

I'm tired of cold weather.  I am as tired of cold weather as I was last summer when I was tired of hot weather.  We did not have spring last year.  We did not have fall last year.  THUS - I'm tired of not having spring and fall.  I'm tired of other things too.

If that  paragraph was not profound, what is?

Our garden is taking shape; or, it was taking shape until the temperature dipped to 30 degrees last night.  What is with this?  I live in Texas.  It is not suppose to get this cold right now.  Now, don't go arguing with me about our average freeze date.  Intelligent arguments have no place here.

I have a house full of tomato and pepper plants and Black Diamond watermelon plants waiting on warmer weather.  Our peas and beans have sprouted outside.  We even have a carrot or two plus radishes growing.  May have to start over.  I'm ticked off.

==============================================

Think I'm gonna go sit in the corner and eat worms.

m

Hot Stuff

 Friday - March 17th - St. Patrick's Day,  2023

What you just read has nothing to do with this entry.  However, it is safe to note that the above is accurate.  Not everything you read is true y'know.  I was shown something on Facebook a while go, it wasn't true.  Thus, we should make some type of an assumption.

=================================================================

DIDJA KNOW:

that a bottle of Frank's { Extra Hot } REDHOT Sauce will bounce off a concrete floor.  It will.` Yes, it will bounce one time if it hits flat on its side.  If you are quick enough, you might catch that bouncing bottle on that first bounce.   If you're not?  It will break on the 2nd bounce.  To be honest here [like I am never honest here??] - the bottle doesn't bounce very high - maybe 4 to 6 inches.  But, bounce it will.   Wait - but not twice...

Told you this is hot stuff.

The first sentence should have read Frank's Redhot, Extra Hot, Hot Sauce.  That is a lot of hots in one sentence.  Hot Stuff.  As Advertised.

Personally, I have always been a Tabasco Man.  Tabasco goes on most stuff.  I became somewhat addicted to Tabasco back in the 70s when my family was running Ragtime in Amarillo (this adventure shall be saved for a different bloggy).  At that time I ate what we had on the menu - lunch & dinner.  I became particularly fond of Tabasco on tater tots.  Don't knock it till you've tried it.  There have been bottles of hot sauce in my house constantly since childhood.  Tabasco has even traveled with me over the years.  I do like it.

Last week, reading my morning paper as I do religiously on a regular basis frequently in the morning oft times, I read an article about a Chinese guy who came to the USA via Hong Kong several years back.  He carried $20,000 in gold hidden in condensed milk cans.  Now, don't go asking me questions about how he did this.  

I cannot imagine: open a can - insert gold - tape the lid back on with duck tape ??  You figure it out.  I shan't recite the entire article right now - you can look it up somewhere. This Chinese brilliant man came to the USA.  He moved to N.Y.  Then, he moved to Calif.

In California he took some gold and bought a big building.  He started making his Sriracha Hot Sauce.  It took a while, but the sauce caught on.  Now it is the 3rd best selling sauce in the U.S.      -- 2nd best is Frank's.  Of course, Tabasco is #1.   The guy, whose name escapes me, became a billionaire with his sauce.  Good for Him.  Maybe Huy Fong ??

It made me thunk....think.   I need to try these sauces again.  Might be good.

jump forward

Went to an HEB grocery store in Round Rock Wednesday to pick up a few things.  I saw Frank's on a shelf.  I reached over an removed a jar.  But, it said  EXTRA HOT.  Nah, for my first time in a long time, I should take home the milder.  I put the jar back and - yep - brushed another one with my arm.  It flew off the shelf like it had a mission to complete.

Straight for the floor it fell, landing on it's side.   I grabbed for it.  I had time to see it bounce and sink back down.  Wham.  Hot sauce went everywhere.  My hand was just a foot off the floor.  Too Late.  I froze.  Who saw me?  Panic and Run?  What to do?

Behind me a 30-40 year old dark haired lady yelled (almost yelled) at me to not touch a thing.  She would go get help.  I had no intention of touching anything.  It was a broken jar surrounded by smelly red hot sauce.  Taking out my handkerchief, I blotted the hot sauce from my paws.  I stood and cautioned people to be careful.  The really nice lady returned with a worker.  I smiled weakly - apologized as best I could - thanked all for helping - grabbed another bottle of hot sauce - and walked fast.  

Let me pause the narration here.  I am old.  She was middle age.  Did she respond to me so quickly because I look old and feeble?  Was she afraid this really old guy might try to clean up the mess?  Or - and I hope this is it - or, was she just a nice lady who would have reacted the same way to a much younger, less feeble looking person?  Getting old is not always easy.  Being young wasn't much easier at times.  We all do stupid things.

That's it.  I ended up with an EXTRA HOT bottle of the sauce, which has turned out to be somewhat mild.  Hours later at home I discovered that my left shoe was covered in dry hot sauce.  I had spent the rest of that day showing my hot sauce adventure to the remainder of the world, ONE STEP AT A TIME.  Never Noticed. Not Once.  If it had been a snake, it would have bitten me.

Ethically, should I send HEB a check for the broken hot sauce?  I do feel guilty.

or not.

mtz3     

quickie- Home & Garden show

 I'm not sure that it is called the home and garden show...but something very similar.  I have seen the show advertised for a couple of months. I got rather excited about the show - plants, seeds and all.    It is held at the Bell County  bright silver dome on hwy 121 south of Belton.  

We went today, Sunday.  Entrance is $7. 

The show was primarily people selling new windows, hot tubs, makeup, 2 chiropractic folks, Ford truck, insurance, water stuff, bath tubs, remodeling - I won't go on.  What is was Not:  GARDEN.   In spite of the title, no garden stuff.  We didn't go to be sold stuff.  We wanted GARDEN stuff.  We will save our $7 next year.

Pause now as I let you know that hiccups just started.  I am starting to have hiccups about once a day.  Now, they are gone.  Do they make a drug for hiccups?   I mean, do they make a legal drug.  If you take the wrong stuff, you 'll never know you had hiccups.   Great word:  hiccups.  Some folks put a hyphen in the middle: hic-cups.  Nuff.

No garden stuff.  We finally found the Bell county master gardeners who were selling trinkets instead of gardening. And then we found storage sheds.  Sheds could be gardening.   Do you need some pavers for your backyard?  How about a walk-in bathtub with appropriate remodeling of your bathroom?  So it goes.  something to complain about.  needed something to complain about.  it makes my day.  One young lady trapped my wife at a makeup booth.  I told the boss standing there, that I needed to save her because my wife wasn't going to buy anything.   Eventually, I believe I made the young lady mad as I whisked off my wife.

It never dawned on me  until now that my wife might have been enjoying that attention.  Too Late.

later.  GARDEN SHOW!!!!    nevermind

m  

my palm itches

    We have heard stories over the years about things which are true.  There was one about ear itch that meant someone is talking about you.  They are out there.  Old wives tales - not that I don't like old wives.  I'm married to one.  Broken mirror equals 7 years bad luck.  Feed a cold; starve a fever.  How about the bit that people go crazy when there is a full moon?

     Aside:  I think I should be using an "  '  " after the word wives.   Is it wives (plural) or wives' possessive? Could it be plural possessive?  Perhaps that is best put off for another time.  That I shall do.

    When I retired to my bed chamber last night (I went to bed), the palm of my left hand started to itch.  I thought about lotion, but, cheeee, lotion has always been a last resort for me.  Even, then, I've NEVER noticed an itch solved by lotion or itch cream.  Maybe it is just me.

    So, my left palm itches.  I awoke my customary 5 times during the night to  - well, you know -  each time, the palm still had an itch. Then, I remembered the old wives' tale:  If your palm itches, money is coming your way.  Word it anyway you like, this is one tale that I am choosing to believe.  

Whar's the Cash?  

    I'm still waiting.  Nobody has knocked upon my door - or called from Pub. clearing house (you have to enter, to win) - none of that has happened.  My neighbor to the east just got a delivery left on the porch.  A quick trip over there might deliver a profit.  Just a thought.

Maybe, certainly Maybe, in today's mail.   Money to sooth the palm.  C'mon, sooth me baby.

-----

I am using the word "just" too often in this missive.

I might mention here, that I just had a thought.  I turned on the cell phone - typed - and whammo, the internet has listings of old wives' tales.  I can see a book being written.   The Idiot's Guide to Old Wives' Tales.  It could be as helpful as Poor Richard's Almanac  - with a nod to Benjamin Franklin.  I'll get started on that tomorrow.  

-----

Speaking of that, here's another book that I wanted to write, actually several books, a series:     

    49 Things To See & Do in ____________.   Put the name of a town or a county or a state or a community into the blank.   Example:  I live in Bell County.  49 Things To See & Do in Bell County.  Now you start to make a list.  Of course, you could pick the easy way out.  List all the towns in the County.  But, no, you must actually do the leg work.  .  .  . .  Each item must by listed with a photo.  Take a picture of the courthouse.  Then, give a short history of the courthouse.  Salado has its mermaid lore.  Killeen is right there next to Fort Hood - soon to be renamed because Hood was a Confederate.  East of Temple is a little community with Green's meat market and cafe.  I'd list Buc-ees in north Temple.  

    Can you see the possibility?  Every town in Texas surely can find 49 things to see.  Certainly, every County could.  Perhaps 49 is the wrong number.   I do like odd numbers like 77, 49, 53, or 61.  Numbers like 25 and 50  are "just" too plain.  But to keep the book(s) consistent all over the State, one number must be used by all.   Each book must have a different color cover...maybe, in the local school colors - if only one school is to be had.

    These books could be printed at home - those would resemble a pamphlet.   37 things to do in Waco.  I smile with inner-glow at my brilliance.  

Ooooo Ooooo Ooooo   Franchise.   Sell the concept to a local historian.  They gather the info - you print, staple, art work - deliver  - take a nap on the couch.  

Now where can I find that financing?

The palm is itching again.

Hey! Somebody bring me some Lotion?

Love,  m3   

Saved emails + brrrrrrr3

Let's get the weather over with first.  By 9 a.m. this morning, we have gone above 32 degrees.  It is now (almost 4 pm) about 36 degrees -- a heat wave is upon thee.

Looking forward to temperatures in 24 more hours.   My furnace is getting tired of exercising.  It wants to hand the ball over to the A.C.  With a heat pump, it's almost the same thing.

------

Decided to erase some of my old emails.  My mailbox has 1015 saved emails, most of which I have no idea what they say.  Some I save because my deceased relatives and friends sent them  It is sorta a way to keep them close by.  I'm sure my children will delete everything when the time comes.  I might caution them that I have hidden instructions on how to find that missing $100,000 inside one of the emails.  The cash is buried .....

(At this point one of my children has muttered, "What missing $100,000?")

From 2015 came a list.  The writer is stating things that bother him.  I did not originate this list.  I do not have the slightest idea who sent it to me - sometimes I copy emails and resend to myself in order to edit the content.  And, yes, I did edit this list.  I'll be glad to give credit to the author, if known.  

Or, he can SUE me.  He'll soon learn how little money retired teachers have stored away.  Nuff.  Here is the list from 2015.

---------------                 -----------------                     -----------------

My 75th year kindergarten reunion is coming up soon and I'm worried about the 195 lbs. I've gained.

The location of your mailbox shows you how far away from your house you can be in a robe, before you start looking like a mental patient.

 

My therapist said that my narcissism causes me to misread social situations. I'm pretty sure she was hitting on me.

 

My 60 year kindergarten reunion is coming up soon and I'm worried about the 195 lbs. I've gained.

 

I'm getting kind of tired always slowly raising my hand when someone asks, "Who does something like that?!?"

 

Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon announced that this will be his final season of racing. You could tell it was time for him to retire during his last race when he had his blinker on the whole time.

 

The speed in which a woman says "nothing" when asked "What's wrong?" is inversely proportional to the severity of the storm that's coming.

 

Denny's has a slogan, 'If it's your birthday, the meal is on us.' .....If you're in Denny's and it's your birthday... your life sucks!

 

If I make you breakfast in bed, a simple "Thank you" is all I need.....not all this, "how did you get in my house" business!

 

The pharmacist asked me my birthday again today....Pretty sure she's going to get me something.

 

I can't understand why women are okay that JC Penny has an older women's clothing line named, "Sag Harbor."

 

I think it's pretty cool how Chinese people made a language entirely out of tattoos.

 

What is it about a car that makes people think we can't see them pick their nose?