Saturday, March 21, 2009

Breakfast for Two





Ah, SPRING! It’s officially here ... after all those months of huddling together for warmth ... after muttering to ourselves as we kept counting the days remaining ... it’s REALLY HERE!



-S&G-



Spring, of course, is when a young lady’s thoughts turn to ... gardening.



At least that’s what happened to LOREE (Kansas), and here's how she relates THAT experience :



Well, I wanted a garden again this spring ...



I go through that absurdity each spring when the birds start singing and the sun feels warmer. Unfortunately ... I tend to lose interest as the weeds spring happily up in the tilled dirt.



This year I decided to spend the new stimulus money (which isn’t even here yet!) on one of those new-fangled Mantis cultivators. Not only did I spend the expected money, but added $40 of my own to it, to complete an online transaction.



Yesterday was the big day ...



Though it said "completely assembled," it turns out that it was up to ME to put the tines on it, secure them with the cotter keys (remember those?), and get it ready for a test run.



(I even ordered an electric one, since I do NOT do rope pull starts NEARLY as well as I used to in my heyday).



In no time at all, I had that heavy-duty 200 feet of extension cord untangled, plugged in to the cultivator, and WHOA, NELLIE!



That little thing pulled me forward, bucking over the buried honeysuckle roots like a bronco faced with its first ride! To add to my problems, I was so startled that my hands froze on the handlebars, and trying to find the OFF switch was like looking for a needle in a haystack.



Then there was the small matter of the two dogs ...




Psycho dog, not to be outdone by wimpy Sammi (trying to act brave as well) ... both went on the attack ... growling, barking, teeth gnashing ... I feared for their lives, momentarily, before I started to worry about my own!


Finally, and I know it was an accident, I found the switch without even LOOKING ... and there was a sudden deep stillness ... with me relieved and the dogs disappointed.



I can see right now ... there will have to be some strict ground rules for the dogs ... and I admit that I will need a few lessons to get comfortable with that tiny monster!

-S&G-



Whoa, NELLIE, indeed! If I undertook such a project, I’d still be working to be sure those tines wouldn’t go flying off in all directions ... and the dogs ... well, I imagine the dogs would be standing there ... looking at each other ... wondering how long it was going to take me to get that thing up and running.



-S&G-



TODAY’S QUOTE: "When the road gets bumpy, I just slow down, lean back, relax ... and enjoy the scenery." - Professor Squigglee. (If you’ve heard him say that before, please forgive him ... he’s not "getting old," he’s been there for a l-o-n-g time)



-S&G-



THOUGHT FOR TODAY: "As you get older, your secrets are safe with your friends, because they can’t remember them, either." - courtesy of HELEN (Florida)



-S&G-



TODAY’S POEM: As is sometimes the case, I was not actually a witness to the crime depicted in the poem, but the information came from a usually reliable source (not, incidentally, Luke the Cat).

I did meet both principals in this case. I can believe that one of them was, indeed, engrossed in the newspaper when the action took place. He has been known to work an occasional crossword puzzle.



I find it hard, however, to believe that Luke would stoop to such thievery as is detailed here.



Still, it does appear to be one of those crimes of opportunity, and when opportunity knocks ...



Good news, though: I understand that Jerry and Luke, despite this transgression, remained good friends.

Today's poem, originally published in Capper's:



BREAKFAST FOR TWO



An unsuspecting
Jerry buries his
nose in the news,
savoring the paper
while Luke the Cat
pulls a little caper
with a stealthy paw,
takin' the bacon
from Jerry's plate.

-S&G-



COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.



Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to




rbrimm@peoplepc.com...



and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)


-S&G-



UNTIL NEXT week ... take care ... see ya.



-S&G-
© 2009

Afterthoughts ... in response to your comments:

I think you're right about the Mantis, This and That ... sounds like a good workout. In my case, though, I'd likely get my workout by running in the opposite direction, if I saw one coming toward me.



2 comments:

This and That said...

That Mantis sounds like a good workout to try to hold on to it!

This and That said...

:) Imagine the picture book cartoon images that evokes!