Booming Banter

Ma says there are some advantages to being ancient. You get your vaccine quickly.

The 60+ group became eligible for the vaccine on Thursday and Ma immediately got a message from Ohio Health to select a date for her shot. She choose the earliest available. This meant a little road trip today. Sweet.

We went to Kenton about an hour and a half from home. We could have waited and found a closer place but it was like a mini-vacation for us today.

We wizzed through the farmland seeing the big silos that will soon be filled with the grain starting to give a green hew to the fields.

We then hit Amish country and saw something really strange.

Plastic bags dangling on pipes from huge Maple trees! What on earth was this?

We had to take a pick for you as only seeing is believing.

Looked a bit like a drip but maybe we were too hung up on medical magic and getting that needle in the arm to think straight.

Shouldn’t have given it a second thought. It went as smoothly as silk and we were back on the road without a minutes wait.

Blessing # 1027 – Syrup Shot

Ma has started to empty the garage and take her treasures to the store. Praise the Lord.

Of course since the car was loaded to the gills I had to stay home again.

She’s super happy since she got to do her favorite thing; arranging her little beauties and its Friday her favorite day to boot!

We are celebrating by having Fish Fry. The Catholic Churches here do this ever Friday in Lent as a major fund raiser for missions.

We are planning to try out as many as possible over the period. Tonight we’re testing Saint Michaels.

There is a super long line to get it so it must be good.

Regardless I got to ride along to get it and sniff it all the way home by the riverside

No doubt in there are even more little fishies getting big.

Blessing # 1026 – Super Saintly Suppers

Ma must have read my epistle because she hasn’t left me for a second all day!

After a long walk to the park for the first time in ages she and Dad took me on a gigantic road trip to a place called Bucyrus.

It’s an ancient sort of place and we saw some big buildings.

There’s a man there who is going to do our taxes so I’ll know my way by the time April 15 rolls around.

I watched for all the landmarks so I can direct Ma next time. She needs help with that you know. Goes around in circles sometimes.

We had McDonalds for lunch. Their fries are the best and so salty.

I’m on top of the world if a little sleepy after all that guarding I did today.

Blessing # 1025 – Day Trip

This will be brief. About as brief as my walk.

Ma is exhausted. She painted all day.

She was feeling ecstatic that she’d finished all her plans for the week and it’s only Wednesday.

Well what went wrong?

As she went to change out of her painting clothes in the back bedroom she found another leak.

She now needs wine and comfort food. Beans on toast.

Dad felt so sorry for her he broke into the cocktail samosas and zinged a few.

The only way to get her to play is put piggy in her middle!

Adios Amigos

Blessing # 1024 – Short & Sweet

It’s splendid here. The sun is splitting the sky. It’s still freezing at night though. Shame I had to stay indoors most of the day as herself was painting AGAIN!

I’ll have to resign myself to this for a while but when I do get out I’ve started to demonstrate one very masculine behaviors; kicking back my heals and looking fierce when I do a job!

There’s signs of male activity in the yard too. The young bucks are out in force noshing our grass as fast as it’s growing.

Since I can’t get out to chase them I entertain myself chasing my toys around the house and growling at Dad when he tries to take them from me.

Wonder do humans get all fired up in spring too.

What do you think? Thanks Is it Love in the air? Or is that just the smell of paint!

Blessing # 1022 – Heating Up

Ma has been busy at the project all day painting. I told her I could help but she said I could get mucky and that paint is hard to remove from paws and fur coats.

She’s planning to get me a gate at the house so I can come to work and be safe while she’s there. She’s afraid if someone opened the door I could be run over by traffic so I’ll be restricted to the Oval Office!!!!

We’ve been looking into the history of President Harding’s dog Laddie Boy who lived across the street from our Tea and Treasures House. He was the most famous dog in the world in 1920 when his Dad won the election.

He had to move to Washington and lived in the White House like the Biden boys and he was always in the newspapers with the President just like they are today. No dog had ever been so popular.

He really was the very first First Dog and like the current guys very much loved.

He was so loved by his Dad and Ma that people said they treated him like a child. All the people of the USA loved him too and made a life size statue of him that is in the Smithsonian Museum in DC.

They also made about 1000 miniature statues that are now rare collectibles so we’ll be looking out for them on our treasure hunts. Wouldn’t it be great to have one in our place?

Don’t you think I bear a ressemblance to the famous canine particularly around the eyes when I’m gazing longingly for my Ma to get home.

Maybe that’s why Ma was so drawn to this house. She might sense a little history in my genes.

Blessing # 1022 – Deja Vu

Ma follows a cooking group started by a Northern Irish chef during the pandemic. People mostly post baking recipes but sometimes meal suggestions pop up.

This morning there was a post for a very traditional Northern Irish dinner. It was composed of champ, in other words creamy mashed potato loaded with scallions and butter, peas and vegetable roll. The later is a sausage like composition that is unique to the province.

The very look of it made poor Ma homesick. She is longing to have some along with a good Belfast bap! Thats bread to the uninitiated.

Fortunately it was pouring today so she felt really like she was back where the grass is greener.

We stuck up the Saint Patrick’s decor to help her mood as well.

Worst come worst well hit wild foods as well so she can get those special cookies you need to make Belfast Oreos.

I’d yummy one of those myself in the meantime I’ll look forward to that concoction of carrots, potatoes, onions and beef she’s thrown into the crock pot.

Blessing # 1021 – Stewing

Just last weekend there were mountains of snow.

During the week the thaw started and the white stuff turned grey.

Today it’s almost disappeared completely and beneath we see grass that’s been hidden since Christmas but that’s still surprisingly green.

Not just grass but other little signs of life.

Some daffodil shoots and even some snapdragons that Ma hadn’t taken out of the ground.

How did they survive that cold? Maybe the snow helped protect them.

The time has come to kick back, stretch and get going again and say adieu to winter.

Even if you’re a Christmas cactus!

Blessing # 1020 – Undercover

Ma reads a little verse most days if she doesn’t forget or skip because she’s too busy.

Yesterday she had time but her verse got her a little teary. I took care of that though like a guardian Angel.

The verse reminded her of Canon John Bell one of her life lights. He used it often to dismiss his flock on a Sunday morning from Holy Trinity Parish Church in Ballylesson.

My bro loved the good Canon too as he was always funny and kind. He told great stories about Ireland and could speak Gaelic which sounds so strange and special. The bro even visited Trinity Dublin the Canon’s alma mater last time he was in Ireland.

So Ma sent the verse to the bro as a reminder of the Canon.

It’s not the sort of message she would usually text him. Most of her missiles run along the lines of « where are you » « what time do you want your dinner » « are you awake yet» « don’t forget your dirty clothes » « answer me » etc.

The lesson with yesterday’s verse said to be sure to tell those you bless you’re doing it. They might need to hear it and it’s always good to know.

That’s what I do often with cuddles as warm as a big furry coat.

Blessing # 1019 – Shining On

Ma didn’t sleep well last night and so inevitably neither did I. She ate way to much chili and tortilla chips to calm her nerves and that gave her spicy tummy aka indigestion! You should have heard the burbs. Frightening!

We told Auntie Denise the whole tale of the car this morning when we met for our trot. Why on earth didn’t you call me last night Denise asked. Ma explained she wasn’t thinking clearly and thought Aaron was coming home to stay but he went back to work as he was on closing duty! I blame the paint fumes! Denise said she’d take Ma to the car immediately.

So we swung into action as soon as we got back. Ma called the garage, they said they’d come put the spare tire on and then we could take it to their shop to get the tires done.

That spare tire is really something. It is flat as a pancake but has its own little electric pump that blows it up to full size. You need to plug that pump into a cigarette lighter which we discovered doesn’t work in our car. Fortunately it worked in Denise’s truck.

The rip in the tire was impressive. Everyone marveled that the car didn’t grind to a halt immediately. Minor miracle it got off the highway with no incident in all the rush hour traffic.

Now the car is in it’s hospital and we are home catching up on rest. It’s sunny and we are lying on the bed taking it easy and bantering for you.

We used our time well though. Our little bedside clock had packed up and we’d put it in the trash. Yesterday though Ma had recouped it as she was putting the trash out for pick up. Dumpster diving your own rubbish is a very grave condition almost as bad as spicy tummy.

She said she’s fond of the timepiece’s gentle sound and demeanor and thought one day when she had a moment she take it apart and give it a clean inside. Well that moment came sooner than expected as we had plenty of free time today. So too it would seem has the clock. It’s back ticking.

Hope the car will be too! In the meantime I’ll take another little nap.

Blessing # 1018 – Repairs