IT'S NOT EVERY DAY

one gets to make the acquaintance of a distinguished little gentleman while he is still waiting to celebrate one half-day of living!  But I had that privilege today.

In my visit with Jericho*, I so wanted to impart some profound bit of knowledge that he would find useful throughout his life, something that would stick with him until at least the coming turn of the century.  But I was so awed by his youthfulness!  There I was, simply gazing into his eyes and babbling over how handsome and precious and tiny and adorable!

It didn't really matter.  By the look on his face, I could tell he was already wise beyond his hours!







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 *This dear little guy has single-handedly transformed
two generations of friends of The Yard Man and me.
(Just like that--he morphed four people into a new mom and dad, a new
grandma and grandpa!)

I THOUGHT IT WAS STRANGE

to have a concert scheduled for four-forty-five on a Thursday afternoon.  And then I went to the concert today,  and realized that the timing of it wasn't the only odd thing about it.  It was unusual  in other ways, as well.

For one thing, I've been to numerous concerts where the enthusiastic fans flocked toward the stage, eager to see the performers up close.  But in this case, the singers themselves would periodically rush off the platform toward their camera-toting fans! 

That's right, Reader Dear.  After ever single number, the emcee would announce the up-coming song to be performed, following which she would need to cajole the performers into re- assembling back on stage.  Once back as a group, random greetings would be shouted to fans by one singer or another.  ("Hi, Mommy and Daddy!)

Then, too, I've been to concerts before where the musicians practically danced to the music as they sang.  But never before have I observed them  pulling up their clothing and displaying bellies in quite the same manner as did these performers!

At this concert, it was odd how individuals seemed to just take a sudden notion to vary the choreography!   (If this was all part of the plan, I must say that it did enhance the show by adding an element of suspense and surprise!)


But I must tell you, Reader Dear.  Strange as these features were, they were also extremely charming, and delightfully entertaining! 

(I give five stars to my dear Small Actor and his daycare friends!)

SOMETIMES IT IS NECESSARY

Viewer Dear, to gather up loose ends and present them to you.  When I have done this in the past, I've called it an Olio.  Or a Hodge-podge.  Even a Gallimaufry. A couple times it was labeled a Salmagundi. Yes,  I've got quite a mish-mash of names for an Olla Podrida! This time,  I'm just letting loose the loose ends.  No title.

Three months ago, we lost a window.
 As of last week, it's back!













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These flowering plants are growing in Asheville, North Carolina.
Three weeks ago, they posed very nicely for me.

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This cat, also, is
growing in Asheville, North Carolina.  Her name is Freddie and she lives with Dark-Haired Daughter and David.   She posed for me, as well, three weeks ago.  But she was very hesitant.  And then she attacked me, the naughty grand-cat!

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Three weeks ago, I saw a parking area off the Blue Ridge Parkway that looked like it belonged near an ant colony.  I was quite happy that, in order to once again view the automobiles

as human-sized, I had gravity to assist me back down the very vertical mountainside! 

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Mother's Day picnic in the park.*

*It was more than three days ago,
as everyone well knows.
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Three days ago is when I met this dog.
His name is Dakota.

Dakota was in the Post Office parking lot when I talked to him and exclaimed over him.  He was far bigger than ant-sized.  In fact, he appeared to me to be lion-sized!
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ONE DAY LAST WEEK

I happened to glance out a front window, and Amish children were streaming past my house!  There was a mad scramble for my camera, and there was no time to turn down the music I was playing at the time.  So here is the film, Viewer Dear, soundtrack provided by Abba.

I've entitled it "Amish Schoolchildren Returning from their Annual Picnic down by the Creek."  If this title is a misnomer, I regretfully apologize.


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SO I TOOK MY BRAND NEW

slightly used, shouldn't-be-misbehavin'  car to the Toyota place because it was, well, sort of misbehavin'.  The screen on the dashboard was no longer hesitantly telling me I needed an oil change sometime soon.  It had gotten genuinely  pushy.  "OIL MAINTENANCE REQUIRED NOW" was the warning.  I couldn't read any other screen information, couldn't gleefully watch the miles-per-gallon figure creeping upward. The oily message monopolized the entire screen.

So I had obeyed the instruction, had done what any other reasonable person would do, and had taken that car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change.  But the warning continued to greet me each time I glanced at the screen.  "OIL MAINTENANCE REQUIRED NOW"!


Ergo, I took a trip to the Toyota Service garage.  The guy in the driver's seat appears to know exactly what he's talking about. Well, well he should!  He disappeared with my car, and went and got a crash course in the very procedure he is now teaching me! ("Hold on!  Hold on," I said to the guy, "I'll just get these instructions on record!"  He graciously re-enacted.)  

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Next on my list:

I  proceeded to take my misbehaving computer and show it to a geek (at the store where they employ a Geek Squad, of course.  Toyota Service geeks don't call themselves Geeks.)  Geek said to me, "You're having trouble uploading videos to your blog?  Well, let's see if  we can get a video to post. Here, I'll try this one."  With very little  straining or striving, that geek clicked a-hold of the Toyota Service guy and soon got him talking!

"Wonderful!" I exclaimed.  I pulled out my camera.  "Now...can you
repeat what I need to know, and I'll record it, so I can remember?"

"Hey,"  he said, and he looked at me sideways. "Are you going to put this on your blog?!"

I laughed.  "Oh, come on.  It'll be okay," I told him.  "Nobody* looks at my blog!"



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(*I feel a wee bit bad, Dear Reader Dear,
for throwing you under the bus!)

THE USUAL CULPRITS,

Malaise and Malfunction, are to blame for the great yawning cavern of nothingness that has been here to greet you on each visit to this blog for the past few weeks, Reader Dear.   These two, so frequently skulking around,  were aided and abetted by Backlog of Burdensome Business. Snarling for attention.  I've chased away Malaise and thrown Backlog a bone.  We'll see what happens.

WHILE ON OUR TRIP TO ASHEVILLE,

The Yard Man and I left the United States of America.  Reader Dear, we just drove across a boundary and there we were, outside of U.S. controlled land!

We were in the Cherokee Nation.  

It was fascinating to be in this tiny piece of land that was given to the original inhabitants of the entire Smokey Mountain region.  The Cherokee have a beautiful school and a beautiful hospital here, and they have some land in Oklahoma.  They also have a bit of a tourist trade.  All in all, however, it's my opinion they got a very shabby deal!

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