Quiz Photos

A.

B.

C.
 Oh, darn.  Wouldn't you know, Viewer Dear.  I lost the photo  (Stella  was a dog, yes).  So, you've got one free point!  I'll just give it to you, because, without a doubt, you are unable to determine  the proper photo to which the caption applies if no photo exits!  It just makes sense (unlike most of life)!

D. 











 
That's it:  Match number to letter.  Dear Reader-slash-Viewer, you are so intelligent [not to mention, it's so darn easy!])

Alas, there is no Grand Prize.  Only the satisfaction of continued quasi-entertaining posts.  Or not.

Viewer Dear, today was

such a beautiful day!  So warm!  So sunny!  So imperative that I go to the park and take a walk.  As I drove the short distance to the park, I pondered how many others would be taking advantage of the marvelous weather.   When I arrived, I could see there were quite a few!  There were enough to make the trips around the looping trail interesting.  So, I took photos.

And then, Dear Reader, I devised this little quiz for you.  Below are listed four captions. They are all actual words spoken.  Should you wish to play, please match them to the four photos (or sets of photos) that I post tomorrow.

1. "C'mon Stella!"

2. "Jonathan, put on your ears!"

3. "They're Kevin and Ruth.  If you quack, they will look at you!"

4. "Giddyup!"

It is not a difficult quiz, Viewer Dear.  Not in the least.  You are, in fact, likely to utter a small snort and comment on the ease with which  you can accomplish a total of four correct answers.  Would that all of life's quizzes could be figured out with such ease!


                                                        

Up!

Dear Viewer, this activity at which the Little Actor is so adept is much more difficult than it looks!  I tried it myself and realized that with age comes (wisdom, yes, but also) utter lack of skill for such scampering up a door frame! 

Sunset over Snow

Five days ago
.......................

My Only Son is

now "over the hill"!  The chocolate cake at the birthday party bore those jarring words!

 

Fortunately for me, Dear Reader, there were lots of pleasing persons and delightful details of the party to ease my accompanying trip--my second trip "over the hill" as it were, tagging along with Only Son, my old bones creaking!

There was the party-thrower (Only Son's wife), and Matt, the friend who cooked up some terrific pulled pork, braised greens! There was Matt's wife, Alexis, who was faithful to the Big Lebowski theme of the party, and competently took care of many party details (she does it in real life, as a career [how handy is that?!]) 

There was deja vu, Reader Dear, seeing all those once-teen-aged friends of Only Son (now traveling "the hill" en masse!) with their ( naturally following) spouses and kiddos in tow!  It was such a highlight for me!

 

!There was much eating and drinking, lots of loud talking and laughing, many spills, and one little bout of singing.* Altogether, I had a marvelous time re-traipsing"the hill."
(I do believe, Reader Dear, it's gotten smaller!)
.....................................................................
*You know, that song they always sing at birthday parties.
There was the movie-watching, too.  But
that was hours after kiddos and
all the long-past-the-hill folk had left the party!

Several decades ago,

had I been a bit more forward-thinking, I'd have seen this day was coming. I do know that time flies, Reader Dear.
But, here's the thing:  Seeing "Over the Hill" on the birthday cake gave me quite a jolt!




(...to be continued...)

"Want to go along to Philadelphia?"

It was The Yard Man's spur-of-the-moment phone invitation to me this afternoon.  He was heading east to a certain small cafe in the city, planning to give them information on his food co-operative.

"Well, it would have been nice to anticipate the trip," I responded, "But, yes!  Thank goodness I have no appointments of any kind.  I'll be ready when you get here!" 

A half-hour later we were on our way through the sunny afternoon, heading straight toward rush-hour traffic.  What luck was ours, there were more of those drivers interested in leaving the city than entering!

We got to the cafe in good time, and I tried to avert my eyes from the tempting bakery display.  "We're going to a really great restaurant for dinner," the Yard Man had informed me.  "Kensington Quarters! It's a place that sells our milk and cheese. And, they've got a butcher shop right in the restaurant. Remember that woman at the Eat It retreat last year?" 

Well, Reader Dear, I did remember that female butcher, Heather, and when we finally reached the restaurant (after several other stops, and much wandering around the city) she greeted us warmly!

The Yard Man is a bit of a celebrity at this eating establishment, demonstrated by the fact that a lovely plate of cold meats was brought to our table, compliments of the chef.  This was followed by a complimentary basket of assorted breaded-and-fried root vegetables!  "Alas, I won't be able to eat a bite of the dish I ordered!" I moaned to The Yard Man. 

As you may well suppose, Dear Reader, it should have been of no concern.  The food was so exquisitely delicious that we raved, and then ordered dessert.  The staff kindly  packaged up all the fabulous leftovers for us to carry along home.

But our time at the restaurant was not ended yet!  "Why don't you pop upstairs and see Heather demonstrating butchering to a class of culinary arts teachers?"
one of Heather's assistants suggested.

And that's how we got in on another highlight of our evening!

The poor pig knew nothing about it, but that poultry-cutting class, and conversing with the fellow observers, was the perfect (pork butt) ending to our Philadelphia evening!

After the presents and

the playing and all the birthday celebrating, the Tiny Actor's party was winding down.  The Small Actor and his parents bundled into their coats and left the house.  As the only remaining guests, The Yard Man and I were about to get into our coats as well, when all three who had just left burst back through the door.  


"My car has disappeared!" exclaimed Only-Son's-Wife.
"It's simply not there where I parked it!"

 Dear Reader, you may rightly assume there was a flurry of interjections and inquiries!  As the case developed, we heard that Only Son and his wife had each driven a car to the party.  They had parked, side-by-side, behind a tall hedge that runs along the back of The Tiny Actor's home.  There is a very large parking lot there, a vast area of it never used for parking any vehicles.   

The parking lot is owned by an ogre.*
...............................................
*It's the key, Reader Dear, to your figuring out this mystery on your own!  In spite of the fact that for years the caretakers of The Tiny Actor and Little Actor have been using the parking area directly behind the hedge (and their back yard) with no ill consequences, it wasn't until just a few days ago a "Private Property. NO PARKING" sign was erected.**

**While we all frolicked at the party, the car was towed away!
"What about YOUR car?" The Yard Man questioned Only Son.  "You'd better get right out there and move it!  They'll be coming back for yours!"***
...............................
***Though the birthday boy had to go to bed, the party was extended for another half hour while Only Son and Only-Son's Wife visited the impound lot (with a hefty hunk of change to retrieve her car. "Yes," the two of them were told by the tow-truck guy, "We were just ready to head back for the car you're driving!"****
..................................
Reader Dear, what do you say?

****Bucket half empty? Whoa, what rotten luck!  Too bad they didn't leave the party before the tow-truck guy got there!
****Bucket half full?  Hallelujah.  Thank goodness Only Son and his wife didn't show up and find the parking spaces completely empty!

On Sunday Night

The Yard Man and I attended Party Two of the weekend
which was a celebration of the three precious years since The Tiny Actor joined the race!*   

It was a merry and memorable birthday party, which early on  featured The Tiny Actor and The Small Actor saying in unison, "We'll never do that again!"

(Er, seems they were playing upstairs, unattended, when they found a gel-pack [also,

unattended].  What fun to poke holes in the heavy plastic of the pack.  What a creative inspiration to spread the blue goo all over the window...the sill...er, the rug.)

Oh, but then...while the little actors were making their vow to never again open a gel-pack and decorate a room with the contents, Ari (First Son-in-Law) was making a lot of noise with the wet-vac!  (Seems he spilled a five-gallon bucket of water that he was using to clean up the blue mess!)

Other events, of course, went well.  There were presents!  (Over-eager celebrities at the party needed just a few gentle reminders that the party was in honor of only one of them in particular!)

 

There was yummy food!

And (after The Yard Man and I made a quick trip to the grocery store for confectioner's sugar*) there were iced birthday cupcakes!



Oh, and, Reader Dear...there was a disco ball!  It was a hit with all the little celebrities.
"This is a whole bunch of tiny mirrors!" exclaimed The Little Actor in fascination.  The Small Actor begged for a turn at wearing it.

It appeared to be The Tiny Actor's favorite gift!















*Human race, of course (even though there are often times when all the small celebrities act like little monkeys!)
....................................................

Oh, and a few final events of the evening: Leave-taking of Small Actor and his caretakers, saying good-bye, good-bye, thanks for the party! Donning coats and exiting the home of The Tiny Actor.  Several minutes later, re-arriving at the door!  (Here's where the party featured Only Son and Only-Son's-Wife saying, "We'll never do that again!")**
......................................................
**...to be continued

One Hundred and Forty-three years

of living is what The Yard Man and I helped to celebrate this past weekend.  At the first party, on Saturday night, we hugged and sang the Happy Birthday song to two seventy-year-olds.

Next evening, at the second party, we hugged and sang Happy Birthday to a three-year-old.

 Needless to say (though, you'll notice, Reader Dear, I'm proceeding directly to telling you), the parties were very different!  

"We're perfect strangers," I told the birthday woman at the Saturday-night party as I hugged her,  "but, even so, I'm wishing you a very happy birthday, Barb!" 

This birthday celebration was a surprise for the celebrants, given by their children. Due to The Yard Man's (horse [sale]) associations with Larry--one half of the couple--we were privileged to be a part of the food* and drink** and fun***!

*Just one of the many edible highlights: I drooled over the candied bacon!
**Open bar!
***The son dressed up and spinning golden-oldie records.

At the end of the evening, as The Yard Man and I were leaving the party, the wig-wearing deejay handed me a disco ball on a chain.
"Oh, thanks!" I said.
And I thought, "Aha!  We've got another party coming up!"
 .........................................................
That's right.  Party Two is coming right up, Reader Dear!
(I.e. To be continued...)