Corduroy

We have a number of parks where we walk during the week - after work and avec Shep. Most involve lakes. Most are a mile or two around, so we get in our steps. 

But as Cookie can attest, Shaker Hts, is a special place. The Baroness in the Sound of Music is from there, as was Paul Newman and Molly Shannon from SNL fame.  Well, Molly as on SNL.  Not so much Paul. 

Oh, and my parents. 

But it's a semi-liberal community that used to the landing place for Jews all over NE Ohio. It's a little less so now, as sprawl has taken them to - ugh - the suburbs. 

Still, now it's got a great socio-economic mix and some great public works stuff - including said parks of which I mention. 

I pass Horseshoe Lake now and then on my way to my second office and have seen signs out around one side of the lake. As we hadn't walked there for a bit,  I didn't know what they were. As it turns out - it's a story. 

Someone took a children's book, Corduroy, and pasted the cover (above) and the pages (below) on signs and placed them next to the walkway.  And we made the walk yesterday. 

One page per sign - and each one placed 30 ft or so apart.

.....and yes, we read the book as we walked. 

I hope it was the elements and not some dick humans who destroyed two pages of the book. I have no idea what we missed about a stuffed bear in search of a button for his overalls - and a home. 

Luckily, they weren't the last two pages, so we back-storied what might have happened.  (I'm guessing it involved a sleepy time car ride.)

But special thanks to the Girl Scouts, the city and their library for making this happen. 

It's so simple, yet it made me so happy. 

Song by: Pearl Jam

Crazy Talk

Honest to g-d.   What is it with dipshit GOP (mostly) politicians. 

I get the voters picked him, so in a way, his constituents deserve the dipshit they get. But honest to fucking g-d, look at his thought. I was going to say 'logic', but he is dreaming like a Texan girl; a girl who think she has the right to everything. 

Why he just doesn't think a Ouija board can solve world hunger is beyond me. 

I will say this, as it took me like 18 times of reading it before I truly saw the flaw in all of this:  someone in the GOP is acknowledging climate change ???

Maybe a bunch of black people, Smokey the Bear or moon's orbit can actually solve this problem. I mean, until now, with Louie and the like, climate change was #fakenews. 

Perhaps we should just take the win that between his crazy talk, there is a little acknowledgement of an actual problem in the world, and with this county. 

Song by: Chilliwack

App of the Month

My App of the Month?  It's another NYT game. 

If you remember, Spelling Bee was one of these a while back. 

The Times has a number of games. At least three crossword puzzles, the Bee (which I still play daily), Tiles, something else - which I'm not allowed to play because I have to leave it for 710.  That's fair. 

But I just found Letter Boxed.  710 swears it has always been there, but I have never seen it in the hundreds of times I've been to the NYT site. 

I will say, it took me about 2-3 times to figure out the game. .....and NO, I did not read the instructions...because I am a dude !!!

\

As you can see, you get letters in a square. Or box. You draw lines from one letter to the next in order to spell words.  

HOWEVER, you cannot use letters in/on the same line (i.e.  if you are on M, you could not use E or L as your next letters).  You have to go to another area of the board to use those letters. 

The idea is to use all the letters at least once to 'win' the game.  But wait - there is more!  You can start on any letter, but the last letter of your word becomes the first letter of your next word. 

But wait - there's more!  The idea is to use all the letters in the least amount of moves / words.  The goal, from the makers, is five words or less. 

My goal is four.  Actually it is three. Often I can do it in four. 

I didn't make it with this game, as the K really fucked me up being on the same row as C.  And the fact there weren't a lot of letters you could spell. 

It will take five minutes of your day - and tease your brain a little. 

It All Depends On You

This is internet gold. 

BLOTUS' speech in North Carolina this last weekend - no one knows what it was about, because eventually he stepped from behind the podium. 

First reports were that his tailor just hated him. 

I mean, that could SO be the case, right? And chances are, said tailor got stiffed for making his suits - and to add insult to injury had to measure his inseam {shudder!!!}. 

But then people took note. 

There is no fly on his pants, leading to the thought that this dumbfuck put his pants on backwards. Some have said the glare from the light obscured the view of the zipper. 

I'm all for a good conspiracy - I mean, isn't that what the GOP loves?  - but honestly, I think someone would know that as you buckle up, you're not doing it from behind. 

Still............the cut. The creases. The fit. 

Then came the diaper theories.  

This all makes much more sense. 

He is 74. Or something. Incontinence isn't out of the realm of possibility probability. Still all those shows on the golf course always looks like he's been carrying around a full load in his pants anyways. The incontinence might not just be urine. Fecal could be playing a part. 

G-d I hope it is. 

While I get Pappy Joe's Rehoboth Beach photo op on a bike was probably just that (he probably went around the corner, got off the bike and into a car), at least he looked vibrant, not that he just pinched a loaf in Greenville, NC

Honestly, I might have just written this whole entry just to write 'pinched a loaf'. It's just a bonus that it is directed at this turd of a man. 

Song by: Frank Sinatra

My Music Monday

You won't find this hard to believe - I think. But weekly, I have multiple selections for My Music Monday. 

Something comes across (that's what she said!) my iPhone or XM radio and I think, "I must use that". Two songs later, whatever thought I had in my head was gone.

I don't write this stuff down or ask Siri to leave me a reminder. ("Siri, remind me to have you remind me to do that.")

So, I had 2-3 songs I considered at some point in the last week - damn if I know what they were. 

You get what you get - and you might be surprised. In a way, I wish I didn't have to say who the artist was, or that the name didn't display in the video, because honestly, when I heard the song, I had zero idea who it was - and it would have taken me months of guessing before getting it right. 

Rick. Astley. 

Yes.  You read that correctly. Rick Fucking Astley. 

I was never a fan of his 2-3 songs. As it turns out, he is STILL making music. "Unwanted" is just from a month ago and I heard it playing through 710's Apple Music for new songs. 

Don't get me wrong, it is not the end-all, be-all of music. It's not quite dance, but I could certainly hear it being played at a gay bar, while I sat on a patio of said bar and just drank. 

If the YouTube page is correct, "Unwanted" is the theme song to his podcast. 

So, it is official - everyone but me has one of those. 

Move On Up

While I have been back to Columbus any number of times since 710 and I moved from there a QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO (!!!), I've only been past one of my residences once or twice - one of them being 10 years ago. 

The street, E. Poplar, doesn't even show up anymore on Goooooooogle Maps. The west side does, and if you type in East, it takes you to West. Technically Google isn't wrong, I suppose? The east side has been blocked, so there is no actual street or traffic, except for the foot kind.

There were a few businesses at street level: a dry cleaners, some art studio that I always assumed was a front for something else. 

But if Goooooooogle Maps is correct, hard times has hit our building. I'm assuming the picture has been since I last went by in 2011. 

Callendar Cleaners is gone. Aardvark Video: gone. Our front door: gone!

Now it's fenced off and tagged. A semi-end of an era. 

Semi because it's the Short North. Home to pseudo-gentrification, no parking and sky-high pricing. So, it's not like the building or location - which did have fun views when Morty, Dith, the ghost and I lived there. I'm not sure what, if anything, has gotten in the way of those now. 

I'll assume it will still be good for people watching on Gallery Hop nights once the renovated building goes into place. 

Save the glass enclosure and the rooftop terrace - avec foliage - the place looks similar. I'm assuming the rents will be astronomical. 

Friend "Becky" opted to mock up this rendering. For the record, I just resided in the Drunk apartment. Morty and Dith were More Drunk.........but if we're splitting hairs, she really just means Morty. 

I'll assume, anyone who moves in to 10 E....Whatever Ave. will share the space with the ghost. ......assuming he can still afford the rent. 

Song by: Curtis Mayfield

Big Mouth Strikes Agan

As promised...........pet pics. 

She does love a good ottoman. 

"Extra" on the set. 

The thing we love most about our new house is that Shep gets to be an outdoor dog. No way to escape and he can just lounge outside, or chase squirrels. 

Choosing an ottoman. They're all hers. 

So many defiant squirrels just taunting this poor dog. 

BIG yawn.  Just like a tiger. 

Song by: the Smiths

I Got Nothing

It is 20:40 and I'm dozing off already.  .....and I've had no booze, so you can stop thinking that. 

The problem with four day weeks is I still have five days of work. It just gets crammed in to those four days. My work days have been long and problematic. 

I have barely seen any news, so can't even comment on anything that isn't a 12 year old and 14 year old breaking into a house, gathering semi-automatic weapons, then start shooting at police. Oh Florida, you never disappoint. 

Anyhoo. I'm going try to stay awake for at least 20 minutes, so I'm not old-fogey-ey enough to actually got to bed before 21:00.  ....that's just be sad. 

Come back tomorrow for cat and dog pics !!!

Venus

Oooooh.  NASA (is there still such a thing?) is heading to Venus.  The first time in 30 years. 

I mean, this is happening in 2029 and 2030, with two different manless probes, so it is potentially not even happening in my life time. 

I love seeing Venus on my early morning Shep walks. It's so bright, clear and stands out from anything star-related. I had no idea it is comparable in size, composition and mass of Earth. 

It's about 900 degrees on its surface, but in a few more years, so will Earth, so.........

Venus has held interest with me since grade school. I remember reading this story of people who live on the planet and get to see the sun once every seven years (or some such small time frame) - and only for a few minutes. And the kids at this school lock another student in the closet - so she misses it. 

It's probably a good lesson story, in retrospect. At the time, it seemed horribly cruel. 

With a few word Goooooogle search, it turns out the story is called All Summer in a Day.  Did anyone else remember reading that way way way back when? 

It turns out it was written by Ray Bradbury. This I had zero remembrance of.  But I was like 11, what did I know from Bradbury back then. 

I hope to make it another 8-9 years to see what comes from these two probes. 

Song by: Shocking Blue

Goin' Back

Masks off. 

Starting today, Ohio is abandoning masks............if you're fully vaccinated. 

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Yes, by all means, let's take people at their word. 

Businesses and schools may still require them, soooooooo.....that should all go well.  When mandatory, people were having melt downs in establishments about wearing them.  Now that the governor says they don't unless................well, I'm sure that won't create any animosity at all. 

It's going to be a shit show. 

Our closest grocery store has changed their verbiage to 'consider wearing a mask inside'. Yeahhhh.....that's gonna do it. 

I am fully vaccinated and as of now, I have no intention of going into a store or crowded area without a mask. If people want to mock me, I have two middle fingers I'd be happy to show them. Oddly, they won't see their mocking as an affront, but my less than subtle non-verbal will tick them off. 

“Ohioans have done a great job during the pandemic", touts our governor. 

Always the politician that douche is. I would think the 19,681 deaths and the 1,102,556 would tell another story on our greatness.  We have the 10th most deaths by state in the U.S.  We are not the 10th largest state by a long shot. 

But all sporting events will be at full capacity, along with bars and restaurants. And movies. And yet, I'm not ready for any of these, mostly because I think most people are morons. 

Only 4.6 million folks  are vaccinated in Ohio. People are stupid and reckless, so I suspect that come Fall, we will all be back to the masks.........except I fear there is no going back. I fear we're just not ready.  Even with increase in deaths. 

As work goes, we will still have masking in place.  Actually, I'm ok with that. 

Song by: Neil Young

Everyday

So I can't even begin to discuss my disgust and disappointment with the Senate and Congress. Both sides of the aisle. 

The never to be commission on January 6th shows exactly how weak the Democrats are - and how heartless, soulless and brainless the Republicans are.  

None of this is new. Yet I'm still mentally and ideologically crushed. 

The Right had always said, this is BLM and Antifa driven - the people who were storming the Capitol. 

If believed to be true, you'd honestly think they'd be wanting to get to the bottom of it all. But you know - as do they - that this is not true and that finger they're pointing, three more are pointing back at them. So, no way, no how is that happening in a public forum. Ever 

That said, I have to had it to Bob for publishing the above political cartoon in his last Sunday post. I have shamelessly stolen it. Not just for this post.

During the 2020 election, I semi-came out of Twitter retirement. I'm not great at being there, or doing stuff with it, but I have now opted to visit my account daily. 

Once a day, every day, I will be posting this to "Leader" McConnell's Twitter feed.  Until the day he fucking dies.  

I mean, it would be great if I only had to post for another 2.5 weeks, but.......the walking dead are really tough to get rid of. 

I have a feeling by the end of week 2.5, one of his crony interns will have blocked me from his site, but maybe @blobby2 and @blobby3 and then @blobby4 will appear.  One just never knows, does one? 

I am a hateful and spiteful man - or can be. No reason someone shouldn't be the beneficiary of all that excess energy. 

Song by: Buddy Holly

My Music Monday

Duran Duran (but say it like a Brit might and use more J than D) is back with a new song and soon to be new album. 

"Invisible" is the song.  And it's not bad. It's nothing groundbreaking for sure, but for a band that is now 40+ years old, that is kind of cool. 

Bands from the 80s, while not prolific are either still around or making modest comebacks (i.e. Psychedelic Furs), and not as nostalgia acts (i.e. just greatest hits tours).  And most of them are doing it without embarrassment or embarrassing moments. 

Duran Duran was pivotal - not necessarily for me - in music delivery. Yes, MTV had been around for a few years before the band broke big, but both the band and the station broke big due to "Hungry Like the Wolf" - and then "Rio"........and then.........and then...........and then.............

Yes, they were a band of boys - as opposed to a boy band - who happened to play catchy pop music and be cute-ish.  I mean, not Nick Rhodes. He was creepy then and this video, even in an altered state, does nothing to quell that 40 years later. 

The song is most likely produced by Erol Alkan, who remixed songs by the Killers and New Order. But Mark Ronson and Gorgio Moroder have producing credits on the full album too, so hard to say whose fingers are where. 

The video is meh. Kind of creepy, like some of the guy's mouths are wired shut and that Simon has been beaten up - especially in the eye area. But it's not 1981 anymore and the boys are men - in their 60s (for the most part), and MTV isn't really a thing. So.......onward and upward. 

Fashion

We are starting to watch Halston on Netflix. We didn't realize it was a series and not a one-time 'movie' event. 

Live and learn. 

It's not really that I care about the man - as I know next to nothing about him. 

Some of you have seen how I dress, so I know you know I don't care about fashion. 

And while I'm pseudo-associated with the era, on the other hand I'm not.  Yes, I was alive in the 60's-90's, but.........I wasn't much of a participant. Not really. 

But I like Ewan McGregor enough. More Big Fish good than scary Trainspotting good. This falls somewhere in between, Maybe he's not supposed to be, but Halston isn't a much of a likable character, so it's hard (so far) to truly see him as a protagonist here,  

Also, so far, this isn't a Mrs. Maizel, where the sets are so 'wow' that you feel like you're in that era. While not necessarily done on the cheap, they didn't seem to go out of the way in production design. 

It does seem that Netflix shows have lots of ratings that includes 'smoking' and honestly there isn't one scene in this yet where McGregor isn't smoking.  Fran Lebowitz' Pretend It's a City has the same warning, and while Fran is a chain smoker and they discuss  it in that series, I don't think you ever see her with a cigarette.  But after the first episode here, I just assume I have lung cancer 

There are only 5 episodes, so it won't be a big time suck (like say, Ryan Murphy's Hollywood turned out to be), but it does concern me that it's being billed as Season 1. 

2021 Movie Count / Goal: 11 of 15 ?

Song by: the Lovemakers

Lights Out

So much for Spring. 

Our days of 70s and 80s plunged to the very low 40s.......and lots and lots of rain. I wouldn't say high winds, but enough that we lost a branch or two.................and our power. 

....on a holiday weekend. Friday evening. 

We MIGHT get it back - according to the power company website, by 20:00 today (Saturday). 

Therefore, no Sophie Smut or Shep Porn today. 

It took forever to get a HotSpot from our phones and running images and trying to load them is a major pain (not Major Payne - the Damon Wayans vehicle). Maybe I'll delay it by a day or week .

So tonight (last night) we will sit in the dark. I will go to bed early. I mean, why not? 

At least it isn't snowing..........so..........that's my positive nature coming out, no? 

Song by: Lisa Marie Presley (I shit you not!)

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there!   

I'm not 100% sold on the Black Keys new disk, Delta Kream. 

While it's always good to hear from the boys, it is an album of established (read: covers) of delta blues songs. And while the Keys have their roots in the blues, it kind of works and kind of doesn't. 

The musicianship is clearly there - Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney are pros. The two band members are joined by a few guest musicians. Allegedly, this was recorded live, 11 songs over 10 hours - no rehearsals. It's a great story if nothing else. 

It's not that the boys don't have an affinity for love for the genre, it's just that two white boys from Akron playing delta blues seems.........inauthentic. By letter of the law, they do it and well, but the question kind of hangs - should they? 

By my own estimation, I'd say Delta Kream would have made a great EP.  11 songs drags it out a bit. 

Or maybe, all the songs are fine, but in limited doses. Maybe my problem was playing them at once - like one used to do (and I still do) as a full length disk. I like "Going Down South", "Crawling Kingsnake" and the like, but the variety is limited - and limiting. 

It's solid B-.  

Site of the Month

First off, can we just chuckle that this name is trademarked?  

Vax-a-Million. 

Now that I say it aloud, it is supposed to be my Maximillian?  Yes, everyone is clamouring to steal that name.  <insert>eyerollemoji</insert>. 

Why yes, I can write in HTML.......thank you for noticing. 

Like the rest of the nation, Ohio has plateaued at giving vaccinations. One of my office sites had 500-700 people a day coming to get them. Now we limit clinics to 1-2 partial days per week as the needs is less and less to staff such an operation. 

So the governor has decided to play lotto for us. Well, he's the lotto commissioner. We, the people, are the bettors. 

IF you have been vaccinated (or partially so), you are eligible for 1 of 5 drawings for........and say it like Dr. Evil: "one MILLION dollars!"

If you're a teen, you can be in five drawings for having your college tuition paid at an in-state Ohio university - including room, board and books!  I mean, they REALLY get you on the books, right?   Oh SBX - you never made it worth my while to try to sell those back. 

So, once a week, for five weeks (yesterday was the first drawing), there will be a drawing to see who wins a cool million. 

The odds are in your favour - and the state's. 

For you - your ratio of winning is better than Powerball or Megamillions, but the pay off isn't as much. But allegedly it's better than those scratch-off big winner tickets too. I have a 1 in 2.7 million chance x 5. 

Your chances of getting struck by lightening are still greater.  Buuuuutttttttt......you don't buy anything or pay for a ticket. You get a potential life saving (for you and others with whom you might come in contact) shot. 

And you get five chances with that Covid Passport card - and yes, you will have to produce it to claim your winnings. 

For the state - they get more people incentivized to get vaccinated. Not that they are - exactly. 

In the deep conservative areas, where vaccinations stalled at 15%, they're not going any higher. In some of the greater minority population areas, there has been a decent increase in getting the shot. This could be more of a socio-economic issue / solution than it is an epiphany for the minority community - which has been disenfranchised from the vaccine distribution. 

For the record - I did not win Week 1. 

Four more to go!

Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls

Is is wrong that I'm envious of the abs of guy who used to be a lesbian and before that identified as a straight woman? 

.....because I am. 

I mean, I suppose it would be easier to go to the gym regularly, cut down on drinking and sugar  - but you know.......maybe the Elliot Page way is THE way. 

Perhaps he should give up acting and just join a boy band. He'd be the cute and hot one. 

For me, unless I'm IN the water, I'm not even walking around shirtless at the beach. From the beach to the water - and then back to my towel and shirt. 

I'm loving Page though. He is doing this in the semi-public eye, through carefully distributed stories - but oddly I don't think for his gain personally or professionally. He is normalizing - to a fucked up country (or certain factions of it) - the transition of a trans person. 

No offense to Chaz Bono, and while he was one of the first "celebrity" (big on the quotes part) trans person, he kind of didn't blaze the trail you'd have thought.  .......and don't start me on Caitlyn Jenner - my lord, she could just star in douche commercials........they don't even need water, vinegar or the bag. 

I totally get it's a personal thing - and a private one. But if more who are of note (and yes, I know how horrible that sounds) were to be at the forefront, perhaps it wouldn't be so horrible for those who are everyday Joes and Josephines.  Or maybe there wouldn't be such (read: any) issues about bathroom usage.

I'm quite interested in where Page goes next, and what he does.  At this point, I'm just hoping he doesn't have a bigger dick than mine. 

 

Song by: Book of Love

Baking with Blobby

As many of you might know, I am a big fan of baked goods. I'm just not a baker. 

In theory, it seems easy enough, but in reality, it just never is. I thought - well, this owuld be the first time since we got this house that I've tried it, and maybe an oven that actually holds a consistent temperature will make it better. 

Maybe it did. 

A friend of mind posted a recipe for Strawberry bread. I was in a mood, so, I said, "oh, why not?". All I needed was the strawberries. 

Ingredients For the Bread: 

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup milk 

1/2 cup oil 

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt 

2 cups diced strawberries 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

For the Glaze: 

2 cups powdered sugar 

2 tablespoons melted butter 

1/3 cup finely diced strawberries 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract 

1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk** (optional?)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla.

 In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

In a small bowl, toss together the strawberries and the 2 tablespoons of flour to coat the strawberries. 

Fold the floured strawberries gently into the batter.

Pour the bread batter into a greased 9"x5" bread pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean. 

Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, diced strawberries and extract in a small bowl. Mix until it is smooth.

Once the bread is cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread. Slice and serve.

The last step, I think was my downfall.  

I love how the milk or cream (I used the latter) was "optional", as if the confectioners sugar was just going to dissolve on its own. I should have used milk, as it is thinner. I should have used a mixer instead of by hand. 

First off, an electric mixer would have mixed the berries better and let them bleed a little, making for a pink-ish glaze. And it would have made it thinner. 

It all tastes good, but let's be honest here, it's cake, not bread. Not really. 

Would I do it again?  ehhhhh.....maybe. It's not so great that it is a must have. It was just a good way to kill some time on a Sunday morning. 

My Music Monday

I am about 43% sure some people are aware that there as a Fleetwood Mac before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. Less probably know Christine McVie wasn't always there.  The band had been around about eight years and at least six guitarists before Buckingham. 

They were also a blues band. Less so with McVie's inclusion. Lesser so still with Welch. And not at all with Buckingham and Nicks.  Most iterations of the band had some good material - and you know "Black Magic Woman" wasn't originally a Santana song, right? 

I'm not biggily into "the blues", but so much music has its roots based in the blues, it is impossible to escape on some level (not that I am looking to escape them). 

Elmore James wrote "Got to Move" back in 1960(?). Fleetwood Mac recorded it in 1968, with Jeremy Spencer as the lead guitarist and vocalist on the track. And honestly, no one can sing the word "yeah" l like Spencer (who abruptly would leave the band to join a cult - Children of G-d three years after this recording).

Mind you - the song was written in 1960 and there was not much enlightenment about or for women, so the whole, cook, clean, sew and scrub the floor thing is cringeworthy, but the tune and delivery itself is spot on. 

In other / live versions, Spencer sings "I got to move", instead of this one where he says "you got to move".  So basically, he leaves instead of kicking the woman out. 

Sorry about the video.  The audio is superior on this clip, but it's begins to look like a cheesy lite-porn commercial for Kohler.

(Nothing But) Flowers

A women I work with sent me this pic. 

While never actually meeting my mother, she attended my mother's celebration of life almost two years ago. 

During that event, we gave out packs of flower seeds, so people could plant them and think of my mother - who was an avid gardener, but couldn't keep a flower alive to save her own. My mother was all about plants - big and small. And trees. 

Jeanne took a pack or two with her. And planted them.........and then..........nothing. 

She did a planter year one. And two. The sprouted green, and that's it. Now and then I would get a photo update of what to me looked like something you'd want to spray Round-Up on. 

Duds, I'd tell her. 

She, nay - her 85 year old mother! - actually "wintered" the sprouts. Two winters in a row.  Now, granted, I really don't know what any of that means, because, ultimately, I'm not sure I care that much, but it seemed like a lot of work for a packet of seeds that probably cost me $0.49. 

Lo and behold, 22 months later, there are flowers on the ends of those green things. First just one. Then three. Now this............at least as of a few days ago. 

I can tell you, we didn't try that hard with out batch. Instead of seeing it through, we sold the house tow which they were planted. That seemed easier than tending to a garden - even it was in my mother's memory. 

Song by: Talking Heads