The simple pleasures
Including: Everyone’s a (candy) critic! (cont.)
Fudge Brownie: “Did someone say candy?
“I also have a stash I keep hidden from hubby and the grandkids. Chocolate, of course. But unlike some, I’m unable to eat just one or two pieces at a time. It’s just not in my DNA. I try, but it just doesn’t go that way.
“When hubby and I lived in our old house, we would get more than 100 kids coming to the door on Halloween. We always bought candy that we both liked — chocolate, of course. We kept it hidden from our kids, and would eat enough by Halloween that we would have to buy more.
“The boys caught on after a while, though. I suppose all the candy wrappers in the trash screamed ‘Mom and Dad are up to no good!’
“We don’t have trick-or-treaters anymore, but we still have to have the candy, right? It just would be so wrong not to!”
Now & Then
Baseball Division (responsorial)
Wednesday’s Bulletin Board included a note (with illustration) from The REF in White Bear Lake: “From the 1946 St. Paul Saints program:
“Unless it was a mere typo, either beer was unavailable at Lexington Ball Park or — like the lobster at Johnny Mauer’s — was ‘market price’: ‘If you have to ask….’”
We presently heard from John in Highland: “I have it on good authority from my friend Jerry that beer was available at Lexington Park. They had a huge ‘beer cooler’ in the grandstand, right behind home plate. And I have it on good authority from my dad, Ed, that you could get a good St. Paul beer, Hamm’s, not that Minneapolis stuff, Grain Belt.
“I have a 1956 Saints program, but it does not list concession prices.”
Lost . . . and found
Leading to: The Permanent Paternal Record (responsorial)
Wednesday’s Bulletin Board concluded with a note from Twitty of Como: “Well, I’m happy to report I found Dad’s burial flag [BB, 3/30/2017]. It was in that old steamer trunk, just as I’d surmised, and none the worse for it. I’ve been busy since, trying to come up with a plan for a display case for it, and, in my spare time, trying to find the three empty shell casings given to me by the American Legion Honor guard at his funeral. I found them today!
“I’ve got some great old oak boards, cut from trees on family land that I can make it from. I want the display case to include the three empty shell casings; a 1945 family photo with my sisters, mom and him and me in matching Navy uniforms; and his Navy rating patch and insignia. It should be a fun project if I can pull it all together.
“Dad didn’t leave us much in the way of material things. This will be something I can pass on.”
We presently heard from Gma Tom: “The entry from Twitty of Como really hit home with me today.
“You see, on Saturday I received the flag from Gpa Tom‘s casket (folded by two grandsons wearing military uniforms) and the three spent cartridge shells. I knew I would get the flag, but had no idea about the shells.
“Twitty‘s idea of making a frame to display both flag and shells really intrigues me. Gpa Tom left a workshop full of wood and tools. Perhaps one of my sons could also produce such a frame. If Twitty is able or so inclined to share his pattern, I would love to have it and also to see the finished product.
“Perhaps you can pass it on.”
BULLETIN BOARD SAYS: Consider it passed on.
Birdie vit da yellow bill . . .
The Retired Pedagogue of Arden Hills: “Subject: Axel lives.
“The ‘Bizarro’ comic in Monday’s Pioneer Press was captioned ‘THE IMPORTANCE OF PUNCTUATION,’ but it could have come directly from the ‘Birdie with a yellow bill’ segment on ‘Axel’s Treehouse.’
“In the cartoon, a car has just passed a road sign with the warning ‘STOP, A HEAD,’ and around an upcoming curve is a large head lying across the road.
“Clellan Card could be smiling . . . or contacting a lawyer.”
BULLETIN BOARD MUSES: There’s no need for lawyers, where Mr. Card is.
Our birds, our squirrels, ourselves
The March 31 Bulletin Board included a note from Christy of Menomonie, Wisconsin: “The bird feeder was labeled as squirrel-proof. Ha, ha, I thought. But I bought it anyway. The price was reasonable, at 20 bucks; plus, it was quite attractive. It works well, as the squirrels avoid it — but unfortunately, so do the birds. Birds never perch on it, so it remains the only feeder I own that I do not have to refill unless the wind shakes the seeds out.
“Recently I saw the exact-same feeder in a specialty catalog, advertised in glowing terms for its design and beauty. The price? Only 60 bucks! Now that’s quite a markup on a feeder that doesn’t feed anything.
“Form over function, perhaps?”
We henceforth heard from Lola: “Christy of Menomonie, you are not the only one!
“Here is the squirrel-proof bird feeder that my son-in-law and daughter gave me for Christmas two years ago. Just like Christy‘s squirrels and birds, mine didn’t like this feeder, either. There must be microscopic openings, because when it rained really hard, the bird feed would get wet, clumpy and moldy. During the really strong winds a few weeks ago, the cover came off.
“The squirrel-proof feeder is now officially retired.”
The Doryman of Prescott, Wisconsin: “To Christy of Menomonie, Wisconsin: If your squirrel-proof feeder is not feeding birds, maybe it just needs an adjustment. Several feeders of the type shown have incremental weight adjustments for their perching bars. If yours are set too light from the factory, the doorways to the seeds close for everything that perches on it.
“It takes some time to zero in on the correct setting for your desired birds. Some even go so far as to set them up just for finches and Little Brown Birds, but keep the starlings and heavier birds away. Just a possibility that, if you haven’t already tried, might be the solution.
“Good luck.”
Fellow travelers
Photography Division (Cherry Blossoms Subdivision)
Mounds View Swede: “I was happy to read [BB, 4/1/2017] that the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin did make it through the icy rain and snow and put on a show, and that one of the BBers, Aggie Girl, was there to capture some of it and share it with us. Thank YOU!
“In 2009, surrounded by beautiful, blooming cherry trees, and hundreds of people taking photographs, the challenge for me was to capture something that might be unique, but still beautiful.
“When I saw this branch closer to the water and noticed the reflections,
I had to try a photo of just the reflections. If I could make the blossoms more intense to stand out more, this might be interesting. Instead, it’s just an ‘experiment’ — and not all experiments are successful.
“I do like this shot of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
“Many of us got there before sunrise, hoping for a beautiful sky at dawn or something special with the lighting on this memorial. That didn’t happen. I think it would take many such efforts before that took place; otherwise we would see those photos somewhere on postcards or something. Since we only visit during spring and not every year, my chances are pretty slim. I would need to figure out when the sun would be rising behind the memorial and where I should stand to catch that — and even with all that effort, like the photo above, it might not turn out photo-worthy.”
Our community of strangers
Plus: We’re gonna win, Twins! He’s gonna snore! . . . (responsorial)
LindaGrandmaSue of St. Cloud: “I have to say a big thank you to the BB contributors and editor extraordinaire. I so enjoy the BB family: laugh with them (sometimes AT them), cry when one moves on to the Great Beyond, love their knowledge and wit, and view their photos with awe. Thank you all!
“And a note to The (tired) Retired Pedagogue of Arden Hills [BB, 4/4/2017]: Naps are good. Wins are good. Snooze on.
“Go, Twins!
Band Name of the Day: Good St. Paul Beer
Website of the Day: The Masters
Bulletin Board 