Big Top by Rob Harrell for March 10, 2010

Wink, you look cool. You look like a snowboarder. Just ditch the earmuffs.

Alright it is my turn. It has been awhile, so give me a moment or ten to come up with a menu to make up for my time away from early posts.

As long as you’re warm, Wink!

Good Morning/Late Evening All

I’ll wait patiently, but my stomach’s rumbling.

Morning Cleo

Hello Woodeye

Hempler bacon and egg sandwich on organic honey wheat. Breaded catfish and grits. Hangtown Fry with Taylor Farms Oysters. Eggs Benedict with Basil Hollandaise. Cinnamon-Swirl wheat bread with walnuts and dried cherries. Homemade Granola and fresh fruit. Bourbon bean, Hempler’s bacon, panfried potato omelet, with caramelized onions. Cocoa Mocha with daily flavor Nuclear Coffee Ass’t teas from the Spice Hut. Bloody Marys and Marias, Screwdrivers, Greyhounds and raw oyster shooters with lemon vodka. Booker’s chocolate pot de creme (pudding) Bone in 2” ribeye, grilled with onions and wild mushrooms. Homemade cinnamon rolls.

There’s gonna be a rumble tonight…

Good Morning Yappy Nuts!

Hello Terry & Woodeye.

Dang Cleo! Is this like buffet style? There’s a lot of items you have listed that I’d like to have. Thank you, thank you!!

Carmy, street fight or stomach rumble?

Buffet style it is, I cook it, plate it and move on, while sipping on a Booker’s to add to my motivation. Grab what you like Carmy and I will refill the empty spot.

Good Morning Marg!

cleo a little bit of EVERYTHING! I will take it to my room, and I WON”T leave crumbs! THANK YOU SIR! Lovely menu!

Hi Cleo

Excellent Breakfast! I’ll have the Ribeye med rare with double muchrooms, a Bloody Mary and nuclear coffee.

Thank you very much, sir!

Cleo, both!

Just help yourselves folks. I am cooking and plating. Just grab what you like.

Cleo–With cooking like this, I might show up at your door right before the turnover some day!! LOL

Cleo, you’ve really perked up my normally so-so appetite.

Dusty, you have a poofy tail, it always looks big.

Good Morning Lonewolf, Carmy, Dry and all the others

A breakfast like that will stop the rumbling for days!

HI, MARG!!!

Cleo, I need some of that hangtown fry, Booker’s chocolate pudding, and a cinnamon roll, please!

HI JFRI!!

Good Morning Terry, Woodeye, Carmy, and Dry!!

Hello all and eat up. I have extra for the early morning Tribe.

Marg, I like your taste in breakfasts!!

Fat 1, fat 2, fat1, fat 2. Doing my excersie as I eyeball CLEO’s breakfast

Morning TRIBE! I’m going to be good to my body today.

Good Morning WoodEye, JFri, Marg and Lewreader and Good Night All! Thanks for the lovely breakfast, Cleo! I’m waddling off to bed now.

Lewreader there are some healthy choices on that menu.

You could never waddle Carmy. Slink is the word.

JFRI, I believe in a balanced breakfast, a cinnamon roll for each hand. Good night, ALL!

Good Night From me as well.

Time to hit the horizontal position.

Good Night Everyone!

P&L

Good morning and Happy Wednesday! cleo thank you for breakfast.

Good Morning Everyone

Forgot to comment last night, poor Wink, his color scheme leaves a lot to be desired, and yes Dusty, the hat DOES make your tail look big!

Good Morning All. It is a slow morning around the Big Top. I am trudging off for coffee Dry. LOL

If it stays this slow I am apt to be the next post.

Good morning, tribe! Cleo - I’ve saved you from that task.

Hi Cleo. I’m here for part of this morning, but hopefully I have a vehicle showing up to be checked out for an upcoming trip.

Good Morning Rmom. Good to see you.

Hi, Terry! It is good to see you too. I’ve got another funeral to attend today. The gentleman I visited in the hospital last week, died Saturday. I’m hoping I’ve filled my quota for a while!

That’s sad, Rmom. I’m sorry to hear that.

Good Morning Rmom, Terry & Flyby Doc.

Doc - I’ve been having days like that!

Terry - It is a little sad, but he was 85, so had a long, good life. Seeing the health problems my parents and others of their generation have had during the last part of their lives, it is hard to wish for them to stay here on earth, with the body that keeps getting worse. We do not grieve as those who have no hope.

This is Severe Weather Awareness week in KS. They were going to do the testing of the sirens, etc. earlier in the week, but couldn’t, because there was a threat of bad weather. We’ve had a few inches of rain, and T-storms are predicted for this afternoon. Guess I’ll drag my portable weather radio along whenever I leave the house for the next few months, now…

Where did everyone go? I put on antiperspirant this morning.

Good Morning!

I’ll have some of that wonderful omlette, and the catfish and grts too. Oh, and a cinamon roll and Doc’s coffee.

I am pretty hungry this a.m. Thanks cleo!

(((((CLEO))))) Cause you feed us so well, and are so d*arn charming when you cook too!

Doc - But it is an HEALTHY addiction. No nasty chemicals, inexpensive or free, and besides, Laughter is Good Medicine!

HI* Lonewolf, Woodeye, Carmy, JFri, Mary, Marg, Akenta, Rmom and Doc!*

Where’s DRY? Tabby?

Hi Lewreader Are you any relation to LlewelanBruce? Welsh name there.

I forgot how to spell LLewellen.

Doc You are in good company.

Guess I’ll tour the toons now.

Wink looks like a furry bucket with a handle! lol Too bad it’s not in colour.

Lion’s not helping Wink.

Good morning, Shika!

Good morning, tribe.

I’m so sorry today’s comic isn’t in color. I would love to see Wink’s outfit (as long as my sunglasses were handy).

Good Morning Shika. I just got back from taking a hot tub and talking to the one friend I talk to every morning.

Shika - I wish it was in color, too. My eyes appreciate the help in distinguishing objects that colors give me.

Quick HI and bye! No time to spare, work is busy and crazy today!

what’s wrong with a purple and green parka and orange snow pants? i, myself, own a lovely powder blue parka that is almost the exact shade of a sunny winter sky. (and somewhere in the family album is a photo of me in a blue and green striped turtle neck sweater and crimson corduroy trousers - but that was around 1970 and should be excused for that reason alone.) mornin’ Tribe

hi’s to Dry, Rmom (& condolences, too) cleo, Saucy, & Shika. time for a quick tour (glad i don’t read as many as DocT does, or i’d never keep up with them all).

Hello yyyguy.

I have a whole bunch of moving to do outside today to make room for a new oil tank and it is pouring out at the moment.

I finished my tour, and now I’m going to do some work.

I hope it stops raining Cleo

Hi yyyguy Have a good day.

Ouch that ‘70’s outfit must have hurt the eyes.

HI DRY! At lest your day will go by faster!

BYE!

Shika at the time, it was the coolest thing going! watch old episodes of the Monkees or early film of the Who and you might get an idea.

rain, rain, go away. Cleo wants to… work? nope, it isn’t the same.

Good morning all (barely, it’s 11:57).

Got all my results back from the bloodwork and MRI and got good news and bad news.

The good news was Cholesterol 183, triglycerides 213, good kidney and liver functions, no signs of diabetes, and cardiac risk factors equal to a 30 yr old (I’m 52 so that makes me feel very good). The doc says I have a little extra fat in my blood, I said it’s probably due to the little extra fat I have around my waist, and he said that was a good diagnosis. The only suggestions he made relative to the blood work were to cut down on salt a bit, and don’t eat quite so much of my favorite fried foods. I supppose I can live with having Popeye’s every other week instead of every week. The bad news is I have scoliosis and straightening of the lower spine along with one bulging disc and one herniated disc, along with significant disc degeneration in L2-L4. The doc said none of it was really worth doing surgery on at this point, so I guess I’ll stay on pain killers and anti-inflammatories for now and try not to have to shovel any more snow this winter. I wonder whether my prescription plan would pay for a snow blower if he wrote me a scrip for one.

they’ve tightened things up a great deal since my university days, when a guy i knew got a prescription for an electric shaver reimbursed by his Dad’s insurance. still, it might be worth a try.., best of luck to you MisngNOLA

Thanks, yyyguy - He wasn’t a close friend, but he did come to my mom’s funeral. We (both couples) had some fun times with him on our Africa trip, but since then it has been mostly just a few short chats when we happen to see each other at church.

almost 1:15 pm and time for yyyguy’s to get to work. see ya in the funnies! (((Tribe)))

Good Afternoon All! - missed my morning driveby due to meeting. Weather’s finally starting to shape up again :-)

Hi Digital

Night Doc!

60 degrees and sunny skies! Woo Who!

MisngNOLA my wife was starting to get scoliosis because of a Spinal cord accident. I suggested that she try hanging from a chin up bar that we have in between two door jams. She did it everyday for awhile and managed to straighten out again. I don’t know if it is appropriate for you or not. She did not pull herself into a chin up position. She hung by her arms.

Good Afternoon All.

Appointment showed up and I got the vehicle diagnosed. So far the rest of the day is my own. It quit rainng, it’s 58 deg and I’m loving it. I’m sure there’s a project of two around here that needs to get done.

Hi & Bye, Shika!.

Wow, quiet. I finished my outdoor projects rain free and now am doing laundry and working on my book. Drywalling is finished and tomorrow the oil tank comes.

Yes, quiet here. I blame it on the snow…keeps everyone at home, doesn’t allow the messages to get out so quickly.

Hello bunny. Lots of busy people Today. How are you kind sir?

I’m doing fine. Tired–of winter, of Lent. But at least the snow means we have a snow day for evening CCD…

How many are there at your residence bunny? Do you all have assignments that you work on together and individually?

We have about 25-30 confreres living here, each has individual assignments with a yearly appointment list (although some are “retired” or suchlike)–but when more help is needed, there is a call for volunteers or some other arrangement. Like the weekend help signs, or the lists of who will lead prayers, Masses and other liturgical duties for the week.

I would find it a challenge living with so many individuals. I did some communal living in my 20’s with success, but I was so different then than I am now. Now I find I prefer more solitude, but I imagine you have your times of solitude worked out to your liking.

It helps that we are monks, and supposed to be alone at times. Also that most of us are high introverts. But even so, those who come to the life after about 40 have more difficulty adapting to the life.

I am glad that you have found a life that works for you and benefits those around you as well.

Good Afternoon Bunnyface(bmonk) & Cleo.

After my work was through earlier, I decided to do some rearranging out in the garage. And I went through our own cars checking fluids, brakes, belts, hoses, etc. It was so nice out, I just couldn’t stay inside! 65 deg and a gorgeous sun!

I, too, am sending Kudos your way, Mr. Bunnyface. Looking back, I sometimes wish I could have done something along those lines.

@cleo, I just saw an ad for a new series that described a retired nun who’d been in the convent for “21 years”–and I thought, I’m nearing 30…and have no particular inclination to leave. Oh, yes, the occasional temptation, or the thoughts like “if I’d gotten married, I could be a grandfather now” but nothing that’s persisted.

@♠Lonewolf♠   :-Ϸ    Pbtpbtpbtpbt! In the first 68 days of 2010, most of West Dakota has had 50-55 days of fog, about 1/3 of them “dense fog”. Today is overcast and snow, totaling about 4-8 inches from Tues evening thru Thursday sometime.

Sorry about that Bunnyface. With what I have been dealing with, it has been slightly difficult mentally to get out of the house with the cold weather. This weather has changed that both physically & mentally for me. I love the snow & cold, but it’s hard when it affects me that way.

:^)

How are you doing, Cleo?

Fine Terry, it has been a day of projects and so will tomorrow. I have found time to begin working again on a novel I started about 8 years ago and shelved. I am in the process of rereading what I have written so far to catch up and spur ideas and I am pleased with what I have so far. I plan to work on it at least 5 days a week until it is completed. I have written two other books, one a novel and one a travel book, but never did anything with either of them. This one is shaping up to be much better and if it continues to be as good as it is up til this point I am going to “try” to get it published. I had been in the publishing game for a good part of my life and have no ideas that this will be easy. I know better than that. But I am excited and that is the good thing.

Cleo, I remember you mentioning the book you were writing. I’m happy to hear that you are planning on finishing it. I never had the patience to sit and write my thoughts like that. I was always told I had a vivid imagination, but I could never sit long enough to put it to paper. Congrats to you.

MARG LOVE YOUR AVATAR, ERNIE KOVACS! WONDERFUL**

Thanks Terry. I have a lack of patience as well, so time will tell.

Dry, my what a forceful entry. Are you saying Marg is using Ernie Kovas as an avatar?

CLEO

LOL!

WANTED TO BE SURE MARG SAW IT! I loved the Erine Kovacs show, he was HILARIOUS! I saw it in reruns on our PBS station and vaguely remember as a little girl, my parents watching him live, him and his wife Edie Adams.

That is one of the “Nairobi Trio!”

Sorry, Cleo. I was distracted for a bit. Good luck with the book and let me know if you finish it. I would like to read it.

Just touching base.

cleo I’ve missed a lot. How long have you been writing a book, and what is it on?

HI DRY!

How is everyone tonight?

HI SHIKA!

bmonk Just to clarify: “I’m nearing thirty”” means your age, or thirty years at the monastery? I’m guessing the latter, but you never know.

How was your day Dry?

Well, I know that you guys are here, but I can’t stay. I’ll visit when I finish my work for today.

Hi Shika

Shika BUSY DAY! Also lovely day, sunny, 60 plus degrees until it was over. Supposed to be the same tmr., then rain, but still in the 60’s! Yes sir! Winter is almost OVER! Good bye, good riddance, Mr. Winter!

@Shika, thirty years in the monastery. I’m actually nearing fifty years of age…

Good Evening Doc.

The three of us are close for that matter. I did think Bunnyface(bmonk) was younger by his picture.

It’s the smile, the dark hair, and the agelessness of monks…

Sounds good to me,sir!

And the bigger that number gets, the smaller it is to our eyes on paper!

Sorry Shika, but I was on the phone with a friend for about an hour. I am writing a fantasy novel about an alternate earth existing at the same time as out own and how courses of events make them different.

hello

Good Night Doc.

Have a good night and watch out for those “not so sappy” elephants.

Bunnyface you always seemed ageless to me. I could never figure out if you were in your twenties or eighties.

Hey there, LuvH8.

Bye Doc T, have fun with your family!

Hi Lonewolf! It’s nice to see you.

bmonk You are young then. I am your elder. :-D But not by much.

What picture? All I see is a bunny rabbit. No dark hair there……….

Cleo Fascinating story line. I’d love to see it when it is done.

Dry I know what you mean. It is in the 40’s here, and people are wearing shorts. Okay, this is Canada. We are weird. Imagine if it was in the 60’s here?

Bye again.

Shika if Cleo were there, in the 60’s, well we KNOW what would happen! LOL!

you never saw bmonk? Oh he’s quite the handsome fellow!

Uncle Jfri, bring in the big guns

Hey Tabby

HI dry!! how are you? am i safe?

Dry warm weather brings out the best and worst of me. LOL

Hello Tabby how was school affairs today?

Cleo info is on the way. :D

puter keeps kicking me off. i has to restart it. Sigh

Poor Tabby.

Cleo i am fine i promise you, nothing to worry about

With your Uncle JFri around, need you ask?

Dry lol i know he is triger happy. :D

Get JFri hopped up on Booker’s, give him a gun and scatter.

Cleo im scattering :0)

Smart move Tabby, his aim can be suspect while his heart is pure.

yep, you dont mess with Jfri under all of that tall frame he is sweet

wow its not even 10 and im tired

where is Carmy?? is she sleeping?

Tabby, you asked him to bring in the big guns! LOL!

Us little guns are here too!

Tabby, JFri Sweet? Sweet? (yes but don’t you DARE tell him I said so!)

Dry i am greatful for the little guns as well!

Dry, yes he is sweet and so is CLEO

i wont tell jfri u said anything

Tabby I agree!

Is your cat wearing a tie?

Carmy was sleeping earlier. I took a 6 hour nap! Was I tired? You betcha!

Carmy are you getting enough sleep for the both of us?

Dry yes he is. Its not my cat, its my teachers. Such a cute cat!

I’m trying to, Tabby. It is a cute cat!

Carmy thanks for trying you rock!

so today is walking buddies younges grandson’s bday hes 2 today.

i just found out

Did they save you some cake? Daughter #2 made a cheesecake last night. I hear it calling my name. I’ll be right there, cheesecake!

Carmy not that i know of. i have missed both of his birthdays since they have lived here. :0( I have missed all 3 of there bdays bc i dont know till the day after. this time im writing them down!

Bring all turrets to bear off the starboard side. Load guns 1-9. Gun director, we need a vector! Flood lower compartment. All hands stand by for firing. Elevation is set, range is set……FIRE!

KABOOOOOOOOM!!

What’s the vector, Victor?

Fire in the hole!

DUCK!!!!

You wanted big guns, well we have brought the Missouri out of mothballs with it’s 16” guns and 2200 pound projectiles!

JFri YOU MISSED THE INTENDED TARGET! (Boy is Cleo going to be mad! How much do hot tubs cost, anyways?)

Jfri, knew i could count on u!

Woo Hoo, the Mighty Mo!

okay just in time to say goodnight. im falling asleep tying here. so nigth night al

TABBYLYNN get back here, girlie!

Good Night Tabby! Sleep well, sweetie!

Hola JFri and Dry!

Sleep well, Tabby!

Hi, Carmy & Dry!!

Long day again today! Drove “the tank” to Tacoma to drop off some traction mats and then stopped to see some customers in Longview before heading home.

JFri, did you enjoy the drive? I can drive on long trips as long as the weather is decent.

Carmy then you can ride shotgun this weekend with me.

Carmy, I always enjoy a good drive unless the roads are bad and I’m in a hurry. I once had to drive to Spokane in a driving snow storm without 4 wheel drive. A 6 hour drive wound up taking 15 hours.

Okay, Dry! You do know that I will really have a shotgun, right?

JFri, how nasty. I think I would have given up on that long drive. I have absolutely no patience for that.

Well some people are just plain STUBBORN! Snerk!

Carmy, when you have to be there you do what you have to!

Dry, he didn’t catch that yet, LOL! JFri, I know. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Oh, I caught it, alright….just trying to keep from doing a

:-P :-P :-P :-P :-P

See what you made me do???

Carmy, that was very early in my current career path so I was anxious to do anything I could to drum up business.

Me, Do you need a bib, Turd, you kind of got things wet over here! ROFLMAO! :-P :-P

Dry, no bib for me……I sent it all your direction!!

SNERK!!!!

JFri I made you do that?

No Carmy. I did! SNICKER, TURD!

NOT YOU CARMY! YOU KNOW WHO, MR. :-P :-P :-P :-P

Well, jaaaaaaaa, Carmy!! I was going to ignore that “Stubborn” comment but you brought it back to my attention!

;-)

Hang on, I have to find something to wipe up all the :-P’s around here.

That’s better!

Did you use one of your teenie tiny towels, Carmy, from your birthday?

Carmy, did you use a Sham-Wow???

Dry,Yes, I used one of those teenie tiny towels. That’s about all they are good for, cleaning up my teenie laptop screen. JFri, no Sham-Wow today.

What is a Sham-Wow? One of the late Billy Mays products?

Dry, I don’t know. I’m thinking it might be that annoying guy that hawks it, not sure of his name though.

Oh, Dry, you really need to get out more!

SNERK!!

Carmy if you’re thinking of Billy Mays, the poor man passed away but they still run his commercials.

Dry, I don’t really watch TV, but I know that Billy had dark hair. The guy I am thinking about is light haired, maybe blond.

Does a slice of cheesecake qualify as a meal? Maybe 2 slices?

JFri :-P :-P :-P :-P

Better get the towels out again, Carmy!

ShamWow dude.

I still have the towels here, wipe, wipe.

Yes he is annoying! We better be careful or we’ll have HY here shaking his head at us! LOL!

Yeah, Carmy!! THAT’S the guy!

Sorry hy!

Poor hymenoxis, stealing his job from him! TSK TSK TSK!!