Simple Pleasures

One of life's wonderfully simple but tremendously satisfying simple pleasures is grilled shrimp and beer.  I was actually going to write more, but after further consideration, I think that really does it.

On beer and shrimp related matters, I'll keep you....wait a minute...wait a minute: I just thought of something!  This picture reminded me of my longtime great friends, Randell G & Jami Jo, from Ft. Collins, CO.  The only thing the Warren Clan likes better than beer and shrimp is beer and grandkids.  I don't know for sure but I'm willing to bet at least one of Randell's old pair of metro-sexual Brogans and one of Jami Jo's favorite pairs of Levi's that they also like grilled shrimp.  And with the possible exception of a Sonic cheese burger and Miller Light combo, "You cain't go no better"!

PS. Don't forget: If you find yourself lost in Ft. Collins and completely out of money, ask the first person you see if they can point you in the direction of the Warren home.  If they say they have no idea who you're talking about, ask if they can at least point you in the direction of the closest store that sells weed.

    

Barn by Almost Uncle Tom

Until a person has their very own barn, there's no way to really know for sure how much stuff you really don't need. Once you've filled your barn up with stuff you can spend your time rearranging, cleaning, de-cluttering, fumigating, and de-mousing. It's called "Barn Life" and it's a lot of fun if you run out of other stuff to do.

This particular barn is owned and operated by my "Almost" Uncle Tom. I believe that's Aunt Dee Dee under the awning holding up something Tom dug up while she wonders, "What in the snot is this darn thing and what's Tom ever gonna do with it?" That's just one example of how it works.

Now, on a more serious note, a barn is an essential addition to any earnest outdoorsman's repertoire of guy-things necessary in the fulfillment of his duties as an outdoorsman. Forget that Paul Bunyon only needed an ax and a ox to clear the north woods and that Danial Boone settled the frontier with a muzzle loader and a hatchet. All Tom Bowie needed in order to do all the stuff he did was a knife, although he apparently also have a gun during the Battle of The Alamo.

But most modern day outdoor guys of the County Cole variety, in reality, can't get all that much work done with the implements used by our fore-fathers and fore-mothers. It's difficult to brush hog with a Bowie knife and takes nearly forever to clearcut a barn building-site with a dull hatchet. That's where the barn comes in.  If you build it big enough it will hold all the stuff you'll one day pass on to someone who will probably say, "What in the snot was Tom thinking when he bought this darn thing?"

If I come across any new family barn-information during the family reunion to be held this weekend just outside Califronia, Mo, I'll let you know. On other assorted and random non-critical information....I'll keep you posted.

BIGFOOT

It's difficult to comprehend how (with several million people keeping their eye peeled) no one to date has been able to get a good picture of Bigfoot. There has to be a few million trail cameras in the remote areas of North America set to automatically snap pictures 24 hours a day yet...not one legible picture of Bigfoot. Even the Discovery Channel has a few full-time teams of folks who spend their collective lives looking for Bigfoot, but so far they've been unsuccessful at getting a picture of him. Oh, we know he's there because they hear him every single time they walk in the woods; they just haven't been able to get a picture of him. (It has become more than obvious that Bigfoot is extremely difficult to photograph.) There have been more "near encounters" with Bigfoot recorded on video camera than there have been near encounters with Michael Moore recorded on GoPro, yet no picture. One single verifiable snapshot of a Bigfoot would be worth millions and millions of dollars, yet since the invention of the camera over 150 years ago no one has been able to accomplish this. Not even one time.

After giving the subject considerable thought I'm able to come up with only one possible conclusion: Bigfoot is invisible. And that makes him even more scary than we had previously imagined.

I'll try to keep you posted on further Bigfoot developments.

Stove Top Donuts

This is a rope that holds up one end of a porch-swing on the front porch of the Boon Fly Cafe in Napa Valley, California. The hardware was galvanized and stainless steel, the rope and string were marine grade and the swing itself was made from teakwood or something similar as I recall. High quality materials make for a long lasting apparatus or structure. I'm guessing that as a result of the discerning craftsman who hung this particular swing, that darn thing is still up there and performing admirably.

If you find yourself in the area consider stopping in. If you do, tell them that "that one guy from that one town in Arkansas" sent you. It could be just enough to get you a little extra chicken on your waffle or maybe a real good deal on a donut. I'd recommend the donut if you're given a choice. It's been reported that the chicken waffles are real good, but I have a personal policy to never get caught turning down a real good deal on a real good donut; especially when they're homemade. (You cain't go no better!)

I'll keep you posted on waffle and donut related business.....

NOTE: Grandma Keil used to make some awfully good donuts on the gas stove located appropriately in her kitchen. When you're a kid at your great-grandma's house, it's hard to do better than fresh and hot stovetop donuts and an ice cold "sodie" right out of the Ol' frigidaire!

Sunset Update

If you live to the eve of your 90th birthday, you get 32,872 opportunities to watch the sun set. Each time you miss the chance to enjoy the splender of the setting sun, it's an opportunity you'll never get back. Each sunset is somewhat unique and varies to a degree from one evening to the next.
It's been my experience that a sunset is best experienced in person.

Should I run across other pertinent sunset information, I'll post it here on Old and Ridiculous.

Howard & His Chisels

In a highly unusual development, this is the second "Old and Ridiculous" post in one day: An unparalleled feat as far as the author can recall. The purpose of this post is for the father of a good friend of mine. Miss Maggie Mae (of Rolla, Missouri fame) has plans to bring her "Maw & Paw" down for a cabin visit next month. Maggie's Maw gave her Paw a very nice set of brand new Marple wood chisels for Christmas and he's dying to set himself to work with them. The cabin will be a good place for Howard to do some long overdue chisel work. My life long friend is a woodman extraordinaire and one of the few folks I know who's ever worn out a Stihl AND Husqvarna chain saw...in the same day! (Ok, that's a little bit of an exaggeration to say in the same day, but he did wear the snot out of those darn high quality saws and he did it in just a couple of years or so.)

Although Howard doesn't make his living in the wood industry (not technically), he does have a fine appreciation for wood, whether he's sitting in it, sawing, splitting, burning, carving or just looking at it. For the record, his hot little wife, Kerri (of Dixon Missouri fame) is also an admirer of that fine renewable resource. She's perfectly content, however, allowing her adoring husband to do the woodworking while she curls up in front of the wood stove with a good book and appropriate beverage.

With all that in mind, my plan is to have the barn ready for Howard and his chisels when he and his girls visit County Barry next month. As legend has it, when Howard goes to work with his chisels, it's best to "...just git outta the way and let 'im finish!".

Thanks for tuning in and I'll try to keep you posted....