Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #60

     Something's dead in our truck, I must be wearing a sign that says "PARK BY ME," apparently goats like older model Cadillacs and we're going topless before trying completely naked.

Something'd Dead in Big Red/Windmill Ranch Preserve

     I'm not kidding. Something really stinks in our truck. If you live in the country, you'll know what I mean when I say: "It smells a dead mouse in the walls."

     Teresa and I have looked and looked, but haven't found anything. We suspect whatever the smell is, it's coming from inside the dashboard and we'll never be able to remove it. The smell's so bad that the young girl recently taking out our groceries actually recoiled when we opened the door. 

Park Next to Bill/United, Snyder TX

     I don't have many pet peeves, but one of my biggest is drivers who choose to park right next to me when there are many, many, many other parking spaces. I really think there's a sign on my truck and car that reads: "Park here if you want to rattle Bill's cage."😡😡😡

     I'm what I call a "Far Parker." That is, I intentionally park out from a store's front door. It gives me a little exercise and it's a ton easier to exit the parking lot. But almost without fail, someone will park next to me when there might be a dozen, two dozen spaces closer to the storefront. 

Hwy 180 Goats & their Caddy

     Meantime, goats are funny creatures. Teresa spotted these guys resting on this old Cadillac west of Snyder. She'd seen them before, but this was the first chance we had to not only catch them Caddy-napping, but also had a camera at our fingertips. 

Topless Burgers/Windmill Ranch

     Topless or Naked are our two, new diet code words. 

     Me: "You going Topless or Naked today?"

     T: "I'm going Topless. I thought I was going Naked, but I'll go Topless."

Me: "Okay, lunch in five."

     Topless means a sandwich or burger with only the bottom bread. Naked means no bread (terrible idea.)

     Our theory is half the bread means half the carbs, calories, sodium, etc and that's gotta be good in the weight loss game. Full nudity seems a little daring as we're diet neophytes.

     What about you? Are you more likely to go Topless or Naked?

     The Word of the Day is: QUIESCENT, (Kwee S int,) Adjective meaning 'In a state or period of inactivity or dormancy.' Sentence: Strikes were headed by groups of workers who had previously been quiescent.'

     NEW, NEW, NEWS Element: ODDS OF USING THIS WORD????     ZERO. (What about you?)

     Diet Update: Sunburnt.😂😂😂😂

     Gracie Update: Took her to the groomers, got her a bath and she rolled in a puddle five minutes after getting her home.

Bill Robertson (5/30/20,) I also hate red lights because guaranteed I'll hit every single red light if I'm in a hurry. My nickname is even "Red Light Bill." Don't believe me? Ask Teresa or my sons.

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #59

     It's National Hamburger Day. Teresa and I wanted to do our part but a herd of Social Distancing violators screwed up our plans.😡😡😡😡
     I could use this blog to rail on the 10-ft tall and bullet proof people who are screwing it up for the rest of us, but instead I choose to honor the humble hamburger.

National Hamburger Day/May 28, 2020

     Jimmy Buffet liked his with lettuce & tomato, Heinz 57... and a big kosher pickle. I've liked mine a lot of different ways over the years. What about you?

The Golden Arches

     In the beginning (1965ish,) I liked mine with mustard and pickles only. I was so disappointed the first time in Austin when mom took me to McDonalds. It was so, so bad. Ketchup on a burger... NO, NO, NO! Now, a BIG MAC is top shelf!
     My tastes in burgers probably changed around 1975 with the opening of George's Under the Underpass in Baton Rouge.

George's/Baton Rouge, LA

It was one of those divey places with low ceilings and dollar bills on the walls, but it had incredible burgers served with mountains of fries. It's still in business, by the way.
     Nowadays, I'm not picky at all. My favorite burger joints, excluding the fast food places, are in no particular order:

     10) Heffs (Sweetwater, Tx.)
       9) Spanish Inn (Snyder, Tx)
       8) The Lumberyard (Roscoe, Tx)
       7) Snuffers (Dallas)
       6) Whopper Burger (San Antonio, 1970ish)
       5) The Ice Box (San Antonio, 1972ish)
       4) The Ground Patty (Baton Rouge, La 1977- Lots of peanuts)
       3) The Big Apple Deli (Snyder, Tx)
       2) Dearman's Drug Store (Baton Rouge, 1975-1979 and STILL OPEN)
       1) George's Under the Underpass on Perkins Road (Baton Rouge... 1970s & STILL OPEN)

     The $64,000 question is: Fries or chips? That depends on the quality of the fries. I'll address that on National French Fries Day July 13, 2020.... I'm not kidding.😊😊😊😊

     The Word of the Day is: PHLEGMATIC (fleg-mad-ick). It's an adjective that means a person having an unemotional or stolidly calm disposition. Sentence: "The phlegmatic British character..." A few good synonyms are: CALM, COOL & COLLECTED.

     Gracie Update: She's at the boarder's and getting a much needed bath

Mudbugs = ZERO Calories!!!!!

     Diet Update: Bring on the mudbugs. We either stayed the same or lost a pound(ish,) even with the bread and potatoes.... I have no idea why our paper plates look like they have a thin layer of brown gravy.

Bill Robertson (5/28/20,) It's a fact... I will not eat a sandwich, a burger or a hotdog without chips or fries. Won't do it!!!

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #58

     A picture's worth a 1,000 words. Here's 15-20K.

     Gracie Update: No great shakes. She's gettin' kinda lazy unless we go for a walk. Then, she goes absolutely beserk.

     Diet Update: We're having a mini shrimp & crawfish bowl tonight with all the fixins'.... Crawfish, shrimp, corn, potatoes & even a little French bread. I dare our scale to pick a fight.

     Word of the Day: Regression: Noun: A return to a former of less developed state. Sentence: "It's easy to blame unrest on economic regression.
   

     Bill Robertson (5/27/20,) Sometimes, I'm very disappointed in The Word of the Day.

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #57

     My mother's Amaryllis is blooming, three and a half ounces of anything isn't enough to fill up a child much less an adult and why is the thing I like the most and most of the those things I like the most aren't good for me, plus I don't know the Word of the Day until I Google it.

Mom's Amaryllis/Snyder, Texas

     My grandmother was Josephine Randals. We all called her Mima. Her favorite flower was the Amaryllis. I always think of Amarillo. The same flower that Mima loved is now the one flower that my own mother checks everyday for any and all developments.
     To say that Mom's a gardening fanatic is an understatement. She has lots of interests like knitting, reading, cooking, experimenting, watching sports (loves Peyton & Aaron Rogers, not so much Tom Brady,) but most of all she loves her flowers and just about anything else that grows, shines or buds. Like the $4.00 mini solar fountains in her make-shift rain collection system, mom's backyard is full of natural and manmade conversation pieces.

T's Killer Chicken Spaghetti

     I wrote in Blog #56 that T makes a killer Chicken Spaghetti. The platter in the picture weighs in at approximately 12-pounds. Normally, it'd feed us several meals with still some to give away. But not anymore.

My Stinkin' Portion/😠😠😠😠😠

     This whacked out diet means "Eat as little as possible and enjoy it." So from all that casserole, the picture shows we got to eat only Three and a Half ounces!!!!!😡😡😡😡 We gave the rest to mom and a lot more to Cody and Kayci (step son & daughter in law.)
     Like so many things I enjoy, giant portions of Chicken Spaghetti aren't exactly a healthy choice. I love food. I was raised in Baton Rouge, LA., close enough to NOLA to still be a foodie hotspot. Give me raw oysters, fried oysters, giant seafood platters, crawfish etoufee, alligator, Gar-balls, Boudin. The list goes on and on. But none of it with the exception of the raw oysters sans the crackers has any nutritional value. Makes me so mad.

     Word of the Day: Ameliorate. Pronounced: Uh-mel-ya-RATE. It means to make something bad or unsatisfactory better. Sentence: "The reform did much to ameliorate living standards."

     Diet Update: See above
     Gracie Update: She's wiped out. T and I took two walks and we visited Cody and Kayci with their three dogs, Ace, Mayzi and Mickie. They played hard.

Bill Robertson (5/25/20,) Best Seafood platter in the world... 1978ish, me and Stephen Conner at the B & B Café near the Tickfaw River.

   

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #56

     Online church has gotten smooth-real smooth, our pastor's message today saved me from dishing out a real ass chewing to a WRONG WAY shopper and who stayed behind to make all those Sunday, after church feasts that I remember so well?

Calvary Baptist Church Online/Snyder, Texas

     First thing our pastor said this morning for online church was, "Great job to our staff" and I couldn't agree more.
     Our church, Calvary Baptist in Snyder America (http://cbcsnyder.com/,) is taking online church to the next level. They're embracing it, accepting the challenge and delivering in spades. It's gone from kind of fundamental to absolutely seamless and sophisticated with great audio, smooth camera operation, graphics and more. The CBC team is a perfect example of a group taking a rotten situation, adapting and making it completely comfortable.
    Speaking of online church, the message today saved me from blistering a WRONG WAY SHOPPER on aisle six, the bottled water aisle. Here's how it all played out.

     1) I'm going the correct way down the aisle. It's the water aisle. We needed what we call 'coffee water,' the big one gallon jugs.
     2) I pass the greeting cards on the left and right and I can see there's a store pallet in front of me with more water to be put on the shelves.
     3) The pallet's blocking the aisle and near the end of the aisle. There's only one way around it that's to my right.
     4) Just as I get close to the pallet, a lady turns down the aisle, going the WRONG WAY!!!!! Here's the conversation I had with myself...

      Me: "Don't do it DUMMY!"
      Me again: "Don't you see the big red box with the white, one way arrow?"
      Me again: "I'm not moving."
      Me again: "Get ready to back up lady. I'm gonna let you have it. I might even bump your cart."

     Then, a voice came into my head. It was our pastor Matt Lowry. He said: "Give kindness and most times, you'll get kindness. Not always, but most times."
     Me: "Ah Matt... I wanna chew this idiot out!"
     Matt in my head: "Give kindness and most times, you'll get kindness."

     Bottom line is, Matt's voice in my head won out. The lady was saved everything from a lot of choice words to maybe even a cart bump. Still.... FOLLOW THE SIGNS & WEAR A MASK!!!

Teresa's Killer Chicken Spaghetti/Windmill Ranch Preserve

     Now to Sunday, after church lunch. Who stayed home and made it because I remember leaving church at noon and eating a big feast shortly after services. How's that possible?

Hot and Bubbly/Teresa's Killer Chicken Spaghetti

     Someone had to stay home to make the roast with potatoes, onions, slice the cantaloupe and make that weird pear and cottage cheese salad. I don't remember a delay from leaving the church house to sitting at the table. Church was over at 12:00. BAM! Lunch was at 12:30. Someone stayed home to make the feast. But who? Whoever you were, thank you.
     By the way, Teresa made her killer Chicken Spaghetti today. Her double secret ingredient is on Aisle 3, top shelf at United in Snyder.

     Word of the Day: MALFIC (Mel-ah-fick.) It means: Causing or capable of causing harm or destruction, especially by supernatural means. Sentence: "She was hypnotized by the spider's malefic eyes."

     Gracie Update: Worn out. Played nine before online church. I played, Teresa watched and Gracie ran and ran and ran.
     Diet Update: That Chicken Spaghetti will last a very long time considering our diet only allows us a two ounce portion. Anybody want some?

Bill Robertson (5/24/20,) The big message from today's service was be like Paul.... Reset your mind. You have supernatural powers to do so.

   
   

Gracie and Me: Covid-`19 #55

     Our garbage smells like a McDouble, it's hard to choose a cantaloupe in C-19, our sunflowers are literally bursting through the soil here at The Windmill Ranch Preserve and The Word of the Day is a real yawner.

McDouble Smelling Garbage

     I'm not kidding about our garbage. We'd gone to the ranch and when we returned home, I noticed a good smell right away, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
     Me: "Mmmm, house smells good."
     T: "I don't know what it'd be."
     A little bit later after letting Gracie out, the appetizing odor began to get more and more familiar. It was on the tip of my tongue. 😂😂😂
    Me: "I got it! Our garbage smells like a McDonald's McDouble!"
    T (after laughing at me and with me): "It must be the onions from last night's supper."

The Cantaloupe Test/United Supermarket, Snyder, TX

     Speaking of smells, the only way I know how to check that a cantaloupe is good and ripe is to smell it. But in this day of C-19 and the wearing of masks, who can or wants to smell a cantaloupe. Think about it. To get a good whiff, one has to put one's snout as close to the orange fruit as possible. If it smells cantaloupy, then it's ready. I wasn't about to my nose to anything in this New Normal. So, I walked out of the store with a cantaloupe that could be great, completely tasteless or somewhere in middle.

Sunflower Plots/Windmill Ranch

     I found my green thumb, at least when it comes to SunSpot Sunflowers. I wrote earlier about prepping our flower beds here at The Ranch. I did that. Then, I planted a total of seven patches of sunflowers. My last seeds went into mother nature on May 17th.

Sun Spot Sunflowers/Windmill Ranch

     Now, they're popping up and with gusto. The lil' sprouts are actually cracking the soil to push through to sunlight. It's a ways off til we have actual sunflowers. I'll keep you posted.

     The Word of the Day: SOMNANBULISM: It's a noun that means Sleep Walking. "She would have liked to wake up from her SONMNANBULISM to find herself back in bed."

     Gracie Update: Apparently, a skunk has found her food her at the ranch. We can smell it every morning we come to work. Now, we make sure to put the food bowl in the kitchen and empty Gracie's water.
     Diet Update: Our garbage just reminded me of a McDouble. It didn't tempt me to go get one. I guess that's progress.

Bill Robertson (5/23/20,) I also planted English Lavender from seed. The odds are NOT in my favor.

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #54

     Teresa said "Oops" only once while trimming my beard and smoking fish probably isn't the smartest thing in West Texas, but it is definitely a fun challenge.

Beard Gate BEFORE/Scurry County, Texas

     The back story is... My last professional hair/beard appointment was about one week after C-19. Subsequently, I canceled my appointment. Finally yesterday, I went back to Rachel Chaidez for my usual. Unfortunately, my usual beard trim wasn't allowed. So, I got a great haircut but walked out with a hefty, gray beard.

Beard Gate AFTER/Scurry County, Texas

     But Teresa to the rescue. We bought the Remington 1200 Clippers at the beginning of Covid. It took four weeks for delivery. We didn't think we'd need them until Rachel said  that beards were non-essential. So Teresa took over.

     Me: "I couldn't resist. I had to try to new clippers."
     Teresa: "What?! Look at me! Oh my, you took a giant chunk of hair out of your cheek." (See top photo)
     Me: "It's not that big of a deal."
     Teresa: "It really is. Let's go outside. Let me get a chair."

     T did a great job but there were a few moments...
     Teresa: "Oops, I got you on your cheek."
     Me: "What's 'I got you?'"
     Teresa: "Got a little blood. It's not a big deal. Want me to get your mustache? "I've watched lots of videos. Don't worry."

     The bottom line is, T did a great job. We had some good laughs and dinner on the smoker smelled pretty good.

Rubbed & Ready/Windmill Ranch Preserve, Scurry County Texas

     I'm doing my smoking fish challenge. I have two, new rubs, and for my taste barometer, I'm rubbing some with just Old Bay.  I'm smoking others with just lemon and olive oil.

Smokin' @ 175/Windmill Ranch

     I put the fish on a rack and some corn on the cob directly on the grill top, set the temp at 175 and the timer at 2:00 hours. We'll see. Oh, I have cauliflower in the oven at 375 for 37-minutes. Timing is everything!

   Word of the Day: Ravel. It's a verb meaning to untangle. Sentence Ex: "Davy had finished raveling out his herring net." (obviously Davy doesn't live in Texas.)

    Diet Update:  Handsome Ben came to the ranch last night. It's always a great visit, but most times a bad diet thing.
    Gracie Update: She's still the best dang dog in the world.

Bill Robertson (5/21/20,) I'd say cauliflower or asparagus is my favorite vegetable. Broccoli's not too bad, but I miss potatoes.
     

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #53

     If it can get a kid to like vegetables, maybe it can get me to like fish, Gracie is the noisiest golfing dog in the world and today's Word of the Day comes from an author, who according to Wikipedia, had terrible plumbing and drainage issues at Doughty Street.

Golfing with Gracie/Scurry County Golf Course, Snyder Texas

     Teresa and I snuck out today for a quick nine at The Scurry County Golf Course http://www.golftexas.com/golf-courses/north-west/synder/synder-country-club.htm. Please, check out the link because it's really a well maintained and pretty tough course for the bad to medium okay golfer.

#5/Par 3, 145 yds/Scurry County Golf Course

     As for Gracie, I pretty sure that she couldn't make any more noise. It might have been because I was playing badly as usual, but seemed she shook, snorted and swam before or during every shot. This water hole that she's enjoying is on hole #5, Par-3 & playing 145 yards today. Gracie rolled in the puddle in my pre-shot and then shook during my back swing. I could be really upset about my seven iron that flew straight, but landed 15-yards short, but I was just happy it flew straight.

Magic Rub????

     Our grandson Carson is liking vegetables. Mom says it's the Traeger's rub. So, I figured if something as easy as a rub can get a 12-year old to like his vegetables then maybe it can get me to enjoy fish.... Maybe.
     We got a couple versions today. For some reason, one rub has less than one carb, but the other has more than 50 carbs (grams by the way.) There are two pitiful elements in that previous sentence. First, what's a gram of carbs and second, it's kinda pitiful that I've become a food label reading freak. But at least I found something to do in the C-19.

     The Word of the Day: Propitiating. It means; To appease, to gain or regain the goodwill. Sentence Ex: "She showed every possible desire to conciliate him, and there was an air of humble propitiation in all she did, such as I have seen pervade the bearing of a child towards a hard master." Charles Dickens.
     Geez, I need help with that whole sentence.😂

     Diet Update: Gonna smoke a whole bunch of fish using our new rubs. As a test, I plan to use some good old fashioned Old Bay with lemon as our barometer of flavor.
     Gracie Update: See above.

Bill Robertson (5/20/20,) I lost three balls today on less than nine holes.

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #52

     My ear hair, wild hogs and dashing deer... I wonder which one I wouldn't normally talk about unless I were writing a Covid-19 blog.

Wild Hogs/Scurry County, Texas

     I would write about wild hogs because they're a nuisance in West Texas and I came across a pack of about 25 this morning.

Wild Hogs/7:45am, Scurry County Texas

     Big ones and little ones crossed in front of me on SCR 264 at 7:45am. My picture doesn't do it justice. I was close enough I could hear their squealing.
     I would also write about dashing deer. A bunch of doe, at least six, ran across my path this morning on the ranch "Main Street".
     What I wouldn't normally write about is my ear hair. I got my ear hair and all my other hair, except for my beard, cut today in my first Covid 19 haircut.
     I had to park outside and call in to tell them I was there. Once I was inside, I had to wear a mask, answer a questionnaire and have my temperature taken. When I left, my hair stylist said, "I don't mean to offend you, but I gotta sanitize everything you touched." I wasn't offended, just awakened again to these changing times.

     The Word of the Day is: Listless. It's an adjective meaning (of a person or their manner) lacking energy or enthusiasm. Sentence Ex: This hot, hot weather not only makes me grumpy, it also leads to listless behavior.
     Gracie Update: She's definitely showing listless behavior in this heat.
     Diet Update: There's good fat and bad fat. Can you name which is which without going to Google? I couldn't, but I did. Now, I know how to read the food labels.

Bill Robertson (5/19/20,) We ordered clippers. Teresa's on beard duty tomorrow morning while it's still cool and we're not feeling listless.

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #51

     Today must be "Slow Turn Day," Gracie and I almost got into a fight at our local, nine hole golf course. and today's Word of the Day is probably a Smart Aleck.

College Avenue @ 37th Street/Snyder, Texas

     I know it's really not "Slow Turn Day," but it sure seems like it. Teresa and I just got back from town. It seemed like at every intersection, the drivers of the turning vehicles didn't realize that the accelerator is on the right.
     The slow turners weren't just limited to Snyder's main streets. No. They were even slow turning in the grocery store parking lot. Seriously, we got behind a newish, white pickup. To the driver's credit, he didn't just cut across the parking lot. But, he did take every right angle turn imaginable at what seemed like the speed of a slow water drip.

Scurry County Golf Course/Snyder, Texas

     To be clear, Gracie and I did not get into a fight at the golf course this weekend, but it felt close and it would've been my fault. We snuck out early Sunday so we could be back for church. I snuck back. Gracie doesn't go church.
     We'd just teed off on Number Eight, a tough par-5 with O-B all down the right side. My drive was short, but safely in the center of the fairway, which is always a surprise and a treat. I got in my cart and took off with Gracie already yards ahead of me. That's when I hear a golfer, who's wrapping up number seven, screaming at his tiny, little dog to STOP! COMEBACK!
      Gracie paid no attention and I just kept going to put as much distance between our dogs as possible. If we'd gotten into a tussle on Number Eight, it would have been my fault. That's because while dogs are allowed on the course, I think I'm the only one who lets their dog run, swim, chase and run some more. All the other dogs stay quietly in their human's cart.

     The Word of the Day is: Impudent. It's an adjective meaning not showing due respect to another person. Sentence ex: "He could have strangled this impudent upstart."
     Diet Update: Regular pasta, even in the two ounce serving portion, is a diet killer.

Bill Robertson (5/18/20,) Gracie could've taken that little dog. I'm not so sure about me with the other guy.
   
   

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #50

     My Apple Watch thinks I'm a slacker and Teresa's thinks it knows everything. Plus, this is planting day for sunflowers and lavender. And, today's blog marks an unfortunate milestone.

Sunflowers & Lavender/Windmill Ranch Preserve

     Today's important for two reasons. First, the soil's at a perfect 73-degrees for planting sunflowers. I'm just joking about the perfect soil temp stuff, but I have finally cleaned my flower beds enough to plant Sunspot Sunflowers and English Lavender.
     The above picture shows what we call the "Rail Bed" and the three dirt spots in the background are called the "Drive Way Bed." We also planted some English Lavender in another bed. The odds are very slim we'll get any results.
     Today's also important because it's one of my best friend from high school's birthday. I had two great friends in high school. They were Stephen Conner and Richard Olivier,Today is Richard's 58th birthday. I haven't seen nor spoken to Stevo since about 1995 and I haven't seen nor heard from Richard in years, except for a brief visit a couple years ago. We were indeed great friends at Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge and for a few more years later at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Stephen's family taught me to water ski and Richard and I got into a lot of trouble in those years, but most times we didn't get caught.😆😆

Smart Ass Watches

     If you have an Apple Watch, you'll get this.... Teresa's watch is stupid and I think mine is mocking me.
     My watch just informed me: "Congratulations! You just set a new exercise record of 23-minutes!" I think my watch is a smart ass.
     Teresa's watch likes to tell her: "At this time yesterday, you were further along. You could do better." The watch is so stupid, it doesn't know that sometimes Teresa puts on her watch at 8:00am. Other times, she doesn't put it on til around noon. So dummy..... Of course, yesterday was better! Score: Humans-1! AI- 0.😁

#50 is a Bummer

     I'm surprised and bummed that this is my 50th blog during C-19. That means for at least 50-days I've dedicated enough time to write about what Teresa and I are doing in a time that we'd usually have time to write about something else.
     Like so many of you, I'm waiting for the day that we can all write, talk and relate to something else.

     The Word of the Day is: NORMATIVE. It's an adjective that means: Establishing, relating to, or deriving from a standard or norm, especially of behavior. A helpful sentence might be: "We need to enforce negative sanction to enforce normative behavior."

     Gracie Update: We have a lot of frogs after last night's heavy rain. She's not too sure what to do. Also, we gotta cut off her water after about 6:00pm. She's woken up around 1:30am the past two nights needing to relieve herself.

     Diet Update: We've eaten so much lettuce that I actually have a favorite. That's big considering I never knew there was a difference.

Bill Robertson (5/16/20,) I'm keeping my watch because bullies need to be bucked!

   

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #49

     Barry Manilow LIVES, the class of 2020 is flexing its humor and creativity during C-19, this is Gracie's birthday and anniversary and today's Word of the Day is kind of  boring

Barry Manilow

     I saw Barry Manilow in 1978 at Pistol Pete's Palace in Baton Rouge. I looked up today and there he was again on some morning TV show. I was 16 years old in 1978. He must've been at least 35ish. So do the math, I'm 57. He's 77ish and he's STILL PERFORMING. That says a lot.
     The one thing I remember about Manilow's concert was he took about 30-minutes to showcase all the commercial jingles he'd written up to that point. Here are a few: "Stuck on Band-aid," "Like a Good Neighbor," "You Deserve a Break Today" and more just to name a few.

My Neice Mercy Grace Mummert

     The Class of 2020 may not get the old fashioned graduation, but they're likely to never forget the year they finished high school.
     This is my niece, Mercy, graduating from Albuquerque High School. Like so many others, Covid cancelled graduation but the class of 2020 doesn't give in and goes on with a drive by ceremony. GO BULLDOGS!

Class of 2020

     And you gotta appreciate these Senior Class signs for sale at our United in Snyder. The toilet paper says it all, both humorously and a little sadly too.

Good Dog Gracie

     This week marks Gracie's anniversary with us and this month marks her second birthday. Gracie showed up on our front porch May 14th. She's been with us ever since. We took her to Doctor Church our local vet from Aggieland. He said, at that time, she was about one year old. So, she's a May dog and, she's still a very good girl.

     The Word of the Day is: Platitude: It's a noun meaning a remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful.
     For example: "She began uttering liberal (or conservative) platitudes."

     Diet Update: I had a Hunger Buster JR for lunch today. Teresa had DQ Tacos. Each was about 350-calories. But...… We had burned about 450 calories before lunch. So, our net lunch calories were actually (-) 100 calories. I doubt that's a valid formula, but I'm using it.

Bill Robertson (5/15/20,) There's one, single fly in the pavilion as I write this and it's selected me to torment.

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #48

     Zip Ties on a ranch are like Penicillin to an infection. Both are truly necessary and very helpful, I'm convinced I can't be a Christian and a plumber on the same day and the sometimes bland other times playful or colorful mask is the new accessory in this New Normal.

Tree & Gutter Damage/Windmill Ranch

     Our S.O.B. Gutter Service finally wrapped up the pavilion gutter project that we started yesterday. I'd like to blame the delay on the heat, but incompetency is the honest answer.

The Zip Tie Fix/S.O.B. Gutter Service

     The new best tool at The Windmill Ranch is the Zip Tie. Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Our cobbled together downspout is held in place with about 10-Zip Ties and a whole lot of choice words.

Genius!/Windmill Ranch Preserve

     I can't think of a single water related projected that I've tried to tackle since the 1990s that took only one trip to the hardware store. And true to form, this gutter project took two trips.  I'm pretty sure that while coming and going from the store that I asked for forgiveness for all the rotten things I almost assuredly screamed during the actual work.

Masks/The New Accessory

     Is it me or is the mask the new accessory? There are serious masks, bland masks, super clinical looking masks and playful masks. I wonder since we can't see someone's face if we can presume their mask reflects their personality. My daughter-in-law Allison in Nashville and my niece Susie in Prairieville, LA made these masks. I think they say, "Bill, you're no plumber... idiot!"

     Word of the Day:  sciamachy. It's pronounced Cye-ah-mek-EE. It's a noun. It means: sham fighting for exercise or practice/argument or conflict with an imaginary opponent.

     Gracie Update: She's discovered that napping on the cool concrete between the kitchen and pavilion is a whole lot better than the warm grass under the mesquites.
     Diet Update: My salmon didn't suck. Go figure.

Bill Robertson (5/13/20,) I've used Zip Ties to fasten a license plate. It held up pretty good too.

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #47

     I'm running a little hot today. The first thing on my last nerve is the new business I started today called S.O.B. Gutter Service. I call it S.O.B. because that's what I was yelling about every five minutes.

S.O.B. Gutter Service/Snyder, America

     I've been up and down a ladder so many times today that my Apple Watch is congratulating me for exercising.

Wind Damage/Windmill Ranch Preserve

     The trouble all started when we had 40-mph plus winds Friday. Trees on the back side of the ranch pavilion snapped and crashed across our previous S.O.B. Gutter Service roof drainage system.
     So now, we're starting over. The big headache is that the cutter is square and too big for standard downspouts. So, we're literally fitting a round PVC coupling into a square hole and that's definitely the most frustrating, S.O.B. generating part of the process. Once we got the coupling situated with adequate caulk and zipped tied to the facia, we were off and running. I'll show you the finished project sometime soon.

It's a Universal Symbol, IDIOT!

     The other thing on my last nerve is, HOW HARD IS IT ABIDE BY THE ONE WAY SIGNS AT THE GROCERY STORE!!!???
     Even if someone speaks only Russian, Latin or Swahili, the big red box with the BIG ONE WAY SIGN is pretty universal.

     Today's WORD of the Day is: exegesis. It's pronounced... eksa gee sis. It's a noun that means critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture. For example, "the task of biblical exegesis."
     Gracie Update: Take her on a bike ride and she's a happy dog
     Diet Update: Salmon tonight. My fav.... NOT!

Bill Robertson (5/12/20,) I thought about naming my gutter service "Damnit Gutters," but didn't think I could get an ad in the Yellow Pages.

Gracie and Me: Covid-19 #46

     I stayed buckled up at Drive-In Church, I bought some Aspercreme and Tapioca pudding today and I'm working to grow my vocabulary by one new word a day.

Mother's Day Drive-in Church/Snyder, America

     Our church, Calvary Baptist, in Snyder, America held another Drive-In service. This time, it was for Mother's Day. Again, kudos to the CBC team. Y'all did a great job. Everything was perfect from the gifts for each mom to the message and more.
     The weird thing is, I noticed about 20-minutes into the service that I was still wearing my seatbelt. I wonder if that's a metaphor. Hmm?

Aisle 10/United Supermarket, Snyder, America

     This will be the last week for senior grocery delivery in Snyder and the grocery lists are still a little surprising.
     I never expected that I'd be shopping for Aspercreme. In fact, I had to look at the picture just to make sure I spelled it correctly. Obviously, it's missing an 'A' and there's no need for the extra 'E.'  But if you're looking for it, it's under "Pain Relief" near the pharmacy, middle shelf, right hand side.

Dairy Section, Top Shelf/United, Snyder, America

     And shouldn't Tapioca pudding really be spelled Taf-E-Oca? And, who eats it? Well, it's not spelled how it should be and it's apparently pretty good. So, I got a six pack for Shopper #1.

Check-Out #6/Lower Left

     Finally, I've bought gum before but never in my life, until today, have I bought three packs of DoubleMint Gum. Remember the commercial with the twins? You're young if you don't. A funny sidebar is, the same person who wanted DoubleMint gum also wanted a pack of bite sized Snickers and a big package of Wurthers candies.

     Word of the Day: I've been inspired to learn a new word each day. Today's word is: Crepuscular. It means.... adjective: of, relating to, or resembling twilight; dim; indistinct.

     Gracie Update: She's acting a little unusual day. Tree trimmers came and she kinda freaked out.
     Diet Update: I'm really craving a Sonic #2, add hickory sauce with onion rings. Just sayin'.

Bill Robertson, (5/11/20,) I feel I gave a CREPUSCULAR description of my Drive In Church experience. Also, I'm a Big Red kind of guy and who in their right mind would eat Taf-E-Oca when there's perfectly good, Blue Bell Ice Cream sandwiches on Aisle 16? (third cooler from the end, on the left.)