RESTORATION

 They said it couldn't be done.

Or maybe that was me that said that.

My big ol' computer apparently had contracted a terminal illness last week.

In spite of many turnings off the power and back on and trying to reload, it kept telling me it had lost a kernel (whatever that means) and it was just not going any further.

I told all of you Oddball followers . . . no, no, I'm not calling YOU oddballs, I'm just abbreviating followers of Oddball Observations.

Any way, I told you the blog was going to have to go on hiatus until I figured out what to do.

But 24 hours later I was back.

Sorta.

I had dug out an old laptop and managed to get it working.

But, as I said then and have said many times before and perhaps I should stop saying it, I hate laptops!

The little screen, the little keyboard, the damnably maddening touchpad.

But it rescued me.

Sorta.

But then like a message from above, or somewhere, came word from old friends that they had a couple of newish computers because they had upgraded at their business and I could obtain one at a bargain basement price.

Not only that but My Favorite Computer Geek would try to get my pictures and docs from my old beast and transfer them into the new computer.

Well, he succeeded, dear friends, and once again I am back with my big (16 inch or somesuch) screen and a computer that could have fit in My Old Beast's body 5 or 6 times, I think.

And it's faster.

Much, much faster.

And late today I found all of my old pictures and documents!

I am one happy camper.

So without further ado, I will show you a photo taken yesterday by Crosstown Lori, who just happens to be the wife of My Favorite Computer Geek, who will now be known as Ruthless Rick.

And just to show you the full picture . . here he is with your contented customer.

There are many things one can aspire to in life but tops on the list is a category I have been blessed with: Good Friends.

Thanks, Rick!

COOKIES

 Just to let you know that I am not suffering too much in my Days of Computer Dismay, let me show you what the real kitchen master produced yesterday.

Those are a batch of her very special Bacon Fat Gingersnaps.

The recipe (click here) came from Julia Moskin at the New York Times who wrote that she got it from a fashion critic at the newspaper, Cathy Horyn.

And Ms. Horyn based it on Swedish ginger cookies from her hometown of Coshocton, Ohio.

And in true Master Chef tradition, my partner amended the recipe to toss in sliced candied ginger and to roll the cookie balls in "Sugar in the Raw" (Turbinado cane sugar).

The finished product is, I can say with absolute honesty, addictive.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Call it hilarity.

Or jocularity.

Or mild amusement.

It's what I need after a week like this one, what with computer problems and weed chopping-digging-poisoning.

If your week has been anything like mine, you're ready for some laughs too.

So let's see what we can find.

Okay, friends and neighbors, that's the best I can do.

I hope you got some laughs (and some groans) from them.

And I hope you won't give a thought to my computer guru as he struggles to extract my files from the now-defunct computer.

I hope instead that you all have an absolutely stupendously wonderful weekend.

And never forget to KEEP LAUGHING!!!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . . warning: groan ahead . . .)

WELL THAT WAS SHORT

 I'm talking about my hiatus of blog posting.

I have a damaged, somehow, desktop PC sitting next to me, useless for now.

But I revived a laptop from a closet and got it running.

It's fairly old; I think the battery is dead; so I can only run it plugged in.

Did I ever tell you how much I hate laptops?

But I have managed to plug my keyboard into it and after some finagling around I got my wireless mouse to work with it so it's just about like having a PC again.

The only problem is all that stuff I had on the PC is just sitting there, inaccessible for the time being and maybe forever.

So we struggle along, trying to pretend nothing is wrong.

But there is one, or actually three, other problems with this day.

Special thanks to Comical Carol for sending me that just this morning as I was gnashing my teeth and fouling the air with various epithets.

I'll try to be a better boy.

TROUBLE IN RIVER CITY

I have serious computer problems which force me to put Oddball Observations on hiatus until I get them fixed, one way or another.

With apologies, see ya later.

MONDAY MARIGOLD

 

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!

Court is now in session!

Wait a minute.

That was a dream.

It's what comes from dozing off into a nap in the middle of the day.

So with that, I bring a respite for you from this week's gaiety.

And just in time for you to adventure forth in pursuit of good fun and a GREAT weekend!

And never forget to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . . wanna go outside . . . ? )

PASTRY 1.0

That number in the title of this post does not mean I scored a 10 with my latest kitchen adventure.

It's more like a Beginner's Course Number.

So, brace yourselves.

That is supposed to be a Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart.

As I told Judy when she was viewing it, it's "Rustic".

I don't know if there is such a thing as a rustic tart but this version certainly would fit the description.

The good thing is I know and have had explained to me by the Master Chef of the household some of the mistakes I made.

I'll not bore you with the details.

And we haven't tasted "The Thing" yet and it could be delicious.

The cream cheese underlying the strawberries is flavored with sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and a pinch of salt.

So we'll see.

Meantime, I guess I should leave the fancier stuff to SWMBO, who can make even a salad plate of cucumbers and Kalamata olives look great.

6-6

 Today, June 6th, is a day marking many events.

To many, it is D-Day, the day in 1944 when British, Canadian and American troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France in World War Two.

But there are other events that happened on this day.

In 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden and the day today is celebrated as the National Day of Sweden, though historians quibble about the actual date.

In 1859, Queensland separated from New South Wales in Australia, becoming a separate colony.

The day is still celebrated as Queensland Day down under.

Much more recently, on this day in 1987 my wife Judy and I crossed the border from Nogales, Arizona to Nogales, Sonora, Mexico and a happy life as expatriates that lasted over 4 years.

You might say it was D Day for us with the D standing for departure.

And then, as I've written here before, June 6th in 1904 was the day my mother, Hattie Loretta Hylland, was born.

She would be 119 today.

Here's an early picture of she and my dad during their courting days.

Though she left us way too soon, I always think of her on this day.

WHO ELSE?

 This is the week that Pence, Christie, Burgum and who knows who else will announce they are seeking the Republican nomination for President.

That's former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and (I forgive you if you didn't know this one) North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

They will join former South Carolina Governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, California conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, entrepeneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy, and . . oh yeah, some guy named Donald Trump.

That's ten and counting.

A few people who thought about running and gave it up are New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and former Kansas U.S. Representative, Secretary of State and C.I.A. Director Mike Pompeo.

They must have seen the handwriting on the wall.

Or in the back of a taxicab.

St. James Infirmary - Another Version

Yesterday's post featured a version of the St. James Infirmary Blues, performed by Arlo Guthrie.

The classic has been recorded by almost everyone.

But my friend Gentleman Jim commented that he heard a version many years ago that had become his all time favorite.

That performance was by the legendary New Orleans trumpeter Louis Armstrong.

I'm sure I too had heard that version back in my younger days and since I, too, am a big fan of Satchmo I thought I'd offer it up here and give all of you readers, commenters and lurkers a chance to say which is YOUR favorite.

SATURDAY SATURNALIA

Just a little music for you.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Gosh it's been a long week.

But also a short week.

It seems like just yesterday I was posting about that sheet pan dinner that SWMBO prepared.

Well, sorry for my absence from your blogroll.

I'll try to make up for it as June has arrived and the gardening season with it.

So let me entertain you.

So you have now been entertained.

The weekend (back to a short one, dadblast it) is up to you.

Have a good time as you enjoy the outdoors before the blast of summer (or winter, if like River, you live in the Southern Hemisphere).

But always, always, remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

( . . . and that's what drives us crazy . . .)

DINNER

 Melissa Clark (my favorite red-head) of the New York Times is the master (mistress?) of the sheet pan dinners.

But she's got nothing on my Master Chef in Residence, Ms. Judy, aka SWMBO.

Witness:

Before

After

My plate

My salad (sliced fresh cantaloupe)

My witnesses

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

 In the United States of America this is the unofficial beginning of Summer.

So the feasting is on.

Barbecue grills with hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, corn on the cob.

Desserts of rhubarb pie, strawberries over ice cream, watermelon.

Memorial Day, on Monday, is a federal holiday, thus we get a three-day weekend.

But the original meaning was a day set aside to mourn and honor those who lost their lives while serving in the Armed Services.

Originally called Decoration Day, the graves of those warriors were marked with small flags.

My only relative that I know who died in service is buried far away.

But I was up this morning putting in a couple of hooks so we too could fly our flag.

It's out there now in front of our home, fluttering in the breeze.

As we gather on patios and in back yards and swimming pools and ball parks, let us enjoy the good food and the good friends and the good times.

But never forgetting why we have this weekend.