Dan Antion

Because I Can & It’s Fun – #SoCS

The perfect lime wedge.
My coworker’s new shelf.

It’s Saturday and Linda G. Hill has invited us to stream along with her by giving us her weekly Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. In addition to incorporating the prompt, Linda asks that we write in a stream of consciousness style with little planning and no editing (other than typos). I generally carry the prompt into the bar with me. Let’s see what she’s come up with of today:

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘pro/con.’ Talk about the pros and cons of anything. Enjoy!”

If we were having a beer, you’d be wandering down an old familiar path.

“How’s that summer project coming Dan?”

“Let’s just say that I am in need of a cold Corona, David.”

“A cold Corona? I can help with that.”

“You have Corona in the cooler, Cheryl?”

“We do, Dan. We scored an eighteen-pack from our distributor.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all week. Slide one under the plexi and give the old man whatever he wants.”

“Well, thank you, Dan. Whatever has you in need of adult refreshment, has either left you in a good mood, or affected your judgement.”

“Perhaps the later. Although, it was cooler today.”

“You were working outside?”

“Yes, I’m still working on our shed.”

“Here you go, Dan. Cold Corona, perfect lime. David, you didn’t ask, but I brought a glass of John Howell’s Bourbon and the usual sides.”

“Thanks Cheryl.”

“Yes, thanks. And thank you, Dan.”

“You boys want some food?”

“I think an order of wings would be good, Cheryl, but just ten. I, um, well, I…”

“You had lunch at Skooter’s. I saw your car there on my way in, Dan.”

“Guilty as charged, Cheryl, but you guys don’t have hot dogs on the menu.”

“We have them on the kid’s menu.”

“That’s not the same.”

“Dan, give it up. You’ve been busted.”

“I was starving, David. I had been working pretty hard.”

“You know what I was doing before coming here, Dan?”

“I have no idea.”

“I was watching the Yankees beat up on the Red Sox.”

“Do you have a point, David?”

“I do. If you would simply buy a shed, or hire a contractor, you, too could be enjoying your retirement.”

“I am enjoying my retirement.”

“Cutting, climbing, hammering, and hitting yourself with a hammer, you enjoy that?”

“Well, not so much the hitting myself, but I enjoy the other stuff.”

“But it’s work, Dan. You’re retired. That’s supposed to mean that you stopped working.”

“I used to do this stuff when I was working, David. Not at work, but when I took vacation.”

“Yes, and that was crazy, but I thought you were doing manual labor to exorcise the demons found in meetings and on conference calls.”

“I was.”

“So, what about now? Are you attending staff meetings with your wife?”

“No, of course not, Although, I’m sure she doesn’t mind my being outside.”

“So, what’s the attraction? Is it the money you’re saving?”

“No, I mean that is a plus, but I really do enjoy this work. There’s a special sense of achievement that comes with building something.”

“But it’s a shed, Dan. It’s not like you’re about to christen the Titanic.”

“The shed is important.”

“Kloter Farms has them sitting on a lot. They even deliver!”

“A shed the size of ours, without barn doors, without a second door and without a window is over four-thousand dollars!”

“So, it is about the money.”

“I can’t believe you boys are still arguing about this. Your wings are up. You want another round.”

“We do, Cheryl.”

“I’m right, though, aren’t I Dan. It is about the money.”

“Not exactly. But the money I save on one project allows me to buy the tools that I use, and then I can use them on other jobs. Besides, doing it myself ensures that I get the quality I’m looking for.”

“In other words, it’s a self-perpetuating cycle of doom. You work, so you can save, so you can work some more.”

“Cycle of doom?”

“Well, maybe that’s a bit much, but you get my point.”

“I do, but it’s invalid. You keep forgetting that I enjoy doing this work.”

“And it’s probably healthy for him, David. I mean, it is exercise. You boys need anything?”

“Sauce.”

“You need more sauce, Dan?”

“No, we need some sauce. They didn’t put any on the wings.”

“Wow! I’m sorry, let me take those back.”

“Maybe they thought you wanted to do it yourself, Dan, you’re lucky they didn’t just bring you a chicken.”

It’s back.
The bar has a good menu, but nothing like this.
“Aren’t you guys going for a walk?”
We’ve been walking as early as 6:30 am.
We haven’t had much rain this summer, so I was very happy to see water droplets.
They were good, but they did forget the BBQ sauce.
I think Jinx is watching for the walker lady. She starts her walk from that door.
Bunny.
The park has a very quiet look during the early part of the day. It was hazy and the temp went to 95°f (35°c) on this day.
I haven’t seen a puddle on the basketball court in a very long time.
By the time we would return from our walk, the drops will have dried.
My favorite puddle. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it.
Despite the high afternoon temperature, Maddie loves to sit. We limit her to a short time span, because she will get overheated.
The Bee Balm is near the end of it’s season, but the bees still love it.
MuMu has left me for a better shelf.

67 comments

  1. That lunch always blows me away. It looks absolutely amazing, but I’d need a take home container. :-) Glad you’re finishing up the shed project because then I know you will be on to another project. David doesn’t understand that some retirees weren’t meant to rock on the porch ‘all’ day long. :-)

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    • That lunch is one of my favorite meals. The burger is the smaller of the two options, and no fries. I couldn’t eat fries with this. The shed will be done sooner than expected. I can’t get the material for the roof extension, so I’m scaling that back quite a bit. I don’t want to wait 4-6 weeks for availability.

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  4. hahaha. One person’s work is another person’s play. I get it Dan. Having to sit through an activity where grown men play with sticks and stamp their feet on plates, would be work for me. Hard work. Excruciating work. I don’t judge. (love the line about the chicken)

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  6. If I could build a shed, assuming I needed a shed, I would. I like the alternative: “has either left you in a good mood, or affected your judgement”. For me, sometimes both of those happen at the same time.

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  7. LOL, great post Dan. Although I should have had a second cup of coffee– the reflections gave me an odd feeling. Fun pics. That intro one of MuMu is adorable. And the bunny sitting tall and handsome.
    Too bad Cheryl busted you about lunch, but after the photo, who could blame you? Looks sinfully-junk-food good.
    I realize you enjoy the work, but I guess you’ll be happy when you can be shed of the shed project. Take care. Hugs on the wing.

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  8. Keep on doing what you enjoy Dan. It will keep you young, healthy and happy,

    Love the puddle pictures and the bunny looks like an oil painting. The 3M’s are always a treat to see.

    “You’re lucky they didn’t just bring you the chicken” ……priceless one liner.

    Haven’t forgotten you Dan….I’m a bit under the weather. Hope all is well with you. Have a perfect weekend.
    🐾Ginger 🐾

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    • Awww, I hope you’re feeling better very soon, Ginger.

      I love those puddles, and they have been rare this summer. The M-girls are keeping me on my toes.

      I am heading out to cut the out-of-control weeds.

      Take care,

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  9. Well the whole chicken would be a pro. Since while you send the whole chicken back to the kitchen you would have time for another serving or two of properly chilled adult philosophy sauce. Love the picture of the gravity disoriented basketball net followed by the oriented drop of water. And why pay $4 K for a shed that needs to be customized to fit the height of a fully outfitted snow blower ? That would be like buying a cold Corona without the bottle … It wouldn’t even be photogenic !

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  10. It is such a great feeling when you have done the work yourself. Four thousand dollars…!! Those puddle reflections and the raindrop are beautiful! I like Jinx watching out for Walker Lady. He needs to be able to whistle to you and Maddie so you can change course! Have a good weekend, Dan.

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    • It’s been so long since I’ve seen a puddle on the street or drops in the trees. I thought I might be going overboard, but I couldn’t resist. We do pay attention to that door. If she starts her walk, we have to boogie to get around and away from the building before she does. So, I appreciate Jinx keeping an eye open. We’ve had this shed for almost 30 years. I’m hoping to keep it around until I don’t need it. Have a good weekend, Lois.

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  11. Cheers to Corona in bottles being back in the SoCS action! This is on a complete side note, I normally read your blog posts on your website, not via Reader. Today I read it through Reader, and I prefer it the other way – I like to be able to look at great your photos there. In Reader, they’re tiny and the words cover the pictures. But, both ways are enjoyable to read your playful words. I hope you’re having a great weekend and weather permits you working on your shed!

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  12. Always fun to read your antics at the bar. The shed looks great, too, by the way. I have been organizing my workspace so I can post some pics here. I am happy to have a handyman husband.

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    • We finally look like we’re going to escape the heat. I did a little yard work and then decided to take some time off. We still need rain in a big way. We might get some, but I’m more interested in the fact that we don’t have any 90-degree days in the forecast. I hope you have a good weekend.

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  15. I’m with you on the shed, Dan. You have the talent to make sure it is done right. I don’t and besides, I’m restricted by the house police on those jobs I can do. So the wings were deep-fried and no sauce? That sounds like the perfect excuse to get another batch that have sauce. Love the photos as usual. Have a safe balance of the weekend.

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    • Mexico declared the brewery “non-essential” and they had to close in March. Apparently, they are brewing it again, but distribution is a mess. The bar was without Corona for one week. I stocked up a bit, so I’ve never run out at home.

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      • Holy cow! I’m glad to know you survived!! I may have mentioned that summer for me, a dark beer drinker, is the beerpocalypse, when dark beer is at its least available. It can be a grim time if the correct preparations aren’t made. As for as stocking up, when we moved, five six-packs of Cashmere Hammer, my favorite dark beer but one only available in Wisconsin and the Chicago area, came along. I’m rationing them, aided by the fact that in Arizona, it really is rather hot for dark beer, at least right now. I picked up some Black Tooth Saddle Bronc while in Wyoming, so I have several more six packs stashed. :-)

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  20. The last line was the best! Just bring you the chicken. Ha! Love the banter. You had to throw in the Red Sox, huh? Sheesh! I’m still shocked that Rask opted out of hockey, in the middle of a series, no less. But I digress… Looking forward to photos of the shed progress. We’re in cooler weather, thank heavens, although I suspect you’re getting dumped with rain.

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  21. I’ve missed your puddle pictures. That picture of the raindrop dripping is GREAT! You keep on doing what you love to do, no matter what “David” says. When you don’t enjoy it anymore, you won’t do it anymore. As long as you do, no justification required. Besides, he just likes to rag you. I know that. If it wasn’t handymanning, it would be something else, am I right? :D

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