It is already the third Saturday in January. 2020 is falling farther into the past with each tick of the clock. The bar remains open, under virus restrictions, but still serving beverages and food. We are here to sample a little of each and to see if we can score some bonus points from Linda G.Hill with her Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt:
“Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: ‘first thing.’ Start your post with the words, ‘first thing’ and go from there. Bonus points if you end your post with the last thing. Have fun!”
If we were having a beer, we’d be trying to find a safe topic of conversation.
“First thing – oh this was so funny, Cheryl, first thing, the center snaps the ball over the quarterback’s head…”
“David, shhh, Dan’s on his way over.”
“I know, but the ball went into the endzone…”
“And Cleveland scored their first touchdown – yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn’t come here to discuss that game, David.”
“I’m sorry, Dan. It’s just that that game was such a cl…”
“David, if you hope to see this glass of John Howell’s Bourbon, you’ll be mindful of the fact that this is a family restaurant.”
“I know, Cheryl. I’ll be a good boy. I’m sorry, Dan. If it helps, I’ve already put the tab under my name.”
“Thanks, David, but it’s going to take more than a couple beers and some wings to put that year behind me.”
“Year? Who said anything about a year? For that matter, who said anything about wings?”
“It’s not just the Steelers, David. The Penguins went out of the playoffs in the first round, Pitt football started out great and then folded like a cheap suit. Pitt’s basketball is never that good, and the Pirates…the Pirates were the worst team in baseball – twenty-twenty was the worst year in Pittsburgh sports in a very long time.”
“Here’s beer number one, Dan. You want me to open the second one now?”
“Keep it cold, Cheryl, I’m past guzzling.”
“You know, Dan, your normally cheery self would at least acknowledge that you had two teams make it into the playoffs, and Pitt did end up eligible for a bowl game. Some cities haven’t had that kind of success in years.”
“My normally cheery self is considering itself lucky that the pandemic travel restrictions prevented me from being in Pittsburgh to see any of those games, David. Can we move onto something less depressing?”
“Where would you have this conversation go, Dan?”
“I don’t know, I guess anywhere would be an improvement, except Washington.”
“How about Windsor? Did you see the article about the Palace Theater? They’re going to offer tours.”
“I saw that, David. I think I might sign-up.”
“The theater has been closed for over thirty years, Dan. Are they planning to reopen?”
“I have no clue, but the tours are of areas that no one has ever seen.”
“You want that second beer Dan? I mean before you start humming the theme from Star Trek.”
“Yes, Cheryl, I think it is time for that beer.”
“Were you ever in the theater for a movie, Dan?”
“Yes, David. My friend John and his wife and my wife and I went there a few years before it closed.”
“What movie?”
“Sophie’s Choice.”
“There’s two and a half hours of your life you’ll never get back “
“David, that was a great movie. Here’s your beer, Dan.”
“I think women liked it more than men, Cheryl. Did you like it Dan?”
“Actually, I fell asleep.”
“What about John?”
“He fell asleep, too. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good movie.”
“I can take that beer back, Dan.”
“John and I had been working that day. We were tired. The seats were comfortable.”
“Your tux didn’t come back from the cleaners – you’re sounding like Joliet Jake in The Blues Brothers, Dan.”
“How can they give a tour under today’s restrictions, Dan.”
“They’re limited, Cheryl. There’s a maximum number of people allowed in the building at the same time. Masks, distancing, all that sort of stuff.”
“Cheryl, does that beer come with another splash of bourbon or did you cut me off?”
“I’m sorry, David. I thought you were nursing that one. I’ll be right back.”
“Was Sophie’s Choice the last movie to play there, Dan?”
“I don’t think so, David. They weren’t showing first run movies at the end. They were showing classics for a couple bucks. Does it matter?”
“No, I was just wondering if they might have the film still on the projector. You know, in case they wanted to re-run the last thing.”
No Facilities 
Your pretty pine cone shots remind me that I have a couple hundred more to pick up from my neighbor’s trees. :-) You and Maddie may get wet on your walks this weekend.
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I don’t envy you that task, Judy. Between the cones and the needles, I don’t know which is worse. Maddie has been out, but no walk today. I might need to build an ark.
Stay safe and dry!
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No snow for you either eh? We had about an inch which is currently melting in the rain. As for the kitty foot, I can never resist either.
😉
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No snow :( Heavy rain today. I wish it were snow, but I know I should be careful what I wish for. Sometimes, I just have to rub MiMi’s foot, but it often doesn’t end well for me.
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You fell asleep – well, that’s a critique if ever I heard one! 😴
Thanks for sending down such terrific cool fronts for us. This is the best winter we’ve had in a very long time!
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You’re welcome GP. I wish we had kept a few degrees, then this rain would be snow and things would be pretty instead of brown and wet.
I wouldn’t be a a good movie critic. I’d either be so caught up in the action that I’d forget to take notes or I’d fall asleep.
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That means you give a thumbs up or down! Perfect!
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I remember old style movie theatres with hours of entertainment. A cartoon, a short, news… And oh so comfortable seats! It is sad when an era passes. And so many have no memory of it! They were Good times. Love the shots! Already started another poem. Thank you!
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You’re welcome, Pam. I am happy to help.
I am hoping to get a peek inside the theater. It will be like going back in time (I hope).
I’m looking forward to your poem(s).
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hahaha! I love the last photo of Mimi. She looks like she’s laughing 🙂
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Kinda like, “try that again, buck-o.” She had just let me know that her foot wasn’t there for me to rub.
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Dan, when are you going to learn that you NEVER touch a young lady’s paw unless she’s invited you to!
Love the pine cone shadow. The tree with the broken branch…..I’ve seen this so many times, but it never registered with me that the broken branch still held on to its leaves!
You and Maddie will have to walk in between the rain drops. Can’t believe the plowed roadside mountains of snow are still alive and well!!
Maddie has the right idea. Curl up on the couch, go to sleep, and have sweet dreams.
Ginger
Think positive. Test negative.
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Thanks Ginger. MiMi has reminded of the “not invited” rule and she has made it clear that I will not be receiving such an invitation.
I had noticed the same thing in many trees around here before I made the connection. We actually have a broken branch in one of our trees. We decided to let the squirrels use the leaves for shelter.
Maddie looked like a drowned rat this morning after The Editor took her out for business reasons. No walk as of yet. She curled her still wet self up between me and the back of the couch.
Take care and stay safe.
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I saw Sophie’s Choice, Dan, and it played on my mind for a long time afterwards. I have just finished reading All Quiet on the Western Front and that was very sad too. Perhaps it’s better to stick to sports teams and events.
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I read All Quiet on the Western Front and you’re right about that, it does stay with you. I read it at a time when we were still involved in Viet Nam, and I wondered if my older brother might be drafted or if the war would last long enough that I might be caught up in it.
I don’t have a particularly good attention span for movies, I never have. Actually, it’s often hard for me to stay engaged watching sports.
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I don’t watch movies either, Dan. I’ve watched two in the last five years. One was Sophie’s Choice and the other was Love Actually this Christmas.
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When you’ve been working hard all day, any seat will help you fall asleep. Particularly in a darkened movie theater with a slow-moving movie on the screen. Under those circumstances I think I’d be asleep while they were running the commercials and animation reminding you to put candy wrappers, popcorn buckets, and drink cups in the wastebasket as you leave…
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Hahaha – I think I made it a little longer than that, John, but not much.
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Pine cone. check. Frosty leaf. check. Sofi’s Choice. As Gandolf said about Mordor – let the hobbit decide.
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Hahaha – I’ll wait for the decision, John.
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It sounds like you were a bit whiny at the bar, but I completely understand the sports frustration, Dan. The test between the Steelers and Packers will have to wait another year in the form of a regular season game and perhaps beyond. There is always future hope for our teams’ winning seasons.
Stay safe if you go into the theater for a tour. It’s still dangerous out there! Happy Saturday, happy weekend!
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Thanks Mary, I was in a whiny mood, especially since the Penguins are off to an 0-2 start. When we meet next year, I’m not sure if it will be a struggling team during a rebuild or an aging team trying to grab the ring one last time. Either way, at the moment, I don’t have high hopes.
If the tour looks too crowded, I won’t go. I’d love to see what’s in there, but I need to be careful.
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Thanks for this post. I was laughing at 630am, a first thing for me! Leaves, pine cones, oh my 😊
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I’m glad, Cheryl. Laughter helps.
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It always does
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I love the long shadow photos that you periodically post of you and/or Maddie. I don’t think that I have ever before seen the long shadow of a pine cone. Nice creative choice, Dan. :)
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I’m glad you like it Mike. The sun was very low in the sky, and Pam had asked for some additional pictures of pine cones and leaves. I was happy to oblige.
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Bonus points for the Blues Brothers reference! Poor MiMi and MuMu — Cats have it rough, with people randomly grabbing their jelly bean toes and not brushing them every minute. Maddie looks like she has it comfy, though. Do we give dogs more respect, or do they just demand less?
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Maddie makes her demands known, but unlike MuMu, she responds to “shut up!” Maddie’s biggest demand today (it’s raining here) is “dry my head, dry my head, DRY MY HEAD!!!” She doesn’t like her head being wet.
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:D Would she tolerate a blow dry?
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I doubt it. We had one dog that liked that, but I don’t think Maddie would like the noise. She’s very sensitive to noise.
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PS – thanks for the bonus points on the Blues Brothers.
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In the 70s I worked for a chain of movie theatres some pretty old, and got to see a lot of movies, though I don’t remember any slow ones. One time when the film broke, or maybe it melted, we saw the image on the screen of the film melt, turn brown on the edges and shrivel up. It was pretty cool. If the projectionist was watching the movie in the theatre when the film broke, he’d have to rush upstairs to fix it. I enjoy how you take seemingly ordinary leaves and pinecones and turn them into art with your perspective.
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Thanks JoAnna. Pam had asked for more shots of the leaves and pine cones, but I have to admit, they’ve become a favorite subject (of mine and Maddie). I remember once, a long time ago, seeing the film break during a movie. I guess that isn’t even possible now with digital distribution.
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Hmmmm ….. speaking of geese …. just today I too saw a V-formation heading SE. I said the same. I wonder what they know that we don’t. Now I’m not all that great of a fan of snow but I have been asking due to well, I want snowscapes. I’d better be a wee wary of just how I ask for that snow. Just a nice enough covering to make things pretty and NO MORE. Anyways …. that one picture in your gallery where you catch the sun in the tree GORGEOUS, Dan!! I looked at that a long time. Just gorgeous. Speaking of gorgeous …. your girls have ways of stealing the show. Teehee …. I also remember the good old days when I went to a theatre on a regular basis. It was exciting! Just really enjoyed your gallery today. Have a great weekend!!
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Thanks Amy, that means a lot. We have been seeing large flocks of geese for three or four days. I hope they aren’t aware of the potential problems with the polar vortex. These girls do steal the show. They like to remind me that I am here to serve them.
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You’re welcome!! I know how much it means to me when people compliment me on what is so dear to my heart. I know your photography is close to your heart as well. Mother’s creatures are far smarter then we are in many ways. No doubt those geese know exactly what they are doing. It’s we who don’t so much of the time. LOL
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Great job on the prompt. You get the bonus points. I’m with you on the Steelers. It looks like Ben needs to practice his broadcasting skills. Four interceptions. Yikes. Well moving on. I liked the pinecone shot (The first one) and the long shadow. Maddie gives you a pass in the rain? Not Lucy or Twiggy. Out we go, rain or shine. I think they like the towel rub down after, yet both hate baths. Go figure. A wish that you have a super Saturday and peaceful Sunday, Dan
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Thanks John. This was a tough prompt. I wasn’t going to talk about that game, but that’s what popped into my head. I could just imagine walking in on someone telling that story. I think it’s time to start rebuilding the offense.
We take Maddie out in the rain, but not for walks. As long as I can get away with that, I will.
I hope you have a great weekend.
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Thanks, Dan
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I think I could hear MiMi hiss. So cute. The pine cone with the long shadow….such a pretty photo. My husband falls asleep anytime we watch something that I want to watch on Netflix, and he doesn’t. Me: Are you asleep? Him: No. I’m just resting my eyes.
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I get that. I’m guessing you heard that hiss, it was loud.
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The Blackhawks are 0-2 right now as well, but my football teams so far have been doing great: Packers, Saints, and…who knew…Browns. :-) I will say no more, but there was wonder and rejoicing in our house in probably equal amounts! Movie theaters? I vaguely remember them: high prices, expensive snacks, and sticky floors, right? I wonder how many will make it through the pandemic. We watch movies on Netflix these days or from our small collection of DVD’s. Once I can browse the libraries in person again, we’ll have more from which to choose. Rain? Here that’s in about the same category as movie theaters. :-)
janet
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I’m rooting (now) for Packers and Saints. I wouldn’t mind if the Browns win but I won’t be rooting for them.
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It’s unlikely they’ll get past KC anyway but just the fact that they finally got this far is worth celebrating…unless you’re a Pittsburgh fan, which I get. I’m going to my parents’ house to watch the Packers game, as we don’t have cable.
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GoPack!
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Not a big football fan here but I’m glad you have games to watch. As t least that’s something covid hasn’t trashed.
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Hopefully sports gets better this year. It’s still going to be a mess for baseball, basketball and hockey.
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It’ll be a while before things get closer to normal.
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I have fallen asleep in a few movies. Being in the dark is so relaxing.. We started going to the earliest show on the weekend to avoid the after work sleepiness before we quit going to theaters all together.
That last picture with Mimi I swear I could hear a hiss. I couldn’t have resisted either. Such a cute lil paw on an even cuter kitty.
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I haven’t been to a theater in a long time. Maybe, after it’s safe again, if there are any left, I’ll go for the nostalgia factor.
Yep, “hiss” but worth it.
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I’m thinking there might be a door or two to see on that tour too. I love the long shadow of the pine and your spotted collection of needles, pines, and leaves.
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I have to check. I was wrong about the city. This is about an hour away.
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Well… I’d opt for a movie over football… but then again there are some horrible movies. Hmmm. Now I want a beer and all I have is wine, but that will do nicely. Terrific gallery. I can’t believe you didn’t pull back a nub after touching that foot. ;) Hugs on the wing!
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Hahaha – I know football isn’t everyone’s favorite pastime, but the way our season ended, it just had to be washed away.
I’m glad you could make it. I did survive rubbing that foot, but not by much.
I hope you have a great week, Teagan.
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My home town of Huntington has a similar theater, the Keith Albee. It is grand! It’s now a performing arts center. I’m glad these treasures remain open. If you go for a tour, please write a post! And check what movie is in the reel.
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Will do!
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🙂
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Nice ending. My husband would fall asleep at the movies, concerts, plays, operas sometimes, and it was embarrassing. One time we were in a packed theater for something really popular like the Hobbit series or Star Trek (can’t remember exactly which one) and he starts snoring, yikes.
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At least I didn’t start snoring, but I can understand falling asleep.
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I have not fallen asleep in a theatre, but I walked out of Hoffa. Bored out of my mind. Waited in car. The people I saw the movie with came out and said some version of “Eh, it was okay.” Then we had pancakes.
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Mmmmm, pancakes.
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Memorable :)
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