How did Saturday get here so fast? Well, however it got here, David, Cheryl and I are here to greet it in style. Good food, adult beverages, lively banter and a stab at the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt by Linda G. Hill. I bent the rules during the past two weeks, but this week is straight-up SoC. I mean, there are bonus points on the line.
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘how.’ Use the word ‘how’ in your post. Bonus points if you start your post with it. Enjoy!”
If we were having a beer, we would be trying to catch up after a couple busy weeks.
“How do you have the nerve to wear that shirt here, Dan?”
“It’s baseball season, David. I’m a Pirates fan.”
“Even after they lost nine to nothing on opening day?”
“I’ve always been a fan of fail-fast systems, maybe it will work for baseball.”
“Is that your lucky shirt?”
“David, the Pirates have finished in the basement of the Central Division the last three seasons. I don’t think I own a lucky shirt.”
“But today’s your lucky day, Dan. Check out the specials while I get you a beer.”
“Specials? Beer? Dan? What about me?”
“Oh, David. I wouldn’t forget you. I’ve got the fixin’s for a John Howell’s Special ready to go, including the cherries.”
“Oh my goodness, David look at this. They have soft pretzels as a special. And the soup of the day is Bacon Corn Chowder.”
“You want to split an order of pretzels?”
“Are you crazy? I’m not sharing pretzels with you. Get your own.”
“It’s your day to buy, Dan. I was just trying to save you some money.”
“Pffft – there are some things you don’t try to save money on.”
“None come to mind, Dan.”
“Really? Here’s your John Howell’s Bourbon, your snifter of seltzer and your glass of ice, David. You want I should swap this out for Four Roses?”
“Touché, Cheryl. But pretzels?”
“I wouldn’t knock them ‘til you try them. They come with a jalapeno cheddar cheese sauce for dipping.”
“OK, I’ll try some.”
“We also have Penne Bolognese on the Specials menu.”
“It all sounds good Cheryl. Cheers Dan.”
“Cheers. I think I’ll take the Bolognese home for tomorrow.”
“Dan, I didn’t want to look dumb in front of Cheryl, but what is Bolognese? I always forget.”
“It’s what your mom made when she wanted a simple inexpensive meal. Pasta in a meat and tomato sauce.”
“Mom just called that spaghetti, even if she made it with other kinds of pasta.”
“She wasn’t selling it for eighteen dollars a serving.”
“Here you go guys, your pretzels are ready.”
“Those look good, Cheryl, and they’re warm, mmmmmm.”
“I bring your soup out in a minute, Dan.”
“It’s going to be hard choosing where to dip these bad boys.”
“It looks like you’ve started working outside, Dan – your snow stakes are gone.”
“Yeah, I took those out, planted a few bushes and repaired the gate between the yard and the driveway.”
“Repaired? What happened to the gate?”
“It was an old injury. Years ago, I got too close to the gate with the snowblower.”
“I remember that. You gobbled up quite a hole in that gate. I thought you repaired it back then.”
“I did, but a couple strands in the chain link fabric were only stretched out. I tried bending them back in place.”
“And what, after seven or eight years you decided it wasn’t good enough?”
“In a manner of speaking. We want to put privacy slats in that gate and fence. The repairs weren’t good enough for that.”
“Privacy slats? As I recall that gate is only four feet tall. Who are you hiding from, the Munchkins?”
“No. Well, the Coroner is a little creepy.”
“He does seem to enjoy specifying that the witch was ‘most sincerely’ dead?”
“Yeah, who says that? Anyway, it’s not us who are hiding. We’re trying to make it harder for Maddie to see the neighbor’s dog.”
“I thought she liked the neighbor’s dogs.”
“The dogs in the back, yes. The one on the side, no.”
“Do those slats work?”
“They help.”
“How about that beer, Dan. Is that working?”
“It is Cheryl, but I think I could use another one.”
“I figured as much. How about another splash for your buddy?”
“I’m fine with bourbon, Cheryl, but I could use some more seltzer. This dip is spicy.”
“OK. Dan, you want me to put in an order of Mom’s spaghetti to go?”
“Haha – yes, I think that will work well, Cheryl.”
No Facilities 
I get the idea of privacy slats. Annie does not like other dogs. In her former life, she was attacked and hurt. Since we’ve had her there was another altercation where a large dog attacked her. We don’t go out anymore. She is great with people and gets lots of attention. Your pictures are great. Maddie seems to bee the ruler of the yard. :)
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The slats seem to be working very well. You can see through them, but Maddie is not easily distracted by what’s in the other yard. She likes being out and sitting on “her” porch. Watching the world go by. It can be relaxing.
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“How?” Really? :-) The bacon corn chowder sounds good. Looks as if you have plenty moisture there. :-) I’m just having fun commenting from yesterday to your today. :-) Enjoy the weekend, Dan.
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Thanks Janet, I’ve been posting earlier some days, as I’ve picked up some readers from time zones well ahead of ours. It is still raining – wet wet wet.
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“Who are you hiding from, the Munchkins?” OMG, I spit my Cheerios out! 🤪 Murphy only likes ‘some’ dogs as well. Really not any different from us humans. We don’t like everyone either! Nice repair job Dan. Hope the privacy slats do their job.
Maddie looks like the Queen checking out her kingdom, making sure everything is to her liking.
And MuMu, as always, protecting her domain.
You never fail to get a perfect shot of Old Glory. I love how she is enveloped in fog, but the sun shines directly on her.
Have a great weekend. Hope you and Maddie get your walks in.
Ginger
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Sorry about the Cheerios, Ginger. Maddie keeps going to the chair where her harness is, and I keep saying “it’s still raining.” I promised that if it stops, I will take her.
I like this new flag they put up in the fall. It seems to reflect the sun better than the old one. I like seeing it shine,
MuMu thinks my hands should be at work brushing her instead of on the keyboard. She makes fact known every so often.
Maddie tricks me into sitting. She wines like, “I have to peeeeeee” but when we go out, she drags me to her porch and plops.
I hope the rain stops and you have a good weekend. Thanks for stopping by,
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Thank you for several laughs. My favorite: “I don’t think I own a lucky shirt.” But I admired the line about the Coroner. Our April showers are part snow showers, and therefore that chowder still looks really good! Congrats on the fence fix!
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Thanks – I’m glad when I can help someone laugh. The Coroner has always seemed a little too pleased with himself. The slats are scheduled to arrive on Monday. Hopefully they will help.
Snow? Ugh, I hope that stops soon, and I hope you have.a nice weekend.
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Nice job on the fence repair, those can be a nightmare when they go awry. Is bunny allowing you to get closer for portraits now?
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Thanks. Yeah, I gave uo the first time when it seemed I was a stitch out of sync. I should know better than to try and fix something that has been bent silly. I have been trying to remember to take my camera out with me when I think i might meet the bunny. He/she munches while I zoom in.
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You need a disclaimer at the beginning for those of us who haven’t eaten breakfast that shots of delicious food follows. :-) We’ve had a lot of rain too. Your fence fix looks great. I’ve got a question about Maddie’s harness that she wears for walking. Is it a special type to meet certain needs? She definitely looks large and in charge resting on her deck. It sure was nice of you, Dad, to build that for her. :-)
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Sorry about the food. If it’s any consolation, I haven’t eaten yet either and those pretzels look good.
The harness is made by a company that makes harnesses for “real” service dogs (blind guides etc). Setters have very bug chests but are otherwise skinny. Almost every harness we’ve tried falls right off them These (Dean and Tyler) are adjustable in lots of directions. My wife likes the handle, I prefer the loop. I think the pressure also helps Maddie feel better while walking. She loves sitting on that deck I never planned for it to be a place anyone would sit, but…
I hope it dries up for part of the weekend and that yours is a good one.
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9 to zip? Yikes Dan, I was feeling bad that the Red Sox lost by one to the Yankees on opening day!!
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Lost by one and took 11 innings to do it. We lost, essentially, in the first inning. We get another bite at the Cardinals today, Maybe we can take the series (haha, I crack myself up sometimes). Have a good weekend, GP.
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There’s always next year!
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Haha. It’s s little too early for that. At least for you guys.
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Nice dry perch on the porch
Sent from my iPhone
>
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She loves sitting there.
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I love soft pretzels! I used to get them in the university pub, good days. Maddie looks so majestic standing over that reflecting puddle. Such a good girl! Enjoyable as always my friend.
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Thanks Pam. Those pretzels were very good. We’re still waiting for the rain to stop today, But, it’s time for toast, Have a great weekend.
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Soft pretzels….I cannot remember the last time I had one. Nice repair job on your fence. We were driving behind a truck yesterday that looked to be carrying huge bundles of cyclone fencing. As we passed him, I read the sign on the bundles–horse fencing. I had no idea there was such a thing. I notice you have three trash cans. We only have two: one for regular trash and one for recycle. What is your third one for? Have a great weekend, Dan.
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Those pretzels were so good, Lois. I wish they would have a small order on the menu all the time. When they first switched to the wheelie-bins, they let us buy an extra one. We don’t usually have anything in it, but when I have projects going in my shop, it’s nice to have. It ends up at the curb about a dozen times a year, but on those days, it really comes in handy. I didn’t know there was horse fencing, but I guess it makes sense.
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Though I don’t follow TV sports, I have to admire your loyalty to the pirates. Your chain link fence repair work looks pretty impressive. When we had five dogs and the back neighbors had two, we had to nail privacy slats to the wire and wood fence, it definitely helped and helps Marley, now. That’s an interesting collar/leash/harness combo you have on Maddie. You might remember David snapped his tendon by putting his free hand in Marley’s harness, but yours looks safer to grab.
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Eliminating the distractions around her helps Maddie very much. The harness is helpful in keeping her close. I also use a leash, when I want to let her roam and sniff a bit. But when we need to get home (like when it staretd raining again during our walk) I grab the loop of the harness and we get going. I also use the leash because when she’s scared, she can back out of the harness. Setters have small necks relative to the size of their chests. We’ve had four since 19893, and they’ve all been able to back out of anything.
How is David’s hand doing?
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David is making progress with physical therapy which can be painful. He’s almost halfway done with the brace – 6 more weeks. The injury happened on an evening walk. His morning walks had fewer distractions. We’ve talked about only doing the morning walks when his hand is better. As you know – the earlier the better. Thanks for the details and reinforcement to eliminate distractions.
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Fast fail systems now that is a good point. Even in baseball. The Indians scratch that er the Guardians did not fare much better. I am glad you decided not to weave well enough alone and took up knitting. And you will even be gladder when Maddie does not see that other neighbor dog. We won’t mention the bad hobbits the fence will also hide. Not a bad way to start the day if there was time for one more round. Happy Saturday Dan.
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Thanks John. Maddie does seem to see those hobbits. There are days when she stares at the fence. Nothing there that I can see, but…
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What a great response to the prompt, Dan. I love your photos, especially those of the reflections in the water. Beautiful!
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Thanks Gwen. We’ve had a week of seeing reflections everywhere. It rained hard overnight again. I was finally able to walk around 9:00.
Have a nice weekend,.
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A few comments for you, Dan: First, I’m going to be a foodie snob for a minute. Bolognese is not simply tomato sauce and pasta. It is a dish that requires a longer cook time than regular red sauce. I make bolognese on occasion (with artichokes rather than tomato), but it requires a good 3-4 hours for prep and simmering. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s absolutely delicious on the other end.
Second, I am chuckling at the fence to keep the side dog from Maddie’s view. My brother and his life partner just moved into their new house with Odin, the wonder dog. Both the lower and upper level have patio windows, so Odin sits and watches the people and dogs go by and then barks at my brother to take him for yet another walk. When you give the furry ones something to look at (like Gibbs with the birds), they want to engage in whatever way makes us crazy. ;-)
Lastly, have a good weekend. I hope you and I both get to experience a warm, sunny spring very soon!
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Point taken on the bolognese, but it’s funnier my way ;-) My wife would make a similar dish, and let it cook for hours. No fancy name, but very good to eat.
Maddie has some “issues” and limiting the number of distractions in her world is important.
We appear to have warmer weather on the way. It would be nice if that’s a start of a trend, and not more of the back and forth we’ve been having.
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It’s gone now, but I woke up to a light dusting of snow…again. This has been a very long winter and I am beyond itching to get on the bike and ride.
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Big bonus point rack for you, Dan. Great job on the prompt. That chowder looks so good. I could almost smell the pretzels from here. I still wear my Pirates cap no matter where they stand. I liked the chain-link repair shots. I don’t realize you could do that. Twiggy is glad our cedar boards have shrunk on our fence. She can now squint through the cracks to throw a bark on the UPS driver. Have a peaceful Sunday.
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Thanks John. I was amazed when I discovered how easy it is to remove and replace the links in that fence. I had to learn when I installed it because I had to connect a few 50′ rolls together. They really work like a flat corkscrew.
Maddie has discovered the optimal distance for watching things through the fence, but she as missed some very big things (like the mailman) walking by. I’m putting the slats in the win column.
I’ll be wearing a Pirates shirt at the bar this afternoon. Around here, the Red Sox are playing the Yankees, so everyone else is off in their respective corners.
Have a nice weekend.
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😁
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That’s a big bunny! Must be bulking up for Easter delivery. 🤪Okay, I’ve been putting off making homemade pretzel bites but you’ve pushed me over the edge, Dan. It’s the beginning of the rainy season so maybe time for cooking projects. Good to see rain puddles there rather than ice.👍🏻
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When will the pretzel bites be coming out of the oven? :-)
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Had a hiccup. No bites today. Brownies instead!
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Brownies are never out of season.
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Especially with ice cream.
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:-)
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Great job with the prompt, Dan! And those warm pretzels…YUM! As always, the photo of the flag stands out. Happy Saturday!
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Thanks Jan. Those pretzels were very good. The weather we’ve been having has been giving the flag a chance to stand proud. I’m glad people like seeing it.
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I am glad to see you are not a fair weather fan, Dan. That fence repair was interesting – I learned something new. We are under a freeze warning this weekend so our plants are covered. Our forsythia flowers are gone, but everything else seems to be lagging 1-2 weeks later than normal.
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You can’t be a fair weather fan after being born in Pittsburgh ;-) We have a lot of things here that are only starting to bud out.
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Oh, Dan! A really nice bunny and puddle and Maddie, of course, but what do I hear? Four Roses is cheap stuff for you and you make fun of it? :o It’s my favourite! And you take cooked pasta home from a restaurant for the next day? :o :o Bolognese is a simple meal? The proper ragu needs at least 3 hours to cook. Better we say cheers and never say ‘bolognese’ in front of an Italian. Even in Bologna it’s most definitely ‘ragu’! ;)
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Haha. Manja, you’re the second person to complain about my besmirching bolognese. My wife is Italian, and has made it proper, but I needed a funny line. I guess I picked the wrong place to look for rash humor. As for four roses, it’s not my favorite (I like Woodford Reserve) but, John Howell’s bourbon is Willett Pot Still Reserve and is a cut above. Also remember, the post is fiction 😏 – I had the pasta that day.
Phew.
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Ohh, Italian, is she? :o I haven’t heard this in eight years… (Or possibly forgotten? Hmmmm.)
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It hasn’t been a secret, but you know I don’t go into details. Suffice it to say, I’d never pick on her cooking.
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I found the Munchkin crew pretty creepy but that coroner was by far the creepiest. I’m going to resist piling on regarding your besmirchment of bolognese (I’m sure you were just dumbing it down for David :) ). You are welcome.
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Thanks Janis. It was fine for effect. The coroner, was intentional. That guy was creepy.
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When you read about some of the things going on behind the scenes of the WOZ, the whole movie seems a bit creepy! Wish we had some of your rain out here!
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I don’t know much about the making of the movie, but nothing would surprise me. I would have been happy to give you the rain we had today.
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I always love hearing about Maddie.
We had similar rains here yesterday, with all the pealing and thunder. UGH.
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I hope you have sunshine today. We are still under clouds, but they might be clearing.
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The food looks amazing, drinks are always tip top as is the conversation.
Loved all the photos 💜💜
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We do like to enjoy the specials :-)
Thanks.
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Of course 💕
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Ding Dong! And in goes the earworm. Thanks for that.
Well.done on the fence repair. I don’t know how you had the patience.
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Sorry about the song being stuck. Fortunately the fence repair went quickly.
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Hiding from the munchkins, good line.
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Thanks Deborah. Some of them were a little creepy.
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I remember how disappointed I was when I looked up bechamel sauce and found out it’s just white milk gravy.
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But they can charge more for it ;-)
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There’s nothing better than a warm Philly pretzel with mustard! Love the photos, Dan.
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I agree, Jennie. Thanks for the confirmation 🙂
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You’re welcome, Dan. 🙂
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It’s not easy for you and me when baseball season rolls around, is it, Dan? My Orioles are forever rebuilding, and your Pirates seem to be as well. Though the O’s DID just take two of three from the Yankees, so who knows what the season will bring?
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And the Pirates are above .500 in April. AND, Nutting actually spent some money! Who knows?
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