Welcome to another rainy Saturday in Connecticut. Just the kind of day to sit at the bar with good friends and wrestle with Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. Wrestling builds up a powerful thirst, so let’s get settled in and see what David and I have to work with:
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘trail/trial.’ Use one, use both, use them any way you’d like. Bonus points if you use both. Have fun!”
Nothing improves on a crummy day like the prospect of bonus points.
If we were having a beer, you’d be curious about the Coming Attractions sign.
“Dan, I am so glad you’re a little early today.”
“Why is that David?”
“My wife and her mother are having lunch on the patio.”
“Oh? If you’d rather sit with your wife, I’d understand. I’m happy to sit here and yack with Cheryl.”
“I’m not sure where to start with that. First off, did you hear me say ‘my wife and her mother?’ Second, I don’t think Cheryl is here, and if she is, she’s having a bad day.”
“I get it. I thought it might be a command performance.”
“I told them I promised to sit with you so we could discuss next week’s guest.”
“Not entirely a lie, David, but you yanked the truth a little out of shape. What makes you think Cheryl’s having a bad day?”
“The trail of spilled beer, wine, and lemon wedges, leading up from the lounge. I’m thinking we have Skippy behind the bar today.”
“Indeed, you do, gentlemen. I guess you could say it’s your lucky day.”
“Hello Skippy.”
“Hi Dan. David. You guys want your usual eclectic mix of drinks?”
“What’s eclectic about a Corona? I mean, unless you create your signature two-lime balance in the bottle, I think it’s a normal drink.”
“You’re right, Dan. I guess I was referring to David and his collection of glassware.”
“Hello Skippy. A glass of John Howell’s Bourbon is not eclectic. Having the ice in a separate glass, so I can add it as I like but not have it dilute the bourbon, is not eclectic.”
“True but having a glass of seltzer served in a brandy snifter leans in the direction of weird. If you ask me.”
“Then again, Skippy, nobody did ask you. Please don’t forget the cherries.”
“No problem.”
“Dan, why are you listed with Christine as a coming attraction? I mean, you’re always here.”
“I invited Christine to talk about her new book, ‘Three Years of Her Life.’ She wanted to ask me about my book, and suggested we try to work both into the conversation.”
“That was nice of her.”
“She’s a very nice person, David.”
“You’re not so bad yourself, Dan…except, am I boring you? Why do you have your phone out?”
“Sorry, I was trying to find a Pirates video I wanted to show you.”
“What’s all that garbage on your screen? Did you start a free trial of another sports app?”
“No. This garbage – and that’s a good word for it – is from ESPN.”
“Here’s your beer, Dan, two-lime balance perfectly executed, and here’s your John Howell’s Special, David. Will there be anything else?”
“Cherries.”
“OK, no problem.”
“So, Dan, what’s the problem with ESPN?”
“It wants me to sign into ESPN-Plus.”
“Wouldn’t signing in be better than crawling through, what was that three screens?”
“It would be, but I don’t subscribe to ESPN-Plus.”
“Here are your cherries, David.”
“Thanks Skippy.”
“No problem.”
“So, Dan, how come ESPN thinks you have a subscription you don’t have?”
“I used to have one. Actually, I used to have a Disney-Plus subscription that bundled Hulu, Disney and ESPN-Plus.”
“Used to? You got tired of watching reruns of The Little Mermaid?”
“I only had the bundle because it was the cheapest way to get Hulu. Of course, at the time, I didn’t realize that was Hulu with ads, so it really wasn’t cheaper.”
“So, you dropped Disney and just had Hulu? I’m not following, Dan.”
“I dropped everything. Hulu no longer carries Star Trek or the Twilight Zone, and ESPN-Plus never seemed to televise the games of my teams.”
“But they still want you to log in? Sounds like it’s time to call tech-support.”
“I did call tech support. They told me to delete my account and start over.”
“Of course, you didn’t do that because you’re a techie and you know how they could fix this.”
“David, starting over means re-specifying the sports I follow – all seven of them. Then the teams within each sport, of which there are too many to count. Then I’d have to configure alerts for each team. It’s a royal pain, and I’d have to do it on my iPad as well.”
“Do you have to clear those screens on your iPad?”
“No! That’s the thing. It works fine there. I’m going to call tech-support again and hope I get a guy with a brain.”
“Speaking of which, where’s Skippy? I wanted to get a pizza.”
“I think I heard a glass break. He’s probably cleaning that up.”
No Facilities 
There is great beauty in your photos. Then the sadness represented by the flag. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks Lauren. The flag always looks sad at half-staff, but especially today.
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I agree. My heart is hurting also.
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Hi Dan, poor old Skippy is he an Aussie… sorry if I have asked that before … David gives him a hard time but bless Skippy it goes right over his head!
That pizza looks good and wholesome 😉.
Looking forward to next week’s guest Christine and to also hearing about your book.
You photos are beautiful as always and that flag is so poignant in light of recent events and even worse the NRA and trump’s reaction to it. God help American…. I mean no offense. Be safe 💜💜
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I haven’t explored Skippy’s backstory. I’m sure he was a challenging child.
I am looking forward to Christine’s visit. She made me happy when she suggested we work both books in.
I try not to go into political issues here. Gun violence is a troubling issue for this country, and has been for many years. There is more than enough blame to go around, but the toll that has been taken is enormous.
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As I say looking forward to next week.
I also totally understand your last paragraph and as I said I intended no offense 💜
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I know. It’s hard on days like this. Some comments have to be moderated, but I hate doing that, too.
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I do agree 😊
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Hi Dan – this editor peering down has serious eyes on your draft! However the pizza caught my eyes! Cheers and happy memorial weekend – Hilary
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Thanks Hilary. MuMu has been my companion throughout this process. Her most common observation is that I haven’t brushe her enough, and that the first book did not feature a cat. That pizza was very good.
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It’s been hard to laugh this week, so this time at the bar was especially welcome.
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You’re so right, Maureen. It has been hard. I had hoped that a little levity would be a welcome thing.I hope you have a good weekend.
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You certainly have some beautiful blooms to admire and enjoy, and that pizza and cold brew are definitely a good way to celebrate a Saturday. I don’t know if it is new, but I just noticed ‘markdown is supported.’ I had to look it up. I didn’t have a clue what it meant, but now I know it is for the more advanced technical folks. :-) The flag at half mast certainly covers a lot of topics this weekend. Sad business all around.
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Thanks Judy. Markdown has been supported for a long time, but I don’t think anyone has ever used it. I wish it was easier to use, and I wish WordPress would figure out how to let peopl edit their comments. I only ever see my typos after I’ve pressed “post.”
This is a sad weekend, and the flag call our attention to that fact.
I hope it’s a good weekend up your way/ Is this when you go into tourist avoidance mode?
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You bet – tourist avoidance mode it is. I stay local and off the interstate. It is a lot less stressful that way. Have a good one.
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Funny that most of your blooms are way ahead of ours but the rhodies are on track. We’re seeing some color now as well. Most excellent bunny pics!
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I think these plants have a mind of their own. We now have three baby bunnies running around this little yard. Hopefully, that ensures a steady supply of bunny pictures.
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Good news for me, probably not for your garden..
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The bunnies aren’t the problem for the garden (we moved to containers) but there’s no stopping the chipmunks.
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For us it’s woodchucks. They’re voracious nibblers….
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After the horrific event in Texas this week, a short visit to the bar brings some balance back.
Your Korean Dogwood is just beautiful. Bunnies are looking very healthy and well fed! The sweet redhead looks totally content to be able to lounge on her deck checking all the critters out. Soon it will be too hot to do that!
Old Glory, sadly at half mast for the tragedy in Texas, but managing to look strong and proud as always. My thoughts are with the loving souls that were lost that terrible day and their families.
Ginger
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My thoughts are there as well, Ginger. I can hardly keep track of the number of times I’ve worried about posting a “regular” bar post after an event like this. I don’t want to suggest that people need to move on, I know I have trouble with that. I was hoping a little levity might help. I guess it’s up to the individuals. If someone “can’t deal with Dan today,” I’d understand.
The Korean dogwood gives me an interesting challenge. Sometimes, the blossoms look like they’re lying flat in a field.
Maddie made me drag her cot out yesterday. The Trex was warm, and she didn’t want warm. She tried her deck, then dragged me in and pointed to her cot with her nose. I got the cot and we went back out. I am well trained.
I hope you have a very nice weekend. Give Murphy a scritch from us.
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They’ve got to start charging Skippy for all the mess!
Looking forward to Christine, she’s a lovely person!
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Haha – if they take it out of his pay, he’ll go broke.
I am also looking forward to Christine’s visit. She is so nice.
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Indeed!
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I was sorry to hear about the Texas shooting. Hard to understand what goes on over there. It’s so cold here that my fingers are purple and numb but I haven’t bothered to turn on the heater as I’m aiming for an early night. I love your photos. Hope you have a good weekend.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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I wish I could make sense of it all, Rowena, I have no answers. Stay warm. I’ll be catching up at your place (I’ve missed a lot this week).
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The rhododendrons are gorgeous, Dan. I especially love the new white ones with the pops of pink. Really beautiful.
I’ve been in and out of some streaming services (following only 1 or 2 shows) and it seems the accounts never go away. I don’t mind because it makes things easy to sign back up. Then again, I never had to ask 50 questions or set preferences to sign up in the first place. I thought about that Hulu/Disney/ESPN bundle at one time, but figured it was with commercials and I said no. I do have the CW app with commercials (it’s free), but that one might make me crazy until the November elections due to the number of ads already running. I don’t want to hear it!
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. I hope your rain stops as ours finally did yesterday morning so you and Maddie can get out and enjoy the puddle-free sunshine.
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I am willing to pay for ad-free viewing on most services. I don’t have many, Paramount+ is the only active one right now. The rain seems to want to hang on until tomorrow morning but should be clear after that. I hear thunder now.
We didn’t expect the new rhododendrons to bloom this year, but they surprised us.
I hope you have a great weekend.
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Paramount is great for the shows you watch. I like the Paramount Live feature when daytime TV is boring and I just want the familiar sounds of Star Trek while cooking, cleaning, etc.
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I understand that. I love Star Trek as background noise 😏
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Ah but is there an app to get rid of the pain of other apps. Sure but it asks even more questions when you install it. And those cherries will be here any minute now…
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I think that app is a rotary dial phone, John. It’s appealing at the moment.
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Oh, David–he is in rare form today–rarer than usual! He reminds me so much of Anthony (my favorite character) on Blue Bloods. Rough and gruff on the outside, but a real marshmallow inside.
Are you using a different lens or filter? The pictures are so much more color saturated–especially the glasses in the bar. I like the look a lot!
Maddie’s little ‘friend’ is adorable. Lots of love and hisses on your walks, I’m guessing. 😹 Have a great weekend, Dan.
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The glasses at the bar photo was on my phone, Lois, which is not normally great. But it was a staged shot – I offered to pay for a guy’s bourbon if he let the bartender setup the photo first. She dimmed the lights for me, too.
David has a hard time with Skippy, and me sometimes, but he is a sweetheart,
Have a great weekend.
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Shame on Hulu for no longer carrying s Star Trek or the Twilight Zone. The lavender rhododendron and Korean dogwood shots are great. And the bunnies, too! I saw a bunny crossing the sidewalk a few doors down while I was training Marley. I’m surprised and glad he didn’t see it.
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I think CBS revoked the rights so that people would sign up for Paramount Plus (which I did).
The bunnies seem to know our yard is a sanctuary. Maddie might chase them, if she wasn’t on a leash, but she is.
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I have paramount plus, too, for Picard, and someday I’ll watch Strange New Worlds, My cable package has a station called Heroes and Icons which shows all the old Star Trek series six nights a week.
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I haven’t started Picard yet. I only recently picked up Paramount plus. I find I enjoy the older shows more than many of the current shows. I don’t watch a lot of TV, so I’m picky.
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I still enjoy the old shows. It’s hard to find time to watch the new ones. It’s also great to have options.
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I subscribed to the NFHS network to watch my granddaughter play soccer but the coverage is an automated camera that is irritating. It sometimes follows traffic outside the field instead of the ball in focuses on the end of the field where the goalie is standing alone for minutes instead of the other end where the action is. I complained but no changes made to improve anything. I asked why it couldn’t just encompass the whole field as if it were watching from the stands and remain there. It has that capability but no changes are made.
Sent from my iPhone
>
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Some of the things these companies do and refuse to do are mind-numbing.
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So many choices for TV these days. Reminds me to thin out our options. Pretty sure we’re paying for more than we even use. Loving the gallery especially those TX sized bunnies.
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I’ve got it down to one plus YouTubeTV. I’m really getting tired of dealing with these services.
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Well, that was fun! Haven’t been here in a long time, and love what you’ve done with the place!
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Haha – welcome back, and thanks!
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Your flowers are beautiful. And I think the world needs a little beauty right about now. Some days I wish I could turn all electronics off. Just for a few hours. But I know I couldn’t function that way. But I would like to…
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Thanks Pam. I spend last Sunday with my daughter at an event in a state forest. For about three hours, we had no signal. It actually felt good.
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It’s enjoyable looking at your post on my iPad because all the photos are there from top to bottom with their captions. I don’t have to do anything special. The pizza looks good, be thankful for the rain which we could certainly use, and the flag at half mast is certainly a sad reminder of the state of many things these days. My family’s flag has been virtually at half mast twice in the last four months, once for my mom and once for my dad, and one of my sisters-in-law is seriously ill. Feeling a bit like Job sometimes. I have sports apps that I can’t use now because you have to sign in using your cable provider and we don’t have cable anymore. Oh, well. First world problems. Have a great extended weekend.
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Thanks Janet. We aren’t complaining about the rain. A lot of people like the way the photos show on a tablet. They should show like that in the email as well. I’m not sure which you’re reading but if you’re happy, I’m happy. First world problems, indeed. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
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I’m looking forward to your upcoming interview of Christine (I clicked on the link and it looks like a book I’d like) and hearing more about your book too.
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I think Christine’s visit will be fun. Her book sounds intriguing.
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Love this line: “True but having a glass of seltzer served in a brandy snifter leans in the direction of weird. If you ask me.”
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I’m glad you like that. The brandy snifter is one of David’s quirky habits. Thanks for the comment.
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I’m sure you’re super polite with the tech support folks, but I would love to be a mouse on the line to hear your brilliant questions that likely stump them. That pizza looks yummy – perfect to go with another beer. Your lavender rhododendron in full bloom is GORGEOUS! As always, I enjoyed your photos and your post. Next week’s interview sounds intriguing. See you back here then!
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I start out polite, Shelley, but I have zero patience for their tech-support. The seem driven to get you to force you to help yourself, regardless of how inconvenient might be.
I’m glad you like the flower photos. They make me smile.
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Next time maybe play the damsel in distress mode like I do 🤣😂🤣 JK
I always enjoy the photos you choose to share!
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Haha – “Hi, I’m identifying as Shelley…”
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It’s easy to get carried away with all the apps and streaming services, isn’t it? That pizza looks huge!
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You can go crazy with streaming. I have cut back to the best way to get the shows I really enjoy watching. They only have small and large pizzas no medium.
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Please…give me 500 children instead of tech stuff! Yes, they should be able to fix it. Lovely photos, Dan! Today we finish planting flowers. Stay cool!
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Enjoy this day, Jennie – you’ve done your part.
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🥰
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I’ve fallen a bit behind in reading your blog postings, Dan, I confess, so it was a real delight to read this posting. I laughed at Skippy’s somewhat clueless conversations and your never ending struggles with technical issues that should not torment us the way that they do. I can’t decide which visual image attracted me more–the pizza or the baby bunny. I think I would vote for the bunny, because the bunny or one of its siblings will certainly reappear, while the pizza is long gone.
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The pizza is long gone, for sure, Mike. The baby bunnies are out there munching away. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Our clueless friend needs to show up once a month – he has a fan base.
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Dan, thank you for the mention! I’m excited to visit the bar Saturday and talk about “our” books. I can relate easily to your writing and struggle to understand the technical stuff. We gave up regular TV and only subscribed to Showtime. Also have Apple TV to watch free movies. Most news we get on our iPhones. In my writing career, there’s no time for TV. Such sad news has taken over and controversy, anyway. See you soon. 📚🎶 Christine
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I don’t watch a lot of tv. I like some sports, but I could live without most “news.”
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Love the flowers and bunnies. Cute friend of Maddie’s. I still love my Roku. Although I am using my computer to watch some shows I can’t get on Roku. I just finished watching Outer Range (which is on Amazon Prime. No, we don’t have it.) It’s an awesome show, but it has a cliffhanger.
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Thanks. Roku is awesome.
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Hi Dan, I look forward to your chat with Christine next week. I also have your book on my kindle. I hope Skippy gets that glass cleared up quickly.
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Haha. Cheryl will be working when Christine visits. Thanks for buying the book!
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Yeah, Hulu has been disappointing me too, but then so have all the streamers to some extent. The way classic shows get dropped and “originals” of dubious quality get added is depressing. I guess I’m just going to have to plan on buying everything on disc! My collection is already unwieldy, but c’est la vie.
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