Dan Antion

Dress Code – SoCS JusJoJan

Breakfast at Maddie’s – sorry
Modelo draft

We are here at the bar for the last time in January 2023 – boom, January is almost gone – how did that happen? David and I are taking it easy. There is a dwindling amount of sports to watch, but the beer is cold and the chowder is hot. We will eat, drink and, well, you know how that goes. We will also wrestle with Linda G. Hill’s final Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January prompt for January 2023:

“Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 28th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: ‘throw in the towel.’ Use the phrase ‘throw in the towel’ somewhere in your post. Enjoy!”

If we were having a beer, you’d be checking up on me.

“You skipped yesterday’s JusJoJan prompt, Dan.”

“I know. I was going to join in, but I had to take my car in for service.”

“That’s a ‘My dog ate my homework’ excuse, Dan.”

“It’s true. I had an eight-thirty appointment.”

“Yeah, but you’re not telling me the whole story.”

“What story?”

“You left out the part about leaving early enough to stop at Great River Park.”

“Well, I always stop at Great River Park when I’m in the area, David. I still enjoy being by the river.”

“Aaaannnnnnnnnd…”

“And I stopped at Maddie’s for breakfast. But none of that counts.”

“Of course, it does, Dan. It’s time you could have been working on the prompt.”

“In my head?”

“Don’t insult my intelligence, Dan. I know you had your iPad with you. You never go to the dealer without that thing.”

“OK, OK, technically, I could have responded to the prompt. To be honest, it bothered me.”

“The prompt was ‘Amenities?’ It was from Kim, wasn’t it? Don’t you follow her? What is it about amenities that bothers you?”

“It’s not the thought of amenities in particular. I’m sure I could have found amenities to write about.”

“I agree. You could have written about the amenities at the park. The amenities at Maddie’s, or the lack of amenities at the dealership.”

“Like working restrooms?”

“Huh? I don’t follow, Dan.”

“The restrooms at the dealership were out of order.”

“That would have been a great post. Why didn’t you write that? In fact, why don’t you write it now, Linda doesn’t mind if you’re late.”

“Because when I look at that word, all I see is ‘Men’ and ‘Ties’ and I hated having to wear a tie to work everyday just because I was a guy.”

“Do you really want to start down that road, Dan?”

“What road, Cheryl?”

“The ‘what men had to wear versus what women had to wear’ road.”

“Time to throw in the towel, Dan. You have a rack of ties—which, technically, you didn’t have to wear for years before you retired—she has an entire wardrobe.”

“You’re probably right, David. How about the ‘Cold Modelo’ road, Cheryl. Is that safe and toll-free?”

“It’s safe, as is the ‘John Howell’s Bourbon with all the amenities’ road, but I will be collecting a toll. Are you buying.”

“No, David’s buying.”

“David? Me? Why am I buying?”

“Because I bought two weeks in a row due to the week John Howell visited.”

“Busted again, Dan. John Howell bought the drinks and the pizza. Here’s your beer, your bourbon, seltzer, ice, and cherries.”

“She’s right Dan. I think it’s your turn to buy.”

“But I’m buying next week. So, how ‘bout we switch?”

“What’s so important about next week? Why can’t we keep our normal schedule?”

“Damyanti is coming to visit.”

“Damyanti Biswas? That’s so cool. Since we need to serve her from the top shelf, you can buy.”

“I thought you’d see it my way.”

“Is she going to talk about The Blue Bar? That’s her latest book, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. She’s going to talk about that and about her writing journey.”

“That sounds great, Dan. It will be good to see Damyanti again. You boys want some food?”

“I want a bowl of chowder, Cheryl, and since David is buying, give him anything he wants.”

The storms are over. The sky is clear
Looking south along the Connecticut River
The Colt building and dome
“You ready to paddle? The current is strong and we need to head north.”
“I like swimming through these reflections”
“Hee hee – I’m swimming in gold water”
Hartford as seen from Great River Park (and by two ducks)
I like how the ice formed in the shape of a leaf
Maddie’s is across the street from Pratt & Whitney’s main plant
“I like the new higher poles. I can see a lot farther now”
Washed out
The squirrels haven’t been out for a day or two because of the rain
Sunning himself on the roof of his condominium
“Um, I know you just went back in, but do you have a few leftover peanuts?”
The chowder at the bar is the best.
The flags were lowered out of respect for the people killed in the mass shooting in California


If you like magical realism with suspense, action and a bit of family sarcasm, you will enjoy these books:

Knuckleheads
The Evil You Choose
When Evil Chooses You

Series page on Amazon

My profile page (and books) on Lulu

All available on Kindle Unlimited!

79 comments

    • We have no snow, Judy. I don’t like a winter without snow. We’ve had lots of rain, but we just haven’t been cold enough long enough to get measurable snow. We had a couple storms this week that started out as snow, but washed away. I’m not saying I want 4 1/2′ high snow banks, though. I hope you have a nice week ahead.

      Like

      Reply

  4. Hi Dan, I’ve thrown in the towel on keeping any sort of blogging schedule until my husband is better. He can’t drive so I’m doing all the school runs and taking him to various appointments, I don’t mind but it changes my daily schedule. I love your pictures with orange in them. They are so vivid and bright. Men had to wear ties and ladies had to wear nylons and high heels. Personally, I’d take the ties.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  9. That is a sticky road, Dan. Hubs swore off ties when he quit the optical business. BUT… pantyhose (back in the day), heels for some years, ponytails, dresses or skirts at one actual medical practice where we worked… but yeah, I shouted hallelujah when he retired the ties. Of course it made holiday shopping harder for our boys… 🫢

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. Great photos Dan and as ever fun banter with David and Cheryl. Looking forward to meeting Damyanti Biswas next week.
    As to “the dog ate my homework” excuse? Our eldest had left home and was living in a houseshare while doing a Computer Science course prior to his degree. He had an exam coming up. The exam board send him a pass to enable him to enter the exam site, he had to have this piece of paper and ID.
    Now one of his mates at the house share had a dog that ate everything. As a precaution he gave me the form for safe keeping. I put the letter up on a high shelf with my cook books.
    Somehow the letter fell from the shelf one day while I was at work. When I got in from work later all I found on the floor was a ripped envelope…. Our black Labrador ( Rebbo) who never took any interest in mail had eaten it!
    I rang the organisers and told them what had happened. Once they stopped laughing they agreed it was such a lame excuse that they would send our lad a other pass.
    The second one arrived was kept safe and he passed his exam💜

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Maybe David should create his own blog and see what it’s like to do Just Jot it January. I did it a couple times and admire anyone who does any jotting. I love the duck photos and their fun comments as well as the leaf patterns in ice.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks JoAnna. Three more days and I will have completed JusJoJan for the first time. I’ve participated every year, but I’ve never responded to every prompt. I will write a post on Tuesday to celebrate. It’s hard for me to watch the ducks and not think about what they might be saying. I know, ducks, but my mind works that way.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  13. I love the duck photos, especially with the full-city reflection, but, oh, that breakfast! It’s like a mirage of something I dimly remember from another life — do I see eggs over easy and super-crunchy bacon? With rye toast? Swap pancakes for grits and pass the smelling salts. Nirvana! Here we are frozen slush, but it will melt this weekend. Then comes a northern blast. So it’s good to look at chowder and magnificent breakfasts: the soul stays warm.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • You nailed the breakfast, Maureen. The eggs are over “medium” but that’s hard to tell. Pancakes instead of hash browns (Maddie’s doesn’t have grits, not that I mind), and rye toast. We are in the mid-40s again today. No rain, but no snow on the ground. I hope the northern blast is kind to you.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. Well, Dan, while you disliked “men in ties” and your own requirement to wear one at work, I was collecting an assortment of appropriate womens’ clothing for the office. Not that I minded…I am a bit of a clothes horse…but in retirement, not much of that is needed and several pieces ended up at Goodwill. I have been invited to a February wedding and due to the fact that I have no dressy winter clothes that don’t scream “office,” it forced me to do a little pre-Christmas shopping for myself. Oh, the horror and agony! ;-)

    I’m excited to see you will be featuring Damyanti next week. I’m trying to get through The Blue Bar, but it’s been slow going due to reasons…

    Have a great weekend and perhaps I’ll get to a post for Monday before the week gets crazy again.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • “Forced to shop…” I hope you treated yourself to something nice, Mary. The last time I had to wear a tie to a function, I figured mine were probably out of style, so I decided to buy a new one. Talk about sticker shock – yikes! I bought two, but going forward I’ll be content to be the “old guy who doesn’t know what the style is.”

      As you know, Damyanti will be a very special guest. I hope you can join us. Sorry that football is over for both of us. I’ll still watch, but I’m not really into it this year.

      Take care.

      Like

      Reply

  17. The sky and water photos are outstanding! I especially loved the giggling duck. lol! I’m so excited that Damyanti is coming to the bar! I can’t wait to hear what she has to say. Will Skippy be there? I’ll bet Damyanti would get him to fulfill his duties properly. But Cheryl deserves the treat of her company.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Cheryl and Damyanti and I go back a ways, so I think we have to tie Skippy up out back for this one. The ducks were fun to watch. They were struggling against the current for a while. I wanted to yell, “You guys can fly!” but I guess they were feeding on stuff floating by them.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  19. Is David a spy? It seems like he drives past your house and knows when your car is gone, what project you are working on, and now he knows where you went for breakfast! I think we need to give David a bit more John Howell’s and get him talking. 😆
    The photos today are especially lovely. All those reflections with the ducks…beautiful.
    I don’t think Smokey or whichever one this is is sunning himself. I think he’s sending a silent message to you that his roof needs fixing. He’ll gladly eat some peanuts while you get to patching it. Have a great weekend, Dan.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • David’s a good listener, and I talk too much.

      Smokey chewed those holes in the firewood cover when the squirrels decided to make the wood pile into a condominium. Lot’s of activity behind those covers. We do the Uber Eats deliver on occasion, but not on a bright sunny day.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  20. How could the restrooms at a dealership be out of order?! Yikes. That chowder does look good. It’s sunny here but cold. My father worked at Pratt & Whitney right out of the service. Not for long though – the corporate life was not for him.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • They had working restrooms in a different location but not near the customer lounge. The chowder is very good at this bar. Pratt was a good place to work, but it got more and more corporate over time.

      Like

      Reply

  23. Better late than never, as the saying goes. I didn’t get any of my usual Saturday posts yesterday, including yours. 😡 I emailed Judy to see if she got yours and she did. She kindly forwarded your post to me.

    For someone who posts under No Facilities, who was in a bar with No Facilities readily available, that should have been screaming ONE-LINER WEDNESDAY in your ear Dan! 😳

    When I went on my first job interview after graduating from Berkeley Secretarial School, I wore the mandatory business suit, good old pantyhose, 2” heels, carried a purse to match my shoes, and wore white gloves and a hat! Good grief, how did we gals live through those dress codes? Today I live in sweats , tee shirts and sneakers. My kind of wardrobe!

    I just love the golden photos of the ducks/reflections. Smokey on the step saying, “More please” is a heart melter.

    Old Glory, sadly at half staff once again, is a powerful reminder of the violence in our country on a daily basis. I wish I could do more than say a prayer for these people. I wish I knew how to stop it.

    Happy Sunday Dan.
    Ginger

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Ginger. I’m glad to know your absence was a technical failure on WordPress’s part. I was going to build my one-liner off of that, but I think I’ve gotten all the mileage out of the encounter at this point.

      I knew better than to try to compare my tie to all that stuff you guys were wearing.

      Smokey does know how to charm the peanut holders. The flag being at half staff makes me sad, but I don’t know what can be done about it.

      Happy Sunday, and I hope you have a good week.

      Like

      Reply

  24. Nice job on the prompts. I chuckled at the squirrel sunning itself in its condominium photo. I love all the colors in your photos this week…remind me of the colors on the cover of your 3rd book that I’m still reading! I’m using it as motivation to get my tax prep done. For each reward stage, I read a chapter or two. And since it’s so cold here (-7 F, feels like -21 F), I’ll be using it for motivation to walk on the treadmill today too! I remember your first post with Damyanti, I bought her book back then and enjoyed reading it so much. I look forward to your interview next week to learn more about her new book!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • -7 f – yeah, that seems like treadmill weather. I am looking forward to Damyanti’s visit. I enjoyed both of her books and I am looking forward to her next one. I quite like the idea that my book is being used as a reward :-)

      We’re supposed to get colder at the end of this week. I don’t know if your weather is moving east, or if something is coming south, but it will feel like winter for a few days.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • It got colder than that yesterday… 🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶 So, I got further in the book…I’m almost done with it. I think you’d get a kick out of the fact that my hubby 3-D printed a larger book holder so that I could read books the size of yours. It’s been a keep-Shelley-reading tool that I love to use when the weather outside doesn’t permit our walking.
        Enjoy the ‘cool’ weather. Any bets on the groundhog’s prediction?
        I’ll be back to read the interview with Damyanti!!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        • Yikes – that’s cold. We’re supposed to dip below zero on Friday, but not that far. That’s pretty cool that hubs printed you a book holder. 6 more weeks of the winter we’ve been having might actually qualify as an early spring.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

  28. You do such a great job with the prompts–I feel inspired to join in, but never get there because of deadlines and poor time management. These days I just throw up a blog post when I can, which is hopefully once or twice a week.

    Looking forward to stopping over at the bar, and chatting with friends old and new. Very excited!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Add your thoughts or join the discussion. One relevant link is OK, more require moderation. Markdown is supported.

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.