Witty & Wise Ties, Trivia & Lies
The only thing better than paisley– style-wise– is a paisley and wood combination, like this Bow Tie o’ the Day. Pizza cutter Cufflinks o’ the Day make this clashy get-up even more fab. If pizza’s on the menu– and it always is– no matter how crappy your day might be, it’s not a total loss if a pizza knocks on your door just in time for dinner. I sometimes make what I call UGLY PIZZA. I press the dough into whatever jagged shape it wants to be.
Wood Bow Tie o’ the Day is attempting to make me smile, as are harlequin-patterned ‘Links o’ the Day. Although I am harlequin-esque and clownish, I’m a sad jester this morning. Mom is off to Ogden, to spend a few days with my sister, Betty. I often call Betty “Mercedes.” She’s never liked her name, and she mentioned liking the name “Mercedes.” We kids are listed on Mom and Dad’s headstone. I taped the name MERCEDES over BETTY once when she visited the grave. Mom loved it.
Tie O’ The Day brings you my grandparents, Popo and Momo, in their Millard Academy (Hinckley) high school pictures, from the mid-1920’s. I’ve always thought of these pics as “the Bonnie and Clyde photos,” since they were snapped near that same time period, and the fashion was similar. Momo and Popo were not gangsters. They were beekeepers and farmers. Popo had a pilot’s license. Every Saturday, I watched HEE HAW and THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW with them, and Popo made stove-top popcorn. What a gangsta childhood! 👔 👛
Tie o’ the Day is worn by Dad’s father, Walter Wright. Most of us grandkids called him Popo. Popo was gallant and chivalrous. He lived to love my grandma, Momo. They made a habit of sitting on their couch, holding hands. They sat on their porch every evening. They worked in their garden almost full-time, and it showed. Momo and Popo are going to kick my butt when I die, cuz when I bought their house, there was no way I alone could keep their garden beautiful.
I was answering email, and Tie o’ the Day whispered, “Pssst! Check out O.G. Big Helen!” Mom was stylin’ in her sunglasses, for no apparent reason. She just wanted to wear them. And when she napped an hour later, she still wore them. She snored mightily in her shades. Mom simply knows how to class up wherever she finds herself roaming. I don’t try to figure out where her mind takes her these days. I just try to go along, keep her safe, and enjoy the ride.
Bow Tie o’ the Day is a true butterfly style bow tie. I have only a couple of these. But, of course, I’ll rectify that little hole in my collection. I declared a Pajama Day, in honor of Mom, who gets out of her nightie and duster (her uniform) only to go to Red Lobster. But she doesn’t really do that anymore. Here, she’s sleeping away the morning. She still has the energy to laugh at my constant antics. But she tells her own stories less often. 😢
Bow Ties o’ the Day decorate this book which was crafted just for me, for my birthday. One of Suzanne’s Champagne Garden Club Gals, Jenny Williams, created this dandy piece of coolness for me to fill with drafts of my writing that might one day grow up into real poetry. Most good writing really does begin as bad, clunky, dead-end gibberish. This is a blank book for my nonsensical lines o’ blah, blah, blah. 🤓 Mom’s a blob in the background of this photo. She’s wrangling Skitter. 🤠
Bow Ties o’ the Day are giving a dark, 21-bow tie salute to my 100 ounce, tie-decorated mini keg. It’s headed to the recycling can, and it’s breaking my heart. Also, its demise has got all the neckwear discombobulated. My poor container for Diet Coke has a cracked straw, a cracked lid, and cracked innards. No catastrophe destroyed it. My mini keg– my constant companion, my sippy cup– simply wore out. I hate when that happens. I gotta search for a new tie-d barrel. AND MOM’S HERE!
It doesn’t matter to me that this photo is a bigly blur. To me, it’s a blur of sheer affection. Bow Tie o’ the Day is blurred too, but it’s properly blinged for driving to fetch Mom. Skitter’s driving with me, in her cushy car bed. Mom likes animals, but she’s never been what you might call “fond of” or close with our pets. However, she adores Skitter. Skitter is the only critter I’ve ever seen her pet. And Skitter sleeps on Mom’s feet during our sleepovers.
I wanted to accentuate beauteous Tie o’ the Day by showcasing it against a solid-color shirt. But Tie felt lonely without clash, so I paired it with a camo-esque shirt. The ensuing clash made me feel less a stranger in this world, as well. I don’t match. I don’t care that I don’t match. I don’t mind when other people match. Don’t try to make me match. I was born to be singularly effervescent and vocal. Speaking of those qualities… tomorrow, Mom’s coming for many sleepovers. 😺 😃