I wore a lavender diamond-point Bow Tie o’ the Day today. My main goal for the day is to eat tomatoes for each of my meals. So far, I breakfasted on naked cherry tomatoes dipped in salt, and for lunch I had a gargantuan BLT without the “B” or the “L.” I’m already planning to have a dinner of sliced tomatoes, with two side orders of sliced tomatoes. It’s simply that time of year. Fortunately for us, with Suzanne’s parents on vacation for a couple of weeks ago, we are left in charge of harvesting the tomatoes in their garden. That’s how we got this crop of home-grown ‘maters. Here, also, are some magically minuscule tomatoes I had to show y’all. The green Skittle I put in the middle of four of the tiniest ‘maters puts their smallness into perspective.🍅🍅🍅
[My brother, Ron, has called me Queenie for as long as either of us can remember, but we all know Mom is the true Queen of All Kindness and Potato Salad. When this post showed up as a memory on my feed this morning, I simply had to post it for y’all once again. Ain’t Mom royally regal?!]
I love running across pix of Mom. Here she is, sometime around four years ago, visiting me in my former Delta abode. When I was in town, Mom wandered over to hang with me two or three times a day. Usually, Mom held court on my porch, where we solved the problems of the world. We were laughing so hard about something one summer day on the porch that Mrs. Rowlette—who just happened to be driving by—pulled into my driveway and asked what was so funny. We invited her onto the sacred porch, where she laughed with us for the next hour. Mrs. Rowlette was not the first, nor was she the last, to find out what happened on the porch, stayed on the porch.
When the weather and temperature didn’t cooperate, this bigly chair by the bigly picture window at my place was Mom’s throne. Mom’s style needs no neckwear, although I’d give her the bowtie off my neck if she wanted it. And you can see where I got my basic fashion sensibilities, right?
With Labor Day now behind us, summer 2021 is gone, too. As I was going through some files yesterday, I stumbled upon this photographic gem of me in the front yard of my family’s home. I was 14 that summer. I think the head in the corner of the pic belongs to my nephew, Ronnie, who would have been 2 at the time. I’ve never had to recognize him by just his head before, but I’m almost certain this shaded noggin belongs to him. The Bow Tie o’ the Day I’ve drawn on my neck here is further proof that every look is vastly improved with the right neckwear.
TIE O’ THE DAY presents my fave picture of my bro, Rob, and me together. This was likely taken one Easter, near my grandparents’ fence. Dad’s bee warehouse is visible in the top corner of the photo. Neither of us is wearing anything close to any kind of tie, but Rob is wearing a bright reddish-orange turtleneck dickey. That qualifies as neckwear, I suppose. The inherent beauty of a dickey remains mysterious to me. Is it considered a piece of clothing? Or is it considered an accessory? I have no clue what message a dickey means to say either. Dickeys aren’t sexy or sophisticated or playful or intriguing. I think a dickey is simply “there.” But I have no earthly clue why they exist, or why anyone ever thought they needed to. A neck and chest warmer, perhaps? 🎂🍰🎈
I donned a blue-polka-dotted orange Bow Tie o’ the Day and Skitter was wearing her avocados Tie o’ the Day (which you can’t see cuz it’s covered by her blankets in this photo), and we headed to Delta to see Mom last Friday. Suzanne managed to get the day off work, so she drove us to our destination.
When we got to the care center, folks were getting on the center’s little bus for a short outing. I could see Mom was already in the front seat, ready to see the sights. She had no idea we were there. I could have caught the group before they headed out, but since the pandemic began, the Millard Care and Rehab residents haven’t ventured out until recently. I did not want to keep Mom from a drive with her current neighbors, so Suzanne and I said to each other at the very same time, in almost the same exact words, “While we’re waiting for Mom to come back from her ride, we should go to Mom’s Crafts!” Mom’s Crafts is Suzanne’s idea of Heaven. Because Suzanne always spends a lot of $$$ there, Mom’s Crafts is also my idea of a depleted bank account.😜 So Suzanne bought a ton o’ fabric, and we both got to say “howdy” to Kyla. Mom’s Crafts is always a good time. Even Skitter was grooving about it. Skitter told me she wants Suzanne to teach her to sew, so she can shop for her own fabric at Mom’s Crafts and make her own doggie blankets. It’s gonna be a long and interesting winter, I can tell.
When we returned to the care center, the bus was already there, and Mom was already inside the building sitting with a pal at her table in the facility’s new fancy dining room. What a great space! I didn’t see Mom’s face as we were walking in her direction, cuz I was wrangling Skitter across the room and through the other residents, but Suzanne said Mom’s whole face beamed when she saw me. I was wearing my mask, and Mom had no idea I have shaved my head to the nubs, but she still managed to recognize me. I am always glad for that. It is something so basic, but it has become incredibly important to me now. I need Mom to know me. (So far, it was only that one instance when she didn’t recognize my voice on the phone.)
In Mom’s room, Skitter jumped up on her bed and curled right into Mom like she always does. Mom absentmindedly stroked Skitter throughout our visit, as is her usual way. Mom was in high spirits, as she always seems to be. She says she’s sleeping well—”like a log”— and she’s snoring well. This is true. She says she is in no pain. This used to be true until quite recently. But it’s not true anymore, and she will not admit it. She maintains her playfulness and penchant for humor. But she is also quieter than I have ever known her to be. We left her a stash of peanut butter Snickers and candy corn pumpkins. Mom is beyond pleased when we pretend on occasion that she doesn’t have to watch her sugar. 😉 We can’t wait for our next visit with her.
As you have probably figured out, my comic book-design shirt is my fave-rave this summer, which is why it’s regularly showing up on TIE O’ THE DAY. I suppose I should refer to it as my Shirt o’ the Summer o’ 2021. I wore it again yesterday, when I chose to don my wood guitar Bow Tie o’ the Day in honor of Rowan’s 24th birthday. Rowan is a guitar aficionado and player. For his birthday, we took him and his flame, Cameryn, to brunch in SLC at the Copper Onion. We had a lively time on the patio, much to the amusement of the strangers dining around us. Our animated conversation made an entertaining floorshow for our fellow diners.
When I stood up to take this photograph, Suzanne said, “Get the waiter to take it of all four of us. Nobody wants to see your big bald head in the middle of the photo.” But I put my bigly bald head front-and-center anyway, and took the snapshot myself. When we got home and I finally looked at the picture, I realized Suzanne had probably been right, as per usual. But trust me—I’m not losing any sleep over it. 🤡
TIE O’ THE DAY is pleased to be able to share this photo of Mom. I had never seen it until Tom Lovell aimed it my way. Of course, I immediately knew I had to share it with y’all—however tieless it is. Mom’s style has always been a casual one.
TIE O’ THE DAY managed to dig up this ancient snapshot of today’s birthday boy, my bigly brother, Ron. Here, he is holding baby-me. I think carrying pudgy me around was part of Ron’s first weightlifting routine—getting him into shape for his storied football, baseball, and basketball mastery. He made a school career of being a savvy and skillful athlete. He was a guard on the only Delta High School boys’ basketball team to ever win a State Championship, in 1972. As far as I’m concerned, he’s still a champ. But now he’s a really old champ.
BTW Look! I have more hair on my noggin in this picture than I have on my head right now. (See yesterday’s post photo for comparison, if you haven’t seen my current extra-baldy look already.)
That’s my brother, Ron, in the middle. He’s my oldest brother, and it’s his birthday. He is a decade older and wiser than my 57. After all these years, I still claim him. Here, he’s flanked by me (and my cork rifle), and our brother, Rob. We’re on our front lawn, back when our house was a color I call 50’s-era pink. I’m assuming the pup there is new to the family and is the reason for the photo. I don’t know how it got the name, but the dog’s name really was Dumb Dumb—which is odd, because the word “dumb” was forbidden like a swear word in our house. That contradiction always puzzled me as a wee sprite.
TIE O’ THE DAY wishes you a swell birthday, Ronald!
I stocked up on flavored water this afternoon. Bow Tie o’ the Day is LOL-ing at me for spending a chunk of money on water, which I can easily steal from my own tap for practically nothing, whenever I’m thirsty. There’s no good reason at all to buy water in cans or bottles, except that I like subtle flavors like “blackrazzberry,” “beachplum,” “white peach ginger,” “peach honey,” “raspberry acai,” “blueberry pomegranate,” and “strawberry cucumber.” The faucets in my house do not spew flavored water, and I really don’t want them to. I only started drinking fancy water last summer, when I decided to give it a try. I like certain brands of flavored water so much that I have cut nearly all Diet Coke/Pepsi out of my diet, without even trying to.
Hey! Here’s a water trivia item from my own experience. The finest-tasting water that has ever gone down my gullet is Oak City, UT water during my kidhood. That stuff came right off the mountain and out of my grandparent’s tap. Oak City water was Oak City water back then. It is said that water has no taste, but if you’ve ever had the privilege of drinking good water, you know that it does. It is a flavor all its own.💧
