TIE O’ THE DAY rides again, after an unintentional two-month break. Everything was fine, fine, fine—then, FWHOOMP! I stepped into a deeply debilitating bipolar black hole. Couldn’t write. Couldn’t find one thing in the world that seemed clever or funny or worthy of words. My brain felt like a whirling Milk Dud. Gradually, my head settled down and seemed to find its way back into a bit of light. That’s when my brother, Rob, made a final bigly decision. Well, that set my noggin back into a whole different kind of darkness. I turned to the bilgiest light I’ve ever known: my mother, Helen, Senior. What better way to fight the gloom than to get back to TO’TD with a summery Bow Tie o’ the Day and a visit with Mom. That woman joyfully keeps going through every twist and turn. I’m proud of her gumption. And I’m glad to be posting again. I have much to tell.
Orange Tie o’ the Day goes to this pizza builder at Pizza Slut in Portland. This guy was a gallant and trusting soul. I spent less than an hour with him, in another less than ideal vacation situation, but he is one of the characters I choose to remember about our trip. Because of the weird snowstorm of 3 days prior to the day I met him, it still wasn’t easy for us to find an open restaurant. And we couldn’t find food places that were back in the delivery business. Not even Dominoes would send food our way, so I scoured the online pickings for nearby food places which would allow me to arrange an order I could come by and pick up. It had to be close enough that I could hoof it there and back to the hotel without freezing myself to the sidewalk ice. Finally, Pizza Slut took my pick-up order online—although they were so busy that the order I put in at 8 PM on Friday could not be fulfilled until Saturday at 1:00 PM. I jumped at the opportunity for any pizza, any time.
So the next day—just a few hours before the Springsteen concert—I winterized myself the best I could at 12:30 PM and stepped onto the still-iced Portland sidewalks. I followed the directions to Pizza Slut on my phone until it said I was at my destination. I looked around to find myself at a bar called Dante’s. I was cold, so I went in to ask directions to the pizza place, and behold—in a corner of Dante’s was a dark little cubby of an area called, of course, Dante’s Pizza Slut. Clever. The pizza guy asked if he could help me, and I explained I had placed an order last night and I was there to pick it up. The guy said, “We haven’t been able to take any online orders since the storm shut down our IPads and computers. Did you pay for your order online?” I did. Dude said, “I believe you. Tell me what kind of pizza you want, and I’ll throw it in for you right now. Did you order any sodas with it?” I told him I had ordered and paid for 4 cans of Diet Coke.
While he got to work on my mysterious order, I sat in the bar around a roaring fire pit they had going. I drank one of the Diet Cokes, and then I drank another—warm and comfy as all get-out. I wished Suzanne was there with me to enjoy the fire, and the music, and the smell that promised hot pizza was on its way. When the pizza was done and my own personal pizza guy was sending me on my way, I offered to pay for my order, but he was sure they’d find my order and payment somewhere in their temporarily downed online accounts. I handed him one of my tie-o-the-day.com bracelets and told him to contact me there if he didn’t get paid for my pizza. Dang, those TO’TD bracelets come in handy! Walking back to Hotel Lucia on the ice with the pizza was a bit tricky. You see, Pizza Slut makes only one size of pizza, and it is bigly: a 30-inch crust. That’s a heavy duty pizza pie to balance while sliding on ice. But both I and the pizza made it to the hotel without falling.🍕
Tie o’ the Day joined me for breakfast this morning. Eggs didn’t sound good. Even bacon didn’t get my vote. Nope, I started off my day by eating some “spotted dick”—which is apparently a bready pudding, dotted with raisins. I am here to tell you this: trying something once is more than sufficient for some things. The spotted dick wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t really my cup of tea. It did taste much better after I spooned a bigly dollop of vanilla ice cream on top.🍽🤡
I found the perfect Valentine’s Day Tie o’ the Day for me: a Nicole Miller necktie full of paisley hearts. We left Skitter home while we went to dinner last night. The poor thing sat around the house all by herself, wearing her very own lipstick-and-lips Tie o’ the Day for the occasion. Meanwhile, Suzanne and I went to dinner at the Oasis Cafe in downtown SLC. We had a groove-tastic conversation—as we always do. (The food rated only a “meh” review from me, so I doubt we’ll revisit the place.) I, of course, wore my heart-covered, Suzanne-made cape on our evening outing. I did manage to see someone else sporting a different type of eye-catching cape at the restaurant, as well. I had to be low-key to take this photo of the other cape, and I apologize for not being able to get close enough to it to find out what it was made of. But believe me, its feather-like, petal-like look was stunning. However, I still prefer my own cape, to be sure. It flies me around the sky oh-so very well.
Heart-breaker Tie o’ the Day is a reminder that love has its pains. This poem, written by the American poet, Jane Kenyon, is a love poem about an ordinary day filled with ordinary events—and how these simple things become extraordinary when spent in the company of one’s beloved, especially when time is running out. Kenyon wrote the poem while she was fighting a losing battle with cancer almost thirty years ago. The poem speaks to me. I hope it speaks to you. Love on, my friends.💝💝💘
This is kissy-face Tie o’ the Day’s first venture out of the Tie Room and into the public eye. It’s a proper piece o’ neckwear for Valentine’s Day Eve. It is also a reminder to me of all the times I have walked around with similar kiss evidence on my face—having forgotten it was there before I left the house. Fortunately, that kind of social faux pas is the kind of thing strangers find amusing even as they gently let me know I’ve got lipstick on my cheek. People who know me don’t give me a heads-up about a set of lipstick lips on my face because they assume I left it there on purpose. They assume it’s just another fashion and/or political statement from yours truly. Nah, I just get busy thinking or working on something and I forget the lip-marks are there for all to see. Needless to say, I know I am loved and wanted every day.
Also, after many years of enjoying wearing my collection of Sloggers garden shoes almost every day and in every situation, I woke up one morning a month ago and wanted new shoes. I haven’t bought new shoes for years and years, but my Sloggers weren’t striking my style bell any longer. They had a good run, but wanted to retire. I’m turning over a new shoe leaf. Doc Martens to the rescue. I’ve had some before—in my younger days—and I have always thought fondly of them. So I hopped onto the Dr. Martens website and I found a pair or two (or five) of shoes which fit my style vibe. They pair well with neckwear of any type. The Doc Martens shoes I’m wearing in this selfie are dang dandy. When I’m in them, I’m wearing art on my feet. This design is based on a section of Georges Seurat’s painting, BATHERS AT ASNIERES. My only regret about these fab shoes is that the shoemaker did not use the section of Seurat’s painting with the red dog in it. Putting that dog on the shoes is the only thing which could have improved on this pair.👞🐕
This afternoon’s Tie o’ the Day comes in the form of a dickie/ruffle/tie/brooch thingamafashion. I think this possible Oscars red carpet dress might garner its own award for how it is apparently a perfect dress for going out to walk your peacock. It looks like a breeze to wear! Pun intended. 👗👠
Tie o’ the Day is my version of a 21-doughnut salute to the crafty Suzanne, who crocheted me this amazing new hat one evening. I’m smitten by it, which means you’ll be seeing it again and again. It’s double thick—for those mega-chilly days when the cold stabs me to the bone. Suzanne is my hero, and she gallantly treats me like I’m her hero. At least one of us is a very lucky human being, and I’m positive it’s me. Note to self: Make it a point to thank Suzanne each day for all the bigly and little-ly things she does to make my life incredible. I suggest that if you’ve got people who treat you like you are the most magnificent creation on the planet, let them see your gratitude now. We’re only here temporarily. 🐝🦋
Ties o’ the Day are all over the newest puzzle in our collection. Suzanne’s niece, Rachel, gifted the puzzle to me recently. Surprise gifts out of nowhere are important. It is always nice to be reminded someone knows exactly who you are and what you are all about. It is reassuring to know you are well regarded by a few folks in this non-stop, crazy life. Rachel knows I’m ties. I am extra amazed that she took the time to find me this puzzle treasure right now because she has been busy preparing for the birth of her third kid—which finally came to pass last night. Here he is, starring in his first TIE O’ THE DAY appearance—the one, the only, the handsome, the swaddled: Zeke. Zeke is the eagerly anticipated baby brother to Liam and Lukas. I have already picked out a bow tie and necktie with which to welcome Zeke to the planet. They are gift-wrapped with a tube of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. Zeke will find these items come in plenty handy in this world. It is always a plus to present oneself fashionably, as well as to be free from diaper rash. 👔
Yesterday, Skitter and I packed our various water bottles into the truck and headed south to spend some time with Mom. It was a no-brainer for me when it came to choosing Tie o’ the Day for the occasion. The tie had to be Mona Lisa—a tie o’ beauty for a visit with my beautiful mother. Skitter and I were surprised to find Mom wasn’t wearing any earrings. It’s been quite a long while since we’ve seen her ears naked. She also didn’t mention my earrings, which she always does. She did mention liking Skitter’s tie a number of times. Of course, she remarked about Mona throughout the visit. She also made a bigly deal about liking the taco socks I was wearing. Mom told me she is content with not doing much anymore. She said, “All my life I did everything, all the time.” She took a long pause, looked into my eyes, and said, “But not all of me is here anymore. Do you know what I mean?” I told her I knew. I did not tell her how many years I’ve already missed so much of her. Nor did I tell her how she sometimes melts farther away from me, even as I am sitting right next to her. And I certainly didn’t tell her how helpless and ineffectual it makes me feel that there is not one damn thing I can do for her to make it stop. 🕯
