Day 46 – April 9
Listening to: Born to Be Wild
Thought for the day: Build a biker bar and they will come.

Get your motor runnin’………..HEAD OUT ON THE HIGHWAY………. A tsunami of motorcycles rumbled through my hood this afternoon impeding my progress to go somewhere. I had to wait at least 5 minutes for them to pass. There must have been over one hundred of them. I immediately tried to sing 100 Motorcycles on the Road to the tune of 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, but it didn’t quite work. I reckon I’ve never had so much chrome and leather pass in front of me at once. They were no doubt headed to the bar precariously perched on the side of the road across from my place of employment……………a place long-time DuPont employees refer to as “The Polecat.” Back in the day, when the Old Hickory DuPont site employed thousands of workers, The Polecat was THE place to go get an adult beverage when one got off work at 8 a.m. My one and only contact with The Polecat occurred when one of my coworkers took the bicycles from my backyard and parked them in The Polecat parking lot to make it look like my children and I were there!

The Polecat eventually closed. It has since been reopened, revived, and rejuvenated by the grace and roar of hog engines. It is now a bona-fide biker bar. Go figure.

Day 47 – April 8
Listening to: When Your Hot Your Hot (Jerry Reed)
Thought for the day: Hello 80 degrees! You’ve been missed!

Haute couture fashion often makes me say WTF. This car made me say WTF; therefore, this car must be haute couture in vehicle terms. You KNOW this car has a name. hmmm…… Wonder what it is? This was my view as I left work today to kiss the weekend hello. I love my coworkers and I’m not dissin’ anyone. It is OBVIOUS the owner of this vehicle has taken great pains to achieve some level of automobile nirvana. I just don’t get it. It actually made me giggle a little. I have a lot of car-diculous friends, so maybe someone can explain to me the why a car needs wheels that require the driver to wear a parachute to exit the vehicle.

Day 48 – April 7
Listening to: Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
Thought for the day: Woop Woop!

I am wine illiterate and a bona-fide wine retard. I consider it a form of irresponsibility in that I haven’t taken time to educate myself. Nevertheless, I like wine. I confess that I typically buy wine by the label and/or unusual name.

How could I resist a bottle of wine named Woop Woop………and a Shiraz at that (I like the Shirazzes forshirazzizzle). Woop Woop costs $12.99. Approximately $3.49 of the $12.99 is payback for me getting a laugh off of the name.

In my mind, wine is like art. It is subjective. If you put a $300 price tag on it and label it as “excellent,” people will flock to it boasting of bouquets and clarity……………..or will they? I’m starting a “my kids have left the nest” list……right here………right now. Let it be known that the first item on the list is to educate myself on wine.

Okay, I’ll see ya’ll later. I’m going to go have me a little Woop Woop.

Day 49 – April 6
Listening to: Cherry Cherry
Thought for the day: The only sure thing about luck is that it will change. ~Wilson Mizner

Meet Maneki Neko, the lucky cat. With my Wednesday Night Dinner Club on hiatus for two weeks, I felt kind of lost tonight. I decided I was going to eat out anyway………or takeout in my case. When I went to pick up my food, lucky cat was beckoning to me. Beckoning you say? Yes, beckoning. Lucky cat beckons, he does not wave. There is a cultural difference in American body gestures vs. oriental gestures.

A lucky cat with his left paw raised is supposed to attract customers. No. 1 Chinese really doesn’t need a beckoning cat to draw me in as long as they have an ample supply of crab rangoons. A waving crab rangoon would work just as well! The color of a lucky cat also carries significance. A gold lucky cat is supposed to bring great wealth. A red lucky cat begets love and marriage. Don’t be surprised if you walk in my house and see a red plastic feline beckoning to you.

http://www.best-cat-art.com/Japanese-lucky-cat.html

Day 49 – April 5
Listening to: When Dove’s Cry
Thought for the day: Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them? ~Rose F. Kennedy

Driving home last night after the storms was hectic. I couldn't take my normal path home because drunken utility polls were swaying on the side of the road. They'd consumed too many windtinis I suspect. Trees were down everywhere. My thought immediately went to the Ospreys that call the DuPont property home. There are two pairs whose nests sit exposed to the elements. The nests are massive yet fragile. I've written about the birds before in the 365. I call them Barney, Betty, Fred, and Wilma. Their nests have been swept away in the past, so I was filled with anxiety as I began my walk today. What would I find? Thankfully, both nests and all four birds appeared unharmed. Barney was busy reinforcing his nest.

Day 50 – April 4
Listening to: Every Breath I take
Thought for the day: “I shall make electricity so cheap that only the rich can afford to burn candles.” ~Thomas Alva Edison quote

This was my view last night. Why do older people always say, “You lose your lights?” instead of “you lose electricity?” I was without power for 12 hours yesterday. I've never been without power for that long. There are two things that stood out in my mind. First, the quiet that descended upon my house with no juice flowing to the outlets was palpable. I could hear myself thinking and I was loud. It's a wonder I didn't go insane listening to myself without any voltaic interference. The second thing I noticed doesn't really fall under the "notice" category and should be characterized as more of an appreciation. Toilets don't require electricity to flush. I've never given the electric-less toilet much thought. I wonder how many other simplistic modern marvels I pay no heed to because they are drowned out by white noise.

Day 51 - April 3 (adjusted countdown - will repair damage later)
Listening to: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
Thought for the Day: The trees that have it in their pent-up buds
To darken nature and be summer woods -~Robert Frost

There are some things in nature that make me stop, pause, and say, “Wow that really is designed well.” The maple leaf seed would be one of those things. Today was really windy and these things were on the fly with intense determination to populate the world with maple tree shade. Like many people, I called the seeds “helicopters” when I was young and spent hours picking them up and watching them float to the ground. I’m pretty sure I probably tried to concoct an imaginary culinary dish out of them as well. Maple Mac & Seed maybe? No flower or plant was safe from Chef Krissy.