How Fun Is That!!

What Is Happening?

This is indeed one of those weeks one later wonders about! Where is the world going? And when funny things happen, I always think a bit about them for days, trying to figure out what the heck is happening. When I was a boy,  my family absolutely loved artichokes. In fact, when we would have them for dinner, of course with other foods and a main course too, my Mom would cook 4 of the strange medium sized veggies. She first would soak them in water in the sink to get all the bugs out of them. Then into the hot water in a pot on the stove for awhile. Then they would be served to the table. Each of the 4 of us would have our dinner plate in front of us, and there would be a small salad type bowl to each persons right. That is where the artichoke would go. We would eat them with mayonnaise and/or butter. As a boy, I was wild about them and ate them very well. How do you eat an artichoke?Well, liken it to a monkey or some kind of wild animal in a forest primieval!! You grasp each leaf individually and pull it off the ball like orb of dark green leaves, of course avoiding the sticker in the end of the leaf. You drag the leaf through the butter and/or mayo and then place the leaf, the end you are not holding, in your mouth between the upper canine teeth and the lowers. You then pull with all your might, while biting down on the "meat" of the leaf, and you have a mouthful of pasty, green STUFF in your mouth. This you do over and over until most of the leaves are gone. You stack the used leaves up somewhere by your plate or somewhere! The true aficionado, of course, when all leaves are done, goes for the heart of the artichoke, and my Mom and Dad loved that part of it. I wouldn't touch it.  The heart is located between the stem and the bottom row of leaves, and takes a bit of cutting to get to. Well that is it. I don't know how many artichokes we ate over the years growing up, but it was a very large number. Do I like them today? NO. Would I eat one today? NO. Would I eat one if someone offered me a large sum of money to do so. NO.............wait a minute. Maybe..........depends on how large a sum.  8-))))) I have a somewhat strange type of reputation around my family about types of food I totally reject: peas, corn off the cob, squash, and the like. Well, they can add artichokes. It will never be on my menu. We were in the SuperMarket today stocking up the larder(we must eat, musen't we???) and I saw a lovely display of artichokes. Ah----a teachable moment in life. I selected a very nice globular green one and said to my wife, "Now these are the leaves you eat, and the heart is down here, do you want to try one?" "Of course not," she said.  And my teachable lesson was done. Artichokes, make a lamp outta them or something! They are not for me!

Just the other day, I had to go to the Bank. I learned as a boy from my Mom and Dad, whenever you go somewhere special like the Doctor, the Bank or Downtown, you kind of want to look nice and civilized, so you kind of dress up. When arriving at the ATM line, yes I said line, as people must have come into some money, I took my place and waited. A senior citizen gentleman was next to me, and I must have looked ok to him, cause he said something like: "I don't mind waiting cause I am retired and have plenty of time. Yesterday was a holiday so they couldn't do the Banking then." No way was I going to let him do a one-ups-manship on me. I looked into his midwestern eyes(could tell by his accent) and said, "I have been retired 13 years." No response. Then out of the double Bank doors came a young college type lady, dressed casually, until I looked at her feet!!! She had been inside the Bank in her "lovely" fuzzy house slippers!!!!!!!Yes, I said fuzzy blue house slippers!!!! How crazy is that? Will the next craze in this college community be to go to the Bank or Theater or Store in your PJ's??? As a matter of fact one of my daughters says she sees them in PJ bottoms and slippers all the time in coffee places and downtown. Can't you just see it now. Joe Jones call his girlfriend at the dorm, "Hey Sadie, how about going out for coffee? I'll be right over." Sadie says, "Just a moment I need to change clothes." Joe says, "Ok, make it casual." She answers, "Ok, PJ's and Slippers." How cool is that?? Well for the young ones, it is cool. For us ancient ones, it boggles the mind. But lots of people say we older folks have boggled minds anyway!! I am going to put on my slippers now and go run some errands. The PJ's--no way!!