Can't you see it coming.....

With the death of the "King of Pop', the BET awards show featured tributes and even Jamie Foxx moon-walking. I know the oldies station here played a Michael/Jackson 5 song every other title.

And WGN had a "Charlie's Angels" marathon to commemorate Farrah.

So with the demise of Billy Mays at 50 today, does this mean we'll be blitzed with Oxy-Kleen commercials on QVC???????? And what will ESPN do with that promo spot for their website showing Billy, spouse, and children (all bearded) hawking the site?

Re-Visit

I can always tell when I've returned from visiting my old stomping grounds.

First is the needed infusion of green chile. This week I twice had green chile cheeseburgers for lunch and one dinner was chile rellenos (made from a weight-watchers recipe--baked not deep-fried). If you haven't lived in green chile country you probably won't understand the import of this, but trust me on it!!

Next is the craving for GOOD Italian food. I'm contemplating sending $20.00 to one of my cousins so she'll get me a stick of that excellent hot sopressata salami from the L&G Deli. And I've framed my receipt for the White Castle I visited in Astoria, Queens, NYC. (I know -White Castle isn't Italian but ain't no beating them sliders.) As I write this entry, the grill is heating up so I can do a hot Italian sausage sub for lunch.

It's not always pleasant going back to CT. Flying is a hassle, everything's wicked expensive. But the food is to die for. Now if I could just get me an anchovy pizza from John the Baker.......

No More Thrills????

A sad day. Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer and Michael Jackson succumbed to his life. Personally, Farrah gave me far more thrills than Michael. She was the original blonde with BIG HAIR. I don't know if she and Ryan O'Neal got married before today. I know it was planned.

As for Jackson, he was a little too weird for me, but "Thriller" was quite an opus. One might even call it his "Sgt. Pepper". I wonder who'll get those publishing rights to the Beatles' catalog now that he's gone.

And we'll end this with a Simon and Garfunkel line: "He flew away/ Oh my grace I've got no hiding place......"

Makes as much sense as the other events of the day.

Fictions

So the governor of SC, Mark Sanford, a front runner for the dubious distinction of carrying the Republican banner in the 2012 presidential election, allowed the fiction to be disseminated that he was hiking on the Appalachian trail to clear his head after some bitter fights over budgets and money with the SC legislature. This is a fiction. He admitted today he was involved in an affair.

Now, this man is alleged to be a paragon of conservative virtues like the sanctity of the family, the sanctity of "one man one woman" marriage, and all the other virtues that secular liberal intellectuals lack. So how badly have the mouthpieces of the G O P castigated this sinner over his fall from the Sinai of their proclivities? Well, Ayatollah Rush Limbaugh has taken comfort in the fact that Republicans are capable of sex and lust. So much for the Commandments about not committing adultery and not coveting another man's wife. Does this mean that henceforth the religious wing of the G O P will only be touting 8 commandments for public display, not the original 10 given us by GOD?? As for the next-in-line prophet, Hannity, his website has a non-clickable line about the incident. And these two purport to be the consciences of the nation??

A final fiction---Suppose Argentina was just to throw us off the scent and Gov. S. really went to another state that starts with "A" and his real paramour is the governor there. This torrid affair began about a year ago (he said this), maybe at a Republican governors conference?? And an affair with the fair governor of that northernmost clime might eliminate a front-running and highly respected rival for the 2012 nomination....

Honestly, between multiple nuptial Newt, Ensign lover, now Sanford the fallen, shouldn't the question be whether any of the "serious" Republican possible presidential candidates for 2012 have more sense than Midshipman Bertie, the humpy little chihuahua? Bert has an excuse---he's a 4-month old male puppy. What excuse can Rush and Sean offer for the uncontrollable urges of men aspiring to leadership who act like 4-month old male puppies???

Of Pirates and Pagans

So the only religious goods store near us is in the Village of Old Greenwich. For the number of Italians and churches in southern Fairfield County, you'd think there would be hundreds. But no, just this one.

We were on a mission to get a St. Joseph statue. Not only is he the father of the savior but according to the old French Catholics in northern New England, he's the patron saint of successful real estate transactions as well. Meaning you gotta get a statue of St Joe to sell your house!!!

So we went into this shop. And the salesperson cheerily greeted us, inquiring as to what we sought. Upon our reply that we were looking for a statue ("No statues here") of St Joseph----"Are you selling a house? That's what most people want those for--pagans!!!!" we promptly regrouped and, St Peter-like, denied that a real estate sale was our goal. We actually went so far as to agree about this barbaric practice, telling her that we heard that the figure must be buried head down facing the structure in the back yard. Not that we would EVER condone such an action....

She offered medals of St Joseph, after all a likeness of St Joseph was a likeness of St Joseph regardless if it was a medal or a statue. But we demurred. I had to think quick, didn't want to be appraised as a pagan by this purveyor of sanctity. I insisted that we needed a statue. It seemed that my 96-year old aunt had had a statue of St Joseph on the mantle for years and decades. And the unthinking new cat she had recently received as a pet had ascended the mantle and with a swish of the tail had deposited the artifact onto the floor, shattering it into pieces. Hence our quest for a statue and it had to be a statue. You know how old Italian aunts can be so set in their wishes and desires......Then we beat a hasty retreat as the salesperson god bless, 96 years olded us out the door.

Home???

So I flew back east to see relatives, specifically my 96 year-old aunt who just had a surgical procedure for a growth on her breast. It occurred to me as the plane descended through the night sky above Connecticut that I might be coming home. But that really wasn't a relevant thought. I left that state over 30 years ago. While I may have grown up there, it hasn't been my home for a long time.

Why these thoughts? Because the night before I left we signed a listing agreement on the house we bought 2 years ago. Imagine trading in a beautiful large ranch-type home for a 80 year old adobe with a dirt cellar in a village over 20 miles from the nearest Lowe's Home Improvement Center.

But what a beautiful view from back yard:

Those trees mark the location of the Pecos river.

It's in Pecos NM. All I can say is that this is the one place on earth where I can truly say that I've had a personal religious experience. The first time I descended into the big kiva at what was once a major trading place between the pueblo and plains Indian culture....

It was a feeling that I really can't articulate. It's just the RIGHT place. Hopefully you readers have found that same place for yourself but I hadn't until I found Pecos. Now we have the opportunity to move to this magical place.

This post is being entered from a motel room with the delightful view of I-95 in southern CT. The road has been a parking lot for cars and semis for over 2 hours. I may have been born in this city but it definitely is NOT my home.

Abuse

We Pirate Dogs were absolutely abused on Saturday. We were dispatched into the Nargle at 7:30AM and not released until 6:30PM. Good thing we were able to use the trans-warp drive and test the new phasers at any Klingon Kat that wandered into our sights. We had water and there were no "accidents".

When we were released, the alleged humans were all on about something called Pecos. Seems our dad really likes it there and they were all atwitter about some set-up with 2 houses with mountain views. I guess they would like to move there with Auntie Bucksnort and our cousins, Esmerelda and Seymour.

Here's a picture from the land the houses are on:

We're sure there'll be more said about this from our parents.

From the log of the CSS Nargle, Sirius date 61409, Midshipman Bertiquila recording.

(Note---Sirius is the "dog star." How else would we measure our dates???? Capt. 'Roid)

Papi Puppy

As I write this post, the Red Sox have taken all 7 games this season from their eternal nemesis, the New York Yankees. A-Roid is 0 for 7 with an error. CHOKE TIME, Rodriquez vs. los Socquitos rojas!!!! What else is new for MR. 0-for-October. Which major league team has the MOST World Series championships in the 21st Century????? THE SOX, BABY!!!!!

Why am I such a Sox fan?? Isn't it obvious???

Big Papi

Big Puppy!!!!!!

The left shot is Big Papi rounding third on his homer Tuesday in the opener and to the right is me cheering!!!!!!

LOL

Leny

Evolution

One thing about the Pirate Dogs is that they constantly grow and evolve. This week the newest, Bertie, went to the vet. The good doctor figures he's about 3-1/2 months old and has some rat terrier mixed in with the chihuahua. Well didn't that just spark a firestorm.

Now the easy solution would be to name him "Ratso", but that's Auntie Bucksnort's grandson's nickname. What to do, what to do.................The solution is, shall we say, quoting Mr. Spock in "The Wrath of Khan", unique...........

Bertie as Dustin because he's "Ratso":




















Leny as Jon playing "Joe Buck":





















Now, this casting is due to the size of the dogs relative to the characters. Bertie would be more suited by temperament to the Joe Buck role---being a male puppy he's ready to hump anything that crosses his path!!!!

But it's the Brenda Vaccaro role of Shirley that causes the controversy. Weets really wants this part but possibly Emma has the look??? What do you think?

And for those of you who haven't figured out where this is all going, would you believe.....

Midnight CowDogs

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Holy Mackerel

If you watch The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC you know about her "holy mackerel" stories.  These are a couple of items that got me this week:

What would you think about driving a Sichuan Tengzhong to work??  I wonder if they'll make them for the military as well?  Supposedly they will still be made in the USA but I wonder for how long....

Oh, sorry, you don't know what a Sichuan Tengzhong is???  That's the company GM sold the Hummer to!!!!!!  Wouldn't it be nice if you got a year supply of Sichuan dumplings with every purchase.........

The "grasshopper" has been squashed.  Those of my generation should immediately recognize of whom I speak.  For other readers, he starred opposite Uma in Kill Bill.  David Carradine was found hung in his hotel room in Bangkok.  Such a tragic and sad end to the actor who probably did more to popularize the Shaolin disciplines and Eastern martial arts than anyone not named Bruce Lee.

The Pirate Dogs have rechristened the Nargle  "K-9 Hum "and painted it black in memoriam.