Old & FuddyDuddy

That's us today.  At least I assume that's the category we fall into since we have no picnic or fireworks viewing planned and this picture of "fun" for today's Photo A Day is of our usual morning fun--2 cups of coffee and 2 crossword puzzles each.  See? Old and fuddyduddy.  Told you.  I would like to be doing something fun but DS has to work today (beer brewing never rests, evidently, not even on a holiday) and it's too blazing hot and humid to want to be outside for more time than it takes me to top up the water in the fountain so the birdies have a bathing place and the new pump doesn't burn out.  I tried to get a magic potion to kill and prevent the algae that chokes the fountain but all they had at Stein's was stuff for big ponds and the clerk said I should just dump out the water, scrub everything, and then put it back.  Nice idea, kid, but I'm not going to scrub all the rocks and seashells and coral pieces (brought back before we were enlightened vis a vis reef preservation) once a week.  Nope, not gonna do it.  Maybe I'll go see what Menard's has--after the heat wave breaks.  I did get 5 of the last 8 packages of shallot sets they had at Stein's.  They were 90% off, that made each package seventeen cents (I do wish there was a cents sign on here, they're so cute, that little "c" with a slash, but no, all I've got is a big, showy dollar sign, a big "S" with a line that's supposed to be 2 lines so it represents US with the sides of the "U" close together and the bottom cut off) so it was a no-brainer to buy so many.  We have an empty planter (gasp!) so I'll be poking the shallot sets in there later today when the sun passes over the house so it's in the shade.  The lady who checked me out said she planted some too and she was waiting for her big, round onions to harvest.  I was sorry to disabuse her of that notion but told her about shallots growing kind of like garlic, in clove shaped pieces, not big globes.  She was disappointed but glad I told her.  I don't think she's a very adventurous cook, but I did tell her she could substitute her shallots for green onions (usually you do it the other way) and that Durwood read online that they are similar to red onion in flavor so they can sub for those too.  I don't think she was happy, and I think she felt a bit foolish.  I tried to be nice about it, wracking my brain to think of something simple she might be familiar with to compare them to.  No, strike that, I was nice about it, tried to make a joke.  I don't know how that went over but she was polite and thanked me.  Ah well, that's what comes from living on the edge of modern civilization.

July 4--China, Tang Dynasty, Seated Buddha.  "Who took that man's hands, Mama?" the little girl said as she passed the exhibit Sheila was setting up.  The mother shushed her daughter and hurried away.  "Like you'd be embarrassed," Sheila said to the lacquered figure.  Great, she thought, now I'm talking to statues.  She pushed and settled it into place, making sure that it could be seen from a couple angles, and then she placed the card with its accession number and when it was received into the collection.  "1919, that was a while ago," she said.  "Have you been in storage all that time?"  "Does he ever answer?" a deep voice said behind her.  She turned and looked into the bright blue eyes of a man with tousled brown hair and his topcoat over his arm.  "I...," she said gesturing to the Buddha, "he's not much of a talker.  A good listener but not a talker."  His warm laughter washed over her like a caress.

Have an enjoyable 4th of July.  I hope it's cool, or at least cooler where you are.
--Barbara