The Wiz

We're off to see the Wizard......or something like that. We're going to be on the road for a few days and hopefully I can keep up the pace. The Crippe's were nice enough to let me have Snatches stay at the house for extra security. Billy doesn't know about this yet and I hope they let him in on the plan, because sometimes he works himself into a frenzy worrying about things. I suspect California is still on fire, but we are not going to California, so it just doesn't matter. Stay tuned for Updates.

Halloween

Bill's favorite holiday is Halloween and this year after looking at my posts, he wants me to dress up like Colonel Sanders. I'm going to do it ...just for him.

Billy would like to dress up too.....hell, I think he'd just like to wear anything sometime. As he get older, he frequently asks to be like the other kids in his class. It just isn't easy to clothe him, so he remains a nudist much to his dislike. He is ever so thankful of his "blanket".

Billy likes to lay behind the door of his apartment and decorate his life support and freak out the little kids when then come trick or treating. Occasionally the kids get so scared they take off running leaving their loot behind to Billy's delight. If weather permit, his mom will put on an old cheerleader uniform and push him around the neighborhood for additional treats.

Carl, Esq.

Carl is an interesting gentleman. He could easily have the word "esquire" behind his name. Carl is a barrister with an uncanny ability to give everyone, he so warrants as worthy, a nickname. If you don't have a nickname you are not a part of his world. He also names his cars and his house and probably his stock certificates.

Carl follows his self-imposed regimen and there is little chance for deviation of that regimen.

Until recently, he would come to the Ox Yoke Inn every Sunday at precisely 1:00pm. He would bring his gal Sal and go to his assigned table in the Rattskeller and order his first martini. It would be straight up and have an olive...people who know me well, know my martinis are also straight up...but no olive...because I don't eat anything green. Sally would have the same and Carl would light up his pipe and savor the martini.

If I didn't have anything important to do at 1:00 pm on a Sunday, I would join them. I would be subjected to some very old jokes, but I laughed on cue as if I had never heard them. Occasionally, I'd be able to tell them one that they had not heard and that gave me great pleasure.

After the first tini was consumed, he would summon the barkeep, who also was given a special nickname and ask if "she still remembered the formula" for the second martini. The second martini was consumed with the same gusto as the first and then the barkeep was summoned for a "sharsie" . The sharsie was another martini that Carl & Sally would share.

Shortly after the "sharsie" was consumed, you'd hear their table reservation announced over the intercom and they would work their way upstairs for the same meal they have every every Sunday.

Carl always tipped the bartender with Susan B. Anthony dollars...I believe he is the only person in the United States that uses the coin.

They don't come to the Ox Yoke any more...no one knows why....damn I miss those old jokes.

Carl is old and doesn't have a computer or a cell phone. His cane is his palm pilot, Sally is his co-pilot.... he gets along just fine,

Oh,....my name is Harnishfeger
Audrey is Bathsheba
.............There are others.....I took the time to record them....amongst Billy's friends you will find:
Naked Gun, Marcel Marceau, Tulip, Sumo, Sloe Eyed Temptress, Kennibunkport, Macganahan, Ziggy Speilhagen, Sir Ronnie, Zoom, Svelte, Sloopy, Oshkosh, and the list goes on.

Maybe a 'bloggie' will see his or her name in the list.....let me know who I forgot.

Starting the 60thYear

Yesterday, Audrey suggested we meet at "The Moose" after work. "The Moose is Moose McDuffy's...but the 'in crowd' just calls it The Moose. Its akin to calling Las Vegas, "Vegas". But when talking to others that aren't in the 'in crowd' they think you are talking about some international order of the Moose Lodge..

I asked her why she wanted to do that and she suggested that maybe we would run into friends. "This is Monday night", I reminded her...but she stood firm.

The Moose is where I met Sher (the pharmaceutical rep), Kathy (the CPA turned FA) and Regina (Billy's Aunt)...in that order. I can still pinpoint exactly where each were sitting in the bar and if you draw a line between all seats it forms a triangle. You could say its my Bermuda triangle.

As mentioned yesterday, it was my birthday and I started to suspect it was a planned get together. It was a school night so Billy was home probably doing homework.

It was pleasant evening with many quaffs being consumed. The Hopper was there sporting his new Prada eyewear. I think he really doesn't like them as well as he puts on, because as soon as a camera is in range, the glasses fly off his face and are hidden from view.

Gary & Mary followed us to the Grafton Street Pub for a final final and some grub.



Ever since I was tricked by Regina I am suspect of who people really are.

There was a young man pretending to be a student at the table behind us...but I suspect it may have been someone undercover. I am outing him here with this clandestine picture I was able take without his knowledge. If anyone knows his real identity...please let me know.

Fifty-Nine......exceeding the Double nickel

Today's my birthday..well actually an anniversary of my birthday. My birthday was 59 years ago coincidently on this very date. Its no big deal nowadays being 59 years old. But I have now lived 4 years longer than the self imposed prediction of my death. You see my father died at age 55 and his father died at age 55...seems like the double nickel was a tough hurdle. I thought I might come to that same early demise.....so far I've beaten the rap. Its good to be alive. I got a card from Billy....but i knew I would.

P.S. I'm also starting to look like Colonel Sanders.

Field Trip

Its my weekend to take Billy out for an "outing". So a field trip to view the turning of the leaves was in order. You see its a natural for the lungster, because he is already on his back and looking skyward. Perfect for leaf viewing.

I called on old friends, who will just be referred to as Mr. & Dr. O. They live near the Coralville reservoir and have a perfect acreage for leaf viewing. So with the Diehard hooked to the iron lung and a couple of bottles of water and some gumme bears we back the Hummer up to the Crippe apartment steps. We are getting pretty adept at sliding the payload in the back. We're about a mile down the road headed to our destination and Billy cries out "Snatches..we forgot Snatches"...so we do a U Turn and go back for his beloved Snatches. Followers of my blog will know that Snatches is a very special "designer" dog. She actually gets very little exercise in the apartment and it hard for Billy to take her for a walk.

We're back on task and headed for a nature walk. Billy enjoys riding in the Hummer even though the view is pretty much the same for the duration. The headliner. We arrive at Dr. & Mr. O's compound on this beautiful Saturday afternoon in late October. We are greeted first by their family dog and he and Snatches become friends in a New York minute.

What Dr. O did not tell us was that the trek to the foliage was the equivalent of going on a wilderness safari. This was not such a challenge for able bodied persons, but a lad in a lung without the knobby tires is a different story.

We finally make it to our destination dodging snakes and poison ivy along the way. On the way back we stop by and visit the O horsies. We follow the bread crumbs we wisely dropped along the way wind our way back to the ranch.

When we arrive back to the base we are welcomed to a table replete with shrimp cocktails and the like as if the maid had prepared it in our absence. Out comes the Bombay Sapphire and all of a sudden the hike was all so worth it.

Dr. O explains that she is a Sexual dysfunction counselor and has an office at the ranch. We are shown the office with its Sigmund Freud type fainting couch. We can only imagine the stories that have emanated from those cushions. The office is in their 1860's farm house and Dr. O secretly shares her desire to be the next Dr. Laura..... I Think Dr. O has a nice "ring" to it and she will be a hit.

When she shares stories, which of course have no names attached for privacy purposes, we can't help but think she could be talking about Otto....Billy's dad. You know anyone who urinates in a vat at the Schlitz factory could be capable of other dastardly deeds.

Next we are treated to huge T-Bone steaks that they must have raised on their farm as you could never buy something like this in a supermarket. The wine flowed like the Iowa river and the hottub on their back deck proved the perfect ending to a perfect visit.