Friday, August 25, 2023

Had To Happen...


...and political cartoonist Gary Varvel...hit it out of the park.  

If you've been living in a cave or under a rock for the past few months and actually do not know what's being referenced above - or if you just want to hear it again - <click here>



Got some good news re: our Philco V-handle:



I mentioned it had been retired for the past year due to its constantly sweating freezer door...


...which caused a minor rainstorm inside.

We tried for several months to use it as our main fridge, but eventually Karen put her foot down and I really couldn't argue.

I asked the folks who refurbished it what they thought, and they said it's just what happens with these old refrigerators.

Yeah...no.

I grew up in that era so I know that ain't right.

But I didn't know what was wrong, and having no ready solution, out to the garage our midcentury marvel went where it languished for months.

Every time I saw it sitting there unused my blood pressure went up, so this spring I sent out the SOS.

#1 son answered the call, rallied the troops (2 of his sons), and helped move it from the garage into our bonus room.

Thus began my serious quest to solve this problem once for all.

It took awhile, but finally hooked up with a FB group devoted to vintage refrigerators...


...and they identified the likely cause:

There's supposed to be a tight gasket seal all the way around the freezer compartment in these old, single door units.

The upside down U formed by the outside door gasket, joins to a horizontal gasket on the inside just below the freezer compartment, and that's supposed to make a tight seal.

Any leaks in that - anywhere - and the freezer door sweats.

One of the group members suggested we put a nylon rope under the outside door gaskets - the upside down U part - to make a tighter seal, which we did.

No dice.

Then the obvious dawned on me:



It's embarrassing to admit I'd missed that!

On the other hand...when I asked the group if they thought closing that gap between the horizontal and vertical gaskets would help, they replied, "probably not".

Hm.

I guess they thought the issue must be leaks in the outside door gasket, letting room temperature air into the freezer compartment area.

They didn't think the cold air from the refrigerator - even though it's above freezing and at least 15 to 20 degrees warmer than the freezer - would make a difference.

We had nothing to lose, so we sealed the gap anyway...


...and guess what?


No more sweating door, no more rainstorm in the refrigerator!

I may look calm on the outside, but inside I'm doing the Happy Dance.


However, even though it's now better, we're still not going to use this as our main refrigerator.

Karen's adamant that it's just too small, and no amount of me preaching that previous generations...


...somehow managed with these classics will change her mind.

I'm reminded of what #1 son told me a while ago on this subject:

"Some people enjoy visiting museums, but that doesn't mean they want to live in one."

Ok, point well taken.

I'm just happy it's working correctly, and we are going to use it in our bonus room now.

In the end I didn't get my way, but it's not like I'm going to stick out my tongue at anyone.



That would be immature.



summer's end

Terry Hare, copyright 2022

in the fading days of august,
near the end of summer's reign,
when melancholy scents the air,
and daylight starts to wane,

with autumn waiting in the wings,
to dance across life's stage,
it's then I long to turn the hands
of time to June again.

delights of summer beckoned yet,
amid the lengthening days,
verdant frolics called to us,
from summer's lazy haze.

a morning reading poolside,
a sunset by the shore,
a carefree forenoon promenade,
a summer evening storm.

but time raced on so quickly,
and days flew by too fast,
the joys that once were future,
soon segued to our past.

and so we greet fair autumn!
possessed of fall delights.
but O! I'll miss those clarion days,
and clement summer nights.




One of those "before summer's completely gone" things we've been meaning to do...well, we done dooded it:


We visited the Root Beer Barrel in Douglas, Michigan.

In the 1950's a husband who knew he was dying wanted his wife to have a means of support, so he purchased the above eatery for her.

He did indeed pass on, and she and her kids ran the Root Beer Barrel successfully for several years, then sold it.

It changed hands a few times through the decades, but eventually fell into disrepair and was closed.

Years later, enter the town of Douglas who spearheaded a campaign to restore it to its former glory, and voila:



The current day version, slinging dogs and beer (root, that is) in fine fashion.

And it's busy...if you go, bring your patience with you.  We went midweek and stood in line 30 minutes for our Classic Dog...

onions, ketchup, pickle and mustard (your choice) on an angus beef dog


...a Rhino Dog...

why it's a "rhino dog" I do not know...it's mac and cheese and chili on an angus beef dog


...and a small Sprecher's Root Beer.

Total damage: $12.25.

The food is quite good and both of us enjoyed our meals.  I thought the mac and cheese with chili was very tasty (note the supplied knife and fork; there's no way you're going to hold it in your hands to eat it).

And yes, as you probably guessed from the pics, we did eat in our car...they do have a lot of seating there, but the place was jammed, so we cruised to the grocery store parking lot and feasted there.

Judge's decision: not wild about the wait, but the food - and let's face it, the schmaltz factor -


- make it worth the trip (and wait).



And now, as my 11th grade Civics teacher who hailed from New Jersey used to say:

"Widdout foida adoo, let us begin..."

...Parting Shots, that is:

Larry found this on FB; don't know if it's real or not, but I want one



I've run out of golf balls before; the other, not so much



someone told me that's a katydid; don't know if katy did or didn't...looks like a green bug to me



my peeps, circa early 1960s...the WW2 generation.  all gone except for the lovely lady on the far left...in her 90's now.



a fawn recently visited Larry at his cottage



Larry's dock...an experiment in B&W



a grim reminder of what's ahead







Class dismissed, folks.  We're on the front end of the last weekend in August.

You know what to do.

later, mcm fans...

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Saturday, August 19, 2023

They Only Come Out...


...at night...but sometimes they come inside, too.

We were watching something forgettable on TV when Karen got up for more ice water and I heard a scream.

"Aaah!  There's a bat in here!"

It was clear she was not happy about our uninvited guest, and no wonder.

As Ace Ventura observed, "Have you seen a bat?  They're hideous!"


He has a point.

Given that, a lesser man might have wondered, "where can I hide?"

But not me.  I jumped to my feet, grabbed my cell phone and leapt into action.

"Where is he?" I asked her.  "I wanna get some video!"

"What?" she replied excitedly.  "No!  Get him out of here!"

Luckily, cooler heads prevailed in this domestic crisis, and we now have recorded evidence of a bat flying in our living room!



Ok, so maybe that's not quite the big yank I thought it would be.

But still, it is kinda cool.

You can hear Karen encouraging Loki, one of our pointless felines, to get the flying mouse, but he did what cats always do when commanded: nothing.

Eventually the problem was resolved sans bloodshed; we opened the door and Dracula flew back into the night...


...from whence he came.

How he got in remains a mystery.



For a delightful change, The Twins Report is decidedly upbeat:



After 5 long, trying months in the NICU, both boys are home with Mom and Dad!

They started life at less than 2 lbs apiece, and now one is over 8 pounds, the other over 9.

There are still challenges ahead - one of them will be seeing a retinal specialist this coming week - but this is a major step forward in their continued growth and healing.

A sincere thank you to those who took the time to pray for these precious lives.



Here's all you need to know about golf this week:


That's where I left a putt for par, and so went my round.

This was a transition week on several levels, and I spent quite a bit of time in my backyard adjusting / correcting things.

I know you'll be disappointed to hear I'm sparing you the details...



...but do try to bear up.



Every time I check the headlines it's more bad news.



We've become the laughingstock of the entire world, with a corrupt, cognitively impaired buffoon pretending to be president while the behind-the-scenes puppet masters wreak havoc on everything they touch...our military, our economy, our energy sector, our justice system, our personal freedoms.

The gaslighting and obfuscation is non-stop.

Biden stands accused of illegal influence peddling - of selling out his country to the highest bidder for his own personal gain.

It is in fact the only endeavor at which he's succeeded in his 50 year career of feeding at the public trough.

You think you can afford this home on a Senator's pay?



The Big Guy's gotta do something to supplement his income, and he's not bright...with a 1.9 GPA and graduating 76th out of a class of 85 from Syracuse Law, he's one of the dimmer bulbs on the tree.

What to do?

You know what he did; everyone with a brain knows what he did, and finally he's being publicly called to account.

What happens now?

They dust off the Marxist playbook and implement DARVO:  Deny, Accuse, Reverse Victim and Offender.

Deny: Biden hasn't done anything wrong!  There's never been a whisper of impropriety in his long and distinguished career!

Accuse: Anyone making these kinds of claims is guilty of domestic terrorism!  They're part of the white supremacist movement!

Reverse Victim and Offender:  Biden's not the criminal here, Trump is!  We'll sic the DOJ and all the Soros funded DA's in the blue states and indict him for his many crimes!

With this constant drumbeat of lawless corruption it would be easy to become discouraged and disillusioned.

However, as an older Christian mentor and friend has often reminded me, God is still in control:


God's will is immutable; what He has ordained will indeed come to pass in His time.

That's one of the reasons He reminds us, "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished; the seed of the righteous shall be delivered." (Proverbs 11:21)

So as we face the constant onslaught of lies -

 * whether it's about meaningless trifles like Biden's imaginary confrontation with a breakfast cereal ("Corn Pop was a bad dude!")

 * or something that actually matters like his SOTU fantasy that "take home pay has gone up!" when due to Bidenflation Americans are demonstrably poorer than ever

- we would be wise to do as King David did:


We soldier on.



It's that time folks, so sit back, grab your favorite refreshments and let's see what's playing at the local Drive-In...



...hope it's not another rerun:

gotta love Ballard Street



Loki, our unresponsive bat exterminator from the video



56 degrees outside this August morning, and our fireplace came on



as Larry commented, the King(fisher) on his throne



another gorgeous sunset at his cottage



these next photographs are from the KBH files:

mcm fireplace in our bedroom; that's a sexton cat on the wall



more laundry day issues on the golf course



gotta ask Karen what these are, but they're beautiful and in the process of turning pink



and speaking of pink, our dinnerplate hibiscus are radiant this year




raul, the daredevil tree specialist, doing his thing





Just one more weekend in August, folks...


...grab hold of the time that's left and squeeze as much summer delight from it as you can.

later, mcm fans...

* Crass Commercialism Corner *

In the "so convenient you can't stand it" department, you can purchase my books on Amazon.com.

Get your paperback books here:



Get your ebooks here: