Thon

Some of you are already laughing, I know you are.  

I was walking around in the yard this evening and heard that faint, odd sound that I have grown accustom to hearing – singing, like really bad opera.   Could it be the sirens on the rocks in O Brother, Where art Thou?   Could it be some little kid out ‘doing a show” in the yard for mom or dad?  It could be any of those things, but it isn’t.  It is one of our backyard neighbors.  

Several months ago, I discovered that it was the diagonal backyard neighbor one night about 10PM while I was standing on the deck.  When I realized where it was coming from, I went down to the yard to the back fence and then walked along the fence until I was at the corner of our yards, actually I was in theirs.  It was dark, but I was just beyond the reach of their flood lights. So I stood there, listening to this singing - singing into a phone and then hearing someone sing back through the phone - and then realized that this person was also twirling a riffle and alternating with a flag.  I kept watching, the singing, twirling, and flag throwing continued.  As I stood there, I realized that I could not really tell whether this person was a he or a she, really couldn’t.  

Flashback about 15 years to English 102 and having to revise papers that were full of errors using a Harbrace Handbook, version 13.  I was all too familiar with chapter 12 (commas) and chapter 18 (spelling) and got tired of it all and started reading through those later chapters that got into odd things, like androgynous pronouns, like Thon.  The intent of these androgynous pronouns was to give writers / speakers a way to discuss a person w/o distinguishing or implying their (thon’s) gender, less one be considered sexist.  So, to be proper, which I have never been accused of being, I should say “Thon is going to be here around 3 this afternoon” if someone asked me when someone was going to be here.  I know, it is crazy.  Google it, it is there, take the wikipedia link.

Oh yeah, sorry it has been so long since the last post.  Too many irons in too small of a fire.

1968

I was out in the yard this afternoon picking lettuce when one of the neighbor kids showed up like he always does when someone else is out in the yard.  He is around enough that I figure I can treat him somewhat like one of my own.  So as we sat there picking lettuce and radishes, talking about this and that, I took the opportunity to ask him if he knew what Easter was all about.  --- I knew that the girls had been doing some evangelism of their own.  They had been talking and arguing with him that Jesus really did die and come back to life – Laura had to settle the argument.  Somewhere in the midst of this, Mary exclaimed that ‘We’ve been telling him that Easter is not just about hunting eggs and the Easter bunny!” ---  So I knew they had talked it out and that he ought to know something.  So I asked him if he knew what Easter was about. He said, ‘No, I cannot remember’.  So I went through some questions with him, asked him if he knew who died and so on.  He then asked me when Jesus died.  I said it was a long, long time ago. His response, ‘You mean in 1968?”.  I tried to explain that it was a couple thousand years ago, but he couldn’t comprehend that, so I relented and said that it might as well been 1968.

First Fruits...

The planting that Mary and I did on March 2 has finally paid off, 29 days later. On that day, we planted several things, including radishes, spinach, arugala, and mixed lettuces like the stuff in the bag at the store that looks like small oak leaves.

So, on Saturday, after a long 'work' day as Mary calls it, we picked some arugala, spinach, radishes, and all those different kinds of lettuces and used them in our supper. We made a pasta dish that is based on linguine, grilled shrimp, arugala, parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, sea salt, EVOO, and some fresh pepper. Grilled chicken works well as do grilled scallops. I would hold it up to any I've had at a restaurant. The remainder of the greens ended up on a salad.
Here's the recipe:

1 lb favorite pasta
1 lb shrimp marinated in garlic and salt
Handful of arugula
1/2 package of sun-dried tomatoes (could also use 1 roasted red pepper)
1/2 cup sliced parmesan
EVOO
sea salt
fresh black pepper

While grilling the shrimp, begin to boil the pasta. While this is happening, get arugula, tomatoes (or peppers), parmesan, EVOO, salt and pepper ready. Drain the pasta when it is finished and put 1/3 in a large bowl. Add about 1/3 of arugula, 1/3 of parmesan, 1/3 of tomatoes, & 1/3 of shrimp, a pinch of salt and pepper and 1/4 cup of EVOO. Repeat the process until it is all in the bowl. Stir (fold) well. Serve it hot and sprinkle some parmesan & EVOO on top. Then eat your pasta, eat your bread, and... enjoy life.