Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for February 11, 2013

As I myself wonder, too…

Bev…. it’s the rat race that gets ’em.

Raccoons may be bigger but rats are faster.

Ricky spent all day running in place…and carrying a briefcase, besides.It just ain’t natural.

But he’s the one who wanted to join the firm…. he’s doing it for his paw.Clawing his way to the top.

Essex…. I just posted to you before the turn…. Hope you’re not leaving without taking another look at Ballard St.

Oh Bev…. that looks so nice….

I guess we’ll have that party after all!

How did you find time to do all that en route to Massachusetts?

(ooops… that’s one of those questions you don’t ask on Ballard St, isn’t it….sorry)

My goodness…. sure hope Ess shows up.

“Showing up” reminds me… I’m glad Shikamoo figured out we do come back on Sundays, even if the street is closed.

I meant to mention it to her on Saturday but I forgot.

Poor Ricky, if you’re right, Bev.

It was good seeing you Bev!or did I?

(rubs eyes in confusion…)

Hey Red!

My accidental timing is somehow getting better lately!

I was going to go home to bed…. well, to the salon anyway….

but I could stay up a bit longer…

“That girl” was Marlo Thomas. Probably not your cup of tea…. kind of a forerunner of the Mary Tyler Moore show…..adventures of a young single woman, with (gasp!) her own apartment.

Scotch, thanks, Red….

You made it through your four days…. I’ll drink to that!

Bev is digging her way through the snow to Massachusetts….gonna dig Stel out.

Dry may be with her.

It’s weird cos she was just here setting up all that party stuff…. which I don’t know if we should touch cos Essex isn’t here yet.

“Me rocks” sounds like a hip young cave man.

Before Angela Cartwright was on the Danny Thomas Show it was called “Make Room for Daddy”.

He had two kids, and a different wife…. and that daughter was Sherry Jackson.

At some point she died or they got divorced and he “married” Anglela Cartwright’s mom.

I was a kid and I was kinda upset by that.

Ricky: The truly urbanized raccoon.

I mean the wife died, not Sherry Jackson…. but I think they thought she was getting too old, and Angela Cartwright was little and precocious, with perfect pigtails.

They could read your mind!

And X … if it’s worth saying… it’s worth saying twice?

In my experience, all the roosters crowing at dawn is a big fat myth.I lived near roosters that crowed at dawn all right…..and at midnight, 4pm, 3am, and whenever they felt the urge.

It’s your Dad’s house?

I was in a village in Guatemala for a couple of months, years ago… never saw so many roosters to the square foot…

They crowed all day and all night…One would start and they’d all chime in.

After a while you didn’t notice when they crowed but when they stopped.

Oh! I thought you went there for your job.

It’s nice that you can do that for them.

What a nice thing you did…. and it’s good that you seem to like it there…. kind of a bonus since it’s not why you went.

Anyway…. g’night…..and thanks.

My pleasure…

That’s the business end of the raccoon.

X — Just a stray drive-by post?

Essex…. hope you come back and read all the above…. and the last of yesterday….

Stay safe, my friend…and come home soon.I mean to Ballard Street, of course.

In todays toon,I thought it was an eager beaver,getting ready to take the bus to work.hmmm?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Judging by the subtle stripes on the bushy tail, and the pork pie hat, I’m betting that it’s Ricky Racoon, who dropped his bus pass again.A therein hangs the tail..er..tale.

We just got this in our email. It is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(click) Greatest Card Trick EVER!!!!

Ted, its Rocky Racoon from accounting. 4th floor, third cubicle on the left. Invited you to a Rave up a while back?Sally Skunk is wonder why you never called.

“…..I think my new holistic Dr could help him with his back too so we would not have any limits in posit. (oops) ;-D”+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That is wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much information, dear DAZZ!!!

Yep!………….wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much!

Stel…. Sally is one hot little number….Maybe Ted doesn’t know….or maybe he’s afraid he won’t like her eau de ….um…. cologne…. yeah…. cologne ….

Lots of laughter over that. Stelbel :DI remember snow like that from when I was a kid living in Mechanicsburg PA back about 1960ish. Big blizzard blew in. We had snow drifts to the roof. The car was buried in the car port. The only way out was a back window as snow had blocked three sides of the house. We had to dig down to the door to get it opened. The only one who get about was my Dad. He had a big all wheel drive tire repair truck that could get about. He made numerous trips to and from the store for folks to get supplies. We kids made some good candy money shoveling snow from around cars and my dad would pull them out from under the drifts. AND STILL HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL as I was a WALKER. Bundled up like an arctic explorer. It was about 2 miles, in the snow, up hill, BOTH WAYS.A little over the top but still had to walk, mom did not have a driver license.

And I’d have the same expression as that cat!

I can’t even see her face but I KNOW.

Dazz….. honestly….I’m sure Stel feels bad saying anything….but some things are just too blatant, especially on a family website.

A slip pf the tongue is possible in speech, but sorry, it’s not an “oops” if you typed it…

And anyway, I don’t know, or WANT to know, certain details of the lives of my very best friends.Please…. think about what he would say if he ever decided to read what you post.

And if some day we actually managed to hold a big get-together like we used to talk about elsewhere….and I actually met him in person….I’m not sure I could look him in the eye!

We had huge snowstorms in Wisconsin….And I remember drifts so deep the “walls” cut by the snowplows were over my elementary-school-age head, in Ohio.

Walking through a blizzard with a flat box of cupcakes for my classmates, on my birthday…. the pile of snow falling on top making the box heavier by the minute…scared cos I could hardly see my mother two feet away.

But I don’t remember ever seeing the front door blocked like that….

Is it just faulty memory?Or did the snow magically stay in the yard and not fill the front stoop?

Sorry, guys. (Susan and Stel especially) I guess I’ve always been a little (or a lot) too outspoken. He says that’s why we broke up the first time. Hopefully he’ll never know what I have written here (I would never post remotely like that on FB where folks actually KNOW me) even though he hardly ever goes on, but his kids and mine (as well as extended family and friends from various groups also read). From years back (before he and I met) I used to like to shock my friends; I am so shy and retiring in many ways that . . . my secrets shared are a surpr – NO a shock!

Good night, everybody

and Happy Mardi Gras………………EVE!!!!!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

bev, I’m IN HERE, somewhere! HELP!

SURE WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF STEL HAD WARNED US ABOUT CONNECTICUT!

(THOSE PEOPLE ARE NUTS ON THE FREEWAY! And I drove through there in the summer! Lord help the WINTER drivers passing through!)

Sorry that’s so BIG! I forgot to adjust it!

There was a hymn we sang on Sundays called, “When He Cometh, When He Cometh”. But when I sang, it came out When he cometh, Danny Thomas". I never figured out why Danny Thomas was such a big hit in church, lol

How many sons do you have?

:-D

Sorry that’s so BIG! I forgot to adjust it! +++++++++++++LOL! Dry, I got lost just scrolling through that big post! ;-)

Good Night StelBel.

Read your post above Red:

“This was one of my very first sons. "

You’ll find I am merciless when it comes to typos, but only because they make me laugh. I hope I made you laugh too.

So your son is a song less a gee. :-)

Just thinking. My father died 23 years ago today, at age 70. Mom is now 87.Just thinking.

Good Night Balladeers.

Thanks for the song Redkaycei Repoc. I can see why you liked it.

Stel better have HOT TODDIES FOR US! THANKS BEV FOR FINDING ME! :-D

Can I sleep until we get there? I have to hit my feather pillows now! (OH CRAP! I brought them along on our rescue mission! I think they are still stuck in the snow bank!) Well, piddly pooh! :-D

Now I know why I call you Balladeers.

I liked you three “sons” too beviek

Good night again.

remind me never to eat lunch at that dumpster again!

when i said “catch the next bus”…

that’s Mr. Racoon to you.

Ballard always makes me laugh.

Maybe they would go for some donuts, too?

https://cleoandcompany.net/february-10-2023/

Good morning Balladeers and Tigressy!

Has “The New Yorker” gone to the dogs?

https://cleoandcompany.net/february-11-2023/

Good morning Balladeers and Tigressy!