April 26, 2006

FIRST!

Wait--I don't think I'm supposed to do that unless I'm commenting.

Oh well.

Anyway, I am back now after an invigorating early morning spent furiously scribbling notes. Seeing as how I have a lot to do today, and seeing as how a picture is worth a thousand words, I figured at least for this morning I could substitute some nice photos taken yesterday for my usual stream of bilge.

I had gotten home and gotten all comfortable in my shorts when I found out from my lovely wife that she wasn't certain of our supper choices. When she is uncertain, it usually means I have to go make a grocery run. "Do you want me to go to the store?"

"Oh, no, that's okay--we have hot dogs. But..."

Here it comes.

"...I do need gas in my car."

"Would you like me to go to the store AFTER I go get gas in your car?"

That worked just fine. But it meant I had to get re-dressed again, seeing as how my shorts were of the cotton jersey workout variety that look more like pajama bottoms than wearing-to-go-to-the-store attire. ::sigh::

And my jeans were in the hamper and filthy from cutting grass and moving the garage. I used to have two pair, but the other pair finally wore through in the seat, and I really don't think the public is clamoring to see my nether regions.

I didn't want to put on my office clothes, and I didn't want to wear my wrinkled pair of khakis, nor my big baggy swim trunks that sometimes double as wearing-to-go-to-the-store attire when I'm at the beach.

Which left my overhalls.

So, I put those on, but while I was doing THAT, I looked out the window into the back yard and saw Rebecca and Catherine sitting together deep in conversation in the middle of the yard. Awwww--how SWEET! So, one thing led to another, and I got my camera to take their picture, and I decided you haven't had a picture of me to commit Photoshop abuse on in a while, and then when I looked around I saw there were all sorts of pretty stuff blooming, so you've got something to look at today in lieu of silly Possumblogginess.

First up, the picture that got this all started of the girls sitting in the yard.

Catherine has taken the opportunity of a camera being present to fall over onto Rebecca. Next, I figured I'd wander around the yard and show you what's growing. These are the irises in the middle of the yard. The sundial got placed in the birdbath when it kept blowing off the pedestal we had for it. I don't really like it because it's not a REAL sundial with the gnomon adjusted to the proper angle, and it's made of really light aluminum, but I didn't have a choice--it showed up one day after one of Miss Reba's excursions to Target, and I figured it best to keep my opinion of it to myself. So, anyway, Irises--

Next is the big patch of jasmine we have back behind the wisteria arbor. For some reason, our wisteria blooms very late. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that I keep cutting it back so severely every year so that it doesn't take over the entire yard.

Yes, I know I need to pull up that pine weed that's in the middle of it.

As for the girls, they still seemed deep in concentration about something. What was it? The autograph section of Rebecca's yearbook from last school year.

Next, over on the side of the yard is the stone planter bed I built several years ago when I still had a truck to haul rocks in. It's got irises, too, and some Mexican heather, and some things that grow big and bloom, and occasionally some pokesalad, and some poison ivy, and some honeysuckle, and a water oak that we thought was going to die when we moved in because the top had been torn off of it, and there's also the big green blooming thing you see in the middle. I don't remember what that is, but it grows like a weed.

Now then, over to the house, where we have this lovely azalea that has been moved all over the place before being dumped here beside the stone bench and the froggy fountain. Yes, this is the same frog I found myself sucking and blowing on several weeks back. The blooms have gotten a bit bedraggled--they were at their peak about a week back. The frog, however, is quite satisfied.

The flower bed at the house is home to about a billion lizards, including this one trying to figure out a way to sneak into our house by squeezing through the siding boards.

Lotsa luck, dude. As I was busily snapping away, I did manage to get a quick photo of the lovely Miss Reba, who was really not in the mood to be photographed. Don't let her slight smile fool you--she's about ready to wallop me for taking her picture. Of course, I was bothering her by also trying to photograph other portions of her in addition to her winsome face. Those would have been for my private collection, however, and would not have been shared with YOU people. However, she was very mean to me and told me to stop it and slapped me on the arm, so I quit. Or so she thinks. ANYway, here's Miss Reba--

AND FINALLY, what you've all been waiting for, my impression of a Shoney's Big Boy statue. And yes, I just now realized that one of my galluses was twisted around. I figure it just adds to the effect.

So there you go. An afternoon at Maisson d'Possum.

Posted by Terry Oglesby at April 26, 2006 09:56 AM
Comments

Terry,

About the only way to photoshop that picture would be to put a UofA T-shirt on you.

You appear to even have brogans!

Posted by: Larry Anderson at April 26, 2006 10:15 AM

Oh, Larry, brogans would have been much too coarse and uncouth for a sophisticated suburbanite such as myself!

Those are Rockport boat shoes--worn without socks, of course.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 26, 2006 10:25 AM

I think Larry's right. That photo works far to well to photoshop any further.

Out of curiosity, why is it the lovely Miss Reba herself is incapable of driving down to the store, or dare I ask, filling her own gas tank?

Posted by: skinnydan at April 26, 2006 10:32 AM

I'm not sure about the sartorial correctness of overhauls (as my Grandfather called them) and any kind of shoe without socks. I did see that you are fashion aware in that you have the sides buttoned.

Nothing is as unfashionable as overhauls with the sides unbuttoned. I have recently even seen persons with one gallus undone (not to be confused with gallous) which is a major faux pas!

Posted by: Larry Anderson at April 26, 2006 10:37 AM

Boat shoes are to be worn without socks from March to November. In Alabama, maybe all year round. I know only one guy who wears overhauls on his sailboat. Khaki pants are a lot more comfortable.

Posted by: Steevil (Dr Weevil's bro Steve) at April 26, 2006 10:58 AM

Dan, Dan, Dan--surely you would not expect such a lovely flower of the Southland to have to soil her fingertips by dispensing petroleum products into her vehicle! What a cad would I be to force her to do such a thing! It is a job for those with rough workman's hands. Luckily, I was able to find someone with rough workman's hands to fill the tank for me.

Icky gas fumes--yucky!

Now then, Larry, you are correct--by all rights I should have had on a pair of white cotton socks with either my camo boots or my steel toed brogans on, or, alternately, been barefooted. However, I grabbed the first thing I saw so as to save time.

As for sidebuttoning, it was a chore of the first order since the overhalls were clean and had not been loosened up again by exercise, but it had to be done or else I could not have lived with myself to be seen in public so dressed. And to walk around with a strap dangling only means you don't know what it's like to get your gallus caught in the thresher.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 26, 2006 11:00 AM

And thank you to Steevil for clearing up the boat shoe/sock rule. I look at boat shoes as something of a lace up mocassin with a rubber sole, and I cannot conceive of any of my aboriginal forebears ever being caught out wearing mocassins and socks.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 26, 2006 11:07 AM

Here you go Big Terry.

Posted by: Sarah G. at April 26, 2006 11:42 AM

Certain to cause nightmares...

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 26, 2006 11:47 AM

Of course you HAD to wear an Auburn shirt, perpetuating the sterotype. Just wait till they get hold of this picture at TiderInsider!

Posted by: skillzy at April 26, 2006 02:39 PM

That's okay. I figure we should give them something that makes them happy every once in a while. ::hears loud scuffle outside:: Hey, Skillzy, can you hold on a minute?

"HEY! YOU GUYS QUIT SACKING BRODIE AND MAKING ALL THAT NOISE--I'M TRYING TO WRITE A BLOG COMMENT IN HERE!"

Sorry--danged bunch of heathens just don't know when to stop. Anyway, anything to lift their little spirits and make them jolly is okay in my book.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 26, 2006 03:00 PM

Despite the fact that the photo really doesn't need any photoshop work done to it, it's gonna happen regardless...

It just may be a few days.

You're just a tad fuzzy there Terry, but we'll work with what we have.

Posted by: DaveH at April 27, 2006 06:56 AM

I blame the failing evening light, the camera, the cropping I did to get rid of the rest of the house, and the fact that the picture was being taken by someone other than me for the fuzziness.

Other than that...

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at April 27, 2006 07:24 AM