Hold the gum

On the way to Jennie's Abe party, Mom and I stopped for a light snack. She had a chicken mandarin orange salad and I had a heart stoppin' burger. It was going down great until just before I finished. I discovered a wad of "used" chewing gum in the wrapper of my burger. I thought, "this ain't happenin'" but there it was in plain sight with teeth indentations, no less. Just before going to the management, Mom remembered she had discarded her gum before eating. She had placed it on top of a crouton package and when I picked up my burger I somehow incorporated the croouton package into my wrapper. So, I was greatly relieved and was able to finish my meal. Next time I might ask them to hold the "O" and the gum. But they wouldn't understand.

Waste not, want not

Well, my waste not, want not tendencies surfaced again. We've been boxing and moving things around in preparation for some remodeling. One thing I stumbled onto was a collection of wedding sized bubble bottles - the ones with the wand for blowing bubbles as the bride and groom depart. "No need to save them", I thought, but then I reasoned, "Why not use them for shampoo!" --- which I did. I am happy to report that the lather is better than expected and the fragrance is non-existent - at least it's not malodorous/repugnant, or too feminine for my taste. So it's been a good couple of days. (Yesterday I found a penny in the parking lot @ Colton's)

Yesterday Pat and I visited my Dad and "Miss Emma" in North Little Rock. Don't remember how it came up, but at one point Pop began singing some old songs. He sings old hymns and gospel songs regularly, night and day. Miss Emma said he sometimes wakes her up in the middle of the night and invites her to sing along. How disruptive to your sleep is that? Anyway, this one came from the 1940s and was recorded by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters and before that the composer, a guy named Al Dexter? Al had owned a bar in Texas and the lyrics were based on some real life experiences. The lyrics go something like this: "Drinkin' beer in a cabaret, was I havin' fun, But she caught me right and shot out the light and now I'm on the run. CHORUS: Oh! Lay that pistol down babe, lay that pistol down, pistol packin' Momma, lay that pistol down." Another verse went like this: Drinkin' beer in a cabaret, And dancin' with a blonde, But she came in and shot out the light, Bang! that blonde was gone... There are many verses and many numerous parodies of the original were composed. It was a favorite on the USO shows and hit the charts for a while during WWII. I am constantly amazed by Pop's memory. Not just lyrics, but all kinds of things that happened in his childhood/youth.