Do you remember ….

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Let’s take a walk back in time to my childhood.

I’m a tail end boomer and remember every one of these questionable gastronomic delights. My mother didn’t allow them in our house because she was determined her only child would eat healthy food. Which is one of the reasons I enjoyed spending time at my friends, whose parents weren’t nearly as vigilant.

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A taco shaped artificially flavored banana sponge cake with overly sugared cream filling. A heavenly treat for my 7 year old self.

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Cheese in a can! This was the height of cool when I was young. The fact I’m still alive after consuming it all those years ago is a testament to its high level of preservatives.

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Required lunch box dessert when I was growing up.

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The pungent aroma hit you as you walked past Spencer’s gifts and Sam Goody’s… half a mile away. And it was guaranteed someone in your family would receive a gift box filled with inedible sausage for Christmas.

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My parents never ate a frozen dinner in their life but when they went to the city for the evening and I had a babysitter? Swanson fried chicken with that horrible little apple cobbler was my consolation for having to stay home .

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I remember eating the vanilla version of these when I was a teenager. God only knows what they were made of. We questioned nothing back then.

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And finally, the only product I might still eat today. I remember them being quite tasty.

Do any of these items bring back nostalgic food memories for you?

And if not, what were some of your favorite childhood horrors?

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Random tidbits.

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I don’t usually recommend products on my blog but every once in a while I find something so good it has to be shared.

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I’d seen these advertised online but never paid much attention. Then they showed up at my local grocery store and I gave them a whirl. They’re called Buttermints but they’re not the old chalky kind restaurants used to let you spoon out of a dish upon exiting, no. These are luscious, creamy, chock full of flavor little nuggets of pure bliss. Yes, they’re pricey… but rich enough so you only need one at a time.

Notice I said need. If you can stop at one? You’re a far better person than I.

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This aerial ballet brought to you by a crow who was not pleased a red tailed hawk was perched in his territory.

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Pardon the blurry photo. He was pretty far away.

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Best squirrelly explanation of social media I’ve ever seen.

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I’d never owned a white car before the new Subaru I bought last year but I have to say I’m enjoying it. You’d think it would show the dirt more than the darker colors, but you’d be wrong. I wash this pearl white Forester far less than my previous black.

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Momma Chuck.

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Or should I say Chunk?

😉

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How blue are you?

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We’ve been quite blue at Casa River lately.

And no, it’s not because my husband came home from the recycling barn with something atrocious or started another questionable project.

We’ve literally been blue.

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Two blue.

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Three blue.

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Eight blue.

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Nine blue.

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Thirteen blue.

At one point we were seventeen blue but I couldn’t fit them all into one shot.

Now that’s blue!

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I have no words….

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As a rule, robots freak me out.

Not the Forbidden Planet kind, Robbie I can handle.

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But lately the tech companies are making these things bizarrely human-like and they tend to give me the creeps. Even the robotic dogs make me shudder.

So you can imagine how hard I cringed when I saw these….

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Oh, hell no.

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https://youtu.be/909UTYDtuGY?si=JbgWLJcN8pPeC5tJ

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That is truly nightmare inducing content.

😳

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Uh oh. A project..

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When it’s a nice day and my husband goes missing? I get worried.

When I hear banging and power tools? I have to investigate.

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I found him on the porch of the man cave/Barn Mahal where he was building….

Something.

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He called it a dead man.

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I called it dangerous.

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In order to replace some rotted wood on the deck he needed to raise a post.

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One rusted car jack and some scrap wood later…

I was glad OSHA wasn’t in the neighborhood.

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Yes.

That’s what was supporting the roof as he worked.

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Brave… or reckless?

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It’s always a tough call with my husband.

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🥴

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It’s a colorful time of year.

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They’re baaaaack!

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And the minute I spotted my first Baltimore Oriole of the season I ran outside with oranges and all natural grape jelly.

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In no time flat …

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The feeder was busy.

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They’re such beautiful bright creatures.

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Only here for a short time to take nourishment for their annual migration to Canada….

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They’re always a welcome sight.

❤️

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News you can’t use.

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And maybe one you can.

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Zombie cells?

Does this mean we’re going to get a sudden craving for brains…

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I admit I couldn’t think of any practical reasons for a living room butter dish. And after reading what they’re referencing?

(Hiding the remote control)

I still can’t.

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And you thought archeology wasn’t a glamorous profession .

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Seems a little extreme to me.

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Dirt.

I bet it still tastes better than McDonalds.

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It’s August 5.

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https://youtu.be/PxZg4SfIURg?si=jJwq-O0M63oFKlbD

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And I love Ted Lasso so this was news I could use.

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Antiquing, part two. Where I said, please don’t buy that! more than I thought humanly possible.

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I talked him out of buying old wooden hangers.

I talked him out of buying old advertising yard sticks.

I talked him out of buying old light bulbs.

And yes, I even talked him out of buying this …

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But only because we already have two 12 foot vintage tree trimmers.

Sigh.

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Bad taxidermy aside, this antique store did have a sense of humor.

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And you know my husband didn’t come home empty handed.

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We’re now the proud (or not, depending on who you talk to) owners of a vintage table top pinball game.

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I can feel your jealousy from here.

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Did we need this?

No.

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But when did that ever stop my spouse?

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He paid $25 and was a happy camper.

Me?

I added a few classics to my vinyl collection.

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The Byrds, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Jackson Browne, Neil Young and James Taylor.

😊

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