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Because so far, 2021 isn’t very funny.
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That looks about right.
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A groaner for sure.
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I’ve always thought hot dog ingredients fall under the “you’re better off not knowing” category.
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Well, that’s my plan.
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And we all know the sequels are always worse than the original.
Damn.
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An honest to goodness, sturdy and well built, fully stained and polyurethaned, ready to dance on (or fall under) bar!
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It was a long time coming but we’re pleased with the result.
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The wood grain is lovely, the top is smooth and shiny.
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And once the custom ordered chairs and shelves are ready, it will be time to get down to business.
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The business of mixing my first Barn Mahal cocktail.
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At the beginning of December we gave $10 to a fundraiser for our local food bank which we wouldn’t have known about it if we hadn’t been sitting in our corner at the local pub.
We drank…
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And lo and behold, it paid off.
Because yesterday when we stopped in for a burger and a beer? This was placed in front of me by the bartender….
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The husband joked that they didn’t need to bribe us to drink there…
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But damn. For $100 gift card? I’d drink anywhere.
Apparently our donation was part of a raffle and we won a prize.
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Who says drinking doesn’t pay?
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It’s true, I do.
Did you know…
Russian men who wore beards during the reign of Peter of the Great were required to pay a special tax?
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For his sake, I hope the rate was per beard and not per hair.
Did you know…
John Lennon’s first girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles?
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I feel like I should comment on that, but it would probably go south quickly so I’ll refrain.
Did you know…
Reindeer have glands between their toes? They leave scent trails for the herd to follow and, wait for it –
It smells like cheese.
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I don’t know about reindeer, but I’d follow the scent of cheese anywhere.
Did you know…
An ostrich’s eye is bigger than it’s brain?
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Sorry big guy, but yes. It’s true.
Did you know….
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great historical king. Spades – King David. Clubs – Alexander the Great. Hearts – Charlemagne. Diamonds – Julius Caesar.
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Did you know…
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most difficult tongue twister is :
The sixth sick Sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.
That didn’t look so hard, until I tried to say it a few times.
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Because if I don’t laugh, I’ll hurt someone.
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Proof there’s a silver lining to every cloud.
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I’m not there… yet.
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This, above anything else, is what I miss. Our plans of retiring and traveling extensively this year went right down the drain.
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Whew. Glad I made the cut…
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I wouldn’t doubt it.
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Some people just shouldn’t shake their groove thing. Ever.
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Better living through science? I rest my case.
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Building a snowman?
Very 2019.
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Was for the Barn Mahal bar to be finished. Seeing that we came home and discovered its beginning framework in place in mid November….
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I didn’t think that would be too much to ask. But alas, our builder didn’t agree.
Oh, he’s sent updates via text messages.
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Like the layout of the rough unfinished boards on his shop floor.
I thought the 3 graduating colors would be interesting…
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Until he sent the next update of those boards being sanded and glued. Bye bye color.
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He assures me work is progressing steadily and that he hasn’t forgotten us, but it seems the only way I’ll be bellying up for a toddy will be like this:
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Cheers!
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No, not that kind.
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This kind:
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Ring the Bull is a traditional hook and ring game played in sports bars, ski lodges and quaint watering holes all over the world.
And it has a very long history in British pub culture.
In fact, legend has it that English Crusaders brought the game back from Jerusalem in the 12th century.
If you happen to play Ring the Bull at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, the oldest inn in England (1189 AD), you just might be experiencing the true origins of this game.
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Ringing the Bull (also known as Ring Toss or Hook and Ring) is a simple game in concept, but it definitely takes some skill and requires careful concentration. The hallmark of any great bar game.
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In most set ups, the metal ring is attached to a rope, hanging from a ceiling by a rafter or other means. The object of the game is then to swing the ring and try to land it on the hook.
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This game looks simple but can be challenging.
And after a few toddies? It’s damn near impossible… at least for me.
Of course after a set number of toddies walking and talking is as well, so what do I know?
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In case you’re still searching for stocking stuffers.
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Does that come in extra large?
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That one will fill up quickly.
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Admit it, you’ve had a few of those yourself.
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Sad, but true for a lot of people.
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“…. because I spend too much time blogging”.
Is there a notebook for that?
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I’m going to require an extra large one of those as well.
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My husband mistakenly touched my vinyl album collection last week. It’s large, and alphabetized.
Need I say more?
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What passes for news in my town?
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Oh no! The poor girl. Being roosterless is a terrible thing.
Or so I’ve heard…
A while back I made a Facebook Veterans Day post with some photos of the hubby in uniform. I found these after the fact.
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In Beirut, Lebanon October 1983 with the bombed out Marine barracks in the background.
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He took 12 bodies out of that building.
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A horrible day.
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This one was in Newport, Rhode Island (not sure of the year) He was receiving a commendation for saving a man’s life.
That’s my husband. And yes, I’m proud.
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A frosty sunrise photo down by the river.
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Okay, maybe you didn’t used to drink in the woods…. but I was a teenager who grew up on an Island in Maine. We drank everywhere.
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And finally, an update.
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Yay.
I love a happy ending.
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After the Barn Mahal clean out… there was open space. Glorious, uncluttered open space. I knew it wouldn’t last, but I appreciated it all the same.
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And when I looked around? There was a table and chairs.
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Okay, we’re building a bar for that… but whatever.
The next day?
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There was another table and chairs.
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The day after that 3 more tables had migrated their way in. WTH? Is the husband planning on opening a cafe….
Which is exactly what I asked him during our inaugural beer.
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No, it wasn’t our first time on the nectar of the gods merry go round, but it was the first time we drank inside the barn, seated at a table, with heat.
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I never did get an answer to my why do you need 5 fricking tables question… but we did manage to get that stupid mobility scooter we wasted $850 on last year up and running again.
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We purchased it second hand for his brother, who swore he needed it… until we gave it to him free of charge, when he decided he didn’t want it after all. 😡
We tried selling it last year but didn’t have any luck. Now the husband wants it gone so I’m going to list it again… for half what we paid, damn it…. and see what happens.
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Note to self? It’s probably not a good idea to drink beer for hours and then fully charge a scooter.
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The following day I figured if I couldn’t beat the too many tables paradigm, I’d join it… and hung a little something of my own for flavor.
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Perfect!
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River's world..... 