Books and a Movie

Although I haven't made a regular blog post in a couple weeks, I have been keeping my 2025 Reading List page up-to-date. This is something I will continue to do until the end of this year. I will probably follow a similar idea for my 2026 reading. But I'm thinking of doing more actual posts about books, movies, entertainment, etc.  Hmmm... we'll see, won't we?

Ellen, Anne-Marie, and I went to see the Downtown Abbey movie last week. We enjoyed seeing our "old friends" on the big screen. But we missed Maggie Smith. She was the best!

Have a great weekend!

Medals

I enjoyed the Olympics, especially since Team USA had great success!

Watching the women's soccer team win gold yesterday was nerve-wracking, but that didn't compare to the women's basketball gold medal game today. I expected Team USA to win by a comfortable margin and they won by only ONE point. I was happy they pulled it out, but my nerves were "shot" afterward.

I am not a huge fan of the events decided by judges, although I am certainly impressed by the athletes (for example, gymnasts and divers). I much prefer events that are more easily measured.... You get there first and you win. You score the most points or goals and you win. You throw it the greatest distance and you win. You jump the longest or highest and you win. 

These Olympics were not without controversy (are they ever?) but the athletes were fun to watch. Congratulations to them all for being Olympians. That alone is an outstanding accomplishment.

How I Spent My Birthday (and the Next Two Days)

I was a complete sloth for three days. All I did from Wednesday through Friday was sleep, read, eat, and watch stuff on TV.

I did go visit a friend yesterday morning, so I guess I should remove the word "complete" from the first sentence of this post.

I am paying for my slothfulness today. I dealt with the mail piled up on my desk, used the elliptical machine, took a shower, and I am currently doing laundry.

I will close this post with a photo of my birthday cake. It was chocolate. The frosting was sickeningly sweet... just the way I like it. Yum!

Monday Musings on Super Sunday

I was rooting for the 49ers, so I was a little disappointed in the outcome of the game. But it was fun to watch. Congrats to the Chiefs. 

I thought Reba McEntire did a nice, respectful job singing the National Anthem. 

The half-time show. Eh. I'm of the opinion that the half-time length should be just like it is all season. Don't need to have a longer half-time just to have an elaborate production. The drama of the game is enough. 

I just listened to a few snippets of some Taylor Swift songs. Eh. I want to like her, I really do want to, but I don't understand why her music is so popular. Apparently I am not her target audience! But I guess she was good for NFL viewership this season, since all the "Swifties" were watching just to see her sitting in a box at the games. Now that the season is over, will her romance with Travis Kelce continue much longer? Stay tuned, Earthlings!

As for the commercials, I did enjoy many of them. Some were trying so hard to be unique that they fell flat. I didn't have a favorite, and I didn't rush out to buy any new products today.

Our Super Bowl special food: Lew made cheese nachos. Yum. Thanks, Lew!

Think, Jessica, Think!

The TV show Murder, She Wrote is currently available on Amazon Prime Video. I just discovered this last week. To allow myself the guilty pleasure of enjoying the show, I only play it while I'm using the elliptical machine.

I've watched the first few episodes of Season One. I am surprised that Jessica Fletcher has put herself in danger a few times. For example: In the show I watched today, one of the characters asked Jessica to meet her in an abandoned warehouse down at the dock that evening. And Jessica went!  What was she thinking?

The answer to my question is this: Jessica Fletcher wasn't thinking. She is a fictional character.  It's just a TV show... but an entertaining one.

The Fourth

Happy Birthday to our great country!

I am hearing fireworks as I write this, so that's two scary nights in a row for our kitties. (There were lots of booms last night, too.) It rained the first part of the day; if only it had rained all day and kept the fireworks at bay.

I had a nice visit with Mom this afternoon. We had a video chat with Kim and Kaelen while I was there. We also watched some tennis (Wimbledon, first round). By the time I left, we had switched the TV to Andy Griffith and Mom was getting her dinner.

Because of today's holiday, I get to go to work tomorrow.  So it's time to sleep!

💤💤💤💤💤

Rocky IV

Since this is Mom's fourth summer at the nursing home, I have dubbed the squirrel that eats off her birdfeeders, "Rocky IV."

This Rocky is very athletic. Holding on with only his back feet, he was on the birdfeeder for at least 15 minutes this afternoon. Mom enjoyed watching him, but then she said it was time for me to scare him off.

He will be back!

An Expensive Hobby

Building a 250-pound robot and then putting it in a position to get destroyed... well, that is an expensive hobby.  And it is also the premise of the TV show BattleBots.

BattleBots is one of Lew's favorite shows; in fact it may be his most favorite. So after hearing him talk about it and seeing a few of the matches here and there, I decided to watch the post-season with him.

The post-season started with 32 teams in a single-elimination tournament. Last night was the championship itself, which we watched tonight via DVR (a wonderful invention).

I think I may have enjoyed the show enough to watch the next season when it comes on. I have no desire to build my own bot, though. I don't think I could stand watching it get pulverized! Not to mention the money.... 😁

Remote, Remote, Where Art Thou?

My mother's TV remote control has been missing for a few days. This is the third time this has happened. The first two times the remote was found eventually, although the first one took months!

We have a backup remote control in a drawer in her room, all programmed for the TV and ready to go. I have a taped note with her name on the back of the backup remote, along with the message, "This is NOT the missing Panasonic remote." I want the staff to keep an eye out for the "real" one. Possible locations are the laundry room and the kitchen.

Dad and I decided we should probably have a backup for the backup, just in case. I got one today and programmed it for the TV.... And I put a taped note on the back, of course.

Here's hoping the Panasonic remote surfaces soon!

Fun With Flags

The title of this post is the name of an internet show that Sheldon and Amy host on The Big Bang Theory. I am not referring to that, ha ha!

Instead I am talking about an annual TV event that Lew and I usually don't watch, but we did yesterday: the NFL Pro Bowl Games.

This year it was a "reimagined" event made up of several small competitions (examples: longest golf drive, dodge ball, obstacle course) and three flag football games. The NFC ended up beating the AFC when all was said and done.

The players that participated in the Pro Bowl Games looked like they were having fun together, which in turn made it fun to watch. It was nice to see their faces and get a better sense of their personalities. And having the Manning brothers as opposing coaches was entertaining, too.

We'll see if the new format catches on!

D is for Dragon

It's been a while since I did a post for my Alphabet "Soup-er" Idea. I'm only up to the letter D. And I regret selecting the word "dragon." But I'll try anyway.

I don't know if dragons exist or ever existed. I'm talking about the fairy-tale-type dragons that fly and breathe fire and can swat you with their massive tails. They are pretty impressive creatures.

I do know there are dragon-type lizards. A sister of a friend of mine bought her son (the sister's son) a bearded dragon for Christmas. Apparently the sister had to keep it in her own room for a few days in order to keep the gift a surprise. This meant she had to take care of it. Unfortunately this also meant the bearded dragon bonded with her in a way that the son hasn't been able to do. I haven't had any updates on this situation for a while, so maybe the dragon's cold shoulder has melted.

And now I am reminded of the movie How to Train Your Dragon, which I really enjoyed. I wanted a dragon after watching it! Since I don't know if dragons exist, I'm guessing it couldn't happen. I'd have to settle for the bearded kind! 😁

I'm not saying I want a bearded dragon. In fact, I really don't want one. It probably would get attacked by a cat!

Tuesday Roundup

College football national championship game last night... ho, hum... turned it off shortly after half-time. Snoozer of a game, but congratulations to Georgia on defending its title.

Visited with a friend this morning and we went to Aroma Joe's. We both ordered a "Grinch Rush" which is this marvelous drink made up of green apple, lime, and red raspberry — with the red raspberry being layered. Yum, yum, yum.

Then I visited with Mom this afternoon. We watched "Gunsmoke" while she drank the Ensure I brought her. (I drank a nutrition shake and ate some carrots and celery.)  She then wanted to go for a "walk" which consists of me pushing her in her wheelchair. About two minutes into these walks she is ready to return to her room, but I make it last a little longer. Such was the case today.

So we are now 10 days into the new year. Time flies!

Three Things!

Number 1

For fans of Derf, no worries! Dad's weekly post has been postponed to tomorrow. He went to the dentist this morning and forgot to write today.

Number 2

Exciting (?) household news: Our water meter reader was replaced this morning! It hadn't been working for several months. The water company has been guesstimating our quarterly bills, so I imagine the next bill will have some sort of adjustment on it. Hopefully it will be a small adjustment, especially if we owe for prior quarters.

Number 3

I went to a friend's apartment for dinner last night and we watched The Muppet Christmas Carol. I loved it! It came out in 1992, so I'm surprised that I had never seen it before. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a nice, kid-friendly Christmas movie to watch.

Remember to check back tomorrow for the weekly edition of Derf!

I Watch a Movie

After I got home from visiting Mom today, I decided to watch a movie. Lew was watching college football in our living room, so I knew I had our bedroom TV to myself.

There are many movies I want to see that Lew has NO interest in whatsoever. But what to watch today?

I decided on Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, which was a good choice! A sweet little story.

👗

We Have Been Warned

During the week TV Land airs a few episodes of Gunsmoke back-to-back-to-back (and maybe one more "-to-back"). 

Now that I'm visiting Mom over my lunch hour, I've had the opportunity to see the channel's "warning" before the day's first Gunsmoke episode. I took a photo of it yesterday:

This program contains outdated cultural depictions.
Viewer discretion is advised.

Oh, no! Run for the hills! 😱

(As opposed to the above, my actual reaction was more like, "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!")

Mom and I love watching Matt Dillon, Miss Kitty, Doc, and Festus!

Big Savings!

Today I called our cable company to talk about our TV plan. There are a couple items on our bill that represent "old" add-ons for which the company now has newer options for basically the same channels.

My question to the company: We want to keep our current channels, so will switching to the "new" add-ons save us money?

The answer is "YES!"

I am pleased to report that we now are paying $6 less per month for our cable TV!

😄

. . . .You're It!

Lew and I (sometimes) enjoy stumbling across sub-cultures about which we know nothing.

Today we had our TV turned to ESPN2 and saw a sport that looked a lot like a game of tag.

And guess what?

It WAS a game of tag!

The league is called World Chase Tag (WCT). It's website says it is "The first and only global league for competitive tag."

It is quite fun to watch!

The Movies!

Last night I went to see Downton Abbey: A New Era with my friends Ellen and Anne-Marie. 

During the Covid shutdowns, I wondered if movie theaters would ever be viable businesses again. So it was nice to be able to go to the theater. 

We all enjoyed the movie!

Clothes and a Cat

I went clothes shopping this morning with a friend. I needed some jeans and some shorts for the summer. It was a successful venture! I got great deals on everything because I "bought it, when I saw it, at Marden's!"

Sister Debbie got me hooked on the Netflix series, "Get Organized with The Home Edit." I've watched four episodes so far. If you've seen the show, then you know why I decided to order new clothes hangers today. 😁

The title of this post includes the word Cat. This is because I am sharing a photo of Jerry in his new favorite pose! Meow!

Two Christmas Pageants

My niece Kelsey directed the children's Christmas pageant/program at her church this year. Her son, Bode, played a donkey. He was cute and squirmy! The program was last Sunday.  Mom and I watched the video of it online that afternoon, and we thought we had identified Bode... but we were wrong. So we watched it again today, eyes glued on the correct donkey this time! Great job, Kelsey! Great job, Bode!

I decided to read "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" to Mom. The book is by Barbara Robinson. We finished reading it yesterday, so today we watched the 1983 made-for-TV special. (I found it on YouTube. It's less than 50 minutes long.) Mom and I enjoyed both the book and the TV special.  If you have a chance to read/watch it, then I encourage you to do so.  Experiencing the Christmas story through the eyes of the Herdman family is a delight.  "Hey! Unto you a child is born!"

Our first heavy snowfall of the year is happening right now.  ❄❅❆