Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for October 26, 2012

Those new dogskin hats are all the rage in Milan.

Why yes, Florence, it is! I had no idea that Buster was such an acrobat!

Buster has been practicing his filch the fedora from the foliage, again.

Good morning/night Ballardeers – whatever ! Be back in a few hours.

I always seem to get here just when everybody’s leaving….sniffle….but hey it’s a long bus ride!

Bev? Bri? Linguist?Anybody still here?

I’m gonna make a grinderful of daiquiris…I told the Monkey I’d run the machine tonight….

MONkeee …. I’m here….are you back there by the smoker or did you leave too?

Anybody besides me need some (or some more ) yak ribs?

Sooo… from the name confusion…. do you think maybe that’s really Scooter’s elusive brother, Buster?

I’m told they look an awful lot alike… but Buster was never domesticated.

He hides in back yards… under cars…behind sheds…and apparently in trees…

Out in the woods, on summer nights, they tell stories around the campfire…tales of a mysterious white dog who steals steaks right off the barbecue…dolls from baby carriages…and I guess hats off heads.In the twilight… sometimes you hear a local song….“The Ballad of Buster of Ballard Street.”

His legend grows…and no one knows…where Buster might be prowling…So lock your gate…if it gets late….and all the dogs are howling….

Nah… never mind.

It’s just Scooter…He wants to be Charles for Halloween.

Oh… Hi Red!Sure.You in the mood for a banana daiquiri, by any chance?I know you prefer Scotch, but think of it as dessert…or, um…. fruit, to go with your dinner.

Nice song, Red.I write a lot of lyrics, myself…beyond the Ballad of Buster and such.

I was about to say goodnight too…except I dozed off…LOL… goodnight Red…and the rest of you in the shadows…see you in the daytime!

Oh… and Bev, never fear….I have so much black glitter that if I put it all in your hair at once, you couldn’t lift your head…in fact, I think you’d sink into your footprints like Babe the Blue Ox.

“No dear its not my hat. Just walk away, walk away.”DaDa DADADA DaDa DADADA.“Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today”“Here they come in white overcoats…..to take me away.”LALALALALALAL……"And they say,“I can’t stay here then I can’t stay anywhere.”“So come with me…. to Ballard Street.DADA DADADA DADA DADADA (Big Finish)Now I hope that song sticks all week.It will take a ton of Tiki beverages to wash that one out.

Who said you can’t teach new tricks to an old dog; Rusty Boy has out done himself this time. This is truly a gift from above. Once when Rusty Boy was backpacking through Yellowstone, he came upon a mountain lion with a sprained ankle. After fashioning a sling out of Quaking Aspen bark, he carried him to a remote cave and left him a fresh Rocky Mountain Ram corpse and some grain-o-la bars to give him a leg up during his recovery. And then there was the time when he was marooned on a South Sea island after being battered by a typhoon during his row boat expedition around the world. He survived on raw grab meat and coconut milk until rescued by the British Geological Society’s hovercraft which had been sent out originally to retrace the Ming Dynasty epic flotilla. Actually think it was a helicopter, Rusty Boy does embellish the truth now and then. But this polka dot pole vaulting into the trees and hanging by his feet was a total surprise to me and Charles alike. Shirley saw it going, but was startled beyond words…..

I’m back Ballardeers. For a very short time, anyway. I have to fulfill that dreaded commitment to work this weekend, so I’m just getting ready to take off. Fortunately, this weekend is a resort investigation ( not in the path of the upcoming hurricane, thank goodness ) fairly close to home , so I can drive there.Will check in there and check in with y’all from time to time, over the weekend. Hope everybody has a great one ! Save me some yak ribs and cheese wizz. I may get a chance to sneak over to the Tiki Bar, late tonight.

That dog is fedorable

To lefty2.And I though I could run?BeautifulCoffee, roll or danish?

Lefty2Whats GRAB meat? Is that a type of yak?(You said it you run with it)

Oh Rusty, You silly dog you. Next time take his wallet!

Uh guys, that is a nasty storm brewing, all of you near it please take care. Take the necessary precautions. I am in North Carolina so looks like it will miss us. God speed to you all. Let us know as soon as you can if you are okay. Prayers going up.

Everybody seems to be in Halloween mode – it’s not really practised this side of the Atlantic (at least where I am). So here’s my contribution:

There’s a lightOver at the Frankenstein place….

Scooter heads up the largest black-market fedora ring in Ballard County. Gang members are adept at climbing and concealing themselves in the trees, grabbing the chapeaux off unsuspecting passers-by and selling them to illegal street haberdashers.

The Sheriff’s Department has been alerted.

BatPug is going undercover…

…and he anticipates having to go across the border during his investigation…

…since he’s heard that the chihuahuas are smuggling counterfeit hats into Ballard County. Local retailers are incensed.

“Baby Face” von Schnauzer in a rare photo showing off his talent for blending in…

@ beviek

“OMG………..that chiwaw ………. chow …….. chewu …… chihuahua with the red sombereo is sooo darn cute! Hope BatPug catches the dastardly villian that is taking advantage of these little fellers!” (The offending “s” has been stricken! However, the 3 attempts at spelling “chihuahua” are now even more revealed than before! Oh!…did you want me to strike them, too? Where IS that EDIT button??? )+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++These are the RINGLEADERS!!!! They hide behind their cuteness and no one suspects how truly Machiavellian they are.

Dogs have pride. Please don’t dress them in clothes or make them look like TV characters.

Yo’quero Taco Bell.Poor chihuauahhuuhahhas First a silly name then hats. But……………….FIESTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAYEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Get some salsa dancing ON. You know spill salsa on you crotch then dance like you did it on purpose.The TIKI is gonna be jumping tonight!!!!!!!!Dogs are in the trees, cats are flying planes, and someone stole his hat.All is right on Ballard Street tonight.

Hey dont blame me for the last the comments(The penguins made me do it) (help)

@Redkaycei Repoc

Who Do You Love (Bo Diddley)

Keep watch above you on your way to the Tiki….

Western South Carolina here…. Looks like it might catch the very northern most part of the North Carolina coast as it turns inland. I hope my friends in that part of the east coast will be safe.-—————————————————I live in Western NC and looks like it will miss us IF it stays on it’s current track. They are calling it an historical storm. God help them all.

Good afternoon, all….

Red, Storm… I hope you guys are right about the storm (no offense) passing you by….

Maybe you can escape by staying here on Ballard St. I know you guys both have houses here…any friend in the path of all the wind and rain who doesn’t have a place here is welcome to stay in my yurt…it’s got three bedrooms when it needs to.

I’ll undo the straps, and all you have to do is show the door that you’re carrying a suitcase, so it knows to unfold itself.There’s ground coffee in the kitchen fridge, and nice tea (PG Tips) in the cupboard…I’ll make sure there’s milk…. and some banana bread.

I’ll make a big pot of soup…. knock at the salon…. if I’m not there, the Tiki is only about a block and a half away.

It’s very safe here on Balla….aaaghhh….

Uh oh!!

Yikes!

Stel…. do you know about this?Sheriff Monkey?And you said you didn’t trust CATS!

Anyway, I was about to say… I’m worried about Stel, and Dogsniff….and whoever else is up in that part of the country, too.Stay safe, everybody.I think I’ll bring some extra blankets down to the yurt right now.

Hullo again…Oh… Red…. thanks, either sounds great…but it’ll have to be later, if you’re still there…I have to head out the door in a few minutes…Tis the night of the Annual BLT Dinner I make for some friends, though at their house…A way to glorify the summer’s crop of tomatoes…. except they said “Don’t bring tomatoes! We have plenty!”

Not fair!

I seldom make bacon but you HAVE to at least once every summer… some kind of international law.The Monkey or one of his bartenders should be there already, grinding the daiquiris…I’ll come to the Tiki and take over the grinder when I get home, if he wants me to.

Stel! Hope you’ll stay dry and safe.Just remember, the yurt is there for you any time you need it!And yeah, I hope Saturday slows everything down, and all of you can breathe easier.

Oh…. speaking of breathing easier…hope your electricity is staying on now, Briatollah…. I totally understand how a night without CPAP messes things up.If I have to go a whole night without it I feel like a truck hit me.I can’t figure out how I used to get through the day before I was diagnosed.

Bev—- Silver glitter it is then…But with the amount you like, you’ll have silver hair, not black.

Is that OK?Actually, I love the black glitter…. it’s laser etched, which makes it opalescent, so it gleams with all sorts of colors, even though it does look black.I also have “plain” (but not very!) crystalline black glitter and some solid opaque.But I have a lot more silver glitter even than black…you can have it purely metallic, opalescent, or crystalline.I’d go for opalescent…costs a bit more but worth it.Of course you can choose when you see them… or have it all!

Well – Charles only lost his hat…

https://cleoandcompany.net/october-26-2022/

Good morning Balladeers, (((((Plods))))) and Miss Susan.