The Dinette Set by Julie Larson for December 13, 2011

I’ll bet they were contestants on that old game show It pays to be ignorant

Good Morning Crew

Good morning Leaky. And potential good morning to the rest; Milton, Susan, et Al. More than a horn, perhaps there should be a Civil Defense siren that is activated whem Burl drives. He’s still a CD Block Captain, isn’t he?

True story; speaking of horns. I live several blocks from a “Senior Living” center that is populated mostly by old women. Most of the old men are long dead—and some probably glad of it. When I am at the local Kroger, sometimes they are there as well. They cruise through the parking lot in their 2004 Town Car, looking neither left nor right, fully three inches from the steering wheel, wearing their wraparound sunglasses they got after their cataract surgery and leaning on the horn. Above that noise, sometimes you can make out the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance #3.” They will not slow to accommodate anything or anyone, child, pregnant women, or even each other. They believe that parking lines are general guidelines for others, certainly not for them, so the TC gets parked wherever they choose to stop, blocking traffic or not, and the motorized carts are to be driven precisely down the center of the aisles. And God forbid that you should ever, ever say anything to them like, “Excuse me.” After all, she is rich as God because Elmer had the good fortune to spend ten years in Saudi Arabia with some oil company or other. Her kids went to Le Rosey and they vacationed in Rome, don’t you know. Otherwise, she’d be a retired secretary in Odessa where she was born.

As you can perhaps discern, I don’t have a lot of liking for this affluent oilfield trash.

Whew! I sure feel better. I think I’ll start honking my horn at them.

Morning Leaky and Mikie and “Merry”…. sounds like a cartoon that way….. and the rest of you when you greet the dawn…. or the noon…

Wish Burl would find the ♥ — he sure needs one.

Yeah, Burl, how very lucky for that kid, that you scared him enough to scramble out of your way…. I mean, what bad luck for him, otherwise.

Joy’s glad, too, that he learned his safety lesson.

What a pain, to have to kill other people’s kids just because they haven’t been properly taught to run from a horn.

Patty must be spending a lot of time there for the holidays.

I always used to need a vacation after a trip home.

Whoa, Mikie…. how long have you kept all THAT bottled up? Hope you freed up some space, letting it out…. LOL.

Oh — meant to say @Marg — hope you’re feeling better, and you don’t have to be long in a cast.

The kids should know the Penny’s car by heart and get out of the way on sight.

This one is a little darker than cheating at the “all you can eat” cafeteria. When Burl takes it out to the street, bad things can happen. Too bad there wasn’t a cop around.

In some ‘hoods the kid would skip the safety lesson and give Burl an unforgettable manners lesson.

Now I know which comic to go to first thing in the morning to get my blood pumping.

So where are their seatbelts?!

I completely understand. I almost got run off of the road by a man that was running late for an evening service at the local Christian ‘cult’ church.

Burl’s “moral compass” …. is on the dash – bored…. ! ! !

Wow, Marg — when you first said you were having “foot surgery,” I was picturing something minor, as so many people in my life have had….

a bunion here, a corn there, even a toe straightened.

Didn’t realise it was so much more. Sorry — not that I could have known, really.

But….. belated best wishes for a speedier recovery than you anticipate!

I’ve been taken apart myself in a couple of places and I know what a drag it is wondering when you’ll get back to mere normal activity….

but the results are usually a much better level than what you had before.………………………………….

An aside — one of the places re-built years ago, was my right wrist.

During the months I couldn’t write, I taught myself to try doing it left-handed….

even had to give my bank a scrawled signature to keep on file till I could use my right hand again.

Fast-forward about 6 months ….. New teller in safety deposit boxes.

I signed in; she tripped a silent alarm – cos in that department they still had a copy of my left-handed scrawl.

The nice policeman was not amused.

@Mikie, not all of us old broads are wealthy or even inconsiderate like the Pennys. I divorced an abusive X when our four kids were just finishing grade school and I earned every cent I have. I am as courteous as any one in the parking, but last year I accidentally trespassed against a young (late 20 somthing) who believed he “owned” a parking space near the entrance which I felt happy to take. I had not seen him there and did not try to take it in any special manner, but once I was parked, it would be silly to move just to please him. He was VERY outraged (something like you) drove off without giving me a chance to explain, and when I returned with my groceries, I had been deeply keyed all around the car. My 2004 is not a TC, just a Ford Focus and that is all I can afford and now it is worth less thanks to him!

@Susan, the only time I had to use my left hand was teen years after an accident at Riverview back in the 50s so never affected my banking (only my HS homework). I am very fortunate to be as healthy as I am in my 70s. I think it is partly because I refuse to accept dr’s advice to use meds. I was told by a former one to use a statin, but got things fixed with diet and excercise; he also advised Fosamax and I have not had a test on density since but I use 2 different degrees of ankle weights in my routines now so I’m not worried. I don’t expect to live forever, but I know I plan to live however long without medications. And I know I drink more than recommended, but that is my choice too ;-P

Thanks LS, but I pick my poison.