Category: Bow Ties

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Shot Needles Hurt

Bow Tie o’ the Day gives us our white, red, and green plaid. Ties o’ the Day give us more of the basic Christmas icons. What I also see when I look at this photo is that my flaking nails need new nail polish.

I’ve recently scrounged up some Christmas-y nail polish colors. But let me just say this: Just a plain ol’, regular Christmas green was a difficult color to find in the world of nail polish I visited. I found everything from Fluorescent Green, to Alien Blood Green, to I’m-Gonna-Throw-Up-Face Green. But was there a nail polish color called “Just Plain Ol’ Christmas Green?” Nope. I got what greens I could find. The right reds were easy colors to locate.

Well, my little appointment this afternoon for the ultrasound on my shoulder went ok. On the ultrasound machine screen, my right rotator cuff looked gnarly from all sides. I mean– it was ugly, with a capital O-U-C-H. Shoulder surgery is most likely in my future, but not the really-near future. I’m trying cortisone shots before resorting to that. In fact, I got shot up right after the ultrasound. If my shoulder pain is going to improve because of the cortisone, I should know in a few days.

I’m trying to be hopeful, but when I got similar shots in my lower back a few years ago, they were not effective at all. Those shots did not touch my back pain one iota. The only way I knew I had gotten the shots was because I got the bills. But I tried what my then-doc suggested. And I’ll try what I need to try now. I follow doctors’ orders. Mostly.

In fact, you might find it impossible to believe but I am pretty much a rule-follower. I’m a straight arrow. I go with the flow. However, I also do my research, and I’m observant. I have a brain. I’m not a dope, and I’m not easily duped.

To follow rules and laws does not necessarily make you a lemming. It makes things work. For example, I might not like the new four-way stop they recently created over in the next block, but I want all drivers coming from all directions to follow the law and STOP when they are driving there. I prefer not to get t-boned.

On occasion, in the face of a specific rule and/or law, we do have to stand up and say, “Whoa! Uh-uh! Nope! That ain’t gonna happen!” It’s our obligation as people on the planet. I believe in sending reasoned messages when rules/laws encroach on human dignity and freedom. I believe in non-violent civil disobedience. I believe in safe protests. I believe in posters and signs and bumper stickers and banners. I believe in short-hand slogans on t-shirts. I believe in voting.

I also believe in thick-skin, and in not being offended by every bigly and little thing done by people whose bumper stickers (aka opinions) differ from mine. Facts are a different animal altogether. Facts are not debatable. I’ll call you on your “fake facts.” And I expect you to call me on mine. And I most certainly expect us to act like ladies and gentlemen while we do it.

HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 27 Bow ties. 71 Neckties.

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Lookin’ Better All The Time

Bow Ties o’ the Day are based on the movie, ELF. I figured situating them as a sort of frame around my scar would be an effective way to show all three. These bow ties are perfect examples of bow tie designs that didn’t quite cut it. The fabrics display prints with items far too difficult to see and decipher, especially if your eyes are not literally glued to Bow Ties. Good bow tie idea. Crappy design execution. But these imperfect critters needed a home, and The Tie Room does not discriminate. It welcomes neckwear with open drawers. There was no doubt I would bring these two orphans home from the Bow Tie Pound– to live among, and to be loved by, my entire collection of neckwear.

Believe it or not, family and friends occasionally still ask how my scar is healing. Even Mom asks to take a gander at it when I visit her. I now make sure to lift my shirt to show her only when we’re in her room. If I showed her anywhere else at the care center, she’d be telling me to show everybody else in our midst.

And yes, I actually made that mistake with Mom once. She wanted to see the as-yet-unnamed scar while we were sitting in a common area. I quickly and discreetly lifted my shirt a bit to show her, and she began calling others over to appreciate my healing gash. It’s not like I could be impolite and not show them, and I would do anything Mom asked me to do. So I showed ’em. Thanks, Mom.

I am not famous, but my scar appears to be famous and popular enough to get its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Anyhoo… My scar is lightening up right on schedule. Clearly, I am not shy about showing off my dark pink scalpel line, but I’m trying to decide two things. First, my scar needs a name. In a post a few weeks ago, I asked for suggestions, but none of them struck me as exactly right. I’m asking again. Put on your cleverness, then send me names you think will properly fit a scar. If I end up choosing one of your suggestions, you’ll win a prize– a bow tie.

Second, I plan to get a tattoo which incorporates my scar in its design. For example, I’ve thought of turning it into a zipper tat. Again, I’m asking for your ideas. There is a bow tie prize connected to this too. If I choose your suggestion, you win.

 

HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 26 Bow ties. 64 Neckties.

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What’s “Hot” This Year?

Bow Tie o’ the Day is a glittered creme and gold piece. Ties o’ the Day are examples of a design trend in Christmas ties this year. Apparently, reindeer with neck coverings and holiday-lighted antlers are this year’s clever “in” fashion for necktie wear. Each reindeer in this photo sports a bow tie and/or a scarf. And strings of lights. Although these ties cover the same artistic ground, they are different enough from each other that I had to collect them all. One would not do.

For example, only the tie on the far left, gives us a penguin and candy cane antlers, as well as the bow tie and ugly sweater. The next tie presents us with a Christmas tree-shaped clump of antler lights, complete with a lighted star on top– and a pull switch for turning the lights off and on. Our next deer offers a unique, rounded bow tie. And our deer on the far right shows us a very very very very very very long green scarf– which was most likely crocheted by Suzanne. They– the ties, the reindeer– are the same, but they are also different. As we all are. Whoa! Don’t worry.

No, I’m not going to go into one of my sermons about how we need to recognize that we all have more in common than we have differences, so we need to be nicer to each other. I’m not going to go off on my compassion, peace, and charity rant. I’m not going to pontificate about how nobody ain’t better than nobody else. And I’m certainly not gonna go into anything about how Jesus said to love one another, and how that’s the greatest Commandment. Nope, I’m not going there. And I especially am not going to yammer on about how we’re our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. It would be so cheesy of me to lay out all that sentiment during this time of year. I will not lecture you about “the reason for the season” bearing some bigly relation to this paragraph’s precepts– which I didn’t bore you with, because I didn’t talk about them.

HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 24 Bow ties. 64 Neckties.

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WTFudge?

Bow Tie o’ the Day and Ties o’ the Day were out in the garage with me this afternoon, helping me search for a certain piece of Christmas decor I can’t locate. Suzanne and I recently got some heavy-duty shelving– which Suzanne assembled– to finally organize the garage, which has been a dizzyingly complicated maze ever since we moved the contents of the Delta house to our place here in Centerville. Suzanne did a dandy job of clearing the garage floor of storage bins and boxes. Brownie points to Suzanne!

If Suzanne hadn’t fit everything neatly on the shelves, I would have known exactly where to find the item I’m looking for. I know all the maps of disorganization that surround me. It’s the cleaned up, neatness I can’t wade through. In our house, there has always been an understanding that if you can’t find something, you ask me. I know where everything is– except, apparently, the one Christmas decoration I’m seeking.

Anyhoo… As I was ferreting around through storage bins in the garage, what to my wondering eyes did appear?! Not what I was tracking down, that’s for sure. But I did see the box that lurks behind me in the photo. Suzanne had so eloquently labeled it with her fluorescent green Sharpie. Even my holiday neckwear was amused at what she wrote.

Suzanne is the most even-tempered person I know, so this piece of exclamatory labeling is certainly a cry for help. I can imagine the face she wore as she wrote the words. It is Suzanne’s “I-can’t-believe-we-still-have-this-box-of-crap-and-I-haven’t-sorted-it-out-yet-although-we-must-not-need-it-cuz-we-haven’t-used-any-of-whatever-it-is-in-years-but-I-don’t-dare-throw-it-away-and-I-don’t-trust-Helen-to-cull-it-correctly-so-I-won’t-let-her-decide-the-fate-of-each-item-but-I-don’t-know-when-I’ll-ever-have-time-to-go-through-the-box-so-I’ll-express-my-frustration-by-writing-this-snitty-label-on-the-side-of-the-box-and-I’ll-put-the-task-on-my-chore-list-which-I’ll-promptly-lose-and-then-I’ll-forget-this-box-of-Christmas-shit-even-exists-until-I-try-to-find-something-in-the-garage-and-I-run-across-this-box-once-again” face.

Yup, that face.

HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 23 Bow ties. 56 Neckties.

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More Food, More Fabric

Xmas Bow Tie o’ Yesterday and Xmas Tie o’ Yesterday are most likely siblings. They are certainly twinners-in-fabric. Sometimes a bow tie is the right cherry atop the ensemble you’re wearing. Sometimes it’s a necktie that works best. I doubled up my style by wearing both to Sunday brunch.

We hadn’t eaten an actual meal since Tgiving, because we hadn’t gotten hungry yet. But by Sunday brunch time, we were hankerin’ for food again. We didn’t go anywhere that serves a real brunch menu, but we still called it brunch. We ate at Buca di Beppo, in SLC, which ended up being a no do-over experience.

First, the hostess seated us at that one table every restaurant has, which is the table where they banish the patrons they deem unworthy of being a consumer in their establishment. They don’t want anyone to see you and conclude you’re the kind of person who eats there. Being relegated to the “bad” table, implies you are bad for business. That table is usually located by the restrooms and/or kitchen, and windows are nowhere in sight.

I could have requested for us to be seated at a better table, but when I try a restaurant for the first time, I like to experience what the restaurant thinks I merit. If the staff treats me like I’m a welcome regular, I will most likely become one. No worries about that happening for me at Buca di Beppo.

And then, when our meal came, Suzanne’s Brussels sprouts were set down in front of her looking like roundish charcoal briquettes. Back she sent them, so then we shared my saltimbocca, which we both liked. The calamari was not a do-over, but the desserts we brought home were yummy and made for a fantastic supper.

As if our Sabbath wasn’t exciting enough, we embarked on another JOANN’s shopping spree. I stayed in JOANN’s the entire time Suzanne was there, which was not my regular behavior. She wanted me there because she wanted me to peruse the fabric in the 70% off section. She wanted me to choose cape material. I think capes are what she’s giving me for Christmas, which is a-ok with me. The shopping was a success: I found enough designs for 7 capes. But I guess it actually counts as 14 capes, cuz Suzanne makes them reversible for me. [The cart behind me in the second photo holds my fabric booty.]

When we got home, Suzanne dragged out the JOANN’s receipt and proudly announced she had saved $473.83. That got me pondering. How much money do you have to total up at JOANN’s in order to save nearly $500? The answer? $724.75, to be exact. With all the savings, the actual cost of fabric for 7 capes was a “mere” $250 bucks and 92 cents. Thrift wins. We love us our sales.

HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 22 Bow ties. 53 Neckties.

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What Gifts Will I Get The Ties For Christmas?

One Bow Tie o’ the Day gives us a mix of red and gold Christmas colors, while the other shows us wrapped Christmas gifts. Snoopy and Woodstock Tie o’ the Day suggests we write our wish list letter to Santa ASAP, before the deluge of letters from kids asking for ponies arrives at the North Pole. If you’re early with your requests, you have a better chance of getting what you want. The elves can only cobble so many toys, and items go quickly. You might not be able to get a rain check on some products.

As for the filled stocking Tie o’ the Day, all I can say is that whoever filled it with these dandy gifts must have been successful in the Black Friday chaos. And although Christmas is not about commercialization, gift giving is symbolic of the real “reason for the season.” The Three Wise Men didn’t show up empty-handed, and the gifts they carried had to be bought from someone. The gifts were things that had monetary value. They did not cost $0.00.

My point is this:  Although we decry the game of materializing Christmas by getting caught up in all the shopping, the giving of gifts to friends and family and charities we value is symbolic of higher values than the monetary values.

When we buy a gift for someone, we are giving them more than we stop to consider. It “costs” us the time we take to decide what exact things will show the message of singular care we feel for each separate recipient. It costs us the time to find and buy the gift. It costs us time to wrap a gift. And you know darn well you take the time to choose the “right” wrapping paper for each gift.

Also, a gift costs us part of our paycheck, which means it costs the time it took for you to work for the amount of money on the gift’s price tag. Most of us “spend” that time on many people. Time adds up. Time’s value is incalculable, folks. We each get a limited amount of it.

[If you MAKE things to give others, you’re probably spending significantly more time on gifts. However, you also spend money on purchasing whatever supplies or ingredients you will need to create your home-made offering.]

All of this is not to say that we can put a price on what a gift recipient means to us. A person on your gift list is not worth only the monetary value of the gift you give (or the number of gifts), just as your worth to the person who gives you a gift is not tied to the gift’s monetary value. The act of giving is the message.

HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 21 Bow ties. 52 Neckties.

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I Did A Whole Lotta Nothin’

Bow Tie o’ the Day is dashing in its Christmas colors, while Ties o’ the Day do not give a clue as to my activities for the day. As you can see from the photo, when I declare Pajama Day, we really have Pajama Day. Another thing you can see in this photo is that — surprise! surprise!– there is no Pajama Day rule that demands pj’s must match. The other halves of this pj combo are in a laundry basket. I have no idea how they all got separated in the first place. Maybe the socks taught the pj’s how to lose each other.

I can report that Suzanne has been– as I told you she would be–at her Ultimate SewingBox or at the ironing board all day. And do you know what she’s creating? Of course you do. She’s sewing me a Christmas cape I will be able to wear all Winter season. She has enough fabric left over to make another cape, but I don’t need two of the same cape.

I suggested Suzanne use the extra fabric to make a cape for herself, and then I immediately took back my words. A cape would not work for Suzanne. Even she agrees a cape is dangerous for her. She has a bit of a klutz-ocity problem, and capes can get caught in things. When we are out together in the world, I carry a piece of chalk so I can make chalk outlines around Suzanne when she falls on the ground– which she does consistently enough that I’m always running out of chalk. And to be completely honest, I carry the chalk in the house too. She’s clumsy.

Skitter’s day is going exactly as I told you it would in this morning’s post. As for me– well, I told you this morning I’d let you know how I ended up spending my day. I ate ice cream. I revised one of my poems. I unloaded and loaded the dishwasher. I ate a half-dozen bite size Kit Kats. Suzanne and I had a tiff, which we worked through without throwing irons at each other (we have 2 irons). I made a ham sandwich, which tasted amazingly like a ham sandwich. I played some solitaire on my phone. I took Skitter for her walkie. The satellite dish got snow on it, blocking the signal– so I climbed up the ladder, broom in hand, and scraped it off. Success! I made a list o’ errands and phone calls I need to take care of Monday. I watched Suzanne cut fabric for my new cape, and now I’m watching her sew it. I gave Skitter her chew treat after watching her do her “chew dance.” I wrote two TIE O’ THE DAY POSTS, for which I snapped pictures. That’s about all I did. One thing I did NOT do was go fishing with Santa and his reindeer.

But I thought you’d like the fishing Ties o’ the Day anyway.

HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 19 Bow ties. 50 Neckties.

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277 Words

Bow Tie o’ the Day gives us Christmas bulbs for use in Christmas light strings. Ah, back in the day, when one dead bulb broke the closed circuit, and the entire string o’ lights went dark. Was that enough inconvenience and disappointment? Nope. Because the light string couldn’t light up at all, you had to go through each bulb in the string to find out which one was dead.

Alack and alas! You had to run to the store for a new bulb. And, of course, every time you bought a replacement bulb, you bought plenty o’ spares. But no matter how many spare bulbs you bought you could never find one when the same bulb crisis happened the next year. Back to the long holiday lines in the store, you go. Perhaps in a one-horse, open sleigh.

Anyhoo… While working in the garage this week, Suzanne found a stack of her old photos. Check out Suzanne in her baptism picture. What a beauty! Suzanne says the barrette in her hair weighed a couple of pounds, so she’s surprised it stayed in her flowing locks. Check out her skirt that looks like a set of 70’s living room curtains. I don’t know how she could walk while wearing it. Maybe that’s why she’s sitting. And look at the pink shag rug upon which she sits. Wow! It’s Suzanne sitting on her throne. It’s the only throne she’s ever had. I know she doesn’t have a throne with me, because I have put her on a pedestal.

The pedestal is not covered in pink shag carpet. That would be going too far.

HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 17 Bow ties. 34 Neckties.

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One Single, Solitary Bow Tie. I Know! Right?!

Yup, here is just one measly Bow Tie o’ the Day, which is covered in pumpkins in honor of Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. Never fear, tie counters! Since Thanksgiving is part of the holiday season, we can count Bow Tie in our continuing tie tally.

This afternoon, Bow Tie and Suzanne and I found ourselves at one of my fave-rave eatin’ places in SLC, STANZA. Although we’re always trying new restaurants, STANZA’s been my go-to spot for a couple of years, but I’m feeling the need to switch it up. I love STANZA, but I’m getting the itch to find a new clubhouse from which to rule the universe.

The urge to move on began a few months ago when STANZA’s hostess, Gina, left for other pursuits. Gina always went ga-ga for my bow ties. STANZA just hasn’t been the same for me and my out-on-the-town bow ties since she left. I feel kinda bad about deciding to not be a regular anymore, because today they brought us yum-tastic free cannoli. It felt like it was a sweet goodbye gift. Fer sad!

When you look at this selfie, notice the small flames dancing in the fire box on STANZA’s patio, just outside our window. There were no tables and/or chairs waiting for us outside when we arrived, so we figured the staff preferred we eat in the great indoors. Outside would have been dreamy for me. I was was wearing a cape, so I was warm. And I was game for pulling up a couple of chairs to the fire and letting our waiter bring us hot toddies. Hell, we could have made s’mores. I would have shared with the entire STANZA staff. They’re wecome to come to our place for s’mores anytime. They must, however, bring Gina. Gina is their ticket to our back yard.

HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 16 Bow ties. 34 Neckties.

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Mom’s Life Is One Long Holiday

Bow Tie and Ties o’ the Day are here to remind you that celebrating Christmas isn’t all about presents and Christmas dinner. It’ about the goodies. And I mean real treats– not any of that bite-size leftover Halloween candy.

No, I mean all-things peppermint. I mean all things sugar cookies with too much frosting. I mean candy that is so rich with sugar, cream, chocolate and other not-healthy ingredients that it will cause you to lapse into a richness coma and give you a tummy ache– because you won’t be able to consume that stuff moderately. You will pig out, and then happily pay for it later. Xmas goodies are THAT kind of candy.

It makes me– and many, many, many others– selfishly sad that Mom has hung up her cooking pans and spoons, especially during the holidays. Part of my sadness is definitely about missing out on all the treats, but my overwhelming sadness is that Mom had such fun cooking treats for every person she knew or didn’t know. She doesn’t have that particular joy anymore.

Although Mom has a great attitude about not cooking Christmas treats anymore, she misses being in the midst of the whole process– which she would usually start around late-September. And she’d begin handing out bags/plates of the delicious stuff almost the day after she began. Mom did not make goodies and store them until December. No, she just cooked the stuff and gave it out from September through February. I guess the holiday season did not last long enough for Mom, so she just made it longer. Sounds like Mom to me.

I’m writing some scratch-and-sniff here for you. I guess it’s really more of a read-and-smell-and-taste thing. Read these words and use your memories to smell and taste the word. If you ever had the privilege to eat even one of Mom’s Christmas concoctions, I know you have never forgotten it. Here goes:

TOFFEE, CARAMELS, PINOCHE, FUDGE, FROSTED SUGAR SANTA CLAUS COOKIES, SUGARED WALNUTS, CARAMEL MARSHMALLOW POPCORN, BAKED POPCORN, and even ETC. Even Mom’s et cetera was incredible. See, those words themselves made your saliva glands pirouette and leap.

BTW  No one will ever produce close copies of Mom’s candy. Despite having two kitchen drawers and a number of scrap books full of recipes, Mom did not cook from recipes. She only seldomly took little hints from recipes. For her yummy treats especially, if you wanted a recipe for what you liked, she couldn’t give you an exact one. She would, however, invite you to come watch her as she cooked it. You could take as many notes as you wanted, but it never tasted the same as Mom’s.

FYI  I have found one commercial product that bears a similar taste to Mom’s baked popcorn. It’s the Werther’s Original Caramel Popcorn. Don’t get your hopes up too high, but if it reminded my taste buds of Mom’s baked popcorn, that means it probably tastes  a smidgen like it .

HOLIDAY TIE TALLY: 15 Bow ties. 34 Neckties.