the first of the season

We have ten strawberry plants all together - five different varieties.  I can't wait for the rest of the crop.  Nothing like the taste of a home grown strawberry !  

Happy 70th, Bob

Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Live)

Tags: Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Live)

yard sale BOMB

Yesterday was the annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day.  Instead of my normal participation as a buyer, I decided to be a seller this year.  What better way to liquidate things ??  I'd been gathering stuff for a couple weeks and came up with what I considered to be a pretty good selection of yard sale goods.  

I'm not sure if we were too far on the geographical fringe of the sale - or if our street is too busy - or if it just wasn't my day for a yard sale.  But I actually lost money.  I made $11 (thanks to my neighbors) from selling 10 vhs movies, a food saver machine and a tea pot - but it cost me $12 to participate as an official seller. Sigh.  At least it was finally a nice sunny day to sit outside.  For six hours.  

Happy Mother's Day

I said I was going to be better about posting more often -- but last week's posts are non-existent.  Sigh.   

A BIG shout-out to all the moms out there - and especially to my mom ! Hope everyone has a fabulous day.  

five eight eight, two three hundred . . .

an icon from my television youth ... RIP Empire Man.

from chicagotribune.com:
Elmer Lynn Hauldren created the Empire Man character and wrote the carpet company's nationally recognized jingle, which made a lasting imprint of a phone number: "5-8-8, 2-300, Empire!"  Mr. Hauldren, 89, died Tuesday, April 26, of natural causes in his Evanston home, according to family.

"He has made an indelible mark on advertising history with his creativity and warmth," Steve Silvers, chief executive officer of Northlake-based Empire, said in a statement.

Empire's former owner, Seymour Cohen, hired Mr. Hauldren as the on-air talent for commercials in 1973 after dozens of actors auditioned for the role. Mr. Hauldren created the Empire Man and also wrote and sang the jingle in the commercials along with the a capella group The Fabulous 40s.

"Lynn was just a joy all the time," said Tom Felgen, a bass singer in The Fabulous 40s. "He was a neat and special guy who was really wrapped up in music and words. He had a very natural way of writing things. When we were singing together, it was total fun all the time."

In 1994, Pearl Jam belted out the jingle at a Chicago concert.

For nearly four decades, Mr. Hauldren portrayed the folksy, bespectacled Empire Man in more than 1,000 commercials. More recently and until shortly before his death, the company broadcast animated commercials with Mr. Hauldren continuing to provide voice-overs.

Mr. Hauldren's son Joseph said the idea for a soft-spoken carpet salesman emerged because Mr. Hauldren thought there was too much shouting and screaming in commercials.

"I think he appealed to people because he was so genuine," said his son. "He was a great father, a great family man, very mild-mannered and friendly. He was a lot like that character on TV."

In a 1997 interview with the Tribune, Mr. Hauldren commented on his unexpected fame.

"People are good-natured," he said, "but once in a while they'll grab at you and say, 'Here's that carpet dude!' or 'Hey! Aren't you somebody?' I always hope folks understand I'm not a celebrity. I'm just a TV pitchman, a glorified salesman."