Month: May 2020

Fandango’s Friday Flashback — May 29

Fandango17 Comments

Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of you earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Friday Flashback post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (the 29th) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.

This was originally published on May 29, 2010 on my old blog. We were still living back east when this took place, but we would shortly be moving to San Francisco.

Batman Returns

B7513E75-04DC-4CD1-804C-A1B14E5F7FD4Last fall I spent a considerable sum of money for what is known as a “bat exclusion.” A bat exclusion is a process designed to remove all bats from a property and to plug all possible entry points for future generations of bats. This process was initiated for our 110 year old Victorian-style home after we discovered a bat flying around overhead in the master bedroom. As a precautionary move, we had to undergo a series of painful rabies shots. It’s not that either of us was bitten by the bat or that the bat flying around the room had rabies. It was a just in case kind of a thing.

I also engaged Leo, aka “The Batman,” the guy who performed the bat exclusion, to install a bat condo (see the photo below) in our backyard so that the bats, in search of a place to hang out (literally) during the day, would go to the bat condo rather than seeking out the comfort of our attic.DB6B9945-6388-45AF-86C9-6535F8033FA5By the way, even though Leo is often referred to locally as “The Batman” because he specializes in bat exclusions, he is nothing like any of the various actors who have portrayed Batman in the movies. He actually more closely resembles The Penguin than Batman.

So what a surprise it was the other day when my wife heard our cat running around like a mad person (or a crazed cat), making a racket in our entry foyer. She discovered that he was pawing at and playing with some kind of creature. She called out to me and, of course, I came running to see a dark brown blob on the lower landing of the stairway.

At first I thought the critter was a mouse. Then it looked almost like a frog and I wondered how a frog got into our house. But then it spread its wings and attempted to fly, not very successfully, as the cat must have inflicted some harm to its flying ability. My wife grabbed the cat and I grabbed a plastic bag into which I scooped up the wounded bat, took it outside, and dumped it on our front lawn.

What I should have done, though, was put the wounded bat in a cardboard box and taken it for testing to see if it had rabies. I don’t know if, in the processes of toying with its prey, our cat may have been bitten by the bat…or if he may have bitten the bat. And not knowing if the bat had rabies, my wife and I ended up taking the poor cat to the vet to get a rabies booster shot. He wasn’t very pleased by that experience.

The Batman is now scheduled to come back to our house on Tuesday afternoon to see if there are any new signs of bats hanging out in the attic or elsewhere in our house.

I wonder if there are bats in San Francisco.

FOWC with Fandango — Resign

Fandango22 Comments

FOWCWelcome to May 29, 2020 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.

I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).

Today’s word is “resign.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments.

The issue with pingbacks not showing up seems to have been resolved, but you might check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.

Stand Your Ground

Fandango3 Comments

715A117A-49EC-4C13-B505-181C9787996F“I say, old chap, aren’t you overreacting a bit?” Graham asked as Peter shoved his shotgun into Graham’s chest.

“I think not, you scoundrel” Peter responded. “You have invaded my domain, abused the sanctity of my home, and had your way with my darling Beatrice. A man’s home is his castle and you have dared to breach the castle’s keep. I have no choice but to stand my ground.”

“You are an old fool, Peter,” Graham said, swatting away the shotgun. “I didn’t invade your castle, I was invited here by the lady of the manor. She has grown tired of you, bored by you, and has been seeking the thrill of an elicit relationship with a man of adventure such as myself.”

“You are a liar!” Peter exclaimed, lunging at Graham, placing his two hands around Graham’s neck, and squeezing.

“Stop it!” Beatrice screamed as she entered the room. “Let’s sit down and talk about this like civilized people.” She picked up a small bell from the coffee table and shook it. When the housekeeper responded, Beatrice instructed her to fetch some tea for the three of them. Then Beatrice motioned for the two men to sit down on the sofa and she took a chair opposite them. They sat in silence until the housekeeper served the tea.

When the housekeeper left the room, Peter broke the silence. “Beatrice, is it true? Did you invite this cad into our home?”

“Yes, Peter, I did,” Beatrice admitted. “Graham and I have establish a bond and while I will always love you, sweet Peter, there’s no passion, and passion is what I need and passion is what Graham is all about.”

“But my darling Beatrice,” Peter said, “this is our castle and I am the king and you are my queen.”

“Well, old chap,” Graham said, a triumphant smile gracing his face, “it looks like I am the new king of the castle having, ascended to the throne.”

Peter picked up his shotgun and fired two shots point blank at Graham and Beatrice, instantly killing them both. “The king is dead,” Peter said. “Long live the king.”

Written for Sandman Jazz’s Writing Challenge, where the starting point is the picture at the top of this post, and for Paula Light’s Thursday Inspiration, where the theme is “castle” and includes the image below.6C326E12-EBC1-4E46-806D-FA2888A74221

Breaking News

Fandango12 Comments

72949797-E656-49AA-8DC5-9DB042D0EC14I’ve got this app on my iPhone called “Nextdoor.” It bills itself as “the neighborhood hub for trusted connections and the exchange of helpful information, goods, and services.”

I will periodically get notifications when someone in my general area posts something on Nextdoor. I got one such notification when someone posted the following, which made me laugh out loud, so I thought I’d share it with you folks.

Breaking News: Wearing a mask inside your home is now highly recommended. Not so much to stop COVID-19, but to stop eating so much.

I stepped on my scale this morning. It said: “Please practice social distancing. Only one person at a time on scale.”

FOWC with Fandango — Notion

Fandango20 Comments

FOWCWelcome to May 28, 2020 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.

I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).

Today’s word is “notion.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments.

The issue with pingbacks not showing up seems to have been resolved, but you might check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.

One-Liner Wednesday — Delusion

Fandango28 Comments

00D95775-E220-42DF-8473-FED2ED7BECB0

“When one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity; when many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion.”

Robert Pirsig, American writer and philosopher

Oh Fandango, you didn’t really do that did you?

Do what?

Use that quote for today’s one-liner.

Hey, I didn’t say that. I was quoting Robert Pirsig. You know, the author of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.”

Well, Dango, you’d better be prepared for a backlash for this one-liner. It’s gonna piss some people off.

No worries, pal. I say bring it on!

Written for today’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt from Linda G. Hill.

Fandango’s Provocative Question #71

Fandango24 Comments

FPQWelcome once again to Fandango’s Provocative Question. Each week I will pose what I think is a provocative question for your consideration.

By provocative, I don’t mean a question that will cause annoyance or anger. Nor do I mean a question intended to arouse sexual desire or interest.

What I do mean is a question that is likely to get you to think, to be creative, and to provoke a response. Hopefully a positive response.

You’re probably familiar with the old expression, “You’re only as old as you feel.” Or maybe you’ve been told by someone at some point to “act your age.” Or perhaps you, yourself, when asked your age, have said, “Age is just a number.”

Well, that brings me to this week’s provocative question(s). 

How old are you* and how old do you feel — older or younger than your actual chronological age? Do you generally act your age? And what does “acting your age” mean to you?

*If you’re uncomfortable revealing your actual age, maybe you can just say something like, “I’m in my twenties.” Or fifties. Or “I’m a senior citizen.”

If you choose to participate, write a post with your response to the question. Once you are done, tag your post with #FPQ and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments. But remember to check to confirm that your pingback or your link shows up in the comments.

FOWC with Fandango — Tub

Fandango19 Comments

FOWCWelcome to May 27, 2020 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.

I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).

Today’s word is “tub.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments.

The issue with pingbacks not showing up seems to have been resolved, but you might check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.

Weather or Not

Fandango22 Comments

CD817633-1264-4850-9EEC-CD1130B2C90FOne of the things I loved about living in the city of San Francisco was its temperate climate. It never gets that cold in the winter nor that hot in the summer. It’s an extremely rare day where it gets to 90°F in the summer or down into the 30s in the winter. Most of the time the temperatures year round range between lows in the upper 40s and low 50s and highs in the 60s or low 70s.

Take today, for example, where the temperature in the section of the city we used to live in was a delightful 71.BF8BBA4A-6905-43F3-914D-8736A3D23E20But a few months back we moved to an East Bay suburb just 35 miles east of our old stomping grounds near Golden Gate Park. And weather-wise, it’s a whole new ballgame. I just got back from walking my dog and it’s HOT outside. How hot is it?BE5F238C-891C-4379-AAAC-E5C290C1FE3EIt’s 101, but the “real feel” is 108! If you can find some shade to stand in, it’s only 99!

I miss San Francisco. Well, the weather, anyway.

FOWC with Fandango — Innuendo

Fandango18 Comments

FOWCWelcome to May 26, 2020 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). It’s designed to fill the void after WordPress bailed on its daily one-word prompt.

I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (US).

Today’s word is “innuendo.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Or you can simply include a link to your post in the comments.

The issue with pingbacks not showing up seems to have been resolved, but you might check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.