Dec13

“‘Ride on a float,’ she said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ she said.”

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  1. What movie quote am I adapting for my own purposes?
  2. It was fun, actually.

Beloved Neighbor’s grandfather-in-law was a firefighter. His decommissioned 1952 fire truck has become a staple in our town’s annual Christmas parade.

Neighbor’s three sons were each able to choose one friend to join them on the float. Their youngest invited my Joe.

Joe, neighbor boy, and some weird old dude in a red suit. Apparently he’s famous? Lots of people wanted their picture with him.

When I brought Joe, Neighbor asked if I’d like to ride on the float too.

“Really? Can I?”

“Sure. If there’s room, I don’t see why not.”

I immediately added “Ride in a parade” to my mental bucket list just so I could then cross it off.

I also added and crossed off, while I had the chance:

jump onto a moving vehicle, jump off a moving vehicle, and hang off the back of a moving fire truck.

Less cool when you consider the vehicle was moving at parade speed, but still. I’ll take what I can get.

If I had known, I would have worn something more festive than my blue and gray striped hoodie, but Neighbor plans ahead. She had hats for us, because of course she did. This is the woman who carried a pre-moistened sponge in a ziplock for ease of applying Betsy tattoos.

The above pic was before we got started. Once we did, Santa was a pro. He stood, well-balanced, taking turns waving on one side of the street, then the other. I felt obligated to wave, too, and it was exhausting. I wonder if Santa lifts weights to prepare for this.

Because the truck carries Santa, it’s always the last vehicle in the parade. It was wild seeing people, even grown ups, getting excited when Santa came rolling down the street. A local DJ said into his mike, “And here he is. The man of the hour!” and people erupted.

Seriously, who IS this guy?

I didn’t introduce myself to Santa, but I did make another friend.

Neighbor’s dog came along and cozied up to me.
Selfie with The Dog. I’ll just call her that to protect her anonymity. (I’m being silly. She’s only a dog.)

But it was good that The Dog took to me. When the float was near the end of the parade, and where we were parked, Neighbor called to the driver to stop so we could hop off because she’s got the power! (Did you hear this song in your head as you read that?)

Then she asked if I could take their dog home, as they’d be a while. She handed me The Dog, who came along easily. Neighbor’s husband said I had “passed the taste test.”

Thus, yet another bucket list item was quickly added and checked off: walk a dog.

Seriously, I have no memory of having ever walked a dog! And it’s kind of… a pain. Dogs are worse than toddlers when it comes to them going where you want them to. It’s a good thing she’s itty bitty because I had to give her leash a tug frequently. If only I could have that much awe and wonder over a curb, a pine cone, a piece of trash, that one particularly fascinating blade of grass….

Speaking of dogs, my daughter played Snoopy in her middle school production of A Charlie Brown Christmas, and she nailed it. I was so proud.

Here she is dancing. What a fun role to play. Everything she did elicited [appropriate] laughter.

And speaking of dancing, my high school daughter was in a swing dance performance. It was so good, I managed to get past the fact that it was to country music.

Here’s looking at you, Mom! (Fuzzy ‘cuz I zoomed. I didn’t have the best seat.)

Of all these activities, which would you most like to do:

  1. Be in a parade.
  2. Be in a play.
  3. Be in a dance performance.
  4. Walk a dog.

What’s something sort of weird on your bucket list, or that you’ve crossed off recently?

And finally, caption this picture:

I’m not even sure what to say about this. Let’s hear what you think.

BTW, nice to “see” you all again. It turns out, blogging is one of those activities, like going to the gym, where the longer you’ve been away, the harder it is to get back into it. That includes reading. I managed to read a couple of posts and commented on one that I was trying to claw my way back into blogging.

A completely different blogger responded to me on this other person’s blog: “Claw harder.”

That made me feel special. Thanks, M. So here’s a post to help me get my feet wet again. Soon I’ll hit you up with my annual photo dump of all the random stuff I’ve saved to eventually show you. Ha. 😛

Happy holidays, etc.

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91 responses »

  1. I would love to be in a play. I did plays in high school and enjoyed it. Walking a dog would be last on my list. At my old age and with my arthritic knees I’m afraid the dog would end up walking me. Country music is NOT on my list, but glad your daughters are talented – like their mother!

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  2. I’ve walked dogs before and they don’t like it – they just look at me and say, “You’re a cat person aren’t you.” awkward … I danced once, no one wants to see that again. I was in a play once, couldn’t remember my lines so I just ad-lib. I’ve not been asked back … I might be interested in being in a parade if I could ride the whole way.

    and a caption? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is, “Please help me.”

    and it just surprises me a little, you being a world famous blogger, that you don’t get asked to be in pardes more often. I would have thought your inbox would be flooded with offers. Their loss for not asking …

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    • “You’re a cat person aren’t you.” awkward … LOL! Brilliant! I’m so glad The Dog didn’t out me as a cat person. Maybe because she’s roughly the size of a cat herself.

      “Please help me.” Hahaha! You might be right. The look that dog gave me could have been a cry for help.

      And finally: Flatterer!
      But do go on. 😉

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  7. totally relatable:
    Turns out I’m better at blogging and sitting on my ass and bossing clients to do the work. Man I’d love to be microchipped. ha 🤪
    “It turns out, blogging is one of those activities, like going to the gym, where the longer you’ve been away, the harder it is to get back into it. That includes reading.” ❤️

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  12. I love this post – it feels a little like a parade – we get to see a little bit of most everyone, plus some animals!

    Loved your comment that Middle School daughter elicited appropriate laughter. That’s a key word. She looks adorable – as do Swing Dancing Daughter, you and Joe!

    As for the caption – surely it should be something like “I’m a poodle so I’m smart enough to patiently exact revenge for this costume.”

    Love seeing you back in blog land, dear Betsy!

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  14. Cheers to your holiday treats … but I’m not sure about the holiday dog. If you include elementary school plays, I’ve done everything on your list. Hooray for me! Congrats on getting to ride on the fire truck. But I imagine the rest of the story is that Bad Ass Mom was ready to kick some butt if she didn’t get to ride. 😉 Cheers to your kids being active … which keeps you busy!

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  15. I’ve done all those activities except walk a dog. Isn’t being in a parade fun? It’s so faux famous🤣 We are trying to visit president homes as a fun bucket list activity because that’s what old people do instead of parasailing.

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  18. You’re welcome!

    None of those activities sound particularly appealing, so by process of elimination, I will go with the parade. ESPECIALLY if I got to ride on the firetruck with the weird dude in red.

    BTW, there is nothing easy about applying that Betsy tattoo. I should know.

    Did your daughter get to walk like a penguin and moo like a cow as Snoopy does? She definitely scored the plum role.

    The caption:
    “I should’ve paid closer attention to the side effects of that worm medication. ‘May cause constipation, thirst, excess saliva production, and an uncanny resemblance to The Grinch.'”

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  19. Can’t dance (money wasted on lessons several years ago) so #3 is out. Tempted to pick #4 because it’s what I do already, several times a day with a much larger dog than Mr. BUT, the cosmos tells me I should pick #1 or #2 because I already did both as a child and maybe, just maybe, the meaning of life is about rediscovering your inner child (apologies for being philosophical – I just re-read Jonathan Livingston Seagull). Final caption: “I’m a Christmas Bomb Pop!”

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    • Great caption! And props to you for trying new things like dancing. It’s not for everyone. I’m tempted to ask my daughter to teach me. She taught her younger sister, who took to it pretty much immediately. I will, no doubt, be a much slower and more irritating pupil.

      Rediscovering your inner child sounds like a worthy goal, Dave. 🙂

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  21. I do a version of what you did, except I do the task first, realize it wasn’t on my list, write it on my list, and then cross it off. I did this last week with “fold laundry” and “unload dishwasher.” Lame, but it gives me a sense of accomplishment and proves that I actually did something with my weekend. Based on what you added and crossed off your list, you live a much more exciting life than I do.
    I don’t have a lot of dog-walking experience, but when I did my first petsit (I flew to Seattle to do it), I didn’t walk the dog. The dog walked me.
    As for a caption: Sheep crashes into award-winning Christmas display. Comes away mostly unscathed.

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    • Oh my gooooooossshhhh! Shh. Don’t tell Mark, but I am really loving your caption. Helps that I like sheep. Mark, if you see your name here, look away! Look away! This is brilliant! Love it. Shhh… I mean. Ahem, sorry, TTA, nice try, but clearly we both know Mark is always and will forever be the master of all things caption. (Think he bought that?)

      As far as getting chores done, totally valid. I’ve heard you get endorphins when you cross stuff off your to do list, so get those happy chemicals flowing! Fold that laundry, baby! 🙂

      And, okay, what now? You flew across several state lines for a dog walking gig. Was it Kurt Cobain’s dog????

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  22. “Claw harder!” had me in stitches! I am imagining you. But seriously, I hear you and it is challenging to get back into the blogging cycle, and responding to all your fans (we have missed you 🤪🤩)

    I love how you make up your bucket list as you go. As I do not have one (a list, that is), your way suits me just great!

    Such fun you got to celebrate 2 of your offspring on stage. Performing is not my forte but I admire anyone with the steel to do so! The fear of falling on my face (literally) limits my desire to get up there 😆

    Riding on a fire truck (decommissioned or otherwise) looks such fun! How come I never get invitations like these when I drive my kiddies to their play dates?!!!

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    • “Make up your bucket list as you go”–You know, I haven’t really thought of it that way, but that sounds about right, Ju-Lyn, WITH the major exception of me visiting you in Singapore!!!!

      You’re right. This was a rather elaborate play date. And to think I could have just let him walk two houses down to play with his friend! 🙂

      Thank you for missing me. I’ve missed my blog buddies, too, but it’s nice that I can “cheat” with little snippets on Instagram to tide me over for a bit. 😉

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    • OWN a fire truck! Toooootally. How many people can say that?

      Claw inspiration. Ha! The pseudo-quote is from Die Hard. 🙂

      I have a new show for EWe. It’s a “K-Drama,” what the fans call South Korean dramas. It’s called Crash Landing on You. It’s on Netflix, but I found the first few episodes online for free…. somewhere, was quickly hooked, and shelled out the $7 to watch it all. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Look into it! 🙂 🙂

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      • One can dream… And I did know a (crazy, but the good kind!) work colleague who bought a fire truck! He justified his “toy” by way of “safety”, it was his dream, she went with it 🙃

        We do have Netflix: is it a show in Korean with subtitles? And what’s on your top 10 best shows you’ve ever seen? (Casablanca can’t be on the list 🤓)

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      • Owning a fire truck! That’s up there with owning a tank.

        Yes, subtitles. Ten best shows? Eesh. I feel like we’ve already talked about most of them. Can we do movies instead?? And maybe… 5? 😛 I think that would be easier. Stranger Than Fiction hit the writer in me just right, Charade, Knight and Day (lower on the list, but), The Intouchables, (French. This is a MUST see if you haven’t yet.) Die Hard 4, and It Happened One Night (b/w 1940s). Eclectic list! That was 6!

        You?

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      • What can I say? I know some interesting people 🫵 …

        I have to own up to having the same “clawing” challenge you do. Give me some tips and tricks, pretty please?

        Idk how many times I’ve seen Knight and Day and it never fails to cheer me up: why do you think it didn’t do well?

        You gave me some excellent recommendations: thank you! I’ll own up to doing most of my tv watching while I’m doing something else: cooking/cleaning in the kitchen, working out, laundry… But it’s rarely while facing the tv full time, which is why I shy away from subtitles and prefer something I can mostly “listen” to rather than watch… Yes, I once cut myself chopping an onion when I wasn’t paying attention 🤪

        Your list is WONDERFUL and I love that it spans so many genres and years!

        Oh, here’s a bit of French movie trivia for you: do you know why The Professional was filmed in English? Because they didn’t want an English-based remake for English speakers 🙃

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      • I have no good tips and tricks for blogging, sadly. I would say: do something interesting worth blogging about, but I still haven’t gotten around to sharing about the Grand Canyon trip in 2022, so what do I know?

        Saving random pics in a folder that’s close to bursting will spur me to action here pretty soon, though, I hope. 🙂 Do stick around, EWe. Your posts are so interesting. I try not to miss one.

        Understood about the listening, not so much watching. If you’re ever laid up for some reason, and can’t otherwise be productive, keep Crash Landing in mind. 🙂

        I didn’t know Knight and Day didn’t do well. What is WRONG with people???

        Fun fact about the French film! (Ahh, alliteration.) The Intouchables was remade in English, and I refuse to watch it. I’m sure it can’t be as good as the original. If you ever decided to put your feet up for a couple of hours, let it be for this movie! 🙂

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  24. Very cool! I’ve never been in a parade, but when Alex was first driving on his own, he parked at the gym the day before Easter in the center of town to work out, and when he was done, he backed into traffic. When he got home, he said, “I had to share part of my ride out of town with firetrucks and police cars going really slow, flashing their lights–and people were all lined up on either side of the street–I had no idea what was going on.” And I jumped up and down shouted, “You were in the Easter parade! I’m soo jealous!”

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  25. Betsy, my wife and I love the picture of you and a your new canine friend. Your high school daughter looks like she loves her dance. I told my wife I had to check out your blog with its original name. Keith

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  26. What a fun post, Betsy. You sure did make a dent in the bucket list – and such talented kids too! I loved the photo of you getting a kiss from your new friend, and had to laugh at the Christmas poodle. My husband said, “That poor dog.” Lol. Thanks for the Christmas fun. Continue the merriment and may Santa deliver much cheer to you and yours.

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  27. It’s a good thing Santa was in front, that way nobody saw the elf in the blue striped hoodie, hmmmm maybe a misfit. 🤣 Don’t you just love the performances of our kids and grandkids. I made sure I kept a picture to blackmail them for when they got older. Lol

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