Wednesday Roundup

Hey there, dudes and dudettes, nothing big happening at Nutwood, so here are some odds and ends.

I went to the BMV this morning, my first time since they opened the new branch (consolidating a couple of smaller ones). My license expires this month, so it was time to renew. They were so nice and friendly, and I was out of there within 15 minutes, my new license with its crummy new picture safely tucked away in my wallet! They've also gone from a four-year expiration to a six-year. Sweet! I took my book along, but only got through a few pages while they printed out the new license. Indiana's Governor Mitch Daniels deserves a lot of credit for making the BMV a relatively painless experience these days. He's taken a lot of flak for a couple of the things he's done (leasing the Toll Road and having us go on Daylight Savings Time--jeez, what a cruel and horrible dictator!), but anyone who fixes the BMV is okay in my book. I voted for him, and guess what? He's a Republican! Personally, I think he's done a pretty good job.

It was also fun driving up there, because it's on one of the remaining brick streets in South Bend. The main roads have all been repaved, but several of the side streets are still brick, and I just love them. (I have a brick paver from one of the roads that ran by one of the Studebaker buildings.) The brick streets have a sort of nostalgic charm, and they sure seem to hold up well.

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You know my entry about the Alice Cooper show? I had an email from Milwaukee Dan #1 who said that he sent it along to a music critic. The guy read it and asked Dan to pass along to me that Alice is a big fan of Studebakers and even owns two. Very cool on two counts: a music critic actually read my entry, and Alice loves Studebakers!

Speaking of that entry, I found out that a UK fan site linked to it, so I've had visitors from all over the world stopping by. Again, very cool on two counts: someone found that entry and linked to it, resulting in lots of visits, and people still love Alice all around the world!

Ahhh, there's sort of an international feeling in the air at Nutwood...can you sense it? Almost an...I don't know what...je ne sais quoi.

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There are still two Silver Squirrel awards pending, with no correct answers yet!

1. What TV miniseries used the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" in the opening credits?

2. When I mentioned the python that Alice used to bring onstage, I wrote that maybe the snake was dropped because he was getting too demanding, specifying no brown rats in his bowl of rats backstage. What was I referencing there?

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When I was at the store the other day, they had a big bin of cantaloupes, and they were INDIANA cantaloupes. I was on those babies like milk on cereal. I'll cop to a complete and utter (and probably illogical) bias here in my belief that Indiana cantaloupes are the best cantaloupes evah. They always seem to have a sweetness and flavor that I've never had elsewhere. I'm sure that part of it is that they aren't shipped from BFE, so are picked more at their peak. This one smells wonderful, and I'll be slicing it up this afternoon. It's a monster, too. [going off to measure] Eight inches in diameter, nine inches in length. [going out to weigh it] Seven pounds. I think next year, I'll try to grow some cantaloupe, although our soil back in the garden is more dark and rich rather than sandy (which cantaloupe like). I bet it will work just fine, though. (Yes, I know that the correct term for what is grown here is muskmelon. In these parts, we call ‘em cantaloupes.)

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We had a few large things left from the garage sale, including Ken's Mom's like-new stove, and yesterday I put them up on Craigslist. Holy mackerel! Within an hour of putting up the ads, I started getting phone calls. We sold three of the things yesterday, and I've gotten phone calls on the other items. Someone is coming to look at the stove this evening, and I'm fairly certain they'll buy it. (Ken's Mom will be so pleased!) I'll be glad when it's all gone, because this is way too many phone calls for me. I am not a phone person. I'm grateful, though, that there are people willing to buy these things and can get some use out of them, rather then sending them off to a landfill. It's a win-win situation, and I have to say that Craigslist is a fantastic service. We still have some electronic things to sell, and were planning on putting them on eBay, but I think we'll try Craigslist with those, too, and not worry about shipping them.

I got an email about the stove, and you guys tell me your opinion. This person is hearing-impaired so can only email with me. He lives in Houston, but has things arranged with a mover as soon as the money is in our hands. He wants to send a money order, and needs our name, address, and cell phone number. When he inquired via email this morning whether or not we still had the stove, I said yes, and someone is coming to look at it tonight and has made an offer. The Houston guy then sent me an email stating that he would be paying by money order, and listed the above as what he would need. I wrote back and said hold up there, Tex (okay, I didn't really write that), don't send anything, because someone is coming to look at it and they will get first right of refusal.

I don't know for certain, but something just seems fishy about it. Obviously, you know I would have no problem dealing with someone who is hearing-impaired, but that takes away the phone call option. I also don't care much for this out-of-state sale, and would much prefer that someone in the area were to pick any item up. And why on earth would they need our cell phone number? Something about it just sent up red flags, and I think there's some sort of scam there.

Just like the email I got about the TV we had for sale, saying that they know it sounds weird, but they want to give me a TV. Um...no thanks. We're selling one, remember? If something about it seems fishy, it's probably fishy.

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Hope you're all having a lovely day! The humidity here has let up somewhat, and it's a gorgeous Nutwood day!