It’s 9:00 am, and we are outside working our little fingers to the bone!
I marched into the veggie garden at dawn (OK, 9 am) carrying a zucchini seedling like it was a royal baby. Mary, meanwhile, stood beside her rose bushes with pruning shears, a leopard sunhat, and the expression of a woman prepared to negotiate with thorns.”
“We have until the thermometer hits ninety,” I announced. “After that, we could turn into soup.”
At eighty-eight degrees, I finally planted the zucchini, patted the soil, and whispered, “Grow large, my green torpedo.”
We collected a load of green beans, some of which will be dinner tomorrow and some will be laid outside in the sun to dry out (more bean soup on the way!)
The string beans have reached too high; we needed a ladder to get them!
A bumblebee landed on Mary’s hat. She froze. “Don’t move,” I said.
The bee inspected her fake sunflower, judged it unworthy, and flew away. Mary resumed trimming, but one thorn grabbed her sleeve. She yanked free, stumbled backward, and sat directly in her wheelbarrow.
I stared. Mary stared. The zucchini, newly planted, seemed to stare.
Then the thermometer clicked to ninety. “Inside,” Mary declared, water dripping from her forehead. “Immediately.” We were back inside at 10:14 am, door shut and AC on full blast!
Oh my, the temperature is climbing.
The remaining part of the afternoon we watched TV, and Mary made a light lunch since we were going to the Elks this evening. Robin popped in about 4:30 pm, and we had a glass of vino before heading to the Elks at 5:20 pm.
The girls did their normal salads, but I went for the English Cut Prime Rib with a baked potato the size of Detroit, which, by the way, Mary finished off when I gave up!
The Elks menu was excellent this evening.
They had a special drink menu, and of course we tried so—the Lemon Drop Martini. A Lemon Drop Martini is a sweet-tart vodka cocktail made with lemon juice and sugar. It’s usually served chilled in a martini glass, often with a sugared rim.
Typical ingredients:
-
- Vodka
- Fresh lemon juice
- Triple sec or Cointreau
- Simple syrup or sugar
The Lemon Dop kid!
It looked so good I had to try it, so bottoms up (I am talking about the martini!)
Burp Slurp!
Mary went for the Blackberry Mule in the copper cup! To make a drink a “mule,” you add ginger beer and lime, which are what generally make it a Mule. She ordered it because it sounded like a sophisticated farm animal.
Mary took one sip, blinked twice, and whispered, “This tastes like a berry kicked me in the tongue.” Paul, meanwhile, was happily guarding his Lemon Drop like treasure.
Mary smiled sweetly, swapped glasses while Paul was not looking, and took a victorious gulp. “Hey!” Paul cried. “That’s mine!” Mary shrugged. Consider it a public service. Your drink needed rescuing.” Paul tasted her Mule, coughed, and nodded. Fine. But next time, rescue me first.” Robin laughed and admired Mary’s quick actions!
Just us having fun!
Mary’s selection of drinks gave me a chance to try new things. Tonight’s Mule could also be used as paint remover! I finished it off anyway!
Mary tried the Blackberry Mule.
Ronnie took the stage, and the dance music began. Ronnie always plays a couple of waltzes just for us, so we made a few laps around the dance floor, letting our meals settle!
Then Ronnie announced that “Paul will now lead the Hokey Pokey”. What could I do but, with the help of my trusty sidekick Mary, go to every table and enlist participants for the dance of the evening.
Ronnie had me do the Hokey Pokey this evening.
Off we went with a group of 25 “older adults” putting things in and then putting things out and then shaking them all about, followed by hands in the air, fingers shaking, and turning ourselves around.
The history of the Hokey Pokey—also known in the UK and some Commonwealth countries as the Hokey Cokey—is a little tangled, because several people and traditions claim a role in its creation.
The basic idea is simple: dancers stand in a circle, put body parts “in” and “out,” shake them, and turn around. Similar participatory circle dances existed before the modern song, but the familiar version became popular in the mid-20th century.
In the United States, the song is often associated with Larry LaPrise, who said he helped create it in the 1940s as entertainment for skiers in Idaho. He later recorded it with the Ram Trio, helping spread it widely. However, other American songwriters also claimed earlier versions, and there were copyright disputes over who truly wrote it.
In the United Kingdom, the dance is usually called the Hokey Cokey. A well-known British version was published around the 1940s and is associated with songwriter Jimmy Kennedy, though the phrase and dance may have circulated informally before that.
As for the phrase itself, its origin is uncertain. Some have suggested links to old magic words like “hocus pocus,” while others see it as nonsense language meant to sound playful and rhythmic.
By the 1950s, the Hokey Pokey/Hokey Cokey had become a staple at children’s parties, weddings, school events, skating rinks, and community dances. Its popularity comes from being easy, silly, and inclusive: anyone can join in, and no real dance skill is required.
So, in short: the Hokey Pokey likely grew out of older circle-dance traditions, took recognizable form in the 1940s, and became internationally popular through recordings, parties, and group events.
After a few dances, we headed home to float around in the pool under the stars and continue solving the world’s problems.
A dip in the pool was required.
After the swim, we headed to the TV Room and attempted to watch the movie “Arthur,” but alas, none of us made it without falling off to sleep. It was a good day! Robin was able to capture an image of Miss Grace, who graced us with her presence; apparently she liked the movie also!
Grace is lying on the floor watching us watch TV!
Alex was with us this evening, always a joy to be around. Charlie is still at work at the summer camp but will return Sunday evening. We tried to get Alex to order a tomahawk steak again, but he decided on something smaller, a baby elephant.
I went off the rails and ordered a German Chocolate Cake and washed it down with wine! The combined taste was surprising.
