Birthday + 1

Thumbs Up!

On the way home from Mass this morning
I stopped at my local Hy-Vee to try the new
Cascara Latte that Starbucks is currently promoting
(in addition to the Smoked Butterscotch Latte, which I have enjoyed on a number of occasions).

I enjoyed it quite a bit, and will most likely have another one soon, if they don't end the promotion
in the near future. (Last year I missed out on Smoked Butterscotch because I gave up Starbucks for Lent, and the promotion ended before Easter.)

"Will you be doing that again this year? You got awfully crabby last year."

I most likely will, but thanks to that Mr. Coffee Café Barista that Skip gave me for my birthday last year, it won't be nearly so stressful for me...

Swing Away

"Has anybody seen Hunter Strickland around?"

There isn't much spring training news to report about my beloved Kansas City Royals, who don't play their first Cactus League game until next Saturday.

I did get a big kick out a story published yesterday about All-Star
C Salvador Perez receiving a unique gift from a fan: a replica of the scary "Lucille" baseball bat wielded by the villain Negan on AMC's  
The Walking Dead TV series.

"Are they actually going to let him keep that in the clubhouse?"

Probably not, but given the Royals' recent history of on-field fights, maybe they will...

Wild Kingdom Bed & Breakfast Update

"Did you miss us?"

When I got home from Mass this morning I spotted a colorful pair of Northern Cardinals hopping around in the leaf-less branches of a tree in my parking lot.

I haven't seen any of these guys around for months, even though they're not migratory. Not sure where they've been keeping themselves, but a splash of color
is always welcome at the B&B.

My best friend Skip sent me a cool birthday present, which I intend to hang up later today. I'm not sure whether the foods included (fly larvae, mealworms, and waxworms) will prove popular with my customers, but if they're not there are lots of other things I can try.

The clear bowl can hold water, which
I will probably do until I have replaced the broken bird bath. Now that the weather is warming up, I really need
to do that pretty soon...

Speaking of My Birthday

So, did I have ice cream and cake on my birthday yesterday?

Does an eat-anter have lips?

"Actually..."

It was a rhetorical question, dumbo...

Squad Goals

From the incisive pen of Michael Ramirez, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

The TCM channel has been running their annual "31 Days of Oscar" promotion all month, which presents some excellent viewing opportunities for a movie buff like me. This morning, for instance, I was able to watch most of Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller North By Northwest (a strong contender for my all-time favorite movie) while getting ready for church.

Original 1959 "one sheet" poster

I lucked out again when I got home from Mass, as they were just starting another excellent film, The Nun's Story, which
I hadn't seen in more than 20 years.

Directed by Fred Zinnemann for the novel of the same name (which had been a 1956 No. 1 New York Times bestseller), the film was one of 1959's biggest box office hits, and was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Actress (Audrey Hepburn), Best Director, and Best Picture. Of all of her films, Hepburn called this one her favorite.

It was the film's misfortune to be eligible the same year that Ben-Hur set the record by winning 11 Oscars (still the record).



One of The Nun's Story's Academy Award nominations was for Best Original Score,
for Franz Waxman's stirring, reverent music. His score didn't win the Oscar, but it was nominated for the American Film Institute's list of 100 Greatest Film Scores.

Today's send-off is a suite of themes and motifs from Waxman's memorable score. Enjoy...