oddities, observations & ?s #7

 oddities, observations & ?s #7

                 

  

   

  Last spring, we took a day trip to Frankfort, Kentucky, a city with a rich and colorful history, lots of ongoing political intrigue, and surrounded geographically by a hill-and-valley type landscape. 

  Speaking of landscape, we came upon a plant and flower nursery while in the state capitol that we thought was unique. 

  Wilson Nursery is located on a state road called the East-West Connector Highway and is situated on a hillside about two blocks long and a block and a half wide. A full service restaurant is at the crest of the hill and the rest of the nursery slopes downward from the eatery.  The layout was like a water slide.   

  I seated myself on the back deck of the restaurant at a table for four under a huge canopy that shielded diners from the sun.  A glass of iced tea was all I needed to lounge and appreciate life while Regina walked among the trees, plants, and, flowers.  She was in her element.  It was 2:30 on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. 

  Over the past dozen years, I have become a fresh mint fanatic in the spring and summer months. Iced tea has never tasted so good. Regina found a perfect Spearmint specimen for sale in the herb section between the Rosemary and Dill plants.  We bought it and the prolific plant has flourished in a large pot off our patio.

  Just as we do in every town we visit, we walked the Historic Homes District  after leaving the nursery.  Eventually, we found our way to downtown Frankfort. 

  Is it uptown or downtown? 

  As we strolled along the sidewalk on St. Clair Street, we saw a bar called Mortimer Bibb's Public House.  Great name.   

  A few doors down from Bibb's, a sign in hand printed letters on the door of an antique shop that was closed read, Fed-X man, leave pkgs inside and lock door behind you.  

  There is a sophisticated and expensive cigar store on the same street by the name of, Kentucky Gentlemen Cigar Company.  It pairs special bourbons with the kind of cigar purchased. 

   Further down the block, we found The Grand Theater, which was built in 1911 as a vaudeville house.  Renovations are underway and the ticket booth and marquee look magnificent.  The marquee projects out over the sidewalk and is blue, yellow, and, red in color.  

  Buildings restored to their original construction are objects of beauty.

  We have noticed jeweler's clocks on sidewalks in many small towns. The one we spotted in front of a jewelry store in Frankfort on St. Clair Street stands about 12 feet high.  The dark green structure displays Roman numerals and the name, M.A. Selbert, Jewelers, surrounds the face of the clock.  

  According to Dispatch.com,  Hundreds of clocks were erected in downtown business districts from the late 1800s to the mid 1940s throughout the United States.....Most are gone. They were destroyed by car accidents and renovations and construction. 

  I can imagine traveling the country, taking pictures of each street clock we find and writing a one or two paragraph story of these monuments to time.  I can also envision publishing a coffee table type book with the results of what we discover. Perhaps a company who manufactured those clocks would fund this expedition.

   I loathe phrases that are a universal pattern in American speech.  My Top 5 include:  1)  Of course  2)  I'm on it  3)  No problem  4)  I've got this  5)  My bad  

  The problem is, who wants to be seen as an out of date old timer? 

  HUH?  What's up with that?

  Sad to hear about Florida's coral reefs that have turned white due to bleaching from the high water temperature last July.  It only took 10 days to destroy what Mother Nature had preserved for over 3,000 years.  Climate change?  What climate change?

  A must read:  Illinois Governor Pritzker's speech about how to identify idiots in our midst.  

  How does anyone really know if organic vegetables, fruits and meat are really grown as advertised? Is it the same as those chickens that are raised without steroids or hormones?  

  I think it was meant to be a bit of humor, but, I'm not sure.  Trump saying Biden should let the debt ceiling default.  I guess he forgot how he got congress to raise the debt ceiling three times when he was president.  He was joking about default, wasn't he?

  Are we so far divided it is improbable any president could heal this country?   

  Coming up:  more POS; a job$ somebody's gotta do; a George Brothers dinner, and; another oddities, observations, & ?'s. 

  And, finally.  Who would have ever thought the movie, Barbie, would top one billion dollars in the first 18 days after being released?

  HUH?  What's up with that?