Flashback Friday

Margie: Edna and I are a little prone to ruminate about the 1920's. Maybe it's because we heard Mama and Daddy talk about them so much. Well, Edna was born in the 20's so I guess that's why she's partial to them.

Anyway, I wanted to share the 20's with you. There was TV, Don Juan, movies, wonderful books, and plenty of fashion. Check this out.

Pistol Patent Day

Margie: Edna, you best move along because I'll be cleaning my pistol today. Would you like to know why?

Edna: Oh Lord. Which of our neighbors have annoyed you now?

Margie: Never you mind but I'll handle it. I had some ideas about a gun for old ladies so I'm going to patent it. Nobody will ever mistreat us old ladies ever again.

Oh, I'll be rich too.

Edna: And I suppose you've got funds set aside to pay the patent fees? I only ask because I've canceled my credit card and the bank knows not to let you anywhere near my account.

Margie: Lying liar. Let's go to Bailey's and see if you can beat some old fools in pool then YOU can pay the fees.

Edna: Only if you leave that pistol at home, sister.

It's Tennis Day

Margie: Edna, today is Tennis Day. Why in the world would somebody make Tennis Day in February? It's still cold enough to freeze my bloomers so I won't be playing any tennis today.

Edna: Well, maybe they mean table tennis, you can play that indoors. You know, tennis was never my favorite sport. All that running back and forth, hitting a little fuzzy ball with a racket--I just can't see the point.

Margie: Lawsy me, Edna, you're a hopeless case. The point was not to hit the ball, dingbat. The point was to wear my cute outfit, get on the court, and pretend to twist my ankle. Such nice young men would offer to help me as I cried.

Edna: My sister the tennis pro, everyone.

Dog Walking Day

Image courtesy Duke University Digital Collections

Margie: Edna, today is Dog Walking Day so a lot of folks will be out walking their pets. I bet we could find some nice gentlemen to talk to at the park.

Wait! We don't have a dog. Let me call Gracie's Market and see if she has a leash that will fit you.

Edna: Margie, Cujo has a sweeter disposition than you do. Folks, let me tell you why we don't have a dog: it's because animals are good judges of character and no pet wants to live in the same house as Margie. Lucky animals.

When we go out for our evening constitutional later, I think I'll bring along some doggie biscuits for all the dogs out being walked.

Margie: Edna, you're right, only dogs would be likely to eat your biscuits.

Flashback Friday: Rosemary Clooney

Edna: I've got a new computer up and running now, so it's back to business as usual here at the Basement! (Well, until Margie gets her mitts on it and fills it up with pictures of her silly Margiedales like she did with the last computer. She won't tell you that's the real reason the computer died, it overheated from all that smuttiness.)

For today's Flashback Friday, I want to share with you all the lovely Rosemary Clooney. She's long been one of my favorite girl singers, and she was so talented, wasn't she? She had a bit of a tough life, bless her heart, but she always seemed so sweet--like someone who would have been wonderful to know in real life. I bet she would have fit in just fine around here.

Here she is in 1962, singing "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" with Tony Randall and Tab Hunter.

Thank You

Margie: Edna and I were overwhelmed by all your comments and support. We thank you all.

Edna has gone to buy a new computer because she says a virus ate her motherlode or some such. All I did was sneeze on the dumb thing.

Anyway, I just want to add a few things about EC. First, customer service has never been a priority for them. They did away with comments being allowed on their blog then they took away the forum. Sounds like people who don't want to hear any negatives or even suggestions.

They forced folks to accept paid ads then tried to charge a fee if you didn't want them on your blog. This was handled as poorly as everything else they've ever done.

Mainly, we want to assure you all that we will be staying right here and we will continue to visit all of you. We look forward to your visits here. You all have wonderful blogs.

Please don't ask me to stop Edna from pestering you because she's too ornery and stubborn to listen to me.

Bye-bye Entrecard

Dear Entrecard visitors,

Some of you may have noticed that we haven't been dropping our EC card on you lately. It's with some regret that we announce today that we'll be leaving Entrecard in the very near future. This is due to a variety of issues, not the least of which is the excessive time needed to make the daily drops, as well as the computer viruses that both of us have gotten time and again from dropping on EC widgets. Although we've received some decent traffic, and have met some truly wonderful bloggers, it's just time for us to say goodbye to Entrecard.

We will keep our widget up until everyone's ads have run, and we will continue to advertise our blog until we run out of EC credits. After that, we will be taking our widget down and leaving the Entrecard system altogether.

Now, even though we won't be part of the Entrecard system anymore, that doesn't mean we'll stop visiting you! We will continue to make the rounds of our favorite blogs, because you are surely a talented bunch of people and we have so enjoyed reading your blogs every day. And we hope none of you become strangers, either. Margie and Edna would get awfully lonely without folks dropping by from time to time.

We'll leave the light on.

Love,
Jane (Margie) and Beth (Edna)

Happy Presidents Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to our loyal readers! May you all have a lovely and love-filled day.

Love, Margie and Edna

Flashback Friday

Margie: I loved the 1960's. I especially loved all the TV shows that were on then. Nobody can do comedy like Lucy did and the men then were hunks of the highest order.

Enjoy this flashback to TV shows of the 1960's.

One Million Acts of Kindness

Edna: Margie, I think you're going to like this story I found in the newspaper today. This man travels around the country in a bus with his little dog, encouraging people to do one million acts of kindness in their lifetime. Isn't that a wonderful idea?

Margie: How sweet! I love Bogart. I bet he's a great companion. Maybe they'll come through Jericho one day. Edna, does this mean you want to do a kind act for someone?

Edna: Despite what you think, Margie, I am a kind soul. And even though this is One Million Acts of Kindness week, I try to do something kind every day, all the year round. Even if it's something small like waving to the shut-in next door when I go out to get the mail, I've found that even the smallest act of kindness can transform someone's day.

But I suppose you had something more specific in mind?

Margie: Edna, I'd like to watch you do a kind act tomorrow. Can't say that's something I've ever seen.

Edna: Margie, the kindest thing I can do right this moment is not to say what I'm really thinking.

What's Your Favorite Sandwich?

Margie: Edna, I'm getting hungry. I think I'd like a nice sandwich today. Remember the ones Mama used to make?

Maybe our readers will tell us what their favorite sandwich is. My stars, I'm not sure I can pick just one. Can you?

Edna: I truly don't think I can pick just one, either. I love sandwiches because they offer such a variety of different breads, fillings, and toppings you can use to make whatever you want.

I had a friend who used to make little finger sandwiches for her bridge parties. She made the most wonderful tuna salad sandwiches on little baguette slices. Oh, those were to die for!

Margie: That sounds lovely. I always enjoyed Mama inviting her church ladies over because she'd make those cute pineapple sandwiches with mayonnaise. I still eat those in the summer.

I love a bacon and cheese sandwich but no lettuce or tomato on it. Then there's my peanut butter, banana, and mayonnaise sandwich. Which one shall I have today?

Edna: Whatever you choose, eat it far from me please. Watching you eat a sandwich is like watching a cow chew its cud. Turns my stomach every gol-durn time.

Margie: Excuse me, Queen Demon, but at least my teeth don't click when I chew.

Edna: Woman, just go eat your sandwiches and leave me in peace!

Dear Readers: Please ignore Edna. She hasn't had her pills today. Do let us know what your favorite sandwich is though. Maybe we'll try it.

Creative Romance Month

Margie: Edna, folks may know Valentine's Day is this month but did you know it's also Creative Romance Month?

Look here at this picture I found of Cousin T's great-grandparents. My word, is this a manly man in these short britches? Anyway, I thought we could give our readers some creative suggestions for romance. Not that you're likely to know any.

Edna: Margie, you are a crabapple and that's the God's honest truth! Making fun of Cousin T's great-grandfather's pants like that, you should be ashamed.

As for creative romance, well...my beaux never complained. Unlike yours, who ran to me for comfort every time you were mean to them. I like the idea of being creative to keep romance alive, it makes things more interesting. For example, instead of the usual box of chocolates, what about using your talents and writing your sweetie a song that you'll sing to them yourself? You don't have to be a good singer to melt their heart.

Margie: Edna, don't you be squealing any songs in this house. I seriously doubt your voice would melt any heart. You lie too.

In these economic times I'd suggest that you make a home cooked meal for your sweetie. Well, unless you're Edna and trying to kill people by poisoning.

Edna: I'm going to ignore that, you harpy.

One thing people could also do for their sweetie is to promise to do whatever chore their sweetie hates, say, for a full month. I know that I would have loved if just once, any one of my husbands offered to do the laundry for a month instead of buying me jewelry.

Margie: Edna, why does that jewelry turn your body green when you wear it? Cheap men.

Personally, I lament the loss of handwritten notes so I'd love to get a handwritten love letter. I bet lots of women would like that. Hint for you men: don't give her money and tell her to buy her own gift.

Edna: Margie, I'll agree with that last statement even if most of the rest you said is grade-A hooey. Women, and men too, like to know that their partner put some thought into their gift, even if it didn't cost very much at all. Nothing kills the romance like thinking your significant other doesn't care enough to come up with a thoughtful gift for you.

Margie: Edna, I don't know why I talk to you. You're certainly not thoughtful and it's obvious that you know nothing about true romance.

Edna: That's not what your boyfriends said.

Fun Friday: Pepsi Refresh Project

Edna: You know, I'm not a big fan of watching sports on the television, especially the Super Bowl. I know that a lot of people watch just for the commercials, but that's always struck me as a supremely silly thing to do. All those companies pay all that money for just a little bit of advertising, what a waste of good money. I guess Pepsi thought it was kind of silly this year, too. Instead of paying millions of dollars for a 30-second Super Bowl ad, they've instead launched the Pepsi Refresh Project.

How it works: Pepsi is accepting 1000 proposals per month from everyday folks like you and me. They're looking to fund projects that will have a positive impact in the community. Starting on March 1st, you can vote on which ideas you think are most deserving, and they'll award grant money to 32 ideas per month. I think this is such a wonderful idea and, like the project name hints at, a really refreshing concept.

The Alternate Winter Olympics

Edna: Margie, the winter Olympics will be starting soon. But you know, as much as I like watching some of those sports, the rest of them are just kind of...blah. It hardly seems worth the effort to turn on the television for some of those events.

Margie: I'm with you, sister. Maybe we should come up with some interesting winter sports and the Olympic folks could spice things up a bit.

Edna: Margie, it kills me to say this to you but that's a great idea. I think the Olympic committee would thank us, so go get a pencil and paper so we can write these down.

Margie: Edna, do I have Maid stamped on my forehead? You get the paper. I'm the brains of this operation.

Let me think. Sports, winter, men, spicy. Hmm...

Edna: Clearly I have to do all the work here. Margie, get your mind out of the gutter and write this down: Downhill Rocking Chair Skiing. I bet you could get some good speed going in one of those bentwood rocking chairs. Whooee, they'd best put seatbelts on those babies!

Margie: Whee! Fly me to the moon. We could grease the bottom of that chair and fly like a rocket.

What about slow skating? People our age can't do that speed skating but the slowest skater could win a medal.

Edna: I'd pay good money to see you skate your way around one of those ice rinks. I think it would perk things up a bit if you added sparkly outfits to that slow skating. That way, there'd be plenty of time for the audience to admire your outift as you skated....slowly....by.....

You know, I think there need to be more indoor winter sports. I don't fancy going outside and freezing my what-nots off. What about indoor snow-boarding? The only problem would be figuring out how to make it snow indoors.

Margie: You are so right, Edna. I need a nice outfit. I'm sure I could influence the judges in my favor.

Edna, we don't need snow. Let's use sugar. Maybe the snow boards could be made out of chocolate?

Edna: Well, now you're just being silly.

Margie: You're a nitwit too. Here's a good one that everybody will like. How about men's snow wrestling? Yippee!!

We could shred pillows and call it snow then let the men in thongs wrestle. I just think that would sell a ton of tickets.

Edna: Margie, I do believe you've veered away from winter sports and straight on to nightclub acts. I don't think we'd better send this list to the Olympic committee after all.

Margie: I think you're right. Let's make posters and sell tickets and have this in my basement. The money we make will be all mine then.

Bittersweet Tuesday

Edna: Margie, I don't mind telling you today that while I'm excited, I'm also a little bit sad.

Margie: Why is that, Edna? Is it because I ate your last can of sardines?

Edna: Oh please, those are your sardines, and any day you get rid of a can of them is cause for celebration. No, I'm of mixed feelings today because the 6th season of LOST starts tonight. I'm so excited for it to start up again, but I'm sad because it's the last season ever of one of my favorite shows. What am I going to do when it goes off the air?

Margie: Glory be! We can go back to playing cards when this season is over. Does this mean you'll be taking those Sawyer posters off your bedroom walls?

Edna: You hush up about those posters, those are between me and my honey-bunny Sawyer.

Stuff about LOST is all over the Internet lately, but maybe our readers will like this video from ABC that recaps the last five seasons of the show. No spoilers here, folks!

LOST Untangled: 5 Seasons in 5 Minutes

Edna: On second thought, watching that might confuse everyone. Just watch the season 6 premiere tonight on ABC at 9PM EST. I'll be tuned in with my bowl of popcorn and my stupid sister on mute.

Margie: I'll be doing my nails.

The Good Deed

Edna: Margie, your prune juice story got me to thinking about something nice I saw happen at the grocery store recently. And it wasn't some old hag flirting with a young man, that's for sure!

Margie: Do tell, Edna. Old hags shouldn't flirt with anybody if you ask me.

Edna: Oh, good Lord folks, there goes her selective memory again. Anyway Margie, you remember how you and I have lamented over the state of people's manners these days?

Margie: I surely do remember. Just the other day a lady almost knocked me down trying to get in line ahead of me.

Edna: Good grief, how many times do I have to apologize for that, you harpy?

Now, let me tell you, I saw a young man do a good deed and it just plumb warmed my heart. I had Cousin T take me up to the Save-a-Lot grocery the other day. For our readers who don't know, you have to bag your own groceries there, which I surely don't mind doing since it's so economical at that store. I don't have any problems bending down into the cart to get my groceries out to bag them. But this older lady was there practically bent in half with arthritis, just struggling with getting her canned goods out of the cart, bless her heart. So what do you think happened but this nice young man saw her trouble and helped her bag up all her food and then offered to take her bags out to her car, all without being asked. He even stopped his own bagging to help her out. My lands, I guess there's hope for young folks today after all!

Margie: There's always hope, Edna. Well, not in your case.