Summer denial

- Charles Smith & friend -

It's that time of year when we try to point out every little sign that the long, dry time is not upon us. "The sage is blooming!" and "But it was 68 degrees last night!" are two delusional phrases that might be heard, but the truth is that we're heading into, if we're not already there, that stultifying, mind-numbing, locust-screaming part of the year that seems to be lobotomized out of the mind each year, only to surprise us, again, the next.

The man of the garden produced a 60 lb. whopper of a watermelon. I tried to get him to hold it over his head for a picture, but he wouldn't. He said he could, though. Just wouldn't.

We've been enjoying the show Yellowstone on Paramount Network. Some of it is elusive to me, especially when they start talking about land and business deals (also, because I read while I watch tv), but I really appreciate the show's continuity. When something happens in the show and I don't understand, I say, "Why did they do that?", then in a few scenes that question will be answered. As an example, some of the ranch hands were at Lowe's or somewhere similar and they sprayed some attackers with a large can of something unidentifiable. We were guessing mace or wasp spray, but in the next scene they're cleaning out the cab of the pick-up, because they got some of the spray in it, and a boss comes up and asks what happened, and in the course of conversation, the noxious chemical was identified as bear spray, which makes sense because the show is set in Montana.

I can suspend belief, but I can't get past trifles of misinformation. I used to watch Preacher, and I could accept a vampire, two-crazy and sadistic angels that lost their telephone to heaven, a lady who came back from the dead, and various other antics and characters, but I could not accept that in the course of being pulled over a Texas DPS officer would ask for license and registration. Nu-Uh, not in Texas. Would never happen. Sticker's right on the windshield. I was fit to be tied after seeing that, I'm telling you.