Got Canned Heat in My Heels Tonight, Baby

Listening to Canned Heat, thinking about last night and yarn. Now, I'm sure you're asking me what the heck July Fourth or any poolside holiday can possibly to do with yarn. The answer is: lots. (You know this boogie is for real...)

First, too many people would say that it isn't good to have a bowl of Lay's potato chips poolside, especially with a six-year old nearby. I'll admit, they got pretty wet, and more than a handful got dumped into the pool but the other people at the party sort of looked down at us like we were some kind of nuts, eating chips while in the pool. Would they get soggy? Dirty the pool? Yes and yes, but who the heck cares? They're chips, for gosh sakes, and I'll take them soggy, dirty, or with dog hair (there were a lot of dogs there, like oh, six), as long as I'm chilling in the pool and I don't have to think about working, knitting, or paying bills. (Hey- dance, yeah nothing left for me to do but dance/All these bad times I'm going through just dance,/Hey, got canned heat in my heels tonight baby.)

As for the yarn: Local yarn stores, I know you want to keep that yarn nice and safe, but except for the people who waltz in and stick their noses deep into the skeins or rub them hard on their deeply moisturized and rouged cheeks, you need to make the yarn available for the buyers. Otherwise, how could we visualize it in our homes? How could we visualize all those skeins in our homes that expose the yarn to all manner of dangerousness like potato chip dust or maybe a dog hair or two? Or smoke?

Which reminds me what brought me to this thread of thought. Last night, Dooze, whose home we were at last night, came in from the front where the BBQ was, and I heard her say, while she pointed to each one of her guests:

"So you're having the turkey burger, right?"

"As long as it doesn't touch the beef."

"...and you're having, what? The veggie sausage?"

"Yes, but it has to go on the other side of the grill."

"Cool. And you? You're having the Hebrew National, right?"

"But don't let it touch the cheese."

"Right."

And then the turkey and the veggie sausage and the Hebrew National, after they ate, all went outside for a smoke.

Just sayin'.

(You know that this boogie is for real./Got so much Canned Heat in my heels /Gonna dance, gonna dance my blues away tonight/Whoooooooo!)

Comments

[jomamma]

That's so funny... I know someone who takes fist-fulls of vitamins and supplements and eats tons of bacon and swigs tequila an vodka like it's going out of style.

[bethini]

(Stuck between hell and highwater / I need a cure to make it through / hey -- dance! Nothing left for me to do...)

There's worse songs to get stuck in your head!

[yoel]

Hahaha, that's funny about the fidgety eaters. As though the hot grill won't burn off any yucky meaty cooties.

[donna lee]

Just like those people who order large ice cream sundaes with diet sodas!

[Nancy]

When I had 2 vegetarian children, it was like keeping a kosher kitchen. the spoons couldn't move from pot to pot, and the pots had to be kept "meatless", so the meat cooties didn't get on their foods. I did learn a lot about meatless alternative foods (like veggie sausages and bacon - I never eat the real fatty stuff anymore) but I never got a taste for veggie burgers. Just not enough like the real thang, ya know?
After my daughter was in Africa for several months, she came back and began to eat meat. She said she felt better I guess she needed the protein. My son followed suit after a while too. Its funny though, how these fashion things come and go.
Nancy in Texas

[Michelle]

Sister, that is so hilarious. I so understand the thread of thought.....have a few in our circle as well.

[Kathleen]

Thanks for the BBQ humor. It's like going to a restaurant in Cambridge, MA and listening to the conversations between patrons and waitstaff. Okay, it's not really a conversation, it's an inquisition. (where did it come from, is the salmon wild caught, is there any sugar in it, I don't want this, substitute that) I just want to scream at them--why don't you just eat at home!

You are such a wonderful observer of quirks and foibles!

[ATLNechama]

I absolutely love this picture. Girlfriend has the most amazing expression on her face!! Reminds me of my childhood pool experiences - pruny fingers!

[Hilary]

When I first moved to San Francisco for grad school, I met this girl who I saw smoking every moment we weren't in class. One day a few of us students went to the commons and got some candy between classes and this gal sniffed, turned her nose up, and informed us that she did not and by no means would ever eat processed sugar. Then she took another drag off her cigarette. Are those two packs a day really healthier than a Snickers every once in awhile? I often wonder.

[GinkgoKnits]

I don't cook for my picky/restricted diet friends -- we meet in a restaurant and order whatever we want. Whether you eat steak or tofu concoctions, no complaining is welcome.

I do bake people cookies -- but somehow I'm not good friends with anyone who'd refuse a homemade cookie.

[beth]

great pic, great story

[Jennifer]

Very funny - I think those finicky eaters need to take a tip from Jamiroquai and hang out all their hang-ups, hey hey.

Very cute pic.

[Dorothy]

Chips, poolside? I don't see a big deal about that either. People are squeamish about the weirdest things sometimes.

[MonkeyGurrl]

I can almost remember being Dooze's age - all my friends then had some moral high ground when it came to food. Now, we all are just glad to be able to chew...

GF is a DOLL!

[Badger]

Hee! I was about to ask if you lived in Austin -- lots of chain-smoking vegans down here.

And I love the photo, too! Especially the expression on your face -- you're all, "What? You got a problem with this?" So cute!

[Maureen]

Soggy chips are a rite of summer. You two look so sweet!

[Debi]

Sometimes it is not picky eating, but dietary restrictions.

[Heather]

Hooray for summer! Hooray for people with inconsistent health codes! Hooray for soggy chips! (BTW, I think I'll print up this picture and post it prominently to remind me of what I really want to achieve, diet-wise...)

[Magalie]

Too funny!!!

[Melissa]

MMMMMMMMmmmmmm chips and dog hair - what a snack! I really enjoyed reading this while I finished my blood rare sirloin. Sometimes it's a quality of life issue...

And GF - what a treat!

[Wendy]

Love: "Inconsistent Health Codes" comment! Must. Remember. That!

And love the whole "we're just happy we can chew" comment, too.

[villalena]

you don't have to worry anymore about gf not looking like you-- you have the same expression!

[Miz Booshay]

C'est le Vie.

Chips poolside=FUN

I like the way you live, Wendy!

[Alicia]

Hahaha Love it. The poolside chips make pool time possible. Otherwise you'd have to get out to snack. Pshaawww

Haha about the grill. I actually have a vegan friend who isn't as picky about things that touch, yet now, she's eating meat occasionally. It's interesting how people are sometimes...

[Jennifer]

My fav is people that smoke on the way from the car to the gym! People are definitely odd ducks.