Late night run to the campsite's market
and liquor store.

Merry Christmas 2023
from Your Friends at El Rancho De La Tex.

This is Tom. You remember Tom. This is Tom in

2006 when I received him for Christmas. Today

Tom and I wish you a Merry Christmas Eve.

Right, Tom? Tom says, "Yep!"

I love Tom.

Stay safe, friends.

And watch out for those guys
going through red lights.

OOCH OUCH! OOCH OUCH! OOCH OUCH!

!!! CHRISTMAS EVE EVE BONUS PHOTO !!!

A few of my mom's roses.

What?

Oh! Thank you!

Thank you very much!

And back at ya!

O Holy night!
The stars are brightly shining.

~ Adolphe Adam, 1847 ~

Back on Sunday, April 13, 2014 I had written "I pass
by these rocks all the time and they remind me of
something. I can't put my finger on it, but
when I do figure it out..."

I figured it out.

Porcupine quills at the
Indian Store.

WHEEEEE!!

I wanted to see "Violent Night" in the theater when it

was released last year but I didn't get the chance, so this

year I ponied up the dinero and bought my own copy.

This one I am saving for right before Christmas. I will

most likely be working Christmas Eve so it will be some

night right before that. It's all Christmas movies at

Borden Cinema up until the big day now and I
can't wait to see "Violent Night".

I'm hoping it is Holly Jolly John Wick.

Panda Express.

November 12th, 2008.

1627 hours.

How about a bear's head bottle opener that I bought

a long long time ago for practically nothing that you

are supposed to hang on the wall and I was going to

put in the garage but never really found a place

for it out there so I just kind of use it as
a paperweight of sorts?

Here's a blast from the past.

Rob Zombie's Halloween II.

Regal Theater. August, 2009.

Taken with my Motorola
Razr Flip Phone.

My latest creation.

It's alive! ALIVE!

I haven't been sick for a loooong time but when I do get

sick, I don't mess around. 102.8 degree fever.

Man, am I achy. My skin hurts.

Just watching some movies
and taking it real slow.

I recently took my son in for a minor exploratory procedure

and this sign (a holdover from Halloween I am sure) was over

the door that leads to the operating rooms. I don't know about

my son, but I appreciated the levity in an otherwise slightly

stressful situation.

They found nothing wrong,
thank goodness.

Back on Monday, July 10, 2017 I had posted a few pictures of

some Star Wars Transformers Crossovers made by Hasbro.

Here is another one that I bought around the same time as
I bought those, which would be around 2009. This is an AT-AT
(All Terrain Armored Transport). I bought his guy because 
I wanted an AT-AT and this thing was about all I could afford.
This guy transforms into an Imperial Trooper.

And as I wrote back in 2017: I have never "transformed" it. I am

afraid that I would never get it back together again. I think you can

still buy this, but it is out of production, pretty sure.

I ate like a you as well!

It was wonderful!

~ Happy Thanksgiving, 2023 ~

Thanks mom!

I ate a hundred of these and now I am
so full I that will never eat again... until you
know.... probably tomorrow.
#leftovers

On this Thanksgiving Eve of 2023 I am
thankful that I do not have to fly anywhere.

What a mess.

!!! THANKSGIVING EVE BONUS PHOTOS !!!

But alas, not the happiest of Bonus Photos. They have

announced that Killer Pizza From Mars has closed

up shop... for good. Dang.

They made great pizza. Admittedly, I did not go there

very often. It was too expensive for me after a time.

But I will miss it being there just the same.

So long little feller!

Safe travels!

Drivin' drivin'.

These ants have been very busy.

I was playing with my old Sony Mavica camera
and yeah it's not a great picture but I managed to

capture some lightning from my bedroom
window here at The Ranch.

Bullet keychains, 9mm, FMJ.

One new, one a year old.

You know I love collecting "Friday the 13th" movies and

whatever, so when I saw the "Deluxe" editions of parts

1 through 4 on four DVDs for only $5.00? Well, I had

to buy it. This is a great deal especially if you don't
already own them.

Oh, and Part 3 does come in 2D and 3D
but the 3D glasses are not included.
#walmart

I discovered Watermelon Flavored Dots at Dollar Tree

and have enjoyed snacking on them while movie watching

lately. They are very good which is good but they
are also very addictive which is not good.

Temperance is the name of the game.
That's what I keep telling myself.

I loved traveling with my mom and her boyfriend when I was

young and that includes trips to Las Vegas. This Hyatt Lodge
postcard is from sometime in the 1960s. We stayed here back
when Vegas was for adults, but I still found plenty to do
while the grownups were out and about
doing Vegas stuff.

Look at that picture of the pool. I like how the men are dressed

in sports coats and slacks and the woman is in a swimsuit.
Different times, but in some ways, a whole lot better.

I had a LOT of fun here
"right in the heart of the Strip".

P.S.
Even though today is beautiful with a

temperature of 82 degrees, we are expecting

rain for a few days starting tomorrow so we have

lowered Old Glory and taken her inside.

Hey! It's Knife Day yet AGAIN here at The Ranch.

Today's Knife Day is going to be short. This my friends,

is another stinker. I cannot remember at ALL where or

when I acquired this knife, but it is another fake Swiss

Army knife.

Here is the knife with the main blade in the open position.

The quality of this knife is bad. Another gas station knife

with lousy steel that will not take or hold any edge.

There is not much more that I can say about this knife
other than...

...this guy doesn't really hold any memories for me
but I am still glad to have it for I have no
idea what reason. Weird, eh?

See you next Knife Day!

Yes, I like Bath & Body Works, to a fault.

- Veterans Day, 2023 -

~ The Pig Bros in Pig Joke Seven ~

"Be Patient. New Driver."
Sure. Always happy to help.
#empathy

It's another sighting of  Roger Murtaugh's house from the

"Lethal Weapon" movie series. This sighting is from the

television show "Leave It to Beaver" and features Beaver's

best friend Larry Mondello (Rusty Stevens) walking down

the sidewalk while singing "You Always Hurt the One You

Love" which is a riot. This episode was titled, "Beaver Makes

a Loan" (1959).

That is Roger's house in the upper left hand corner. And now

some really (to myself and many others) sad news to report. Yes,

everything you see in that photo is now officially demolished.
 
Roger's house, "The Partridge Family" house, the "I Dream of

Jeannie" house, "The Middle" house, the "Bewitched" house,

the "Father Knows Best" house, the "Blondie" house, the

"Christmas Vacation" house and many more, they're all
gone to make room for more offices and soundstages.

But this will not be my last Lethal Weapon House Sighting

because fortunately the home will live on in movies and

television.

I planted my Ghost Pepper plant from seed on
June 25th and I have not posted an update since
Wednesday, September 13th, so let's do this!

I have pruned it three times now as it keeps getting
too big for my window and I am trying to encourage
new growth lower down. It's not really working
but I still don't have any other safe place
for it to be, so here it stays.

Might be a few more months before
we see a ghost pepper?
If ever?

I have no idea.

And just for good measure here is a picture of the beloved
cactus that I bought for my birthday in January. Thank
goodness it is hanging in there and looking beautiful.

I will probably do a January 2024 vs. January 2023

comparison photo just to see if there has been any
growth. That will be EXCITING and something
to look forward to... right?

I took this picture in March of 2009 with my old

Razor flip phone. I used to go to the mall to look

for deals on DVDs and after I would find (with luck)
one or two I would buy a bag of  Miss Vickie's
Jalapeño flavored kettle cooked potato
chips and a Diet Coke at Quiznos.

Taking a seat at one of their small tables in the
middle of the mall passageway I would people
watch and bask in the glow of successful movie
finding. But alas, Quiznos closed, gas is too
expensive and I now only go to that mall
once a year on my birthday.

All good things... right?