Waitin' for the Weekend

Buck Hayes

Happy Thanksgiving!

--by Joe Phillips

M.P. is having dinner with his children and grandchildren today.  We'll be having our own turkey feast this weekend, and I'll post some photos afterwards.  Meanwhile, good wishes to all my truckbuddies for good food and good cheer today.

Sunday Drive: Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

Award-winning fiddler Craig Duncan presents a sweet rendition of this beloved Thanksgiving hymn:

Waitin' for the Weekend

Seems like a good date for some couples pics.

Sunday Drive: What Mattered Most

It has only recently come to your Head Trucker's attention that country star Ty Herndon - who came out in 2014 - re-recorded his 1995 hit  "What Mattered Most" for Pride 2019, but with changed pronouns.

It happens that Ty was one of my favorite singers back in the 90's, though this was not my favorite of his songs.  Still, I sure do admire what he has done with it - haven't we all mentally transposed the pronouns in countless songs over the years?  See what you think.



For you non-country fans, here's one of his hits that really shows off his smooth, sexy baritone:

Waitin' for the Weekend

Sunday Drive: All the Things You Are

The other day, I tried to express my thoughts here in the BT about the present age.  But the manifest contrast between the corrupted culture of today and this exquisite piece by Artie Shaw and his orchestra from 80 years ago - which, I realize with a shock, was not all that long before I was born - expresses what I was trying to say so much better than any words of mine can.

Just drink it in, beautiful thoughts in a beautiful form - the sheer loveliness of the music. 

Joy.

Waitin' for the Weekend

The Pork Boys Do Tex-Mex

This past weekend, M.P. used his new lace tablecloth for the first time, and our theme was of course autumn leaves.  His two ceramic autumn-leaf bowls coordinated perfectly, as seen at center.

Last Saturday being an anniversary of sorts, we celebrated very quietly but enjoyably with Whataburgers, french fries, and those marvelous, perfectly tender, and oh-so-tasty onion rings.  Comme ils sont exquis!  The connoisseurs among you know what I mean.  We can afford to treat ourselves to these delights only a few times a year, so they are a rare but welcome treat on our table.

On Sunday, M.P. - who loves all things Tex-Mex - made one of our favorite dinners, centered around fish tacos made with fried-biscuit tortillas.  M.P. invented fish tacos some years ago in a moment of culinary genius.  I was skeptical at first, but quickly became a devout believer.  You would too, if only you tried one.

Now they may not be very auténtico, but don't knock 'em till you've tried 'em, fellas. Especially when the breaded fish are hot out of the skillet and covered with homemade guacamole, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, black olives, chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, and shredded lettuce, not to mention some green chile sauce to give it all a little zing.  Olé!

These tacos are made of ordinary canned biscuit dough, each biscuit rolled out flat and fried on a hot griddle, then folded over.  Very soft and very yummy with any kind of filling.

Front and center below are M.P.'s scrumptious chiles rellenos, which involves stuffing a green pepper with cheese, then frying on a smear of oil in a batter of beaten egg yolks mixed with whipped egg whites.  I can't explain further than that, but I can testify that they are absolutely delicious, so tasty, light, and fluffy they almost float off the table.

The side dishes were - what else? - Spanish rice made from a sort of French onion soup base with rice and Ro-Tel and beef bouillon added, as well as M.P.'s incomparable frijoles refritos, made positively luxurious with sour cream folded in.  You should try it sometime, fellas.

All these items made a heaping plate of tasty Tex-Mex goodness, as you can see:

From 9 o'clock:  half a chile relleno, cut on the bias; Spanish rice; refried beans; fried fish filet on biscuit taco with all the fixings; and a dab of green chile sauce.

It was all fantastico, and we enjoyed it mucho.  Are still enjoying it, in fact.  M.P. takes various portions to work in his lunch box, along with some luscious green chile soup he made to suit his weekday diet.  

Hope you fellas have something delicious on your dining table, too.

Toujours bon appetit!

The Democratic Clown Car

Okay guys, you know I don't like writing about politics these days, but I just have to get this off my chest.  And I'm only gonna say it once, so listen up.

In the last two elections, we all laughed at the Republican clown car; but the pendulum of history is ever swinging to and fro.  Now it seems to me that the Democrats have piled into one of their own, and look even more ridiculous than the other guys did.

I will say two things, without elaboration:

1.  There is no one on the Democrat side I want to vote for.  Joe is a great guy, with all the requisite experience and plenty of political savoir-faire, but too old.  Pete is a very promising newcomer, but too young and has no national experience.  Elizabeth and Bernie each have some bold ideas, and their hearts are in the right place, but neither one is presidential material.  Your mileage may vary.  So be it.

2.  The babble-rabble snowflake Democrats are driving this party out from under me.  I'm not riding with them.  They're too shrill, too smart-ass, and too juvenile.  And that's my very carefully considered opinion.  You are welcome to formulate your own, of course.

Having said all that, I note with approval Joe's essay today about the current temper of the Democratic party, and his reminder of what is really, truly important, above all other considerations.  Excerpt:

The other day I was accused by one of my opponents of running in the wrong primary. Pretty amazing. On one level, it is kind of funny.

I have fought for the Democratic party my whole career. I know what we stand for, who we stand with and what we believe. And it’s not just policies or issues. It’s in my bones. That’s not something everyone in this primary can say.

But at another level these kinds of attacks are a serious problem. They reflect an angry unyielding viewpoint that has crept into our politics. If someone doesn’t agree with you — it’s not just that you disagree — that person must be a coward or corrupt or a small thinker.

Some call it the “my way or the highway” approach to politics. But it’s worse than that. It’s condescending to the millions of Democrats who have a different view.

It’s representative of an elitism that working and middle class people do not share: “We know best; you know nothing”. “If you were only as smart as I am you would agree with me.”

This is no way to get anything done. This is no way to bring the country together. This is no way for this party to beat Donald Trump.

Full essay here.

I am a Democrat, by which I mean, a believer in all the best ideas of the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New Frontier, and the Great Society. I believe in liberty and justice for all.  I believe in an America where a black man can be elected president, and gays can marry, and everybody gets to dance.  An America that is always becoming a more perfect union.



But it is a very curious thing that despite nearly 90 years of progressive thought and legislation, which have improved the lives of many millions and made the nation bigger, better, stronger, and fairer, still half the population is unconvinced and even hostile to all that is meant in this country by liberalism - which in fact is very nearly a four-letter word now.

Somehow the message has not gotten across.  As if somebody held a big sale, but nobody bought the goods.  What happened here?

I don't exactly know the answer myself.  But I do know one thing:  it's no good leading a charge if the troops don't follow you, ya know what I mean, fellas?

The Dems have just one year to turn it around.  If they don't give the people - and I mean the whole people, not just the cool kids - something to love, something to want, something to stand up and cheer about, something to vote for, then all this political mouthing and moaning is a sheer waste of time.  And that is very, very sad.

Dangerous too.  Because if the Repubs and Trumpistas are not turned out of the highest offices next year, God help us all. It may be a long, dark, and ugly, ugly night before ever the sun rises on America again.  It is already dim and gloomy now.

Somewhere along the line, the Dems have not gotten the message across. They'd better get with it, if it's not too late already, and start trying to win over those unimpressed hearts and minds by appealing to their own self-interests, if nothing else. Which of course requires lots of honey, not vinegar.

And that's all I have to say. Let him who has an ear, listen.

Sunday Drive: Peace Prayer

I am posting Sunday Drive a day early this week, in hopes of encouraging all my truckbuddies and visitors to take a little time out from the usual weekend routine to reflect on just what we are called to be and do in this bewildering life.

Today is All Souls' Day, known in the Episcopal Church as the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed, a twin feast of All Saints' Day. As Forward Movement puts it, "This is a good time to remember the unspectacular children of God: those whose Christian witness may have been weak or faltering, but who are still very dear and important to God and to us."

It is a good time to remember and give thanks for all those "little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love," done by those we love but see no longer, that have fostered, comforted, encouraged, and sustained us throughout our lives.

It is also a good time to recall, as someone has said, that "Though we cannot all do great things, we can all do small things with great love."  And that makes all the difference, doesn't it?

By sheer coincidence, this weekend marks ten years of M.P.'s residence in this little bungalow, and twelve years of our friendship, which has given us both abundant occasions to practice those not-so-small things - along with forgiveness and patient forbearance, as need may be - and for which we are very thankful.

Your weak and faltering Head Trucker has long been fond of the Prayer for Peace, so appropriate for the present age, which beautifully summarizes the actions of love and grace, and recalls to my forgetful mind my duties in this life.  Here it is movingly sung by John Michael Talbot:

Waitin' for the Weekend