The Saturday Picture Show, June 17, 2017

If you ever wish to be confused, just google "Salad Niçoise" and look at the various recipes. It's pronounced sa-LAHD ni-SUAHZ, and no less an authority than Gordon Ramsay said "It must be the finest summer salad of all." But no one can agree on all the ingredients! A little greenery, tomatoes, tuna, anchovies, olive and red peppers sounds great to me, but some include hard-boiled eggs and raw string beans. Toss it with olive oil and there's dinner!

The whole world can be said to consist of two types of people: those who know what's happening here and those who do not. Julie Hagerty is still around, but the other two are turning over in their Graves if you don't recognize them.

Don't fret! There is plenty of room for all on this pier.

As a student of history (and historians!) I am fascinated by the events that took place when this car drove down the street in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne was shot on that day in this car, which led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia, and in short order, the beginning of World War I. Notice the license tag, containing the numbers 11 11 18. At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the war that begin in this car came to an end. And no one noticed the thing about the tag until many years later.

The chorus will now favor us with a selection which will undoubtedly be soda vine.

I like bricks and brick walls.  This will make a nice pc or tablet wallpaper!

The other day, someone mentioned that their teenaged daughter had no idea who Johnny Carson was. Well, that must mean that Carson's "Tonight Show" predecessor, Jack Paar, draws a similar blank among the high school set, which is a shame.  Paar had interesting guests and an incisive wit, and he often had as a guest Oscar Levant (1906 – 1972), who was many things: pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. And a neurotic of the first order. For example: in 8th grade, he offered an orange to a girl in his class as a token of his affection.  She rejected the gift, and for the rest of his life, he refused to have oranges in his house, or anything colored orange. Levant was so intelligent that he appeared on radio quiz shows, stunning all with his vast knowledge, and so talented that he played piano with great symphony orchestras. But who wouldn't love a guy who said, "There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line."

Gardening tip: Hang CDs from overhead strings to keep birds, deer and antelope from playing in your cabbage. The theory is that the critters will listen to the music instead of treating your garden like an outdoor salad bar, if one of them remembers to bring a CD player.