"What Was That?"

Flirtatious: "How would you like that cooked?"

Real Mood? Bemused !

Prediction? The Briquet Market will see a dip this week?

Why am I  listening to Bizet? Read on. 

Sometimes you see things that just don't make sense. There is no congruity, no logicality, no simple explanation. Sometimes it's big obvious things. Sometimes it's little itty-bitty things, and every thing in between. Let me give you a few examples just to get going here.  I was driving by a very small urban bungalow one day to notice it had this huge facade, twice the dimensions of the actual facade. I thought maybe it was just some neighborhood joke or statement, but it never went away.  So I had to go ask.  Turns out the man who used to own the home moved there from a small town that had huge Victorian facades.  He couldn't bring the home with him,  so he brought the facade. For the record Craftsman bungalows and  Victorian don't match. It's still there if you're interested.

Some friends of mine and me were working on putting a freelance story together two years ago. We saw someone selling gourmet coffee out of what looked to me like a horse trailer.  Turns out it was a construction trailer but why quibble. It was still weird. But when we went to talk to the proprietor of this budding business, she out did us on the "that's weird" quotient.

 She says a few days after she opened, an old cowboy (maybe I should call him mature) rides up in chaps and spurs and hat and rope and all that other stuff,  and orders a "vente carmel mocha." 

At the time it had reminded me of a story I wanted to do on culture clashes in growth communities.  I was inspired by someone opening a new business on a fairly busy main road in a small town.  It was a health food store.  Nothing really strange about that except it chose as it's location a storefront right next to a "Saddle and Tack" store.  By the time I got someone to agree to give me enough time to do the story, the saddle guy went out of business. I would just  laugh to myself at the thought of the conversations that might go on in front of those two stores.  I know, and now you know, of at least one cowboy who might have frequented both establishments.

This is all a prelude to talking about something I've just seen along a major highway around here.  We're driving by these new, I'd say,five acre home sites.  The finished homes I would guess to be in the five to six thousand square foot range. To be fair I'm not an expert at these type of estimates. One home has a beautiful West facing site looking at the Rocky Moutains.  No expense has been spared on balconies and patios pretty much circling the home.  The main patio sits there with that Western view.  You can see very expensive stone flooring.  The stones rise up to form short decorative walls surrounding the patio.  I know they're short because I can peer over them to see the barbeque area. How do I know it's the barbeque area? Because I can see the barbeque.  I know it's a barbeque because I've seen one just like it before.

It has these two a half foot high aluminum legs holding it up.  The actual barbequing unit is shaped a little like a flying saucer, except it's black. I don't think black shows up in the night sky. So where's the propane tank, or the natural gas hookup? No where to be seen. That's because this barbeque requires one to open up it's hood, pull up the grate, and pour in a bag of charcoal briquets.  Like the rest of the patio,  these people spared no expense.  I saw a unit just like it at Lowe's for $39.95. Of course it's late in the season.  They were probably going for $50.00 in the Spring.

I'm sorry, but it just makes me wonder. Do they just like the taste of lighter fluid?  Is it a case of "we had to cut corners somewhere?" Is it the contractor's statement over some last minute change order? Has there been some major natural gas line break and they're hosting a neighborhood barbeque this afternoon? Did the owners get rich as briquet sales people,  and the real barbeque is on the less visible East side of the house?

I'm not sure I want any of those questions answered. It's too much fun to speculate.  But you got to admit.  It don't make no sense.

Oh, yeah! So why am I listening to Bizet. I've no idea.  It makes no sense at all.