Hi Ho, Silver!

Okay, so last time I had us in Durham. We had just had dinner with Vincent and then went off to bed at the hotel.

The next morning, we were up early and headed off to Vincent’s. We had volunteered to help prep his house for the party. It was a small enough thing. We arrived and met, first, Alex, who is also Vincent’s godson and who was also there for the party. He is a charming young man whom we like a lot.

We also met Soot, who’s Vincent’s cat. He’s a jet black American short-hair with great green eyes. He came out to greet us. And, of course, he picked Martha -- who is allergic to cats, and who doesn’t like them -- for the object of his affections. Me, who likes cats, he ignored. What can I say? That’s cats.

About the photos: First, another shot of Soot. You can see his eyes here. Green to the point of pale emerald. Second, here’s Vincent’s birthday cake. Much more about that later. And, last, the two of us at a restaurant back in 2022. This was just after Martha had finally recovered from that nasty fall. We were celebrating at Baris Pasta & Pizza in Pflugerville, Texas. Excellent! Give it a visit if you’re in town.

We had breakfast -- specifically croissant egg and bacon sandwiches from a bakery that Vincent likes. It is a rare cafe, restaurant, bakery, or other eating place in Durham or Raleigh that he hasn’t scouted out. But, given Martha’s and my history with coffee shops, I’ve got no business throwing stones.

Then we got to work. Vincent and I moved some tables and chairs around. Then he and Martha were on food prep. I, meanwhile, got the job of cleaning the silver. This was something I’d something I’d never before. Truth to be told, I thought it had to do with shampoo, a big sponge, a very large walk-in shower, and the Lone Ranger’s horse. (1)

But...no. I learned it has to do with forks and knives, which, it seems, are sometimes coated with, well, silver. Hence, silverware. Which was another surprise to me. I suppose I knew, distantly, that there must be forks and knives, somewhere, that were made with silver. But, I never expected to actually meet any of it up close and personal. I grew up with flatware. You know, stainless steel.

And besides...silver? Eat with silver? I mean, reeeally. Zut Alors.(2) Or even two zuts. Maybe a whole bowl of mixed zuts.

I mean, if you got silver, then you darn well ought to use it for something like...well...jewelry. Like turning it into a nice ring. Or a necklace. Or a pendant. And put in some turquoise. And maybe some coral. And a little spiny oyster. And you give it to the nearest beautiful woman. In my case that’s Martha. She’s handy that way.

But forks and knives...?

Nah.

Where was I? Oh, yes. So while Martha and Vincent worked on food, I cleaned the silverware. This involved (I learned) taking stuff that was sort of like (but wasn’t) toothpaste in a tube and smearing it over the silverware and then rubbing it with a cloth and giving it a splash in water and then afterwards buffing like mad. When it was done, everything was nicely shiny. I got kudos from all concerned. Well, they may have been kinda ironic kudos, but I’ll take whatever kudos I can get. Or, failing kudos, then a kudu or two. Look ‘em up. They’re large woodland antelopes. And you can never have too many large woodland antelopes loping around the house. Or, at least, IMHO.

Actually, I later learned there are lots of ways of cleaning silver which don’t involve buying commercial cleansers. For instance, real toothpaste can work. It’s an abrasive, too, it turns out. And there are, according to my google search, ways of using vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, ketchup (really?), and boiling water to do the same thing. I don’t think I’ll bother with all those. I have limited patience...and even more limited silverware.(3)

Anyway, I had just gotten finished with the silver when, from outside, we heard a car pull up and park on the street. I heard young voices.

It was, of course, the kids and the g’kids. They were heading toward the door.

I glanced at Soot the cat. He was looking out the window. He wore an expression on his feline features that said more loudly than words, “Holy shiitake mushrooms...what fresh hell is this?”

Ah, I thought.

It’s a wise kitty that knows when things are about to hit the litter box.

More to come.

Footnotes:

1) I did some research on this. For years, I thought the Lone Ranger was yelling “Heigh Ho, Silver” when he raced off into the west. However, I have been told that the correct phrasing was “Hi Ho, Silver.” Even more alarmingly, at least some sources say that the actual wording was “Hi Yo, Silver.” But, since no one seems to be 100% sure, maybe I’ll stick with Heigh Ho just to be annoying. See: https://medium.com/@nathanielhebert/hi-yo-silver-hi-ho-silver-and-the-murky-history-of-the-lone-rangers-catchphrase-9860e4433f23

2. Zut Alors is a French expression meaning, roughly, “Darn!” Or “Phooey.” Or, maybe, “Pshaw.” It is used as in “Zut Alors! Ce Michael Tucker, il est tellement stupide!” I hear that one a lot. But we shan’t listen to people who say stuff like that. They’re far too kind.

3. There are several articles on the web that discuss the various ways to clean silver. Here’s one from Food52 magazine that seems particularly helpful: https://food52.com/blog/13431-the-best-way-s-to-clean-silver?srsltid=AfmBOopxPmXK8B0qXUnQNMhMxQ0-4JKFQa4y6to8Xy0zeKkC4Q3_oSj6

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