Ethel
“So,” said Bernie, “to what do we owe the pleasure of this non-visit?” We’re partners, me and Bernie, but sometimes he loses me completely. But Foster didn’t look lost at all.
“You’re a funny guy,” he said. “Any money in this job of yours?”
“We get by,” Bernie said. Meaning what, exactly? Our finances were a mess! That earthquake that turned out to be in the wrong place, Hawaiian pants – anyone out there want to buy a pair, by the way? – and other slip-ups I couldn’t remember at the moment meant our cash flow was bad. Cash flow! Just once I’d like to see that, like a green river. Where was that green river of flowing cash? Why weren’t we out there searching for it 24/7, whatever that happened to mean? Numbers: a very big subject, maybe for another time, but why isn’t two enough?
” … the point being,” Foster was saying, “that at the time I thought her name really was Ethel.”
Bernie gave Foster a long look. I wondered what was going on.
Saturday at 11, PA on a mystery panel at the Danvers Literary Festival:
http://danversliteraryfestival.wordpress.com/Tags: finances, Foster, Hawaiian pants
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at 9:00 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
4:06 am on May 5th, 2010
I wonder what's going on too, Chet…but I'm not speculating!
4:10 am on May 5th, 2010
Chet: Way to keep those ears open. Good information. I'm with Wolfie thinking this Ethel is Astrid. But is she still alive?
4:16 am on May 5th, 2010
B.Stover: I like it when you speculate. What's wrong with that? Right now the weatherman speculated wrong yesterday and it is NOT raining so I'm off around the lakes for some dog watching.
5:24 am on May 5th, 2010
Oh!…. Chet! Ha! …. I fear we have missed a big chunk of info… snort!… but listening to Chet ramble is so very worth it… heh!
Danvers!…. Where the hell is Danvers? …. snort! … I need some coffee… grunt… I’m still in a bad mood over those Ice Road Trucker guys…. wheeze!
5:49 am on May 5th, 2010
Danvers is in Massachusetts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peabody_Institute_(D…
It seems as though we did miss part of the conversation between Foster and Bernie. I wonder why it's important that Foster thought her name was Ethel. We know that she apparently had it changed to Tiffany and that she was married to Albie.
I have to give a final beginning at 3PM today. Ridiculous time since it breaks up the entire day.
5:56 am on May 5th, 2010
Coffee!…. I like it when Stover speculates too!… snort!… Because every now and then she hits it right on the nose… wheeze!
Stover!… Is this the last final?… snort!… Are you almost free for the summer?… lucky gal.
MA!… I should have known!… grumble!… That guy never leaves MA unless it's to pick up an Edgar award…grunt!
6:00 am on May 5th, 2010
Hey!… Where’s our lil Lexi been?…. snort!… I hope she hasn’t been eaten by that mean Pit Bully….sniff!… She’s been missing for quite a while now it seems… grunt!
6:01 am on May 5th, 2010
Rio, I don't think you ever leave your house except when you're forced to go on a walk!
Yes, it is my last final and then free for the summer. However, I can't feel the pleasure of being free until I am……so I feel grumpy.
6:02 am on May 5th, 2010
We used to live near Danvers. I wonder if I go back in time and Bernie and Chet were still in this time, if we could all end up at the Mystery Panel. . .
"thought her name was really Ethel" When was Ethel a popular name? Does the time line match to have Foster think that a woman would be named Ethel?
Or did Astrid like to watch "I Love Lucy"?
Things to ponder besides Ethel/Astrid and the time continuum . .
What would a river cash look like and could we get it to come by this house? NEWFS eat a lot.
Why the only house on the block that had a tree come down is owned by the guy who has the only chain saw that's working.
Pondering here.
6:18 am on May 5th, 2010
Hmmmpf!… You’d be amazed at how often I am forced to leave the comfort of my home… grunt!… Stover, we can be grumpy together today… snort! … 3 o’clock is a long time to wait to be free… wheeze!… and 4:00 is even longer… cough!
Melanie is losing some marbles!….snort!…I can’t understand why she, being the only one who lives in MA, never goes to see the Charming Mr. Abrahams do his thing…. grumble! …. This Saturday Melanie, get in the van and drive to Danvers…. Grunt!… Take all the Newfs with you ….heh! … And take your camera!… golly!
Coffee!… was extra strong this morning…. wheeze!
7:01 am on May 5th, 2010
Chet: Don't go looking for that green river of cash. It isn't there, just like the tower of chew strips wasn't there. We had such fun, but found nothing.
If we all agreed to buy a pair of the Hawaiian pants, would that help Bernie's cash flow problem? I could order several pairs and pass them out to my friends at the dog park. They might work just fine for games of tug-of-war.
7:12 am on May 5th, 2010
Poor Bernie and his Hawaiian pants.
Ethel is the Old English word for noble. (It would have been spelled edel only the stem on the "d" would be curved toward the left and there would be a slash through it, symbolizing the "th" sound.) That, of course, gets us nowhere.
7:22 am on May 5th, 2010
Pants!…. Well, at least his Tin Futures seemed to turn out okay…. Snort!… Something about a big deposit of Tin being found in Bolivia driving the price down …. Wheeze!… Bernie was going to make a ‘shitload’….gulp!
7:24 am on May 5th, 2010
Riö, I wish I could just jump in the van, but we live on the OTHER side of MA. West of Wor'ster as they say. Just a few miles from NY state.
Even if I take all the Pack with me, I would still leave my recovering from apendicis father and mother who's ankle is sssslllllooooowwwwlllllyyyy getting better.
Just can't be done quite yet.
Not quite Hawaiin pants, but tie dyed shorts.
This is Papi, eldest, illustrator and tattoo artist, son's dog!
[img ]http://chetthedog.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/1273076678-27029_587728355729_22803473_34001894_4826229_n.jpg[/img]
7:25 am on May 5th, 2010
What is the reference to the earthquake "that turned out to be in the wrong place"?
7:44 am on May 5th, 2010
Stover!… I believe the earthquake was in Bolivia too…. Snort!… That’s when the price of tin went up and Bernie was going to lose his shirt…. Heh!
7:53 am on May 5th, 2010
Papi!… Looks like he has lost his appetite because he is being forced to wear ugly pants!… snort!… Nobody could ever get a pair of pants on me!…wheeze!
7:55 am on May 5th, 2010
I never understood what heppened with his tin shares investment. (That was a quiz question as I recall.)
8:11 am on May 5th, 2010
I know his shares went up and he made money. Probably lost it right away knowing Bernie. (had he taken a short position?? on it, we could ask Goldman Sachs)
Papi had to wear pants because he tried to leap a fence, which bit him.
8:26 am on May 5th, 2010
But!… Isn’t that just adding insult to injury?…. grunt!
9:48 am on May 5th, 2010
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ChetTheDog. ChetTheDog said: Ethel: “So,” said Bernie, “to what do we owe the pleasure of this non-visit?” We’re partners, me and Bernie, but s… http://bit.ly/cT9i22 […]
9:18 am on May 5th, 2010
Little late getting on. From yesterday, what a gorgeous girl Bess is! Rio, you should be SO proud of your big woman! We have also watched O
Ice Road Truckers a time or two….interesting but not something we felt the need to watch again (not like 24,Rio!).
B.Stover, we can't think of a specific where Chet's rambling became important but since he's always digressing and we seem to find out the pertinent info, they must be related…plus we love to listen to his asides. (was any of that grammatically correct?)
9:34 am on May 5th, 2010
"Heppened" is the Middle Icelandic dialectical past subjunctive for "to happen." (All nonsense, of course.)
9:34 am on May 5th, 2010
Bess!…. She’s my heroine!… snuffle …
Puss N’ Boots!… what do you think of Papi’s pants?… snicker!
9:35 am on May 5th, 2010
You!… are freakin' me out!… shudder!
9:38 am on May 5th, 2010
I'm glad I'm not the only one that never understood what happened with the tin shares investment.
Lexi? Where are you?
9:43 am on May 5th, 2010
These cats wouldn't be wearing them, but it made a good pic!
Mom is worried about a little kitten a neighbor found abandoned yesterday. Only about 5 weeks old. They let a family down the street take it but they've never had pets and Mom is worried the baby won't get good care. She did tell them that if they change their mind, she'll take the baby and find it a home.
Rescue business is stressful.
10:03 am on May 5th, 2010
Rescue!…. Maybe someone needs to rescue lil Lexi!… snort!… That big bad Pit Bully may have dognapped her!… wheeze!
11:18 am on May 5th, 2010
Ethel…or perhaps…Ethyl? as in alcohol. Astrids roots.
11:41 am on May 5th, 2010
B Stover such dry wit! Unlike Dawson's Ehtyl (very good by the way!)
Maybe Riö could adopt the kitten?
We had ANOTHER vacuum break on us. Jeez. For some reason vacuums just don't last long in this household.
11:44 am on May 5th, 2010
Kats!… Thank God my friend is deathly allergic to Kats!… snort! … No Kats at my place, ever. … heh!
1:01 pm on May 5th, 2010
Heppened?… heh!
12:21 pm on May 5th, 2010
No cats allowed at my house either. Huskies don't get along with cats, but I am glad I have cat friends in Siberspace.
Good luck with the kitten Gus and BooBear. I hope it will be a good home for the little guy/girl.
There is a harness available for dogs that jump fences. It wouldn't be as fancy as the pants, however.
12:42 pm on May 5th, 2010
Papi’s Pants!…. I still don’t get the reason for the humiliating pants on Papi….snort!… It looks like he could still jump with them on… grunt!
12:59 pm on May 5th, 2010
I think Papi looks just fine in those pants.
Heh heh heh
Alice Johnson
1:01 pm on May 5th, 2010
Finished with school. I'm no longer grumpy. In fact, I have a glass of something red and French in my hand. Twirling, I'm twirling, and not spilling a drop.
1:06 pm on May 5th, 2010
Papi would be too embarrassed to go out in those pants. Hence, no jumping the fence.
1:14 pm on May 5th, 2010
B.Stover: Congratulations.
1:14 pm on May 5th, 2010
Melanie said that the fence "bit" Papi. Perhaps the pants are covering some bandages.
1:36 pm on May 5th, 2010
B. Stover has it correct! Papi was wearing the pants to keep him from taking off bandages. He is recovered now and has hidden the pants.
I have never heard of a harness that stops dogs from jumping. Is it like hobbles on a horse?
Son and SO have figured it out. They are getting a new fence!
I sure am glad I never had to learn the "Middle Icelandic dialectical past subjunctive."
As my youngest, struggling actor son, has said he knows two languages, English and dyslexic English. Being his mother, I know the same ones. French and Spanish have leaked from my brain.
1:43 pm on May 5th, 2010
Aaargh!
Detroit Tigers hit 4 homeruns today – final score – Detroit Tigers 4, Minnesota Twins 5. Where's the ethyl?
1:48 pm on May 5th, 2010
I suppose I should be rooting for the Tigers since Rio said that my rooting for the Rays would not irritate him.
Melanie: You are so funny!
2:42 pm on May 5th, 2010
Sorry Dawson,
Twins Rule!
AbbietheKitty
>^..^<
2:49 pm on May 5th, 2010
Melanie: I don't know how the harness works. I have only seen them in pet catalogs while looking at dog toys and treats.
Ah ha, now the whole wearing pants thing makes sense. It can be almost impossible to get dogs to leave bandages alone. We have a friend whose 100 lb. dog is having to wear an E-collar to try to get a hot spot healed up completely.
2:50 pm on May 5th, 2010
Then there are the Red Sox. Play against a great team and they are wonderful, and then lose every game to one of the worst teams. Usually the Red Sox wait until the middle of the summer to dash our hopes.
Anyhoo, just finished Reality Check. PA's ability to write comprehensively for someone who is inarticulate is fantastic.
Have just ordered Bullet Point. Should be in on Friday. Paws crossed.
2:54 pm on May 5th, 2010
E-Collars. (snicker) Have you ever seen a 168 lb dog wearing an E-collar try to get through a dog door? Just not happening.
We don't use E-collars anymore. If they aren't licking the spot, then one of the other nine is. We use; socks, tee shirts, adhesive bandages, and "Hey You! Leave that alone!"
Time to shut off the computer. They are saying bad thunderstorms again late tonight.
So good night all, I'll read everything in the morning!
3:42 pm on May 5th, 2010
Injuries!… I had a bad back once and the vet said no walking, jumping or anything… snort!… So I got locked up in a carrier thing… grunt!… I cried and screamed bloody murder until everyone felt so sorry for me that they let me out…wheeze!… and then they pampered me by doing everything for me while I laid on the big bed….heh!…Someone even had to sleep on the couch for 3 weeks…snort! …It doesn’t take a whole lot to get your own way.
4:08 pm on May 5th, 2010
Stover!… is living free!… wow!… All Spring and Summer long she can mesmerize us with new words and interesting facts….snort!…Unless she jets off to England for weeks and weeks… ahhh! … Please stay home Stover, we need you!… snuff!
4:12 pm on May 5th, 2010
Uh oh! … It’s the Twilight Time… snort!… That time where I am verging on being all alone…. Groan!… Where the heck is lil Lexi and Wolfie, and MagPie, and Sam?… All the youngsters are a’missing….crap!… This can’t be good…snuff!
4:22 pm on May 5th, 2010
It's so nice to be needed Rio. I'm not going anywhere over the summer because I have a project to work on and many things around the house that I have to get fixed…the bathroom tub for example.
We haven't heard from Wolfie for several days. And I don't even remember who Lexi is. Sam, Mollypop, Barb&Maggie???
4:35 pm on May 5th, 2010
Hi Everybody, such a busy day. Sitting in the sun reading Reality Check. Then company, then put the Bookworm game on the iPad. I know B.Stover plays that too. There went the rest of the evening.
I used to have a no-jump harness. I was such a frisky pup. It's just a harness but I couldn't jump with it on.
4:41 pm on May 5th, 2010
I love playing Bookworm, the "classic" game. My best score is two million plus, but I haven't been able to match or go over that for a long time.
5:05 pm on May 5th, 2010
Sleepy…sleepier…sleeping.
5:06 pm on May 5th, 2010
Hmmm… Have I been hallucinating all these months?… snort!… No one here by the name of Sam, lil Lexi and MagPie? …whoa!…. Me thinks all that twirling and French wine is messing with Stover’s recollection… heh!
5:10 pm on May 5th, 2010
Rocks!… Well at least I have the Rockies!… whoooo!… They just started. I will never be ablet to see the end of the game tonight…grunt!…These late games are killing me…wheeze!… I hate when they travel to the west coast…crap!
5:12 pm on May 5th, 2010
Of course I know Sam aka Princess, and Barb&Maggie, whom you've named "MagPie." However, I truly can't remember who Lexi is. Sorry.
5:13 pm on May 5th, 2010
As if you're so far away from the "west coast" Rio…..
5:22 pm on May 5th, 2010
Hmmm… Your sentence structure led me to believe you had forgotten all of them….snort!… Well, the game doesn’t even start till after 8:00 here… grunt!…Then it lasts for at least 3 hours… wheeze!… I hardly got any napping time in today for some reason!… derrr!
5:24 pm on May 5th, 2010
Stover!… Go to bed!…heh!… It's very late where you are missy! …snort!
5:26 pm on May 5th, 2010
[ wow… I can’t believe she doesn’t remember lil Lexi!…snorkel! ]
5:45 pm on May 5th, 2010
Hey Rio!
Abbiethekitty
5:48 pm on May 5th, 2010
Howdy Do!… AbbieTheKat!…snort!
5:50 pm on May 5th, 2010
I am supposed to be sewing pillowcases to give to my sister this weekend. But NOOOOO I am goofing off!
5:57 pm on May 5th, 2010
Hmmm!…I’ve always found Goofing Off to be a very good thing!… heh!… Just go buy some at the Dollar Store, she will never know! … snort!
6:02 pm on May 5th, 2010
Heh!… I just got a case of the belly laughs cause we both have bling on our names… hahhhhh… and the fact that I cannot remember their real name…snort!… sorry Stover!
6:03 pm on May 5th, 2010
You are bad! It is an hour drive (one way) to a dollar store around here, otherwise that is a great idea. Only what will I do with all this fabric I am supposed to be making pillowcases with?
>^..^<
6:04 pm on May 5th, 2010
Don't tell BStover I ended a sentence with a preposition, OK?
6:13 pm on May 5th, 2010
Well, going to sew now. Good luck with your ballgame. See you tomorrow.
Abbie, Alice and their Staff.
6:15 pm on May 5th, 2010
Fabric!… Is always good in a warm soft bed…mmmmm… I am starting to want my bed… Wait! …Goodnight you trinity, you!… sniff!
6:30 pm on May 5th, 2010
Sewing!… I hope AbbieTheKat’s tail doesn’t get caught in the sewing machine like Max’s did in ‘The Grinch’… heh!
6:46 pm on May 5th, 2010
Goodnight All!… trash day tomorrow.. I get to help!…snort!