Wife has friends over; it’s called “Bunco.” This has been going on for years and every so often the monthly event lands here. I used to take daughter to Chuck E. Cheese's while it went on, but that ended, oh, eight years ago. Tonight I took the dog to the dog park, then had a homely bachelor dinner in my car, eating a hamburger, listening to "Gunsmoke." It was that or Angry Man on the radio. Scout sat in the front seat looking at my hamburger with great interest; when we pulled up at the window and they opened the glass doors his nostrils went wide as shot glasses, so great was the meaty glory that flowed out.

Then we drove back to see if any Bunco had been undertaken. It's a game that uses dice and wine. They’ve been at it for four hours and I don’t think a single roll has bene made. I’m not even sure the game exists. But there’s lots of finger foods and snacks. Including:

Bit-O-Honey. I was assured they were pliable, not the aged ceramic versions. Not a fan in any case. It’s stiff nougat, not the fluffy stuff - you know, Minneapolis Nougat. That was the name when it was first invented. The Milky-Way nougat. Yes, we gave that to you. The Nougat. And the Milky Way. You’re welcome.

Unless you don’t like them, in which case I understand. It’s a lot of candy. I prefer the dark version. Both are insuperior to the Zero, which is covered with white fudge. None of that here tonight, but there are Swedish Fish. The top three ingredients are: Sugar; Invert Sugar; Corn Syrup. You may think “hey, invert sugar would negate all the calories of the sugar!” and you would be deluded. In Sweden they’re called pastellfiskar, which means “pastel fish.” In America they are always red, so they’re called commiefiskar.

There are also those pastel things that look like Hershey’s Kisses, but aren’t. I want to say they’re nonpareils but I know they’re not. Mint Pastels, that’s it. They’re Merri-mints in Kisses form.

In between writing the above and now, an hour and a half has elapsed. Talked to the nice Bunco Ladies, helped my wife clean up, decompressed outside in the gazebo, and then came back upstairs to realize that I’ve nothing but this stub to offer. But perhaps I have given you the impetus to have a Classic Candy conversation in the comments, eh?

Okay? No? Sorry. It’s been a long, odd week. Details in eleven months, or six.

Pupdate: very little dog in this one, but it's how things look now. Nice.

Okay, one more. In the clearing.

The Friday Construction update is mostly destruction. Here's 60 seconds of demolition.

I still don't feel as a bad as I thought, but they haven't started clawing down where I sat. Yet.

As usual for Friday, the Music Cues. Of course we begin with the Couple Next Door, with its cheerful soundtrack of the mid-century domestic scene.

CND Cue #573 Fake atonal martial music with the Chord of Domestic Ease. Odd.

Here's the third in a series of Public Service Announcements that ran on the Armed Forces Radio service. They served no purpose whatsoever, except to make GIs homesick.

Finally, our ad of the week: the first of two BBQ ads, with all the requisite cliches. Careful little Billy!

I think the old man is imagining little Billy.

Yes, it is 101 Strings Month, in case you hadn't noticed. This week:

The sound of magnificence!