Sunday update

Pre-orders are now being taken for the Memphis Flyer Coloring Book. This gives you something to do safe at home, and supports local journalism and art. Proceeds will be split 50/50 between the Flyer and the artists.

The Starbucks at the corner of Main and Monroe will re-open for to-go orders starting tomorrow.

Last week a video went viral showing a massive pool party at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, the crowd totally ignoring warnings to socially distance and wear masks. We all knew this was going to happen… someone who attended the pool parties has tested positive for COVID-19. Doctors believe the virus was incubating at the time of the parties, meaning the person posed a danger of infecting others.

COGIC has canceled its annual convention in St. Louis, the last one planned to be held there before returning to Memphis in 2021.

I went to Hung Over Like a Bear brunch at Blind Bear yesterday. New bartender Jay-Zee told me an inside secret: Get okra with a side of ranch, and mix a little sriracha into the ranch. Knowing that Socially Distant Perjorie would be excited about the okra (she likes foods that are the same color as her hair), I put in an order.

It was yummy, although I’m not sure what the best ranch-to-sriracha ratio is.

It was a day of extremes at the Bear… the morning started out with an infomercial for a product to treat enlarged prostates on TV. I looked over to see if the people at the corner table were watching… “wait, wrong bar,” I then thought.

The Pandora station of the day was playing, and the bartenders were surprised and impressed I knew the words to “My Neck, My Back, My Pussy and My Crack.” We need to add that to our 2020 BBQ team playlist.

Still later in the day, one of the other bar regulars told me what happened at the Peabody during the house arrest. With the lobby bar closed, the ducks got adventurous and started to wander. One time they got all the way to the back door, triggered the motion sensor, and nearly got away.

However, every day around 4:30, they would get out of the fountain, walk over to the elevators, and wait for the door to open. Like humans, ducks are always up for a reason to cut out of work a few minutes early.

Mayor Strickland wants to ramp up COVID-19 testing to 30,000 a day to boost confidence for people returning to work and sending their kids to school. The city would work with employers to provide the tests, which would be less invasive than the ones currently being used.

Local ag-tech company Indigo Ag helps farmers efficiently grow rice that is sold to make beer. Anheuser-Busch’s rice mill is in Jonesboro and most of the 29 farms participating in the rice program are within 70 miles.

Back tomorrow or maybe Tuesday with more news.