The Armadillo Files, Episode 15 — Featuring D.L. Finn

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, November 27, 2021

You’ve reached The Armadillo Files.  Stand by for weirdness with some reality.  Today’s Tidbit of Truth is certainly weird.  How so?  Read on.

Random Reader Things

Tree Fairies DL Finn

The three things that drive this episode are from author and blogger D. L. Finn, also known as Denise.  Click over and check out her blog, you’re sure to find interesting posts.  Her random reader things are Shrimp, Bear, and Blue Moon.

Tidbits of Truth

Saunders-Roe A37 Shrimp 1939-1949 Wikipedia
Saunders-Roe A37 Shrimp 1939-1949 Wikipedia

Speaking of shrimp, have you ever heard of snapping shrimp?  You might also know them by the name pistol shrimp.  Those critters made such a racket that during World War II their constant crackling sometimes foiled military attempts to sound out hostile submarines. If you’d rather eat your shrimp, here’s a recipe from the era for shrimp, or crawfish, cocktail.  There was another kind of shrimp — the Saunders Roe A.37 Shrimp.  Although it didn’t have much of a part in the action. 

 Previously in The Armadillo Files

Harry Morgan told Fang and Dilly more about the “Calutron Girls” and his belief that they disappeared if they found out about the wrong things.  A group of anti-alcohol fanatics showed up, and they didn’t seem to like women much either.  However, nobody has any news of the missing women.  You can find all the past chapters by going to the categories on the right side of the screen.  Click on Armadillo Files.

All aboard!

15 — Why are you dirty?

The Armadillo Files image by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene
The Armadillo Files image by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

TROLLEY

Detecting subterranean activity.

“Operative Pinkerton, discontinue your current trajectory.  The ground is unstable twenty feet ahead of your course,” TROLLEY ordered.

“TROLLEY, if they ever put you in a body, it will be a chicken — a mother hen!” Tatu Pinkerton replied drolly.  “I know how to dig a tunnel.  I’ll be fine.”

The artificial intelligence sent an irritating buzz directly into Pinkerton’s ear.

“Alright already!  I’m sorry.  You’re not a mother hen.  You’re a lovely care bear.  Listen, TROLLEY, I thought I heard somebody snooping around up there.  Will you do a sweep?  I wouldn’t be surprised if that crazy-eyed, Bible-thumping teetotaler comes back, looking for trouble.  He really did smell wrong.”

“Yes.  Commencing scan—” TROLLEY’s response cut short.  “Seismic sensor alert!  Return to surface!  Tunnel collapse imminent,” TROLLEY relayed the updated readings with a warning.

A roar of falling earth suffused TROLLEY’s sensors.  The operative did not respond to further attempts at communication.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

Meatless Shrimp A&P vintage ad
Vintage Shrimp Bake Meatless and Marvelous Ad

Dilly

Juggling a long string of lights, I stepped out to the wide front porch TROLLEY had added to the “Pink Armadillo.”  It boasted half a dozen small tables with chairs.  As I tied the lights to the railing, I kept an eye out for Fang.  He left that morning, only saying that he wouldn’t be gone long, that he needed to take a look around.  I was beginning to get concerned.

Movement at the end of the walkway caught my eye.  I stretched for a better view.  It wasn’t Fang.  Judging by the cap and the walk, it was Harry Morgan.

“How are you, Harry?  You’re limping less.  Is the leg better?” I asked as he came up the stairs.

“Yeah, thanks.  But I think my motorcycle is a terminal case.  The way I got thrown when the front tire blew, I guess I’m lucky I didn’t break my neck,” he tried to smile when he answered, but wasn’t very successful.  “Looks like ya’ll have been hard at work.  This porch looks good.  Let me know if you need help with any of the heavy stuff.”

I smiled and thanked him for the offer.  Then I ducked inside to get some of the shrimp cocktail with which I had been experimenting.  I brought out two servings and sat down across from him.

“Be my guinea pig.  I’m thinking about putting this on the menu.  Fang’s not the best judge,” I suggested.

Harry tried a sample and made an appreciative sound.  Then he polished off the rest.

“Where is your friend anyhow?” he asked.

“He went out to walk around.  I’m sure he’ll turn up any minute,” I replied, but didn’t manage to keep a note of worry from my voice.  “Any word on Marie?” I inquired about his missing girlfriend, but he shook his head.

“I thought I might find something in the tunnels she used when we would meet nights.  She wasn’t supposed to leave the girls alone in their dorm, but they’re practically grown.  Usually that was the only chance we got to have any privacy,” he confided.  “Anyhow, I didn’t get very far when I found the tunnel caved-in.”

“You don’t think—” I stopped, afraid to finish my sentence, but he shook his head again.

“No, that cave-in happened after she disappeared.  Although it makes me afraid that somebody knew about us… and that the cave-in was deliberate.  To keep anybody from using that tunnel,” he speculated, rubbing his chin.

Peanuts Character Pig-pen 1954 Wikipedia
Peanuts Character Pig-pen 1954 Wikipedia

“Yesterday, some people came here.  I’m not sure if they were witnessing for their church or strictly a temperance group,” I voiced my suspicious thoughts.  “They didn’t give their names.  Come to think of it, they didn’t even say what church they were from.  The lead guy acted like he was deranged.  You should have seen his eyes.”

“That sounds like Dick Potts.  I don’t think he’s officially part of any group other than the few people he manages to draw to himself.  He’s got a grudge against the world in general.  If you ask me, he’s dangerous.  You’d be smart to stay away from him,” Harry cautioned.

“He seemed to have it in for anything to do with the Secret City and anybody who works there.  Especially the girls,” I added.

“You’re right.  I asked a buddy of mine to look into his background.  I need to check and see if he’s come up with anything,” he said and excused himself.

Harry left and I finished tying the string of lights to the railing.  A moment later, Fang returned.  He was a head-to-toe dirt.

“Golly, Fang.  I was getting worried about you.  Why are you so dirty?” I asked, astonished at his grubbiness.

“Church,” he stated as if that explained anything.

“Church?  Church of the pigpen?  There’s no way you got that dirty at church,” I countered, one fist on my hip.

“What?  Can’t a guy go to church once in a blue moon?  Besides, I wasn’t exactly in church.  I was under it.  I tunneled under it so I could listen to Mr. Wild-eyes and his cronies.  I still didn’t learn anything about the Calutron Girls though,” he explained on a note of disappointment.

“You tunneled?” I exclaimed in disbelief.

“Armadillos are great at digging.  I was a pink fairy armadillo for so long that some traits stuck with me.  I wish the nearsightedness would go away,” he replied with a shrug.

Then he put one dirty-fingernailed hand into my already uncontrollable hair and further ruffled it.  I looked up at him, protesting.  Then realization dawned.

“Hey… you’re taller!  How?” I demanded, knowing that he had been the same height as me.

“That’s right, Shrimp.  It’s part of the transformation-thing too.  After being tiny for all those years, I couldn’t go back to full size all at once,” he said as if that should have been obvious.

Shaking my head, I plopped down on a chair.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

Hmmm… I wonder what Fang might dig up?  For those who are brave enough, or foolhardy enough, here’s the recipe from that vintage shrimp ad.  I have my doubts about it, but you never know.

Charleston Shrimp Bake Vintage Recipe
Recipe enlargement

 The history, particularly military aspects of this story probably make it difficult… However, this story isn’t really about religion or politics. So, please remember that this is my sanctuary — a place for all of us to be safe and away from political and religious commentary.  Kindly keep that in mind with your comments.

Hugs on the wing!

The Andrew Sisters – Hold Tight, Hold Tight (Want Some Sea Food Mama),1942

♦♦♦

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Dead of Winter: Journey 11, The Sumelazon, cover by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

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This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2021 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

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76 thoughts on “The Armadillo Files, Episode 15 — Featuring D.L. Finn”

  4. That is an interesting recipe, Teagan. I can’t get past the nutmeg, but you never know. Another fun episode and I’m glad the digging didn’t lead to disaster. Thanks for including my words this time! Hugs xo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. My pleasure to feature you, Denise.
      Yes, that is an *interesting* recipe for sure. I feel like it could almost be really good. Maybe to change things to make it more like shrimp parmesan…. spaghetti sauce instead of the tomato soup, garlic instead of nutmeg…
      I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. Hugs winging back to you.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. Thank you for another episode, you never cease to satisfy! ! Thank you for the recipe, looks like it would be delicious! ! Now we are past Thanksgiving and on to Christmas. Wishing you the very best at this time of year. Happy Christmas shopping! !

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you kindly, Ms. Frances. Christmas shopping is easy for me, because I don’t really have anyone to buy for. Although I confess that I got a bunch of things on Amazon’s Cyber Monday sale — lots of needful things that I was running low on. That was very timely.
      Stay happy and sassy. 🙂 Hugs on the wing!

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      1. Good for you, getting things on sale! ! I have two daughters that do my buying. I live in a senior highrise, no car and bus several blocks away. I have very nice neighbors on the 12th floor. I go often for a walk on the penthouse (17th floor–open air)

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. I can understand the scope of your circumstance about the buying, Ms. Frances. With the nature of my disability I don’t leave my house.
          Nice neighbors are a treasure. Ooooo, that must be a spectacular view. I imagine it’s windy up that high though. Stay warm.

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  8. Intriguing!
    Marie… tunnels…. The Pink Armadillo ( I want to have coffee & ? there!) … Fang is digging and growing? … and LOL… I adore PigPen!
    Great episode, Teagan! Hugs!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. My mother told thr story of how, when she first knew my dad she suggested they try a prawn cocktail to which dad replied he didn’t really like cocktails, being more a beer drinker. Given what a snob she was it’s a wonder she married so beneath her class.
    V enjoyable episode. Its getting wacky around that church.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Haha! I found a better recipe (just not an image) for a “Shrimp or Crayfish” cocktail that actually sounded delicious. Although all I could think of was “crawdad cocktail”… Made me think of the kind of tequila with a worm in the bottle and some jerk coming at me with that worm hanging from his mouth. (Yes, unfortunately true story…)
      Ah! I just had an idea for some of the “things” you left! Hugs on the wing.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I am now left with an indelible image of worm drool as a thing… I’ll have to leave my brain at the dry cleaners tomorrow and have a vacuous day. Thanks!! Looking forward to the “things”… at least I think I am.

        Liked by 1 person

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  10. Good episode, Teagan. I was unfamiliar with snapping shrimp until your mention. I read that the hammer part of the shrimp can create a powerful wave of bubbles that can stun larger fish or break small glass jars.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Exactly. That was so amazing to me. I had not heard of them either. I had no idea there would be so many shrimp connections to the WWII era. Proof that everything is worth researching.
      Your “things” will be a fun episode. I hope to use them at the same time as the ones Robbie left since she said they were to go with yours. A double-challenge that I’m looking forward to. Hugs on the wing.

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  12. I could almost smell shrimp in this episode. How fortunate fang still has his digging skills. I think The recipe sounds like it might fit in a different lifetime. I can’t imagine what the cooked shrimp was like after 25 minutes in the oven. Great chapter today, Teagan. Hugs.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. Fang never disappoints. Now he’s growing taller! And he’s still enough of an armadillo to dig a tunnel! Harry is becoming quite interesting. Dilly seems to be settling in and adjusting to a very different life.

    Those so-called anti-alcoholics seem to want to make trouble and would go to great lengths to cover up secrets. Probably pretty dangerous people!

    Another great episode Teagan. I’m in awe of how you keep churning these episodes out.

    Enjoy the weekend. Hope Crystal can teach you how to relax! No one relaxes better than a cat! Lol!
    Ginger

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Haha, that’s the truth! (about cats) She’s beside me, on her electric throw blanket, snoring away. 🐱
      I’m happy you enjoyed this chapter, Ginger. Wherever there’s a “thing” there’s a story. Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs on the wing!

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    1. Hi, Kamal. I like fish too. In fact I just had tuna salad. If you try it, please let us know the results. I’m of two minds about it. On one hand it sounds pretty good. On the other hand… it could be a disaster in my kitchen. LOL.
      Thanks for reading and commenting. I’m happy you enjoyed your visit. Hugs on the wing!

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  17. I think I’ll skip that shrimp recipe, Teagan. Though it reminds me of recipes my mom used to make… open a lot of cans and boxes and mix! Lol. Fun episode, my friend. I’m glad Fang made it out of his spying escapade. Have a lovely weekend. 🙂 Hugs.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Right, Diana. I’m pretty sure that tomato soup is a variation of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup. While I like that fine on its own, I didn’t care for most recipes I sampled that used it…
      Thanks for reading and commenting. Good luck with the last leg of NaNoWriMo. Hugs winging back to you.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  19. Totally tunneled. Great episode. Speaking of shrimp, when I lived in Spain the Spanish liked to snap the heads off of shrimp and suck the brains out. It was pretty gross. But you can’t imagine some of the gross things they eat in Spain, and, even worse, I tired a lot of it. Being a cultural geographer gets to be pretty silly when it comes to sucking on shrimps’ brains.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Ugh! You could have done that Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt some of our friends are doing today, because that made me say “Good Golly Gee!” So Tim… any zombie-like cravings after eating those shrimp brains?
      They eat some pretty gross things in GA and TN too… My grandmother dancing around while she ate disgusting pickled pig’s feet is indelibly inscribed on my brain… o_O Worse, I think she thought she was being sexy. Just no.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Nothing like pickled pigs feet to ramp up one’s libido. I won’t describe the pig ears I tried in Spain. Let’s just say they were the most disgusting things I’ve ever TRIED to eat.

        Liked by 1 person

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        2. When you have a bunch of people telling you how wonderful Orejas are and shoving the plate in your face, you have better try them to be polite. I said “umm! Great!” and then spit them into a plant when I hope no one was looking.

          Liked by 1 person

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  21. There is intrigue afoot, and Fang never ceases to amaze, as do you with your wonderful findings and imagination, Teagan. I can’t quite imagine what that recipe must have been like, but it is fascinating, as is the story. I wonder what’s going to happen next. Thanks for all the adventures and stay well!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Olga. I’m of two minds about the recipe. Sometimes it sounds good, other times awful. It’s a great historic indicator of changing prices though. Here, shrimp would not be seen as a bargain over meat. Although, I imagine even in WWII that may have been regional, coastal areas having less expensive seafood. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs on the wing!

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    1. Thanks, Priscilla. I doubt many people associate armadillos with digging. When GP first sent a pink fairy armadillo as a thing, I found a video of one of the little guys. It could dig remarkably fast. Have a lovely weekend. Hugs on the wing!

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  24. Fang is certainly an adventurous sort. I hope that doesn’t get him into trouble. I’m really beginning to like Harry Morgan, and the seeds of mystery are staring to sprout. I like shrimp, but I prefer shrimp cocktail to most cooked shrimp meals. Then again, I wouldn’t turn any plate away. A highlight for me was seeing Pigpen and Dilly’s use of that word – I heard a similar expression, often while growing up.

    You’ve left me satisfied and looking forward to the next episode. I hope you can relax a bit now, Teagan.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. No rest for the wicked, Dan — or at least no relaxing. I remember the pigpen expression when I was a kid too. I didn’t give myself the luxury of spending copious amounts of time looking for images yesterday. So, I figured Peanuts were timeless characters and went with that one. Thanks for being on this crazy TROLLEY. Hugs on the wing!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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