Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share a virtual kitchen table with other readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by to talk about music, your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper…. Newcomers may notice that many who post in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table and hope to make some new friends as well.
Please do not attack Democratic candidates or drag primary fights into our community.
I had a great find while browsing on Amazon’s streaming site. Available on Amazon Prime are three seasons of stand-up comic Jonny Harris’ show, Still Standing, about tiny little towns across Canada who are struggling in hard economic times. He visits logging towns where the forests were devastated by beetles, mining towns where the the mines were closed, fishing towns where the cod was not available anymore — you get the idea. There are a lot of creative people in these places and they are finding new ways to get by. All of that is highlighted here with great humor that is never, ever mean. And Jonny Harris is funny — a very medicinal thing at the end of the week. What’s not to like? Beautiful scenery, interesting people and history, and belly laughs. I also like that each episode is only 23 minutes long.
You may already be familiar with Jonny Harris if you have seen The Murdoch Mysteries, a long running mystery dramedy set in turn-of-the-century Toronto. Jonny Harris plays Constable George Crabtree, a character who, like Harris himself, hails from Newfoundland. George is perhaps my favorite character in the show, a romantic dreamer who has written a fantasy novel called “Curse of the Pharoah”, who is drawn to, adores, and respects strong, independent women (having been raised in a brothel by a large bevy of “Aunts”, all named for flowers) only to lose each and every girlfriend as they leave him to follow their own dreams. I just love George. And I feel invested in wanting him to find lasting love.
I am finding a soft spot for the real Jonny Harris, too. This guy does good work that adds to the happiness of the world, in my opinion.
Here is a little taste of “Still Standing”:
And here is some background on the making of the show:
The weekend begins now! Come in, be comfortable, and share your day, your weekend plans, your menus with friends. And if I am late, please carry on — we are switching our phone/internet service in an effort to cut our bill — the technician may well be here when this diary posts.