Wish I'd Thought of This....

 ...I was the quiet kid that nobody could get a rise out of. Naturally, because they couldn't get a rise out of me, everybody tried to get me flustered by insulting me, or framing me for things that no teacher ever believed because it was never the quiet kid.

Essentially, I walked into class one day, and the teacher wasn't there, but this other girl, S, was up at the whiteboard writing out a long-running joke about our teacher that pissed him off. It was about his assigned teacher number, and two years of developing a joke is a bit hard to explain. It became a bit of an inside joke. Either way, I sat down, she finished, and the teacher came in, noticing what was written on the board. He asked who did it, and immediately, this girl and a few of the girls around her said, "Sebaren did it!" Note, we were about 15 at the time, so they should have been beyond this.

I don't know what it was, but something made me wordlessly walk up to the board, fix her spelling and punctuation errors, and then sit down. Only when I had sat down did I turn to the girl who'd done it to say, "I have standards." The class collectively lost their minds, including the girls who hadn't seen it coming, and the teacher laughed so hard he went red in the face and cried. 

More lippy comebacks here, thanks to Bored Panda.

Another Great One is Gone: Chuck Norris

 Chuck Norris died yesterday, after a medical emergency in Hawaii.  He was 86. 

I know I am not the only one who grew up with Walker, Texas Ranger -- not to mention Chuck's kungfu expertise. (Though he couldn't beat Bruce Lee!) Not to mention umpteen jokes, like:

When the Boogeyman checks under his bed every night, he's looking for Chuck Norris.

(More silly ones here.) 

But this was one actor who actually seemed like a nice guy. His movies were great fun, if you enjoyed the bad guys getting theirs, not to mention a lot of punching and kicking.

And he certainly encouraged many people to get more exercise and eat healthy. 

Sure, his skills were exaggerated. But done with a sense of humor. 

Rest in peace, Chuck. And thank you for sharing your life with us.

Aunt Ruth

 

Ruth Richean (Checkley) Cumings passed peacefully at home with members of family at her bedside on March 12, 2026 at the age of 97.

She was born in the Bronx, NY on September 29, 1928.  She grew up in Leonia, NJ and soon after high school, left for Chicago, Illinois where she attended and graduated (1951) from Moody Bible Institute.

She met her husband-to-be, Loyd Cumings, while both sang in the Moody Chorale.  They were married in December 22, 1950 and began in youth ministry in St. Paul, MN.  Four children were born in Minnesota:  Daniel Loyd (1951)  Rick Allen (1953)  Linda Ruth (1955) and Sharon Richean (1957).  They served in youth ministry in both Kingsburg, CA and Sioux Falls, SD where Loyd was suddenly taken to Heaven after suffering a heart attack at age 34 in September 1962.

She took a position with the Stonecroft Christian Women’s Business organization just outside Kansas City, MO. She worked there until retirement in 2001.

Everywhere she lived, she was active in church attendance and service.  She was part of a committee to found Woods Chapel Baptist Church in Blue Springs, MO in 1977 (now Crossway Bible Church) where she was a member for 49 years.

She leaves behind the four children, 9 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren, all of whom absolutely she loved to be around.

She is remembered especially for her musical gifts of violin and piano playing and singing, as well as her chalk artistry, which she performed for many audiences.

A memorial service will be held on May 2, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. at CrossWay Bible Church at 701 NW Woods Chapel Rd., Blue Springs, MO 64015.

In lieu of flowers, family requests that memorial contribution in Ruth’s name be made to Resource Health Services (formerly Rachel House).

Irish Nachos?!?

 Happy one-day-past St. Patrick's Day, by the way.

Take the ingredients of corned beef hash, with a few tweaks...

    and you've got something delicious.

Recipe is here. Yum.

Fixed!

 

Or, even better:

I would laugh harder, but one of our couch cushions is fixed the same way -- with black duct tape. 

(Granddog Freya got nervous one Sunday morning, and shredded her frustration out on the couch.)

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Better. Sort of.

We're starting to come out of Whatever This Is - just really, really tired. I stayed home from church; the Brick went and covered for us. Sleep seems to be the only thing that really helps. Even then, life just seems to have this slight haze over everything. But at least we do seem to be improving.

I think it's going to be a quiet week, except for work. 

P.S. No news from Bill and Debbie yet -- I keep hoping. 

Meanwhile:

Of course, the Oscar winners -- but even more interesting, the costumes they wore.  (I'm a big fan of Michael Jordan; it's about time he was recognized for his work.)

Real men posts.. Wow.

101 Incredibly Stupid Financial Mistakes.  Hey, we can't all be smart...

Weird thrift shop finds...including an emotional support Brick! (No, it wasn't us.)

Has Alexander the Great's long-lost capital really been located?

The ghost town of Shaniko, OR is saved -- by a guy who lived there as a kid.

A strange (and intriguing) Roman carriage decoration -- found in Essex, England.

An easy cilantro lime sauce.  (Thanks, Frugal Girl!)

Jeremy Renner is being sued -- by a woman who says even if he wasn't the real scammer...he should have known better. This is one of the stranger catfish accusations I've ever seen. (Poor guy.)

Three murderers -- who did national pleas for the murders they actually caused.    Some of their "tells," if you watched those reports...fascinating.

Have a good week. Stay healthy.

Abierto/Cerrado

 ...and more updates.

Really windy -- but no snow, and none forecast for a big chunk of Colorado. So much for the "everyone's going to die in the coming Snowmaggedon" panic the media are pushing. 

Doing a little better. We get through the night with minimal coughing, and the fever only comes (and goes) when I get a bit too active. We managed to last through a singing gig (the 'Ritardando Band' at Lu's in Blanca) Thursday night, but it took a lot of energy we didn't really have. 

Working on a big deadline...when it's done, I have some smaller ones. Then can rest. 

No news on friends Bill and Debbie yet. If you live in the San Antonio, TX area, perhaps you know them. 

Life goes on.