Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Dead-Beat And Plum Tuckered Out

...but getting better. 

    Ever since we got back from our six months away, we have been dealing with some inexplicable (and occasionally frightening) safety issues.

      Having a local bear (our neighbors call him 'Ralph') stop by to rummage through the dogfood bin hasn't helped matters. He can't get anything now -- the dogfood is stashed away. But Ruby's response, suddenly wide awake and snarling, tells us he's visiting now and then. 

     Fortunately, the end seems to be near. We hope. It would be nice to get back on an even keel... and be able to sleep more peacefully.

P.S. For you hockey fans out there -- The Colorado Avalanche just won Game #2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Keep it up, guys!

Easy to say...hard to do. But worth it.

"Get off the road -- we've got places to go!" The moment when climate activists stop traffic -- and the Italian drivers start it up again. 

Say it isn't so!  Paul McCartney just turned 80!?!  Leaves this in the dust, doesn't it?

So Tim Allen didn't get to voice Buzz Lightyear in the new movie...because he's "goofier?"

Stories removed from USA Today -- 23 of them -- because the reporter "fabricated quotes." !!! (She's resigned, by the way.) 

Products you can use 'wrong' -- and work better that way! This is a long read...but well worth it.

Hey, let's have Drag Queens EVERYWHERE!  Not just story hours and field trips to gay bars...I'm thinking coffee shops, gyms, high school football games, etc. Who's with me?

Why living in the desert is wonderful. Good for you non-Westerners to understand the appeal of doing this. 

Loan a one-of-a-kind Marilyn Monroe dress to a celebrity -- expect damage. Who's going to pay for its restoration? (Update: Ripley's Believe It Or Not, who loaned the dress, says it wasn't damaged.)

President Biden's speech to the AFL-CIO: 

    Here's what the Washington Post said. 

     And here's Fox's report on same.  (Check the New York Post's take in the next link.)

And Reuter's report.

      Was this the same speech???

America's economy -- what's the reality?  (Ten examples -- try not to wince too much.)

The Seven Sisters live oak tree, at least 700 and maybe 1200 years old, is up for sale. (Okay, maybe a house, too.)

"Help me. This is not my dad." Two young girls saved by churchgoers after one mouthed these words.

Some really weird stories behind the making of the Jurassic Park films. 

Depression Era meals that might be good on your table, too.  (Granted, some are a bit strange, although dandelion salad and Wacky Cake were both standards on my grandma's menu. Many others are still staples for the average American. This is long -- but fascinating.)

A beautiful wall treatment...using inexpensive lath. 

A dozen movie fights that lasted longer than they could have. Without noble gestures or sneaky tricks, that is.

Energy Secretary Granholm's pushing for ALL of us to convert to electric vehicles. And she doesn't have a financial stake in this. Nope, unh unh...unless you count the $1.6 million she invested in the industry. 

Will Ferrell and Chad Smith in a very funny drum-off. More cowbell, please!

Ten incredibly valuable treasures found.  Plus:

Ten incredibly valuable treasures found -- in the ocean!

Three Oscar-winners who rejected their awards.

Korean ground beef. No fancy ingredients, either... I found this, thanks to My Tireless Retirement.

Pressure-canning beef stew. Send a jar to me! (Colorado's high altitudes mess with canning -- pressure canning is necessary, because you have to boil far too long with a conventional canner. My problem: I'm scared to death of pressure cookers.)

A 92-year-old record for weather was broken in Colorado -- for heat. Oh goody.

Making a too-tight shirt more comfortable. Hmmm...

How about a stock tank for a swimming pool?  I'm using a version of this for my new soaking pool.

Ten ancient buildings -- still in use today! 

Ten places that still show what happened there. 

"Whites don't shoot whites." But that's not the FULL quote of the shooter at a Louisville, KY Kroger grocery store -- and why he said it. (This is one of the issues I mentioned in my recent FB statement, Gentle Readers. The full quote is considerably different than the partial one, especially when you realize who it was directed at, and why!)

Fifty of Hollywood's worst performances -- at least according to this post. (Hey, I liked Kevin Costner's Robin Hood. Russell Crowe singing in Les Miserables, too.)

"Firework" walkway lamps -- these are surprisingly clever, using, of all things, pool noodles!

A collector files an official complaint -- his newly-purchased Egyptian "Fayum" portrait is a fake. (Turns out several other entities, including the Louvre, were similarly taken in.)

Ironically, this looks a bit like the Brick.

Items from Siegfried and Roy's collection, recently sold at auction. Lots of tiger memorabilia.

Results from the auction of Hubert Givenchy's collection are here.   (The results were hardly chump change -- more than $86 million.)

A dog set his home on fire...by turning on the stove? Yep.

Ten college scandals. And they're not pretty ones, either.

This year's quilt Shop Hop in Colorado -- let's go!

So Tom Hanks thinks the Da Vinci Code movies he did were a lot of "hooey?" Hmmm....

Why Dave Thomas named his burger chain after his daughter -- and regretted it later.

Pesto mozzarella rollups.  (Think taquitos, but with flour tortillas.) There's a pizza version, too. 

Have a great week. Stay safe.