Too Late...

 

My Band Just Signed A Recording Contract. Had Chinese Food In Celebration. This Was My Fortune.

For other celebration goofiness, go here. (Thanks, Bored Panda.)

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Back to 'Normal'

...whatever that is. 

    We're back in the fifth-wheel. Stuff is EVERYWHERE. But in between coughing fits, the Brick and I managed to get everything moved, and the house scrubbed to near-perfection. (Ask an engineer to clean, and you get sparkling results.)

     This week, I've got a few days to rest -- then appraisals to do. Friday afternoon, if you're in the Woodland Park, CO area, I'm speaking to Quilters Above the Clouds.  The subject: Crazies. 

     You're invited!

Regular visitors right now. Ruby hates them.

An American Airlines jet engine catches fire, after hitting a flock of geese. Kudos to the pilots -- who managed to land the plane intact, with no casualties.

We've started watching Signed, Sealed, Delivered, a 2013-2014 series from Hallmark. (It was cancelled after a season, when the channel changed its focus to movies, instead of series.) Four people in Denver's Dead Letter Office start investigating iportant letters that end up in their office. Other than the 'Colorado' scenes (which aren't), andfrequent Colorado references (which are usually ok, though not always on the mark. A transfer to Tincup??). The occasional hokeyness is bearable, and more than once I've had tears in my eyes. This is a show with a lot of charm, a little romance... and a few mysteries thrown in. Well worth following.

Recap of the Colorado Buffaloes first game, featuring spring snow), with Deion Sanders as their new coach. But no final score!

Wanna buy an island in Scotland, for only $190,000? (I do, but the Brick wouldn't go along with it.)

Ouch -- a bunch of very funny fails. (Funny, if they didn't happen to you, that is.)

For those Grand Rapids area Michiganders out there -- Sparta Township has a new website, and it's just jammed with history and photos. I grew up on a farm outside Sparta, but my family comes from some of the very first settlers in the early 1800s. This is VERY kewl.

'Hateful content' -- an amazing interview with Elon Musk and a BBC reporter -- moderated by JP Sears. Warning: this is going to make you uncomfortable -- but it's needed. Musk is asking some very important questions of this journalist. (Yes, sometimes it's the other way around!)

NFL and NBA athletes who went broke after retiring.

Tiling with penny tiles -- ideas for you!  And me, quite frankly. And for the purists... doing it with real pennies.

This lady just committed to living on a cruise ship for three years. I would, too... if they had better internet and didn't keep repeating the same programs over and over.

Charles Stanley died this week. He was 90. We have been listening to Stanley's sermons for literally decades, and benefitting from his common sense look at the Bible and Christianity. Franklin Graham tweeted:

Dr. Charles Stanley was a straight arrow—he stayed true to the Word of God. I challenge pastors today to do the same. If you’re true to God’s Word, He will bless you.

By the time you read this, Elizabeth Holmes should be starting her jail sentence. Which is meaaannn of the judge to impose, considering she is an active mom of two small children. And she might get Covid...another common excuse trotted out. For a while there, sentence was delayed because she was pregnant. That, unfortunately, can't be used again -- at least for a while. Oh, and everyone else in her company did something wrong -- except her. (She was resoundingly convicted by a jury, by the way. The sentence was actually increased because the judge said she showed zip remorse.)

The top ten most valuable signed objects.  At least according to Listserve. Another winner:

Ten valuable comic books found (usually accidentally) in homes.  One saved a house from foreclosure.

How to live to 109?  Drink a glass of milk and some coffee every day...and keep moving. 

How many of these "old things" do YOU remember? (I'm embarrassed to admit how many...)

  Nanuq, this feisty dog, disappeared during his family's trip. (He lives on an island east of Alaska.) He reappeared a month and 240 km later, on the other side of the Bering Strait. Somehow he'd crossed it., 

According to his family, his condition was good, except for a 'swollen leg with bite marks.' What tried to get him -- and failed?

An Indian climber survives THREE DAYS in a crevasse before being rescued from Annapurna. Wow...

Two early Roman coins were found on an uninhabited island between Sweden and Estonia. How in the world did they get to a island that shows no record of villages or inhabitants, except for some lighthouse keepers in the 19th cenutry? 

"Interestingly, during the 19th century, one of the Gotska Sandön lighthouse keepers said that he had found a Roman coin, but no one believed him. This discovery suggests that he was probably correct and that these are actually the second and third coins from the island."

Ten things you should always keep in your carryon bag...from a New Zealand flight attendant.

AI chatbots are now being documented announcing 'information' accusing public figures of all sorts of horrible crimes. Unfortunately, although their families and careers can be badly affected, it's not true. (And frankly, the chatbots know it -- if it can be said they know anything. Say it loud enough, and people listen.)

     This goes right along with the fake interview AI concocted (not conducted) with Michael Schmacher, a Formula One racer. His family is VERY angry -- and I can't blame them. The magazine, though admitting it at the end of the interview, apparently thought it would be cute. 

Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey may be brothers. Weirder things have happened!

Why McDonald's fries taste so good. 

A journal has been found on the wreck of the HMS Erebus! It's being analyzed now -- maybe we can find out more about what really happened to the Franklin Expedition.

The guy who won the auction for New York City's Flatiron Building apparently can't pay for it. Oops! (P.S. He says he still wants to keep it. I'll bet.)

'Parents should not pay their adult children's bills.' A straightforward argument -- plainly expressed.

Currant scones -- these sound tasty.  (From Mavis at One Hundred Dollars A Month) 

Pizza casserole -- also sounds delicious! 

Could you fight off four people trying to steal your car? This man did...

Twelve successful people who began life 'dirt-poor.'

Joe and Jill Biden's tax return for 2022.  Boy, 3.5% given to charity. (The Harrises gave a bit more.) Could they afford it?!? (I can be rude about this because we give at least 10% - and often a little more. Have for more than 40 years now.)

The Senate Armed Services committee gets testimony about UFOS.

An incredible photo -- taken when a whale breaches near the kayakers watching it. 

More snow predicted here in Colorado. Have a great week.

Attack Dogs

 

Put your cabbage in a safe place!

Or Text, At Least. Plus Updates.

 

Snow on the ground here as I'm writing this...and it's still snowing. We got 3 or 4 inches overnight, but I'm not griping -- Breck (Breckenridge) got 11, and Winter Park got 12. Ski fanatics will be thrilled.

A sore throat, croaky voice and on-and-off shivering (fever?) have been steady companions for the past few days. At first, I thought it was just getting used to the altitude again, but no. We've been gone the past few weeks -- on back-to-back cruises to the Caribbean! Warm weather, and far more humid than we're used to. Beautiful places. Great food. Lousy internet, which was actually a blessing -- I just closed my laptop and paid attention to other things. And we were able to spend week #1 with our dear cousins from Michigan. 

I'll tell you more about it in future posts. For now, I need to wash windows...and maybe take a nap.

Watch How You Treat New Friends --

 

"I don't care -- touch my chewbone and die."

Me, too...

 

In fact, I lost a set more than three years ago that still haven't turned up. Pathetic.

Monday (er, Tuesday) Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: Hello Again!

     What with scurrying around finishing taxes, clearing out our things from our friends' house (so they can move back in), reports and all sorts of flotsam and jetsam -- it's been a zany time. 

     More has happened...but I'll save that for future posts this week. Meanwhile, I'm back...and talking. Hope you missed our conversations. I missed you.

Meanwhile: a short list. There will be a longer one next week, as I get used to being online again. 

Cycling champion Ethan Boyes is dead -- hit by a car. 

The man who made chocolate bunnies de rigeur for Easter. (I keep thinking of the comic Sally Forth, who always eats the ears off her daughter's chocolate bunnies.)

Ten British residences with unusual literary connections.

Ten things learned about historical figures -- because a bit of their hair was saved.

Madeleine McCann is still missing -- not only did the latest claimant's DNA test show it wasn't the missing girl from so many years ago, but this woman has claimed to be three other missing girls in the past. (Gee, wouldn't that have been important to know, before taking her seriously?!?)

Ten 'fake' paintings and sculptures that now are considered genuine. Guess how the values skyrocketed on these!

Ten men who accomplished great things -- and turned out to be women, disguised as men. 

Rediscovered 1961 photos of the lost submarine, USS Thresher. We still don't know for certain why this sub went down with all hands in April 1963. (One reason the Titanic was located was that it was a cover story for Robert Ballard's search for Thresher. The sub's remains were eventually found -- some 1300 feet deep.)

Hope you're having a great week. Coloroado is doing what only it can this time of year -- ranging from soft, warm 80-degree days.... to snow! More expected the rest of this week.

Happy Easter!

    Christ is risen...

     He is risen indeed.

Taking another week off from the internet...it's been an interesting experience. You'll definitely have a Monday Stuff column from me next week -- talk to you then. 

Have a good week yourself.

Monday (er, Saturday) Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: Break-ing

     Here we are -- taxes are done, reports (mostly) done, moved out of the house, back into the fifth-wheel. 

     And we're exhausted. 

    A trip to the ER last night (for the Brick's kidney stone, thankfully now past--get it?) cemented things: it's time to step back and take a break. So you might not be hearing much from me in the next few weeks. 

     We're here -- just tired. And I will step in now and again...just not as much. 

Meanwhile:

A CNN editorial -- 'Trump's indictment answers a nearly 50-year-old question.'

"And if the nation fails to continue the long process of reestablishing the important standard of accountability, we will be perpetually trapped by the perils of an imperial presidency that holds commanders-in-chief to a different legal standard than all other Americans."

Wanna talk about the OTHER political elephant in the room? Team Biden may come to regret this...

He's lived there 45 years. And in spite of a commercial zone growing up around him, he doesn't want to move. 

Homemade mozzarella cheese?  (From Little House Living)

'Ludicrously large' things people (including governments and the military) have lost.

Does hanging pennies in a bag really keep flies away?

What's one of the kickers that defines a true DaVinci painting?

A woman sells a designer purse for $7500. (She found it for a buck online.)

How are doctors (and others) in the U.S. actually doing? An interesting survey from White Coat Investor.

Funny cat and dog names. We had a never-ending parade of farm cats that my mom took to naming after whatever author I was studying in college at the time. My favorite was "Alexander Poop," but I'm not sure "Dostoyevsky" ever came when she was called.

     After I married the Brick, we took to naming our cats after hitmen...mostly Italian ones. "Vinnie" was a sleek black manster who could take out any mouse within grabbing distance. I loved him dearly, but our Weimaraners didn't think much of him.

A dusty painting stashed behind the door 'because it was a fake' turns out to be a long-lost Breughel masterpiece.

A scientist lives underwater for 100 days -- to see what happens, especially to muscle tone. 

Paul Newman's rolexes -- found in a desk drawer by his daughter. (They're going up for auction in June -- and expected to fetch millions.)

Six highway construction workers wiped out in Maryland. Did you hear about this? It was largely missed in all the news about the Nashville school shootings.

An interview with Darlene Trappier. I won't say anything else -- you should read more of this outstanding woman.

The people in Toms River have been giving away free food since Covid -- they're up to 400 boxes a week. And helping thousands. 

'Weird foods that prove baby boomers have no taste.'  Including tuna casserole?!? (I'll agree about the aspic.)

The first eaglet of 2023 hatches in this live cam nest. I have been watching the Reeds City, CA eagles nest for weeks, hoping to see their (second) egg hatch. Sadly, it broke -- no one is sure what happened. But the eagles knew...

'Make your partner happier by being cheap.' The Brick must be thrilled!  (From Retire by 40)

Celebrities who tried to run around the IRS -- and paid for it.

The true (and sad) story of Typhoid Mary.

'Weird Secondhand Finds:' I love this quirky Facebook page on Weird Stuff People Find At Garage Sales/Thrift Shops, etc. You might, too. (They do have a strange fixation on hippos, and measure a lot of things by including a banana in the picture.)

News anchors who died tragically.

Babylon Bee 'joke' stories -- 100 of them -- that actually came true! I don't know whether to laugh or be horrified.

Two New Orleans high school students think they've proved the Pythagoras theorem, using trigonometry.  Don't ask me to prove it -- I barely made it through high school algebra.

A scrap of tartan is found -- one of Scotland's oldest, dating from the 16th century.

What Mark and Cindy Hill did with their huge lottery win. 

Have a good (coming) week. Or two.