Now, That's A Bathtub!!!

 

Yes, it's AI... but boy, is it gorgeous.

Monday (er, Tuesday) Stuff on the way to Other Stuff: VOTE!!!!

      Has it been seven-plus days since the last Monday post??

      I was at the elections office every day last week -- and had something going every evening, thanks to work, supper with friends...and a houseful of hunters that descended from Thursday through last night. Two friends will be here all week, and a third friend is coming back Thursday night. 

      I gratefully got today off, and only have to work two more days this week. (We won't talk about next Monday and Election Day -- it's going to be zany.) The Brick is having a sort-of wonderful time trudging around the hills. He got a shot off at a nice bull elk yesterday -- but the elk won. Maybe today...maybe later this week!

Life is going to stay like this for a while. But I'm grateful for today at home. 

A special note:  PLEASE TAKE TIME TO VOTE!  This election is so important.

Meanwhile:

A small dog adopts a runner in the Gobi -- and magic happens. 

Surviving -- and thriving -- on twelve thousand $$ a year. A classic from Donna Freedman's Surviving and Thriving.

Another Freedman classic: the wayward bus.

The Colonial Knight black 'marble' gravestone in Jamestown reveals some 400-year-old secrets. 

A hundred freezer meals in 5 hours?  Yes, if you use this classic from One Hundred Dollars A Month.

'Some surprising things I've learned, in 20 years of investing.'  (From the white Coat Investor)

And to top it all off -- Ray Steven's commentary on the Obama budget plan.. An oldie, but still-applicable goodie. Enjoy.

Have a great week. 

Americans, be sure to take time to cast your ballot!

A Fitting Dilemma...

 

Thanks, Bill Whitehead. You silly man.

Something's Fishy Here...

 The star whale shark of a Chinese aquarium, newly reopened after a year of remodeling...

      Is a fake.

The aquarium was found out when divers were noticed fixing up the tubes for the robot. Hmmm..

.

Monday Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: The Artsy Fartsy Version

     A BIG batch of appraisal reports just went out -- and the garage door works again. The Brick finished installing the spring just before a huge series of rainstorms hit us. Yes, rain -- our friends got up to a foot of wet, sticky snow. The Blancas were covered, too. But we just got ice -- and rain.

Ah well. It will come soon enough.

     Election work starts tomorrow. Our hunting friends start coming in on Friday. It's going to be a busy week. 

The Mama's Michigan farm -- just before a fall rainstorm

Meanwhile: My latest batch (mostly) of artsy stuff. One of the requirements at now-Cornerstone College in Grand Rapids was a class called 'Fine Arts.' I actually kind of enjoyed it...but it was definitely wacky, to the point fellow students called it 'Fine Farts.' Oh, the genius of college kids, huh... they would also submit papers that started and ended normally, but included everything from baseball scores to recipes in the middle. Our professor had a reputation for not reading all the way through class assignments.

     A student asked him about this once. His response: "They're only hurting themselves." And you know what? He was right!!

The Sahara has flooded in spots!  That causes a lot of extra green...but problems,

The Halloween version of Things I Don't Understand -- run again just for you, Gentle Readers.

Gustaf Klimt's obsession with gold.

A widely-known art advisor, Lisa Schiff, pleads guilty to wire fraud -- 6.5 MILLION. Her basic defense: she was bad, knew it was wrong, and she's sorry. But she led a very luxurious life (on other people's money) for quite some years.

A long-lost famous artist's mural from a Howard Johnson's restaurant is recovered, after 50 years. 

Lafayette's Revolutionary War sword is donated to a museum -- the general originally gave it to a regular soldier, who used it as a crutch to walk home. Really.  Fortunately, the family kept it.

Dick Cavett and Robin Williams doing their own (very funny)  version of a Shakespeare play. 

Have a great week. Don't forget to vote.

Welcome Home

More than one mom has arrived from a plane trip, to this...

"Commando," I think it's called...

There's A Storm Coming!

     My Hollander dad was greatly amused every time I announced I could see dark, angry clouds over the mountains. Almost without exception, that meant the storm would hit our neighborhood within the next hour. 

(That's one benefit of living by the mountains.)

     Dad lived on a Michigan farm with very little visibility beyond a mile or so. (All those trees!) He thought this was hilarious. After a while, he'd announce, in his low, rumbly voice, when I mentioned clouds...

"There's a stormmmmm commming!"

Well, Pa -- there is. 

We got a lot of rain, ice and wind last night. The Brick has been in Castle Rock, getting the truck repaired before hunting starts: ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. And change. He's on his way home -- and the clouds are building. Tonight's storm is supposed to be even worse. Last night's was bad enough, with thunder and lightning, that even the dogs looked alarmed.

\

 

And I don't feel so good - woke up with a headache and sore throat that's been brewing. (I know. Gripe, moan, complain.)

     I'll get a hot shower, build up the fire, keep working on reports -- and wait for the Brick to get home. Hopefully, he'll make it before the Really Bad Stuff begins.

Hurry home, Sweet Baby!

Selfies

 

It Rocks

 

...And Whaddya Get...

 

This One's For the Brick...

 

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: More of Same

     I wish I could tell you we're doing something exciting -- but we're not. 

     On the other hand, we're finishing up the current batch of jobs, and getting ready to start new ones:  hunting (for the Brick) and elections (for me). So I guess that's something. Meanwhile, the Brick just has a corner four rows on the roof -- and I have a few reports that need final touches. Then it's on to a quilt restoration, plus two longer reports.

     It feels nice to be making progress.

Meanwhile:

Really clever clothing mends -- great ideas here.

Fifty - actually, 80, if you click on the link -- weird facts.  One strange example -- gorillas have learned hundreds of words...but so far, at least, never have asked a question.

A time slip -- to see your grandpa at a younger age? Check out this intriguing story. 

Did you ever see The Ghost and the Darkness? This Michael Douglas African hunter movie covered the real story of two man-eating lions that terrorized villages and railroad crews. The real hunter eventually killed both, and sold them to a museum.

    Now hairs caught in the lions' teeth are being analyzed. Scientists know their prey...besides humans, that is... and a bunch of other discoveries. For one thing: they may have been brothers! 

------------------------------------

Weird stuff from recent hurricanes:

Disneyland sells food 'rescue kits:'  jam, peanut butter and bread for $10! Ummm...

A man wraps his Corvette in plastic -- and gets made fun of for it. But guess what comes out pristine after Milton is over...

The Coast Guard rescues a man out in the ocean, hanging onto a cooler.

A wedding ring, lost for nearly a decade. resurfaces in a yard after the rain stops.

-------------------------

Why J.D. Vance looked at the camera during the debate -- turns out he wasn't. He was watching the timer -- and his wife's face, to see how he was doing. 

Martha Stewart admits to having an affair while her husband was doing the same thing -- 'but it's okay, because Andy never knew about it.' 

A feast from the days of King Midas, recreated from items found in his dad's tomb. (But no gold!)

An easy and less-caustic homemade toilet bowl cleaner.

Tuna melt tostadas -- fast and surprisingly good.

The story of the Hoxne Hoard - the largest collection of Roman artifacts ever found in Great Britain. (Plus links to other interesting treasures.)

A megladon tooth -- found by a 9-year-old on a Maryland beach!

Twenty 'awkward moments' from the tv series Finding Your Roots:

This time, the Colorado Supreme Court shuts down a lawsuit against the Denver baker who refused to make a 'trans' celebration cake. (There's a lot more to this story than the headline.)

Apple pie filling.  Donna Freedman says it's incredible, canned or not. (From Surviving and Thriving)

Have a great week. Why not go out and dance in some leaves, before they all crumble?

An Interesting Halloween Tale For You

 

Great story, huh?

Odds are, though, that it's a fake.

Go figure...

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

 To our friends Up North -- 

Have a great day. 

(For more about this holiday, go here.)

My Article's Up on Money Diaries!

 If you ever wanted to know more about yours truly and her family... here's your chance. 

It just posted today on Refinery 29's Money Diaries -- an interesting 7-day experiment on how you spend your money...and why.  Go here for more. 

They're Probably Not Heading to Florida...

 

Ahhhh...

 

Creede, CO.

The fall leaves are fading here...kind of sad.

We're both fighting off some kind of (flu? strep throat?) while working on fall chores and reports. It's steadily getting cooler here, but no frost -- yet. 

Makes Sense to Me...

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Hanging In There

    All this election drama makes it tough, doesn't it? Thinking about the many people struggling with hurricane damage makes it even worse.

    We stayed home...sort of. That's about it. The Brick worked on the roof (nearly done now!), replaced a headlight on the truck, started on replacing the garage door springs...and got music ready for Worship Team. (He led on Sunday - which is a lot more difficult than just following the leader.) He has one more week to do this. 

      I put away more bags and Stuff; made bread, cinnamon rolls and apple crisp; washed clothes; scrubbed and rinsed a large rug (8 1/2 x 12) that the kids gave us; worked on reports and sang on Worship Team. I also went to elections training -- got there, and found out it had been cancelled. So I came home. 

     Exciting, huh...more of same for the next week or so.

Meanwhile:

'Havest Home:' what Donna's been up to in Alaska this summer.  (From Surviving and Thriving)

A classic from Harvest Lane Cottage:  surviving the winter without adequate heat.  (Yes, cold weather's coming.)

A family is proudly displaying an 1888 note they found, written on a shingle. (They were renovating their Cohasset, MA home:)

“I was discharged from work on this house by McBride the Bulldog for being drunk only once, when he is drunk all the time. Carpenter Smith, Plymouth March 27, 1888,” the note reads. (Yes, the family found records on both men!)

Why retiring early is better than retiring rich.  (Thanks, Financial Samurai)

Who's in charge when Minnesota departments mess up -- and scandals ensue! (P.S. CNN authored this report.)

Very funny overheard conversations from New Yawkuhs.

Is this tree, grown from a 1,000-year-old seed, the famous "balm in Gilead?"

Did you know that Kris Kristofferson and Janis Joplin had a thing for each other?  Me neither.

Best dumpster finds -- and there's a lot of them.

"I'm here to earn money, not spend it." Right on, Kristin! And Katy, too...  (From The Frugal Girl)

Hungarian dumplings.  Oooh, these look good. Plus goulash to put them on. (From The Kitched Magpie)

A woman out for a walk stumbles onto more than 2,000 medieval era coins. Wow...

Unexplained mysteries -- in everyday people's lives.

Our first frost might be this week. We'll see... 

Have a great one. 

One Year Later -- 97 People Are STILL Hostages

 Pro-Palestine protestors, what do you have to say to this??

Do you have enough respect for these individuals to at least read down through the list?

33 are confirmed dead; their bodies are still being held. (Why??) This number doesn't even count the estimated 1200 Israelis slaughtered by the Oct. 7 attack last year.

64 of the hostages are thought to still be alive. 

Here's just one: Emily Dameri. 

She was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

BRING THEM HOME.

Wow...

 “August 8, 1982. - A line drive foul ball hits a four-year-old boy in the head at Fenway. Jim Rice, realizing in a flash that it would take EMTs too long to arrive and cut through the crowd, sprang from the dugout and scooped up the boy.

He laid the boy gently on the dugout floor, where the Red Sox medical team began to treat him.

When the boy reached the hospital 30 minutes later, doctors affirmed that Jim's quick actions unquestionably saved the boy's life.

Jim returned to the game in a blood-stained uniform. A real badge of courage.

After visiting the boy in the hospital and realizing the family was modest means, he stopped by the business office and instructed that the bill be sent to him.

This is what a sports hero looks like!”

For more on Jim Rice, go here. A long-time member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

(Shared on Quora...so glad they did.)

Don't We All Feel This Way Sometimes...

 

Okayyyy....

 

Please Tell Me You Watched This...

 If you didn't, you should.

The Vice Presidential debate between J.D. Vance and Tim Walz was fascinating. I kept thinking of the phrase "Come, let us reason together." 

It's going to take a while... but it's worth it. Yes, I have an opinion on this -- but it's very obvious, without my having to say a word.

Take That, You Squeaker!!

 Several of our family dogs Would Not Rest until the squeaker was silent. Clearly we're not the only ones dealing with this:

Potato, Patata...

 I just bumbled onto something delicious. 

It's kind of a Spanish potato omelet (Tortilla de Patatas).... and kind of a smothered dish. Best of all, it used up leftover french fries from our recent trips to Red Robin!

I also thought of one of Elvis's favorite dishes: french fries smothered in gravy. In Colorado, it would have been green chili, instead. But neither of us likes mushy, soggy fries. 

So here's what I did.

FORT GARLAND FRY(S)

leftover french fries, cut in small pieces

       (this should also work for small chunks of cooked potato. Plan for 1 1/2 potatoes per person)

small can of green chilis

1 green onion, chopped (or 1/2 regular onion, minced)

1-2 slices bacon, chopped fine (I also threw in half a hamburger pattie)

garlic  (or add other spices, like taco seasoning, cumin, etc. if you want)

1/2 cup each mozzarella and cheddar cheese

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Spread your fries or potatoes out in a casserole dish. Arrange the other ingredients on top, sprinkling with garlic and/or other spices, ending with the cheeses. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 min. Eat hot, topped with salsa, if you've got it. Or not. Serves 2-4, depending on how many fries or potatoes you used.

The Brick sampled the crusty, crunchy results, and said, "This is good! From leftovers??" Pretty much! 

     Takes care of old potatoes, too...so this doesn't happen: