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What I Heard This Week 08-29-2024

What I Heard This Week August 28, 2024

   

Oh, NO! This thing you are reading right now is our last publication! I have so much more information and so many stories left that I haven’t had time to tell you. The top of my desk is still FULL of notes, sections of newspapers, all with great ideas…just in case there was a struggle to pull together something really interesting for you to read each week. It just doesn’t seem fair that now I’m going to have the time to tell you, but… oh, well. Kay always said “It is what it is.”
Today, I am going to give you tiny bits of information from some of these ideas, so you can pull up the rest of the story if you think it might interest you.

Drinking tea daily may reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by 47 percent. Autopia, part of Walt Disney’s Tomorrowland where young kids are able to experience driving for the first time, says that the polluting gasoline motors are on their way out and either electric or hybrids are on their way in. Yep, clean energy and sustainability at Tomorrowland. (If you have ever been in line there, you know the gasoline fumes are pretty stinky.) Arion Press is one of the worlds’ great printing centers, located in San Francisco, the last vertically integrated printing facility in the U.S. to make books entirely by hand, from start to finish, under one roof. Everything that is printed in their books was from a piece of metal they cast on-site. A collector’s treasure. DreamWorks Land is open at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida…splash in Shrek’s Swamp, scream loud on the Trolls Trollercoaster, learn new moves with Kung Fu Panda’s Po. OK, there is more but I’m out of time. You can figure it out.

Did you know that in order to study diseases, scientists grow human brain cells in rats? Dolly Parton has a new four-lipstick collection called Jolene Red, Honey Plum, Rosebud, and Birthday Suit. Hmmm. Mattel has a new line of dolls inspired by Wicked (the movie comes out 11/22/24.) There will be Ariana Grande’s Glinda, Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Marissa Bode’s Nessarose.

Have you ever sat down with a bunch of friends and suddenly everyone is talking about their aches and pains? I read in a magazine that is called and an “Organ Recital.” Love it. I’m repeating it.

The caretakers of the Alamo want/need to replace the century-old concrete roof which is deteriorating on the 300-year-old structure. If it happens, they plan to build a giant hangar-like shelter around the Alamo with complicated scaffolding at all levels, then the site would be closed to visitors for over two years to do the work. The existing concrete roof, which is up to five inches thick in places, is full of corrosion in its steel rebar. The Daughters of the Republic installed the existing roof in 1920, the U.S. Army had installed a gabled wooden roof in 1851. Architect George Skarmeas who has studied the Alamo Church in detail, has warned that efforts to save the church, “may have some of the greatest complications of any project in the world.” Hmmm.

When my kids were growing up, we had museum day – all three of us picked a museum to visit on a Saturday. (We had grocery store days, too) Think Children’s Museum, Space Center, Museum of Fine Arts, Art Car Museum, The Health Museum, the list is endless. Did you know that there is a Funeral History Museum (very nice and not morbid at all), a printing museum (very interesting for ME and older kids), the Holocaust Museum (so important that we let our children know the story), and now I just read about the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office History Museum.  It includes several patrol cars, a motorcycle, and donated memorabilia from collectors. Every little (or big) boy’s dream. 2359 Holloman in Conroe near the sheriff’s office administration building. Tues/Thurs 10am to 4pm.

Totus porcus aut nihil is a classical Latin phrase for “All or Nothing…”

It was my mother’s 89th birthday. Because my car has some age, I rent a car when I go to see her, because I know you don’t want me calling you to come save me on the side of the road. So, I went to rent my car. We are sorry but you can’t rent a car because your license expired 20-something days ago ON YOUR BIRTHDAY. Yikes. I remember receiving a letter but that was in February or so, and that was way too early. I take care of things when they catch on fire. I told the car rental that I would be right back. Yes, I ran to get that new license. Now, I might mention at this point that because of a minor emergency at the office, I had left the house that morning without any make-up or doing my hair, I had on jeans and a favorite t-shirt that I wear to work in the yard that has a permanent stain on it, and flip-flops… BUT I WAS WILLING TO HAVE MY DRIVERS LICENSE PICTURE TAKEN AT THAT EXACT MOMENT, A PICTURE THAT WOULD BE IN MY WALLET FOR SHOW AND TELL FOR THE NEXT EIGHT YEARS. I found the new DPS location in Angleton, and jumped right into line. Whoops. No appointment…no service. Plus you must bring your birth certificate this time. Sigh. I was pretty pouty when I left. I went back to my office to look for my birth certificate but I couldn’t find the keys to the fire safe. Of course. So I got online and ordered a copy of the birth certificate ($22) plus $16 extra for Express Mail… only to be told at the end of the ordering process that processing could take 20 days. ☹ So much for Express Mail. The next morning I went to the East Annex and received a copy of my birth certificate ($23) that spelled my mother’s name wrong. Sigh. I headed right back to DPS with three magazines, my phone and my giant water cup, telling them that I was willing to sit on the floor and wait until someone missed their appointment And I had washed my hair. No go! But I believe they enjoyed my enthusiasm and confidence… at least I think that’s what they were whispering about. I finally have an appointment this week and I’m going with a friend that also forgot that it was her DPS time. My sister, whose birthday is a few days after mine, was able to do hers online, since she also forgot. I guess this is my purpose in life right now – to set a good example for others… is your license getting ready to expire? I care.

This was the title of a magazine article I saved: Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Funny. I just love this title.

The Purple Rain house in Minneapolis is really nothing special to look at unless you are a Prince fan. It’s the house where Prince filmed part of the 1984 movie and wrote the soundtrack. It is quite a tourist attraction and is supposedly still owned by the late musician’s estate. It is now listed as a Special Experimental Stay on Airbnb, called an ICON, extraordinary experiences from the world’s greatest icons… which includes 11 listings requiring an application, and a random lottery pick. The first Icons included a house suspended by 8,000 balloons, one of Disney and Pixar’s most iconic homes called The UP House located in New Mexico, a night at the Ferrari Museum in a bed made from the same leather as Ferrari seats, located in Maranello, Italy, a re-creation of X-Men ’97 X-Mansion in Westchester NY, a Secret Speakeasy Chill Session and live stand-up with Kevin Hart, A Living Room Session with Doja Cat, and more, including Core Memories with Inside Out 2 with an overnight stay at Headquarters, the control center of Riley’s emotions. (I think some of these occasions may have already happened so there’s sure to be new ones added.)

Climate change is no longer some far-off problem; it is happening here; it is happening now. – Barack Obama

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Guitarist David Marks of The Beach Boys is 76. Drummer Debbi Peterson of The Bangles is 63. Actor Barbara Eden is 93. I Dream of Jeannie. Country singer Rex Allen Jr. is 77. Lonely Street. Singer Linda Thompson of Elvis fame is 77. Fiddler-singer Woody Paul of Riders in the Sky is 75. Singer-actor Rick Springfield is 75. Jessie’s Girl. Guitarist Mason Williams is 86. Classical Gas. Actor Ann Archer is 77. Fatal Attraction. Actor Rupert Grint of Harry Potter is 36. Actor Kim Cattrall of Sex and the City is 68. Actor Loni Anderson is 79. WKRP in Cincinnati.

Actor Erika Slezak is 78. Victoria Lord on One Life to Live from 1971 through the finale in 2012. Rock singer Rick Derringer is 77. Hang On Sloopy. In 1965, the song knocked “Yesterday” by the Beatles out of the Number One spot. Actor singer Maureen McCormick is 68. Singer Jackie DeShannon is 83. What the World Needs Now Is Love, Put a Little Love in Your Heart. Bette Davis Eyes won the 1982 Grammy for Song of the Year. Her songs have also been performed by the Byrds, Ella Fitzgerald, Al Green, Annie Lennox, Van Morrison, Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, and dozens of other artists.

A recent obituary noted that the deceased Houston attorney always believed there was good in everyone, saying, “You can be a buzzard or a bee: you can look for the rotten in life, or you can look for the flowers and honey; and you will find what you look for.” I liked that.

There are MANY different blood types … A, B, 0 and AB, plus so many more that the average person has probably never ever heard of. Scientists recently discovered an extremely rare new blood group called Er, the result of an interaction between two existing blood groups… and if I could understand it, I would tell you all about it… but I can’t.

Have you seen the new video of the Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga duet, Die with a Smile. It’s a pretty nice little love song from two of the greatest voices. Putting those voices together made magic. I just listened to it over and over again while I was working on this column. You can pull it up on your phone. It’s really nice.

Word of the Moment: Demure… meaning reserved, modest, coy or shy (typically used of a woman). Supposedly it’s now a social media trend that means cutesy, clean and mindful, not messy or loud. Which is the opposite of most of our world. Hope it catches on… intended as a compliment word.

First it was the 40-oz. supersize Stanley Quencher Tumbler flying off the shelves during 2022 and on into the holiday season of 2024. They retailed for $45 IF you could find one. It was released in crazy new colors, and everyone had to have at least one. Sorry, Yeti. Remember Beanie Babies. Now Buc-ee’s shoppers are going crazy over their new glow in the dark Halloween Yukon tumblers in 32 or 40-oz. Such a one-of-a-kind gift idea. Demand is high. I mean really high. They’re big re-sale items, which means is if you have money, you can find one. If that’s not your thing, then they have plenty more Halloween merchandise just waiting for your debit card.

Thank you to Janette at Animal Control, for sending pictures of Teller when he was still on the streets. Just looking at my poor baby with all the missing fur, especially his naked tail, made me sad… and happy. He is just the best… and so are you, Janette. Thank you for the love.

Aren’t security cameras great! Two suspected arsonists in Bakersfield, California, set themselves on fire attempting to burn down an immigration center. In Australia, the same thing happened to a beautiful barber shop. They shattered the glass, entered the shop, poured accelerant all over everything including their clothes and hands, then lit it. In Canada, two men smashed a window then hurled something into the building, there was an explosion, and they ran away with at least one foot on fire, as the guy’s mask fell off. Darn. Then, that led me to a video of a man that set himself on fire while trying to burn down his ex-wife’s home with her and their kids inside. Karma. I wondered if a woman would ever be so messy that she would do the same thing. Hmmm.

SPCA is celebrating 50 years of love and care in our county. The Julie Baron Memorial Fur Ball will be held October 24, 2024. I’m telling you now because I won’t be back to remind you, so go put it on your calendar right now. For more information:  renee@spca.org  The kitties and the puppies need you to be there. Please spay and neuter ALL your pets, so these great folks don’t have to work so hard with so little. BACH… Brazoria County Association for Children’s Habilitation needs your help so they can continue providing ongoing life changing services. A little bit goes a long way in a child’s life. ashleyf@bacheci.org or 979-849-2447.

As I am cleaning out my office, I am also trying to read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. How to free yourself from a lifetime of clutter…or in my words, get rid of your stuff before you die because they’re going to throw it all away, anyway. At least this way, it can be my idea. I’m going to miss this.

The Source Weekly isn’t (wasn’t) just a newspaper. We also tried to provide education, convenience, affordability, and love. Over the years (25 years in case you forgot), we produced many different ideas to share with our friends and customers; thousands of different bookmarkers for the schools, several years of laminated maps of downtown LJ with all the businesses and phone numbers because downtown is so darned confusing for people. We used the heck out of those maps, handing them out to all the downtown merchants so they could keep them on their counters. We used one of our old maps just today to help a man find his way. There were yearly calendars honoring local artists that we passed out to customers and the Art League. Those were fun. A Prayer for Our Nation bookmarkers National Day of Prayer. We always handed out flags on 4th of July, Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day. After I recovered from my breast cancer diagnosis, I started painting pink ribbons downtown, then donated the money to The Mermaid Project. Eventually we used cling-on ribbons (easier) and if I remember right, over the years we were able to donate over $12,000 so women without insurance could afford a mammogram. The downtown car show with State Farm where we raised over $4000 for the Military Moms and Wives of Brazoria County, thanks to Debra and Karla. Santa at the Gazebo with State Farm, PCCare, and other fabulous, caring neighbors… the trolley rides, games and a night of family fun. Coloring contests on Halloween and Thanksgiving. Paint a nutcracker at Christmas or Build-a-Snowman contest. Koozies. Jumping Beans. They made a lot of noise in the back of the office. Personalized Fortune Cookies for the Chinese New Year. The LJ Enchanted Oak Witness to History contest. We ordered thousands of paper covered hangers with our logo on them, then handed them out to all the dry cleaners in town. We won $75 for that idea at conference. Seed packets in the spring… Forget-Me-Nots. Listen, when we had money, we had fun and shared it with the community.

Oh, and have I mentioned how many First Place awards we won for years and years with The Community Newspaper Association… we won them all, each year. We were so proud!

This is where I’m going to get in trouble, naming names, because there are too many to remember, but know you are always in my heart. Thanks to every employee through the years that allowed me to raise my children at the office. Gage was two and I was three months pregnant the day we started. Anne-Elisabeth was born Thursday after the paper came out, then the following Tuesday, the two of us were back at work. I believe my kids became the wonderful adults that they are, because the village we called this office, with so many positive role models that helped raise them to adulthood. Even when Gage would call the office and pretend to be someone from a foreign land… Connie still loved him. I can still hear her when she figured it out saying, ‘Oh, GAGE BAKER.” The discipline, care and love that everyone gave them, the attention that they were provided when they were required to ask everyone in the office, “How is your day going?” on their way in from school each day. It helped teach them to be good people, to care for others, and to listen. Thanks everyone for allowing this office to adopt Teller the Wonder Dog who has come to work here every day since his adoption. It provided a way to socialize him after abuse on the streets. Thank you all for knowing this was a small “family” business and not a corporation. Thanks to Kevin for believing in me at that time. He came home one evening, said that The Bargains had closed, and I said very naively, “Well, I could do that!” And The Bargain Source was born. Beth Corbett for spending the night under the folding table with me as we struggled to go from a cut-and-paste newspaper world to everything done on a computer. We WOULD NOT have made it without her. Helen (1999) who brought years of newspaper experience to the table. She sold outside, did reports, kept up with it all and still went home on time. Amazing. Lucinda for sharing the bathroom with Gage while I was potty-training him. Gage thought everyone should talk to him while he was on the job.  Accountant Martha, and Lena; they keep me honest. Tom, for making sure that no napping babies were left behind in case of fire when I scooted off to meetings or to customers. Many thanks to the people (almost everyone) that came to work here and didn’t leave until they were ready to retire.  Tina (1999)  arrived, then encouraged her sister Connie (2007), to come play with us. Both ladies are still here and such an important part of this family. Kay started in 2003, then her daughter, Ashley, came to work in 2010. Ashley got married and then our office baby, Lydia, arrived in 2015. Thank you Ashley for making us an office baby of our very own. Three generations, and we desperately NEEDED a baby here at the office. “Hou-Bobby” Payne (1999), a part-time magician who showed us a new trick every Wednesday afternoon while the paper cooked, before we rushed to Texas City for printing. Red was one of our first delivery people in 1999 along with his daughter Novellia, then another daughter, Losha (2004) joined delivery, and over the years, Losha’s daughters, and now her granddaughters help her deliver. That’s 4 generations. Hailey joined our delivery when she first moved to town and is now doing most of our routes. Noel, our delivery driver and friend that brings all the newspapers to us on Wednesday afternoon. Blue Star Printing in Houston along with Ana.  Laura, Dawn, Janice, Michelle, Patricia, Deborah, Rachelle, Troy, Cindy B., Cole & Kayla, Cathy, Bonnie, Cindy S., Grady, Kelly, Nancy, Lisa B., Tommy, Sara, Sandra, Pam (2017), Hailey (2018), Thomas (2019). All of our downtown neighbors and friends that we see almost every day on walks or to pick up the mail, who always have time for a chat or a dog treat. Thank you all.

Customers… you’re all our favorites… but Wally Johnson and Ralph O’Henley, both newspaper men for years and years, read The Source letter-by-letter, paragraph by paragraph, each week. Mark, for his Thursday morning calls adding fun information. Hayman, with God and his garden as his witness, made sure we never went hungry. Mr. Corder, you’re the best!

I should have done this sooner, but emotionally I wasn’t ready to leave people that have been with me and been so good to me… for so many years… without a job. But it’s time to call it quits. Hurricanes, freezing storms, Covid… they have taken their toll. We are so appreciative and grateful for your business and your loyalty.  Thank You for supporting us the past 25 years and seven months!

With Lots of Love, Connie, Tina, Ashley, Hailey, Pam, Thomas, Losha, Hailey, Lisa and Teller.

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 08-22-2024

What I Heard This Week August 21, 2024

   

In case you didn’t read this column last week, I’ll bring you up to date. The Source Weekly will publish our last paper on August 29th, 2024. It just couldn’t be helped. It’s just time. Some responses from our dedicated advertisers and readers have imagined and are kindly blaming many things on our closing. Like blaming the postage stamp for losing the Pony Express. Things just change. If we need to blame something, blame Facebook, bad weather… 3 winter power outages, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Beryl, definitely COVID, the rising costs of insurance because of ALL the bad weather… it’s just a different world with different people and different needs now than 25-years ago… Oh, and in answer to your questions… no, it is not health related, but I love you all for your concerns and questions. No, I am not marrying my ex-husband, or anyone’s ex-husband. Connie is not running off with the rodeo. Tina is not joining a rock-and-roll band… yet. Your sweet and kind messages, cards, emails and responses have made us feel so loved and needed. We are suggesting that you call The Facts or The Bulletin or any publication for your advertising needs. I’m sure they will take good care of you. But, thank you for loving us. If you want to see what kind of changes we have had in our world in the past 25 years… read on.

Have you ever wanted to know what was happening in our world on a certain date, like a birthday or anniversary? Go to Dmarie.com. Then find Time Capsule, and enter the date you are interested in. Then go to Quick Page and see what was actually happening back when. The following is just a taste of what was going on when The Source Weekly was first published back in 1999…

U.S. President: Bill Clinton
Vice-President: Al Gore
Best Picture: Shakespeare in Love
Best Actor: Roberto Benigni for Life is Beautiful
Best Actress: Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love
TV Shows: The Simpsons, ER, Survivor, Frasier, Friends, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The X-Files, The Sopranos
Hot New Toys: Moon Walk Shoes, Baby Furby, Pokémon Gameboy Game, Electronic Elmo
Average Loaf of Bread: $1.99 ($2.50 today)
Average Gallon Milk: $2.87 ($3.96 today)
Average Dozen Eggs: $1.22 ($4.25 today because of a widespread outbreak of H5N1, a highly transmissible and fatal strain of avian influenza, or bird flu. The outbreak started in early 2022 and has grown into the largest bird flu outbreak in U.S. history.)
Average New Car Price: $20,686 (according to Kelley Blue Book, $48,008 today)
Average Gasoline: $1.22/gal (averaging $3 per gallon today)
Average price of a Home: $195,800 ($395,000 today)
Stamps: 33 cents each (73 cents today – we should have stocked up when the Forever stamp came out in 2007 for 41 cents)
Minimum Wage: $5.15/hr. (today $7.25/hr.)
Dow Average: 10,481 (2024 average so far is unbelievable 40,834.97 today as I write this)

Things change…RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Computer scientist and Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak is 74. Wrestler actor Hulk Hogan is 71. Actor Robert Redford is 88. Actor Edward Norton is 55. Actor Jill St. John is 84. Singer Billy J. Kramer is 81. Country singer-songwriter Eddy Raven is 80. Singer Ian Gillan of Deep Purple is 79. Actor Gerald McRaney is 77. Bassist John Deacon of Queen is 73. Actor Peter Gallagher is 69. Actor Adam Arkin is 68. Singer-songwriter Gary Chapman is 67. Actor John Stamos is 61. News anchor Connie Chung is 78. Singer Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin is 76. Singer Rudy Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers is 72. Singer-songwriter John Hiatt is 72. Actor-director Peter Horton of thirtysomething is 71. Today show weatherman Al Roker is 70.

THE pioneer of daytime TV talk show hosting, Phil Donahue, died at 88, after a long illness. He was married for 44 years to actress Marlo Thomas, best known for That Girl. Donahue hosted his influential talk show from 1967 to 1996, which incorporated participation from the studio audience, something not really done often at the time. Oprah Winfrey has said that while Donahue “may not have invented talking to people on television, he just did it better than anyone who came before him,” and “all of us who came after Phil Donahue owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude.”

Maria Branyas Morera, living in Spain but born in the U.S., who lived through two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, the 1918 flu pandemic and the COVID pandemic, has died at 117. Guinness World Records had officially acknowledged her status as the world’s oldest person.

Elvis died 47 years ago. Do you remember what you were doing when you heard? I was working a telephone switchboard at Forrest Chevrolet & Cadillac in Cleburne, Texas. Elvis was 42 when he died.

Wallace “Wally” Amos, of the Famous Amos cookie empire, died from complications of dementia at home in Hawaii at 88. He founded the world’s first cookie store on Sunset Boulevard in LA in 1975. In his store, he had a reading room and spent Saturdays sitting on a rocking chair, wearing a watermelon hat and reading to children. He eventually lost ownership of the company as well as the right to use the Amos name. Amos once said the Famous Amos cookies sold today are unlike his cookies, which had lots of chocolate, real butter and pure vanilla extract. “You can’t compare a machine-made cookie with a handmade cookie,” he said. “It’s like comparing a Rolls Royce with a Volkswagen.”

As of today, Tuesday August 20th, 2024, I have rewritten this paragraph three times because the information has changed every day. Look up VolcanoesAndEarthquakes.com/region/Texas. In the past few weeks, at least 103 earthquakes have rattled Scurry County in West Texas. The last two were 4.9 and 5.0 quakes. So strong that it was felt all the way to Oklahoma and New Mexico. In a week. You should look it up because I won’t be here to tell you all about it. One man said he had just fed his horses, sat down in his Lazy-Boy recliner and it turned the whole chair over.

Snoop Dogg has a very large handbag collection, and said this, “I’m not gonna call it a man purse, ‘cause it ain’t. I got less than a thousand, more than five hundred.” Hmmm. Maybe when some people smoke, they snack…maybe Snoop gets online and shops for handbags.

MTV.com is officially gone. Home Depot is having a Halfway-to-Halloween Sale. Pumpkin Pie Spice everything is here… already. They are calling it Aug-tober. The almost 90-year-old River Oaks Theater on West Gray in Houston is almost finished with renovations and ready for 365 days a year occupancy. There will be a two-theater movie theater and performing arts venue, plus lots of fun. Houston’s own Beyonce Knowles-Carter has teamed up with Moet Hennessy to launch SirDavis, a new whiskey named in honor of her paternal great-grandfather Davis Hogue. Michelle Pfeiffer will lead the next chapter of Yellowstone. New seasonal Blizzard flavors at Dairy Queen are OREO Hot Cocoa, Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough, Caramel Fudge Cheesecake, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie and Choco Dipped Strawberry. Use the DQ app from Sept. 11 to Sept. 24, and your Blizzards are only 85 cents each. The CDC says COVID is at very high or very high activity levels in 44 states… last week it was just seven states. Go to: CDC.gov for a COVID Data Tracker.

My mom called me and told me how much she liked watching Snoop Dogg at the Olympics and I had to remind her that she grounded me for buying his CD once.

A couple of weeks ago I was working outside, but it started to rain so I decided to cut the cat’s nails and brush them on the back porch… and watch the rain. Two cats down and everyone was doing well until I decided that I should brush Sully’s tail. She instructed me NOT TO DO THAT. I know the rules about her tail, but I thought it was going so well, that I would soldier on and finish the brushing. She bit me, I bled, I did hydrogen peroxide, band-aided with antibiotic ointment, then apologized profusely to Sully because I knew not to bother her tail. Did I mention there was a lot of blood, and I thought she had broken a bone in my hand. My thoughts were, if a cat is capable of eating a squirrel or a mouse, why in the world would I think she couldn’t bite through my skinny, bony little hands. I still have a hole, but it’s healing and doesn’t hurt as much as it did.
When the rain stopped, I got to work to finish weeding, digging and putting down new mulch where old mulch had washed with recent storms. Before I knew it, dark was upon me, and mosquitoes were arriving in record numbers. I was working on my third bag of mulch, had cut it open with my very sharp, extra-long, thin, and did I mention sharp… cutting shears, that my sweet sister had sent me for my birthday last year. As I scooted the heavy mulch bag up the sidewalk steps, the bag caught the shears that I had left wide-open on the ground, and I pulled them straight into my left foot. Now, there happened to be way more blood this time around than with a little bitty cat bite… I shuffled into the kitchen to try and stop the bleeding. Did I mention I was wearing flip-flops, not gardening shoes like a normal person? I wrapped my foot in paper towels, held pressure for a while, then secured those paper towels on my foot and shoe with a rubber band and went back outside. Yep. A rubber band. Am I tough or what? The show must go on. I was NOT finished mulching yet. My shower, about an hour later, felt pretty dang good. I limped to CVS for a tetanus shot the next day. I guess that shot makes me eligible for ten more years of bad choices.

You think it’s bad that we are closing?!? Avon just filed for bankruptcy. They have been around since 1886. Avon’s founder David McConnell started as a door-to-door book salesman in NY, offering free perfume samples as a gift, before realizing his customers were way more interested in perfume samples than books. He offered women an opportunity to become entrepreneurs… at one time the number of representatives reached one million… and they even had Avon men. Things do change…

Another opportunity to mention how much we have appreciated spending time with you…thank you for all that you’ve done for us the past 25 years.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 08-15-2024

What I Heard This Week August 14, 2024

     It is with great sorrow that I tell you this. Actually… this first part has no sorrow. When I was 15, I wanted, as all 15-year-olds do, a car. My parents told me they would help me with the insurance if I could cover the payments. So, we shopped for my first car… a ’66 Mustang purchased for $800. My payments were $56 a month and my mom bought my first tank of gas which was probably $7 or $8. I can remember seeing gas war lines at the stations. I think on one occasion, the price per gallon dropped to 10 cents. It was the 70’s. Sorry. I have regressed, as I often do. Back to my story. In order to purchase the beautiful beige mustang with the black interior that poured water on my feet from under the dash almost every time I pushed on the brakes, I had to have a job. My daddy belonged to the Shreveport Business Executives and offered (boastingly) to find me a job with one of his buddies, which really ticked me off thinking that he didn’t have enough confidence in me to think I would be able to find my own job… I now realize that it was a very nice offer. Ah, the benefits of growing up.
There was a shopping center close to where we lived “as the crow flies” but to get there without the crow, you had to go all the way to the entrance of our subdivision, then get on a super busy 4-lane street with no sidewalks, then the mall was even further down the street. So instead, I walked the fence line close to our backyard, found a spot where the fencing was injured and wide, then took clippers and cut back some of the vegetation so I could pass through in a dress. This took me straight across two streets to the mall. I walked over and applied at Sears, was hired and went to work in the Jr. Clothing Dept. Sometimes if I was lucky, I got to work in the Candy Department which was fabulous. I earned the money I needed for the down payment on the car and my parents financed the rest. I loved that car.
So, the moral of this story (if there actually is one) is that things have changed since we were 15-years old. The majority of my co-workers here at the office have also been working non-stop since they were 15-years-old. But things change… and the world is changing.
On August 29th, 2024, after 25 years, and seven months of providing affordable, effective advertising, The Source Weekly will print their last edition… Volume 26, No. 31, then we will all be unemployed. In all of those 25 years, our classifieds continued to be $5 and we only raised the cost of our display ads three times. Yep. Three times in 25 years. Except for several hurricanes and freezing power outages, we did our best to always be here for you, even during COVID. Because of rising costs of insurance, property taxes, newsprint, printing, delivery, lack of power, and (OUR) lack of interest in competing with Facebook, we are closing our doors.
     Community newspapers (yes, all of them) have been put into a most difficult position. Our want has always been to support small and large businesses, providing advertising to help sell products, support community events and functions, but still keep costs affordable for you. It’s just not possible for us anymore.
We even tried to run obituaries at the same cost as all our other advertising (did I mention it is very affordable), but Facebook kind of rules on that also. It’s hard to beat FREE, but sometimes that gets you exactly what you pay for. I’ve just never thought it was 100% respectful to honor someone’s life story or memorial with a Facebook post. But what do I know, I’m just an unemployed ex-newspaper publisher.
Over the next couple of weeks, I intend to share more (I have a LOT to say) about the past 25 years, but for now I would like to say thank-you for supporting us throughout the years – when it was good, it was fabulous and it was all because of you and your support. When we tried something new that you liked, like FREE garage sales, you applauded us. We will miss you. Now remember, you have two weeks to sell something. Come on, I know you have something that you need to get rid of. Have a great week. And remember, “Sometimes you are the cat, and sometimes you’re the hairball.” LISA

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Garfield creator Jim Davis is 79. TV producer Dick Ebersol is 77. Actor Sally Struthers is 77. Gloria Stivic in All in the Family. Football Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy is 99. Actor Martin Sheen is 84. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is 83. Actor Jay North of Dennis the Menace is 73. Olympic swimming gold medalist Ryan Lochte is 40. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 87. Actor Connie Stevens is 86. Country singer Phil Balsley of The Statler Brothers is 86. Actor Larry Wilcox is 77. California Highway Patrol officer Jonathan “Jon” Baker on CHiPs.

Actor Keith Carradine is 75. TV personality Deborah Norville is 66. Basketball Hall of Fame Bob Cousy is 86. Tennis Hall of Fame Rod Laver is 86. Actor Sam Elliott (be still, my heart) is 80. The cowboy with the voice and the mustache. Soul R&B singer Barbara Mason is 77. She released Yes, I’m Ready in 1965, which peaked at #2 on Billboard R&B and #5 on Billboard Hot 100. TV host Hoda Kotb is 60. Rock musician Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull is 77. Country musician Gene Johnson of Diamond Rio is 75. Actor Rosanna Arquette is 65. Actor Antonio Banderas is 64. Rock musician Jon Farriss of INXS is 63.

Did you know? The proper name for a group of cats is a clowder, and a group of kittens is called a kindle.

During the Olympics, we all heard stories of the Seine (very polluted) River.  Two swimmers from New Zealand had their team doctor waiting for them at the finish line…with two old-fashioned Coca-Cola’s. Some say that it’s the best way to fight off infection for open-water swimmers. Evidently, multiple doctors believe coke is a gastroenterological cure-all. In my mind, I remember reading about pouring a coke into your dirty toilet, then letting it set overnight, flushing in the morning and having a sparkling clean porcelain bowl – so if it works so well on your toilet, then it should do some really (?) good things for your gut… I guess. The only time I have ever drank Coke was in Mexico, but I added a little rum and lime to it… you couldn’t drink the water, but you could ask for a Cuba libre. Maybe there is more to this story than I once heard. Hmmm.

Beginning Sept. 9, you’ll see two new products, an Oreo-inspired Coca-Cola soda and an Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich cookie… the perfect snacking duo using one another’s flavors. Just in case you find yourself swimming in the Seine.

One minute you’re young & fun. And the next, you turn down the stereo in the car to see better.

Looks like Tropical Storm Ernesto is cruising through the Atlantic towards Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Tom Cruise at the Olympics… if you didn’t see it, you should. I saw one comment that said, “This is the MOST Tom Cruise that Tom Cruise has ever Tom Cruised.’ Yes, you should read that twice, but it makes so much sense. Jami Doddroe is the new foster Transport Coordinator for the SPCA of Brazoria County. She needs people to sign up to be foster parents. Teller would appreciate it if you could help them. Several months ago, I told y’all about the Dancing Crab baby toy that is just fabulous. I was in Academy over the weekend and saw the Dancing Crab Bubble Machine for $14.99. I don’t’ know for a fact, but I bet it is a hoot… for kids and adults.

It’s officially too hot when the lure of jumping in a cold pool is finally stronger than the horror I feel when I see myself in a swimsuit.

I never throw out the little paper packs of the silica gel beads that you get in shoes, handbags and so many other things. The beads are highly absorbent, taking up to 40% of their weight in water. You can stick them in gym bags, smelly shoes, jewelry boxes, seed packets, even inside your carved Halloween pumpkins to keep them from growing crazy stuff inside. I just put one inside my saltshaker. It works inside your spice jars, too.  DO NOT EAT. Make sure the ones you use on food, are food safe.

Before I adopted Teller, I would steal away from LJ and visit the outlet mall on 290. There wasn’t a time – except when the line of people was around the corner – that I didn’t stop and get an Auntie Anne’s hot pretzel with cheese. As you approach the store, the tantalizing scent grabs you, and pulls you in. I stole the following sentence so don’t be thinking I’m this clever. “Auntie Anne’s knows what you knead.” Auntie Anne’s is now bottling the famous aroma of their buttery mall pretzels, calling it Knead Eau de Pretzel, and they’re opening New York’s first Pretzel Parfumerie pop-up. You can also get the pretzel scented fragrance on their website. So, arrest me, but I may have to at least give it a sniff out at some point.

Smokey the Bear turned 80 years-old on August 9th. In 1944, Smokey Bear was created, and the first poster, developed by artist Albert Staehle, depicted a bear pouring a bucket of water on a campfire. It’s the longest-running public-service campaign in our country’s history. The original catchphrase was, “Smokey says, care will prevent 9 out of 10 forest fires.” Then his message of “Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires” was changed in 2001, to “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires” to reflect that wildfires happen in natural areas other than just forests. Smokeybear.com. You will find resources for educators, fun activities, a reading challenge, history of wildland fires and Smokey’s history, along with a pledge. DID YOU KNOW that in 2022, 87% of wildfires were caused by humans.

What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

After the hurricane Beryl loss of power, I went to work picking up limbs and leaves, off and on for a couple of days but then started feeling pretty puny… for days and days. I tested myself three times for Covid because I thought I had all the symptoms… but I was always negative. Then on our first day back at the office, I stayed behind my closed office doors because I was sure that I had something contagious. Later in the day, Hailey asked if it could be heat exhaustion… yikes, all the symptoms matched… yes, I was probably just dehydrated. I started on Pedialyte Grape – actually quite tasty – and within thirty minutes I was feeling so much better. Within 24 hours, I was back on track. FYI.

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 08-08-2024

What I Heard This Week August 7, 2024

Women may understand this better than men. Maybe… because men are hunters and women are gatherers. Except, of course, when shopping. (If you YouTube “Defending the Caveman” you will be so entertained with some very funny videos about the communication differences between men and women…). So, the real reason I started this paragraph was to talk about having too much stuff. If I carry a little bitty purse, then I pack it full. If I pull out a medium size purse, then I pack it full. If I haul around a full-size bag or tote, then I pack it full. I don’t know why. It just happens. It’s the mystery of accumulation. We do it with our houses and apartments, too. Like pouring water over rocks, you just find available space. I just read an article about the questions you should ask yourself before you bring anything into your house. 1. Can I afford it? 2. Do I really need it? 3. Do I need it now?  4. Do I have something like it already? 5. Could I find a cheaper substitute? 6. Is this the best deal? Then you need to go home and think about it for a while. They suggested 24 hours, but I think it should be longer. If it’s in my cart long enough, some smart computer sees that and sends me a deal I can’t refuse. That happens a lot. I’m trying to refresh my house and tidy my garage in the next few months, so I hope I’m strong enough to follow some of these rules. I doubt it. I love my stuff.

The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has started to understand the meaning of life.

Per the Department of Energy: In the summer, keep your curtains closed when you can to help block the heat. Run your ceiling fan which can raise the ac thermostat by 4 degrees, and you will probably feel just as comfortable. During the Beryl power outage, I cut foamboard and placed it over five windows that have direct sun coming in… the difference was unbelievable.

At a Spanx warehouse “somewhere” there is a robot named Digit-the-robot, the first multi-purpose, human-centric robot that does repetitive tasks like moving boxes onto conveyor belts, which frees humans to do other valuable things… like be on their cellphones.

I’m having people over to stare at their phones later if you want to come by…

In case you haven’t heard, there were multiple tap water sites in Houston tested by scientists that had very high levels of a variety of PFAS aka forever chemicals… in fact, these chemicals have been found in at least 45 percent of U.S. drinking water. Not good.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (a very odd man in my book) admitted that about 10 or so years ago when a woman driving in front of him hit a small bear, he loaded up the dead bear cub in his van, and planned to skin it and put the meat in his refrigerator. He had a dinner that ran late that evening, so he didn’t have time to take the dead bear home. Because there were new bicycle lanes in Central Park that had resulted in a few accidents, he decided as a prank to dump the bear in Central Park along with an old bike that was also in his vehicle, making it look like the bear had been hit by a bike. The next morning, the dead bear was on every sort of news, helicopters flying around Central Park, with talk that officials were going to have fingerprints on the bike identified. Then it became old news. Recently a news organization was getting ready to release this story, so Kennedy decided to get ahead of the announcement. Hmmm.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Musician Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens is 76. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau is 76.  Singer Lionel Richie is 75. Actor Meryl Streep is 75. Music company executive Tommy Mottola is 76. Football Hall of Fame Bob Lilly is 85. The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger is 81. Olympic gold medal figure skater Dorothy Hamill is 68. Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 76. Singer Maureen McGovern is 75. Actor Sandra Bullock is 60. Author Tom Robbins is 92. Actor – singer Bobby Sherman is 81. Actor Danny Glover is 78. Actor comedian director Albert Brooks is 77. Rock singer Don Henley is 77.

Actor Willem Dafoe is 69. Film composer Alan Menken is 75. Britain’s Prince George of Wales is 11. Comedian Ruth Buzzi is 88. Actor Lynda Carter is 73. Country singer Pam Tillis is 67. Rock musician Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds is 81. Reggae singer Rita Marley is 78. Musician Verdine White of Earth, Wind, & Fire is 73. Model actor Iman is 69. Actor screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton is 69. Former President Barack Obama is 63.

Time to get up and get going. Today’s bad decisions aren’t going to make themselves.

Elizabeth Francis is an American supercentenarian, currently the oldest-living person in the United States following the death of Edie Ceccarelli. She was born July 25, 1909, in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana and currently resides in Houston, Texas.  She was born during the Taft presidency, her mother died in 1920, and she and her five siblings were sent to different homes; she was sent to Houston and raised by an aunt. She lived next door to her older sister Bertha Johnson before she died in 2011 at the age of 106, which made her and Francis among the oldest siblings on record. She had another sister who lived to the age of 95, and her father died when he was 88. She raised her children as a single mother. She moved into her current house in 1999, where she now lives with her 95-year-old daughter Dorothy Williams and is cared for by her 69-year-old granddaughter Ethel Harrison. Williams is the oldest person in the world with one living parent. In the 1970s, Francis ran the coffee shop at KTRK-TV in Houston. She never learned to drive, relying on the bus or family members for transportation. What a great story.

Archaeologists found a recipe for beer on scrolls from ancient Egypt dating back to 5.000 BC, making it the oldest recipe in the world.

21-year-old French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati missed his target on his third attempt when his… well, they said that his crouch knocked downed the pole at the Olympics on August 3rd. I do believe that if I was a pole vaulter (and I’m not), and especially if I was a well-endowed pole vaulter, I would have learned to package it up for the Olympics. Evidently the same thing happened at the Rio de Janeiro games in 2016, but not to the same guy. But, if you watch the most recent video, he actually hit the pole with his right knee before anything else hit.

A Texas entrepreneur working to bring back the woolly mammoth has added the dodo bird to his revival list. The dodo went extinct in 1662 as a direct result of human settlement and ecosystem competition. People changed its habitat in such a way that it could not survive. Listening?

This is such a nice quote. “The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” Rumi

Have a great week. 

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 08-01-2024

What I Heard This Week July 31, 2024

What is Slap Fighting? Slap fighting is a one-on-one competition in which opponents – a striker and a defender – strike each other in the face until someone is knocked out or quits. Chalk is provided to participants and is used to indicate where their strikes have landed on their opponent after they have thrown a slap. A competitor’s hair must also be tied up behind their head so as to not obstruct an incoming slap from their opponent. Yes, there are certainly dangers for the brain in slap-fighting bouts; safety is a concern with competitors using mouthguards, cotton balls to protect their ear drums, and allowing sixty seconds of recovery time before delivering the follow-up slap. In 2023, Artus ‘Walus’ Walczak suffered a stroke due to the blows he suffered at an event. I’m speechless. Oh, did I mention that you can bet on this “sport”?

Don’t handicap your children by making their lives easy. Robert A. Heinlein

Seen in a magazine…CUP NOODLES, Ramen Noodles in Sauce. What flavor were they, you ask? Ahhh. Thanks for wondering. Yes, they are a Limited Edition, Campfire S’mores with chocolate, graham cracker and marshmallow-flavored sauce (with natural and artificial flavors.) Maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t sound good AT ALL. I think I like my ramen a little more earthy tasting with chicken broth, miso, cilantro, soy sauce, bean sprouts and scallions…maybe a boiled egg and some fish sauce… BUT NO marshmallows. I thought about this as I ate my bowl of Pho on Saturday afternoon. Gives me shivers.

Time is a created thing. To say, “I don’t have time”, is like saying, “I don’t want to”. Lao Tzu

Inside Out 2 is now the highest grossing animated movie of all time. That means it surpassed Frozen II, hitting the $1 BILLION mark, just 19 days after its release. Richard Gere is starring in his first major TV show. He will join Michael Fassbender in the Showtime spy thriller The Agency, which George Clooney and Grant Heslov are executive-producing. I would watch Richard Gere in anything. A German city, Gelsenkirchen, celebrated Taylor Swifts three sold-out concerts by temporarily renaming the city Swiftkirchen. In the summer of 1954 (70 years ago), Elvis recorded his debut single, That’s All Right. The upcoming Dolly Parton Broadway musical comedy and life story is called Here You Come Again.  Did you know that Taylor Swift is the Godmother to Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ four children. Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are in talks to make a sequel to their supernatural 1998 movie, Practical Magic, where they played the witchy Owens sisters.

A 2,000 lb. vending machine stuck between an ATM and a row of ice machines in downtown Canyon Lake, Texas (and Alabama, and Oklahoma), now sells ammunition. Written across the front, it says, “Need to Reload?” …with the company’s motto… Ammo Sales Like You’ve Never Seen Before. Yes, it’s an ammunition dispenser right next door to a middle school. The owner says the devices that he plans to introduce to grocery stores across Texas make it impossible for minors to buy bullets. The machines include facial-recognition technology that verifies a customer’s age and identification, based on a driver’s license. They say that after a transaction, that information is not stored nor sold. Right… even some gun owners think this might be going a little far.

Gun control? We need bullet control. I think every bullet should cost $5,000. Because if a bullet cost five thousand dollars, we wouldn’t have any innocent bystanders. Chris Rock

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who flew the first manned orbit of the moon in 1968, died at 90, when a plane he was piloting crashed into the ocean close to Seattle. Titanic and Avatar producer Jon Landau died at 63 after a short battle with cancer. Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author because she was non-judgmental, funny, super-smart, and only 4ft. 7”- tall with a cute German accent, and looked like everyone’s grandmother, died at 96. She was a regular on the late-night talk shows and had her own local radio program. Richard Simmons, died at 76. He was formally a 268-pound teen who shared his successful food plans, diets and exercise videos with millions, hoping to make the world a healthier, happier place. Actor Shelly Duvall, one of the biggest film stars of the 70’s and early 80’s – best known for playing opposite Jack Nicholson in The Shining, died at her home in Blanco, Texas, at 75. Comedy giant Bob Newhart died at 94. Before he was a star, he was an accountant working in Chicago who made some funny comic tapes to amuse himself. An executive at Warner Bros. Records heard about them, which resulted in the 1960 release of his comedy album “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart.” The rest was history, including the Mark Twain prize for American Humor. Lawyer and U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee died at 74. She is only the second person to ever lie in state at the Houston City Hall rotunda. Quite an honor. She had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment. Actor Bill Cobbs, known for Night at the Museum and The Bodyguard, died at 90.

NASA data shows that Monday, July 22, 2024, was the Earth’s hottest day on record… just last week. The most interesting part of this information is that on Sunday, July 21, 2024 – the day before – had just been declared the Earth’s hottest day since records began. So, in 48 hours, two records were broken and with 2023 proclaimed as the hottest year ever in modern records, I guess it’s safe to say that the Earth is getting hotter. Is human activity to blame?  Yep.

A California hiker lost for 10 days in thick Big Basin Redwoods, found waterfalls and survived by drinking a gallon of water out of his boot every day before he was rescued. He found a few wild berries, but said he craved a burrito and a taco bowl. He left on what was supposed to be a three-hour hike (sung to the tune of Gilligan’s Island… three-hour cruise…) with just his boots and a pair of pants – no shirt… but he did carry a flashlight and a pair of folding scissors. He struggled to navigate because certain landmarks had been wiped out by recent wildfires in northern California.

The CEO of CenterPoint Energy, Jason Wells, came under fire recently as we all sat in our kitchens without power, because during an interview a picture showed him sitting underneath a thermostat set comfortably to 70F degrees. Wells defended the power delays but vowed to have better communication after Hurricane Beryl. He was without power only two days, but also had a backup generator. According to CenterPoint’s “Energy Efficiency & Summer Safety 101,” residents are encouraged to keep their thermostats at 78°F or higher when at home and between 80-83°F when away to save power. Mattress Mack has started a petition calling for the CenterPoint CEO and other executives to resign as backlash over the company’s response to Hurricane Beryl continues to grow.

As I write this, it is Tuesday, and there is a disturbance in the central tropical Atlantic Ocean showing a 40-60% chance of tropical or subtropical formation that could have Florida in its path. Lady Gaga is engaged! She introduced her longtime boyfriend as “my fiancé” to French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal at the Paris Olympics. Simone Biles got the GOLD. Have a great week.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 07-25-2024

What I Heard This Week July 24, 2024

The stegosaurus fossil known as Apex just sold for a record $44.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction. The skeletal remains from the Jurassic period (really, really, long time ago) were expected to go for $4 to $6 million.

If you choose to read this, some people may think… B O R I N G. But if you have raised a daughter, a granddaughter, or even know the little girl that lives next door … you are probably interested in the following facts, because little girls LOVE Hello Kitty. So, here it is, Hello Kitty is turning 50. Yikes, The Japanese company Sanrio first created Hello Kitty in 1974. A year later, her image, including her signature red bow, was introduced to the Japanese public on a small children’s coin purse that sold for less than a dollar.  Present day, there is so much Hello Kitty merchandise; lunch boxes, clothing, notebooks, just about everything. She’s now a TikTok star, and there are plans in the works for an animated/live action film. Her real name is Kitty White, she was born in London where she still lives with her parents, and she has a twin sister, Mimmy, who wears a yellow bow on her right ear. Kitty’s hobbies are traveling, reading and baking. In 1987, she made her debut as an American cartoon stat in Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theater. In 2009, Lady Gaga wore a gown made of plush Hello Kitty dolls in honor of the character’s 35th birthday. But here is the most surprising part… Hello Kitty is not a cat, she is a little girl.

I say… it’s so hot the hens are picking up worms with potholders.

During the Beryl power outage, I went to Lowe’s and purchased thick foam board to cover my kitchen and bedroom windows. It was unbelievable how much heat it reflected. Many thanks to Ashley (the best) and Joshua, for cutting the board so it would fit into my car. They went above and beyond. Even though Joshua cut the board the wrong size, his intentions were very good and his kindness was outstanding.

This is an interesting story. Vermont Republican lawmaker Mary Morrissey (age 67 – old enough to know better) spent five months maliciously pouring water into the personal canvas bag/backpack of her Democratic colleague, Jim Carroll (age – 62).  It wasn’t just a splash or a drip either, sometimes she would pour as much as a full glass of water, often day after day. Finally, a secret camera was set up, recording the act, and Morrissey, caught, has now apologized, stating that she doesn’t know why she did it. It’s funny how apologetic you become if someone records you. I love those cameras! Morrissey and Carroll have known each other since childhood. I guess some of us grow up… and some just never will.

Why do they paint parts of small plants and succulents, sometimes even gluing paper flowers on some of them, then sell them in the garden departments of home improvement stores? I wonder who buys them? That makes exactly no sense at all, and it can’t be healthy for the plant, or our Earth.

Remember the game we played when we were little called Telephone. Someone would whisper a sentence into a person’s ear, who would in turn whisper into the next person’s ear, and so on through the whole group. The last person says out loud what they heard to see how it compares to the original thing said. As many times as I played it, the final sentence was NEVER what we started out with. I’m asking that you remember this game before you repeat anything you’ve heard in the next few months. It’s too easy during this upcoming election to fact check news and information on Snopes, PolitiFact and FactCheck.org. Unless you just don’t want to know the truth.

For the ‘twisted’ kind of weather fans, Twisters, is the sequel to the storm-chaser classic Twister, which came out 28 years ago. Twisters is now showing in theaters. The 1996 classic inspired a whole generation of meteorologists and storm chasers. Remember the huge flying cow? In real life, a bunch has changed since 1996 in the models, ratings, tracking and forecasting of real tornadoes. We have much longer warning times and computing power. Scientists started to use radar more frequently closely after May 3, 1999, when a giant, 85-minute tornado killed 36 people in Oklahoma. The storm was the first use of the term tornado emergency, the National Weather Service’s highest alert level. The deadly storm was just one of 74 that hit Oklahoma and Kansas in a 21-hour period.

Just finished reading Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls. She is the bestselling author of The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses. In the book was a quote by Rex Walls, the author’s father, who ran bootleg liquor in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. “Quality? Hell, the only time our whiskey aged was when we got a flat tire.” I loved that.

After Beryl, I asked a friend about the corn crops around Bay City. He said that it looked like they were letting the corn dry on the stalks. Hmmm. I had just read that ripe corn beat down by wind or hail is said to be “snaffled.” Or it can also be called “nickled,” “baffled,” “shuckled” or “walted.” The next time you see damaged corn stalks, you can show off and use all of those terms.

People Magazine and Pedigree have a World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest each year. I know you don’t believe it, but I just entered Teller in the contest. He IS the world’s cutest rescue dog, and it’s time the world knew it. The winner gets a photo shoot and his picture in People magazine, but that’s not the best part. The best part is a year’s supply of Pedigree dog food and a $1000 donation to the pet-rescue organization of the winner’s choice. Oh, my. That would be so great for the SPCA. They are overrun with kitties right now because responsible pet owners are not being responsible by getting their pets spayed and neutered. Just saying. Go to the Pedigree website on August 21 to meet the top ten finalists and vote for your favorite. I hope you see Teller there.

President Joe Biden announced that he will not run for reelection. He said, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country…”  I trust that he did the right thing, but I also believe it took plenty of courage to publicly admit that he is no longer the best candidate for the job of President, prioritizing the health of the nation over his own self-interest. Sometimes your work is such a big part of your identity. I just know that when both of my kids finally graduated, I felt like I had lost my job as a mom. No matter how you play it out, how strong a picture you portray, there is something really big missing when that happens. Good job, President Biden. Now, if we could just get rid of the other old one, clean the slate and start anew, with kindness and respect.

Are cutting boards an overlooked source of microplastics in our food?  Glad you asked. YES. Research shows that chopping ingredients on two specific types of plastic boards, polyethylene and polypropylene, release microplastics that cling to the food we eat. I pulled out my three plastic boards from the cabinet…all three boards are chopped to death. I always liked plastic because I put mine in the dishwasher every day. I hate glass cutting boards. I’m taking all of mine to be recycled in Pearland.

They say you become the average of your six closest friends, so if you want to be better, find better friends!

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 07-18-2024

What I Heard This Week July 17, 2024

Welcome back, Brazoria County! I misunderstood when I heard Miss Beryl say she was coming for a visit. I thought she would be tired, and willing to arrive like a lady. That was no lady! I have never seen winds like we had Monday morning. Beryl was one for the record books. The storm that started in the Atlantic on June 28th, grew to a monster Category 5 storm, made three landfalls, killing at least 11 in the Caribbean and at least four in Texas after coming ashore, was the season’s first hurricane, and was the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. We had the most unbelievable crew of repairpersons and techs that lived in our area 24-7 (and were still at the Rec Center last night when I drove past.) There are just not enough words to thank those people for putting their lives on hold to help us. The first night I had electricity, I baked cookies and took them to the mall parking lot early the next morning where the trucks and the people were preparing to leave. As I handed over the cookies, I thanked one of the gentlemen, and just started blubbering. I’m tearing up just writing this. Beryl was a very emotional experience for me. Their dedication to our repairs was so appreciated. The storm sucked a window from the front of my house, pulled the weatherstripping from a door, which allowed a huge water stain in my bedroom, but really, it was nothing like it could have been. The poor trees. I guess they were already weakened from the drought of last summer. I continue to be amazed that no matter how many times I walked into a room or a closet, I always reached for and flipped the switch. Sometimes two rooms in succession. I must have short-term memory loss. Doesn’t the AC feel good? We must never forget!

Waiting on a hurricane is like being stalked by a turtle…

Don’t laugh. The curious Pigbutt worm was first found off the coast of California in 2001. I know, I missed that, too. They are the size of a chickpea and according to Live Science, look like “the plump pink rear end of a pig from one side and Mick Jagger’s lips from the other” – using their own mucus (snot) to trap food thousands of feet below the ocean surface. If you gently prod their bodies, it glows blue, and it can emit (fart) a puff of green glowing particles. Nature is wonderful.

For future storms, if your home is hit by a dolphin, DO NOT GO OUT TO SEE if the dolphin is okay. That’s how hurricanes trick you into coming outside.

The earliest known photograph (daguerreotype) of an American first lady, Dolley Madison, has been purchased for $456,000 by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The wife of James Madison served as first lady from 1809 to 1817. When the British burned the White House in 1814, Dolley saved a portrait of George Washington from falling into enemy hands by breaking the frame and taking out the painting. A daguerreotype was the first publicly available photographic process, widely used during the 1840s and 1850s.

“Listening to meteorologists predict what’s going to happen with hurricanes five days out is like looking up your symptoms on WebMD. “Could be nothing – might kill ya.”

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Musician conductor Doc Severinsen is 97. In his biographical documentary he says: Work out. Be happy. Remember that everybody experiences low points in life. Never walk on stage without wearing a suit or at least something fancy. It’s never too late. Severinsen played his final concert performance at 95. Former Beatle Ringo Starr is 84. He said all he wants for his birthday is peace and love – and a trippy two-tiered cake. Actor & TV personality David Hartman is 89. First host of Good Morning America 1975 – 1987. He always signed off with, “Make it a good day today.” He said, “My parents said, “hey, the responsibility for your life is you.  So, if you want something to happen, you’re going to make it happen – don’t wait for anybody else to bring it to you.” Actor Nancy Kwan is 85. She was considered to be the Chinese Bridgette Bardot in the 60’s. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Archie Manning is 75. Manning entered the NFL in 1971 and was a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback. Then, Archie’s sons, Peyton and Eli, became NFL starters and each won two Super Bowls. Singer model actor Grace Jones is 73.

Happy 87th birthday Krispy Kreme doughnuts. You have made our lives so much better, just the way Vernon Rudolph intended back in 1937. I still remember walking into my first Krispy Kreme in San Antonio.

Joe Engle, pilot, aeronautical engineer and former NASA astronaut that commanded two Space Shuttle missions, one in 1981 and 1985, died at 91. Shannen Doherty, actor who starred on Beverly Hills 90210 and documented her 9-year battle with breast cancer, died at 53. Child actor Benji Gregory died at age 46 of suspected heatstroke while in his car. He starred in the 80’s sitcom ALF. Fitness guru Richard Simmons died one day after his 76th birthday. He hadn’t been seen in public since 2014 but said that sometimes he left the house in disguise. I bet it was a good disguise. He made many people smile. Janis Paige who danced with Fred Astaire, toured with Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Red Skelton, Doris Day, The Pajama Game on Broadway, continuing to perform into her 90’s, died at 101.

A woman was killed in Galveston when the deck attached to her home (all built in 1994), collapsed outside because the nails had deteriorated over the years. Many decking companies recommend replacing wood decks every 15-20 years, depending on location, maintenance and exposure to the elements. Never thought of that, but after Beryl, we probably need to give older, outside wooden structures a little thought.

Had she lived, Princess Diana would have been 63-years-old on July 1st. Bobby Reed is having another Reunion Show, July 27th at the Brazoria Civic Center Theater. Costco is raising their membership fees – Regular from $60 to $65, and Gold Star from $120 to $130. After 22 years in business, RedBox, the movie and game disc rental box at many corner stores, will officially close.  Mod Pizza has been saved from bankruptcy, being purchased by Elite Restaurant Group based out of LA, known for buying up underperforming chains. It is one of my favorite places to eat pizza; you pick your crust, all your favorite ingredients, then they pop it into a pizza oven and five minutes later you are eating the best pizza ever.

In 1963, the US postal service introduced zip codes. I wasn’t very old, but I do remember hearing my family members yakking about everyone being known by a number in the future. Funny. If they only knew what life is like now. You’ll pay more for stamps the next time you go to the post office. The price of first-class Forever stamps increased from 68 cents to 73 cents as USPS continues its 10-year “Delivering for America” plan intended to financially stabilize the Postal Service and modernize the postal network. Forever stamps cost 55 cents when the plan was introduced in 2021. I have always said, and will continue to believe, that a stamp is very affordable considering that you can drop an envelope in a box and send it anywhere in the U.S. for such a small amount. Send someone a card this week.

Life would be so much more fun if hurricanes had drag queen names: “Oh, here comes Hurricane Kitty Ninelives!” Or how about Trixie, Hedda Lettuce, Tess Tickle, Bob the Drag Queen, Baga Chipz, Kitty, Peaches, ChiChi, Bunny, Muffy, or Reign. Nah, I don’t think anything would have made that fun!

Both Nichole Kidman and Reece Witherspoon say that there will be a season 3 of Big Little Lies, the story of five women and their husbands – potential suspects – as they attempt to continue with their lives after a murder, along with dangerous little lies they tell themselves just to survive.

Shark populations may shift range as the oceans heat up, bringing them into greater conflict with humans, according to the scientific study. Simone Biles will be on her way to Paris for the 2024 Olympics…along with her husband who has been given permission by the Chicago Bears to miss a few days of NFL training camp so he can watch his wife compete at the Olympics. Starbucks has two new iced energy beverages.

According to the FBI, active shooter incidents in 2023 were up 89% from 2019. During 2023, there were 48 shootings as active shooter incidents. Last month, four people were killed, including a nurse and new mom that was treating a gunshot victim when she was shot, and 9 wounded in a shooting at The Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas. The 9 wounded include two police officers. The suspected shooter, 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey, was also wounded, but arrested. No motive has been found at this time. Trump was so lucky he moved his head at just the right time, before he was shot by the 20-year-old (no known motive) with the AR-15 semi-automatic that has been called “America’s Rifle” by the NRA. According to AmericaGunFacts.com, there are approximately 23 million of these guns floating around as of 2024. That’s a lot of big, bad guns. The Secret Service were pretty sloppy at that event, and someone needs to take responsibility. But on a more positive note, a Trump-owned company is now selling $299 sneakers showing an image of Donald Trump with blood on his cheek and pumping his fist in the air right after the shooting. The white high tops are limited editions so you can show your support and patriotic pride. They’re named FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT High Tops, with only 5,000 pairs available and 10 of those pairs will be randomly autographed.

I know Hurricane Beryl was an expensive few days for everyone, and we just continue to spend on clean-up and repairs. Remember we have FREE garage sale ads, if you happen to need our services.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 07-04-2024

What I Heard This Week July 3, 2024

This will be my first story for you today, because it’s the most unbelievable thing that happened this week. I was duped. We must not ever take anything as the truth. A couple of months ago, I picked up an OFF! Backyard citronella scented candle with a triple wick. The package also stated that it burns for up to 50 hours. It was not cheap, but it was exactly what I needed to prepare for my future summer. What a deal! I would already have possession of it for the first day of mosquito crazy, prepared for the first summer evening of sipping a cocktail on the back porch. I’m SO on top of things! Well, I worked in the yard this past Saturday, and placed the candle at my back door so nothing could sneak inside and torture Teller and me with buzzing and biting all night long. I also had some little bug repellent stickers the size of a quarter, that I found in NC, stuck to both shoulders of my shirt, one on the hem of my cotton skirt and one on my hat, plus two more stuck to the back door, right next to the candle.  I was very pro-active, but nothing was working. I whined to my neighbor that nothing was working. Then I decided to look at the candle package one more time. Orange and Green packaging with OFF! written in big letters… I have lived in South Texas most of my life so I know what a can of OFF! looks like, and this looks just like a can of OFF! except for some smaller letters that say… NOT INTENDED TO REPEL MOSQUITOS. What! I read it three more times. Seriously!? Then I pulled it up online. People have not been kind on the posted reviews.  Why in the world would anyone want to intentionally purchase a candle displayed in the pesticide section of the store… intended just for ambiance. No one really enjoys the smell. Misleading, deceptive, false advertising, and another scam by a large corporation that knows we don’t pay attention anymore.

What do you get when you cross a mosquito and a lightning bug? A mosquito that you can see coming for you.

In South Texas, in Boca Chica to be exact, SpaceX launched the world’s most powerful rocket for the fourth time. Environmental groups are concerned with the debris and damage being done to Boca Chica, a place where folks like you and me have gone to retire… a place where shorebirds nest and nature is supposed to rule. This time they set up cameras so they could show the damaged eggs and debris of nine nests. We Texans sure know how to tear up stuff, we just can’t seem to get the hang of fixing nature back the way it’s supposed to be.

Don’t Trust Words, Trust Actions.

As I was leaving my neighborhood the other day, I saw the city guys in the big ditch with the weed eaters, TRYING to cut down all the weeds. I say ‘trying’ because as I drove home that evening you could see that it wasn’t a very good finish job. Now a friend just showed me that the City of Clute is using goats to clean out the ditches. What an awesome idea. I think that’s the way we are supposed to do it anyway… animals eat the grass, then they poop, which helps fertilize the grass, which grows so the goats can come back and eat more. Best idea ever. How in the world did we get to where we are now. Are you listening, Lake Jackson? Storm season is here, and we need the ditches mowed short in case of massive rain. Rent a Ruminant Texas. The process of rechewing the cud to further break down plant matter and stimulate digestion is called rumination. 

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Joan Van Ark is 81. Val Ewing on Knots Landing. Mystery author Patricia Cornwell is 68. Her books have sold more than 120 million copies including the Kay Scarpetta novels. Boxing Hall of Fame Roberto Duran Is 73. Pop singer Gino Vannelli is 72. “People Gotta Move”, “I Just Wanna Stop”, “Living Inside Myself” and “Wild Horses.”

Actor, musician, and comedian Martin Mull died at 80. He rose to fame in the 70’s starring in the soap opera parody series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (I loved that show), its spinoffs, Fernwood 2 Night and America 2 Night. In the 90’s Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Rosanne, Arrested Development, Two and a Half Men, and more. In 2016, he was nominated for his guest role on Veep. Definitely a classic.

Senior White House photographer Ron Edmonds was on his second day of the job on March 30, 1981, when John Hinkley Jr. used a revolver to shoot President Ronald Reagan outside a Washington hotel. Reagan was struck, then shoved into the waiting limousine that sped to the hospital where doctors were able to save his life. That coverage and series of chaotic images won Edmonds the Pulitzer for spot news photography. James S. Brady, White House press secretary, and secret service agent, Timothy McCarty, were also shot that day. Ron Edmonds covered the White House for 28 years. While working in Hawaii in 1973, he was assigned to take photographs of an Elvis concert, but Colonel Tom Parker didn’t want any press coverage. The Star-Bulletin threatened to seek a court injunction to stop the show, so Parker relented. Edmonds was escorted straight to his seat at the concert and given instructions, “The lawyers said I have to let you shoot pictures, but I don’t have to let you move around.” Ron Edmonds died last month at age 77.

Richard “Kinky” Friedman was a remarkably interesting man. Ahhh. I should really use a stronger word here than interesting, a bit fearless. He was a musician – Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys and his very first band was King Arthur and the Carrots, a songwriter, novelist – mostly crime novels but 18 in all, satirist, Texas Monthly columnist, candidate for Texas governor in 2006, candidate for Texas agriculture commissioner in 2010 and 2014, and just plain funny. I say he was a poet in every sense of the word. Kinky Friedman died last week at 79. If you have a few minutes, take the time to read his story. I was listening to an interview with him on NPR this morning and he said, “My therapist… Willie Nelson… called me early one morning and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was watching Matlock. And he told me to start writing music again, so I did.” There are some great stories and I promise you will love them.

Mark Dodson, voice actor, died at 64 of a heart attack. Dodson began his career in 1983 voicing Salacious Crumb in Return of the Jedi, the Ewoks in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, and Niima Scavenger in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He also voiced the Mogwai in Gremlins 2, 3, & 4, and Zombies in Day of the Dead. Dodson also had voice roles in commercials and video games, including Ghostrunner 1 & 2, Bendy and the Dark Revival, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Star Trek Online, and Heroes of Newerth.

Tina told me to watch the show Reba, now on Netflix, but I hemmed and hawed and didn’t watch it until this past weekend. I’m sorry. It is so cute… it ran from 2001 to 2007. Reba has a new show coming (she is officially leaving The Voice) and will star in a new sitcom, “Happy’s Place” about a woman that inherits her father’s restaurant and discovers her new business partner is a half-sister she never knew she had. McEntire’s former costar, Melissa Peterman, who played Barbra Jean on Reba, joins the cast as Gabby, the restaurant’s “needy and dramatic” bartender. 2024-2025 Season.

True patriotism springs from a belief in the dignity of the individual, freedom and equality not only for Americans but for ALL people on Earth… Eleanor Roosevelt

The Oscars are considering a major change. The Best Actor and Best Actress categories would be gender-neutral. Most other categories, such as directing, writing, and producing, are already gender-neutral, yet these non-acting categories are for the most part, occupied by men. Some female nominees have also expressed concern that a single prize would put men at a distinct advantage because of the more numerous roles available to them. According to the Women’s Media Center, men have received 78% of the Oscar nominations in non-acting categories over the past 17 years.

Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should. Happy Fourth of July. Ronald Reagan

The body has a normal temperature of 98.6. Easy for me to remember because of that old 1967 song called 98.6 (it’s good to have you back again…) Seriously, in this extreme heat, which looks a whole lot like our new future, heat stroke can happen very quickly if your body heats up just a few degrees. Dehydration can cause shock. The heat confuses your brain, shuts down your organs and stresses your heart. Drink water and find shade. Please remember to take loving care of your pets. Dogs pant to increase evaporation from their nose and lungs, which cools them down from the inside out. (Humans sweat.) Change your pets water often, even inside pets. I add a few ice cubes a couple of times a day to their water bowl.  It’s too hot on their paws to go walking during the heat of the day, or to even stay on concrete during the heat unless it’s shaded. Pets depend on you.

Rudy Giuliana has been disbarred after a state appeals court found he had lied in arguing that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from his client, Donald Trump. An 88-year-old man who was the getaway driver in two different bank robberies in Montana last summer, has been sentenced to two years in a federal prison medical facility. He said he robs banks to make money. Hmmm. Good point. Charlotte the California Round Stingray who miraculously became pregnant… with no male companion in sight, or in the aquarium… has died in North Carolina. Two new Pandas have arrived at the San Diego Zoo, the first pandas to enter the US in 21 years: gifts from China. Their names are Yun Chuan (almost 5-yr-old male son of a panda born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007) and Xin Bao (a four-year-old female.) An arranged marriage, I suppose.

Happy Fourth of July. You’re welcome. George Washington

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 06-27-2024

What I Heard This Week June 26, 2024

Same Song, Second Verse: Hurricane Season means you need to discuss an emergency plan with your family, but first you need to HAVE AN EMERGENCY PLAN. Check your Insurance Policies… medical and homeowners. Prepare an Emergency Kit. Clothes, appropriate footwear (tall rubber boots), flashlight, battery-operated radio, medicines in waterproof container. Anchor fuel or propane tanks so they don’t float away. Take videos of your home in advance to later show loss. Back-up critical digital files on portable external hard drive. Collect family photos and mementos and then use a watertight container to store. Check out repair businesses in advance to avoid scams. There is so much more, so you better get started. Not too long ago, I pulled out my battery-operated radio that had been in storage for years, but was still in its clear packaging, now yellowed brittle. The plastic had become so sticky, it could no longer be used. When I complained, the company wouldn’t even call me back. So, check to make sure your emergency kit still has viable, workable stuff. Right now, there is a small disturbance heading towards the western Caribbean. nhc.noaa.gov

My Hurricane Tip: Before it starts, write down all the things you love about your partner and your children. It will be really hard to remember after 72 hours without power.

Novelist Michael Crichton, wrote The Andromeda Strain, The Terminal Man, Binary, Westworld, The Great Train Robbery, Coma, Jurassic Park, Disclosure, Twister, and so, so many more, 28 in all. He actually received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, but did not practice medicine, but was the creator of the TV series ER which ran from 1994 – 2009. When he died in 2008, he had several finished and unfinished manuscripts. Partially completed novels have since been completed by other authors, five novels in all. This month, Eruption was released. James Patterson (over 200 novels total and 114 on NY times best-selling list) co-authored and finished the novel about a mega-eruption of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano… and it is already an instant #1 New York Times bestseller.

Mattel and Barbie are releasing nine new Barbie dolls depicting some of the world’s most celebrated female athletes, recognizing athletes that have broken barriers for women in sports. Venus Williams U.S. Tennis Player – one of the most decorated Olympic athletes with four gold medals and the first woman in tennis to earn equal prize money at Wimbledon, Venus Williams has persevered through countless obstacles to inspire social change within tennis and the sports industry at large. Maybe someday there will be a very gracious Caitlyn Clark – Basketball Barbie, and she will come with her own bullies and jealous opponents.

Other new Women’s Sports Barbies are:
Christine Sinclair Canadian Soccer Player – soccer’s greatest international scorer with 190 goals to her name. Mary Fowler Australian Football Player, Estelle Mossely French Boxer, Alexa Moreno Mexican Gymnast, Rebeca Andrade Brazilian Gymnast, Susana Rodriguez Spanish Paratriathlon Athlete – Born with albinism, Rodriguez began running at age 10 and has become a barrier-breaking paratriathlon athlete. She has not only set records in her sport, but she doubled as a young doctor on the front lines amid the pandemic, earning her the cover of TIME magazine in 2021. Federica Pellegrini Italian Swimmer, and Ewa Swoboda Polish Track and Field Sprinter.

I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king. Queen Elizabeth I, 1588, rallying her troops for the arrival of the Spanish Armada.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Broadcast Journalist Brian Williams is 65. Actor Stacy Keach is 83. Actor Jerry Mathers is 76. Leave it to Beaver. Mathers says he’s open to playing Beaver again but as a grandpa, and only if the script stuck with the same morals as the original show. Actor Joanna Gleason is 74. (Her father was Monty Hall, radio and TV host.) Comedian Dana Carvey is 69. Pop musician Michael Steele of The Bangles is 69. Walk Like an Egyptian. Rock musician Mick Box of Uriah Heep is 77. Easy Livin’.

Negro Leagues, Major League Baseball, and San Francisco Giants legend, Willie Mays, died at 93. He was called the “Say Hey Kid.” After reading a bunch about him, this space just isn’t adequate to tell you everything you need to know to pay tribute to Mays. Legendary Baseball Hall of Fame Buck O’ Neil, said it best,” Don’t feel sorry for the Black baseball player. Feel sorry for the ones who didn’t get to see them play.”

Arched eyebrows and acting great, Donald Sutherland died at 88. Klute with Jane Fonda, M*A*S*H as Hawkeye Pierce, Don’t Look Now with Julie Christie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ordinary People with Timothy Hutton, Backdraft, Six Degrees of Separation, Pride & Prejudice, The Hunger Games, The Burnt Orange Heresy, Animal House, Kelly’s Heroes… the list goes on.

Hurricane season is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get.

A Texas judge has granted conspiracy theorist and InforWars host Alex Jones’ request to convert his Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing into a liquidation of personal assets to help pay off portions of the massive financial defamation debt he owes to families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. If you remember, Jones and other InfoWars personalities called the massacre a hoax (26 dead including 20 children), accusing the victims’ families of being crisis actors. Alex Jones still owns InfoWars which promotes conspiracy theories and fake news, as do his other websites, NewsWars and PrisonPlanet. Jones is appealing the judgments but says he now believes the shooting did happen, but free speech rights allowed him to say it didn’t. That’s not the way free speech rights were intended to be… that’s just a bully and a liar.

For the third time in 8 months, an inmate has escaped from a Brazoria County prison. He has been found. Hackers demanded millions, halted operations at 15,000 car dealerships. Just finished the novel, Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls who also wrote The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses. It is set during Prohibition-era Virginia. I like her writing.

As I was walking out of Office Depot a few minutes ago, I saw a greeting card with a picture on front of a little boy wearing his big boy underwear on his head.  Inside the card it said, “Let’s be brief. Happy Birthday.” My son has his 28th birthday in September, and normally I send 5-6 cards in the days leading up to the spectacular day he was born. The silly card reminded me of a time when Gage was about two or three years-old, walked up to me smiling really big with a panty liner stuck to his forehead. He said, “Mommy, look at the BIG band-aid I found in a box in the bathroom.” I agreed with him. It WAS a really big band-aid. I certainly hope he has children one day. Gage has definitely kept me laughing most of his 28 years.

The Presidential Debate will be June 27 at 8p/7C for pre-debate analysis. Whether you like, and/or believe in either one of the candidates, the truth is that one will be our new President. Get informed. Your vote really does count. The late Jeopardy host, Alex Trebek, will be honored with a new USPS Forever stamp. Some people are saying that will be the most boring stamp in history. (Those are probably people that would never, ever be honored with a stamp of their own for anything.) Other people that don’t even collect stamps are pre-ordering or heading straight to the post office as soon as possible. The stamp is blue, looks like one of the game ‘question squares’ and says, “This Naturalized U.S. Citizen Hosted the Quiz Show “Jeopardy!” for 37 Seasons. Who is Alex Trebek”? I like it. Mindy Kaling announced the birth of her third child. She quietly and secretly gave birth to a baby girl named Anne in February. Anne joins siblings Katherine 6, and Spencer 3. I love the classy ways Mindy Kaling lives her life.

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.  Jane Goodall

Join the Lake Jackson Historical Museum as Andrew Longoria displays 1,300 items from his private Selena collection on June 29th, 10am – 4pm. He is attempting to set the Guinness World Record for the largest Selena Memorabilia Collection. There will be food trucks, hands-on activities for the kids and admission FREE, but please RSVP so they can plan for the crowd. 249 Circle Way. 979-297-1570.

Not only did North Korea send more than 1,000 trash-filled balloons to South Korea, but the balloons were also full of roundworm, whipworms and threadworms which can embed themselves in the intestinal wall and cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. The parasites are believed to originate from human excrement. This was in retaliation because South Korea sent balloons full of literature, pop songs and one-dollar bills. Oh, and satellite images now show North Korea building a wall about 10-feet high along the border with South Korea. Another wall?

The article said, “What is your Favorite Flower?” Hmmm. That would be hard for me because I think my favorite flower is whatever seems to be blooming at that moment. I love the assorted varieties of amaryllis that start blooming early spring in my yard, then the blue and white agapanthus remind me of fireworks after they bloom and the flower petals fall off, then the beautiful poppies appear… some of which Mother Theresa gave me after she brought them back from Italy. They are super special to me. Tall lilies then appear in yellow and orange. Hot summertime brings zinnias. Everyone should plant zinnias because they are fail-proof. The more you cut them, the more they bloom, and the happier you are. Did you know that you can send a message using flowers? Daisies represent innocence and loyalty. Poppies are flowers of consolation. Red roses symbolize true love. Tulips are a declaration of passion and love… Oh, yes, I receive loads of tulips almost daily, ha-ha. Violets say watchfulness, modesty and faithfulness. Forget-me-nots are a request to be remembered. Well, that’s it… don’t forget to sell something soon! I’m serious. Please forget-me-not! You know you have too much stuff… and you need to clean it out.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 06-20-2024

What I Heard This Week June 19, 2024

An Oregon man drugged three of his daughter’s preteen 12-year-old friends with insomnia medication mixed into mango fruit smoothies because he wanted them to go to sleep, so he could go to sleep. The 4th girl only sipped her beverage because she didn’t like the taste. She then became suspicious when the man returned to make sure the girls were really asleep by moving the arm of one girl and putting his finger under another girl’s nose. The 4th girl then sent a text to a family friend to pick her up. The man pled guilty and has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Pete, a beloved peacock who had lived at the San Marcos City Cemetery since 2006 died recently. He kept watch over those at rest, often perched on a headstone or in a tree. Pete is survived by his family in Parks & Recreation and Cemetery Maintenance, past and present Cemetery members, residents from nearby neighborhoods and the San Marcos community. A celebration of life will be scheduled. No cause of death is known at this time.

My friends Jack and Laura sent this to me a while back, and I can’t remember if I shared it with you or not, so here it is. It’s cute enough to share twice. They found this sign in front of the fire station in Brazoria, Texas. Who says there is no truth in advertising.
HELP WANTED.
Odd Hours.
No Pay.
Cool Hat.

Several years ago, I read that when you’re shaving your legs in the shower, just use the conditioner left on your hands (I add a little more) instead of shaving cream. I’ve been doing that ever since and it works great… except for the winter when I just braid it . Honestly, I hardly ever cut myself. So, this morning I was in the shower thinking that I should print this helpful hint in this very column, because someone, somewhere, will find it interesting as well. Then as I stepped out of the shower, I see blood, lots of it. I have cut my knee to the point where I have to hold pressure on it before I can even dry off and band-aid it. Sigh. I think I just got overly confident. It’s still a good idea.

South Korean civilian activists continuing their long-running campaigns, launched helium-filled balloons in order to drop anti-Pyongyang leaflets, one-dollar bills, and USB sticks with South Korean dramas, K-pop songs and world news in North Korea. Most of North Korea’s 26 million people have no official access to foreign news. North Korea showed their displeasure by floating over 1,000 balloons loaded with manure, cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, wasted batteries, even dirty diapers, into South Korea. In retaliation for the trash balloons, South Korea restarted anti-Pyongyang broadcasts in border areas which caused the very powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to warn that this could lead to a very dangerous situation, threatening an unspecified new response from North Korea if the broadcasts continue. Whew. North Korea also boosts of invincible ties with Russia, with Putin visiting for the first time in 24 years, stating praise for Kim Jong Un’s support of the Ukraine war. Those are two selfish, self-important and dangerous, narcissistic guys that have huge egos. Our future world needs to be very careful.

Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the “Capital of the Revolution.”

RECENT BIRTHDAYS:  Actor Michael J. Fox is 63. Donald Trump is 78. Writer producer Aaron Sorkin is 63. Actor Johnny Depp is 61. Country singer Billy “Crash” Craddock is 86. Remember the song Boom, Boom, Baby and One Last Kiss? He was popular as a pop singer in the 60’s, then worked in a cigarette factory and hung drywall, later deciding to become a country singer with a cover of Knock Three Times. In 1974, Rub It In was a Top 20, then became a feature song for Glade Plug-In products.

Everything will be alright in the end, so if it is not alright then it is not the end. Deborah Moggach (I’m not sure if I like that or not…)

The Biden – Trump debate scheduled for June 27th will include microphone muting unless it is their turn to speak… therefore no interruptions, a coin flip to determine who stands at which podium, and no live audience. Sounds a lot like kindergarten. The debate will be moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, will run for approximately 90 minutes with two commercial breaks. A couple left a bad review of the photographer from their wedding… so the photographer deleted the gallery of photos where they cannot be recovered. End of conversation.

Joey Chestnut has been banned from the July 4th 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Nathan’s Famous original, and best-known restaurant in Brooklyn, New York City. Nathan’s Famous says Chestnut is considered ineligible after he agreed to become a spokesperson for Impossible Food’s vegan hot dogs. Joey Chestnut has been competing in the contest since 2007, only losing one time in his almost 20-year run. (Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs in the 2023 contest… defending women’s champion is Miki Sudo, ate 39.5 hot dogs in 2023.) Chestnut says that he doesn’t have a contract with either Major League Eating or Nathan’s Famous, and that they are changing the rules from past years as to who he can work with. Hmmm. Sounds like Nathan’s Famous should have provided a contract with Joey…  Impossible Foods jumped right in and supplied one. Just saying… is there really such a thing as bad publicity?

The more I know about men, the more I like dogs. Gloria Allred

The names for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season are: Alberto (One), Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Francine, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Milton, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sara, Tony, Valerie and William. As this paper is delivered, Alberto (One) should be visiting Mexico, which is really late in the season for a first storm. The name lists repeat every six years, unless one storm is so destructive and/or deadly that a committee of the World Meteorological Organization votes to retire it from future lists. This year’s list is the same one that was used in 2018, except for the addition of Francine and Milton; with Valerie and William having never been used before. When we ran out of names as we did in 2005, then again in 2020, letters of the Greek alphabet were used. In 2021, the WMO voted to just have two supplemental lists of names, one for the Atlantic Ocean and one for the Pacific Ocean. From 2015 to 2021, a storm was recorded before the official start of the season on June 1. NOAA is predicting 17 to 25 total names storms, with around 4 to 7 becoming major hurricanes. For us, it looks like from Sabine Pass, south to Sargent, the storm surge could be 2ft. to 4ft. Could be…

Lief was a 7-year-old sitatunga, a rare type of antelope who lived at Brights Zoo in Tennessee. Lief choked on a plastic cap from an applesauce pouch which are banned at the zoo. In fact, the zoo searches bags when people go in, but people find ways to sneak things in. Rules are normally in place for a reason… and not just at the zoo.

Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready fell off the concert stage while playing an impressive solo to a huge audience, ending up on the floor, his Gibson Les Paul guitar held way up over his head and over the bobbing heads of the audience. He hardly missed a note and continued playing the song. Security rushed to help. Isn’t rock-n-roll great?

June 21st is Make Music Day. Experts are warning that air turbulence during flights is getting more frequent because of our warming planet. Makes sense. A Russian military expert is suggesting that the government of Russia is planning nuclear strikes on U.S. ships. Pat Sajak (77) made his final turn as host of Wheel of Fortune at the season 41 Finale, which was called “Thanks for the memories,” which included a clip from his first show in 1981, and a farewell message thanking the audience for the “incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes, night after night, year after year, decade after decade.” Mexico has a new, first female, Jewish, president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum. Brooke Shields wore her comfortable Big Bird yellow Crocs on the red carpet at The Tony awards, which matched her canary yellow evening dress perfectly. She had foot surgery days before the event and refused to make apologies for her footwear. It was kind of cute. We should all learn to be less critical of ourselves (and others.)

I will put you in the trunk and help people look for you. Don’t test me.

Fifty-three years after a private jet carrying five men disappeared on a snowy Vermont night, experts believe they have found the wreckage in Lake Champlain, VT. The corporate jet disappeared shortly after departing for Providence, RI, on Jan. 27, 1971. The lake froze over just four days after the plane was lost. At least 17 searches have happened since.

A non-profit charity called Modest Needs, intended to help low-income families and individuals pay for expenses like medical bills and other unexpected expenses was actually being robbed by its founder, Keith Taylor, of more than $2.5 million… expenses for cosmetic surgery, $300,000 rent for a Manhattan high-rise, $320,000 for expensive restaurants and more. Personal friends were listed falsely as the charity’s fake board of directors, who by the way had all approved his expenses. What a shame to take donated money away from people that really need it.

Have a great weekend. LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 06-13-2024

What I Heard This Week June 12, 2024

Great Scott!  Are you looking for a seriously unusual Father’s Day gift? This gift idea is for entertainment purposes only unless you want to build him a time machine. On your computer or phone, go to O’Reilly Auto Parts then type 121G on the search for product bar. You will see a picture of a Flux Capacitor which is a fictional sci-fi gadget that allows Marty McFly to time travel in a DeLorean car. Doc Emmet Brown originally conceived the idea for the flux capacitor on November 5, 1955, when he slipped on the edge of his toilet while hanging a clock in his bathroom and hit his head on the sink.

“If you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” Doc Brown

Last week we had a luncheon to celebrate Hailey’s birthday. The theme was picnic food and it turned out to be one of my favorite luncheons ever. We have some very good cooks at our office. I’ve never been very good at following recipes exactly (I tend to read them, then do my own thing) but I followed this B E A U T I F U L Strawberry Salad with Balsamic exactly. Well, almost exactly. It was very good, so I’m going to share it with you. It came from the Costco Connection magazine that I receive in the mail… (how old fashioned… mail.)

Strawberry Salad with Balsamic
¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar (good quality)
1 cup Strawberries (hulled and sliced)
1 cup Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
1 cup Mini Mozzarella Balls (halved)
1 Ripe Avocado (diced)
1/3 cup Toasted Pecans
1/3 cup Basil, torn
Extra Virgin Olice Oil for drizzling
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine berries, tomatoes, basil, avocado, mozzarella, and pecans in a large bowl, and gently toss to coat them in a splash of olive oil. When you’re ready to serve, drizzle the salad with the balsamic and season to taste with salt and pepper. (I used half as many mozzarella balls – that was plenty. I used more strawberries, and toasted the pecans with butter and honey, then let them dry a little. The recipe called to reduce the balsamic, but I think if you use a really good quality balsamic, then it is thick enough.) It was delicious. Once you mix everything together, put it in the frig so it’s really cold when you serve. You could also add fresh spinach, or goat cheese or feta instead of mozzarella.

Being a father is the single greatest feeling on earth. Not including those wonderful years I spent without a child, of course. – Ryan Reynolds

As of June 1st, it is now officially the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the Gulf of Mexico waters have never been so warm this early. The average sea surface temperature in the Gulf is around 83.4 degrees. The average sea surface temperature for late May based on data between 1991 and 2020, is 80.4 degrees… three degrees higher than normal. That means that the temperature under the surface is hotter too. Tropical systems need warm water to thrive, so conditions are perfect. Easy to understand why this year’s hurricane season has an 85% likelihood of being way more active than normal… but I ask you, what exactly is normal weather now? Or better yet, what is normal in our world right now, period?

Before I got married, I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories. John Wilmot

If you are getting ready to paint, remember you can freeze your paintbrushes if you have to stop before you are finished with the job. No need to clean the brushes, just wrap the brush in a plastic shopping bag, or zip-loc bag, squeeze out the excess air, and place the bagged brush in your freezer. Or just wrap the brush in aluminum foil and freeze it. If you’re using a roller, just use a bigger bag, but remember to squeeze out as much air as you can, then use masking tape or painter’s tape and create a tight seal. Store in freezer. It will be good as new the next day.

Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it again tomorrow. – Reed Markham

The headline said… Should You Rinse Shredded Cheese? Huh? It seems that pre-packaged shredded cheese is dusted with anti-caking agents like cellulose and calcium sulfate (both used to make ground cement and tiles), potato starch, cornstarch, and natamycin, which keeps them dry, so it won’t stick together and doesn’t get moldy. That’s why you should pick up a block of cheese, then grate it yourself if you are going to melt the cheese for a recipe. It creates a different texture… but think about it… do you want all those additional ingredients in your creamy mac & cheese? This happened to me recently. I just couldn’t get the cheese sauce to look like cheese sauce. It kept separating. Now, I just go ahead, grate all the cheese and put the extra in containers to keep it in the freezer. So easy.

“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads…” Doc Brown, Back to the Future

The difference between the words wait and await. Wait can be used without an object, like in the sentence I am waiting. Await, requires an object, like the sentence I am awaiting your response.

The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard. – David Gerrold

Alex Baldwin and his wife Hilaria, along with their seven children (all under the age of 10), will star in a new reality TV series starting 2025, called The Baldwin’s. I guess they were sitting around awaiting his involuntary manslaughter trial … thinking we should do a reality show to pass the time. He could face up to 18 months in prison. In the new trailer for the show, a body language expert said that Baldwin was drowned out by noise and chaos, and was reprimanded by his wife. Hmmm.

A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it. – Jerry Seinfeld.

Recently, I was listening to NPR and the discussion mentioned Benjamin Franklin’s 8 reasons you should date older women. Hmmm. Curiosity. It is well known that Benjamin Franklin was very fond of women. Well, it seems that in 1745, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter filled with advice for a young man on the wisdom of marrying, explaining that a single man doesn’t quite have the value he would have in ‘that’ State of Union… but should a young man not marry, he also mentioned the qualities of older women if you were choosing a mistress.  That’s not exactly dating but kind of. I don’t have the space to print the whole letter, but I thought I might sometime… until I read it. It’s pretty funny, but once I started typing his 8 reasons, I realized that you will need to read it yourself because I have always tried to keep this column G-rated, therefore it will probably never be printed here in its entirely.

When women cease to be handsome, they study to be good. Benjamin Franklin

I read this next story online. And laughed and laughed. It’s kind of a revenge story from a kid, but not really. It’s more like, when parents’ divorce, they need to work together, or else the kids will not come out as winners. The writer said that when he was very young his parents told him he couldn’t have carbonated soft drinks because they were bad for him, and he could die. He also mentions that he was a hyperactive kid at the time. Really? At one point he received a genius (lightbulb moment) idea, He was living with his mother and he saw his father on weekends. His plan was on Friday evening when his Dad picked him up, he would tell him, “Mom gave me Coca-Cola because she said it’s okay, you’re going to your Father’s anyway,” His father accepted the fake challenge, hook, line and sinker, and gave him a 1L bottle of 7Up just before dropping him off on Sunday evening. The kid was pretty excited when he got home and his mother asked, what’s up? He told her the same story, “Dad gave me 7up because he said it’s okay, you’re going home to your mother afterwards anyway,” so then his mom took on the challenge, and it continued. They never spoke about it out loud, but he says it was a kind of war, with him being the instrument. But he got to enjoy soft-drinks and they didn’t have a clue he was behind it all until years later when he told them. I have to say that I laughed so hard when I read this.  Kids are so smart, and don’t ever, ever think that they’re not.

“Your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So, make it a good one.” Doc Brown, Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Father’s Day was first proposed by Sonora Louise Smart Dodd to honor her father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran who was left to raise six children after his wife died in childbirth. It was originally celebrated in Spokane, Washington in 1910 on her dad’s birthday of June 5th. It was a hard-sell for people to move it forward, so it wasn’t until 1972 that Father’s Day was given the recognition of a proclamation from President Richard Nixon.  Happy Father’s Day folks.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 06-06-2024

What I Heard This Week June 5, 2024

 

OK, just for grins, let’s say that you are flying into Chicago to visit your grandchild and need a ride from the airport to your hotel. Your phone is old and won’t load the Uber or Lyft app. There is something else you can use called GoGoGrandparent where you phone 24/7, they tell Lyft or Uber where you are, and they send a driver for you within 15 minutes. There you go, just like in the old days when we were able to actually speak to real people on phones. Membership necessary (hmmm, that may be where they get you). 855-464-6872 Ext. 98559. This would be great for our aging population or people with disabilities, with additional on-demand services offered for groceries, prescriptions, meals, home chores and more.

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. Sir Winston Churchill

Cher has won her yearlong lawsuit against Mary Bono, Sonny Bono’s 4th wife and widow, who sued to stop the 50% royalties that Cher received from the songs that the couple (Sonny & Cher) recorded together during their marriage. Following Sonny and Cher’s divorce settlement in 1978, Cher was awarded a permanent 50% interest in the couple’s music publishing catalog. After Sonny’s death in 1998, Mary no longer believed that she was obligated to share royalties. What?!? That’s very bold.

Dick Van Dyke has short-term memory loss at age 98. Hmmm. So? Don’t we all. But he would love to tour in a one-man show where he talks about his career and life. I would stand in line to see that show.

Lead me not into temptation… oh, who am I kidding? Follow me, I know a shortcut.

The first human to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the transplant. There was no indication that his death was the result of the transplant, which was a milestone in the field of xenotransplantation which is the transplant of organs from one species to another.

Happiness is to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of nature around you. – Unknown

Charles Osgood, the dapper, bow-tied news anchor, and poet with the calm presence, died earlier this year. I recently found this poem that he composed called,” Time Enough?” I liked it so I’m sharing it with you.

Man is mortal, this is true. And that applies to women, too.
To each of us, to those we love, And to our dearest friends, At some point human life begins, And at some point it ends.
We don’t know when. Life is dispensed in differing amounts. But it is not how LONG we lived – It’s HOW we lived that counts.
Death, like life, is natural, And not to be afraid of. If you love life, guard well your time – for time’s the stuff life’s made of.”

Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet service to see who they really are.  Will Ferrell

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor director Clint Eastwood is 94. Comedian and former U.S. Sen. Al Franken is 73. Actor Mr. T is 72. Actor Barbara Parkins of Peyton Place and Valley of the Dolls is 82. Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 74. Actor Joan Collins is 92. Country Singer Jessi Colter is 81. Actor Karen Valentine is 77, Room 222. Singer Patti LaBelle is 80. Actor Ron Ely Tarzan is 86. Actor Jerry Mathers  Leave It To Beaver is 76. Comedian Dana Carvey is 69. TV personality Andy Cohen is 56. Awkwafina Crazy Rich Asians is 36.

The 39th President of the United States, peanut farmer, Navy lieutenant, Governor of Georgia and Nobel Peace Prize-winning humanitarian Jimmy Carter, began hospice care in February 2023. He is the longest living commander in chief in history, turning 99-years-old last October 1st. His grandson, Jason Carter says, “My grandfather is doing OK… he has been in hospice, as you know, for almost a year and a half now, and he really is, I think, coming to the end. As I’ve said before, there’s a part of this faith journey that is so important to him, and there’s a part of that faith journey that you only can live at the very end, and I think he has been there in that space.” Rosalynn Carter had been by his side for 77 years before she died last November at 96-years-old after being diagnosed with dementia. Jimmy Carter has described Rosalynn as his equal partner in everything he ever accomplished. (I decided to honor him before he dies.)

Brazoria County Hurricane & Disaster Preparedness Expo is June 15th from 10 am – 1 pm at the Brazoria County Fairgrounds. Free hot dogs while they last. SPCA will be offering FREE microchips for pets while they last, Touch a Truck, booths, door prizes and goody bags, and topics from National Weather Service, Keeping Food Safe During Power Outages, Emergency Preparedness for Pets, HazMat Incidents and what to do in our area. Sponsored by CAER, Velasco Drainage, HEB, Cities of Alvin, Angleton, Lake Jackson and Clute.

Taco Bell is now advertising the Big Cheez-It Tostada (a giant Cheez-It topped with classic tostada ingredients) and the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme (a complete Crunchwrap Supreme – flour tortilla wrapped around layers of seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, nacho cheese and a crunchy yellow corn tortilla – on the outside with a Big Cheez-it on the inside.) There’s more.  Jack in the Box just added two varieties of Roost Fries (fries, crispy chicken, cheddar cheese sauce, shredded cheddar cheese and Roost sauce), a Triple Bacon Cheese Jack burger (three beef burger patties, three different kinds of cheese, and three kinds of bacon), and Chocolate Croissant Bites with Hersey’s chocolate. Need I say more? Wait, if you’re on a budget, I just read that Wendy’s now has a $3 breakfast, McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King all have new meal deals for $5. Taco Bell has the Loaded Beef Nachos for $3,Dairy Queen has the 2 for $5 menu, and Sonic has their Under $4 Favorites. The Dollar Menus have disappeared like the Dodo.

According to a Zinnia Health survey of 3,000 Texans, an ideal and acceptable time to start drinking should be as early as 2:36 pm each afternoon…no need to wait until Happy Hour. Residents in North Dakota and Montana believe it best to stick close to the five o’clock somewhere slogan, but you could begin around 4:30 pm. The researchers also learned that starting early on weekends and holidays should be a judgement free time. If you or someone you love start their happy hour at 2:36 pm each afternoon call the American Addiction Center 405-251-6362

May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.

The first day of summer is June 20, 2024. The Headline said: Artificial intelligence could replace doctors – it is time to prepare. Queen is set to sell their Music Catalog to Sony Music for $1 Billion. American Girl is re-releasing historical character dolls Josefina Montoya, Addy Walker, and Kirsten Larson, who were millennial kid favorites. Justin and Hailey Bieber are having a baby. A new little Leave it to Bieber. OMGosh. Trump was found guilty of 34 charges and that is exactly Taylor Swift’s age – do you think she actually could have masterminded this downfall? Just repeating what I heard. France just issued new stamp called La baguette (stick or rod) de pain (bread) francaise (in France) that has a picture of a baguette on it and, get this, is scented to smell like a loaf of bread. That is my kind of stamp. I love bread! I even have a French counter piece in my home from a French bakery. Michelle Obama’s mother died. Chad Daybell was sentenced to death for murdering Lori Vallow’s 2 children, and his first wife. It’s so sad to see Red Lobster shut down and so dark. I guess that gift card isn’t good anymore. ☹

The Headline said: Children Are So Overrated. I didn’t even read the article, but I bet it would have made me laugh.

June 8th is National Best Friends Day. Hmmm. Now, what does that mean? It means it’s a day to celebrate friendships with closest friends. You know, Snoop Dog will probably send Martha Stewart a card, Blake Lively will fist-bump Taylor Swift, Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King will have lunch… last week my friend Terrie from high school called me out of the blue, and we talked for hours and hours. It was like no time had passed since we were sitting together on the bus dressed alike. We talked about flowers, Bossier City, her lake house, Cobb’s BBQ, her kids, and my kids. She is so funny… I asked her if she was this funny in high school It was so nice, and I thanked her for being the one to pick up the phone and call. We seem to get so wrapped up in our daily lives and always plan to do that when we have time. Best Friend’s Day is a perfect day to do something for people you love. Anything. I’m so lucky, I just seem to have friends that have stuck with me for so many years. Thank you for friendships! I love you.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 05-30-2024

What I Heard This Week May 29, 2024

 

Listen up: Mammograms successfully identify 80% of breast cancers, but that leaves 20% that are not easily identified. There is a lifetime risk assessment test called the free Tyrer-Cuzick test available online ibis-risk-calculator.magview.com or the Gail test available at bcrisktool.cancer.gov. The tests are based on a variety of factors like family history, date of a woman’s first period, age when her first child was born, family history… a lifetime risk score above 20% suggests additional diagnostic screening may be needed, something that most insurance plans cover for women considered high risk. My breast cancer was not found with a regularly scheduled mammogram, it was found during a biopsy of another area that eventually tested negative. Arm yourself with facts. We tend to fight less for ourselves, just trusting that someone else will take care of us, or convinced that if we ignore it, it will go away.

The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved. – Richard Rogers

Recently, my friend Robert and I had tickets to see Girl from the North Country at Hobby Center in Houston. Music and lyrics were by Bob Dylan. The show itself was pretty good, great acting, just a little confusing to keep up with, but the music was super.  A local friend, Davis Gordon Gilbert, writes plays. One of those plays, Aces, was recently performed at Match Theatre in Houston. The story was about a reunion at a Texas TV station – with all five Miss Texas USA beauty queen title holders that went on to consecutively win the Miss USA title and crown, and place as top finalists in the Miss Universe Pageant, all representing the great state of Texas. The show has been performed in Palm Springs and now in Houston. Congratulations, Davis.  It was a fun night.

My whole problem is my lips move when I think.

According to NOAA (United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), 60.5% of the world’s coral reefs have bleached in the past year. That is nearly two-thirds of the coral reefs on the planet… exposed to heat stress that triggered bleaching. Nearly 900,000 ‘immune support’ echinacea YOGI tea bags have been recalled due to pesticide contamination. Yogi does not use pesticides, leading them to believe that if a neighboring farm is applying pesticides or chemical fertilizers, those applications could drift onto organic land.

The Guardian says that nearly 75% of climate experts blame ‘Lack of Political Will’ for anticipated future warming with global temperatures expected to increase by at least a full degree above what was internationally agreed to, which in turn will have catastrophic consequences for the planet.

A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend.  Amit Kalantri

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Sportscaster Brent Musburger is 85. Rock musician Garry Peterson of Guess Who is 79. Singer Stevie Nicks is 76. Actor Pam Grier is 75. Described as cinema’s first female action star, Jackie Brown. Phillip Michael Thomas is 75. Detective Richardo Tubbs on Miami Vice. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 75. Actor Genie Francis is 62. Laura Spencer on General Hospital. Remember when she married Luke. Musician Pete Townshend is 79. Singer actor Cher is 78. Singer Susan Cowsill of The Cowsills is 65. Singer Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers is 83. Keyboardist Bill Champlin of Chicago is 77. Singer Leo Sayer is 76.

Bill Walton, one of the biggest stars in basketball broadcasting, NBA champion, and member of basketball Hall of Fame, died at 71. Shaquille O’Neal honored Walton by saying that “we definitely lost one of the Four Fathers of The Big Man Alliance.”

The Miss Universe contest had a ‘first’ in its 73-year-history. 60-year-old Miss Buenos Aires, lawyer and journalist, didn’t take home the Miss Argentina crown that would have let her represent her country in the international pageant, but she did win the “best face” category. Old guidelines required women be between the ages of 18-28. She looked good.

Kids benefit from being exposed to the arts. Summer classes for kids at The Center for the Arts and Sciences…camps include art, Teen Guild, drama. musical, space camp at the Planetarium, Museum of Natural Science. The list is endless. Check out classes at Recreation Centers, dance studios, the libraries…you can find something to fit the child and your time and your budget. Many support scholarships. “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!” is the summer musical at Center Stages. Tickets are available now but will likely sell out so get them now. Show dates: July 12 – 21, 2024. 979-265-7661.

Lauren Anderson is celebrating over 40 years with The Houston Ballet. She started as a student with a scholarship in 1972, then 1983 – 2006 she became a professional dancer, and she is still there. You may remember that she was Houston Ballet’s first Black principal dancer. I saw an article about her in the Houston Chronicle, and I think what she said bears repeating. The article started with, “The numbers say it all. Across all grade levels, Texas students who are highly engaged in the arts attend school more regularly, are twice as likely  to earn exceptional scores on standardized tests, 19 percent more likely to graduate high school, 20 percent more likely to attend college, and 42 percent more likely to attend a 4-year institution than those who complete only the minimum requirement.” And it goes on… she’s just saying that we need to support the arts…in schools, in your own town.

The arts matter because art is meant to move people either on an intellectual or emotional level. Whether this is a book that stays with you days later, or a performance that moves you spiritually or a song that makes you look at the world around you in a different way. The purpose of art is to cause a reaction and with this purpose it can create a synergy of change; change in attitudes, perceptions, and thoughts. – Catherine Brookes

What is bed-rotting? When my kids were growing up, we had pajama days where we well, stayed in our pajamas all day long, or until evening time when we would put on a clean pair of pajamas and start all over again. It was fun. No real responsibility on pajama day. My daughter even made a sign that warned visitors not to even think about knocking on our door, ever. Well, now Generation Z (the Zoomers, born between 1997 and 2012), the generation after Generation X. When they feel burnt out from work, school or something else, they self-care to cope with stress and anxiety, all while scrolling through social media, eating snacks… you know what I’m saying… they’re having a pajama day, they just call it by a new name… bed-rotting. Whatever, but now it’s popular on social media. My mom always told me that if you kept something long enough, it would come back in style. Ha-ha

The new me is trying to clean up my life. Or at least make it neater behind closed doors. I’m trying to grab a drawer or clean out a cabinet every once in a while. So, today it was the Lazy-Susan organizer with all the related nail stuff.  I removed every bottle of colored polish. You’ll never see me with anything other than clear and that’s just on really special occasions. There were some weird colors, then I remembered I had bought them to repair chips on ceramics…in particular, a favorite plate that someone had returned with a chip. I found the plate and took it to the kitchen… yes, it was the perfect shade to fix the plate – I even found where I had fixed it before. So, as I slipped it back into the cabinet to ensure its health until the next time I used it, I hit a platter and took out another big old chunk. Hmmm. Gorilla glue and fingernail polish to the rescue again. Good as new.

My grandfather had a barber shop in Waco, so my mother went to beauty school so she could be his manicurist, something really new in the 50’s. But instead, she married my daddy and 9 months later she had someone to practice her craft on. Today, I was reminded of what my mother used to say to me as she was perming my hair – always on the day before picture day. I don’t know what it is like to get a perm now but then, it was stinky, stinky, stinky, and it hurt. When I would say ouch! she would very politely respond with, “Lisa, you must suffer to be beautiful!”

Mike Tyson suffered a medical emergency due to an ulcer flare-up 30 minutes before his plane landed in Los Angeles last week. Isn’t he fighting Jake Paul in July, who just happens to be 30 years younger than Tyson? I can remember back to 1997 when Tyson bit the ear of Evander Holyfield, spit it out, (no ref stopped the fight) then a few minutes later, he bit him again. Tyson admitted that he bit Holyfield’s ear because he wanted to kill him after he head-butted Tyson. (Tyson was also convicted and sentenced for the rape of an 18-year-old in 1992, but that’s another story). The ear biting is a little hard to comprehend. Let’s say for instance, if a golfer was biting other golfers’ ears, or if a baseball player was biting the first baseman’s ear as he flew by, would they let these people continue playing. No. It’s kind of funny to imagine but, why is he still allowed to box?

Next week I’ll tell you all about my trip to Boston, MA and Durham, NC to visit my kids. It was THE BEST! Have a great week.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 05-23-2024

What I Heard This Week May 22, 2024

‘Tis I, Tina… Lisa Baker is out of pocket this week. I will try to entertain you for about 5 minutes! Don’t worry; Lisa will be back next week!

Punxsutawney Phil’s offspring now have names that just might help the famed weather-forecasting groundhog to predict when spring will begin. Phil’s human handlers chose Mother’s Day to announce that the two kits born this spring to Phil and his partner, Phyllis, are named Sunny and Shadow. Sunny is a female, Shadow a male.

My sisters and niece and I attended our family reunion this past weekend. Have you ever heard of Donie, Texas? It’s one of those places if you blink you will miss it! I debated for weeks on what to take to the Huffman reunion. I finally decided on bacon broccoli salad. It is the perfect dish to take to a potluck or family reunion and travels well in an insulated tote. The secret that makes this the best broccoli salad ever is to chop the ingredients very small, then let the salad sit overnight in the fridge for max flavor.

Classic Bacon Broccoli Salad:
Broccoli Salad
8 cups broccoli florets, chopped very small
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup raisins or cranberries
1/3 cup salted hulled sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, walnuts or pecans +extra for topping
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and then crumbled into small pieces. +extra for topping
Sweet Mayonnaise Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4-1/3 cup white sugar
1-2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
Place all of the chopped salad ingredients into a medium sized bowl.
Prepare the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad ingredients. Cover the bowl and let the salad chill, over night is best. Before serving, toss the salad and add toppings.

Thank You Lacy for driving us Miss Daisies to the reunion.

Recent Birthdays: Actor Barbara Barrie is 90. Actor Joan Collins is 88. Actor Charles Kimbrough, “Murphy Brown” is 85. Actor Lauren Chapin, “Father Knows Best” is 76. Country singer Judy Rodman is 70. Comedian Drew Carey is 63. Actor Lea DeLaria, “Orange Is the New Black” is 63. Country singer Shelly West is 63. Actor Linden Ashby “Melrose Place” is 61. Actor-model Karen Duffy is 60. Actor Melissa McBride, “The Walking Dead” is 56. Drummer Phil Selway of Radiohead is 54. Actor Laurel Holloman, “The L Word” is 53. Drummer Matt Flynn of Maroon 5 is 51. Singer Lorenzo is 49. Country singer Brian McComas is 49. Actor-playwright John Pollono, “This is Us” is 49. Singer Maxwell is 48. Singer Jewel is 47. Actor LaMonica Garrett, “Designated Survivor,” ″Sons of Anarchy” is 46. Comedian Tim Robinson, “Saturday Night Live” is 40. Actor Adam Wylie, “Picket Fences” is 37. Director Ryan Coogler, “Black Panther” is 35. Singer Sarah Jarosz is 30.

Comedian Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong is 83. Musician Bob Dylan is 80. Actor Gary Burghoff is 78. Singer Patti LaBelle is 77. Actor Priscilla Presley is 76. Alfred Molina is 68. Singer Rosanne Cash is 66. Actor Cliff Parisi, “Call the Midwife” is 61. Actor Eric Close, “Nashville” is 54. Guitarist Rich Robinson, The Black Crowes is 52. Rapper G-Eazy is 32. Country singer Tom T. Hall is 85. Actor Ian McKellen, “Lord of the Rings” is 82. Actor-singer Leslie Uggams is 78. Director-Muppetteer Frank Oz is 77. Actor Connie Sellecca is 66. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 58. Actor Octavia Spencer, “The Help” is 51.

Jazz Saxophonist David Sanborn has died at 78. Sanborn played on David Bowie’s ‘Young Americans’ album and performed live with David Bowie and The Rolling Stones. The musician, who won several Grammys and also collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and others, had been battling prostate cancer. Sanborn survived a polio diagnosis at age 3. Playing saxophone was an important part of his recovery, and by the time he was a teenager he was playing alongside blues legends like Albert King and Little Milton. He released his debut solo album, Taking Off, in 1975, when he turned 30.

I just read where Chance Perdomo, the 27-year-old British and American actor, who recently appeared in the first season of ‘Gen V’ as Andre Anderson, died in a motorcycle accident in March. That saddens me. I was looking forward to season 2 of Gen V. It will not be the same without him. Not only was he a great actor, you could tell by his acting just what a kind and sweet person he was in real life. I first saw him in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as a Warlock. He was great! My heart goes out to his friends and family.

Traveling overseas this summer? If you are headed to Japan to see Mount Fuji, do not stop in the town of Fujikawaguchiko expecting to find the perfect spot. The small town has had enough of tourists. Known for a number of scenic photo spots that offer a near-perfect shot of Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji, the town is now constructing a large black screen on a stretch of sidewalk to block the view of the mountain. The reason: misbehaving foreign tourists.  “Kawaguchiko is a town built on tourism, and I welcome many visitors, and the town welcomes them too, but there are many things about their manners that are worrying,” said Michie Motomochi, owner of a cafe near the soon-to-be-blocked photo spot. Littering, crossing the road with busy traffic, ignoring traffic lights, and trespassing into private properties.  In Europe, concerns over tourists overcrowding historic cities led Venice last week to launch a pilot program to charge day-trippers a 5-euro ($5.35) entry fee. Authorities hope it will discourage visitors from arriving on peak days and make the city more livable for its dwindling residents. Good grief! When you travel, mind your manners, respect the townspeople, obey signs, do not litter and be kind.

Word of the Day: HURKLE-DURKLE – A 200 year-old Scottish term meaning to lounge in bed long after it’s time to get up. Happiness is HURKLE-DURKLE.

Something new and exciting for residents of Lake Jackson! The City of Lake Jackson has put in a Pilot Glass Recycling Program for residents of Lake Jackson only. Bring your glass to the Convenience Center (mulch site) at 103 Canna Lane. Labels do not need to be removed. They are accepting clean, clear and colored glass. Visit the city website for centers hours. https://lakejackson-tx.gov/169/Free-Mulch-Heavy-Trash-Glass-Recycling.

Speaking of recycling….The Lake Jackson Lion’s Club has placed a box in our office that you may bring your soft produce bags, store bags, ice bags, Ziploc type bags, cereal box liners, bread bags, dry cleaning bags, bubble wrap, plastic mailers and other “soft plastic” for recycling. For every 1,000 lbs. a bench is made from the recycled plastics. Gather up all those Amazon bags, strip off the labels and bring them on by 223 Parking Way, LJ.

Have you been to Girouard’s General Store in Freeport lately? Oh my goodness, you need to go now, today! They have a wonderful selection of unique plants that you might not find in other stores. And it’s my understanding that they sell out quickly. Their curator also finds some really beautiful pieces to add to your home décor. You must go every week to catch the best stuff, like I said, it doesn’t last long, but don’t go on a Sunday! I grew up in Freeport and remember shopping at Girouard’s with my mother. I loved roaming up and down those hardwood floors and going upstairs to browse, 60 years later I continue to make a trip over at least twice a month. You can follow Girouard’s on Facebook for current offerings.

The office is very quiet this week without Teller. Teller has become a permanent fixture here at The Source Weekly and we miss him. It’s hard to believe that Teller has been with us almost four years. When he arrives every morning he visits each one of us at our desks to say hello or tosses his chewy in the air inviting you to play! Teller has a lot of friends that just stop by to check on him or give him a treat. We miss you too Lisa!

On May 18 the internet was alight with footage of a meteor that sped through the night skies over Portugal and Spain, lighting up the skies as a blue-green fireball. The meteor was confirmed by European Space Agency (ESA), who caught the fireball with its cameras in Cáceres, Spain, at 6:46 p.m. It was confirmed that the fireball was a piece of a comet that rocketed over Spain and Portugal, traveling at around 100,000 MPH, or about 65 times as fast as the top speed of a Lockheed Martin F-16 jet fighter. The meteor most likely burned up over the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of around 38 miles over Earth. As meteoroids plow through Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up from air friction and produce streaks of light across the sky: these flaming, falling rocks are called meteors. A very bright meteor is known as a fireball, according to the AMS. Thousands of fireballs blaze across Earth’s sky each day, but most of these happen over the oceans and uninhabited regions, and a good many are masked by daylight.

I just happen to own several pieces of jewelry fashioned from meteorites. One I am especially fond of is a custom set of sterling silver wings with a Moldavite gem in the center, purchased from The Wild Peach Rock Shop. I miss that shop. Only two pendants were made. My daughter has the matching one. Moldavite is a forest green, olive green or blue greenish vitreous silica projectile glass formed by a meteorite impact in southern Germany that occurred about 15 million years ago. It is a type of tektite and a gemstone. Material ejected from the impact crater includes moldavite, which was strewn across parts of Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria. In the modern world, moldavites are often used, rough or cut, as semi-precious stones in jewelry. They have purported metaphysical qualities and are often used in crystal healing. Isn’t that cool?!

I hope I didn’t bore you to death or make too many grammatical errors! Now you can go on and read the rest of The Source Weekly, you never know what you will find or it will remind you that you have “one of those” in your garage or cupboard that is collecting dust!

Like Lisa says….Thank You and Sell Something!
Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend.

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 05-16-2024

What I Heard This Week May 15, 2024

 

Every single week, I try as hard as I can not to sound like a total dope in this column, but this may seal the deal. Do you know where pine nuts come from? I guess I never really thought about it AT ALL. I do know that I really like pine nuts… better than most other nuts, except almonds. But pine nuts are not really nuts at all, they’re the seeds of mostly stone pine or pinyon pine trees. There are many different types of pine trees, but not all have edible seeds. I sprinkle pine nuts on salads, use them to make fresh basil pesto, soups, pasta, and main dishes. So, the next question is why are they so expensive? Pay attention. So to harvest, first you have to find low branches containing both open, and unopened pinecones. The open ones have already been robbed of their seeds by birds and animals, so you gather just the unopened ones in a bag because they are so close to popping out. I imagine using a cloth bag. Leave your bag of unopened pinecones in a warm, dry, sunny location and the cones will release the nuts/seeds. Shake the bag. The cones should release some of the seeds on their own. Then you need to remove the shells on each seed with your fingers. That, my friend, is why the seeds/nuts are so expensive. Time extensive. Have you ever had a Pignoli Cookie? Pignoli is Italian for pine nuts. The Italian pine nut almond cookies that Mary Meyers makes are the best. I went home last night promising myself that I was going to make a batch, but I didn’t have almond paste, but here is the recipe. This one is from Food Network Kitchen.

Pignoli Cookies
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 7-oz tube almond paste (Odense brand is good)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 large egg white
1 cup pine nuts
Preheat to 300 degrees. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Pulse flour, granulated sugar, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add almond paste and orange zest, pulse until fine crumbs form. With the motor running, slowly add egg white, process until dough comes together. You can also mix dough in a bowl with your fingers.
Put the pine nuts in a small bowl. Form tablespoonfuls of dough into balls with damp hands – you can use your cookie scoop for this – roll in pine nuts to coat completely. Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until light golden around the edge, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheets or they may fall apart.

The only difference between a flower and a weed is judgement. Wayne Dyer

On the way to the office this weekend, I saw what I thought was an old Falcon truck. I immediately called my sister (I love cellphones) to ask her if there was such a thing. Yes, there is. Now, I’m sitting at the office, reading about the Ford Falcon as described online …  entered the U.S. motoring public in October 1959, three-speed manual transmission (3 on the tree), base price was just under $2,000, it could handle six passengers and go 30 miles on a gallon of gas, which was totally unheard of then. The Falcon Wagon was introduced a few months later in January 1960 and the Falcon Ranchero with the open-bed pickup body was introduced a few months after that, based on the 2-door wagon and considered to be the world’s first mini-truck. Daddy had a Falcon and I remember him telling me that instead of all gauges, it had, in his words only, idiot lights on the dash. In other words, as human beings, we were no longer smart enough to watch a gauge and know when a vehicle was crying for help. I was required to know how to change the oil in the Falcon, change a tire and I could gap spark plugs, because I always helped him work on our cars.  Still talking with my sister, Dani and I started reminiscing about daddy teaching us how to drive that white Falcon. I just remember trying to get the feel, sound, and timing down, to be able to shift gears at the right time and remember which direction I was supposed to go with that “H” on the column. When it was Dani’s turn to learn to drive, daddy took her to the levee in Dallas so she could practice going up and down the hill. She mentioned to me, in no uncertain terms, that she was scared to death, but he made her do it anyway. When I was either 14 or 15, he had me drive my mom’s station wagon from Shreveport, Louisiana to Dallas – at night, on a road under construction, in the rain, and wouldn’t let me slow down to a reasonable speed. I too, was scared to death, and believe that’s why I don’t like driving at night, in the rain, to this date. I always remembered my own past experiences when I was teaching my two kids to drive.  My son was very cautious and never in a hurry to get his license, while my daughter who is afraid of nothing, wanted to get her permit the first day she was eligible. Wish I had that Falcon sitting in my driveway now.

NBC’s Lester Holt (I have total trust in that man and would believe anything he reported to me), took his son to 30 Rock on Saturday mornings when he anchored Weekend Today, while Stefan was still in high school. In fact, Lester Holt started teaching his son how to drive in the parking lot of MSNBC. The 37-year-old Stefan Holt is now married with three children, working as an anchor at a Chicago NBC station. Describing his dad, he says, “From day one, he has been a constant support and my go-to confidant for advice on how to navigate our profession. He’s my mentor on being a great journalist, but also my example on how to be a great dad.” If you’re teaching your child how to drive in the near future, please make notes.

A husband surprised his wife with a night out to celebrate the anniversary of their first date. She was reminded of the man she fell in love with. They arrived at the theater and learned the movie was playing at a different location a full hour earlier. She was reminded of the man she married.

Nutrient depletion in soil can happen because of soil erosion, poor management practices or intensive agriculture. There are studies and great concerns about the depletion of nutrient-rich topsoil and the loss of nutrients like carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, but scientists are now warning about the depletion of potassium and how it could threaten global food security in our future if we don’t make plans to correct it. In a perfect world, the cows and chickens poop, fertilize the ground, then we plant the crops, then turn what’s left of the crops back into the soil, then the process starts all over again. Our grandparents taught us to compost and use Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) in our gardens. Organic compost is rich in magnesium. Without magnesium, chlorophyll is unable to capture the sun’s energy required for photosynthesis which means the leaves would never turn green. For potassium you can add kelp or seaweed, wood ash, compost, potash, and more. This is why it is recommended that you rotate your crops by not planting the exact same vegetables in the exact same spot year after year. Just saying. Without nutrients in the vegetables, your body will not get what it needs to run efficiently.

At my age ‘getting lucky’ means walking into a room and remembering what I came in for.  Unknown

Mexico City, with nearly 22 million people, is facing a severe water crisis and may be out of water by summer. The Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo movie,13 Going On 30, is 20 years old. One of my favorites. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of performer inductees for 2024 are Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, & A Tribe Called Quest. Musical Influence Awards includes Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton. Musical Excellence Awards include Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick, and Norman Whitfield. The Ahmet Ertegun Award goes to Suzanne de Passe. Everyone is talking about the cicadas and they don’t understand why this year is so big… two different broods of cicadas, one that lives on a 13-year emergence cycle and the other that lives on a 17-year cycle, will emerge at the same time after tunneling to the surface from underground when the soil reaches 64 degrees. That only happens every 221 years. Thomas Jefferson was president the last time this happened. I read that South Texas is quite safe. Aren’t you glad you have me around for such useless information.

Have a great week. Thank you for reading us. Sell something. I mean it!

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

What I Heard This Week 05-09-2024

What I Heard This Week May 8, 2024

 

Mother’s Day is coming. Chappell Hill Lavender Farm has so many fun things to do… classes (growing cut flowers in Texas), lavender cuttings, flower pounding, hummingbird class, peach picking, plants for purchase, picnics, gift shop with lotions and soaps, tea and spice blends, painting classes on the deck, and more depending on the time of year and the weather. They also have the best cookies called Lavender Pecan Crisps… see recipe below. They’re delicious. Makes about 36 cookies. If you don’t have time to go to Chappell Hill and pick up dried lavender, then you can get it at some grocery stores.

LAVENDER PECAN CRISPS

4 sticks softened butter
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 teaspoons ground lavender (culinary lavender)
4 cups corn flakes
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
Cream sugar and butter. Mix in dry ingredients, then fold in corn flakes and pecans. Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.

Starbucks is now offering Spicy Lemonade Refreshers in three flavors, or you can just add spicy cold foam to your coffee. Hmmm. My mother always said,” If you can’t say something nice, then say nothing.” Nothing.

Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is on Saturday May 11th. Place a bag of nonperishable food next to your mailbox and your letter carrier will manage the rest. #StampOutHunger.

EGOT winner, Barbara Streisand, is releasing her first song in six years…Love Will Survive – for the upcoming Peacock Original series, The Tattooist of Auschwitz.  Leonardo DiCaprio may play Frank Sinatra in the long-planned Sinatra biopic, costarring Jennifer Lawrence as the singer’s second wife, actress Ava Gardner. Beetlejuice 2 will be released on September 5th. It’s the sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 hit, Beetlejuice and will bring back Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Michael Keaton from the original cast. Timothee Chalamet is the first actor since John Travolta with Saturday Night Fever and Grease to have two top-grossing films in eight months with Wonka and Dune: Part Two. The movie Footloose is 40 years old. Oh, my. Kate Hudson appeared on The Tonight Show performing the song, Gonna Find Out on TV for the first time. Her debut album Glorious will be released May 17th. She was dressed in a white tasseled dress that reminded me of something Stevie Nicks wore way back when. The album includes rock, soul, country, Americana, and pop. I think it was quite good.

Security Guard: Ma’am, you can’t bring outside drinks in here.
Mom: This is a service mimosa.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Jessica Lange is 75. Actor Clint Howard is 65. John Cameron Mitchell is 61. Actor Claudia Cardinale is 86. Pink Panther. Singer Bobby Vinton is 89. Hit’s include Roses Are Red, Blue Velvet, To Know You Is to Love You, Take Good Care of My Baby, Tell Me Why, I Love How You Love Me, Please Love Me Forever, Mr. Lonely. Spike Lee is 67. Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III is 94. Actor singer Ann-Margaret is 83. Actor Paul Guilfoyle is 75. Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno is 74. Mary McDonnell is 72.

Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.  Robert Browning

Brunch is always a promising idea. The newest addition to the Saint Arnold Cider lineup has hints of pineapple and orange, which sounds like a rather clever idea for a brunch. Saint Arnold says Tropical Mimosa Cider brings together elements of a classic cider, crisp apple, with the addition of your favorite brunch beverage. Aromas and flavors of citrus and tropical pineapple play in sync to provide a flavorful cider. It’s 5.6% ABV and gluten free. Tropical Mimosa Cider joins Dry Cider and Strawberry Kiwi Cider in their lineup and is now available in a six pack.

My mother told me a million times not to exaggerate.

Are you looking for a great taco salad… served by some of the nicest people in town. Sitting here at my desk, I just put the last bite into my mouth… an incredibly good taco salad from LoveBirds restaurant across the street from our office on Parking Way. It had cold crisp lettuce (not dead brown lettuce like some establishments), tomatoes, black beans, onions, taco strips, salsa, guacamole, and other things that I have forgotten because I ate every last bit on my plate. Go see Bobby or Raymond. They’re great! They also have a bunch of smoothies, healthy drinks, wraps, breakfast bowls, avocado toast and so much more. 206 Parking Way LJ. 979-316-3416. Menu: lovebirdstx.com  (haha…this is not a paid advertisement, I just like the nice people and the good food.)

A Mother’s sacrifice isn’t giving birth… it’s 9 months without wine.

Here are some of the movies coming out this spring and summer. Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy. Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy, and Amy Schumer in Unfrosted, a mash-up of fact and fiction about how Pop-Tarts were invented. (I started watching it last night and it’s mostly fiction but pretty cute.) Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Marisa Abela in Back to Black, about Amy Winehouse. Furlosa: A Mad Max Saga with Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth. The Garfield Movie. Young Woman and the Sea with Daisy Ridley as Trudy Ederle, first Hitwoman to swim the English Channel. Hit Man directed by Richard Linklater, the story of a teacher who moonlights as a hitman. Inside Out 2, sequel to the 2015 Pixar hit. The BikeRiders with Austin Butler. Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1, written by Kevin Costner (June 28 release) with Chapter 2 released August 16. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F with Eddie Murphy, Kevin Bacon, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Netflix. Despicable Me 4 with a big voice cast. Fly Me to the Moon with Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson and Ray Romano. Twisters. Deadpool & Wolverine with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. Borderlands with Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart. Alien: Romulus, the latest in the Alien franchise. And many more.  

My nickname is Mom, but my full name is MOM MOM MOM MOM

Frankie Valli celebrated his 90th birthday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It is the 2,780th star on Hollywood Blvd. When the unknown group sang “Sherry” on American Bandstand in 1962, The Four Seasons band, and after nine years as a recording artist, Valli became an overnight sensation with a no. 1 record.

When I was a boy, my mother wore a mood ring. When she was in a good mood it turned blue. In a bad mood, it left a big red mark on my forehead.

You can now eat your ice cream with an edible vanilla-flavored spoon. The company’s other spoons, sporks, straws, and chopsticks include wheat, corn, rice, and chickpeas, not only entirely plastic-free, BUT fully edible. It’s about time. IncredibleEats.com $9.50 for 20. ONE-USE plastic is so wasteful. Starbucks is going straw-less, and McDonald’s is switching to cutlery with renewable fiber. Umaro Foods has turned sustainable ocean-farmed seaweed into meaty, crispy vegan bacon. Their goal is to make seaweed the most productive, environmentally friendly, and flavorful source of protein on this planet.

I child-proofed the house, but they still got in.

Last week I took a quick day trip to Taylor to where my mom lives, then met my sister Dani, niece Katherine, and her new baby girl Riley Danielle (named after my sister, of course). We had a super-nice visit with mom, then lined everyone up and took a four-generation picture. What a great Mother’s Day gift to us all. My mom who doesn’t say much anymore, told me to make her eyebrows really dark for the picture. A winner of a day. Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, mother-in-law, sisters, friends, co-workers, and everyone else out there. Being a mother is hard, but it is still my favorite job of all time, and it just keeps getting better and better as my children become full-fledged adults.

Today we honor cooks, nurses, chauffeurs, counselors, teachers, maids, and referees. In other words, we honor moms everywhere.

LISA

Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com

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  • What I Heard This Week 10-26-2023

    by on October 25, 2023 - 0 Comments

    Former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, recently remarried for the fourth time, which also happened to be on the occasion of his 93rd birthday. This time it was to Dr. Anca Faur, his 63-year-old, long-time companion (who looks like she wants to be 27), has a PhD in chemical engineering, and is now the executive vice president of Aldrin’s company, Buzz Aldrin Ventures.  He was first married to Joan Ann Archer in 1954 until divorcing in 1974. The next year he married Beverly Van Zile; they divorced after three years. His third marriage was to Lois Driggs Cannon in 1988 on Valentine's Day, divorcing 23 years later. Looks like he hasn’t given up on ‘love’ quite yet. He has sued two of his children and his former business manager claiming they stole money from him and are slandering his legacy, and that they also undermined his "personal romantic relationships" by forbidding him from getting married. His children say he is also spending money at an alarming rate. Sounds like those children are out of luck. There is a new sheriff in town and her name is MRS. Aldrin. ☹ Notes: Aldrin is also a strong advocate for human exploration of Mars. In 2002, he escaped assault charges after punching a man who demanded he swear on a Bible that the Moon landing was not staged. Good for him. He also said, “Tang sucks. “

  • What I Heard This Week 11-30-2023

    by on November 29, 2023 - 0 Comments

    Former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, recently remarried for the fourth time, which also happened to be on the occasion of his 93rd birthday. This time it was to Dr. Anca Faur, his 63-year-old, long-time companion (who looks like she wants to be 27), has a PhD in chemical engineering, and is now the executive vice president of Aldrin’s company, Buzz Aldrin Ventures.  He was first married to Joan Ann Archer in 1954 until divorcing in 1974. The next year he married Beverly Van Zile; they divorced after three years. His third marriage was to Lois Driggs Cannon in 1988 on Valentine's Day, divorcing 23 years later. Looks like he hasn’t given up on ‘love’ quite yet. He has sued two of his children and his former business manager claiming they stole money from him and are slandering his legacy, and that they also undermined his "personal romantic relationships" by forbidding him from getting married. His children say he is also spending money at an alarming rate. Sounds like those children are out of luck. There is a new sheriff in town and her name is MRS. Aldrin. ☹ Notes: Aldrin is also a strong advocate for human exploration of Mars. In 2002, he escaped assault charges after punching a man who demanded he swear on a Bible that the Moon landing was not staged. Good for him. He also said, “Tang sucks. “

  • Much Ado About Nothing - Texan in Winter

    by on December 6, 2018 - 0 Comments

    The power went out at my house last night for four hours. While this may not seem like a major catastrophe as it was the middle of the night and […]

  • Much Ado About Nothing - “Human Bait”

    by on January 16, 2020 - 0 Comments

    My dad always told me to have a backup plan in case my current job doesn’t work out. I wasn’t sure what that’d be until I saw this ad: “HUMAN […]

  • What I Heard This Week! December 20, 2018

    by on December 20, 2018 - 0 Comments

    The AK-47 is a type of assault rifle originally manufactured in the Soviet Union in 1949. A 17-year-old Humble High School student accidently shot herself recently with an AK-47 that […]

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