Recently, while my kids were home on break, I served as the innkeeper at my own bed & breakfast (lunch & dinner) establishment.  It was so nice to have them ‘in and out’ as they made room for me in their ever so busy lives. It’s so different to have them back at home now, me trying to remember to give them their own space and allowing for all our crazy schedules. I did hear, “There’s nothing in the refrigerator to eat.” But when I checked, there wasn’t a square inch left to put in even one more slice of cheese and still get the door closed. At that point, there was a whole ham, containers of homemade Italian Wedding soup, and three casserole dishes of lasagna waiting for them. As a woman that loves to cook, it was a dream come true to accommodate them. They were just never there at the same time. What I don’t enjoy doing is vacuuming. Together, they bought me a Roomba Robot vacuum cleaner for Christmas that we named Cousin Greg (from HBO’s Succession). It is actually the happiest thing to ever happen to me involving home appliances. Cousin Greg just wakes up and starts vacuuming every single morning at 8:45. I clean him out before I start to the office, and he finishes up the floors before I get home at night. It couldn’t be any nicer. Well, except when he gets stuck under the middle of the king size bed. Thank you to my kids.

The cast and crew of Harry Potter reunited to celebrate the 20th-anniversary release of their first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, for an HBO Max special. Secrets were exposed. Emma Watson almost quit the series halfway through. Daniel Radcliffe had a crush on Helena Bonham Carter. Julie Walters who played Molly Weasley was absent. Most likely because she has semiretired from acting since successful treatment of stage three bowel cancer. It was fun to see them as adult real people.

A Boston hospital is the latest to deny an organ transplant to a patient who has refused to be vaccinated against Covid. “Post any transplant – kidney, heart, whatever – your immune system is shut off,” said Arthur Caplan, the head of medical ethics at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. “The flu could kill you, a cold could kill you, COVID could kill you. The organs are scarce. We’re not going to distribute them to someone who has a very poor chance of living, when others who are vaccinated have a much better chance post-surgery of surviving.”

With just 24-hours’ notice, Adele canceled a series of shows at Caesars Palace following a disagreement over a set design of an onstage pool that was intended to fill with water as she was lifted up on a crane-type mechanism, creating the illusion she was floating on water. Rumor has it that some top tickets sold for as much as $30,000 each, and people were flying in from all over the world. Yikes.

On the Ohio Turnpike, a snowplow was running one side of the turnpike clearing the road, all the while blowing massive amounts of snow, road dirt, slush, and debris out of the snowplow into a perfect rainbow shaped arch that sprayed all three lanes of vehicles on the other side. It was quite pretty but over 40 unsuspecting vehicles were blinded with damage of broken windshields and destruction to their cars, as they swerved, hitting other cars and guardrails, and sending at least 12 people to the hospital. The snowplow operator was on administrative leave after mandatory alcohol and drug testing.

A woman moving with her family from Colorado to New York, took an Apple AirTag that her son had been wearing to school, and dropped into a box of toys that were about to be loaded up with their other furniture and goods on the moving truck. The delivery date passed with no sign of their personal possessions arriving, so she checked the location and called the moving company driver who lied to her about the whereabouts of her belongings. Finally, the driver admitted that he had stopped to see his girlfriend and if he hustled, he could be in her driveway the next day. Good idea! So, AirTags can be used for evil (stealing cars) and good (finding your stuff). They’re $29 or 4 for $99. I have one on my keyring.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Gene Hackman is 92. The French Connection. Actor Vanessa Redgrave is 85. Country singer Jeanne Pruett is 85. Satin Sheets. TV personality Joy Philbin is 81. Horn player William King of The Commodores is 73. Musician Phil Collins is 71. Singer John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols is 66. Singer Justin Timberlake is 41. Actor-writer-producer Billy Mumy is 68. Will Robinson on Lost in Space. Country singer Norma Jean is 84. I Cried All the Way to the Bank

Singer Lisa Marie Presley is 54. Comedian Tom Smothers is 85. Actor Bo Hopkins is 78. Singer Howard Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers is 76. TV chef Ina Garten of the Barefoot Contessa is 74. Model Christie Brinkley is 68. Actor Bridget Hanley of Here Come the Brides & Harper Valley P.T.A. is 81. Actor Blythe Danner is 79. Guitarist Dave Davies of The Kinks is 75. Singer Melanie is 75. Brand New Key. Actor Morgan Fairchild is 72. Drummer John Steel of The Animals is 81. Singer Florence LaRue of the Fifth Dimension is 80.

Singer Alice Cooper is 74. Country singer Clint Black is 60. Singer-songwriter Barrett Strong is 81. He was the first artist to record a hit for Motown. Actor David Selby is 81. He was Quentin Collins in the daytime soap opera Dark Shadows. Singer Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat and Tears is 78. Actor Barbara Hershey is 74. Actor-director-comedian Christopher Guest is 74. Actor-comedian Garrett Morris of SNL is 85. Singer Graham Nash is 80. Country singer Norma Jean is 84. I Cried All the Way to the Bank.

The four-legged Hollywood star that played Seabiscuit in the 2003 movie has died at 24. His horse-name was Popcorn Deelites aka Pop’s, and he had retired to Old Friends Thoroughbred Farms in 2005. He had a modest racing career before he became a movie star.

Fred Parris died at 85. He was the lead singer for the doo-wop group the Five Satins, writing their hit song, In the Still of the Night, which he wrote while he was serving on night guard duty in the army, then recording it when he was home on leave. Emmy-winning comedian, actor and game show host, Louie Anderson, died at 68. Yvette Mimieux, famous for playing soulful, wounded, and vulnerable parts, died at 80. In the 60’s she starred in Where the Boys Are and is believed to be the first actress to show her navel on TV, on Dr. Kildare in 1964. Rock legend Meat Loaf, aka Michael Aday, died at 74. He was one of the best-selling music artists of all time with hits like I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That), and Bat Out of Hell.  It was reported that he died of complications from Covid.  Songwriter Dallas Frazier, died at 82. He wrote the song Elvira. Fashion icon Andre Leon Talley died at 73. He was the former editor-at-large for Vogue. Basketball player Lusia Harris died at 66. She scored the first points ever in Olympic women’s basketball and was the only woman ever drafted by the NBA.

I think the theatre is as essential to civilization as safe, pure water. Vanessa Redgrave

An international flight was diverted after two unruly Israeli passengers decided to move to empty seats in business class after the plane had departed for Tel Aviv from New York. They then refused to prove that they had tickets in business class, so approximately 90 minutes into the flight the pilot turned the plane around and took them back to NY, where police were waiting to arrest them. Go United! On a Delta flight from Dublin to New York, a man refused to wear a mask, got up to complain about the food, then dropped his pants and mooned the attendant and the passengers. He put his own cap on the pilot’s head and refused to sit down during the final approach to JFK. Authorities took him into custody when the plane landed. Consequences. We need more of them.

Integrity is so perishable in the summer months of success. Vanessa Redgrave.

In winter, fall and spring… plus occasionally in the summertime, I love making soup. It’s relaxing to cut and chop, taste, add a dash of this and that, until it’s just perfect. Like painting a picture except you get to eat it when you’re finished. Connie brought the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana copycat Soup one day for a birthday luncheon, and it is just the best. We will be forever indebted to her for showing us this lovely dish. I went to the grocery store last night, picked up all the ingredients, then made it when I got home. Today happens to be Tina’s non-birthday that she decided not to celebrate. If you don’t celebrate it, it really doesn’t really count. The ingredients in this soup are pretty basic… Italian sausage, onion, potatoes, and kale. We all agree that you don’t eat it because you’re hungry, you eat it because it becomes addictive when you stir all those flavors together. Hope you enjoy. 6 servings.

1.5 pounds spicy Italian ground sausage (I used mild but added more Italian seasoning) 6 tablespoons butter
one white onion diced
1.5 tablespoon minced garlic
9 cups chicken broth
3 cups water (I used all chicken broth)
6 or 7 yellow potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
4+ teaspoons salt or to taste (this depends on whether you used unsalted broth or not)
1.5 teaspoon black pepper (I added a little red pepper flakes when I put the potatoes in)
3 cups heavy cream
6 cups chopped kale (I like a heavy kale but Connie uses spinach)
Chopped bacon bits and grated parmesan cheese for topping optional

Directions: In a large pot brown sausage 5-6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage to a plate and set aside. In the same pot, add butter, cook onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two, or until the garlic makes your house smell like Heaven. Add chicken broth, water, potatoes, salt, and pepper and slow boil until potatoes are tender. Turn off the heat, stir in kale, and heavy cream. Add sausage.  Salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve garnished with grated parmesan cheese and bacon bits. When I prepared it last night, I made tiny little meat balls from the pork, sprinkled more Italian seasoning over those, then roasted and browned them in the oven. I also added more kale and put the chopped bacon straight into the soup. I think you’re going to like it.

Prince Andrew has been stripped of all his military titles and royal patronages because he will need to defend himself of sexual-assault allegations as a private citizen instead of a royal, which also means he may also lose his 24-hour police security and bodyguards. He became colonel-in-chief of the Grenadier Guards in 2017 after inheriting the position that his father, the Duke of Edinburgh held for 42 years before he retired. There are reports that Kate Middleton could replace Prince Andrew and make royal history as the second female appointed to this position in its 366-year history.

A Crockett woman standing in line at the self-checkout at Walmart, offered another woman $500,000 to buy her baby. That’s a no-no. Now, I believe in full disclosure. Anything less is a lie. I was shopping at Walmart this past weekend and saw the most beautiful baby in a woman’s basket, so I asked the mom what aisle I could find “one of those” on?  Please let it be known that I never offered her money, I just needed directions to the correct aisle. 😊 Thank you so much for reading us. If you are still looking for a copy of The Source Weekly since Buc-ee’s has decided not to carry any newsprint, please look on page 5. Most, but not all of our many locations are listed. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience.

LISA