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
