Quebec has a new imposed curfew to help slow the spread of coronavirus that will remain in place until February 8. There are quite a few exceptions including walking your dog. You must stay within a half a mile of your home in order to allow your dog to do his/her business. About an hour after the curfew went in effect, a woman was seen walking alongside her husband…on a leash. Yes, she was walking her husband. They were each fined $1500 for breaking the rules. Police said the couple did not cooperate with officers at all and insisted they were following the rules, despite not having a real dog with them. The woman vowed not to pay for the ticket and said she would just let them accumulate. The fines start at $1,000 and can get as high as $6,000 for repeat offenders.
Wait and prune your crepe myrtles around Valentine’s Day. Any earlier than that and they may put out new growth and a freeze would kill all the new delicate growth. Do not prune azaleas or hydrangeas now because you will be cutting off all your spring blooms. Do not prune hibiscus yet because the freeze-damaged wood will protect the green wood farther down the branches. You can prune to green wood when the danger of frost is past.
“Think before you speak. Read before you think.” Fran Lebowitz
According to a survey by the government sponsored mortgage-finance company Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 30-year mortgage fell to 2.65 percent for the week ending Jan. 7, down .99 percentage points from the year before. The average rate for a 15-year mortgage fell to 2.16 percent, down .91 percentage points.
Several gorillas at San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California have tested positive for the virus in what is believed to be the first known cases among primates in the US and possibly the world. It is believed that the infection came from a member of the park’s wildlife care team who also tested positive for the virus but was asymptomatic but always wore a mask around the gorillas. The gorillas routinely get flu vaccines, and it is possible one day they could be vaccinated against COVID, but there are no plans for that at this moment.
It is time to start thinking about gardening. To tell you the truth, I think about it all the time. We have made one trip to Buchanan’s, then Lowe’s this past Saturday to get a few more plants to fill in the blanks. I dug out all the puny annuals in my front yard, then placed the new flowers like pieces in a puzzle before I ran out of daylight and it got cold. I am super wimpy about the cold. It rained all day Sunday, so all those pots are still out there, scattered here and there in their little black pots, just waiting for warmer, drier weather. Sigh. I hope they live. I ended up with yellow-peach pansies, white alyssum, Dusty Miller, and ornamental cabbage that is a very pretty shade of purple, very lacy looking. I also bought a flat of Snapdragons that are supposed to be coral colored, but none of them were flowering so I bet they will be a different color when they bloom. Does not matter, it should all be pretty together, for the bees and the butterflies. Just wish I could have found a few petunias. Those always do well in our area. The poppies are already coming up in the backyard (I planted three new varieties last year, some purple), the amaryllis haven’t died back (it’s been too hot), and the day lilies are growing like crazy. I will have some to share. I found a 10-ft. red oak tree marked down to $40, along with two weeping red buds for $10 each that I will plant down on the creek. I took a little walk through my vegetable garden on Saturday (since I hadn’t been back there since my COVID-vacation), only to find the prettiest swiss chard ever. (Yes, I made soup.) My cilantro has come up on its own, along with English and lemon thyme. There were quite enough sugar snap peas for quite a nice snack while I was dreaming about what I wanted to plant this year. There are not many garden plants available at the stores right now but soon, so prepare.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Country singer Suzy Bogguss is 64. Actor Tim Considine is 80. My Three Sons. Guitarist Andy Summers is 78. The Police. Actor Ben Kingsley is 77. Actor Tim Matheson is 73. National Lampoon’s Animal House. Singer Burton Cummings is 73. The Guess Who. Bassist Tom Hamilton is 69. Aerosmith. Singer-actor Joey McIntyre is 48. New Kids on the Block. Actor Frank Langella is 83. Singer-guitarist Country Joe McDonald is 79. Country Joe and the Fish. Comedian Don Novello is 78. Father Guido Sarducci on SNL. TV host Jack Hanna is 74. Actor Cuba Gooding Junior is 53. Actor Ted Danson is 73. Singer Patti Smith is 74. TV host Meredith Vieira is 67. Actor Denzel Washington is 66.
Singer John Legend is 42. Country singer-guitarist Marty Roe is 60. Diamond Rio. Record producer Phil Spector is 81. America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh is 75. Keyboardist Bob Carpenter is 74. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Actor John Amos is 81. Roots and Good Times. Guitarist Mick Jones is 76. Foreigner. Actor Barbara Rush is 94. Peyton Place. Actor Dyan Cannon is 82. Country singer Patty Loveless is 64. Actor Dabney Coleman is 89. 9 to 5. Singer Stephen Stills is 76. Bassist John Paul Jones is 75. Led Zeppelin. Singer Shirley Bassey is 84. Game show host Bob Eubanks is 83. The Newlywed Game.
Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner is 75. Singer Kenny Loggins is 73. TV anchor Katie Couric is 64. Bassist Kathy Valentine is 62. The Go-Go’s. Actor Nicolas Cage is 57. Singer-bassist Athol Guy is 81. The Seekers. Talk show host Charlie Rose is 79. Actor Diane Keaton is 75. Actor Ted Lange is 73. The Love Boat. Drummer George “Funky” Brown is 72. Kool and the Gang. Actor Pamela Sue Martin is 68. Dynasty. Singer Kim Wilson is 70. Fabulous Thunderbirds. Actor-comedian Rowan Atkinson is 66. Mr. Bean. Singer Kathy Sledge is 62. Sister Sledge. Accordionist Joey, the Cow Polka King, is 72. Riders in the Sky. Actor Victoria Principal is 71. Actor Robert Duvall is 90. Singer Joan Baez is 80.
Tommy Lasorda leader of the Los Angeles Dodgers died at 93 of heart failure. Veteran soap star John Reilly died at 84. For five decades, he starred in hit soaps including General Hospital. Former James Bond girl, Tanya Roberts died unexpectedly at 65, from a urinary tract infection that developed into sepsis.
Thanks To: Belinda at BC Truck Outfitters for taking time out of her day to make a sweet phone call just to say hello. Kelly at CVS Pharmacy. That is where I’ve been going to get my COVID testing. She included personality, kindness and a terrific ‘car-side’ manner. Sticking an extra-large and long Q-tip up your nose is not much fun, but she was the best! Again, all my friends that provided food and love last month. You set new standards. To all the people that have checked up on Teller the Wonder Dog. He is simply great. A little hard-headed, but just as sweet as can be. I will never have clean carpet, but let’s face it, a clean house and clean carpet is overrated. My kids will not remember the dirt, but they will remember that we had a dog and three cats that they love.
There was a little brouhaha about Martha Stewart getting her COVID vaccine before front line and essential-type workers got theirs. Come on people. She looks great but she is 79, and for whatever reason, they qualify anyone over the age of 65, as old. Yes, it is offensive, but you get the vaccine before your best friend who is just 64. (If you’re not offended, then you’re probably only 40, but your time is coming.) So, Martha got on Instagram to defend herself explaining that she stood in line just like everyone else at the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. Hmmm. Did you read that? Martha Stewart Center for Living. I think she deserves to get her vaccination anytime she feels like it.
Harris County confirmed their first case of the new COVID variant #B117. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo called the discovery disturbing. “Along with our recent trends, we could be on the road to a crisis if we don’t change our behavior now. Do your part.” The thing that puzzles me is that the testing we do now, does not test for the new strain, so how do they know that no one else has it. Just wondering so I Googled. It said that they take a percentage of sample tests and do deep genetic analysis (sequencing), so only around 51,000 of 17 million US cases have been sequenced. Also, it is much more expensive testing. That means if the new strain has not been found, they just might be missing it.
Life is like a book. Some chapters are sad, some are happy, and some are exciting. But if you never turn the page, you will never know what the next chapter holds. Facebook
Whataburger announced the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and BBQ Bacon Burger are back on the menu. The Spicy Chicken Sandwich includes a crispy chicken filet, topped with fresh, cool leaf lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mayo on Whataburger’s new brioche bun. The returning BBQ Bacon Burger includes three slices of bacon, smoked cheddar and Monterey Jack paired with two pure beef patties and a smoky tangy BBQ sauce. Limited time only.
Envoy Mortgage of Houston surprised a firefighter, a nursing home assistant, and a special education teacher – all frontline workers, by paying their mortgages until the end of 2021. Nice. Goodwill Industries received a $15 million donation from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation (former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.)
“Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book… The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better… Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.” – Annie Dillard
The Sex and the City revival is officially coming to HBO Max. It will be a 10-episode series and the new chapter is called “And just like that…” the story continues following Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie Bradshaw), Cynthia Nixon (Miranda Hobbes), and Kristin Davis (Charlotte York), as they pursue “love and friendship” during their 50s. Sorry, sounds like Kim Cattrall (Samantha Jones) will not be a part of it.
In the history of our United States, January 6th, 2021 will be listed as a very dark day. Five people died, at least 60 people were arrested, and over 50 police and security officers were hurt or injured (many hit in the head with metal pipes,) as mobs stormed the Capitol in Washington, DC. A 34-year-old Georgia woman, Rosanne Boyland, was, “potentially crushed to death” during the breach. Ben Phillips, 50, a trip organizer with a bus full of Trump supporters from Pennsylvania, suffered a stroke in the chaos. Ashli Babbitt, 35, and a 14-year-old Air Force veteran was shot by Capitol police as the rioters were forcing their way through doors in the Capitol. One man, Kevin Greeson, 55, of Alabama, died of a heart attack in the riot. Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, died after being attacked by rioters, hitting him in the head with a fire extinguisher. He was 42. Hmmm.
Scientists were surprised to learn that young alligators can grow back as much as 9 inches of a lost tail. Just like lizards. What makes the alligator interesting, apart from its size, is that the regrown tail exhibits signs of both regeneration and wound healing within the same structure, with regrowth of cartilage, blood vessels, nerves, and scales.
I just found something really interesting and FUNNY. I will work on that for next week because I want to share in more detail. Have a great week, wear your mask and be safe.
Lisa
