On Halloween day, there were two black vultures sitting on a light pole at the entrance of our subdivision. Like they were props. Watching. Waiting. Very appropriate for the day. I took a picture.

New York City is now dealing with an unusual outbreak of a rare, sometimes fatal disease spread through rat urine, called leptospirosis. It is not known why there have been so many new cases this year, but warmer weather conditions fueled by climate change is cited as a possible factor. A group of rat hunters are doing their part to help catch the critters, along with their pet dogs. One gentleman has spent 30 years of Friday nights, responding to public complaints about the 2-million plus brown rats living in NYC. He said that his dogs instinctively kill the rats but never get sick because they know to avoid the diseased rats. See, things could be worse in Texas. My son says that the rats are all over Boston, too. Hmmm.

The trouble with being in the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat. Lily Tomlin

A fast-food customer was killed at the drive-thru window of a McDonald’s in what police called a freak accident. The customer opened his door to get something he had dropped from his window while paying. As he opened the door and leaned out, the car rolled forward hitting part of the restaurant, which pinned him between the door and the frame. Efforts were made by first responders to revive the man, but he died on the scene. In 2012, a woman suffered serious injuries in the same such situation at another McDonald’s when she dropped money, reached down to pick it up as her foot slipped off the brake, and the car rolled forward. In 2018, a motorist opened a door at a Jack In The Box drive-thru to get his food. He tried to back up, but accelerated while doing so, hit a tree, and was pinned between the car and tree. I know you are thinking to yourself, fast food kills, so I’m not even going to mention it.

To me, fast food is when a cheetah eats an antelope. George Carlin

Since 1963, we have all been wondering what is inside those memorizing Astro Lamps aka Lava Lamps, designed by Edward Craven Walker. It is actually wax that is heated, then floats and rises to the top of the lamp, then as it cools it falls back down. There has been so little change in the way that the lamp is made that you can still buy spare parts for a lamp that was made in the 60’s. At its peak of popularity in the 90’s, they were selling over 800,000 lamps a year. The precise mix of chemicals used in commercial lava lamps remains a trade secret, but it is said to be a blend of paraffin and perchloroethylene (PERC, aka dry-cleaning fluid, or brake part cleaner). The base liquid is supposed to be mostly a mixture of water, dye and chemicals that prevent the formation of fungus. Now you know.

A husband is someone who after taking out trash, gives the impression he just cleaned the whole house.

Josh Duggar, 33, of the 19 Kids and Counting show, was charged with receiving and possessing more than 200 images of child sex abuse material, involving minor children from about 18 months of age to 12 years. He said he is not guilty. His wife, Anna, very pregnant with their seventh child, says she believes he is innocent. He has been granted unlimited contact with his children (as long as his wife is present) but is not allowed to see any other minor children, including his many nieces and nephews. Allegedly he admitted he molested five underage girls as a teen, but he could not be criminally charged because of statute of limitations had run out (even though he had confessed.). Two of his own sisters have come forward as two of his victims. If convicted (come on, of course he should be convicted) he could face a possible sentence of 40 years. Hmmm. NOT LONG ENOUGH. As a mother, I know exactly what I think should happen to him. He would be screaming like a girl. Meanwhile back at home, his dad Bob Duggar will be running for Arkansas State Senate.

I believe more in the scissors than I do the pencil. Truman Capote

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Barry Newman is 83. Singer Johnny Rivers is 79. Mountain of Love. Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is 78. Her fourth studio LP, the classic Blue Album was ranked No. 3 of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, by Rolling Stone Magazine. Actor Christopher Knight of The Brady Bunch is 64. Singer Bonnie Bramlett is 77. Delaney & Bonnie. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 72. Former Entertainment Tonight host Mary Hart is 71. Former Playboy CEO Christie Hefner is 69. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 67. Chuck E.’s in Love. Singer-actor Leif Garrett is 60. Actor Lou Ferrigno of The Incredible Hulk is 70. Singer Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees is 48. Blues singer Bobby Rush is 87. Country singer-songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard is 75. Actor Whoopi Goldberg is 66. Guitarist Vince Martell of Vanilla Fudge is 76.

Lyricist Tim Rice is 77. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast. Actor Mackenzie Phillips of One Day at a Time is 62. Actor Mackenzie Foy of Twilight is 21. Renesmee. Singer-keyboardist Paul Cowsill of The Cowsills is 70. The Rain, The Park and Other Things. Actor Stanley Tucci is 61. Actor Demi Moore is 58. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is 47. Keyboardist Booker T. Jones of Booker T. and the MG’s is 77. Singer Neil Young is 76. Guitarist Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult is 74. Actor Jimmy Hawkins is 80. He played Jimmy Stewart & Donna Reed’s son, Tommy Bailey, in the Frank Capra film classic … It’s A Wonderful Life.

The oldest surviving former Miss America, Jo-Carroll Dennison, died at 97. With a talent performance of Deep in the Heart of Texas, she captured the crown in 1942, after a banker stopped her on the street in Tyler, Texas and asked her to represent his bank in the town beauty pageant. She was one of the first pageant winners to object to wearing a swimsuit as she toured in the year after her victory.

In Texas, a mother and her 20-month-old baby boy were in a motel room when someone knocked. Three women overpowered the mother and took the child. The mother chased after them and was able to physically rip the front license plate from their vehicle before they drove away. Police used this information along with surveillance video, and the child was eventually returned to his mother safely. Ahh. The strength of a mother’s love can literally peel license plates right off cars.

Taco Bell is testing a monthly taco subscription service called Taco Lover’s Pass, where you can get one taco per day, for a month. More information to come, but great idea. Chipotle is adding smoked brisket to the menu. YUM. McDonald’s will be adding a new cheeseburger called The McPlant that is vegan. The burger is made with Beyond Meat which includes ingredients like yellow peas, coconut, potato, and beetroot juice. It is topped with vegan cheese and vegan sandwich sauce. For all my vegetarian friends. In an effort to protect our planet, McDonald’s is giving Happy Meals toys an environmentally friendly makeover, phasing out plastic toys, and if it works (of course it will work if they really want it to work), resulting in a 90% reduction in virgin plastics in favor of customizable crafts and build-your-own construction projects, paper-based trading cards, board games and lots of fun in each Happy Meal. I say get rid of anything that is not compostable, not biodegradable, that way it returns to the Earth.

OK, listen up. I am going to give you plenty of time to get your stuff together. Texas Gulf Bank is hosting Shred Day at the LJ Rec Center parking lot on Saturday Dec. 4^th from 8 to 11:30. I got there last time and the truck was already full, so get your papers gathered up now so you are ready when the time comes. Mark it on your calendar right now so you will not forget. You know you have stuff that needs shredding.

What does it tell you when you can buy a $123,000 battery-powered Aston Martin DB5. It is the same car James Bond drives. Oh, but wait, there is more to this story. It just so happens this is the child-size version. Yes, for children. The Aston Martin DB5 Junior is a smaller version of the one in the movies, including little toy machine guns that come out of the front as the headlights retract, and a smokescreen device that pumps dark smoke through tiny little exhaust pipes. Isn’t this sweet? And your name doesn’t even have to be Kardashian. Hmmm. It can get up to speeds of 45 to 50 mph. The Aston Martin spokesperson says, “We’d encourage parents to ensure their kids wear a helmet and that kids are supervised while driving.” Oh, really? Honestly, don’t you remember how good it felt to be going downhill on your bike with your feet hanging off the pedals and your hair flying in the wind? I vote for bicycles for Christmas, like in the old days. Walmart has a bunch in stock right now.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided on a formal definition of Long COVID, defining it as a “post-COVID condition.” The WHO said: “Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction but also others… which generally have an impact on everyday functioning. Symptoms may be new-onset, following initial recovery from an acute Covid-19 episode, or persist from the initial illness. Symptoms may also fluctuate or relapse over time.”

“First of all, you don’t get the vaccine for yourself, you get it for other people,” NBA legend Charles Barkley said. “I got vaccinated. I can’t wait to get the booster. You don’t get vaccinated just for yourself. Like [NBA Commissioner] Adam [Silver] said, you get vaccinated for your family first, you get vaccinated for your teammates second.” “I think everybody should get vaccinated,” Barkley added, noting he was “proud of the Nets for putting their foot down and for saying, ‘No, we’re not going to deal with this half on, half off’” and allow Kyrie Irving just to play on the road. Note: Irving will still receive half of his $35 million salary as he sits out the season. Yep. $17 million to sit at home.

Even if we disagree about everything, we can still be kind to each other.

Volkswagen just unveiled a tiny, boxy electric SUV called “ID. Life,”  a cute concept vehicle priced for first time car buyers that should cost around $24,000, when it gets here. VW says the car is made from several different recycled and renewable materials. Wood chips were used as a coloring agent in the car’s paint, and the lightweight removable roof is made from recycled bottles. The tires are made from biologically based oils, rice husks and natural rubber.

Having kids basically feels like waking up on the first morning of daylight saving time every day for 18 years.

Fall Back! Daylight Saving Time is November 7^th. No “s” at the end of saving. That means it will start getting dark right after you eat lunch. It just seems so silly for us to continue doing this. In 2020, American Academy of Sleep Medicine said the U.S. should eliminate daylight saving time in favor of a year-round standard time. The Royal Family has a resident clock master who must turn back 1,500 clocks. Think of the money they could save. Let’s repeal and replace Daylight Saving Time. Actually, I thought it happened last week-end, so on Sunday morning I got ready to re-set the clock in the kitchen after looking at the correct time on my cellphone. Well, that was weird. I convinced myself that the electricity had gone out during the night because I heard my neighbor’s generator going, or perhaps I just convinced myself that I heard it. Anyway, I believed what I told myself, and went on with my day. I worked outside, pulling weeds, burning sticks and never gave it another thought. BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING AT MY CELLPHONE which was correct. The next morning the cats woke me up an hour early for food. Dang. They had set their clocks forward. 😊 Have a great weekend and thanks again for reading and shopping with us. We appreciate you so much! Don’t forget to sell something or call (979-285-9200) for our FREE garage sales ads. It is Garage Sale Season.

LISA