A pair of John Lennon’s iconic round wire rimmed glasses sold at auction recently for $57,300. Various pairs of John Lennon’s glasses have been auctioned throughout the years since The Beatles rose to fame. In December 2019, a green-tinted pair, owned by Ringo Starr’s former chauffeur, sold for $178,500 at auction. A Chinese rocket booster and a defunct Soviet satellite narrowly missed hitting each other in orbit on October 15th. A collision could have created a huge debris field, worsening the space-junk problem that now threatens satellites and spacecraft. The Crown returns on November 15th. This season shows Princess Diana’s wedding day and her beautiful gown based on the original. A study has found that reading for just six minutes each day can help reduce stress by up to 68%. The top three most-read books in the world are the (1) Bible, (2) Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung and (3) Harry Potter.
Santa at the Gazebo. Every year since 2015, George Franklin State Farm and The Source Weekly have pooled their money, their time, begged all businesses on Parking Way to donate goodies and money for Santa’s gift bags, then blocked the street for one traditional family night of free fun called Santa at the Gazebo. Our idea was that a visit with Santa for the children of the community, shouldn’t cost a fortune, so we invited anyone in the county that wanted to come to our public event and we have had the very best of times. Mike Dunlap ran the trolley, moving families closer to the LJ downtown Christmas lights, all while Christmas music blasted from the speakers. We had games, cookies, hot or cold cider depending on the weather, and hot chocolate with marshmallows, if it wasn’t shorts season. Kids and parents stood in line to sit on Santa’s lap and get their picture made…you know, tradition. We created this evening because our hearts told us it was a tradition that needed to live on, because we had parents tell us that they once sat on Santa’s lap at the same location when they were little, when the LJ Business Association was responsible for the event. WELLLLLLL, it looks like COVID is here to stay for a while, so we have made a tough decision to forego this tradition in 2020. Believe me, we are sad, but maybe we will see you next year. Debra, Karla, Lisa, Debbie, Tonia, Connie, Tina, Laurie, Shanna, Janice, Ashley, Hailey, Pam, and Thomas.
Since Santa at the Gazebo is not going to happen this year, we have another great idea. Light Up ‘Downtown’ was organized this year to help bring awareness to small businesses. It happens Saturday November 14th, in downtown Lake Jackson. The Farmer’s Market will open at 6pm with the Christmas Tree unveiling at 7pm. Everyone will decorate their storefronts and you can vote on who did the best job. Come help us celebrate, wear your masks, and enjoy an evening outside.
What to plant in November in South Texas!?! There are very few plants available right now. I planted some shallots that are doing well, but the sugar peas and jalapeno peppers need some love and fertilizer. I have tarragon, parsley, and two kinds of chives that are in pots doing well. I have spent the past year trying to undo what time has done to my raised beds and it is a battle. There is so much rotten wood that I need to start over and rebuild some of them. The eggplant is still doing well but has fallen from the stakes and is on the ground. I planted okra late last summer and just two plants came up. They suffered through last winter, so I was surprised when spring came and there was a single plant left, but instead of growing on a tall stalk, it started coming out from the bottom and has about 10-12 different branches that look like single plants. The main stalk on it is bigger than my leg. It is the silliest looking thing but produces like crazy. One single plant has been giving me enormous amounts of okra for the past three months…14-16 pieces every day until our cool weather arrived, FROM ONE PLANT. I cut 37 pieces the other day after two days of rain, with some of it too tough to eat, but it still gave me a huge amount for a pot of delicious okra and tomatoes. The zinnias continue to wildly reseed themselves.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Publisher Larry Flynt is 78. Hustler. Country singer Kinky Friedman is 76. Drummer Rick Allen is 57. Def Leppard. Singer Jay Black is 82. Jay and the Americans. Actor Stefanie Powers is 78. Drummer Carter Beauford is 62. Dave Matthews Band. Singer k.d. lang is 59. Actor Danny Cooksey is 45. Di ’rent Strokes is 45. Singer Lulu is 72. To Sir with Love. Actor-comedian Roseanne Barr is 68.
Guitarist Tommy Thayer is 60. Kiss. Singer Delbert McClinton is 80. Actor Matthew McConaughey is 51. Actor Elke Summer is 80. A Shot in the Dark. Singer Art Garfunkel is 79. Singer Peter Noone is 73. Herman’s Hermits. Actor Tatum O’Neal is 57. Actor Sally Field is 74. Former news correspondent Maria Shriver is 65. Actor Barry Newman is 82. Petrocelli. Singer Johnny Rivers is 78. Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is 77. Actor Christopher Knight is 63. The Brady Bunch is 63. Singer Lyle Lovett is 63.
Sean Connery, famous for many outstanding performances in films, but known as the “first” and the “best” agent 007 ever, died at the age of 90. Dr. No came out in 1962 and was his first of 7 James Bond films. His wife of 45 years said that he had struggled with dementia in his final months.
Right on the heels of Jerry Jeff Walker’s death last week, comes news that fellow outlaw country icon and Texan Billy Joe Shaver, died at the age of 81. Willie Nelson once called him the greatest living Texas songwriter. At the age of 21, he sliced o‑ most of two fingers on his right hand and part of a third, in a sawmill accident. He just taught himself to play without those fingers. Shaver, who took a bad fall last month and struggled with a bout of COVID-19 over the summer, had spent much of the past few months at his home in Lorena, just south of Waco. He continued to write songs and was beginning his second memoir. Even in isolation, his songs made their way to Willie Nelson, who used First Rose of Spring on his recent album, “We Are the Cowboys.”
Late blues musician and music critic, Tony Glover, was friends with Bob Dylan when they were both struggling musicians. Glover died recently and his widow is putting letters that the two friends exchanged, up for auction. In their correspondence, it is revealed that Dylan wrote the song Lay Lady Lay for Barbra Streisand, and not for the 1969 movie, Midnight Cowboy, as was believed. No one would elaborate on why he wrote it for Babs, but I bet she could have pulled it off and sounded absolutely fabulous.
When autumn darkness falls, what we will remember are the small acts of kindness: a cake, a hug, an invitation to talk, and every single rose. These are all expressions of a nation coming together and caring about its people. Jens Stoltenberg
The nonstop holiday movies on the Lifetime Channel have started. Then save time for the Hallmark Christmas movie 2020 lineup which will include 23 all-new original films. I think I have told you before how much I enjoy these movies, but it is always nice to share something good with friends.
A fisherman finally caught an alligator he said he had been watching for three years in the river behind his Florida home. He and a friend went out on the river in a 12-foot Jon boat (hmmm…not even close to big enough for me, personally) and harpooned him. It took them 3.5 hours to move the gator 100 feet with the Jon boat. The top of his head was 16-inches wide and he was over 13-feet long, weighing 1,008 pounds. The man plans to mount the front legs and the head. That will be quite a decorating statement. Sigh. Sounds like the alligator wasn’t doing anything other than just being an alligator.
The Jon boat originated in Scandinavia where “Jon” (pronounced Yawn) is a common name. Fisherman used them to haul gear and fisherman to their larger fishing vessels. Hmmm. Not 1000-pound alligators.
Hurricane ETA hit the northeastern coast of Nicaragua this week. There is always a possibility that it could re-group and head towards Florida, since we have another cool front coming and the water in the Gulf is 70 degrees. Good for us. Bad for Florida. We have been lucky so far.
David Andahl, a 55-year-old land developer and rancher in North Dakota, died of Covid–19 in early October. He was so passionate about his home state that he was sometimes called Dakota Dave. Death did not keep him from winning his race for the state House of Representatives on Tuesday. The local Republican Party will be responsible for filling the vacant seat until a special election.
12-year-old Nathan Hrushkin discovered the fossilized bones of a 69 million-year-old duck-billed dinosaur in Alberta, Canada. The young man, who has loved dinosaurs since he was little, says when he first laid eyes on the bones, he was “literally speechless”. 14-year-old Anika Chebrolu was awarded $25,000 as part of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, for research that may lead to a potential treatment for COVID-19. Our future looks good with kids doing great things!
The last time anyone saw a Voeltzkow’s chameleon in its natural Madagascar habitat, was over a century ago. You know, before World War I, when Woodrow Wilson was president. Until recently… when scientists found about 12 of them. Voeltzkow’s chameleons are hard to find because of their short life span, which only lasts a few months during the rainy season. The reptiles live in areas that are not easily accessible in the wet season, making it even more di cult for scientists to study them. The males are a lively color of green, but the females are quite stunning, with a wild black and white pattern, including shades of blue, red, purple, and orange, just depending on her mood…just like a woman. A researcher said, “Our planet is probably facing the beginning of an enormous extinction of species…rediscoveries of ‘lost’ species are very important as they provide crucial data for conservation measures and also bring some hope amidst the biodiversity crisis.”
Bio means “life” and diversity means “variety”, so the biodiversity crisis is the rapid loss of species and the rapid deterioration of ecosystems, probably a greater threat than global climate change to the stability and prosperous future of humankind on Earth.
A few years back, I explained to you about the Zebra mussels (that are not native to Texas) that ‘could be’ infesting our lakes if we did not start being more careful. It was recommended that you clean o‑ mud, plants, and debris, drain, wash your boat and trailer, then dry it before entering another body of water. Open the compartments so boats and gear can dry completely. This helps eliminate transporting the microscopic larvae to other lakes and rivers where they grow to 1.5 inches. They attach themselves to native clams and suffocate them. Their sharp shells harm recreation, aquatic life, and clog water intakes or any hard surface, where it will cost Texas hundreds of millions of dollars. If you see zebra mussels in lakes where they haven’t been found yet, then send photo and location to AquaTicInvasives@tpwd.texas. gov. If you see mussels on boats, trailers or equipment that is being moved, please report it immediately to 512-389-4848. You can be fined as much as $500 per violation, even if you transport them accidently. First found in 2017 in a North Texas lake, that lake was upgraded to ‘fully infested’ last week. The species has been found in 30 Texas lakes, across five river basins, and in rivers that branch off infected lakes, including Lake Livingston, Canyon Lake, Lake Travis, and Lake Marble Falls. Serious stuff .
Let’s set aside our political and ideological differences and take a moment to love our families, hug our children, parents and grandparents and through love and respect, strengthen the bonds that made us the greatest nation on Earth. James Lankford
Have a great week. Thank you for reading us. Wear your mask. It is just a mask, not a political statement. Lisa
