As you are well aware, unless of course, this is your first time reading this column, that I believe there is some good in most everyone. BUT lately, it’s getting harder to locate all that good. I had just walked back into my office after watching them tow my car… I was sweaty and kinda’ whiny, so I turned on the air and sat back down to think about things. There amongst ALL the stuff on my desk staring right at me, was THE book, The World According to Mister Rogers, Important Things to Remember. I love Mr. Rogers! The book opened right to his acceptance speech for the Lifetime Achievement Award for The Television Hall of Fame in Feb 1999. So, I read it again, and now I’ll share it with you. If only each of us could and would, inject just a tiny little bit of Mr. Rogers into our lives each day, no matter what kind of job or day we have … after about a week, we should be able to see and feel some changes in the thoughts and actions of other people in our world. But the entire village would have to make the effort.
Fred Rogers’ Acceptance Speech Television Hall of Fame February, 1999
“Fame is a four-letter word; and like tape or zoom or face or pain or life or love, what ultimately matters is what we do with it.
I feel that those of us in television are chosen to be servants. It doesn’t matter what our particular job, we are chosen to help meet the deeper needs of those who watch and listen – day and night!
The conductor of the orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl grew up in a family that had little interest in music, but he often tells people he found his early inspiration from the fine musicians on television.
Last month a thirteen-year-old boy abducted an eight-year-old girl; and when people asked him why, he said he learned about it on TV. “Something different to try,” he said. “Life’s cheap; what does it matter?”
Well, life isn’t cheap. It’s the greatest mystery of any millennium, and television needs to do all it can to broadcast that … to show and tell what the good in life is all about.
But how do we make goodness attractive? By doing whatever we can do to bring courage to those whose lives move near our own – by treating our “neighbor” at least as well as we treat ourselves and allowing that to inform everything that we produce.
Who in your life has been such a servant to you … who has helped you love the good that grows within you? Let’s just take ten seconds to think of some of those people who have loved us and wanted what was best for us in life – those who have encouraged us to become who we are tonight – just ten seconds of silence.” (And he was serious – he stood for a full ten seconds of silence while the crowd had massive tears rolling down their cheeks…)
“No matter where they are – either here or in heaven – imagine how pleased those people must be to know that you thought of them right now.
We all have only one life to live on earth. And through television, we have the choice of encouraging others to demean this life or to cherish it in creative, imaginative ways.
On behalf of all of us at Family Communications and PBS, I thank you for all the good that you do in this unique enterprise … and for wanting our Neighborhood to be part of this celebration. Thank you very much.” Mister Rogers
HUNKLE: like a normal Uncle but way better looking.
HEADLINES: Harsh Truth: We’re using more crude oil than ever. Are we at our peak of oil demand yet? No, that’s expected soon, around 2030. We use enough crude to fill 6,500 Olympic-size swimming pools every day. South Florida saw a water temperature buoy five feet underwater showing a hot tub temperature of 101.19 Degrees Fahrenheit. The Woodlands celebrated with eight new Pickleball Courts for a total of 38. Quit it. Do we have any pickleball courts in LJ?
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Guitarist Blair Thornton of Bachman-Turner Overdrive is 73. Actor Woody Harrelson is 62. Guitarist Slash of Guns N’ Roses is 58. Musician Alison Krauss is 52. Actor Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter is 34. Country singer Danielle Bradbery of The Voice is 27. Comedian Ruth Buzzi is 87. Actor Mark Goddard (Major Don West) of Lost in Space is 87. Actor Robert Hays of Airplane! is 76. Actor Michael Richards (Cosmo Kramer) of Seinfeld is 74. Actor, singer, Miss World USA 1972, Lynda Carter of Wonder Woman is 72. Country singer Pam Tillis is 66. Actor-singer Kristin Chenoweth is 55. Actor-singer Jennifer Lopez is 54. Drummer Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds is 80. Bassist Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire is 72. Supermodel Iman is 68. Actor Matt LeBlanc of Friends (Joey) is 56.
Actor Helen Mirren is 78. Drummer Roger Taylor of Queen is 74. Actor Susan George is 73. Actor Sandra Bullock is 59. TV producer Norman Lear is 101. Singer Maureen McGovern is 74. The Morning After from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure; We May Never Love Like This Again from The Towering Inferno in 1974. Actor Sally Struthers is 76. Gloria, daughter of Archie and Edith on All in the Family. Guitarist Steve Morse of Deep Purple is 69. Keyboardist Neal Doughty of REO Speedwagon is 77. Documentary maker Ken Burns is 70. TV personality Tim Gunn of Project Runway is 70. Singer-bassist Geddy Lee of Rush is 70. Singer Patti Scialfa of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is 70. Country singer Martina McBride is 57. (I told you last week but I’m going to tell you again because it’s still hard to believe that Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones is 80.) Sigh.
Pee-wee Herman, the actor who was always in character, aka Paul Reubens, has died from cancer at 70. He wore a grey suit and bright red bow tie, and was inspired by his childhood favorites Howdy Doody, Captain Kangaroo and Rocky & Bullwinkle. He even auditioned in character for his first paying Hollywood gig, The Dating Game, and was cast. Eagles co-founder Randy Meisner, who added his high harmonies to Take It Easy, The Best of My Love, Take It to the Limit, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, at age 77. Some of the best music … ever.
One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching – Gerard Way
Are you thinking about getting married in Las Vegas? Back in April, the Wienermobile was parked in front of the Little White Wedding Chapel, and Oscar Meyer covered all the costs of some ceremonies (think Wienermobile of Love.) The 30-minute ceremonies were officiated by an Oscar Mayer Hotdogger (aka Wienermobile spokesperson), and the happy couples walked down the aisle to a Wiener Whistle Quartet, enjoyed a wiener-shaped cake and commemorative photos. It seems that each year, Oscar Meyer receives thousands of requests to be part of the “Big Day.” You have to get your own Nevada marriage license ($102) and get on a waiting list. I don’t know for sure, but it sounds kind of fun.
When you cut the bottom off heads of romaine lettuce; did you know you can put it root-side down in a shallow bowl of water and it will continue growing new lettuce leaves? Onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, leeks, shallots, celery, fennel, carrots, turnips, parsnips, beets and other root crops, lettuce, Bok choi, cabbages, mint, cilantro, and other herbs will all grown from the scraps of what you cut off and decide not to use. I have had great gardens, full of potatoes just from my compost of the potato peelings. You can also throw all of them into a pot and make vegetable broth. My sister feeds all her scraps to her chickens, but you can keep an Ugly Broth Bag in the freezer until you have enough to make broth, a safe, un-stinky location to keep it until you can place it in your compost. We all need to do our part to be less wasteful. Leave our Earth a better place than when you arrived. I may have the pleasure of grandchildren one day, and I’m going to be so embarrassed.
Welcome to Jordan Weaver new Youth Education & Programming and Ariel Lara, Adult Education & Programming for Lake Jackson Historical Association. Kids can register now for Archaeology Camp in August. jordan@ljhistory.org. Good Luck to Katelyn Landry as she leaves her role as Program & Education Coordinator to pursue her Masters in Archives and Public History at New York University. On August 5th at the Alden B. Dow Office Museum, Zahrah Butler and Sierra Hardesty will give presentations on the research they conducted this summer as part of LJHA’s inaugural research internship. 979-297-1570.
The Source Weekly has a sweet customer that took the time to advertise a thank you ad for some recent kindness someone had given to her. There are so many people suffering in the world, kindness can open doors for them and for you. It works two ways. Today, carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of repayment, compensation, or a pat on the back. Do it just because it feels good. 😊
Alert. Alert. This is really weird. I was at Hobby Lobby and realized that all the fall decorations were already out on the shelves. Stuff like dead leaves, and bales of dead grass. I’m thinking to myself, this looks just like the stuff in my own yard right now. HALLELUJAH! I’m already decorated for fall. Burlap plaid pillows that say COZY are not appealing in this weather. I walked further discovering aisles and aisles of Christmas decorations. Hmmm. Then I drove over to Lowe’s and the giant skeletons and witches are already talking spooky to us. It’s just too hot to think about it.
The hummingbirds are back, and they need you to fill up your feeders, place them in the shade if possible, and clean them out more often since the horrible heat encourages the sugar water to become contaminated, which can lead to sickness or death in their tiny, fragile little bodies. Most hummingbirds that are found dead with their tongues hanging out were consuming fermented nectar. Black mold that develops on fermented nectar is one of the reasons hummingbirds get fungal infections. As a result of these infections, the tongues of hummingbirds swell to such a point that feeding becomes impossible, and they die of starvation. So, clean out the feeders every day if possible. I mix up my nectar and keep it in a recycled wine bottle in the refrigerator, then I have two feeders working, one in the dishwasher and one outside. When I unload the dishwasher, it’s a reminder to change the feeder outside. You can use vinegar, dish soap or even bleach but you have to remember to rinse really well. Because you are changing the nectar each day, you don’t have to use much. During this extreme heat, we need to remember to refill our bird baths too. Fresh water for our wonderful, winged creatures is so important.
She believed she could, but her cat was asleep on her lap, so she didn’t.
So, I’m in line at Panda Express ordering vegetables and rice…
Panda Express Guy: We are sorry, but we are out of vegetables.
Me: Well, then may I add an order of Broccoli and Beef?
Panda Express Guy: You sure can!
Me: Hmmm.
Robert Oppenheimer had a Signature Martini. In the movie, there is a dinner party at the Oppenheimer house. While Oppenheimer (who was known for his love of Martinis) is preparing drinks for his guests, he rims the martini glass with a liquid. He was known for serving the most delicious, very strong and coldest Martinis. Well, he was rimming the glass with an equal mixture of lime juice and honey. I must leave now, go home, and try this. Stay cool, thanks for reading & shopping with us.
😊 LISA
Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com
