As I left the office on Monday night and got to the end of our block on Parking Way, I noticed two boots sitting up in the grass in the middle of the esplanade. All by themselves, just a pace away from each other. I was already turning the car, and had a vehicle coming up behind me, so I went around the block just so I could see it again. I took a picture. Yep, a pair of nicely broken-in Justin size 10’s, upright, looking like someone ran straight out of them, and just kept running. Hmmm. But were they running TO something, or FROM something…inquiring minds need to know? If only those boots could talk. If you have knowledge, we would love to hear the story. I just got back from the mailbox. Those boots are made for walking, but they are still waiting…just a little wet and lonely, now.
Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow internet to see who they really are.
Scientists in south America discovered a new species of frog, naming it after the iconic British rock group, Led Zeppelin. They named the new species Pristimantis ledzeppelin or Led Zeppelin’s rain frog. It had nothing to do with the looks of the frog, they simply wanted to honor “one of the most influential bands throughout the 1970s.” In 2012, Australian entomologists named a new species of horse fly for Houston-born artist Beyonce…“the unique dense golden hairs on the fly’s abdomen… led me to name this fly in honor of the performer.” Not as much of a compliment…
The Sopranos prequel shows young Tony Soprano being played by Michael Gandolfini, ‘son’ of the late James Gandolfini, who played the iconic mob boss character, before his death. The movie, Many Saints of Newark will be in theaters on October 1 and on HBO Max for 31 days following theatrical release. On Golden Pond will be presented in September at Brazosport Center Stages in the Freeport LNG Theater. They are looking for six actors who can believably portray characters with ages ranging from 13 to 82. You might be just that person, so think about an audition July 12 & 13.
Prince William and Prince Harry paid tribute to their mother’s love, strength and character as they unveiled a statue in her honor on what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday “Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy.” Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani were married in a chapel that Shelton built himself with help, on the grounds of his Oklahoma ranch. Carson Daly officiated. Sweet. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary. Sweeter.
The news report read: How did a small town in Canada become one of the hottest places on Earth? I saw, read, and interpreted this as… how did a small town in Canada become one of the trendiest, most fun places to be…you know hot…fashionable, fun, stylish, chic, cool. Blond moment.
It was July 21, 1969, Apollo 11 had landed on the Moon, and Neil Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface. Those of us that saw it, remember it vividly. Our TV was black & white, the picture was pretty low-quality. A team of retired NASA employees and contractors tried to find those tapes in the early 2000s but were unable to do so. After years of speculation, NASA finally admitted in 2009 that the original moon landing tapes were missing. In the early 1980s, NASA’s Landsat program was facing a severe data tape shortage and it is likely the tapes were erased and reused.
“This July 4 we’re reminded that patriotism isn’t just about loyalty to country. It’s about loyalty to one another – to our communities, to those in need whose names or stories we may not know ever, but to whom we are connected by compassion and by resilience.” Miami-Dade Co. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Country singer T.G. Sheppard is 77. Guitarist Carlos Santana is 74. Drummer Paul Cook of Sex Pistols is 65. Actress Louise Fletcher is 87. Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Comedian Gallagher is 75. Actor Dean Winters is 57. Mayhem in Allstate commercials. Peacock’s Tiger King Series has added Dean Winters to play Jeff Lowe, alongside Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin, and John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic. Comedian Ruth Buzzi is 85. Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.
Singer Kim Carnes is 75. Bette Davis Eyes. Singer Vikki Carr is 80. Bassist John Lodge of Moody Blues is 77. Actor John Aniston of Days of Our Lives is 88. Actor Robert Hays of Airplane! is 74. Actor Michael Richards is 72. Cosmo Kramer in Seinfeld. Actress Lynda Carter is 70. Country singer Pam Tillis is 64. Actress Mara Wilson of Mrs. Doubtfire, Matilda, is 34. Bassist Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire is 70. Supermodel Iman is 66. Actor Mark Goddard is 85. Major Don West, hot-tempered second in command of the Jupiter 2, in Lost in Space. AND happy birthday to my sweet friend Wes Copeland.
Actor Ray MacDonnell, best known for his portrayal of Dr. Joe Martin on the soap opera All My Children, on which he was an original cast member, died at 93. John Paragon, best remembered as Jambi the Genie on Pee Wee’s Playhouse, died at 66. His magical character catchphrase was “Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho!” Max Rosenthal, the Everyone Loves Raymond, actor, died at 95.
Did you know that Calvin Graham, of Texas, joined the U.S. Navy at just 12-years-old following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, at age 13?
During the past year, the kids and I have not eaten out very often. An occasional drive-thru meal was pretty much it. I love Wendy’s but I was turned off because very few workers were wearing their masks correctly. We have always enjoyed cooking at home, so we did not feel deprived except for Mexican food. Yes, we missed our Mexican food, so about every 5-6 weeks, we would call La Casona and place a to-go order. It was a special occasion because it was fairly expensive to order three full meals, a half-gallon of frozen Sangria Margarita’s (yes, the most important part of Mexican food especially during a pandemic), plus I always left a pretty decent Covid tip. So, on Saturday we had a morning garage sale (hot), then I went home and worked in the yard all day weeding and planting new flowers. I had very cleverly tied two bandanas to my head to protect my ears and my neck, was wearing dirty shorts, smelled bad, and my long-sleeve yard shirt had rips in it. What can I say? It helps it breathe. I was a total mess. 😊 Around 8:45pm, I placed my dinner order, and was told to arrive in 10-15 minutes, so I pulled in at the correct time and waited. After 25 minutes, I called to inquire about the order. I was told they do not deliver to the cars. What?!? But you did! I gasped, “DO I HAVE TO COME INSIDE?” Yes, we do not deliver to cars. So, I went in looking and smelling like something that the cat dragged through the creek. I asked the cashier why they stopped walking it out to the cars, and he told me that they had never delivered to the car. I laughed and thought to myself that they must have done it just for me because they heard I dress so nice on Saturday evenings. I think I was disappointed because we supported them during the past year, and sometimes I even left a $20 tip because I knew waiters and restaurants were suffering. I felt like I had earned delivery to my car, but I guess I am wrong. I just hope that individuals and businesses remember kindness, and who supported them when the world wasn’t much fun.
Seven Australian cities are now in lockdown to prevent the spread of the very contagious Delta variant. Sigh. Now read the next sentence very slowly. Two nude sunbathers on Australia’s South Coast were just doing what nude sunbathers do, when they were startled by a deer, so they ran to a nearby national park, got lost, called the police to help them, then were fined for breaking COVID lockdown orders. There must be more to this story…
As I sat on the back porch last night watching the fireworks, with 55-lb Teller sitting in my lap, because he absolutely does not find as much spirit and allegiance with the loud, colorful displays, as I do… I wondered how many accidents there would be this 4th. Then this morning I heard about NHL goalie, who died of chest trauma after a fireworks mortar malfunctioned as he sat in a hot tub. He was only 24. A mortar shell exploded inside of a fireworks tube in Indiana, sending shrapnel directly into a man’s abdomen. He died. In Los Angeles, it is illegal to purchase fireworks, so when police seized hundreds of pounds of illegal fireworks, they decided it would be too dangerous to transport the explosives through such a populated area, deciding instead to destroy the fireworks onsite. Their total containment vessel exploded, damaging nearby homes and buildings, and injuring 17 people. A Missouri man lost his whole hand in a fireworks accident. A Tennessee man lost part of his hand when he tried to shoot off a firework mortar from, get this, the sunroof of his car. In Illinois, a man lost most of his face when he walked back to check on fireworks that did not go off as expected. One word comes to mind… respect.
You heard. Bill Cosby, accused of misconduct by 60 different women, was released from prison after Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction. How exactly do you explain to victims that he deserves to be free? He was not cleared of the charges. He is a proven rapist, simply walking free on a technicality, a loophole, an error in our justice system. (Something that was not written or approved by a judge.) As Cosby got out of the car after his release, he faced the cameras in the sky and flashed a peace sign. I thought he was blind. Later, he was wearing a 1997 Central High School t-shirt for a press conference in front of his home. His alma mater requested he stop wearing their shirt following his prison release and wants no association or affiliation with the comedian.
The Bezos brothers travel to space, is slated for July 20th, which also happens to be the same date of the moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The petition to deny Jeff Bezos entry back to Earth, has more than 150k signatures, but some have suggested that no one should be denied entry to Earth, no matter how rich. However, a healthy re-entry tax, say 10-20% of his net worth for planetary maintenance, might be appropriate. With much less fanfare, the CEO of Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson, also announced that he will be traveling to space, on July 11th.
An $850 million settlement between the Boy Scouts of America and thousands of former scouts over sexual abuse was finalized, but additional legal actions could lead to billions more in payments. An anti-sexual-violence organization said its hotline calls increased 24 percent from the previous week following Bill Cosby’s overturned conviction. The U.S. Army will require all soldiers to be vaccinated as soon as September.
Growing up, I took my kids to Red Top for a root beer float on the last day of school. Tradition. Nothing special to most people, but I will always remember sitting in a booth with them talking about how excited they were for the summer, their friends and what was so important to them on that day. I am a firm believer in traditions with your kids, no matter how small they may feel at the time. Yesterday my son received his diploma in the mail from University of Houston. Covid delay. He came by my office to open it, and I asked what he wanted to do to celebrate. No real answer. Maybe champagne. When I finally left my office after finishing this column, I kept thinking about floats. Red Top is now Chips, and they were closed. Hmmm. Sonic was open, so I headed that direction and ordered three floats to go. Gage was sitting at the kitchen table when I walked in. He looked up and asked me what I had in the drink carrier…root beer floats. He smiled, and I knew that he knew not to say much because I had big tears in my eyes…just like I do right now just telling you. Yep. Last day of school tradition. He is leaving for Boston University in the fall with a three-year scholarship for graduate school. I am so stinking proud of him! I hope we get to do this a few more times before he graduates. I am confident there will be root beer floats in Boston. Have a great week and thanks again for reading us.
LISA
