Well, that was not fun at all. Hurricane Nicholas came upon us pretty fast. It was the 19th named storm to hit the U.S. in the last 17 months, with some winds 95 mph at landfall… causing much damage and rain, just 70 miles from where Harvey came ashore in 2017. It is interesting as you Google, “when was Harvey?” it says, August 17, 2017, through September 2, 2017. Yikes. Was it really that long? As Nicholas picked up speed, and the rain traveled sideways, water poured into my bedroom patio door. The carpet was soaked, and I went through every beach towel trying to clean it up, but the carpet looks pretty good now that it dried. That night I rolled up the rug and went to sleep. I never did like that carpet. Nicholas headed northeast, hitting communities that were still recovering from Category 4 hurricane Ida and are still without power. Our area was so lucky. We lost power and were not able to put out the paper, but it could have been so much worse. A week later, Wisconsin is still feeling the effects of Nicholas. Many thanks to all the power crews and technicians that worked tirelessly to repair power for more than a half of a million customers. As I sit here at my computer on the National Hurricane Service, I see Tropical Storm Peter, followed by Tropical Storm Rose, along with two other disturbances, churning in the Atlantic. Yikes.
Pfizer announced recent trials suggest that the Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective for kids ages 5 to 11. Warner Media has sold celebrity news and gossip brand TMZ to Fox Corp, for what is believed to be less than $50 million. Ski resorts are now using snow machines to fight fires. Scientists have discovered a terrifying new carnivorous shark-toothed dinosaur measuring nearly 30 feet long. The bone from the upper jaw is believed to be 90-million-years-old, give or take a few years. Storm Nicholas changed our plans and we missed Dairy Bar’s 70th anniversary celebration at LJ Museum. How we love your fabulous burgers and small cups of sherbet. Congratulations, sweet friends. Alfie, a Jersey cat that disappeared in 2009, has just been reunited with his owner, 12 years later. He was well-known for climbing into people’s cars. American Airlines removed several passengers from a flight following a nine-hour delay, because the passengers would not wear masks. As they left, the very patient remaining passengers celebrated with lyrics from a 1969 song. na-na-na-na, hey hey hey, goodbye. A woman adopted a 20-year-old cat from a shelter because she didn’t want him to spend the end of his life alone in a cage. ☹
Young people seem to understand that we need to make sure that our Earth can continue to be. Warning: If you are old and/or stuck in your ways and beliefs, then you should read past this to the next paragraph. There is a new and more environmentally friendly way to return bodies back to the Earth after death. It is called body composting. It’s the same process that everyone should be practicing in our backyards with food scraps and yard waste. This is done in an insulated wooden box about 7 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. The box is lined with waterproof roofing material and packed with wood chips and straw. Two large spool wheels on either end allow the box to be rolled across the floor, providing oxygenation, agitation and the absorption required for a body to compost. After the first three months, the vessel is opened and filtered for medical devices like prosthetics, pacemakers, or joint replacements. Large bones are pulverized and returned to the vessel for another three months of composting. Teeth are removed to prevent contamination from mercury in fillings. After six months, there will be enough soil to fill the bed of a PU truck and family members can keep the soil to spread in their yards. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, means that your body is made of elements of the earth and will return to earth’s basic elements after passing away. In other words, you are made of dust and return to ashes and dust after passing away. To continue on Earth, we need to change our hearts & minds now.
Four famous giant sequoias called the Four Guardsmen, were not harmed by a wildfire that reached the edge of California’s Sequoia National Park, because of the removal of nearby vegetation and fire-resistant material had been wrapped around the bases of the trees. Fire crews with hoses and water-dropping helicopters also worked to limit damage. They are massive trees.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Sophia Loren is 87. Actor David McCallum of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is 88. Singer Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers is 81. Singer Freda Payne is 79. Band of Gold. Actor Jeremy Irons is 73. Actor-model Twiggy Lawson is 72. TV personality Joan Lunden is 71. Country singer Trisha Yearwood is 57. Comedian-talk show host Jimmy Fallon is 47. Singers Gunnar and Matthew Nelson of Nelson are 54. Author-comedian Fanny Flagg is 80. Author Stephen King is 74. Actor Bill Murray is 71. Filmmaker Ethan Coen of the Coen Brothers is 64. I watched Intolerable Cruelty this weekend while I was cooking. Very funny. Country singer Faith Hill is 54. Actor Luke Wilson is 50. Actor Shari Belafonte is 67.
Actor Alfonso Ribeiro of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is 50. Singer Debby Boone is 65. Singer Joan Jett is 63. Opera singer Andrea Bocelli is 63. Actor Scott Baio is 61. Chachi on Happy Days. Actor Heather Locklear is 60. Actor Anson Williams is 72. Potsie on Happy Days. Actor Catherine Oxenberg of Dynasty is 60. Actor Bonnie Hunt is 60. Singer Julio Iglesias is 78. Actor Paul Petersen of The Donna Reed Show (Jeff) is 76. Actor-singer Mary Kay Place is 74. Singer Bruce Springsteen is 72. Actor Jason Alexander of Seinfeld is 62. Singer Sonny Turner of The Platters is 82. Actor Mark Hamill is 70. Newswoman Barbara Walters is 92. Actor Catherine Zeta-Jones is 52. Actor Michael Douglas is 77. Model Cheryl Tiegs is 74.
Paul Williams, composer, singer, songwriter, actor, is 81. Known for writing popular songs performed in the 1970s, including Three Dog Night’s “An Old-Fashioned Love Song” and “Out in the Country“, Helen Reddy’s “You and Me Against the World“, David Bowie’s “Fill Your Heart” and the Carpenters‘ “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Rainy Days and Mondays“. Williams is also known for his musical contributions to films, including the Oscar-nominated song “Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie, and writing the lyrics to the #1 chart-topping song “Evergreen“, the love theme from the Barbra Streisand film A Star Is Born, for which he won a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He also wrote lyrics to the opening theme for The Love Boat.
Ron Popeil, pioneer of ‘Wait…There’s More!‘ late-night Ronco infomercials, selling you everything from Mr. Microphone to the Pocket Fisherman to the classic Veg-O-Matic, died in July at age 86. Sorry, I didn’t see it earlier so I could tell you. Actress Jane Powell died at 92. She was in musicals, TV and the Polident commercials. She was also a bridesmaid for Elizabeth Taylor. Actor Norm Macdonald, comedian and former star of Saturday Night Live who manned the Weekend Update desk, died at 61. It was revealed that he’d been battling cancer privately for nine years. Michael Constantine, who’s perhaps best known for his work as the Windex-loving father of the bride in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, died of natural causes at 94. Boardwalk Empire star, Michael K. Williams, died at 54 of a suspected accidental drug overdose. He was a five-time Emmy nominee. Actor, Willie Garson, best known as Carrie Bradshaw’s best male friend on Sex and the City, died at 57.
Who hasn’t heard of a Brazilian butt lift? Personally, I don’t see any real beauty in it, but I don’t think bodybuilders are attractive either. Back to the story. A 26-year-old woman died last year after receiving an illegal butt lift at a private residence in LA. The procedure was performed by a mother and daughter team with no medical training, who have been charged with murder. The woman received three separate procedures, dying immediately after the third. The woman also shared a video of herself during the first operation on social media. Huh? Police said the women were charging $3,500 to $4,500 for the butt lift, compared to $10,000 to $15,000 that a board-certified professional would charge. Hmmm. They mix medical grade silicone with window caulk not intended for use in humans, so when it hits the bloodstream, it attacks the heart, brain, and kidneys.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Oooh. Another weird one. Death related issues are often quite hard to discuss. If the family of a deceased person, and goodness knows we have had plenty of deaths lately, decides to embalm their loved one, what happens to all the blood and body fluids? I’ve never once thought about it. Several Austin area funeral home embalmers say that it is common practice to pour human blood from corpses down the drain. Austin Water officials say they were unaware of this procedure. Hmmm.
An 87-year-old Southern California woman was found dead inside a freezer in her garage. A relative had asked police to check on the woman, who lived with her daughter, who also gave ‘inconsistent’ statements about the whereabouts of her mother. When officers searched the house, they found hoarding-like conditions and a foul odor. Uh-oh.
Redneck Book of Manners: Even if you’re certain that you are included in the will, it is still considered tacky to drive a U-Haul to the funeral home.
We are supposed to be cleaning fruits and vegetables really well before we eat them. I purchased special cleaner a couple of times, but it was expensive, so I decided to mix up my own. Equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle…spray it on hard-skinned fruits and vegetables, rub it in and then rinse. For soft-skinned fruits and veggies like berries, tomatoes, lettuce, and broccoli, fill a bowl with equal parts water and white vinegar, emerge the fruit or vegetables for just a bit, then rinse well. The acetic acid in the vinegar kills bacteria and helps to dissolve wax, pesticides, and fertilizer residue. This will also get rid of crawly things that tend to show up in organic produce. Much cheaper than the store-bought cleaner. Today I read in Farmer’s Almanac to use ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide to a sink of water, add your fruits and veggies, let them soak for a bit, then rinse thoroughly. More affordable alternatives for a healthier life.
Gage turns 25 years old this weekend. 9,125 days old. The big 2-5. Ahh, but to be 25 again. Gage, when they were your age, Michael Phelps had won 14 Olympic Gold Medals, Orson Welles wrote, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane, and Charles Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic. Obviously, a lot has changed since your birth a quarter of a century ago, but it is so much fun to see you beginning the journey of building your own wonderful life. I remember being so sad at your first birthday party because I knew I only had 17 more years to be with you…to really be with you. Luckily, nasty Covid gave us an extra 18 months to know that it really was time to go our separate ways. 😊 Remember your first-birthday pictures of Pony Land in our backyard… you cried because the silly party with the huge number of people, massive amounts of food, drinks, and a pony, was for the adults and you were so little. Somewhere between that day and your next birthdays, I think I became much smarter about what was important to you and what was important to me. If I may say so, I think you have done a great job of raising yourself, turning out pretty well indeed. Today, Boston University graduate school, TA, doing your thing. Please let me add a few reminders. Always give 100%, no matter what you encounter or who you work with. Remember to eat healthy, floss, save more money than you spend, and continue to set aside for your retirement, which will be here before you know it. You are now selecting furniture, bedding, dishes, and knives that you picked out yourself. It’s been so much fun to see what you have ordered, and how you plan to decorate. Drink responsibly, be respectful and kind to your friends, even people that you meet on the street, because strangers can make a huge difference in your life. But also remember that it’s ok to let go of a friendship that has run its course. This is most important. Sometimes people that you once adored, were only intended to be in your life for a short period of time for a reason. Make exercise priority. You are not 18 anymore. Learn to say no. Learn to be alone. The Italians have a great word, Asolare… spending time in a meaningless but delightful way. Learn to just be, rather than always doing. Spoken from a mom that can’t ever sit still. Never take anything or anyone for granted. If you need to share something important with someone then do it, today. A compliment, a thought, whatever. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Procrastination in life is NOT your friend anymore. Make memories, start traditions of your own. Enjoy the life you have right NOW at this moment because this is not a dress rehearsal. Oh, and I do love your beard. More love to you than you will ever know possible… Happy 25th Birthday, Mom
Let’s pretend that for the past few months, you have been watching a bunch of cooking videos about baking a turkey and dressing, along with delicious savory side dishes. Visions of sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy, pecan pie, and hot rolls are buzzing around inside your head and you now feel totally confident that you can pull this off on your own. It cannot be that hard. It looks so do-able on the videos with everything pre-chopped and pre-cooked. This year, Whole Foods and Progressive (yes, a grocery store and an insurance company) are offering an insurance plan for your Thanksgiving meal just in case you commit a turkey cooking fail. Whole Foods believes that with much smaller gatherings planned for this year in our circle of trust, there may be a lot of first-timers stepping up to the turkey platter, but perhaps forgetting some of the basics like thawing the turkey or turning on the oven. This is a great idea. At one of my first dinner parties, at age 19, I used sweetened condensed milk instead of condensed milk in a chicken casserole. It happens. The first 1,000 eligible Whole Foods “turkey purchasing customers” who make a turkey cooking mishaps claim will receive a $35 Whole Foods gift card under the Thanksgiving Turkey Protection Plan. I guess folks are expecting a bunch of novices this year. See below.
