The way I see it, KFC’s Colonel Sanders is having much more fun dead than alive. On a TV commercial last week, I saw him dancing in his trademark white suit with a human-sized bottle of Mrs. Butterworth’s. They were ‘cutting a rug’ to “The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing, playing in the background. They were good. Like Dancing with the Stars, good. Well, as good as you can dance with a bottle of sticky syrup. But it did make me want to rush out and get some ‘chicken and waffles’ from KFC (which was what they were promoting) but alas, we don’t have a KFC any more. I wonder if Aunt Jemima is jealous.
In Tomball, a 73-year-old man had experienced several break-ins to his home, so he rigged the windows and doors with burglar-repelling explosive devices…small metal-like objects containing shotgun shells. Neighbors heard what they thought were gunshots throughout the wooded neighborhood, then later authorities found a bleeding homeowner with multiple belly wounds who had triggered his own booby traps. The man was treated and released, but it’s a felony to set booby traps with projectiles in your own home, so he may face a few charges. Oops.
A rare two-headed copperhead snake that was discovered by a woman in Northern Virginia, has died. The snake was found a few months ago and specialists stated that sharing a body adds stress, especially on the spine of a snake when the heads want to move in different directions. One head had a more well-developed esophagus, while the other, a more developed throat, which made feeding a challenge.
‘Hello, Americans. This is Paul Harvey. Stand by for Newwwws.’ Paul Harvey would have been 100 years old this year. Remember when he did the radio broadcast, ‘The Rest of the Story?’ Well, here is a story he would have liked.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is one of New York’s biggest attractions. On average, the Christmas tree gets 500,000 visitors a day! That comes to a total of 18 million Christmas visitors during its time as the centerpiece of Rockefeller Plaza. The 72-foot Norway spruce is now in place and will soon be strung with 50,000 LED lights. While I was cooking last night, I watched a Hallmark movie about a giant Christmas tree in a small town and I started thinking…no, I can’t believe that I watched the Hallmark Channel either, but I’m here to tell you that I did, and I liked it. I grow weary of flipping through trying to find something decent to watch in a reality TV-world that’s just full of trash, but that’s another story. The tree arrived by flatbed trailer and will be ready for the flipping of the switch on November 28, with five miles of colored lights and a 900-pound, 9-foot-4-inch diameter star with 70-spikes and three million Swarovski crystals that were tweezed into place by a team of 12 engineers, fabricators and artisans, over the course of two years. Daniel Libeskind, world-renowned master-plan architect for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center, and son of Polish immigrant Holocaust survivors, designed the star. He saw his first Rockefeller Center tree as a teenager, in 1961, shortly after he had moved to NY from Poland, but says that that star was not memorable. In fact, he said, “It looked like a pin and not a star.” So, if each crystal is worth $1, is the whole star worth $3-million? Hmmm. But where did the tree come from? Glad you asked. The 75-year-old spruce comes from Wallkill, 60 miles north of NY. It was donated by a couple from their home property and they nicknamed it “Shelby.” The center’s head gardener cared for the tree, watering it and feeding it compost tea. After the tree is dismantled, it will be donated to Habitat for Humanity to help build housing. For many years, the trees were mulched and then spread throughout New York’s parks or doors and door frames were made from the wood and donated to those in need. Sometimes the tree was turned into paper. So, that folks, is the rest of the story.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Film composer Ennio Morricone is 90. He is a living legend and has written music for over 500 films. A Fistful of Dollars would be my favorite. I can close my eyes and see parts of that movie just by thinking about the music. Lyricist Tim Rice is 74.
Movie director actor comedian Sinbad is 62. Country singer Miranda Lambert is 35. Actor Owen Wilson is 50. Singer Gordon Lightfoot is 80. He celebrated by playing his 80th show of 2018, a sold-out event in his hometown in Canada. He says he almost didn’t make it to this milestone. One day he was sitting in a dental chair and heard on the radio that he had died. He said he can laugh now. Remember, ‘If You Could Read My Mind.”
Actress Model Lauren Hutton is 75. She made a gap in your front teeth very popular. Rock musician Isaac Hanson is 38. Hanson (Brothers). Blues singer Bobby Rush is 84. Ten-time Blues Music Award winner, and 41-time nominee. Best Traditional Blues Album at the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony 2017. Actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is 60. Al Pacino’s sister, Gina, in Scarface.
Roy Clark, longtime Hee Haw host from 1969 until 1997, renowned guitarist and banjo player who influenced countless country music stars, died at age 83.
Katherine MacGregor, the gossipy Harriet Oleson on Little House on the Prairie, died at the age of 93.
It’s time for The Grand Ol’ Christmas Show featuring Blue Water Highway. It’s a live, one-of-a-kind musical variety show featuring Christmas classics, laughter and in my opinion, it should be a family tradition in every household, so you better get your tickets quick. This year they will head to Victoria, Houston, New Braunfels, Lake Jackson, Fort Worth, San Marcos, Wichita Falls and Lewisville for a total of 14 performances. Can you believe it’s been 15 years since Greg Essington, Zack Kibodeaux and Will Hearn, all seniors at Brazoswood High School, decided to provide a one-night-only fundraiser for the Brazoria County Youth Home. It was a standing-room only, sell-out on that special evening and they now continue to leave audiences wanting more. GoChristmasShow.com
Smithsonian.com says that Ben Franklin never suggested making the turkey the national bird, but he did call it a “much more respectable bird” than the bald eagle.
Christmas is only a few weeks away, which means it is time for children to write their letters to Santa Claus. Once again, the Brazoria County Historical Museum is a drop-off location. Children can take a seat at the Museum’s letter writing station, then go straight to Santa’s mailbox in the museum. Santa and his Elves are busy this time of year, but they always make time to write back. Letters may be dropped off as early as November 26th, but it must be received by December 15th to ensure a response from Santa. The Brazoria County Historical Museum is located at 100 E. Cedar in Angleton.
Luby’s is shutting down more locations and selling them off in an effort to pay down debt. Eight properties have sold since May for a combined $11.6-million. If this continues, where will we get a homecooked meal at an affordable price? Heck, where will we eat Thanksgiving dinner?
Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered seven Pharaonic Age tombs near Cairo containing dozens of cat mummies. What can I say. Now that I have two cat babies, I totally understand the love that Egyptians had for their cats. Didn’t Elizabeth Taylor have “cat eyes” in Cleopatra?
Never, never, never plug a space heater into a power strip or extension cord. The units are not designed to handle the high current flow needed and can overheat and catch fire.
Did you know that more than 150 million trees are cleared every year, shipped around the world, then pulped and processed into viscose aka rayon, the cheap, silk-like fabric that we all wear? Yikes, I never thought about losing trees to clothing. Hmmm.
The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Vogues and Shirley Alston Reeves, the original lead singer of The Shirelles, are going to be together for one night only at the Stafford Centre on February 16, 2019. ‘Do You Believe in Magic’ and ‘Summer in the City. ‘
Australian researchers say that 69 common prescription drugs were found in insects collected in waters around Melbourne. This included painkillers, antibiotics, antidepressants and blood pressure medication, so don’t flush your old medication. If you need the space in your medicine cabinet, call your pharmacy for advice on disposal. The LJ police department has a drop-off box. Did you know that 1/10 teens have misused prescription painkillers, so it’s best to get them out of your home?
It’s still a work in progress, but if you head north out of Houston on Highway 290 for just a bit, you will find the Prairie View Cricket Complex. If everything goes according to plans of Tanweer Ahmed, by 2019, the 86-acre tract could be the largest facility of its kind in America. Cricket. It’s the sport that looks like baseball, but the two have little in common. It sounds like we may be hearing more about cricket in the future.
The new slogan for the State of Nebraska is, “Honestly, It’s Not for Everyone.” Love it. One ad says, “Nebraska is kind of like that odd kid. Didn’t say much in school. Slightly peculiar maybe. But when you took the time to get to know him, turned out he was pretty interesting.” Another ad says, “Famous for our flat, boring landscape.”
According to the National Turkey Federation, eighty-eight percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. What’s your favorite part of the meal? 28% say it’s the stuffing or dressing. 17% say the vegetables. 16% say the pies or desserts. 11% go for the casseroles. 9% cranberry sauce or relish. Only 4% go for the turkey and 4% for the gravy. ‘Other’ get the remaining 11%. I enjoy the meal and stuff myself, but I can’t tell you that there is one single part of the meal that is my favorite. I love it, I eat it and then I can wait for a whole year to have it again.
Replacement cost for a single US Air Force mug that can heat water in-flight (but breaks easily) is $1,280.
Small Business Saturday is held Saturday after Thanksgiving. It’s so important to remember local businesses on this day and EVERY day. A visit to a family-owned framing shop, a local gift shop, dress store or neighborhood taco truck not only supports our local shop owners, but 68% of what you spend, stays in our community. In simple terms, that means for every $100 you spend at locally owned businesses, $68 stays here, where you live. You help create local jobs. You help the environment because there is less fuel for transportation and less packaging. That’s huge. How many times have you ordered something that comes in a box that’s fifty times bigger than it needs to be? Locally owned businesses are your friends and neighbors. Don’t you enjoy going into a store where they know you and ask about your kids or grandkids? Locally owned businesses donate to community causes at more than twice the rate of chains because this is where we live and raise our children. We are passionate about our community. We are passionate about YOU. Please shop locally this weekend and any other times that you can. Help keep our community strong.
