Last week, while I was cleaning the kitchen something hit my window remarkably hard. All I saw were wings and big feathers. I rushed outside identifying a huge hawk staggering around like a tiny drunk, suddenly regaining his composure and flying off. Hmmm. As big as that hawk was, I’m surprised it didn’t break the window. All sorts of things went thru my head like, was he trying to get in because he saw one of my cats…nope, no cats in the kitchen at that time. Was my window so sparkling clean that he didn’t realize it was a window…hah…absolutely not! There have been several hawks closer to the house the past month or so which is unusual, but I had been worried only for the chihuahuas, squirrels, mice, and Tippi Hedren. As I walked back into the kitchen (thinking that surely it had a crack in there somewhere), I realized that imprinted on my window, was the most perfect marking of a bird…head, extended wings, legs, everything – just as it had hit the window. Absolutely perfect. I guess the oils and dirt from bird feathers leave marks. I showed the kids where the huge hawk hit the window, but something still didn’t figure into the story. The next day we discovered the answer – a dead dove in the flowerbed, right below the window. I guess the hawk was in pursuit of the dove, lost his mind trying to catch him and they both hit the window. It’s a great picture. We put a black placemat behind the marking, so it would show up better. Great story too. It is nice to know that there is less of a chance that I will be mobbed by hawks in the kitchen. And I really should clean that window when I get home…
Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” My opinion is, every person, kid or grown-up alike, can and would benefit from playing with Legos. If you do not believe me, sit down with a big container of bricks, and make something. It’s special. About six months ago we ended up with a Lego Kleenex box holder at home. It did not start out as a Kleenex box holder, it just ended up in the bathroom and it fits. Last week, Lego released the Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 kit, with 3,696 pieces, scissor opening doors, and an imported sports car cost of $379.99. Someone is going to like this a lot.
The end is the final page of a book. In Lego, it’s not a thing. John Comley
A sign of the times. This one makes me sad. Tuesday Morning has filed for bankruptcy and will be closing 132 stores, including the Clute store. I have always enjoyed shopping there. Victoria’s Secret also announced plans to permanently close approximately 250 stores this year.
Have you ever wondered about airports having CNN on the screens while you are waiting for flights? Technically, it’s not the same programming that you would watch at home. It is called the CNN Airport Network and it’s a mix of lifestyle, entertainment, sports, and business headlines, as well as live CNN. What you won’t find is any news about commercial aviation crashes or any story that is inappropriate for families. Hmmm. Makes sense. Geez. That might eliminate a little bit of nervousness by not seeing a plane crash right before you board. Note: Airline travel has declined 91% since the pandemic.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo Da Vinci
Sounds like the U.S. is beating everyone with our number of COVID-19 cases at 1,820,523. The total number of confirmed cases in Russia reached 423,741, and Russia is about 1.7 times bigger than the U.S. Way to go, U.S. Nobody likes a loser. Stay safe and stay home unless you really need to go out…
My daughter and I were shopping H.E.B. last night for a relative and going in, we couldn’t find a small grocery basket. Oh, well. We really needed the bigger one, but why no small baskets. Glad you asked. In an experiment by a grocery cart manufacturer, shoppers bought 40% more stuff when given a cart double the size they usually used. There you go.
So, I decided to look up the top ten infrared thermometers, so we would have one at the office. I Googled and found MSN ‘Best’ Products. Taylor makes one that had Best Value on it, and it had an 8.9 rating. Ok, looking good, so I pulled it up. I was surprised to see a disclaimer at the bottom of the page that said, “Note: This thermometer is not intended for human use and will not accurately report body temperatures.” Hmmm. Then, what is it for? If I want to see if my grill is hot, I just put my hand over the fire. If I want to know the temperature outside, I open the door. I am so confused.
Several years ago, right after Christmas, I found the little Tile Mates marked down at either Lowe’s or Home Depot. I thought I needed them, so I bought two. They have set in their boxes on the cabinet, in a drawer or on the kitchen table, ever since. Well, with the ‘special’ time that we have been allotted since COVID, the kids and I have completed a few extra projects and one of those was the TILE. I cannot tell you how special this little piece of plastic is. The TILE loops right on to your keyring. In real life, I misplace my phone and my keys, (but not my pajamas or the bottle of wine or my yard rake, just my keys and cellphone, so don’t worry about me.) Before COVID, when both kids were away at college, I was known to come back to the office and call them so they could locate my phone. I had been talking about getting my home phone back for one purpose and one purpose only, to find my phone. Never again. In the past few weeks, I have used the TILE twice to find my phone and once for my keys. It is fabulous. I told both my kids that I really have no need for them anymore. The kids.
During our time at home, many people are now baking bread, some are planting gardens, others are cleaning out drawers and closets or catching up on chores that we never have time for. For a man in Brisbane, Australia, it was the perfect opportunity to complete his most important piece of art, a 15-foot-tall replica of a laughing kookaburra. The body has a steel framework and includes fiberglass, steel mesh, bamboo, welding rods, ceramic and some hot glue. Its distinctive laugh cackles through a sound system installed inside. The kookaburra was intended for an arts festival. In the past, the artist has also made a 15-foot-tall koala, a 200-foot-long carpet snake and a 33-foot-long crocodile. It is a great video guaranteed to make you smile when you hear the bird.
Check out all the Farmers Markets in today’s County Calendar on page 9. They are doing several different things to keep everyone healthy.
American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are offering buyouts to employees, realizing that it may take many years for airline travel to resume to the same level BC. Delta is offering an early retirement option and a general buyout package, while American hopes to cut staff by about 30 percent. On the flip side, RV and boat sales are up about 50% because people feel safer vacationing and camping on the road in their own traveling hotel, rather than flying. It will be an interesting summer.
City Manager Bill Yenne is retiring after more than 40 years with the city of LJ. You HAVE helped make this a better place! Have fun in your new chapter of life. Drop him a card. Congratulations to friends, Pam & Ravi Singhania on their 50th wedding anniversary. Brazoria County Day 2021 is Feb. 23, 2021. A trip to the International Space Station will cost tourists $52 million, so some of us may be left at home. More than 103,000 Americans have now died of Covid-19. That is nearly one-third of the world’s Covid-19 death toll. The Boston Marathon has been canceled for the first time in the 124-year history…that’s two World Wars and the Spanish Flu which infected 500 million people. It will be held virtually.
NASA Landsat 8 satellite took images of vast poppy fields blooming in the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in California, that could be seen from space. Bet that was even prettier close-up. This area received 1.5 inches of rain this spring which was about 4 inches above normal.
Do you name your vehicles? It seems that 94% of people do name their cars. The commercial calls the old family station wagon, that’s been passed down from kid to kid, Beige Betty. My daughter just sold Blueberry, a blue Jeep Liberty, that she had a very hard time parting with. Her second car was Margot and her present car, a Honda HRV is named Millicent (Millie). All girls. I call my tan Buick Enclave, School Bus, because it feels like I’m driving a school bus, plus during high school years, it was always packed with more kids than seatbelts. Connie has a white Toyota Tacoma truck named Brad. (I think she winked as she told me.) I envisioned Brad Pitt because she LOVES her truck. Rachelle had a red Datsun 210 named Sparky. Pam, a Chevrolet van named The Box. Tina says that her son called her van, Savari, but that was only because he could not say Safari. Debra’s first car (a piece of junk per her text) was Hoopdy, then her suburban was named Big Red. My son has a CRV named Hondamatic. If you’re in the 6% and feeling left out because you haven’t named your car, then go to confused.com/car-name-generator. It will ask you gender, age, color, personality, then get you to pick a car related movie and a road trip, then it names your car. I put in all my information for my School Bus, and it named her Dorothy, which really suits her, since we don’t drag kids around anymore. Have fun with this. Share your names with me if you want. Lisa@TheSourceWeekly.com. In fact, you can also go to FantasyNameGenerators.com/car-names.php or autoaccessoriesgarage.com/car-name-generator or buzzfeed.co/volvo/what-should-you-name-your-car-actually. A fun rainy afternoon project.
Mask up to show your love for your family and friends. Houston Mayor Turner
Hurricane Season. The season started on June 1 and ends Nov.30th. Late Aug. thru Sept. is considered peak. No one really knows until it’s over, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an above-normal 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, with 13 to 19 named storms. NOAA forecasters said that six to 10 of those storms will become hurricanes and three to six of those could become major hurricanes with 111 mph winds or higher. States most often hit by hurricanes are Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. Two named storms, Arthur, and Bertha formed ahead of the official season, along with Cristobal, which could now develop into a hurricane before we go to print next week.
Looking for the perfect Father’s Day gift? How about a PhoneSoap Smartphone Sanitizer? $80. A Bristle Free Grill Brush is $17. (I want this.) A customizable Mega Dad Personalized Comic Book is $35. A West Coast Style IPA Beer Brewing Kit runs from $20 – $150. Shark, Toy Army Soldier or Taco Socks are just $10. Grilled Cheese Bags to put in your toaster are just $10. A Key-Hiding Rock is just $22. Basketball or Baseball Dartboards will run you $120. A Reclaimed Bike Tube Reflective Wallet is $38. If none of this hits home, then you are on your own. He will love whatever, as long as it comes from you.
”You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.” John Lennon
The series of actions that killed George Floyd while in police custody, not only violated the policies of the Minneapolis Police Dept., it violated the laws of life that most humans live by today. It’s so easy to be swayed by the outside elements helping fuel the violence that we see happening across the world. I look forward to the day when we all see past color and gender…Asian, white, black, brown…men, women and other. To do this, we must all be aware of what goes on in our own heads. Research shows there is a part of the unconscious mind that is derived from genetic memory and is common to all humans. You relive a memory because it is part of our genetic code, therefore being passed down from generation to generation. (Think about the Monarch butterfly.) This has shaped history and where we are at this very moment in time. But not all biases are unconscious, and this is going to require major personal work. It’s no longer, just the way things are done around here, or that was the way I was raised. The privileges we all have, need to be used for the good of mankind. All mankind. Let’s take what all of us have learned from this, move forward and make an even better world.
Lisa
