In Honor of D-Day – It was the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare. With years of brilliant planning and heroic sacrifices, on June 6, 1944 more than 156,000 young American, British and Canadian soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, France in a bold strategy to push the Nazis out of Western Europe, which proved to be a critical turning point in WWII. There were 6,939 ships and landing vessels, 2,395 aircraft and 867 gliders that delivered airborne troops. The U.S. military shipped 7 million tons of supplies including 450,000 tons of ammunition. Troops and supplies were in place by May, but bad weather delayed the launch date of the invasion. On June 5th, General Dwight D. Eisenhower decided that the invasion would happen the next day.
“This operation is not being planned with any alternatives. This operation is planned as a victory, and that’s the way it’s going to be. We’re going down there, and we’re throwing everything we have into it, and we’re going to make it a success.” General Dwight D Eisenhower commenting on D-Day.
A Pasadena family is REALLY upset because the graduation cake that they picked up from Walmart was made from Styrofoam. The interview with the family showed the mother in tears because “it ruined the perfect graduation party that she had planned for her daughter.” I had just finished writing about D-Day where thousands upon thousands of men lost their lives, then to watch a woman cry over something as insignificant as a cake. I can’t imagine this being anything but an honest mistake on the part of Walmart.At my house, a Styrofoam cake would be celebrated. Wasn’t it awfully light when she picked it up?
Remains found in Arkansas have been positively identified as those of Maleah Davis, the 4-year-old Houston child that was reported missing on May 4th by her mother’s boyfriend, Derion Vence. Vence told police that he, Maleah and his 2-year-old son were abducted by three men in a blue Chevy truck. He originally said he was knocked out and when he regained consciousness, Maleah and the family’s car were gone. Vence was arrested seven days later for tampering with evidence. There were reports of allegations of physical abuse last year after Maleah suffered a head injury, so she and her brother had been removed from the home and stayed in CPS Custody until February. Shame on the mother for allowing this to happen when she knew there was a problem. I hope she is charged, too.
Dear kids. Summer break is here. We all know that you only eat once or twice while you are in school. So, why do you act like you have to eat 4 to 5 times a day when you are home on break. Close the refrigerator and use your “in school” stomach. Love, your parents.
“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.”Phyllis Diller
A man walked in the back door of his home in Massachusetts and smelled cleaning chemicals, then saw a normally open door, closed. When he realized that his son’s room was clean (this would be a dead giveaway at my house), he immediately called the police.Nothing was stolen. Nothing was out of place. Someone had just come in and cleaned the house, made the beds, vacuumed, scrubbed the toilets and folded toilet paper roses and placed them on top of the roll. The homeowner now thinks that ‘perhaps’ he forgot to lock the back door and a cleaning service accidently went to the wrong address. Hey, I’ll cough up my address if it would mean that my house would be sparkling clean when I arrived home. No questions asked. 😊
“The French Fry did not become America’s most popular vegetable until industry took over the jobs of washing, peeling, cutting, and frying the potatoes – and cleaning up the mess.” Michael Pollan
RECENT BIRTHDAYS:Actress Helena Bonham Carter is 53. Rhythm and blues singer Raymond Sanders is 80. The Persuasions.Actress, former model Lee Meriwether is 84. Actor Louis Gossett Jr. is 83. An Officer and a Gentleman. Singer Wynonna Judd is 55. Actor, film director Clint Eastwood is 89. Yikes. Actress Brooke Shields is 54. Actress Ann Robinson is 90. The War of the Worlds. Actor Sir Ian McKellen is 80. Lord of the Rings.
Movie director and Muppeteer Frank Oz is 75. He performed the Muppet characters of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle in The Muppet Show, and Cookie Monster, Bert&Grover in Sesame Street. He is also known for Yoda in Star Wars. Rock musician Hilton Valentine is 76. The Animals. Actor director Nick Cassavetes is 60. Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 83.
Football Hall of Fame Emmitt Smith is 50. Singer Engelbert Humperdinck is 83. Actress activist Bianca Jagger is 74. Wrestler actor Dwayne Johnson is 47. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge is four. Actress Robin Strasser is 74. Dorian Lord on One Life to Live. Actor Michael Constantine is 92. Windex bottle-toting Greek father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.Singer Gladys Knight is 75. Pop singer Colbie Caillat is 34. She is coming to The Clarion this season. Producer director Irwin Winkler is 88. Produceror director of over 50 motion pictures, dating back to 1967’s Double Trouble, starring Elvis Presley.
Singer songwriter Leon Redbone died at 69. He specialized in whimsical old-school vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley-style music. Remember Saturday Night Live, great suits, hats and whistling… ‘Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone’
When a mom couldn’t find an affordable pair of size-18 shoes for her 13-year-old son, she reached out on Instagram to Shaquille O’Neal (shoe size 23). He responded by enlisting the help of Friedman’s Shoes, a retailer specializing in large sizes, that had once given O’Neal shoes when he was a teen. He paid it forward and supplied the teen with 10 new pairs of shoes. What a great story.
Dollar Tree announced it will start selling alcohol at approximately 1,000 of its Family Dollar stores in the U.S. According to Wikipedia, there are 14,835 stores throughout 48 states and Canada. (Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar in 2015.) At Dollar Tree stores, they plan to expand freezers and coolers in 400 of the stores and will sell items that cost more than $1, part of a test called Dollar Tree Plus.
Interesting Father’s Day Gift Ideas: These are all real gifts, some strange, perhaps a little different because there are all kinds of dads out there…bouquets of Beef Jerky (it’s really cute), Unicorn Taco Holder (think ‘My Little Pony’ carrying a taco – definitely a winner for dads with daughters under the age of 5), 360-Degree Automotive Security Camera (pretty cool), Onesie Tuxedo (for dads that party in their sleep), Pokémon Ball Waffle Iron, Portable Pizza Oven, Preserved Poop from Silver Charm, the Hall of Fame thoroughbred that ran in the Kentucky Derby in 1997,Claritag Skin Tag Removal Device, Portable Solar Generator (great for campers), Darth Vader Blazer (for the dads that ‘think’ they are the Supreme Commanders of their Empires), and my very favorite…the Kangaroo Pouch Shirt (so cute, perfect for new dads-to-be). It may be easier to just Shop Local.
A 27-year-old Florida man was arrested after throwing an ear of corn at his mother. Hmmm.Dawn is betting that she gave him an earful. 😊
Former Rep. Anthony Weiner, 54, has completed his prison sentence for illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl. He was ordered to register as a sex offender but is considered to have a low risk of reoffending. He still faces three years of court supervision after pleading guilty in May 2017 to transferring obscene material to a minor.
I reminded you last week that J.J. Watt is engaged and ‘off the market,’ so today I’m letting you know that there is still hope, because Property Brothers star, Jonathan Scott, revealed that if he is still single at 45, he’ll adopt a child and raise it as a single dad.In a recent interview with Entrepreneur Magazine he stated,“I have said to myself that if I don’t find the right person, I think I would probably adopt on my own, because I think I would be a great dad.” Jonathan also said in the same article that he’d dated ‘every kind of person you can imagine’ but was now ready to settle down and find ‘the one’. Hmmm.
SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment is offering free admission for U.S. military veterans and their families at San Antonio, Orlando and San Diego parks as part of theWaves of Honor program which salutes active-duty military and veterans. You must redeem your complimentary single-day ticket before June 9th, which will be valid through July 15th, for military/veterans and up to three dependents. www.WavesofHonor.com.
Some churches asked congregations to ‘give up convenience’ this year for Lent…single-use plastics such as shopping bags, drinking straws, water bottles, Styrofoam and food containers. I wonder how that turned out.
In North Carolina, someone stole a ‘unique’ van with the company logo that belonged to the Unknown Brewing Co. The smart people at the brewery didn’t waste any time before they posted this on Facebook, “(Three) fine individuals stole one of our vans early this AM. Please help us find it. Share with all of your friends. Whoever finds it, Brad (owner) will buy you a keg party. If you stole it and bring it back: You will also get a keg party. (Smile for the camera.)” Over 15 people called in with tips. It took 42 minutes before a woman posted a photo of the van on Instagram as proof that she had found it. Hmmm. A Shock Top Beer vehicle parks in front of my office quite often…but as I look out my front window, I see the Nestle “water” truck – I just don’t think it would have the same effect.
I made myself a note to mention this a couple of weeks ago before the celebratory releasing of balloons for graduation ceremonies, but I pulled it to decrease the size of my column. Then today, I saw a post from Stephanie Jess about a turtle that was wrapped up in the strings of balloons and struggling on the beach when it was found. Mark balloons off your list of special things to do. We are wasting our short supply of helium and it’s not good for our Earth or the people or animals that live here. It’s like throwing trash out the window. They ARE NOT biodegradable and end up on the ocean floor or in the stomachs of hungry fish and mammals that believe they are delicious jelly fish.
Costco has 458 diamond rings listed on their site, costing between $99.99 to $419,999.99 for a 10-carat diamond platinum solitaire. It is reported that a shopper recently spent over $400,000.00 on a purchase of one of these rings. Wow. I shop for dishwashing soap, laundry soap, organic chicken and toilet paper. I never really think about diamond rings.
“Stupidity is the same as evil if you judge by the results.” – Margaret Atwood
Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, suspended a fraternity after a video appeared on social media that showed some of its members forcing a dog to drink beer at an off-campus party. They took a small dog, turned it upside down over a keg as another person brought the tap to the dog’s mouth and sprayed the beer. Hmmm. You already know what I think.
“The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity.” – Harlan Ellison
Thank you all for taking the time to read this.
Lisa
