Julie Baron, and her husband Ned were both killed in a boating accident last week. Julie was many things to the SPCA but was currently Co-Shelter Director and Transport Manager. She was a very integral part of our adoption of Teller. She allowed him to come home with us for his first “sleep-over” which of course, quickly became a permanent situation. Such a smart lady and important part of our community that will be missed in great proportion. In lieu of flowers, their family asks that you consider donations to the SPCA of Brazoria County www.spcabc.kindful.com.
For the past 26 years I have been raising children. My choice, and I loved every moment of the time spent. BUT this past week I drove with my daughter and all of her stuff, to take her to graduate school. She is now all moved into her cute little 100-year-old apartment complex with the exposed brick (more on this story when I’m not so sensitive to the subject, end up crying, and get my keyboard all wet) and I find the house to be so quiet except for four hungry animals, and Cousin Greg the vacuum cleaner. I was cleaning the kid’s bathroom last night, when it suddenly dawned on me just how quiet it actually is. Please note that I was cleaning the shower with a box cutter and a razor blade, but that’s also a story for another time when it’s not so sensitive and I cry again. 😊 Then, this morning my Boston son sent me stuff from the wedding he had attended over the weekend where he was the best man. I’m thinking to myself… Self. This is the first time you have been a total outsider and not an insider… this wedding thing. Your son took care of his own outfit, wrote his own best man speech, reserved his own hotel room, planned his own trip, took his own girlfriend, and you didn’t have anything to do with it. This is another one of those sweet and sour things. As I mentioned above, I have been raising this kid for 26 years (plus 9 months) to do this very thing – to be confident, self-assured, self-reliant, strong, and independent. He and my daughter are everything I expected of them and so much more, but I just never thought the house would be so quiet. It’s not a bad quiet, just quieter than I expected. The question: Is it my house that’s quiet, or is it just my head that is quiet?
Congratulations to Brydon and Genevieve Geisler on their wedding. It’s been so much fun to see and be a part of the journey from 7th grade to adulthood. Thanks for letting me be a part of your village.
There is now a term called serial pooping. I thought this was a joke, but evidently there are people in our world that poop on neighbor’s yards or sidewalks, or wherever the mood strikes them, because they’re quote…acting out aggressions or resentment while trying to make a statement. Hmmm. San Francisco now has a “public poop problem” that has become so out of hand that a poop map was created to warn residents which areas to avoid. A high school in New Jersey had such a big problem near the football field and the track that they set up cameras. Mystery solved. It was the school superintendent of a nearby school district. A school superintendent. I never thought that I would smile approvingly to tire slashing and graffiti as better ways to vandalize.
Beauty and the Beast will turn the love story into a hybrid live-action and animated special in honor of the Disney classic’s 30th anniversary. The tale as old as time will air on December 15 and start streaming on Disney+ the next day. H.E.R. is set to star as Belle. Well, I asked myself, who the heck is H.E.R.? According to TheFamousPeople, Gabriella Wilson, better known by her stage name H.E.R., is an American singer from California currently signed under RCA Records. In the early years of her career, she kept her identity hidden, which was part of a gimmick that made her a mysterious figure. Born and brought up in California, H.E.R. has been playing music ever since she was a kid. She made her first major appearance on Today Show as a 12-year-old kid, where she covered piano for Alicia Keys during one of her performances. She was then signed by Sony Entertainment at the age of 14 and under the big label, she released her debut single titled ‘Something to Prove’. There you have it.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Lesley Ann Warren is 76. Cinderella in 1966. TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford is 69. Actor Angela Bassett is 64. Singer Madonna is 64. Actor Timothy Hutton is 62. Actor Robert De Niro is 79. Guitarist Gary Talley of The Box Tops is 75. Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes is 73. Singer Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go’s is 64. Actor Sean Penn is 62. Actor Robert Redford is 86. Actor-comedian Martin Mull is 79. Actor Jill St. John is 82. Country singer-songwriter Eddy Raven is 78.
Singer Ivan Neville is 63. Actor John Stamos is 59. Actor Kyra Sedgwick is 57. Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 56. Country singer Clay Walker is 53. Actor Matthew Perry of Friends is 53. News anchor Connie Chung is 76. Singer Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin is 74. Singer Rudy Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers is 70. Singer-songwriter John Hiatt is 70. Actor-director Peter Horton of thirtysomething is 69. Today show weathercaster Al Roker is 68. Actor Joan Allen is 66. Bassist Gene Simmons of Kiss is 73.
Actor Barbara Eden is 89. I Dream of Jeannie. Country fiddler-singer Woody Paul of Riders in the Sky is 71. Actor Shelley Long is 71. Cheers. Singer-actor Rick Springfield is 71. Actor-producer Mark Hudson of the Hudson Brothers is 69. Actor Rupert Grint of Harry Potter is 32. Ron Weasley. Country singer-actor Billy Ray Cyrus is 61. Guitarist Mason Williams is 82. In 1970, Williams made an appearance on Just Friends, which reunited regulars of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. To create a visual element for his performance, he used a special playable classical plexiglass guitar built just for him that he filled with water and added a couple of goldfish. He then used it to play his 1968 Grammy Award winning hit Classical Gas. Singer actor Tommy Sands is 85. He was only 15 when Colonel Tom Parker heard about him and signed him to RCA Records. Sands and singer Nancy Sinatra married in 1960 and divorced in 1965. Sands career had declined significantly, triggering speculation that Frank Sinatra had him blacklisted in the entertainment industry after their divorce.
The Girl Scouts introduced a new cookie, the Raspberry Rally. The thin, crispy cookie is a sister cookie to the beloved Thin Mints, infused with raspberry instead of mint and dipped in the same delicious chocolaty coating. But it will only be available online as the organization is focusing on its e-commerce and entrepreneurial skills. Boo. Flash floods hit the Las Vegas strip for the second time this month causing two deaths. Water seeped into casinos, flooded parking garages, and poured in from the roof of Planet Hollywood casino. Experts are now warning of a disaster larger than any in world history, Mega-floods. Climate change and each degree of global warming is increasing the chances and sizes of the next Mega-flood.
Did you know that True to Life Ministries collected almost 1000 books at 30 different collection sites, then distributed them throughout southern Brazoria County as a part of their TTLM Summer Adventures. Staff and volunteers brought the books to 15 local apartment complexes and helped kids through the summer break with reading, learning, fun activities, and snacks, as a way to tackle transportation challenges. Thank you for True to Life Ministries. What a great idea!
For the third year in a row, the US Postal Service is temporarily hiking prices of its delivery services during peak holiday season. The price increases, which range from 25 cents to $6 per package, would go into effect on October 2 and last through January 22. There are already pumpkins in the stores along with Halloween décor so now must be the time to start your holiday shopping and get it in the mail. In fact, all mail services are temporarily upping their charges during this time period, including Amazon.
Just arrived back from Durham, North Carolina and that city will actually pick up your compost from a container on your front porch, if you want them to. I know what you’re thinking… here she goes again, trying to get us all to compost. You would be absolutely right! So, if you are thinking about starting to compost your kitchen scraps, then remember not to use meat or fish scraps – it will encourage a scent that will drive your neighborhood crazy. (Since my compost is at the back of my office, I DO put shrimp shells and fish bones in my compost because it’s good for the soil.) Don’t use dairy, fats, and oils – same reason. Never add any plants that have been treated with insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides to the compost pile. The residue of chemicals used in the garden to kill insects and control plant diseases can unintentionally kill the beneficial composting organisms. Residue from herbicides may affect plants in the garden after the compost is added. The same applies to wood that has been pressure treated, painted, stained, or varnished. Don’t use weeds that have gone to seed because your compost pile may not get hot enough (145°F) to kill the seeds so you will be spreading weeds into your garden. Do not use diseased or insect-infected plants for the same reason, it just may not get hot enough in your pile. Don’t use the ash from charcoal briquettes because they are often infused with chemicals that will harm your plants, but you can use wood ash from your fireplace or fire pit. Do not use cat or dog waste because cat feces/cat litter can carry the organism that causes toxoplasmosis, a disease of concern to pregnant women because it can cause serious injury to an unborn child. OK, let’s get started. You can do it.
Here are some interesting things that you can compost besides kitchen scraps. Hair and fur, dryer lint, aquarium plants, home brewing wastes (spent hops and malt), used paper napkins and paper towels, old herbs and spices, un-popped or burned popcorn, cardboard and paper plates (small pieces, uncoated), wooden chopsticks and toothpicks – just to name a few. Just another way to keep things out of our landfills and make rich dirt at the same time so we can grow our own tomatoes.
The 21st annual Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame, Sept. 15th, LJ Civic Center is being underwritten by TDECU. They are honoring Walter Branson – Branson Construction, Kenjo Kelley – Kenjo’s BBQ, Jay Mejia – Mejia Industrial Supply Co., and Mike Pyburn – Almeda Water Well Service.
After more than a year of intense negotiations among congress, President Biden has signed a health, climate/energy, and tax bill into law this week. It should help lower prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare, extend federal subsidies for health insurance and help reduce the federal deficit. It should also help electric utilities switch to lower-emission sources of energy and encourage us to buy electric vehicles through tax credits, up to $7,500 for new cars and up to $4,000 for used cars.
Shades of Willy Wonka. Two workers were doing maintenance on a chocolate tank at Mars M&M factory, when they fell in. Yes, fell into the warm chocolate tank. Fire crews had to cut a hole in the side of the tank to get them out. Evidently the guys had been in there for a couple of hours unable to get out. Quit laughing. Skinny brows are supposedly making a comeback. (I whisper to you… don’t do it.) According to a Pew Research survey, nearly half of US teens say they use the internet almost constantly. Constantly is quite often. After closing its restaurants in Ukraine because of the Russian invasion, McDonald’s is starting to reopen in parts of the country. Walgreens is paying signing bonuses up to $75,000 to pharmacists. Starbucks just announced the return of Pumpkin Cream Nitro Brew. A carriage horse collapsed on the street in NYC from heat. I watched the video, and the owner was not exactly kind to the poor animal. Don’t forget about special care for our wildlife in all this heat. They need us now more than ever. Fill the birdbaths often and put out bird and squirrel food. Hummingbirds are also here early. Thank for reading us this week.
😊 LISA
Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com
