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What I Heard This Week 02-03-2022

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week February 2, 2022

An application for a voting ballot by mail was mailed to my office, asking me to return an attached card which was already addressed to Joyce Hudman, Brazoria County Clerk, so it looked like it was coming from the county, but it was not. The card reminded me that because of my advanced age, I had earned the right to vote by mail in the privacy of my own home, all while avoiding long lines at the polls. Hmmm. (I wondered to myself if any of them had ever read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. They really should.) Back to the story. They were even kind enough to think ahead and check some of the boxes for me with a bright red check mark. Boxes that I would have to white-out if I used the application, but that’s no big deal. I was still thinking to myself, that voting by mail might be exactly what I want to do, until I saw the part requesting my Texas Driver’s License Number, Texas Personal Identification Number, Texas Election Identification Certificate Number, or the last 4 digits of my Social Security Number. Now this information is supposed to be printed on the open post card, which is supposed to be dropped into the mail. A post card with no envelope. That doesn’t seem right. I was reminded on another part of the card that having the TDL was important in order to stop voter fraud and to ensure the ballot is delivered. I stand behind the fact that this information should not be put on a postcard. I think my grandma would have looked me straight in the eyes and said something about having just fallen off the turnip or cabbage truck. Just saying, but maybe I’m wrong.

To those of you that are not of advanced age like me… grrrrrr… to fall off a turnip truck is to be considered gullible, naïve, ignorant, or unsophisticated. Grandma died in 1996, but she always seems to come to mind and help me out in situations like this.

So, let’s just say you don’t really want to leave the house today! Did you know that you can play Powerball online, while still in your pajamas? Even Quick Pick. It can all be found at tx.theLotter.com. Just fill in your Powerball entry and buy your ticket. Once your purchase has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email and before the draw, you will find a scanned copy of the official Powerball ticket in your account. Both will serve as your proof of participation in the draw and ticket ownership.

M&Ms were first sold in 1941, with the endearing and sometimes pleasant M&Ms characters arriving in 1954. Old M&Ms commercials starred just Red and Yellow, representing regular and peanut M&Ms. In the late 1990s, new characters were added to the mix. Brown, the most recent addition, joined the group in 2012. Mars Wrigley, which owns the candy, said that they are making subtle changes to the characters’ appearances, relaxing their looks a little. I guess the pandemic has done that for all of us, in the way we dress. Green swapped her go-go boots for sneakers. Brown’s high heels are now a more sensible low pump, but you still look at her and know that she is way smarter than all the rest. Orange’s shoelaces are no longer untied, but he still looks a tad stressed. Blue’s shoes haven’t changed much, but according to their website, they now look a little like “a bad version of Uggs.” The last change is to the logo, which is no longer resting on its side, but setting up straight. All in the name of advertising. In 2012, Quaker altered its famous Quaker face by removing a double chin, smoothing out rolls and plumpness in his face and neck (probably Botox and laser therapy), then elongating the neck, and showing more shoulders. His hair was shortened to make him seem more fit. Then there is poor Aunt Jemima. PepsiCo acquired Quaker Oats, then got rid of Aunt Jemima and her image totally, changing the name to Pearl Milling Company in order to “shed the brand of its racist roots.” Mars Food took 70-year-old Uncle Ben’s Rice, and it is now called Ben’s Original. Same orange packaging, but the picture of Uncle Ben has been removed. The Eskimo Pie, first developed in 1920, recently changed its name to Edy’s Pie after believing its original name was offensive toward native artic communities. Which, in my mind, brings me to Eskimo kisses, so don’t forget Valentine’s Day is almost here. M&Ms come in Pink.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor, model, singer, and sex symbol Mamie Van Doren is 91. Actor Mike Farrell is 83. M*A*S*H. NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw is 82. Actor Gayle Hunnicutt is 79. She would have become the first Bond girl of the Roger Moore era had she not been pregnant. Singer Fabian is 79. He posed nude for Playgirl magazine in 1973, but regretted the attempt for renewed publicity, claiming he looked fat and stupid. Actor Michael Tucker of L.A. Law is 77. Drummer Simon Phillips of Toto is 65. Actor Judith Light of Who’s the Boss is 73. Actor Robert Wagner is 92. Singer Roberta Flack is 85.

Actor Joe Pesci is 79. Actor Mia Farrow is 77. Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos is 61. Actor Laura Dern is 55. Actor Tina Louise is 88. Ginger on Gilligan’s Island. Musician Sergio Mendes is 81. Singer Sheryl Crow is 60. Singer Joe Ely is 75. Actor Jennifer Aniston is 53. Actor Joe Don Baker is 86. Country singer Moe Bandy is 78. Actor Maud Adams of Octopussy is 77. Bond girl 1983. Guitarist Steve Hackett of Genesis is 72. Singer Michael McDonald of Doobie Brothers is 70. Actor Joanna Kerns is 69. Actor-talk show host Arsenio Hall is 66. Singer Chynna Phillips of Wilson Phillips is 54.

Singer Rick Astley is 56. Never Gonna Give You Up. Actor James Spader is 62. Country singer Garth Brooks is 60. ABC News anchor Ted Koppel is 82. Actor Nick Nolte is 81. Comedian Robert Klein is 80. Actor Mary Steenburgen is 69. Author John Grisham is 67. Actor-turned-politician Sheila James Kuehl of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is 81. Singer Carole King is 80. Singer Barbara Lewis is 79. Hello Stranger. Author Alice Walker of The Color Purple is 78. Composer-conductor John Williams is 90. Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Harry Potter, Superman, Star Wars, Schindler’s List and more. He has 5 Academy Awards, 4 Golden Globes and 27 Grammy Awards.

There’s a very basic human, non-verbal aspect to our need to make music and use it as part of our human expression. It doesn’t have to do with body movements, it doesn’t have to do with articulation of a language, but with something spiritual. John Williams

There was some wild card-shopping done the last time I went to Walmart. As long as I was there picking up Ball freezer containers and the $9.00 bag of 18 tennis balls for Teller, I figured I better pick up some cards. They really have a terrific selection, but so does Tractor Supply. My favorite was, You’re the Lone Corn Dog in a World of Plain Wieners. When you open it up, it says, In Other Words, You’re Amazing. I bought two, one for each amazing kid.

I love children, the only problem with children: they grow up to be people, and I just like animals better than people. It’s that simple. Betty White

Tom Brady (44) is retiring, and it is reported that after 22 seasons of football, he made more than $293 million with playing contracts, and more than $160 million with his off the football field endeavors, including a podcast, fashion line and endorsements. Using my fingers and toes, which seems to add up to about $453 million, making him the NFL’s all-time earnings leader. But wait. His very homely wife, Gisele Bundchen, a Brazilian fashion supermodel, 16^th richest woman in the entertainment industry, is worth $521 million all on her own without Tom, so she wins.

My God, to read without joy is stupid. John Williams

Four young men were arrested for rocking the San Diego Zoo gondola, which in turn left over 100 people stranded for about an hour and half. A British Airways plane trying to land at Heathrow Airport was hit with a 75mph gust of wind and if not for the quick thinking of the pilot who realized the danger and aborted his landing, it could have been a disaster. The report said that several passengers, “lost their lunches.” Bob Dylan has sold his music catalog to Sony Music.

Poor Britney Spears. Her legal team wants her dad, Jamie Spears, to admit he had a romantic relationship with his daughter’s former business manager. Following the release of her sister’s new book Things I Should Have Said, which made the National Best Sellers list, Britney has called Jamie Lyn a “Scum and a ******* liar”. (I’ve never had that many stars for letters in this column.) Jason Bateman believes he harmed his career for 10 years because he “stayed at the party too long,” then his wife encouraged him to get sober. Tiger King’s, Joe Exotic, has been resentenced from 22 to 21 years in prison in his murder-for-hire conviction. Obviously, I also read some trash this last week.

Falling Iguana Warnings. Last weekend I stayed pretty close to the news and weather of Boston because, well, I guess I thought, like a mom, I could make a difference in whether my son lost electricity and/or stayed warm during the blizzard, and record-tying snowfall they experienced. It tied for largest one-day snow total since 1872. I could tell that he and his friends were really concerned, especially between snowball fights and brunch out on Sunday morning. Ahh, to be young again. Nah. I was way too gullible back then. That cold Artic air traveled all the way to Florida, the Sunshine State, where they have 3-ft. long iguanas. When temperatures dip below 40, the iguanas that sleep in the trees become incapacitated, falling from the trees in a zombielike condition. When they warm up, they are fine. So, while I was watching the weather, the meteorologist said that everyone needed to be aware of falling iguanas, just like it was an everyday thing. I thought it was funny. I guess it’s not quite as funny today.

The post office is warning customers about fake stamps that are circulating around for discounted prices. Consider yourself warned. Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow this week on Groundhog Day. That means 6 more weeks of winter. Hate to tell the giant rodent that we already knew that. A translation error has resulted in thousands of souvenirs marking Queen Elizabeth‘s Platinum “Jubbly” rather than her Platinum Jubilee. Proof, proof, proof. The Washington Redskins changed their name and became the Commanders. Hope that doesn’t annoy Star Wars and Star Trek fans. Over 1,000 athletes and coaches are using burner phones at the Winter Olympics because the Chinese state has ‘crazy, scary’ spying tech that monitors calls, reads texts, tracks movements and can spot ‘illegal‘ words in private conversations.

Night before last, I went home and pulled out a red wine glass and feeling pretty sassy, I poured myself a cold-pressed beet juice instead of wine. I had purchased them on Friday, and I always freeze them if they’re not used within 3 days. I thought I was safe. They’re good for de-tox, but I think they taste just wonderful, and it’s always a treat. A few hours later, my stomach started rumbling and crying out, so loud it even scared the cat. I experienced several episodes of ‘de-tox’ before I finally fell asleep. I’m not saying that it was the juice, but I had eaten all my meals from home the past three days, so I don’t think it was anything I ate. The next day I had a headache. Probably because I was dehydrated. Ha-ha. Are you wondering what the moral of this story is? Last night, I grabbed a red wine glass and poured in real red wine. You can only be so healthy, before it starts affecting your health. 😊 Thanks for picking us up, and I hope something good happens to you today. Many thanks to all the kind people that have helped us find new locations to pick up this paper since
Buc-ee’s decided to remove all newsprint. We appreciate you!!

Don’t forget that you can run a FREE Valentine message (or more) just by calling our office (979-285-9200) before 6pm on February 8^th. THIS Tuesday. Talk to Connie, Pam, Hailey, Lisa, Tina, or Thomas. Now, before you say to yourself, “Well, sure. I’ll do that soon…” Just go ahead and do it right now because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and you know time will get away from you and you’ll forget. You know I’m right. It’s a nice affordable way for everyone to say I’m Thinking of You.

LISA

What I Heard This Week! 01-30-2020

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week January 30, 2020

Boeing apologized after internal communications suggested employees were aware of issues with its now grounded 737 Max before the two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. Boeing was forced to published over 100-pages of internal communications as part of the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority and Congress’s investigations into issues with the 737 Max. The planes have been grounded globally since last March. Some of the remarks issued were, “This airplane is designed by clowns, who in turn are supervised by monkeys…” Another message described working on the plane as “patch[ing] the leaky boat.” Another said, “I still haven’t been forgiven by god for the covering up I did last year…” “This airplane is ridiculous,” an employee wrote to another in one message. “We are having issues with every update we do.” Employees talked about using “Jedi mind tricks” to convince regulators and customers that their training proposals were safe. “At this point, there are more nails than wood in the coffin,” one message said. Unacceptable. Did they not think ahead to what could, and did ultimately happened?

ABC is reviving “thirtysomething.” Nearly 30 years after characters Michael and Hope advanced into their 30’s and then off the air, the children of Timothy Busfield (62), Patricia Wettig (68), Mel Harris (63) and Ken Olin (65), who are reprising their original roles, will be the focus of this remake. New cast members have not been announced. I loved the original show.

Yer sweeter than candied yams dipped in honey covered in syrup with them big ole pieces of white sugar on ‘em & a dadgum cherry on top…

In 1970, the population of giant tortoises on Espanola Island in the Galapagos, was only 15. Thanks to the heroic efforts of Diego, a more than century-old male tortoise who was quite the ladies’ man, these numbers are now over 2,000. As of January 10^th, 2020, Diego was retired from the breeding program (and says the child support was killing him.) Just kidding.

Eli Manning wanted to retire from the NFL after 16 seasons and he did just that last week. His plans include being an assistant coach on his daughter’s third-grade basketball team.

At the office, we were discussing how much The Wizard of Oz scared us when we were little. Think flying monkeys and wicked witches that looked like our aunts. Stupidly, then we started talking about Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte with Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland, which then led us to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. We must all be mentally scarred for life.

The Apple iPad is celebrating a 10^th anniversary. It has changed everyone’s life but seems it’s been with us for as long as we can remember. Happy Anniversary to my sweet neighbors…Bill and Diane Tasto. 36 years.

Just read a great idea for getting kids dressed for school. Buy a sweater organizer that hangs in the closet. Label each slot with a different day of the week, then let them pick out clothes for a whole week on Sunday evening when you have more time. Hanging clothes for the week can be right next to the organizer.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been appointed to a five-year term as chancellor at Queen’s University in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. She will have three primary roles, presiding when degrees are handed out, advising senior management and serving as an ambassador to “open doors” for the institution.

A 16-year study in Europe of more than 450,000 men and women who had two or more glasses of soda daily, were at a higher risk of premature or early death from digestive disease. Trade in your sugary soda for water, black coffee and unsweetened tea. You can do it. It’s a new year.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actress Piper Laurie is 88. Actress Linda Blair is 61. Actress Diane Lane is 55. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is 52. Cajun musician Doug Kershaw is 84. Singer songwriter Ray Stevens is 81. Singer songwriter Neil Diamond is 79. Singer Aaron Neville is 79. Country singer Claude Gray is 88. Actress Leigh Taylor-Young is 76. R&B singer Alicia Keys is 40. And a special Happy 90^th Birthday wish to Mr. Freddie Brown of Lake Jackson.

What has roamed the earth for 350 million years? That’s almost forever. I’m talking about the cockroach and it is said that they could even survive a nuclear blast. I even saw something that mentioned they may outlive Keith Richards. So, let’s say that you are looking for the perfect gift that shows that your love is endless and will last forever. Like a cockroach. For just a $5 fee you can be a part of the Endless Love campaign at Cockrell Butterfly Center. This is a great idea for kids and grandkids, too. You could even name one after your ex… our love drug on like an infestation of roaches!! These are Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches and proceeds will go directly to improving the butterfly center. The museum is retrofitting a large dollhouse in a plexiglass box so all named roaches will be on display so you can show the world how strong your love is. Sweet. I bought two. My kids thought this was a great idea, so Anne-Elisabeth and Gage are now on display. I can only tell you how to have some fun in life, but I can’t go have fun for you. hmns.org/cockrell-butterfly-center/endless-love or call 713-639-4629.

What is the unofficial food of America’s biggest annual sporting event? Chicken wings. So, I pulled up Super Bowl recipes and this popped up. You can use the crockpot and the pictures looked super yummy so I thought I would share it. Google it so it might be easier to follow. This only serves 4 so you might want to double the recipe depending on your crowd. Plus, I love leftovers for lunch. It’s called Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili.

1 lb. ground chicken
15 oz. canned white navy beans (drained and rinse)
14.5 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 – 1/2 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce (start with 1/4 cup and add more at end if needed)
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz. cream cheese (my office of great cooks believe 2-3oz. would be plenty)
Blue cheese crumbles (optional)
Instructions: Brown ground chicken, then place in crockpot. Add remaining ingredients except for cream cheese and blue cheese and give it all a stir to combine, then place cream cheese on the middle and cover. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. Stir and add additional wing sauce if desired. Top individual bowls with blue cheese crumbles if desired. (I think it would be good without the wing sauce which is just vinegar, butter and hot sauce) and blue cheese, instead have toppings of cheddar cheese, guacamole, chopped cilantro and chips – which is what I did and my kids loved it.) You could also precook chicken in the crockpot, breaking up meat before you add the next ingredients. One less pot to wash. 😊 Super Bowl LIV is Sunday. Grammy nominated pop singer Demi Lovato will perform the national anthem, with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira performing at halftime. I have no idea who is playing. I’m just in it for the food and commercials.

The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat. Lily Tomlin

Years ago, the vet told me that my dog Hensley, had coronavirus. I laughed and teased that she had partaken of too much beer. It just doesn’t seem that funny right now. The CDC has announced it will expand screenings to 15 additional airports which includes George W. Bush Intercontinental.

Last week, Lydia, our ‘office baby’ who is now a big girl of 4, came by for her weekly visit. As one of her doting stand-in grandmothers, I bought her some puffy stickers from Frozen. She pulled Marshmallow, the frozen snow monster/personal bodyguard of Elsa the Snow Queen and stuck it on my sweater, where I wore it the rest of the day. At least I thought I did. What I didn’t know is that it moved and re-stuck on the arm of my sweater. I went to run errands after work with it stuck there. Dillard’s for make-up, and some dish towels marked down in kitchen wares. Two opportunities for someone to mention it. Target for paper towels. Tractor Supply for bird seed. And all this time, no one ever told me that I had a frozen marshmallow monster stuck to my arm. I just happened to look in the mirror when I changed clothes later that night.

According to the Office of Emergency Management and Houston Fire Dept., about 450 structures were damaged following the fatal explosion at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing in Houston. It rattled nearby neighborhoods, destroyed homes, killed two employees who were using the gym facilities at the business and injured about 20 residents. The chemical involved was polypropylene, but no word on the cause.

As it turns out, the man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in an elevator at an H-E-B in the Heights is the suspect in a different sexual assault case, is also a convicted sex offender who failed to register when he moved and was convicted for indecent exposure with a child back in 2015.

Seen on Facebook: When a dog attacks and scars a child for life, it is put to sleep. Why don’t we do the same to child molesters?

Words matter. It’s always interesting to me to find out what the word of the year is. This is determined by how many times a word has been searched or looked up. Merriam-Webster has announced that the 2019 ‘word of the year’ is ‘THEY.’ This word has been used more recently to refer to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary and is now recommended to be used in place of he or she. Lookups for ‘they’ increased by 313% in 2019 over the previous year. Other words on the top ten list were 1. Quid Pro quo. Something for something. 2. Impeach. To charge with a crime or misdemeanor or to cast doubt on. 3. Crawdad. ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ made it to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. 4. Egregious. Boeing pilot used the word in describing an issue with 737 MAX planes – “conspicuously bad” in modern English. 5. Clemency. The governor of Tennessee granted clemency to Cyntoia Brown, a woman serving a life sentence for murdering a man as a 16-year-old victim of sex trafficking. 6.) The. The Ohio State University filed a trademark application in August for the word ‘the’ with the U.S. Patent Office, in order to protect new branding logos. 7. Snitty. Attorney General William Barr used the word to describe a letter sent to him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. 8. Tergiversation. The word was used in an article by Washington Post columnist George Will. 9. Camp. A gala event celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” the newly opened fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 10. Exculpate. – Robert Mueller used the word exculpate in his testimony before members of the House of Representatives – “The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed” – the word saw a dramatic increase in lookups, spiking 23,000%. It’s defined as “to clear from alleged fault or guilt.” Do you feel smarter now? Nah, me neither. Dictionary.com said their top-searched word was Quid Pro quo.

If you look on the front page of this paper it says, Volume 22 No. 1. That means we have been doing this for a pretty long time and we want you to help us celebrate by finding something to sell. If you mention that you’re selling it because of our birthday, then the ad is free. You can also email me with kind words. I love kind words. Thanks so much for sticking with us all these years.

Lisa

What I Heard This Week! 01-23-2020

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week January 23, 2020

Borden Dairy (founded in 1857) has filed for bankruptcy, the second major U.S. dairy to do so lately. Dean Foods, America’s largest dairy producer filed in November 2019. People are now drinking almond, soy and oat milk. Protein bars and on-the-go breakfasts have replaced our morning bowl of cereal. Borden says 2,730 U.S. dairy farms have gone out of business in the last 18 months, meaning that the remaining farms can command higher prices. Poor Elsie.

Texans’ J.J. Watt is scheduled to host Saturday Night Live on February 1, along with musical guest, country artist Luke Combs. Watt will be the 27^th athlete to host and the 11^th person with NFL experience.Some athletes included LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, The Rock, John Madden, Wayne Gretzky, Hulk Hogan, O.J. Simpson, Charles Barkley, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, Bill Russell, George Foreman, Fran Tarkenton, and Alex Karras. J.J. may be what it takes to get me to watch a whole show instead of just pulling up Eddie Murphy clips.

Northern Ireland has now recognized same-sex marriages, but couples reportedly must give 28 days’ notice of their plan to marry, so the first same-sex weddings are expected during the week of Valentine’s Day.

To determine if a coffee pod (think Keurig) is recyclable, look on the packaging for the plastic number. Coffee pods that are recyclable are typically made out of plastic #5, where pods that are not recyclable are made out of plastic #7. Try to avoid purchasing #7 coffee pods since these end up in a landfill. Before tossing, be sure to peel off the aluminum top (trash) and empty the grounds (nature loves the grounds so dump them in your yard or flower bed). If you throw the pod inside a recycling bin before removing the top and coffee grounds, it may no longer be recyclable. This goes for anything you put into recycling. Clean it out first.It was reported that enough Keurig plastic pods were sold in 2014 to circle the world more than ten times. Since this way of drinking coffee has become so much more popular in the past few years, just think of how many pods are now in landfills. It’s estimated that one in three homes in the U.S. have a single-serve coffee maker. We do pour-overs at my house – unbleached paper filters, then we place the filter and spent coffee in our compost. Easy, affordable, Earth-friendly solution.

A woman with dementia survived for six days in her snowbound Suburban in Butte Meadows, California. She stayed warm by periodically turning on the car for heat and bundling up with moving blankets and floor mats.

Sometimes I don’t wear my glasses when I really should…obviously. After midnight last night, I was tidying up before I went to bed. I had been at the kitchen table working on tax stuff for several hours and getting tired, so I took my off glasses. Huge mistake. Anne-Elisabeth had been home for the weekend so there were a few things out of place.I unloaded lunch containers, placed them in the dishwasher along with a coffee cup, then grabbed a glass jar, unscrewed the lid (assuming it was dirty) and turned it upside down as I placed it in the dishwasher. Yikes. The jar had quite a few poppy seeds waiting to be planted in the garden. You know, the ‘tinier than a grain of salt’ seeds? They were scattered throughout the unsmooth bottom of my dishwasher. I could have used tape but then I couldn’t plant them. I pulled a credit card from my purse and scraped up as many as I could and put them back in the jar. The others were wet (see above…coffee and lunch remains,)so I got as many as I could with wet paper towels and laid them on the cabinet to dry. This morning, I realized the seeds had stuck, so I tore the paper towels into pieces and threw them in my flower bed. Tonight, I will place a little potting soil over each piece and hope for the best. Who knows, they may stay in place and grow even better this year. Last year the rains washed the seeds into the edges of the flower beds. I may be on to ‘something.’

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Rock musician Jimmy Page is 76. Led Zeppelin. Singer A.J. McLean is 42. Backstreet Boys.Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is 38. Actor Stanley Tucci is 59. Actress Demi Moore is 57. Actress Calista Flockhart is 55. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is 45. Musician Jon Batiste is 33. I LOVE him. Country singer Dolly Parton is 74. Former ABC newswoman Ann Compton is 73. TV chef Paula Deen is 73. Butter. Rock singer Martha Davis is 69. The Motels. Actor Desi Arnez Jr. is 67. Little Ricky.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin is 90. Country singer Narvel Felts is 81. Reconsider Me. Actress Katie Holmes is 41. Actor Brad Pitt is 56. Actress Jane Fonda is 82. Actress Betty White is 98. WOW. Actor James Earl Jones is 89. Former first lady Michelle Obama is 56. Rap musician Questlove is 49. The Roots.

Local LJ doctor, surgeon, businessman, Rotarian and humanitarian Frank Grady, died at 78. He was the first surgeon in Texas to implant an intraocular lens following cataract surgery, was the first physician in the area to perform radial keratotomy in 1980, and with his missions, saved the eyesight of thousands of people in Juarez, Mexico. Local businessman Wayne Shaw died this week at age 81.

There is a couple getting married in April, I don’t know who they are, but they are asking Habitat for Humanity of Southern Brazoria County to provide a Wedding Registry so their friends and family can contribute to the building of a Habitat home rather than traditional gifts. I LOVE it. Habitat is now working on House #113 in Brazoria County. 113 people are lucky to have all those volunteers build them new homes. If you want to help, call them. They need volunteers and will find you a job that’s perfect for YOU.

There will be a Chocolate Bay Watershed Public Meeting to discuss Chocolate, Halls and Mustang bayous water quality issues due to high levels of bacteria, on January 30^th at the Alvin Public Library. For more information call Steven Johnston 832-681-2579. We need to know that we have a clean, safe community.

Recently I wrote about, “it being time for my kids to go back to school after winter break,”meaning, I love to see them come, I love to see them go. A friend read the column and shared something that one of her friends said years ago. “The best holiday lights were the ones that she saw on back of her kid’s cars as they drove away from the house and back to school.” I just had to repeat this, it’s too funny. Thank you, Emily.

A customer came in today and I was rewriting his pre-written ad for a rental house on the intercoastal canal and it mentioned crabbing. Except he had spelled it with just one ‘b’. After he left, I looked up the word just to be sure I was right. The Urban Dictionary definition for crabbing came up as: “When a man is urinating in a public urinal on his own and he attempts to urinate an equal amount in each urinal by sidestepping like a crab while using hands to control urine distribution.Such as: I went into the urinals and there was no one there so I did a bit of crabbing.” We live in a weird world now.

A teenage kid from NY was interning at NASA. Just three days into the job, he discovered a brand-new planet.The old Randalls/Albertsons grocery store (that takes you a tad bit further back in time) will be re-modeled by Olin to use as administrative offices. It’s time. Macy’s was founded 162 years ago in NY and are closing 28 namesake stores and one Bloomingdale’s store. Pier 1 Imports will close 450 of its 936 stores.

Monster Jam is Jan. 25^th& Feb. 8-9^th in Houston. Brazosport Symphony is Jan. 25^thcalled Covering all Basses. I went to the Hotel California Symphony concert in Oct. and it was great. The symphony is having so much fun this year. Nunsense at The Center for the Arts and Sciences is showing Feb. 21 – March 1.

There is a u-pick tulip farm in San Antonio just south of I-10 that you can visit, but just for a short time because there’s such a short bloom time. There is also a maze for the kids and another tulip farm in Dallas.Texas-tulips.com. Great idea for a Valentines getaway, just pretend it’s Amsterdam.

In case you haven’t already heard, it’s official. 2019 was the second hottest year worldwide in recorded history. What year was the hottest? Globally, was 2016. Which brings us to the fact that the past decade was the hottest ever recorded on the planet, driven by an acceleration of temperature increases in the past five years, according to data released ‘jointly’ by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Perhaps releasing information jointly will make a bigger difference to people understanding the problem. Global average surface temperatures last year were 1.8 degrees higher than the average from the middle of last century.

Is three anything better than making a kid laugh? Michelle Williams

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will have Willie Nelson on March 4^th. Midland will open on March 3 and Luke Bryan will close the final show. No George Strait this year.

In North Houston, a couple took their 8-year-old cat in for her check-up and rabies vaccine. Because of a mix-up on syringes, Sophie was mistakenly euthanized. When the mistake was realized, the vet gave her oxygen, fluids to try and flush out her system and epinephrine to get her heart going again but she died.Her cat momma says, “When you take your animal to any vet, not just this particular office, but any Veterinary office, be vigilant, ask questions, ask what their protocols and procedures are.” I can’t even imagine losing any of mine.

Many thoughts have gone through my head as I tried to decide whether to share this story or not. I’m not a fan of The Bachelor, but Hoda and Jenna were discussing a clip from the show this morning. I think it’s funny. OK. You decide. One of the female contestants (Kelsey, 2017 Miss Iowa, 28,) brought a bottle of champagne “all the way from Des Moines, Iowa.” One of the other contestants (Hanna, Alabama model, 23) opened that‘special’bottle of champagne and Kelsey exploded as she confronted the accused contestant, who said, “I’m sorry, I’ll get you another bottle of champagne.” (Surely, we all believe that.) Fast forward and the Bachelor (Peter Weber) offered Miss Iowa a brand-new bottle of champagne with Miss Iowa sitting very, very close to him. She accepts the bottle from him, picks it up and chug-a-lugs straight from the bottle (as she quietly mentions, “I’m not always a classy b****.” Uhhh, we noticed. I think the proper word for this is a swig. She took a big swig from the bottle. As she prepared to lower the bottle, all those bubbles just gasp to be released, explode, geyser up and spew champagne ALL OVER HER FACE and hair. Hmmm. I’m glad that I can only afford champagne on special occasions because I could be such an embarrassment to my children. 😊

A judge has ordered Google to turn over a year’s worth of Jussie Smollett’s emails, private messages, photographs and location data. A special prosecutor is trying to find out why 16 counts of disorderly conduct charges were abruptly dismissed against the actor after he allegedly staged an attack in downtown Chicago and then lied to police. Smollett maintains his innocence. I’m interested.

On the front page of The Chronicle was a picture of a mother and her 15-year-old son who has been suspended multiple times and she says “there must be a better way” to discipline students in Beaumont ISD. Students were suspended at a rate more than six times the state average and far more than any other district last year, 46 suspensions per 100 students. Well, you want to know what I think…if that had been me at age 15, I wouldn’t have been able to ‘stand’ next to my mother after the first suspension. Raise your children at home, which is your job, then the teachers can spend their whole class-time teaching, which is their job. It’s disruptive to constantly discipline in the classroom. That’s what I think. Thanks for reading us this week. Be sure to let us know how we are doing.

Lisa Baker

What I Heard This Week! 01-16-2020

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week January 16, 2020

The city of Warner Robins, Georgia and Peach County, along with the promise of almost $2.3 million to be spent on traffic and utility improvements, are sealing a deal for Buc-ee’s to invest at least $35 million on a 53,000 square-foot travel center off Interstate 75. It is projected to draw 8,000 to 10,000 vehicles a week, with city leaders hoping visitors will also seek out other attractions in the area after they fill-up, potty and shop. New Buc-ee’s locations outside Texas include several new stores in Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

Don’t trim your crepe myrtles just yet. Wait for Valentine’s Day because the warm weather we are having may trick the tree into thinking it’s spring, then if a freeze comes, it will kill all the new growth. And when you trim them, please look up how to do it properly. Improper trimming is called crepe murder.

Anne-Elisabeth and I visited Texas Roadhouse last night. It was only our second time since they opened because they have peanuts on the floor, and my son is allergic to peanuts. BUT my son wasn’t home, so we said YES and scooted quickly to the mall. Piping hot rolls, whipped cinnamon butter. Heaven. The steaks were displayed as we walked in, and obviously that tactic works because that’s what we both wanted. I asked the server to suggest the ‘best’ steak. We received the small Dallas Filet with a side of sautéed mushrooms, a baked naked sweet potato, fresh vegetables and of course, another order of hot rolls. It was the best steak I had ever ordered in a restaurant. Perfection. Just letting you know. Oh, we also indulged in a Sangria Margarita. That was pretty good, too.

If today were the last day of your life, would you want to do what you are about to do today? Steve Jobs

What about those Astros? Such a disappointment for fans and the kids that look up to players as role models. What the heck is happening to our society where anything goes. I know they fired the Astros manager and general manager. Alex Cora has now parted ways with the Boston Red Sox since it seems he developed the sign-stealing system, but as bad as I hate to put it out there, something should also happen to the players. Wrong is wrong.

The Cosmic Crisp apple aka apple variety WA38, could be a lifesaver for Washington apple growers because it was developed specifically to excel in Washington State’s climate, unlike Gala and Fuji, which were developed outside the states. It took two decades to develop this apple from start to finish. It’s a cross of Honeycrisp and Enterprise apples with the name coming from a starry pattern on the skin formed by small pores called lenticels. The apple is firm, crisp and juicy, resilient and able to stay in good shape for up to 12 months after being harvested and put into storage. Yikes. 12 months?!? When I told my son about the shelf life, his response was, “well, that’s frightening…” It is described in Time Magazine as, “It’s biology, basically.”HEB is now carrying a few of the apples and they are delicious. Washington apple growers will have exclusive rights to the Cosmic Crisp for 10 years.

Congratulations to Bill Yenne, LJ City Manager, celebrating his 40^th year of work at the city.

THANK YOU to Jennifer Kolthammer for working in the esplanade in my subdivision. Roses are beautiful!Ella, for my handmade potholder. I love it. A gentleman just walked in the front door of our office to tell us how many hours he spent in our building as a kid, when it was the Look & Listen Record Shop. Aww. Thanks for sharing. Audrey,for the delicious chocolate chip cookies you brought to my office and for spending time with me so we could catch up. Sabrina,at city of LJ, for coming out to check the manhole in my yard. Jesse Aguilar, our favorite credit card guy, for chocolate cake and Moscato. I shared the cake but not the wine 😊.Debra, for the Port of Freeport luncheon invitation. She takes such good care of me. Paula,for stopping by and sharing some love. Hope you got some ‘alone time’ when the kids went back to school. Holiday breaks are tough on moms. It’s so nice to have kids’ home but equally nice when they go.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Record producer Phil Spector is 80. TV host John Walsh is 74. America’s Most Wanted. Actor Gerard Depardieu is 71. He has completed more than 170 films since 1967. Actor Frank Langella is 82. Rock singer musician Country Joe McDonald is 78.1960’s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.Rhythm & blues singer Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir is 84. The Four Tops. Rock musician Mick Jones is 75. Foreigner.

TV hostJack Hanna is 73. Actress Wendy Phillips is 68. Falcon Crest. Model Christy Turlington is 51. Actor Taye Diggs is 49. Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Musician Rod Stewart is 75. Comedian actor Larry Storch is 97.The bumbling Corporal Randolph Agarn on F Troop. Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg is 73. Actor Tim Matheson is 72. Smooth-talking Eric “Otter” Stratton in National Lampoon’s Animal House.

Game show host Bob Eubanks is 82. Rockmusician Tom Hamilton is 68. Aerosmith. Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas is 24. Magazine publisher Jann Wenner is 74. Rolling Stone Magazine. Singer Kenny Loggins is 72. Talk show host Katie Couric is 63. Radio-TV personality Howard Stern is 66. Singer Melanie Chisholm is 46. Spice Girls.

Buck Henry died at 89. He co-created Get Smart with Mel Brooks, and hosted SNL 10 times from ’76 -‘80. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award, in 1968 for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Graduate and in 1979 for Best Director for Heaven Can Wait alongside Warren Beatty. Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for Rush, died at age 67 of brain cancer, which he had been quietly battling for three-and-a-half years. Wallace Schlemmer of Jones Creek died on January 1, at the exact age of 97. He had many jobs in his lifetime and was as interesting as anyone you’ve ever talked to, explaining the exciting adventures of his life. His obituary said that he had been at Woodlake Nursing Home for the past year and half. I wish I had known. To his sons, please accept our condolences. Lisa & staff.

Forbes top-earning musician of the 2010’s was not Taylor Swift at $825 million, but Dr. Dre at $950 million, because of his Beats products, since he hasn’t put out an album since 2015.

Over the holidays, I worked a little bit in my garage, cleaning, moving around and throwing away. Actually, I had so much furniture that I’m refinishing, I had to clear a path so Champagne’s could deliver a new washer and dryer (which are Speed Queen and so far, I just love them…10-year all parts and labor warranty.) They delivered on Christmas Eve, so I just pretended it was Santa. If any of your appliances should die in the near future, I can recommend Champagne’s. Yikes, how I digress. But there’s just so much information that I need to tell you each week. Back to my garage. In the process of cleaning, I found a paper Sky Lantern still in the package that someone had given my son several years ago. You light a little fire in the middle of the lantern that heats the air inside, making them able to fly and shine at night. Very, very pretty. After reading the instructions and thinking about it, I put it in the ‘giveaway’ pile. Then last week, I read about a fire that raced through a zoo in Germany burning down its entire ape house and killing more than 30 animals. Several witnesses saw the paper lanterns (they use them to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Germany) flying at low altitude near the zoo at midnight. Police received the first emergency calls 38 minutes later. I guess I’m taking the lantern out of the pile and use it for kindling.

An alligator bit an 18-year-old college student who was hiking and wading through the water on a wet trail at Everglades National Park. I’m sorry for the girl but the alligator was probably there first.

More than 1,000 magic tricks went to auction last week at the auction of the late Lonnie Frankel, owner of Frankel’s Costume Company. I have some favorite memories of that place.

If you’re bored this month, it’s your own fault. The International Gem & Jewelry Show Jan. 17-19^th. Houston Auto Show Jan. 22-26^th. Houston Gun Collectors Association Jan. 25-26^th. Brazosport Art League presents Passions of Color plus show…Jan. 14^th-Feb. 16^th. The BASF Planetarium show, Jewel of the Solar System, Planet Earth is showing until Jan. 28^th. My son says that the Grammy award-winning Patti Austin concert on Jan. 18^th at The Clarian, will be a fabulous evening. She will be with the Brazosport Jazz Orchestra playing tribute to Ella Fitzgerald.

Harry and Meghan: So, you leave the country where you get too much media attention and intense public scrutiny…such drama…nothing is going to change by moving. They will still have intense public scrutiny. But I don’t blame them. It must be terrible. Meghan Markle is often compared to Wallis Simpson, the last American to disrupt the royal family. (Queen Elizabeth’s father became king after his brother’s abdication because he was told to dump his still-married, once divorced girlfriend from Baltimore or dump the crown. He chose the girl.) I don’t really see comparison at all. It’s WAY more like Yoko Ono and the Beatles. So, in reference to them becoming financially independent…Diana left him millions, they’ll be fine. Madame Tussauds London has already removed Meghan and Harry’s figures, so they no longer appear in the Royal Family set. The popular figures will be moved to another area in the attraction.

It was the final moments of Canada’s Family Feud. The question was, “Name Popeye’s favorite food.” Before the host could even get all the way through his question, the contestant interrupted with a scream of, “Chicken,” and broke into a very premature, happy dance. Sigh.

John Mayer released a Christmas song, entitled CVS Bag, addressing the limited shopping options at his family home in a small town. Here are some of the words.“I fell asleep too early / I woke up at midnight / I was hungry / It was alright, you were there / CVS bag on the table…Mariah Carey, watch out.

The U.S. Postal Service’s new Priority Mail stamp featuring Big Bend releases on Jan. 18. It is a beautiful stamp, a miniature work of art, and will cost $8. There are several new stamps…a few are Year of the Rat (I’ve known some rats), Made of Hearts (perfect for Valentines), Let’s Celebrate, Wild Orchids, Arnold Palmer, Contemporary Boutonniere, Garden Corsage, American Gardens, Voices of Harlem Renaissance, Hip Hop, Fruits & Vegetables, Women Vote, Mayflower, and my favorite…Earth Day. That’s a bunch of new stamps. You should write someone a letter.

Australia – I’m so sad for the people and animals of Australia…actually, there are some animals that I like better than people but that’s a column for another day. The Australia Zoo, owned by the late Steve Erwin’s family, has taken in over 90,000 animal patients and more are expected. Koala bears tend to climb further up in trees when danger arrives, but when the oils in the eucalyptus trees heat up, the plant releases flammable gas, which ignites into a fireball.Nicole Kidman and Pink have both donated $500,000 each with many celebrities now making or matching their pledges. I couldn’t understand how so many new fires were popping up. Pyro-cumulus clouds (pyro mean fire and cumulus means pile up)are forming which are creating fire-induced thunderstorms, then lightening from those storms start new fires. NASA operates a hotspot detection program which identifies fires on a daily basis. Google: Nasa Satellite Active Fire Hotspot Detection. It’s so interesting to watch. 24 people have been charged with deliberately setting fires with 183 facing legal action.In addition to those, authorities said another 53 people are facing legal action for not complying with the state’s fire ban and another 47 people for discarding a lit cigarette or match on land. Starting a bush fire intentionally and being reckless in causing its spread can result in up to 21 years in prison.

Life is a one-time offer, use it well. Thanks for reading us this week. We appreciate you.

Lisa Baker

What I Heard This Week! 01-09-2020

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week January 9, 2020

On Christmas Eve, a couple in N.C. heard something or someone moving loudly around their house. They ran for their closet and called 911. Sheriff’s deputies searched the home only to find “Harry” their brand-new robot vacuum that was stuck, beeping and banging for someone to please help him get unstuck.

Twenty-two years after a 40-year-old Florida man went missing, a former neighbor of his happened to zoom in on their old neighborhood with Google Earth satellite images and noticed something submerged in a lake. He contacted another former homeowner who used a drone to confirm there was a car submerged in the retention pond behind his house. Sheriff’s investigators found the missing man’s skeletal remains in the car, when they pulled it out. The image on Google Earth had been available since 2007.

Krispy Kreme has added mini-donuts (less than 100 calories each) to their permanent menu – this way you can stick to your New Year’s resolutions and not feel so guilty. “A little Krispy Kreme goes a long way.”

The “affluenza teen” is in the news again…this time he is no longer a teen at 22 years old. At the time of his 2013 car crash, he was 16 and found to have a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit for adult drivers. This crash killed four people. He was spared prison, then later jailed after attending a party where alcohol was served, then he fled to Mexico with his mother to avoid punishment. While on probation, he had been closely monitored for alcohol and illegal substance use and was reported that a drug monitoring patch he wears returned a ‘weak positive’ result for THC. Hmmm. He is now in custody to ensure he doesn’t shave his head because a hair might be needed for a follow-up test. Perfect example of how one stupid decision can change your life forever. This kid has been like a cat with 9 lives.

The 58-year-old man who had been missing at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for 11 days, was located alive and in stable condition. Yikes, I remember from our family trip to the northern rim a couple of years ago, how cold it got in June once the sun dropped. I can’t imagine how he survived in late December with snow. What a story to tell.

It is 2020…I’m getting old. I am tired, and yet I still have so many unanswered questions. I haven’t found out who let the dogs out, where’s the beef, or how to get to Sesame Street. I don’t know why Dora doesn’t just use Google Maps, why all the flavors of fruit loops taste exactly the same, or how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop. Why eggs are packaged in a flimsy carton, but batteries are secured in plastic that’s tough as nails. What does the fox say or why is “abbreviated” such a long word? Why is there a D in ‘fridge’ but not in refrigerator, why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor, yet dish-washing liquid is made with real lemons. Or why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections & why do you have to “put your two cents in” but it’s only a “penny for your thoughts,” – where’s that extra penny going to? Why does The Alphabet Song & Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star have the same tune; in fact, so does Baa Baa Black Sheep. Why did you just try to sing those three previous songs? And just what exactly is Victoria’s secret? and where is Waldo? In addition, why do we park in the driveway and drive on the parkway? Can you hear me now? And do you really think I am this witty? I actually got this from a friend, who stole it from his brother’s girlfriend’s uncle’s cousin who lived next door to an old classmate’s mailman. Found on Facebook. Cheers to an amazing decade and unanswered questions…

Dash captain and all-time leading goal scorer, Kealia Ohai, has been traded to Chicago. Wait, that’s J.J. Watt’s girlfriend. I hope she’s not planning on taking him with her…

Prayers and actions are needed for Australia. It was explained to me like this, Australia is ‘about’ the size of the U.S. Imagine if most of our country was on fire. That’s what it’s like for Australia, either burned or burning. Firefighters from the U.S. and other countries are on their way to help. Sydney may be running out of drinking water. One billion animals are now estimated dead.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Author Anne Roiphe is 84. Author of Up the Sandbox, called “a feminist classic,” also a movie which starred Barbra Streisand in 1972. R&B singer John Edwards is 75. The Spinners. Singer Jimmy Buffett is 73. Actress Sissy Spacek is 70. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is 48. Actress Kim Basinger is 66. Actor Tommy Kirk is 78. Old Yeller, The Shaggy Dog, The Swiss Family Robinson,and many beach-party films of mid-60s. Baseball Hall of Fame Sandy Koufax is 84.

Folk singer Noel Paul Stookey is 82. Peter, Paul and Mary. Golfer Tiger Woods is 44. TV Director James Burrows is 79. Cheers. Author Mary Higgins Clark is 92. She has written more than 50 suspense novels. Singer Ricky Martin is 48. Author Stephanie Meyer is 46. Actress Barbara Rush is 93. Peyton Place and All My Children. Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula is 90. Actress Dyan Cannon is 81. Heaven Can Wait.

Journalist author Betty Rollin is 84. Actor Dabney Coleman is 88. The movie 9 to 5. Rock musician John Paul Jones is 74. Led Zeppelin. Actress Victoria Principal is 70. Pamela Barnes Ewing on Dallas. Actor director Mel Gibson is 64. NFL quarterback Eli Manning is 39. Actor John Amos is 80. Good Times and Roots.

My sister and I were talking, and I happened to mention that I had taken Gage shopping for jeans. I told her that I was surprised that three different pairs of Levi’s,the same size, fit three different ways – even the length was as much as two to three inches off. It sure makes it hard to buy jeans for my kids when they’re not there to try them on. My sister said it’s because all the jeans are now being made outside the U.S., in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Indonesia, due to the availability of cheap, easy labor and raw materials. So, if each pair of jeans happened to be made in a different country, each one could be cut differently. Oh, I see. Levi Strauss& Co. was founded in 1853 when German immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Bavaria to San Francisco to open a branch of his brothers’ New York dry goods business. In March 2019, Levi Strauss went public at a price of $17 per share.

Beyoncé’s album, Lemonade, was named album of the decade by the Associated Press. Elton John has already been to Houston once for his ‘farewell’ tour, but it seems that the movie Rocketman rekindled interest in his music, so he has added two additional Houston farewell shows, June 30th and July 1st. The Who will play Houston on April 30^th. The Eagles (minus Glenn Frey who died in 2016) will be here March 6^th and 7^th, with Vince Gill on guitar, along with Frey’s son, Deacon. On October 10^th, Michael McDonald will join the Doobie Brothers. Chris and Rich Robinson as the Black Crows are coming in June. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts open for Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Poison in July. Whew. There’s more. Branford Marsalis at the Wortham, Marty Stuart at The Heights Theater, and Orville Peck at White Oak Music Hall. You may remember him as the cowboy wearing the fringed Long Ranger mask. He’s good. I think that Gladys Knight is in Houston tonight (the day this paper comes out.) So much music, so little time.

The 2-year-old girl that was struck by a foul ball during a Houston Astros game at Minute Maid Park continues to receive anti-seizure medication seven months after suffering a brain injury that could leave her at risk of seizures for life. Did the parents not realize they were sitting where balls are often thrown? My understanding is that it’s written on the tickets.

The new La Casona in Angleton has opened. Gage and I went to eat at their LJ location over the break. I had bacon-wrapped, jalapeno stuffed shrimp and one cheese enchilada on the side. Perfect. I just love their warm salsa. Olive Garden is scheduled to open on January 20^th. There’s a big sign out front. There are whispers that Chipotle Mexican Grill is interested in finding a new location in LJ. Don’t you just love food.

Members of St. Anne Church in Cow Island, Louisiana, called crop dusters who loaded 100 gallons of holy water on to the planes and sprayed the town as their way of spreading their blessings to the community.

All I wanted for Christmas was a new pair of shoes. I bought them. To Lisa, From Lisa. My daughter bought me a beautiful blown glass tumbler and a hand-woven dishtowel that I will never use because it’s too pretty. My son ordered me a small coffee grinder. I was feeling pretty happy, satisfied and fortunate about this abundance of gifts until I read about what rapper All 50 Cent’s son received for Christmas. All this innocent little 7-year-old wanted was the ‘entire’Toys R Us store. So, that’s what his dad got him. Little Sire received a personal shopping spree costing a mere $100,000. Isn’t that sweet. (my momma always told me if you can’t say something nice then say nothing at all.) Yep, sweet.

The first vaping-related death in Galveston Co. was confirmed to be a woman in her early 30’s, who was being treated for lung injury related to e-cigarettes. Yale University School of Medicine had nearly 4,000 high school students fill out an anonymous survey and nearly 1/3 of them had tried e-cigarettes, with 18% saying they vape marijuana. Medical experts say a growing teenage brain could lose eight IQ points from long-term marijuana use. Don’t know about you but I could have used those extra points.

Starting February 1st, U-Haul wants to ensure that they have a healthier workforce,so in the 21 states that it’s legal to do so, they will not be hiring any more nicotine users. New applicants will be asked if they use nicotine products and those hired will need to agree to be screened in the future. Good.

Boys & Girls Club of Brazoria County is having Warren Moon, former Houston Oilers quarterback as their speaker at Great Futures Gala 2020 on January 11^th. I think I told you this months ago, but here’s another reminder. Oh, and if that’s not enough to pique your interest, the Intercoastal Pirates will also be there. What’s not to like…helping kids, good music and Warren Moon.

The Dallas Cowboys picked Mike McCarthy as their new head coach. Good, but we still miss Tom Landry.

The times, they are a-changing…The Hershey Co. will soon retire their 26-foot long Kiss-mobiles (shaped like Hershey Kisses) that have toured the country since 1997. Replacement costs and safety were their main concern in the removal, but you can still visit the vehicles at AACA Museum in Hershey.

A landlord in Florida, knocked on the door of a house trailer for a planned appointment to assess some damage from a tenant that ‘knew she was coming.’ The tenant opened the front door, thinking she was going to be evicted and threw a “full bucket of human feces” in the landlord’s face. The tenant first told deputies, “My landlord broke into my house and assaulted me,”then changed her mind saying she meant to use a bucket of water but got the two buckets confused. The deputies called it, “a crappy situation.”

The Chartwell Estate – the Bel Air mansion featured in the Beverly Hillbillies in the 60’s, reportedly sold to Rupert Murdoch’s son for about $150 million, making it California’s most expensive home property ever sold. The home was never actually used in the filming of the series, except for the opening credits. Jed, Granny, Ellie Mae and Jethro would have been proud.

A good relationship should make you feel strong, productive, and able to take over the world…oh, wait. That’s coffee. Coffee does that.

Texas filmmaker Jim McKay, found an old VHS tape showing a baby taking his first steps, stuck in an old VCR that he bought in a resale shop. He launched a search to identify the baby. Now 26-years-old,teacher and coach, TyRe Alexander met McKay and was surprised to recognize his father’s handwriting on the tape’s label. It was such a feel-good.

Hope you have a lot of feel-goods in your life this week. Don’t forget that the Boat Show ends on Jan. 12^th. That’s this weekend.

Lisa

What I Heard This Week! 01-02-2020

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week January 2, 2020

Kentucky Fried Chicken recently released a fireplace log designed to create a “warm fried chicken-scented fire” when put on your hearth. Close your eyes and just imagine a crackling fire in your fireplace and your house smelling like fried chicken. When KFC sold these logs in 2018, the entire supply sold out online in three hours. This year they sold them at Walmart for $18.99 in a limited-time deal, where the retailer’s website stated that the log is less wasteful than burning actual fried chicken. I am so sorry that I didn’t get this information to you in time so you could purchase one for everyone on your Christmas list. Maybe next year. You can call and personally thank me if you want to.

The recall of hard-boiled eggs from Almark Foods has been expanded to include products sold directly to consumers. These include eggs sold in pillow and pouch packs, frozen and diced products, and protein kits with “best if used by” dates through March 2, 2020, that begin with the letter ‘G. For a full recall list of brands go to CR.org/food.

According to Wikipedia:“Impeachment in the United States is the process by which a legislature brings charges against a civil officer of government for crimes alleged to have been committed, analogous to the bringing of an indictment by a grand jury. Impeachment may occur at the federal level or the state level. The federal House of Representatives can impeach federal officials, including the president, and each state’s legislature can impeach state officials, including the governor, in accordance with their respective federal or state constitution.”

The House of Representatives passed two articles of Impeachment against President Donald Trump, 73, over his alleged role in the Ukraine scandal, making him the third U.S. president in history to be impeached. According to World atlas, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton are the only two U.S.presidents to have been impeached during their presidential tenures in the White House. A movement was made to impeach ex-President Richard Nixon over the Watergate scandal, but he resigned from office before facing trial.
1.Andrew Johnson was the country’s 17th president. The House of Representatives brought several impeachment charges against him, although the principal charge was that he had violated the Tenure of Office Act. The 1867 Tenure of Office Act required that the president obtain consent from the Senate before removing any Cabinet member or federal public official. This Act was specifically for individuals in positions that had previously required the Senate’s approval.
2.The second time Congress initiated an impeachment trial was in 1998 against Bill Clinton, the 42nd president. The House of Representatives brought charges against Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice. These charges emerged as a result of two events: Paula Jones’ sexual harassment lawsuit and Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky who served as a former White House Intern.

Tom Hanks has been granted honorary naturalization (citizenship) by the Greek government which is granted to people “who have provided exceptional services to the country or whose naturalization serves the public interest.” His wife, Rita Wilson, is of Greek and Bulgarian ancestry.

Women now outnumber men in medical school.

Mariah Carey’s original holiday classic, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” recently reached the No.1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, 25 years after its release. Justin Bieber is coming to Houston July 2, at NRG Stadium, not Toyota Center, which means he’s expecting a big crowd. I will not be there.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Bradley Cooper is 45. Actor Val Kilmer is 60. Former United Auto Workers union president Owen Bieber is 90. Actor Denzel Washingtonis 65. TV personality Gayle King is 65. Talk show host Seth Meyers is 46. Singer John Legend is 41. People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive 2019. Country singer Rose Lee Maphis is 97. Along with husband Joe, they were known as Mr. and Mrs. Country Music and wrote, “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and (Loud, Loud Music).”

Talk show host Phil Donahue is 84. Actress Jane Fonda is 82. Actress Rita Moreno is 88. She still has tour dates scheduled.Actress Donna Mills is 79. Former US Secretary of State John Kerry is 76. Actor Hector Elizondo is 83. Country singer Red Steagall is 81.“Here We Go Again, Party Dolls and Wine, Freckles Brown, and Lone Star Beer and Bob Wills Music.” Former ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer is 74. Original Mouseketeer Tommy Cole is 78. Blues singer musician Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington is 76.

Pop singer Chad Stuart is 78. Chad and Jeremy. Chef Bobby Flay is 55.Actor Kirk Douglas is 103. Actor writer Buck Henry is 89. Actress Dame Judi Dench is 85. Actor Ronnie Schell is 88. Duke Slater in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Former Emperor Akihito of Japan is 86.Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Paul Hornung is 84. Actor Frederic Forrest is 83. Rock singer Eddie Vedder is 55. Pearl Jam. Former first lady of France Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is 52.

NASCAR driver, Junior Johnson grew up on his family’s farm running moonshine through the hills of NC before turning to professional race car driving. He died recently at the age of 88. Ren Auberjonois, best known for his roles on Benson, and playing Father Mulcahy on M.A.S.H., has died at the age of 79. Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch during the last 50 years on Sesame Street, died recently at the age of 85.

Freeport LNG, Dow Chemical and BASF are sponsoring a Residential Electronics Recycling Day on Sat. January 11, 8-noon, at the Brazoria County Fairgrounds. It is so important to keep these items out of our landfill dump. Items accepted: computers, desktop printers, laptops, VCR’s, monitors, power cords/cables, stereo amplifiers, hard drives, cellular phones, iPAD’s and tablets, TV LCD/plasma, LED up to 50”, and TV’s CRT up to 27” without wooden cabinets. Write the date on your calendar & clean out your closet and drawers.

The owner of a daycare in Colorado Springs, along with her two employees, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor child abuse after police found a false wall in the daycare during a welfare check. Officers could hear noises but could not see any children at the facility. The false wall led to a basement where they found 26 children, all under the age of three. The same woman had 44 small children in an unlicensed daycare in 1998, and investigators had found her in a local park in 1991 with 23 children – nine more than she was supposed to have. Parents, it’s your job to pay attention.

‘We don’t save lives, God does. It’s our job to keep our patients entertained ‘til He makes up His mind.’ Dr. Red Duke

According to a new study from scientists at Rice University, the Gulf of Mexico’s coral reefs are suffering severely under the stress of global climate change and will experience irreversible damage without a huge reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, agriculture runoff and chemical pollution.Note: About 4 million years ago, Greenland had 30 percent less ice than today, and global seas were about 60 feet higher. The difference now is that our ‘future warmer Earth’ is man-made.

Former national security advisor John Bolton has a book deal said to be worth about $2 million. Bolton departed the White House in September because of numerous foreign policy disagreements with President Trump. $2 million!

My daughter needed to find a photograph of me in a dress that she planned to wear to an 80’s party in Houston. Yes, there is such a thing as an 80’s party and I just happened to still own the dress, plastic bagged and hanging in my closet for the past 31 years. I told her that nothing good happened in fashion in the 80’s. It’s velvet and taffeta, with big puffy sleeves and a huge bow that covered my rear end. She still wanted the picture to take with her to the party. I searched. And searched. And searched. Finally, we found the picture, but in the process of dragging out all those boxes, I came upon so many memories. Some super-good memories, and some that had been put totally out of my mind for many reasons. BUT I did find a picture that I had been wondering about. I think I mentioned it in this column once before. It’s a Polaroid picture of me and my siblings (Danielle, Gillian and Maury) standing in front of the TV during the first moon walk on July 20^th, 1969. My uncle had sent me a Moon Racing Cam t-shirt from California, and I was wearing it proudly as pajamas. I decided to share the picture. When you finish this column, turn the page. It was the first time that humans had walked on another planet. Cool stuff.

My goal for 2020 is to accomplish the goals of 2019 which I should have done in 2018, because I promised them in 2017, and planned them in 2015. 😊

Due to the fires in Australia, an estimated 8,000 Koala bears have died along with 480 million other animals. The Koala is only found in the forests of Australia, they don’t move fast enough to get away, and up to 30 percent of their habitat has been destroyed. Around 7.4 million acres of land has burned in the past few months, with ten people killed and more than 800 homes destroyed. Fires continue as I write this. A heatwave has temperatures exceeding 104 and extreme winds are fueling 97 current fires. Prayers.

For the past 21 years, I have closed my office during the week of CHRISTmas. It is my belief that during this season, everyone needs time off to visit family either out of town, and/or visit with the family that you actually live with, but never have time to really sit, listen and have conversations with, because everyday duties and chores always seem to get in the way. This year was no different, so I am writing this column during our time off. My kids are home from school, we have had time to cook (chicken & dumplings, tomato basil soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, prime rib with mashed potatoes), fires in the firepit, and talked. We watched movies, reruns of Eddie Murphy as Mr. Rogers/Mr. Robinson on Saturday Night Live and listened to music. Both kids received new hammocks from Santa, so hanging from trees on the creek and reading has been a joy, along with finding a new bird in the wild. It was an Anhinga, a large, dark waterbird with a long tail (nicknamed water turkey) and a snake-like neck (also nicknamed a snakebird). We watched him/her for quite a while, swimming and going under water to find fish. As long as I have lived in South Texas, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these birds. OK, back to my original thought.
I want to thank you for supporting us this year. I think that it’s safe to say that most everyone at my office enjoys what they do, and I think it shows. It’s totally different working where you believe in your product like we believe in The Source Weekly. Affordable, effective advertising that works week after week. 2020 not only brings opportunity but excuses to make us better, so we now will delivery directly to your inbox each Thursday morning. Just let us know. We are also offering thoughtful and affordable obituaries at the request of our customers,and we want to print your wedding, engagement and birth announcements. We asked you what YOU want to read and see, and we’re doing it. Thank you for being a part of it all. Our new calendars are in so be sure to stop by and pick up a few. They’re free and in demand. Our artists this year are Sam Madenjian and Cynthia Grandjean. I think you’ll like them.

Lisa

What I Heard This Week! 12-26-2019

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week December 25, 2019

It was a slow day (ha-ha-ha) at The Source Weekly, so after discovering where the new la Madeleine French Bakery (one of my personal favorite places) is supposed to be located in LJ, we were discussing what restaurants/clubs had been in that same shopping center in past years. With the help of several people, including ALL the girls at State Farm, the name of Chevy’s came to light. Our discussion then led to La Brisa, Uncle Al’s (Al Kuvet) which led us to American Savings and Loan, then back to Banjo’s (Robert Faickney and George Franklin), Café Laredo (Leonard Botello), Brockmans, Bodiddles (Lois Ann Murphy) and Shaddocks Grocery(which was originally across the street from us), then we got back to work.What a fun trip down memory lane. Hope you enjoyed it and can add your own thoughts to these memories at the dinner table tonight.

Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to. Bill Vaughn

Amazon is trying to break Alexa away from the robotic monotone in order to make her sound excited or disappointed and more engaging. They are also trying to extend the listening ability so Alexa can detect when users are frustrated with a botched response to a music-related command.I’m not quite ready for Alexa to live at my house. They’re just gathering information.

I’m going to lose weight. I’m going to exercise everyday. I’m going on a diet and stick to it…is that cake?

Olivia Newton-John auctioned off the black leather jacket that she wore in the 1978 musical Grease. The winning bid was from an unnamed buyer for $405,700. This is nearly twice what they expected – $243,200 for the jacket and $162,500 for the pants which were made in the 50’s, had a broken zipper, so she had to be sewn into them for the film. The proceeds went to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Australia. The gentleman that bought the jacket turned around and gave it back to her saying that she was the rightful owner. Ahhh. There is so much nice in the world. HBO Max has a new series titled Grease: Rydell High, based on the musical and featuring characters, Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, plus they will introduce some new ones. It is set to launch March 2020.

Zoe Kravitz is cast to portray Catwoman opposite Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne in the upcoming film, The Batman. She joins Halle Berry, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, Eartha Kitt, Camren Bicondova and Anne Hathaway who have played Catwoman throughout the years.

Old news but new to me: In 2014, two men were convicted of selling DuPont’s secret recipe for the white pigment titanium oxide, to a state-owned Chinese firm for more than $20 million. It is my understanding that the chemical is used in all sorts of things, from paper, pigment in paint, sunscreens and plastic, to the creamy middle of an Oreo cookie.DuPont’s method of making titanium oxide is a patented process that the company was unwilling to sell to competitors in China. What’s even more interesting is how they were found out. A couple living in California had been charged with trying to steal and sell secrets about the 50-year-old DuPont technology. During an FBI search of their home, they found a safe deposit box key – and an agent who spoke Mandarin overheard the man tell his wife in Chinese to say that she didn’t know about the bank… which is where she drove right after the agents left. Good story except for the part about the pigment being used for Oreo cookies. What else are we eating that we don’t know about.

Steve Braithwaite, 59, moved to the United States in 1986 from England, to follow a woman. He bought a Ford F-150 and set to work crafting the world’s only motorized banana. It took him about 2.5 years and $25,000. He has driven across America the past two years, offering pay-what-you-can rides and sleeping on stranger’s couches, calling his road trip “The World Needs More Whimsy Grand Tour.” His license plate says SPLIT and he’s working on visiting all 50 states, hoping to eventually cross the globe.

Have you listened to Joni Mitchell lately? Her voice is still quite beautiful and so unique. I saw her about five years ago. She must have been sick because it wasn’t a good night, but she’s definitely worth a listen.

12 Legitimately Life-Improving New Year’s Resolutions you can steal from your dog. 1.Poop frequently.2.Worry less about things you can’t eat or play with. 3.Greet EVERYTHING. 4.Pick fights with shoes and pillows. 5.Smell things that look interesting. 6. Be less scared of telephones and strangers.7.Run outside and yell more. 8.Forget what you were doing and nap instead.9.Take care of your genitals. 10.Be nice to nice people. 11.Fart without shame. 12. Eat more stuff that makes you feel good.

Dear New Year’s Resolution, well, it was fun while it lasted… Sincerely, January 2^nd.

We all know that eggs are healthier when hens ‘free range’ – continuous access to run free in a yard so they can eat bugs, grass, worms and stuff. That’s because plants and bugs have a higher nutritional value than commercial chicken feed. The yokes from free range have a darker color and the white isn’t so runny. According to Hobby Farms, free range eggs have less cholesterol, less saturated fat, increased vitamins A, E, & D, more omega-3 fatty acids, and more beta carotene. Now I’m reading that some commercial producers and farmers add marigolds to their feed because it makes the yokes darker, without having to ‘free range’ the chickens.

New Year resolution: Laugh a little louder, smile a little bigger, love a little deeper, and walk through life a little slower.

Fashion-plate, Celine Dion, was showing off her new footwear in front of her Christmas tree. The shoes are wearable works of art made to resemble flames and a fiery phoenix, made of strips of orange, red and yellow. They were intended to represent that both Celine Dion and a phoenix have courage, transformation and rebirth in common. Her fans and others have not been very kind. One fan said, “Work those chicken fire boots”, while another one commented,“I love the shoes! I thought it was a turkey escaping the fire (oven) but then realized it’s a phoenix rising from the flames,” he commented. “duh me :)” You would just have to see the boots!!

My New Year’s resolution is to stop hanging out with people who ask me about my New Year’s resolutions.

On a different beer note, at a recent music festival in Shiner, there were signs and billboards around the tiny town promoting “the new bock in town,” Crawford Bock, a beer launched by Karbach Brewing, a once-independent Houston brewer now owned by the big guys, Anheuser-Busch. Some bars and restaurants that feature local craft beers stopped carrying Karbach once it became part of a global empire. Evidently Anheuser-Busch has been trying to sway Shiner drinkers away for years. A battle has begun. There’s even a mention of the Battle of Gonzales in some of the news articles. You will always find Shiner Bock in my frig, my favorite beer along with some of the Saint Arnold’s Bishop’s Barrel.

As you may remember, Anne-Elisabeth and I rescued five 3-week-old kittens during Harvey and have raised two of them, Winnie and Sully, previously named Winston and Sullivan until we found out they were girls. Then, we have another ‘baby’ that a woman dumped in front of my office last Christmas. Oliver is precious and so appreciative that we gave him a home, except for the fact that he scratches EVERYTHING. My other problem child is Sully, the very curious kitty that can open cabinets. The cabinet where I store the cat food is always open when I get home. My reminder to feed them just in case I forget. 😊 Recently, Sully learned that if she jumps up, grabs a door handle lever and puts her weight against it, she can also open eight-foot doors. We knew to always lock the back door and the garage door BUT this last week she surprised me by opening the door into the attic while I was getting Christmas decorations. She also brought Oliver along as moral support. It took me an hour, a handful of treats, bribery…none of which worked because they came when they felt like it, along with an air of, “Oh, you’re still here?!?” Sigh. My kids were so much easier to raise.

In October, Anheuser-Busch alleged that a former employee, now working for longtime rival MillerCoors, somehow obtained their secret beer recipes. MillerCoors says they “respect confidential information.”

Harry Potter fans: The Suffolk, England home that appeared in the movies as Lily and James Potter’s residence is now on Airbnb so you can stay there if you want.

To me New Year’s is all about kissing someone at midnight and then spending the next two months writing the wrong date on checks and other things… if only my watch had the year on it.

The Met Gala has announced that the co-chairs for the 2020 event will be Anna Wintour, Meryl Streep, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emma Stone and Nicolas Ghesquiere of Louis Vuitton. The theme will be “About Time: Fashion and Duration” and will trace more than a century and a half of fashion – 1870 to the present – along a disruptive timeline, as part of The Met’s 150^th anniversary celebration.” In simple terms, they will look at how history repeats and modernizes itself in the world of fashion. Fun.

Life is like a book. Some chapters are sad, some happy and some exciting. But if you never turn the page, you will never know what the next chapter holds. Wishing you the best chapter yet in this coming New Year.

To those of you that knew Tom Aucoin, you may remember that he passed away earlier this year. Tom was with our Source Weekly family for around 20 years. We miss him. Every few weeks, I see or hear something that for just an instant, I think I need to remember so I can tell him, until I zone in on…he’s no longer with us. Tom always worked his fireworks stand at the Churchill bridge at 4^th of July and the Christmas/New Year. He was always here at the office when we did our “Santa at the Gazebo” evening for all the kids in town. He was our own Mr. Personality, greeting kids and grownups alike, as if it had been years since he had seen them all. At our birthday luncheons, he brought the tea. One sweet and one unsweet. We drink water now. 😊 Tom, we’ve been missing you, especially lately. All of us…Connie, Tina, Pam, Hailey, Dawn, Rachelle, Janice, Ashley, Lydia and Lisa. We’ve still got your name on your office mailbox, your briefcase on standby and your picture on the refrigerator.

So, I promised a list of New Year’s resolutions. Here’s the first: Stop procrastinating so much. I’ll post the rest tomorrow or maybe the day after. Thank you so much for supporting us this year. We love you.

Lisa

What I Heard This Week! 12-19-2019

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week December 19, 2019

In March, NASA discovered that they didn’t have space suits that would fit their female astronauts for use outside the International Space Station. Hmmm. Since then, they have corrected their mistake and female astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir were able to fix a malfunctioning battery charger on the exterior of the space station in what is called the first all-female spacewalk. That’s crazy. Barbie has had her own space suit for as long as I can remember. The first Barbie astronaut outfit, “Barbie Miss Astronaut,” was released in 1965, two years after Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the world’s first woman to fly into space and 18 years before an American woman, Sally Ride, would follow her.

Santa has been reading your posts all year long. Most of you will be getting dictionaries this year.

The troubled Toys ‘R’ Us is planning to open 10 new stores after going into liquidation more than a year ago. The new stores have kid-height shelves in specialty spaces with about 1,500 items that will be available on site, a treehouse and a movie theatre. Bet Santa was happy to hear this.

“I am so angry. That’s not showing consideration for us. It’s like they don’t care if we die.” – Houston resident Leisa Glenn, after finding out a state study that revealed a cancer cluster in her neighborhood was not disclosed to residents for nearly four months.

A ‘cancer cluster’ is a geographic area with a statistically higher than average occurrence of cancer among its residents. Historical examples of work-related cancer clusters are well documented in medical literature. Scrotal cancer among chimney sweeps in 18th century London; osteosarcoma among female watch dial painters in the 20th century; skin cancer in farmers; bladder cancer in dye workers exposed to aniline compounds, and leukemia & lymphoma in chemical workers exposed to benzene.

Comcast/Xfinity customers will see their bill rise 3.6 percent nationwide starting next week. Some programing costs will rise along with an increase to rent their equipment (which none of us want anyway, but is there a choice?)

Climate change is real and allowing for some interesting discoveries. Because of the melting permafrost, more and more parts of woolly mammoths, canines and other prehistoric animals are being discovered in Russia’s Far East. Most recently, scientists found an unusually well-preserved puppy believed to be 18,000 years old. It still had all its limbs, fur, teeth, whiskers, eyelashes – even whiskers. I saw a picture and you could even see its little black nose. Amazing. Right now, they are finishing some extensive testing to determine whether it’s a dog or a wolf pup.

Kroger has an ad that says: “The Freshest turkey that won’t cost you a wing and a drumstick”.” Cute.

My sweet office co-workers bought me a 6-pack of unusual artisan beers for Boss’s Day in October. I had saved them in my outside refrigerator so the kids and I could do our little beer tastings when they came home from school. On Friday night, Gage brought in a bottle with a smooth, very attractive, non-paper label and a picture of a Halloween pumpkin holding a cellphone and a coffee cup; a Prairie Ale called Basic Becky. We poured it into our glasses, smelled it and then smelled it again. What the heck were we smelling?!? A couple of sips and we were sold, but we still couldn’t figure out what the dominant smell and taste were. When all else fails, read the label. Imperial Stout with pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, coriander, clove and caraway. I think that sums up why we couldn’t figure out what we were tasting and smelling. It was like drinking Thanksgiving, but SO much better.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actress Kim Basinger is 66. Actor Kirk Douglas is 103. Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne is 71. Actress Julianne Moore is 59. Actor Hal Williams is 85. Police Officer Smith on Sanford and Son. Pop singer Joyce Vincent-Wilson is 73. Tony Orlando and Dawn. Taylor Swift is 30. Singer Cindy Birdsong is 80. The Supremes. Actor Paul Kaye is 55. Game of Thrones. Actress Michelle Dockery is 38. Downton Abbey.

Frank Sinatra, born on December 12, 1915, was one of the best-selling music artists of all time and sold more than 150 million records. He would be 104, just one year older than Kirk Douglas.

Danny Aiello, a New York-born stage actor who was 40 when he made his movie debut, died at 86. He was so good as Cher’s kind and clueless fiancé in Moonstruck (1987).

The former Boston College baseball player whose public battle with ALS inspired the popularity of the ice bucket challenge, died at the age of 34. He was diagnosed in 2012 and at that time, the “science was getting exciting but there was no funding” for this disease with no cure. But five years after he started the challenge (which raised over $220 million in just weeks) scientists are now much more optimistic about finding a cure.

You missed a great show at The Clarion this last weekend. Colbie Caillat and her new band, Gone West, which includes her husband Justin, her co-writer, Jason Reeves and his wife, Nelly Joy, definitely entertained the crowd. Their new music is called modern country and it’s working for them.

Which is healthier, a slice of apple pie or pumpkin pie? Apple pie tends to have a top crust and more crust means more calories, as well as saturated fat from butter or shortening, plus the sugar. Answer: pumpkin. Which is better for you, a white potato or a sweet potato? A 4-ounce sweet potato provides 13 percent of daily fiber needs and your recommended dose of vitamin A. Skip the marshmallow topping on Christmas Day and the answer is sweet potato.

Did you know that in 1972, the FBI hired its first two female agents, a former nun and a former US marine? DID I RUN THIS BEFORE?

A camel, cow and donkey were found roaming together along a Kansas road. (Sounds more like Jerusalem) Local police asked for help in locating the owners of the “three friends traveling together (towards a Northern star).” Now, Sully the camel, Gus the donkey and Rufus the cow will appear in a Christmas Nativity scene at the same wildlife park that they escaped from last month. Great story. Sweet picture.

Not too much sets me off but, why in the world would anyone dump grease and/or oil next to my gardens in the alley behind my office? And while I’m on it, DO NOT dump your trash in business dumpsters and trashcans. We pay a fortune for city service. I watch you do it ALL THE TIME. I even have pictures of your cars and plates. If you don’t work here, then put it out at your own home or the dump.

Movies coming out…Little Women: the beloved story of the four March sisters, Oscar nod, men – hang up your macho and buy a ticket. Cats: the music alone should be fabulous. Bombshell: focuses on the group of women who took on former Fox News chief Roger Ailes over issues of sexual harassment – Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, John Lithgow as Ailes, and Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly. It’s getting an Oscar nod. Jumanji: The Next Level, Richard Jewell, Knives Out, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Two Popes, Spies in Disguise…and many more…these are just the ones I want to see.

My daughter asked me about the love/hate relationship that most people have with fruitcake. Do you mean the tasteless bricks or the edible treats? Needless to say, I didn’t have a very good answer for her. Many years ago, I remember passing an aging fruitcake back and forth to my friend Barbara. It was a joke and each of us knew what we would be giving or receiving for Christmas those years. I have some inflatable fruitcakes in my closet to give for Christmas gifts this year. (I have an inflatable turkey, too.) I mentioned to my daughter that even a bad fruitcake is good with a nice rum bath. Then I looked it up…the name “fruitcake” can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages when dried fruits and nuts were luxuries, mainly reserved for holidays since it was considered a sign of wealth. The following is a 5-star ‘World’s Best Fruitcake Recipe.’ After all, your Christmas may need a little fruitcake – even if you already have one in your family.

14 ounces sweetened flaked coconut

8 ounces chopped sugar rolled dates

16 ounces chopped pecan pieces

8 ounces candied cherries

8 ounces diced candied pineapple

2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven 300 degrees. Place coconut, dates, and pecan pieces in a very large (7 quart or larger) bowl. Break up chunks of dates & coconut and stir together. Add the cherries, pineapple, and sweetened condensed milk and mix together with your hands. Wear disposable gloves. It will be a very stiff mixture. Let it set at room temperature while you prepare the pans.

Spray 2 – 9″x5″ loaf pans with Pam. Line the pans with waxed (or parchment) paper. Cut parchment paper in 4 1/4″x 16 1/4″ and 8″x 12 1/2″ strips for this. You want the paper to come up past the sides of the pans after the mixture is packed into the pans. It’s a little work, but worth the effort. Now spray the paper that you pressed into the pans, with Pam or vegetable cooking spray.

Stir the ingredients well again and divide ingredients between the 2 loaf pans. Pack TIGHTLY and smooth into the pans. Wet your hands to keep them from sticking to the batter then press and pack down, smooth. Place the pans on the middle rack of the oven and bake 1 hour, or until lightly browned. (If the cakes have baked for an hour, or look a little brown around the edges, take them out of the oven & lift edges of paper a little to see if sides look brown enough. If they’re brown on sides, but not on top, you may broil the tops for a few minutes but watch carefully.)

Remove and cool for just 10 minutes in the pans. Gently lift the edges of the paper a couple of times on each side – kind of a rocking motion. Turn pans upside down onto a paper-lined cookie sheet and lift pans from the cakes. Remove paper from bottom of cakes IMMEDIATELY. Let cool completely. Place in a large container (don’t wrap yet) and refrigerate overnight. Next day, turn cake upside down to slice. After slicing, wrap in waxed (or parchment) paper, then in heavy duty aluminum foil. May be refrigerated up to 3 months or frozen up to 1 year.

Have you ever wondered what PAM (the vegetable cooking spray) stands for? Me neither. PAM is an acronym for Product of Arthur Meyerhoff, the man who marketed the spray in 1961.

Friends, neighbors, readers and advertisers…have a great CHRISTmas.

Lisa

What I Heard This Week! 12-12-2019

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week December 12, 2019

Does the date December 13, 1928, mean anything to you? That’s the day the clip-on tie was invented, but nowhere can I find who the mystery guy or gal inventor was.There are no monuments, statues or memorials to its inventor. Some say it was morticians who found it way too hard to tie a tie on a dead body. The Great Depression started just months after the clip-on tie was born but I don’t think the tie was to blame. But it certainly did make me want to ask the guy sitting next to me today at a lunch meeting, “is it real or is it clip-on?” Compared to current fashion trends, the clip-on tie seems to have had some great staying power. Happy 91st Birthday to the clip-on tie.

When you’re happy you enjoy the music. When you’re sad, you understand the lyrics. George Jones

There’s a new Coca-Cola flavor that is only here for a limited time during spice season. It is cinnamon flavored, but cinnamon was not listed in the ingredients. But it could be part of the natural flavors list.Someone suggested that a Cinnamon Vanilla Coke would sure be delicious. Lay’s has come out with Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup flavored potato chips. Hmmm. Can it beat the real thing? Pop-Tarts will release two new flavors in January 2020. There is chocolate and cinnamon sugar with both new flavors having a slightly salty pretzel crust. So far, I’m not rushing out to the store, still just sitting at my desk.

The Brazosport Symphony Orchestra will present Handel’s Messiah on December 14^th. They are asking you to bring a canned or non-perishable food item (or 2), always needed at this time, but even more so with the recent damage to the Houston Food Pantry. See you there.

A San Antonio man held his girlfriend by the neck and punched her face after a fight, then carved his name into her forehead with a knife. When your name is Jackub Jackson and you carve JACK on your girlfriend’s forehead, it’s a dead give-a-way that a jury is going to have no choice but to find you guilty.

Every woman has a little bit of Marilyn inside of her. You just have to find out, Monroe or Manson.

The Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers play on Sunday, two teams that are currently holding the AFC wild-card spots. Exciting. Yes. Sunday will also mark the first known instance of three brothers appearing in the same NFL game in over 90 years. The last time it happened was in 1927, with Joe, Bill and Cobb Rooney playing for the Duluth Eskimos. Hmmm. (The Duluth Eskimos were from Duluth, Minnesota in the National Football League and spent most of their time as a traveling team. They existed for five seasons from 1923-27. In ‘27, when the Rooney brothers played, they were 1-8 and were one of the first NFL teams to use a logo.)This year Pittsburgh has brothers Terrell Edmunds and Trey Edmunds, and Buffalo has Tremaine Edmunds. Bet their momma is hooting and hollering.

To avoid cracked, dry skin this winter, take half a lemon, a bottle of tequila, salt, and don’t go outside.

President Trump said that his administration is looking into relaxing water-saving regulations for toilets, sinks and showers, saying consumers end up using even more water by flushing multiple times and trying to get clean with low water streams.Use of low-flush toilets started after President George H.W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act. The 1992 law said new toilets could use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Two steps forward, ten steps back.

eBay has reached a deal to sell event-ticketing business Stub Hub (largest resale ticket marketplace in the U.S.) to Viagogo for a $4.05 BILLION, cash deal. eBay purchased Stub Hub in 2007 for $310 million. That’s a tidy profit.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor director Woody Allen is 84. World Golf Hall of Fame Lee Trevino is 80. Singer Dianne Lennon is 80. The Lennon Sisters are an American vocal group initially made up of four sisters from a family of six sisters. The original quartet consisted of Dianne, Peggy (now 78), Kathy (now 76), and Janet (now 73). Hall of Fame sportscaster Vin Scully is 92. Blues musician John Mayall is 86. Actress Diane Ladd is 84.

Michael J. Pollard, 80, died of cardiac arrest. He earned an Oscar nomination for the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, playing the getaway driver, C.W. Moss, even though he never learned how to drive a car. He lost to George Kennedy of Cool Hand Luke. Ah, I’ll never forget that impish face and mischievous grin.

On Saturday, I attended the Celebration of Life for Daniel LeFave, who was only 36 years old. Daniel was an Asst. Principal at Bess Brannen Elementary in LJ and suffered from a brain tumor or he would never, ever have left this life and his beautiful family. The celebration was styled as an Irish Wake and was perfect…not only for Daniel, but for those of us that were able to get one more glimpse of a pretty special person. There was song, poetry, tears, education and laughter. A lot of laughter. It said so much about the way he led,then left this life.

Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a Friday the 13^th. Like this month.

The Houston Rockets filed a protest with the National Basketball Association after James Harden’s dunk was not counted in the game against San Antonio Spurs. The final score was 135-133 in double overtime with the Spurs winning. Sorry, refs. We all watched the video where he made the dunk and believe he deserved the points and the win. What happened? Well, the NBA denied the rockets’ protest and agrees the referees misapplied the rules on the play. “Commissioner Silver determined that the Rockets had sufficient time to overcome the error during the remainder of the fourth quarter and two subsequent overtime periods and thus the extraordinary remedy of granting a game protest was not warranted,” the NBA’s statement said. The League also announced it had disciplined all three referees in that game for misapplying the coach’s challenge rule. Hmmm.

You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live. Now.Joan Baez

The slain officer that was shot and killed as he responded to a domestic violence call in East Houston was a nine-year veteran of the Houston Police Department. Two Papa Johns’ locations in Pearland donated all proceeds from their December 11^th sales, to the family of Sergeant Christopher Brewster. Donations can also be given directly to the Assist the Officer Foundation at www.assisttheofficer.com.

There is a house in Houston now on the market for $24.5 million. A house, not anhuge apartment building.

The Library Book is a story of the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public Library. The fire reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. It consumed 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more. Not only does Susan Orlean tell the history of the fire, she convinces all over again on how important libraries have been in history and why they should remain such an essential part of our hearts, our minds and our souls. I just finished reading this book. If you love to read and love to go to libraries, I recommend it to you. Might make a nice present for the reader in your life.

Common sense is a flower that doesn’t grow in everyone’s garden.

Some of my friends (Becky, Cheri, Debbie) had a get-together brunch last week at Cheri’s very lovely home. We were all asked to bring unwrapped toys to donate to Freeport Blue Santa and The Salvation Army. When I arrived, Santa was standing in the front yard next to Cheri’s husband and the most beautiful, shiny red TRUCK, tailgate up, overflowing with toys and gifts. Her husband found the truck advertised in The Source Weekly one day while he was getting a haircut. He totally restored it over a two-and-half year period, and it is gorgeous. All my friends are fabulous cooks so there was a feast along with champagne & limoncello. (Note: I will be heading to Spec’s in the morning after the Farmer’s Market – I didn’t realize how fabulous the combination of champagne and limoncello was.) Then as we left, she offered each of us a take home gift…cookies iced to look like a red truck with a Christmas tree in the bed. They were adorable. I just ate mine while I was typing this column. Some days are just more fun than others. Thank you, girls.

For every ‘real’ book I read, I try to throw a little trash in, because it’s good for me to know what’s really going on in the world. Hah. I just finished the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada. The novel was titled Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns. The plot happens a decade after Andy Sachs quit the job “a million girls would die for” working for Miranda Priestly at Runway Magazine. Now, mind you, I loved the first book and I really, really loved the movie with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci…it’s actually one of my favorites. I wouldn’t call the sequel book a waste of time, but it was pretty close, so I’ll use descriptive words like dull, unrealistic and pleasureless. I know…I should say what I really think. ☹ I just heard that The Devil Wears Prada Broadway Musical will make its debut on July 13, 2021 in Chicago. Audience reaction will determine whether it transfers to Broadway in NYC.

Thank you to Russell at Tractor Supply. He carried out a 40-pound bag of horse bedding in the rain so I wouldn’t get my good clothes dirty. Thank you to Mike Painter for delivering the beautiful antique wood for my daughter. Thank you to Gay Linford and Jennifer Monical for pulling together such a great program at The Local called Better Together. It was a very special evening.

About a month ago, the zinnias were blooming their hearts out, so I was able to have fresh cut flowers in the kitchen all the time, but I was puzzled because something or someone was eating the leaves off. It could only be a CAT. Sure enough, I watched as Winnie chewed off leaves as soon as I brought flowers into the house. In fact, she would nibble on anything I put into the vase. Basil, asparagus fern, eucalyptus, ivy, you name it. Her eating the leaves wasn’t as alarming as the thoughts and possibility of finding green throw-up on my carpet that set me thinking. So, I found some Cat Grass seeds at Buchanan’s Nursery in Houston. It’s just a flower-package sized envelope of oats, wheat, rye and barley. I located an abandoned clay pot at the side of my house, deposited a handful of the seeds, then about 2 weeks later when the first green popped through the dirt, I planted another handful. Now, every day and sometimes twice a day, I take out the kitchen shears, cut a handful and yell, “Grass!!” My three cats come running faster than when I yell “Treat,” (and they love treats.) They gobble the grass down in no time flat. What a welcome Christmas idea for a favorite pet. A gift that keeps on giving. It’s good for people and dogs too, but be sure to get non-GMO seeds. There are also companies making cat-bernet, meow-lot, and kitty-anti wine from things like beet juice and organic catnip. Purr-fect gifts for fur babies.

If you want to give an unusual gift, try Buddy the Elf wreath from Etsy featuring Will Ferrell’s face. It’s crazy looking, but I know it would be SO popular with MY kids. But if all else fails, give the gift of your time to those that love you the most. You can’t go wrong and it’s easy to wrap.

Thanks for reading us.

Lisa

What I Heard This Week! 12-05-2019

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week December 5, 2019

Bats are confused because the warm weather is extending their season at the world’s largest urban bat colony, in Austin. The reason they migrate is for their food supply. Since September was the hottest ever recorded in Austin and October had 11 days with temperatures in the 90s, there is belief that over time bats may not migrate at all. This could be a concern if the food supply is not there – crops affected by severe drought means there are no insects. Cold and moist weather work as a trigger for crickets to mate, lay eggs and die, but it’s also a trigger for the bats to head south to warmer weather. If it’s warm here, there’s nothing to encourage them to leave. Climate change. Bat Conversation International, a nonprofit dedicated to bat education and protection, estimates that the suppression of agricultural pests by bats is worth about $74 an acre in Texas. Isn’t that better than pesticides. I still believe that each of us should have a bat house in our yard.

The muzzle of a lion is like a fingerprint – no two lions have the same pattern of whiskers.

Some of you may have heard that the University of Houston now has robots to deliver food to students and facility. I refused to believe that this was a positive idea when the school could use a multitude of other things, but my daughter has assured me that this is an outside company that provides the robots, not the school. Hmmm. A UH student has started a petition stating that the robots should be more representative of the city’s culture by being enhanced with “elbows” so they would be true Houstonians because of the car culture. Hmmm, obviously I’m not ‘college student smart’ so I Googled, “what is a car elbow?” That didn’t get me very far – just lots of exercises for your elbows. So, I tried, “what is an elbow for a car?” Nope. Nothing. Then I tried “what is an elbow for a wheel on a car?” Bingo. Urban Dictionary calls them 84’s because originally they were an upgrade option on the 1984 Cadillac Eldorado. It’s a spoked rim that seems to be very desirable these days, especially with the southern Texas hip-hop community. You know the rims that stick out so far that you think they’re going to catch your car tire and rip it apart. Low riders. Super Pokes.

Kingwood High School was originally built in 1978. That’s 41 years ago. The building was flooded and remained flooded for 11 days after Harvey, with floodwaters 5.5 feet deep in the front of the building and 1.5 feet deep in the back. The school district has now received a $25 million FEMA grant to rebuild.

Mad About You was a TV series that ran from 1992 to 1999. I didn’t watch much TV then, but I remember Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt playing a recently married couple dealing with everyday life situations with lots of wit and wisdom. Fast forward twenty years with this new revival and the couple are about to help their daughter (who was born in 1997), pack up and move out of their home and along to college. They are now empty nesters. This subject should provide plenty of good humor to laugh and cry about for quite a few seasons.

Taylor Swift left Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, in the dust with his 24-win record wins after the American Music Awards honored Swift with the top prize, artist of the year (beating Ariana Grande, Drake, Halsey, and Post Malone), then handing her the artist of the decade. She now stands with 25 wins in these fan-voted awards.

NYC has banned flavored electronic cigarettes. Most of those sickened over the past few months said they vaped THC, the high-inducing ingredient in marijuana, but officials now believe a thickening agent used in black market THC products may be the culprit.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS:Singer songwriter Norman Greenbaum is 77. Spirit in the Sky. Actress Estelle Parsons is 92. Blanche Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde. Comedian Dick Smothers is 81. Singer broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is 73. Rapper Mike D is 73. The Beastie Boys. Rapper Sen Dog is 54. Cypress Hill and Powerflo. I only mention this because there’s a feelgood about rappers getting old.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is 77. Actress model Veronica Hamel is 76. Author Gail Sheehy is 82. Footwear designer Manolo Blahnik is 77. TV host Bill Nye is 64. The Science Guy. Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow is 68. Recording exec Berry Gordy Jr. is 90. Founder of the Motown record label. Actor, producer, director, and screenwriterEd Harris is 69.Apollo 13. Actress Kathryn Crosby is 86. Actress Christina Applegate is 48.

Former first daughters Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager are 38. Impressionist Rich Little is 81. Singer Tina Turner is 80. G. Gordon Liddy is 89. Former FBI agent, lawyer, talk show host, actor, and figure in the Watergate scandal as the chief operative in the White House Plumbers unit during the Nixon Administration. Liddy was convicted of conspiracy, burglary, and illegal wiretapping for his role in the scandal.

Children may drop off or write their letters to Santa at the Brazoria County Historical Museum and will receive a response. Hurry. The museum is open Mon. through Fri. 9am to 5pm and Sat. 9am to 3pm. Admission is free. 979-864-1208.

111,111,111 times x’s11,111,111equals = 12,345,678,987,654,321, a palindromic number.Like 16461, for example, it is symmetrical. The term palindromic is derived from palindrome.A palindrome is a word, phrase or sequence that reads the same backward or forward. Madam, I’m Adam. Go deliver a dare, vile dog. I’m a Lasagna Hog. Murder for a jar of red rum. Do geese see God. Rotor. Racecar. Rotator. Repaper. Level. Radar. Civic. Kayak.The list goes on and on. There you go. You are smarter now.

Looking for something Christmas-y to do?Christmas Belles, the Southern-Fried Yuletide comedy has one more week at Dow Arena Theater of The Center for the Arts & Sciences. A show full of laughs. Caution, it contains mild adult humor. 979-265-7731 or www.brazosportcenter.org. Season of Light show continues at the BASF Planetarium through Dec. 27. If you’ve never seen it, you need to. They explore the question, “If the star of Bethlehem was a natural phenomenon, what might it have been?” 979-265-7661. The Grand Ol’ Christmas Show is back with Blue Water Highway and Texas Piano Man, Robert Ellis. It’s a live, one-of-a-kind musical variety show that I promise you will LOVE. GoChristmasShow.com for the schedule that includes Victoria, Houston, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Lake Jackson, Wichita Falls, Lewisville, Ft. Worth. They’re at House of Blues this weekend.

On our way to Bastrop for Thanksgiving, the kids and I were amazed at all the red-tailed hawks dotting the countryside. They were just sitting and watching for a little breakfast or lunch of their own. I once watched two hawks build their nest, raise three babies and teach them to fly. Beautiful creatures.

The BASF Dog Park behind the LJ Recreation Center is set to have their grand opening 10 a.m. December 7^th. There will be walking paths, shade, cooling pads, water fountains and dog washing stations and open dawn to dusk. There will be park rules, but we all need rules. Come celebrate.

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”-How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Wheel of Fortune host, Pat Sajak, had emergency surgery, so his longtime co-host Vanna White filled in for him while he recovered. These episodes will begin airing December 9th, in case you watch The Wheel.

When I saw this video, I was shocked. A couple in Splendora caught a white Chevy Tahoe driving erratically, then struck the couples Jetta. The couple called 911 and described what was happening. The couple lowered their car window and told the driver of the Tahoe that they had a baby in the car. After much ugly conversation, the driver of the Tahoe took a hard right towards an exit but didn’t notice a motorcycle in his way, hitting the motorcyclist and his bike. The Tahoe driver is in custody and faces two second-degree felonies. The plot thickens. He was out on bond at the time for a previous DWI and child endangerment charges. And his wife and 7-year-old child were in the vehicle. Nothing like setting a good example with a little road rage.

Money, Inc. announced their 20 Best Places to Live in Texas. I’ll give you the top ten. 10. Beaumont. 9. El Paso. 8. McAllen. 7. Brownsville. 6. Cinco Ranch. 5. Frisco. 4. League City. 3. Allen #2. LAKE JACKSON and 1. Seabrook. They said, “Lake Jackson is voted one of the top ten medium-sized cities in the United States to live. The population is just over 27,000, so if you enjoy living in an area that is free from the hectic pace and noise of a larger city, this may be a town to consider. The cost of living is 6% lower than the Texas state average with an average annual income of $75,473, and a crime rate that is 25% lower than the state of Texas average. The median home price is $148,700 with the average monthly rent at $937.” Wow.

If you are looking for a great opportunity to donate this holiday season, then look no more. The Source Weekly has a Blue Santa box in our office, and we would love to have a few more unwrapped toys to share. TBT Real Estate and Brazosport Cares Food Pantry are collecting simple hygiene products at 916 North Gulf Blvd, Freeport. Food isn’t the only thing that people need right now. A new toothbrush or a bottle of shampoo is always appreciated. Military Moms and Wives need help this year with postage for sending their care packages. It costs $14.35 for each box and they will be shipping out more than 3,000 boxes this month. Let’s not forget to always take the time to give back to the community where we live, work and raise our children.

Guess who I met at Hobby Lobby on Saturday? He was dressed in blue jeans, with a white short-sleeved t-shirt, candy-cane suspenders and I spotted him on the fabric isle giving the bolt of red velvet quite a test to see if it was soft enough for him. I watched him knowing ‘someone’ was going to get some new britches and top this year. I shopped in that section for a few minutes longer, then made my way towards the front of the store, but not before I saw him in line squeezing the red bolt tightly in his arms, while waiting his turn for the ladies to cut the fabric. There also happened to be a line of small children with sparkles in their eyes, surrounding and calling out to him. He responded with a big “ho-ho-ho” and “how are you?” I remember seeing Santa at Dido’s one day in flip flops, cargo shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. He came up to me and asked how I was doing, hugged my neck and then he was off. My two young children sitting in the back of the car, wanted to know why Santa didn’t have on his velvet outfit and I had to explain that he only wears that during the winter. When you go to Dido’s to eat, you can dress a little more informally…or even Hobby Lobby to shop.

According to the United Nations, the world must slash its emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases by 7.6 percent every year to 2030 or miss the chance to avert devastating climate change and avoid environmental catastrophe.

Someone sent me this: Your entire life can really change in a year…you just gotta love yourself enough to know you deserve more, be brave enough to demand more, and be disciplined enough to actually work for more.

Have a great week. Shop Local as much as you can. Thanks for reading this. Lisa

What I Heard This Week! 11-28-2019

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week November 27, 2019

A former NASA contractor was sentenced to two years of probation for stealing nearly $15,000 in flight jackets and then reselling them on eBay. He showed remorse, apologized to the court and was able to pay back the value of the stolen items so he was not given prison time.

We keep a potato masher in a drawer because it’s fun to not be able to open that drawer.

Carl’s Jr. has always been known for getting attention through their advertising. Heidi Klum licking a burger, Kim Kardashian lounging in a bubble bath and Paris Hilton in a revealing swimsuit washing a Bentley. Their statement was “We believe in putting hot models in our commercials because ugly ones don’t sell burgers.” Then came #Me Too movement and they are now planning an ad campaign in the spring that’s meant to put distance between the chain and its old image. I’ve never seen the ads, but I immediately thought of Bob Dylan singing, “The times they are a changing. You better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone…”” Speaking of sinking stones…

The recent interview that 59-year-old Prince Andrew gave in order to explain and/or defend his friendship/relationship with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is now considered to have been a total disaster. One described this: “I expected a train wreck. That was a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion-level bad.” It was his failure to show compassion for Epstein’s victims that was most concerning. One described it as “total lack of empathy.” Andrew has now stepped back from the royal role he embraced his entire adult life and is facing an uncertain future. His private secretary was reportedly let go for encouraging him to do the interview. The Queen canceled a lavish celebration that was planned for his 60^th birthday. A royal historian, says, “His entire public existence has been wiped out by his own behavior.” Hmmm.

Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another. Ernest Hemingway

The Crown is a British drama chronicling the reign of Britain’s beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth and the new Season 3 is now upon us. 33-year-old Claire Foy (Season 1 and 2) was replaced by 43-year-old Olivia Colman for Seasons 3 and 4 which begin in the year 1963. Now I see that 63-year-old Imelda Staunton is expected to step in as the Queen for Seasons 5 and 6 which will not air until 2021. For Harry Potter fans, Staunton played Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies, and in real life is married to Downton Abbey star Jim Carter. (I admit it will be hard to watch her without imagining the torture of all those poor Hogwarts students. She still scares me.) Some people were rooting for Helen Mirren for the final time period, but I bet Staunton will be great in the role.

Change is not your enemy, but rather, a difficult friend. Moritz Skaugen

According to BioScience, more than 11,000 scientists from 153 countries are warning us that “untold human suffering” is unavoidable unless we make large and lasting lifestyle changes to curb global warming now. They declared a “climate emergency” and warn that accelerating climate change will cause large disruptions to the environment, society and the world economy, “potentially making large areas of the Earth uninhabitable.”

With my mail yesterday, came the notice that Dr. Richard Hardoin is retiring from active practice at Brazosport Pediatric Clinic. Dr. Hardoin & Dr. Bottenfield are the best. Happy retirement, Dr. H. Thank you from all the children in Brazoria County that you helped us raise.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Talk show host Larry King is 86. Fashion designer Calvin Klein is 77. Sportscaster Ahmad Rashad is 70. Rock musician Matt Sorum is 59. Guns n’ Roses. Actress Meg Ryan is 58. When Harry Met Sally. Actress Jodie Foster is 57. Actress Brenda Vaccaro is 80. Author poet Margaret Atwood is 80. Entertainer RuPaul is 59.

Actress Linda Evans is 77. Her book, Recipes for Life, is an assortment of photographs, stories and recipes enjoyed by Linda and her friends. It has the special place in my kitchen right now on the recipe stand. I read a little bit each day as I cook. Actor Owen Wilson is 51. Actor Laurence Luckinbill is 85. Married to Lucie Arnaz since 1980. Actress Marlo Thomas is 82. Actress Juliet Mills is 78. Basketball hall of fame Earl Monroe is 75. Actor director Danny DeVito is 75.

The tombstone of Mel Blanc, the famed voice of cartoon characters Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Tweety Bird and Porky Pig, reads: “That’s all folks.”

Art Car Museum: Their 14^th Annual Open Call Exhibition is Landscape. It will run from December 7^th (opening night) through February 23, 2020. The first 100 artists to register on a single designated day are included in this show. The theme was announced in the summer allowing the artists a few months to create a piece. LANDSCAPE promises to be a powerful and diverse exhibition. Artcarmuseum.com

The highly anticipated IN-N-OUT Burgers opened last week at two new locations, 12611 S. Kirkwood Road and 1010 Katy-Fort Bend Road. I saw on the news that the traffic on day #1 was insane. They’re really great burgers and fries, still owned and operated by a real family. No franchises.

When the New York City department store, Macy’s, began its holiday tradition of Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, it promised a “marathon of mirth” and has delivered year after year with intricate floats, iconic balloons and musical performances. Except for a short suspension during WWII, it has entertained us each year during all kinds of weather including 20 degrees. Some balloons are taller than a 5-or-6 story building and require 90 handlers. During 1997, a Cat in the Hat balloon veered off course because of high winds, knocking a light pole into a crowd and injuring four spectators, two with serious injuries. That same year, Barney balloon was deflated after being punctured by a light pole. Only once, in 1971, have the balloons been grounded. Based on current city guidelines, “no giant character balloon will be operated when there are sustained wind conditions exceeding 23 mph and wind gusts exceeding 34 mph.” Guess what? NY City is expected to be sandwiched between two weather systems on Thanksgiving Day with sustained winds expected from 17 to 22 mph, with gusts upward of 35 mph.

A Florida man kept calling 911 complaining about his roommate who “stole his $20 worth of weed.” The sheriff’s department finally had to call the man and explain that he had to quit calling 911, then they posted a video of the situation. Oops.

A 32-year-old Indiana man faces federal charges after he walked hundreds of miles from central Indiana to Wisconsin to have sex with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl, but was really a sheriff’s deputy working with the FBI.

Disney’s new streaming service has added a movie disclaimer to Dumbo, Peter Pan, The Jungle Book and Swiss Family Robinson, because they depict racist stereotypes. Pocahontas and Aladdin do not have it, despite some believing that those films contain stereotypes, too. Hmmm.

Random Act of Kindness: Dorothy Monroe of Freeport works at Salvation Army and lost her eye in an auto accident. Abdul Panjwani, owner the Anchor Motel (since 2003) in Surfside, volunteered at the Salvation Army after Hurricane Harvey where the two met. Mr. Panjwani decided that he was going to offer to pay for Dorothy to get an optical prosthetic which she received earlier this month. Mr. Panjwani is one of our special customers and we are very proud of his random act of kindness. What have YOU done today? The day is not over…you still have time.

Happy 50^th Anniversary to Louis and Binnie Bauml of LJ. They have succeeded in something that most don’t get to claim. Fifty years. If you know them, be sure to say congratulations.

When asked on the Ellen DeGeneres Show about any upcoming Friends projects, Jennifer Aniston replied, “We’re working on something.” Bet there’s a lot of people that are listening to that reply. But not me. I have never watched a single episode. Ever.

Did you know that bulletproof vests, fire escapes and windshield wipers were all invented by women?

There is a new customer at The Source Weekly that I think you need to know about. It’s called Fibrenew and they repair damaged leather, plastic and vinyl. It’s amazing! Torn or worn leather sofas. Pet scratches. Ink or food stains. Rips, fading, holes, cracks, burns. Boats, cars, motorcycle seats. Whatever. 979-529-1265. www.fibrenew.com/pearland.

Business is down at least 70% at vaping shops as people hear of reports of people suffering lung problems and with as many as 39 confirmed deaths and hundreds more that are sick. No burning is required to vape, just a unique liquid solution that is obviously NOT healthy for you.

“Motherhood was the great equalizer for me; I started to identify with everybody… as a mother, you have that impulse to wish that no child should ever be hurt, or abused, or go hungry, or not have opportunities in life.” – Annie Lennox, singer

Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill will join Chris Pratt, twenty-five years after Jurassic Park for Jurassic World 3. In the new movie Cats, which will be released on December 20^th, Taylor Swift teamed with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the new track Beautiful Ghosts. Swift is a super-fan of kitties.

This past weekend I went to my sister’s. It’s a whole different world when you live in the country. We visited a neighbor’s 50-acre pastureland for target practice. As I stood in front of the kitchen sink, I looked across the road to a quiet body of water and a pasture of horses. As we hung curtains in a bedroom, it looked out to yet another pasture and grazing horses. I was honored to gather eggs while the chickens had great conversations with me, I scooped chicken poop for my garden, threw balls to the dogs, watched for snakes (constantly) and had just a super weekend. The stars! It was a clear night and I haven’t seen stars like that for years. Sometimes I believe we all forget how noisy our real world has become. I recommend a weekend like this.

Today, as I tried to back up my phone, a problem appeared that the phone will not recover from, so I lost the notes that help me write this fascinating column. 😊 If the phone doctor at Verizon can help me, then perhaps next week’s column will be a bit more gripping, engaging, fun to read and have conversation about. P.S. Martha Stewart says to add cream cheese to your mashed potatoes in addition to butter, whole milk and heavy cream. And if Alexa lives at your house, you can now ask her turkey questions with answers straight from Butterball. “Alexa, how do I cook a Butterball turkey?” Have a great Thanksgiving, sharing food and memories with your friends and family. – Lisa

What I Heard This Week! 11-21-2019

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week November 21, 2019

Richard Jewell was a security guard at AT&T during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 with plans to become a police officer. At around 1am in a crowded Centennial Olympic Park, he noticed an unattended green knapsack, alerted police and helped move people away from the area. The knapsack contained a pipe bomb which exploded, killing one person and injuring 111 others. In the first few days after the bombing, Jewell was considered a hero, then the FBI stated that he might have planted the bomb, but after questioning and a polygraph that he passed, Jewell was never charged. Attorney General Janet Reno refused to clear Jewell or apologize to him. Then, 88 long days later, the FBI formally cleared him as a suspect. The polite but tearful and painfully shy Jewell lived for months under a very dark cloud. He criticized the FBI and the news media for how his case was handled. In August 1997 Attorney General Reno publicly apologized to Jewell and deplored the leak to the media that made his name known as a suspect. Jewell eventually got a job with the police force in tiny Lutherville, Georgia. The FBI later charged a man named Eric Robert Rudolph with the Centennial Olympic Park bombing.Clint Eastwood is directing the movie that will be released by Warner Bros. on December 13^th.It stars Paul Walter Hauser as Jewell, alongside Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, and Olivia Wilde.

Adam Chandler, author of Drive-Thru Dreams was asked why the Popeyes chicken sandwich has been such a phenomenon and he offered this theory, “In the age of gimmicky, brightly colored, Instagram-friendly food items, there is also a literal and spiritual hunger for something relatable and familiar.”As of, November 3^rd, the now famous chicken sandwich is back.

Taco Bell has a great new idea for your Thanksgiving meal. It’s called Rolled Chicken Tacos Bisque. You make bisque with ½ cup diced onion and a chopped garlic clove sautéed in vegetable oil until softened. Add a 14 oz. can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, juice and all, 1 tablespoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano, and salt to taste. Heat to boil then add one quart of chicken broth and bring back to a boil. Chop 4 Rolled Chicken Tacos (from Taco Bell) and add to mixture, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add a cup of cilantro, turn off heat and allow soup to cool for 5 minutes. Add one cup heavy cream and incorporate/blend all the ingredients to a consistency that you want with a handheld emersion blender (make sure that your pan is metal and not Teflon.) Serves 4. Top with cheese, Mexican crema, lime wedge and cilantro, then use cut pieces of Rolled Chicken Tacos for garnishment. Let it be known that I am simply repeating what I read…I have NOT tried this recipe myself.

The SPCA has an abundance of new puppies right now. Cute ones, tiny ones, big ones, but all of them are totally perfect; these babies just need a nice warm home, someone to lick on the face and love unconditionally.

Chip and Joanna Gaines will open a boutique hotel when they turn a 100-year-old building in downtown Waco, into a 40-room luxury lodge. I just love those guys.

Sometimes on the days that the office is closed, I still open the door and wait on customers. It’s the right thing to do – plus it keeps me grounded and I am much more appreciative of the job that everyone else does here at this office. Last week, Katiria Baez from Taco Cabana came by to invite us to use them for our next party or event. Truthfully, I would never, ever have thought about them for catering, so I’m glad that she came by. They will even prepare a “Build Your Own Taco Bar.” Or better yet, “Build Your Own Breakfast Taco Bar.” FYI. Just another tool to help make your life easier during the holidays when you have a houseful of company.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Golf Hall of Fame Gary Player is 84. Rhythm & blues musician Ronald Khalis Bell is 68. Kool and the Gang. Rock singer Bo Bice is 44. He was the runner-up against Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol. Actress Suzanne Somers is 73. Singer Wendy Wilson is 50. Wilson Phillips. Actor singer Bill Hudson is 70. Movie critic Richard Roeper is 60. Singer Chris Kirkpatrick is 48. ‘N Sync. Actress Joyce Randolph is 95. Trixie Norton on The Honeymooners. Country singer Leroy Van Dyke is 90. Walk on By.

Singer Jay Black is 81. Jay Black and the Americans. Actress Stefanie Powers is 77. Hart to Hart with Robert Wagner. Movie director Phillip Kaufman is 83. The Right Stuff, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Movie director Ang Lee is 65. Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger – Hidden Dragon, The Hulk, Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi.Weird Al Yankovic is 60. Rock musician Robert Trujillo is 55. Metallica. Actor Harris Yulin is 82.

Singer Peter Noone is 72. I’m Hen-a-ree the 8^th, I am. Herman Hermits. Singer songwriter and local boy Robert Ellis is 31. Singer songwriter Neil Young is 74. He just married Darryl Hannah. Rock musician Donald Roeser is 72. Blue Oyster Cult. Actress Megan Mullally is 61. Baseball great Sammy Sosa is 51. Actor Ryan Gosling is 39. Actress Anne Hathaway is 37.

Ice calving, or glacier calving, is when giant chunks of ice break off from a glacier. Google YouTube, “Pine Island Massive Glacier Burst.” Wow, it’s amazing that someone was able to record this.

Toby MacFarlane, 56, a former California real estate executive and graduate of USC, became parent #13 to be sentenced in the college admissions bribery scandal that became public in March. He admitted he paid $450,000 so his son and daughter could gain admission to USC as fake soccer and basketball recruits. He has expressed remorse and said he agreed to the scheme at a time of “personal crisis” as his marriage was foundering. “I knew it was wrong,” he wrote in a letter to the judge, “but at the time I was feeling completely overwrought and all I could think of was not having to worry about my kids getting into college. Foolishly and selfishly, I took the easy way out.” He was sentenced to six months behind bars, the longest prison sentence so far. He also received two years of supervised release, $150,000 fine and 200 hours of community service. The judge decided to give MacFarlane a harsher sentence than was suggested in the sentencing guidelines (ahhh, so there are sentencing guidelines) because he viewed the crime’s nature as “fraudulent, deceitful.” MacFarlane must report to prison by January 2. Yikes. Is this a sign of what’s to come for Lori Loughlin who still maintains her innocence, but is supposedly weighing a new plea offer that would have her admitting guilt and hoping prosecutors might be willing to recommend a lesser prison sentence instead of the 50-year sentence that has been widespread speculation.

“Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” Sir Walter Scott

$26.6 million was paid at auction in October for a long-lost 13^th century painting that was found hanging in a Frenchwoman’s kitchen for so long that she couldn’t even remember how she got it.

I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone. Robin Williams

On November 22, 1963, our 35^th president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas after spending a day in Houston on a planned two-day, five-city tour of Texas to prepare for his 1964 presidential campaign. Do you remember where you were?

The late musical icons,Whitney Houston and the Notorious B.I.G. are among the 16 acts nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2020 class, along with Dave Matthews Band, Motorhead, Pat Benatar, Soundgarden, The Doobie Brothers, T.Rex and Thin Lizzy. Nine Inch Nails, Judas Priest, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, MC5 and Todd Rundgren make up the remainder of nominees for the 35th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony that will take place on May 2, 2020,but official inductees will be announced in January.Each year, five to seven acts usually make it into the Rock Hall after a vote by 1,000 people, including performers, music historians and industry experts. Fans can vote online. Acts are eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording. Six-time Grammy winner Whitney Houston, who died in 2012, is known for “The Greatest Love of All,” ”I Will Always Love You” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.”

Kanye West, Joel Osteen, Kim Kardashian and Dan Patrick all hung out in Houston this past weekend. If I didn’t know that it really happened, I would say this has to be a typo. Vasari LLC, which operated about 70 Dairy Queens across Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, filed for bankruptcy and announced it was closing 29 restaurants. A Brookshire woman was sentenced to ten years in federal prison after she allegedly mailed explosives to Barack Obama and Governor Greg Abbott. She still denies committing the crimes,but was linked to the package by a cat hair taped under the box’s address label, which was consistent with hair taken from her cat. Hmmm. Two men and a woman were shot and killed at Walmart on Monday, this time in Duncan, Oklahoma, about 80 miles from Oklahoma City. What is it about Walmart and shooters?Pray for our country.

Delivering papers was my job again last week because we were short carriers. It was also a privilege, of course, because it means that lots of people are reading us. This time I visited the Alvin area which is, according to Google Maps, is only 29 miles from LJ to Alvin. It seems like it takes longer. Anyway, I decided to make the most of the trip by stopping by Froberg’s for eggplant, a cute little white pumpkin, corn on the cob, and tomatoes, then next door to Greak’s Smoke House where I just told him that I wanted the best thing he had in the smokehouse. He pointed to a bacon wrapped tenderloin stuffed with cream cheese and jalapenos. Good Lord, it was all I could do not to eat it raw in the car because of the beautiful smell and then for three days after, every single time I opened the refrigerator, there was the overwhelming fabulous smell again. I continue to be a firm believer that this very smell should be bottled and available in the male and/or female perfume section of all the nicer retail stores like Walmart, Target and Tractor Supply. 😊 It would sell like crazy. Back to my story. It was a very rich dinner that I pulled together with roasted zucchini, mushrooms, and Brussel sprouts. A feast. Would I recommend this tenderloin? Absolutely, but I don’t know how anyone could eat it often.

Hello. We have trusted you with the newspaper you have in your hand. We folded it down the middle very gently, so it’s easier to read and handle, then rounded the corners so you don’t get paper cuts. At this point we are passing proprietary ownership to you, therefore it’s your responsibility to dispose of this wonderful object in a way that is fair to all concerned. We want more than for it than to just sit around on your kitchen table or office desk, only to be tossed into the trash, so dispose of it gently after you have found joy and pleasure by reading to the very end. Then, please share it with someone you love.If you don’t love anyone enough to share, then love the Earth by recycling or reusing it in one of many different ways. You are a good person and you will find a way. We are so happy to have you as a customer. If you are reading us online, well, nevermind. Thank you. Lisa Baker

PS – if you want this mailed to your inbox each Thursday morning, then just let us know. 285-9200

What I Heard This Week! 11-14-2019

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week November 14, 2019

Who doesn’t remember Tammy Faye Bakker? Crazy red hair. Bright red lipstick. Mascara running down her face. Just a normal 70’s-80’s televangelist who helped create the world’s largest religious broadcasting network and theme park alongside her husband, Jim Bakker, before it crumbled amid sex, drug and financial scandals. Well, Jessica Chastain is going to star as Tammy Faye opposite Andrew Garfield as Jim Bakker. The film will be Chastain’s big screen singing debut with several of the signature gospel tunes that you will recognize. ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ is coming in 2020.

“I am unquestionably, undoubtedly, the greatest human artist of all time. It’s not even a question at this point. It’s just fact.” Kayne West, praising himself. Humble, I bet he forgot to mention that he is humble. I should call him. Better yet, he’s set to appear at Lakewood Church in Houston for Sunday services.

Why are so many men not shaving? I’m not complaining because I still believe that every man should have facial hair, but I was still wondering. Well, I just discovered that it’s Movember (No Shave November). Movember is the leading global organization committed to changing the face of men’s health. What began as an idea to bring back the mustache evolved into a movement to raise awareness around prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention in men. To participate, let your facial hair flow and grow a mustache or beard. You can also raise some money to help raise awareness around men’s health and to fight cancer.

I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life. I know that.Alex Trebek discussing the progress of his treatment for pancreatic cancerlast month.

Justin Bieber was recently criticized by PETA for spending $35,000 on two designer cats. What the heck is a designer cat? Glad you asked. “Catsgenetically designed to resemble wild cats such as the Jaguar, Lynx, or other exotic-looking cats. Bred to be intelligent, friendly, leash-trainable companions. Usually larger and heavier than a domestic cat.” If he has $35,000 to spend on two cats, then so be it.

On my way to the office today, I saw ‘J ♡ R’ painted on the side window of a truck. I wondered who the lucky ‘R’ might be and especially who ’J’ might be…visualizing what that person might be like, but most of all I thought it must be super-nice to have someone that loves you enough to take the time to paint ‘love’ on a window. Was it the get-away car from a wedding? An anniversary, birthday or just because…either way, I hope their love lasts and they will always feel like writing about it on the windows of their cars. I’m a sucker for the Hallmark channel, too.

A Houston jury found 67-year-old Raymond Lazarine guilty of murdering his wife in 2013. He claimed that he was sleep-walking when he shot her six times, twice in the head and once in the back. His attorneys argued that he had a medical condition that prevented him from being able to tell the difference between dreams and reality. He faces life in prison and will be sentenced soon. You wonder if he ever took the time and painted I ♡ U on the window of a car?

In October, the Carnegie Institution of Science announced that 20 new moons have been found orbiting Saturn, giving the ringed planet a total of 82 moons. (Jupiter only has 79 but holds the title of having the biggest moon.) There is an online contest to help name the moons that runs through December 6. To enter go to carnegiescience.edu/NameSaturnsMoons. Hail to the new moon king.

Moonwalk…the custom-made, crystal-covered socks that Michael Jackson wore at the legendary Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever,show in 1983 are now hitting the auction block. It was the first time he performed his moonwalk on stage…36 years ago and the socks are expected to bring $2 million.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Comedian actress Rosanne Barr is 67. Actor Matthew McConaughey is 50. Actress Kathy Kinney is 66. Mimi Bobeck on The Drew Carey Show. Actress Kate Capshaw 66. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.Kim Kardashian West is 39. Actress Angela Lansbury is 94. Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 92.Actress Dame Joan Plowright is 90. She was married to Laurence Olivier and is one of only four actresses to have won two Golden Globes in the same year. Actress singer Telma Hopkins is 71. Tony Orlando and Dawn. Actress Julia Roberts is 52. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 45.

Ethan Crispo had just left a friend’s birthday party when he had a sudden urge for a waffle, so he walked into a Waffle House in Alabama. Because of a scheduling snafu, there was only one employee on this night shift and about 30 hungry customers.But then,as one customer finished his meal, he tied on an apron and started washing dishes. Then another customer stepped up (in heels and a sequin dress) and started serving coffee. The two bused tables, stacked cups, and served meals. Ben, the lone employee, manned the cash register and cooked. Ethan videoed it all while it happened. GREAT kindness story.

When I saw this story, I had to repeat it. The City of Pearland is encouraging HOAs and landowners to either kill, or ‘capture and release’ the ever-growing population of Muscovy ducks to either Hidalgo, Starr or Zapata County. It seems that the population of the ducks is becoming a nuisance for Pearland. The city also says the public has the authority to rid Muscovy duck nests, eggs and hybrids on their property without the requirement of a permit because it will require a substantial amount of public resources.So, it will cost a lot, so they are encouraging the public to do the job for them?!?!?Those who do not find an issue with the ducks are still prohibited from feeding them, because feeding the ducks can result in criminal charges or civil penalties.Animal Services will also continue to investigate cases of animal cruelty and unlawful animal killings. Well, isn’t it cruel to wait until winter to take away their food source and start killing them for simply being ducks. There’s got to be more to this story. A duck is food, and I have always believed that you need to eat what you kill, but you can’t encourage people to take to the streets and start shooting. Food banks need food sources. Lots of people are hungry. Think.

55-year-old Keanu Reeves is being hailed as a hero because the normally quiet and extremely private movie star is dating someone close to his own age…artist Alexandra Grant who has gray hair and is actually 9 years younger than Keanu. On The View, they discussed the fact that Hugh Hefner was 60 years older than his last wife, Dennis Quade, 65, is now engaged to a 26-year-old. There’s 25 years difference between Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.There’s a 26-year-difference between Alec Baldwin and his wife. Billy Joel and his wife have a 33-year difference. Sounds like it was a slow day on The View and someone might be a little jealous.

This makes me sad. At Tractor Supply in LJ, there were two new kittens named Willie and Nelson that roamed the store. They laid on the counter… or pretty much wherever they felt like landing and were always up for a good head-scratching as I wandered by. I visit Tractor Supply about once a week for birdseed, gardening supplies and more, but I hadn’t seen the cats for a while, so I asked. What I’m about to tell you is just terrible. It seems that a lady (perhaps I should say woman because ‘lady’ doesn’t seem to fit here) complained to the store and to their home office about the cats,so they had to relocate them. Now, mind you, Tractor Supply has the affordable Pet Vet clinics on Saturdays where people can bring their pets to their wellness center. But bottom line, it’s a feed store. So, what’s this all about. It’s Tractor Supply not H.E.B. They sell stuff for animals…I wrote the company in support of Willie and Nelson. I suggested that perhaps they need to relocate the unhappy customer, not cats. What’s wrong with the world. We’re trying to make everyone happy,but let’s face it, some people just don’t want to be happy. Thanks for reading this today. Lisa Baker

What I Heard This Week! 11-07-2019

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week November 6, 2019

November the 11^th marks the 100^th anniversary of Veterans Day. This occasion was originally known as Armistice Day, was first observed in 1919 to mark the one-year anniversary of the end of WWI. Major hostilities of World War I formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The Source Weekly would like to thank each and every one of those who have served our country as a member of the United States Armed Forces. You made sacrifices and gave it your all, in order to secure the freedoms that we all take for granted. Thank you. You are so deserving of our gratitude.

ALDI has a Turkey Cranberry Ravioli, limited edition, that combines turkey, cranberries, stuffing and cheese. Better yet, Bourbon Sweet Potato Ravioli with suggested Orange Whiskey Glaze. I bought both.

Google is buying wearable device maker Fitbit for $2.1 billion which puts them in direct competition with Apple, Samsung and Amazon. Google says Fitbit health and wellness data will not be used for Google ads BUT the personal data of more than 25 million users is now in the hands of one of the world’s largest and most powerful tech companies. “This absolutely strengthens the idea that Google is using its dominant position to make its way into every possible industry that relates to data and newer methods for pushing advertising,” said Daniel Hanley, a policy analyst with the Open Markets Institute. “The biggest problem would be to understand and know the extent to which they use the data gathered from Fitbit and how they will integrate that into other existing Google services.”

Abigail Arias of Angleton, 7, was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor in her kidney when she was 4. Her dream was to be a police officer, so the Freeport Police Department swore her in as honorary officer No. 758 in February. A week later she was surprised with a helicopter ride with her fellow police officers. Last month she was able to meet one of her heroes, Astros star Jose Altuve, before Game 1 of the World Series where Altuve wore a bracelet that Abigail had given him. She lost her battle this week. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Abigail Arias, the child who became an officer, a change agent for good and today, an Angel,” Freeport Police Chief Raymond Garivey wrote on Facebook. “Her love, compassion, and most importantly, her magnanimous spirit, will live on for generations to come. It’s both our duty and privilege to embody what Abigail taught us: to live life to the fullest, to never give up hope no matter the odds, to fight “the bad guys” passionately, and most importantly, to love one another – and always Stay Relentless!” I just watched the live video of the funeral procession and got pretty choked up. No one should have to lose a child.

Today while working on this column, my cell phone rang with an 888-number listed as unknown. Hmmm. I answered it in case it was a child of mine. It was a recording saying that because of suspicious activity the social security office will now be ‘suspending my social security number’ and that I needed to stay on the line for further information. I hung up, Googled the number, then reported the incident to the Federal Trade Commission. They say, “Social Security numbers do not get suspended. This is just a variation of a government imposter scam that’s after your SSN, bank account number, or other personal information. In this variation of the scheme, the caller pretends to be protecting you from a scam while he’s trying to lure you into one.” Always report it to the FTC.

Former President Jimmy Carter, 95, returned to his Sunday School class less than two weeks after fracturing his pelvis in a fall, his third mishap in recent months. Carter was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2015 and received immunotherapy that destroyed the four tumors. Now he’s like an energizer bunny. New batteries and he’s good to go again.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Musician Delbert McClinton is 79. His highest-charting single was “Tell Me About It”, a 1992 duet with Tanya Tucker, which reached number 4 on the Country chart. Actress Loretta Swit is 82. Hot Lips Houlihan on M*A*S*H. Singer LuLu is 71. To Sir with Love from the 1967 film and the title song to the 1974 James Bond film, The Man with the Golden Gun. Vogue Editor in chief Anna Wintour is 70. Rapper producer Sean “Puffy” Combs is 50. Born Sean John Combs, he performed as Puff Daddy, then P. Diddy and then just Diddy. Sigh. Now he’s filed papers to change his middle name, so he’ll be Sean Love Combs. Hmmm. Someone needs to give that guy some attention.

Sesame Street is 50 YEARS OLD. Their mission was to bring together a colorful community of puppets and people to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger and kinder. I personally have many fond memories of the joy that Sesame Street brought my own children. Because of a Sesame Street Muppets music CD about food that we listened to, my young son thought that when Madonna sang Material Girl she was saying, “I am a cereal girl.” He would just belt it out while the song was playing.

The accused Santa Fe High School shooter has been declared incompetent to stand trial by three separate psychiatric experts.

Former McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook, who was fired for having a consensual relationship with another employee, could pocket $70-plus million worth of stock and options in compensation. This sum is in addition to the nearly $16 million in McDonald’s shares that Easterbrook has already been paid during his nearly five years at the company, and another $20 million in salary and cash bonuses he has received in the past three years. Easterbrook is also getting a cash severance of six month’s pay, nearly $700,000. His exit comes as McDonald’s faces claims of sexual harassment in its restaurant workplaces. During the past three years at least 50 women have sued the company or filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying they were abused by store managers or employees. The incidents allegedly occurred in both corporate-owned and franchised restaurants. Last year, former Intel CEO Brian Krzanich was forced to resign after revelations that he had a past consensual relationship with a fellow employee. He left with stock and cash worth $45 million.

AT&T will pay $60 million to settle a federal complaint that accused the telecommunications company of misleading millions of customers by charging them for unlimited data plans while slowing down their data transmission speeds (called throttling) in order to get them to move to more expensive plans. Throttling data means it takes a user longer to check emails, stream a video or browse the web.

A 3.7-ton delivery from a cargo ship to the International Space Station included 1,500 pounds of crew supplies, 4,370 pounds of science gear and experiment samples. Enough about that. Included was a compact oven, the first ever launched to the space station, that will be used to bake DoubleTree chocolate chip cookies, one at a time, to find out how the absence of gravity affects cooking in orbit. Quit it. Have you ever had a DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven! I promise you that each one will be snatched up before anyone can even think or say absence of gravity. Now, everyone will want to be an astronaut.

Chinese regulators approved an Alzheimer’s drug derived from seaweed, the world’s first Alzheimer’s drug in decades. The news was met with cautious optimism by experts, who warned that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a far more rigorous drugs testing and approval protocol than China. I am thankful that someone…anyone is working on this tragedy that affects so many. What was I saying?!? Thanks for reading this column. We appreciate you. Lisa

What I Heard This Week! 10-31-2019

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week October 30, 2019

Researchers in Virginia say they have trained rats to master the art of driving by teaching them to steer tiny little cars (rodent rovers), which allows the rats to collect yummy bits of sugar-coated cereal (after they park, I guess.) Wait, I’m not finished. Yes, I’m serious. Hormone monitors indicate that the rats seem to relax as they master driving. Hmmm. Imagine that. Cute little driving caps.A Buc-ee’s styrofoam cup in the console. Fuzzy dice on the rear view mirror.I’m rolling my eyes thinking that surely there must be other things that can be researched, but I guess this is important to someone.

“A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it’s better than no inspiration at all.”Rita Mae Brown

Last night when I left the office, I was going to run by H.E.B. and pick up a few things (mustard, Brussel sprouts and onions) for our birthday luncheon today to celebrate Connie and Pam. An hour later, I was at the check-out line looking for my debit card to pay for my $134 worth of groceries…well, wine was on sale and they had veal marked down and a bunch of stuff that I didn’t really need, but I still put it in the basket. Dang, I couldn’t find my debit card, so I tried using my credit card. It wouldn’t go through. We tried three times. No problem, I’ll just write you a check. Hmmm. (It’s a piece of paper just like money. I’ll write the dollar amount on it, sign it,then you put it in your cash drawer, and the bank takes the money out of my account the next day.) Oh, poot. No checks in the checkbook. I was out of options,so I had to go back to the office and re-group so I could get my groceries out of hock. All the time I’m thinking to myself…it’s NEVER easy anymore. Everything takes so much time. Oh, well.When I finally arrived home, the credit card fraud department had sent a text asking if it was really me at H.E.B.Yep.

ABC will stage The Little Mermaid LIVE on November 5th. Moana’s star Aulii Cravalho landed the role of Ariel, with Queen Latifah as Ursula and Shaggy stars as Sebastian.According to ABC, the live musical will have a mix of animation, live-action, and puppetry. On November 22nd, Frozen 2, Disney’s sequel to the 2013 animated film finds Anne, Elsa and their friends traveling north to search for the source of ice queen Elsa’s magic. Also, on November 22, Tom Hanks slips into his red sweater and the role of Mr. Rogers, just over a half century after the TV show debuted. Trailer is better than great. I got wet eyes.

This was interesting. MGM Resorts International has agreed to pay up to $800 million to settle lawsuits from the victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting in October 2017, that left 58 people dead and hundreds injured. Approximately 4,400 potential claimants represented by more than 65 law firms. I scratched my head wondering how anyone could find fault in the hotel when the shooter simply used his room to plan and execute the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. I read some more. Relatives of the dead and the injured have accused the company of negligence in allowing the shooter to stockpile high-powered rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition in his hotel room. It seems that he checked in to the hotel three days before the shooting, so he had plenty of time to make several trips from his car to the 32^nd floor where his room was located. It is believed that he hid the weapons in luggage or a golf bag or something of that nature and since most hotels do not have metal detectors, he was free to come and go as he needed. Since I’m pretty sure that he didn’t have the hotel porter or bellhop load them up and deliver them straight to his room for a five-dollar tip, I don’t know how the hotel could have suspected him. It was said that MGM is showing the highest standard of corporate citizenship with their actions in this case.

In Florida, trappers captured a record-setting, 18 ft.-4-inch female python that weighed almost 100 pounds. The Fish and Wildlife Commission say it was the largest snake captured by the new Python Action Team and the largest captured at the Big Cypress National Preserve, west of Miami. Hunting female Burmese pythons is critical because they add between 30 to 60 hatchlings each time they breed.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor comedian John Cleese is 80. Monty Python. Country singer musician Charlie Daniels is 82. If you don’t remember The Devil Went Down to Georgia, then you need to look it up.Hillary Rodham Clinton is 72. Actor Cary Elwes is 57. Westley in The Princess Bride, Robin Hood in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson is 82. Queen of Rockabilly. Hard-Headed Woman. Rock musician Jim Sonefeld is 55. Hootie & The Blowfish.

A wonderful thing about true laughter is that it just destroys any kind of system of dividing people. John Cleese

Bill Macy, Bea Arthur’s Maude co-star, died at 97. He worked as a taxi driver for a decade before scoring a Broadway gig in 1958 as Walter Matthau’s understudy in Once More, With Feeling.

Robert Evans died at 89. He was an American film producer and studio executive, best known for his work on Rosemary’s Baby, Love Story, The Godfather, and Chinatown.In his early years, he did promotional work for Evan Picone, a fashion company founded by his brother. He was married seven times including Ali MacGraw, Phyllis George and Catherine Oxenberg (annulled after nine days).

Pecan production in the U.S. is expected to increase this year by more than 20%, with farmers harvesting an estimated 281 million pounds. Pecan theft continues to be a problem for farmers with some hiring security guards to patrol farms around harvest time, in an attempt to ward off would-be pecan thieves. In reading, I found it interesting to be reminded that nuts are actually seeds that the tree produces for propagation, not for us to candy and put on top of Thanksgiving casseroles. The nut is basically a storage unit that stockpiles minerals, oils, carbohydrates and other good stuff that can sustain the pecan embryo until roots and leaves start producing. It’s been our state tree since 1919 and our state pie since 2013. Don’t forget that the trees need bees and butterflies to pollinate them or all is lost.

Did you know that when making pesto, you can substitute with other nuts- like pecans, instead of expensive pine nuts? Lucky me. I have so much basil right now that needs to be harvested before cold weather. PESTO:3 cups fresh basil leaves, 1.5 cups pecans (you can toast them first if you want, but it may turn your pesto a little brown), 4 cloves garlic, ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, pulse a few times in your food processor, then slowly add ¾ cup good virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, pulsing until a slightly chunky paste. Use it on pasta, chicken, pizza (we prefer pesto to tomato sauce on pizza). Freeze in ice cube trays, then dump in a baggie so it’s easy to pull out what you need for later.

Country superstar Dolly Parton just celebrated her 50^th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member. I think she is fabulous.

Every day is Halloween, isn’t it? For some of us.Tim Burton

The Houston Museum of Natural Science has a traveling exhibit called The Art of the Brick. Lawyer-turned-artist Nathan Sawaya said that he received his first set of Legos on Christmas morning when he was five. At the entrance of this exhibit, guests watch a short video with him talking about his lifelong love for the toys. Then guests are allowed to enter the first gallery called Past Masters, which includes Michelangelo’sDavid, the Mona Lisa, The Girl with a Pearl Earring and many more replicas of famous paintings. Then there is a 20 ft. T. rex skeleton made with 80,020 bricks. There’s also a man sitting on a real park bench (21,054 bricks). There’s so much to this exhibit, I could use the whole column to write about it. There’s even an area where you can build something yourself. You have a few months to enjoy it, but don’t forget. HMNS.org

While reading an article about a chef this week, she mentioned culinary kryptonite. Hmmm. What an interesting description.I guess it’s something that yourtaste buds adore, but you can’t buy too often because it’s expensive and/or really not healthy for you, something you don’t make a meal out of, but you might if no one was looking. Something too rich but you want it anyway.Most of all, it’s something that you know you can’t trust yourself with. Hmmm. I don’t really go looking for sweets, but I adore Justin’s Organic Peanut Butter Cups. There’s only 2 in a package so damage control is easy. (Don’t forget that November is Peanut Butter Lovers Month.) Oh, and Kettle Sea Salt & Vinegar Chips. I only get a small package, but I eat all the crumbs, too. What’s your culinary kryptonite?

Rescuers say they found a puppy alive in the rubble of a collapsed building, one month after Hurricane Dorian ravaged parts of the Bahamas. Members of Big Dog Ranch Rescue found the dog, now named “Miracle,” using infrared detection from a drone.

Danish brewer Carlsberg is developing a paper beer bottle made from sustainably sourced wood fibers, fully recyclable, with an inner barrier to allow the bottles to contain beer. Since the inside is still made of polymers, they will continue trying to create a bottle made entirely of biomaterials and without polymers in an effort to have zero carbon emissions and reduce their carbon footprint by 30% by 2030. Woo Hoo. But in another article I read, it says the manufacture of each can means twice as much carbon is released into the atmosphere than from the manufacture of one plastic bottle, plus cans are more expensive to make BUT less power is needed to chill water in cans.

Brazosport ISD celebrates annually by honoring outstanding graduates to their BISDWall of Fame. They began the recognition of graduates who have demonstrated a high level of achievement in their field of endeavor, who have made significant contributions through achievements, service or leadership. On November 1st, BISD and Brazoswood High will honor Judge Rick Hill(’76) for his service and leadership. Then on Fri. November 8th, BISD and Brazosport High will honor Freeport High graduate Mr. Johnnie Redden (’48) and Brazosport High graduate Monsignor Leo Wleczyk (’57.) Congratulations.

Any holiday can become overwhelming for children with autism, especially if it’s one like Halloween. This year, moms and dads are asking those handing out candy to be on the look-out for blue candy buckets and pumpkins, which signify a child may have autism and is non-verbal. No added stress for these kiddos and their parents.

New York will become the first state to require the disclosure of ingredients in tampons and other menstrual products. Products could contain toxic or allergy-causing chemicals unknown to consumers. Seems like a fair requirement considering where it is used. The law takes effect in about 6 months and would give the companies 18 months to change their packaging or labels.

If you rake leaves each fall, STOP.As humans, we work so hard to undo what nature has set up as a fairly perfect system with no waste. When your trees drop their leaves, either mulch-mow over them or leave them be.When you the shred leaves, it serves as fertilizer for your grass. Fallen leaves cover root systems, preserve soil moisture, suppress weeds and other unwanted plants. They break down slowly, returning essential nutrients to the soil. Worms eat leaves and their poop is considered ‘gold’ in the gardening world. Butterflies and songbirds depend on leaf litter as a nice winter bed for caterpillars and insects in the pupa stage. These bugs serve as winter food for birds along with pollination for gardens in the spring. If you MUST rake, then move the leaves to a flower bed or out-of-the-way spot and wet them down. Start a compost bin if you have too many leaves. Quit trying to fight Mother Nature. She knows what she’s doing. I have a bag of leaves that landscaping people left that I’m getting ready to use for my sweet potato plantings. I’ll dig a trench, place my potato cuttings that are sprouting leaves in my kitchen, place on the bottom of the trench, cover with leaves then a little dirt.Great bed and easy harvest. A Houston lady is getting a lot of attention after she forgot to harvest last year and ended up with an unexpected 20-pound sweet potato. 20-pounds. It’s huge.As always, thank-you for reading us. We will send the paper straight to you each Thursday morning. All we need is your email. 979-285-9200

Lisa

What I Heard This Week! 10-24-2019

Source Weekly What I Heard This Week October 24, 2019

Have you seen the many dragonflies that are out and about? Some of them are so big, for a moment, I thought they were hummingbirds.

Customers in the US can print out a mailing label, dump your old LEGOS (all of them; Duplo, small bricks, big bricks, parts of sets) in a box and ship them off for free. LEGO will clean the pieces, make them look brand new and give them to Teach for America, a nonprofit that will donate them to classrooms across the U.S. LEGO is also working to find other materials for their beautiful bricks that is durable as plastic, but that has been a challenge. They have, however, started making Lego trees and bushes out of sugar cane. Their rival, Hasbro, which makes Monopoly and Mr. Potato Head, plan to eliminate plastic use in their packaging by 2022, but also admit that it’s been hard to find materials to replace the plastic in their toys. So, if you have LEGOS in your possession that need a new home, pass them on to others or put in a plastic bag (no sorting necessary), box them up and then print your address label at www.givebackbox.com/lego. They will also provide you with a tax deduction receipt if you’d like. Future generations will thank you.

Nothing on earth is so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night. Steve Almond

Looking for a Halloween movie with some good witches in it? The Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland, The Witches of Eastwick with Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon, Practical Magic with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, Bell, Book and Candle with Kim Novak (my sister was named from this movie…Gillian) and Hocus Pocus with Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker.

You had the power all along, my dear. Glenda The Good Witch

A family in Hawaii has won the Guinness World Record for the world’s heaviest avocado. The average avocado weighs 6 ounces. This celebrated avocado weighed 5.6 pounds and was from a 10-plus-year-old tree that is 20-foot tall and was planted with a seed received from a family member. They celebrated with a big bowl of guacamole.

Richard Huckle was one of Britain’s most evil pedophiles and was serving 22 LIFE sentences after admitting to sexual abuse of as many as 200 children and babies. Children and babies! I say ‘was’ because someone strangled and stabbed him to death in prison, with a makeshift weapon that may have been fashioned from a toothbrush. There is a fellow inmate of interest that has been placed in isolation pending investigation of the murder. Hmmm. Someone should bake that guy a cake.

Lake Jackson City Hall will have Paper Shredding on Saturday November 2, from 8am to 11:30am at 25 Oak Drive., sponsored by Texas Gulf Bank.

Sign of the Time: Movie fans will soon be able to rent and buy films for viewing at home…from movie theater chain AMC Entertainment, the largest multiplex operator in the world. It’s called AMC Theaters on Demand and will offer about 2,000 films for sale or rent after their theatrical runs (about 90 days), just as iTunes, Amazon and other video-on-demand retailers do. Films will cost about $3 to $5.99 to rent and $9.99 to $19.99 to buy.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Len Cariou is 80. Sweeney Todd in the original cast, which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Marilyn McCoo is 76. The 5^th Dimension. Actor Barry Williams is 65. Greg on The Brady Bunch. He grew up in Santa Monica, after he turned 4 years old, he became one of those annoying kids who were bound and determined to get into show business. He was neighbors with actor Peter Graves, whom he idolized and asked for advice on how to become an actor.

American author, journalist, and film critic Renata Adler is 82. Singer Jeannie C. Riley is 74. Harper Valley PTA. Soul blues gospel singer Sherman Holmes is 80. Composer Mike Post is 75. Theme songs for Law & Order, NYPD Blue, The Rockford Files, L.A. Law, Quantum Leap, Magnum, P.I., and Hill Street Blues. Musician Robert Lamm is 75. Chicago. Olympic silver medal figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is 50.

Retired South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Laurate Desmond Tutu is 88. Country singer Kieran Kane is 70. Can’t Stop My Heart from Loving You. Recording executive Simon Cowell is 60. Rock musician Charlie Marinkovich is 60. Iron Butterfly. Actress Melinda Dillon is 80. The mother in A Christmas Story, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Harry and the Hendersons. Singer Marie Osmond is 60.

A couple of weeks ago, Ellen DeGeneres was publicly criticized after being spotted sitting next to President George W. and Laura Bush at a football game. She responded with, “Here’s the thing, I’m friends with George Bush,” she said. “In fact, I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have. We’re all different, and I think we’ve forgotten that’s okay that we’re different. When I say, ‘Be kind to one another,’ I don’t mean only the people that think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone. Doesn’t matter.” Way to go, Ellen. Thanks for the reminder.

Elton John said, “I admire Ellen for very eloquently standing up and saying what she did. Unfortunately, what our democracy has become now is that it’s not okay to have different opinions than yours and that is not healthy,” John, 72, said. “George Bush has made a lot of mistakes. I made a lot of mistakes. Ellen DeGeneres has made a lot of mistakes. … Yes, there were decisions that he’s made, but that was made by Democratic presidents and Republican presidents. And I admire Ellen for standing up and saying what she did.” John went on to praise Bush, 73, for launching the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a United States governmental initiative that, since its creation in 2003, has saved over 17 million lives and provided more than $80 billion in funding for HIV/AIDs treatment, prevention, and research. “PEPFAR came from the Republicans, people have to remember that,” John said, calling Bush’s program “the most incredible thing a Republican president has done on a philanthropic level.” “People need to come together. They need to respect people’s view on life. Except when it’s heresy, and I don’t think George Bush is that kind of guy.”

Harley-Davidson shares fell after the company halted production of LiveWire, the electric bike that they think will attract a whole new family of Harley enthusiasts and followers.

In Raleigh, NC, three women ran a ‘dementia fight club’ at an assisted living facility, where they encouraged residents to get into physical altercations. One staff member posted video of a fight between two residents with dementia, where no one intervened as one resident was strangled until her face turned red. One of the three employees can be heard in the video saying, “Stop screaming, [expletive].” Another one prompts one of the residents to “punch her in the face.” Another one is concerned that the phone is actually recording the video, so that it could be sent to her later. The three women were charged with misdemeanor assault on an individual with a disability. Sigh. Bet momma is proud.

THANK YOU: To Tri-City Auto who fixed my parking light so I wouldn’t be stopped on my way to the party (or perhaps even worse, being stopped on my way home from the party.) Great guys. To the hard-working neighbors that trimmed the roses at the entrance of our subdivision, then hauled them off. Looks wonderful! To David Novosad and al of Brazosport Tire for putting ‘new booties on my baby’ in record time. If you need new tires, be sure to use Brazosport Tire. They’re the best. Plus, by the time you leave there, David will have personally introduced you to five new friends. Hope you enjoyed the pie.

Halloween: Dark, eerie, full of treats and the scariest night of the year. October 31 can be traced back to an ancient Celtic festival that marked the Celts’ new year on November 1. Halloween came to be known as the end of summer and the start of winter – a season associated with death because of its darkness and frigid weather. It’s said that on the last day of October, the boundary between the living and the dead become blurred, allowing ghosts and spirits to return to Earth and roam about with the humans. Whether you decide to celebrate Halloween by walking your neighborhood with kids, watching a scary movie, reading a spooky story, or spending the night in a haunted house, it’ll be a memorable occasion.

During the day, I don’t believe in ghosts. At night, I’m a little more open-minded. Unknown

October is Breast Cancer Month. Everywhere you look there are pink ribbons…but when YOU spot one, are you really paying attention? I’m here to tell you that they’re all just soft, gentle reminders to those of you that haven’t had your mammogram this year, to get on it and make it happen. I know better than anyone how important that can be. In 2003, I came really close to not going in for my mammogram. It had only been a year and I was young, or so I thought. But the appointment was already scheduled and what the heck, I’ll go. Believe me, no one hated mammograms more than me. Pain, but for just an instant. This year was no different. Then I received the radiologist report. “ABNORMAL: there is a finding on your mammogram that requires further tests for a more thorough evaluation. You should contact your physician as soon as possible, if you have not already done so.” Just typing these words on my computer still makes me feel like someone just scooped out a large portion of my stomach, leaving nothing but a huge gaping hole. Then the requested second mammogram was a month later, a biopsy the next month, then surgery two months after that. Five long horrible months had passed. It was like a runaway train going super slow. I just wanted to get off for a moment but couldn’t. It’s such a lost feeling. Was I weak to have let this bad thing into my body and my life? Your head spins, your thoughts about being a woman are questioned, and your worries about how this will affect your partner is first and foremost on your mind. Will he still love me if I’m not complete? My heart was scared for my 4 and a 7-year-old. What if I die? Then a new reality took hold, shook me and I realized that MY life is far more than a couple of boobs. Or at least it should be. Double mastectomy? Lumpectomy? I barely thought about it. I went for the double because I never wanted to look back and wish that I had done more. I wanted to never be in this situation again. There were babies at my house that I needed to see graduate from high school. I could write this whole column, all 2000 words, for the next month about this subject, but I’ll save it for the book. 😊 Bottom line is that today I’m sitting here and telling you all about it. My life is great! Was it easy? Absolutely not, but real life is pretty messy. That’s why they encourage you to eat dessert first. Call and make your mammogram appointment if you haven’t already done so. Gentlemen, you’re not excused from this conversation. You also have breast tissue, so if you even kinda suspect that something is going on, get your yah-yah in gear and see your doctor. It’s important to understand that most breast lumps are benign but get there quick. A small bump in the road of life is well worth the time if you get to finish the trip.

Thanks for reading us. If you can’t find a copy of The Source Weekly (at the more than 600 locations where we now drop) and would like the paper delivered directly to your inbox, then be sure to call to let us know your email address. Every Thursday morning compliments of our office. 979-285-9200

Lisa

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What I Heard This Week 10-26-2023

by Source Weekly on October 25, 2023 - 0 Comments

Former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, recently remarried for the fourth time, which also happened to be on the occasion of his 93rd birthday. This time it was to Dr. Anca Faur, his 63-year-old, long-time companion (who looks like she wants to be 27), has a PhD in chemical engineering, and is now the executive vice president of Aldrin’s company, Buzz Aldrin Ventures. He was first married to Joan Ann Archer in 1954 until divorcing in 1974. The next year he married Beverly Van Zile; they divorced after three years. His third marriage was to Lois Driggs Cannon in 1988 on Valentine's Day, divorcing 23 years later. Looks like he hasn’t given up on ‘love’ quite yet. He has sued two of his children and his former business manager claiming they stole money from him and are slandering his legacy, and that they also undermined his "personal romantic relationships" by forbidding him from getting married. His children say he is also spending money at an alarming rate. Sounds like those children are out of luck. There is a new sheriff in town and her name is MRS. Aldrin. ☹ Notes: Aldrin is also a strong advocate for human exploration of Mars. In 2002, he escaped assault charges after punching a man who demanded he swear on a Bible that the Moon landing was not staged. Good for him. He also said, “Tang sucks. “
What I Heard This Week 11-30-2023

by Source Weekly on November 29, 2023 - 0 Comments

Former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, recently remarried for the fourth time, which also happened to be on the occasion of his 93rd birthday. This time it was to Dr. Anca Faur, his 63-year-old, long-time companion (who looks like she wants to be 27), has a PhD in chemical engineering, and is now the executive vice president of Aldrin’s company, Buzz Aldrin Ventures. He was first married to Joan Ann Archer in 1954 until divorcing in 1974. The next year he married Beverly Van Zile; they divorced after three years. His third marriage was to Lois Driggs Cannon in 1988 on Valentine's Day, divorcing 23 years later. Looks like he hasn’t given up on ‘love’ quite yet. He has sued two of his children and his former business manager claiming they stole money from him and are slandering his legacy, and that they also undermined his "personal romantic relationships" by forbidding him from getting married. His children say he is also spending money at an alarming rate. Sounds like those children are out of luck. There is a new sheriff in town and her name is MRS. Aldrin. ☹ Notes: Aldrin is also a strong advocate for human exploration of Mars. In 2002, he escaped assault charges after punching a man who demanded he swear on a Bible that the Moon landing was not staged. Good for him. He also said, “Tang sucks. “
Much Ado About Nothing - Texan in Winter

by Source Weekly on December 6, 2018 - 0 Comments

The power went out at my house last night for four hours. While this may not seem like a major catastrophe as it was the middle of the night and […]
Much Ado About Nothing - “Human Bait”

by Source Weekly on January 16, 2020 - 0 Comments

My dad always told me to have a backup plan in case my current job doesn’t work out. I wasn’t sure what that’d be until I saw this ad: “HUMAN […]
What I Heard This Week! December 20, 2018

by Source Weekly on December 20, 2018 - 0 Comments

The AK-47 is a type of assault rifle originally manufactured in the Soviet Union in 1949. A 17-year-old Humble High School student accidently shot herself recently with an AK-47 that […]

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Lake Jackson, TX 77566
Published in Lake Jackson

TEL: 979-285-9200
FAX: 979-285-9255