In Florida, eight years ago, a 79-year-old retired police SWAT commander told a 43-year-old unarmed man in a movie theatre, to put away his phone during the movie previews. The man and his wife were checking on their 22-month-old daughter at daycare. An argument developed, and the man with the phone grabbed the retired police captain’s popcorn and flicked it into his face, then supposedly threw his cellphone at the man. The retired police captain said, “he feared for his life and was completely defenseless”, so he pulled out his .380 handgun and fired a single shot into the man’s chest, killing him, while muttering “Throw popcorn in my face.” He said, in his entire law enforcement career, he had never fired his gun, and the movie theatre situation was the most scared he had ever been. In his entire law enforcement career! Oh, he was acquitted by a jury last week. Hmmm. Security video did not even catch the cellphone being thrown.  This is one crazy short-tempered world we are living in right now.

In a TikTok video I saw, a guy is holding an empty Starbucks cup and deciding out loud whether to throw it in the trash or the recycle side. “Oh, boy,” he says, “I can’t wait to help the environment,” before releasing his cup in the recycling hole vs. the trash hole right next to it. “Yeah, help the environment.” Then he opens the garbage can cabinet to show us that both the recycling and trash go straight into one single oversized trash can. It is suggested that the video was made at Subway. Shame on you, Subway. Be a part of the solution, not just another problem.

You know what they say, there are three things that cannot be hidden for long. The sun, the moon, and the truth.

“Political life no longer has to do with healthy debates about long-term plans to improve people’s lives and to advance the common good, but only with slick marketing techniques primarily aimed at discrediting others. In this craven exchange of charges and countercharges, debate degenerates into a permanent state of disagreement and confrontation.” Pope Francis

Chappell Hill Lavender Farm is getting ready (March 5^th) for spring. Painting classes, greeting card workshops, yoga, and growing lavender classes… all in addition to visiting the farm (which is free), sitting in the gazebo overlooking the water, and just simply, enjoying the outdoors. Miniature goats, Fonzie, Oreo, and Moonshine, will help entertain you. The freeze of last year hit Chappell Hill pretty hard so they decided to replant some of their fields, and are hoping that their blackberries, peaches, and figs will be good this year. There are also several varieties of lavender plants available for purchase. I’ve told you before about their famous Lavender Pecan Crisps that are made with culinary lavender buds.  I found the following recipe, compliments of Texas Highways magazine. They are so delicious.

Lavender Pecan Crisps
2 cups sugar
4 sticks softened butter
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 teaspoons ground lavender
4 cups corn flakes
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Cream sugar and butter. Mix in dry ingredients, then fold in corn flakes and pecans. Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Makes about 36 cookies.

RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Author John Irving is 80. The World According to Garp. Actor Laraine Newman of Saturday Night Live is 70. Singer Jay Osmond of The Osmond’s is 67. Singer John Cowsill of The Cowsills is 66. Singer Jon Bon Jovi is 60. Two Grammy Awards; in 1983 for the Joe Cocker duet Up Where We Belong and in 1987 for the Bill Medley duet The Time of My Life. Actor Paula Prentiss of 1975′s The Stepford Wives is 84. Musician Emilio Estefan of the Miami Sound Machine is 69. Actor Catherine O’Hara of Home Alone is 68. Actor Patricia Heaton of Everybody Loves Raymond is 64. Magician Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller is 67.

Sally Kellerman, best known for playing Major Houlihan, died at 84. She played a straitlaced, by-the-book Army nurse who is tormented by rowdy doctors during the Korean War in M*A*S*H. In the show, she is carrying on a torrid affair with equally uptight Major Frank Burns, demanding that he kiss her hot lips in a moment secretly broadcast over the camp’s public address speakers, and that’s how she earned the nickname. Actor Ivan Reitman, most famous for Animal House and Ghostbusters, died at 75. Bridget Hanley, best know for Here Come the Brides and Harper Valley PTA, died at 80.

The New York Times just bought the viral word game, Wordle, for a hefty sum, “in the low seven figures.” I’ll add this information for the math challenged. According to LogicalDollar.com, seven figures refer to a number with seven digits, meaning that it can be any amount between 1,000,000 and 9,999,999, meaning $1 million or more, but less than $10 million. Wow, you just never know. According to Wikipedia, Josh Wardle initially created the game for himself and his partner to play, eventually making it public in October 2021. The game gained a large amount of popularity in December 2021 after Wardle added the ability for players to copy their daily results as emoji squares, which were widely shared on Twitter. The NY Times plans to keep it free for all players, but the game has been moved to their website.

New York University is now offering a class that examines “both the appeal and aversions to Taylor Swift through close readings of her music and public discourse.”  No one had fun classes like that when I was young.

The families of several victims killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have reached a $73 million settlement with Remington, the now bankrupt manufacturer of the AR-15-style rifle used in the massacre that left 20 children and six adults dead. The families sued Remington in 2014, alleging the gun maker should be held partially responsible for the shooting because of the marketing strategy that allegedly reinforced military-style images of combat weapons. 

A man won the NY Lottery’s $10 million Deluxe scratch-off last month. That is great news, but it gets even better. This is his second win after he won the same amount in 2019, winning the top prize in the $350 million Cash Spectacular scratch-off ticket. The guy said he is “still trying to spend the $10,000,000,” he won three years ago. How sad and such a burden. The ship that caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean last month with all the luxury cars aboard, suffered harsh weather and sunk around 220 nautical miles off the coast of Portugal’s Azores Islands. At least $155 million in losses plus the ship.

Two pharmaceutical companies are seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to switch their oral contraceptive pills from prescription to over-the-counter status. Some argue that making these pills available over the counter would be a game-changer, however, the FDA process for the switch is a little more complicated as it revolves around whether a label can be designed for people to take the product as instructed and provide information that will help decide the right drug.

Thanks to reader, R.J. for this. I laughed when I heard this years ago, and I laughed today when I opened the envelope. Hope it doesn’t hit too close to home. A man tells his wife he is going hunting over the weekend and adds, “Be sure and pack me some clean undies.” Upon returning home, the wife asks about his trip. The husband says, “I missed a shot on a great buck.” As an afterthought, he says, “I thought I asked you to pack me some clean undies?” The wife says, “I did, they were in your gun case.”

As of February 21, 2022, in Brazoria County 18% of the hospital beds were occupied by Covid patients. High stress on the system is considered 10% to 20%. The state of Texas as a whole was at 22% which is considered extreme stress. Worldwide, we have passed the 435 million mark for infections, and Covid has been blamed for more than 5.9 million deaths. So, keep your mask on for just a little longer. I want normal, too, but right now may not the time to do that. Let’s talk in three weeks. COVID19.who.int

First it was our avocados. If you haven’t picked up a few, then you could regret it. In years to come, you’ll be telling your grandchildren about how good guacamole was. Now, health officials have detected a highly contagious strain of bird flu in many U.S. states, allowing more fear to creep into the poultry industry. Several farms in Indiana and Kentucky have been shuttered in the past weeks. Farmers say they have been stunned by how efficiently the virus kills, with animals dying hours after the initial infection. So far, no human cases of the virus have been detected in the U.S.

The world started losing sleep last week when Russian President Putin launched a horrible invasion of Ukraine. I received this prayer from Paul Geisler at Christ Lutheran Church. Thank you, Paul. I think it is quite perfect. It is credited to Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Faith Vigil for Peace in Ukraine. The courageous Ukraine people could use our help in prayer right now.

A Prayer for Ukraine
O Lord, God of life, as you care for all creation, give us your peace. May our security come not from weapons, but from respect. May our strength come not from violence, but from love. May our own wealth come not from money, but from sharing. May our path be not one of ambition, but of justice. May our victory not be one of revenge, but of forgiveness. Unarmed and confident, help us to defend the dignity of all creation. Sharing today and always the bread of solidarity and peace. Amen.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shown a dignified strength and defiance that should make all other political leaders stand in awe and shutter, as they wonder if they themselves are truly deserving of any power at all. This man continues to amaze. He and his family will not leave their fellow countrymen and women to hide. He said the two countries don’t need a war, “not a Cold War, not a hot war, not a hybrid war.” But added that if Ukrainians came under attack, they would defend themselves. “When you attack us, you will see our faces – not our backs, but our faces.”

“Indifference makes you an accomplice…” Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy is a law-school graduate, comic-actor in a TV series (playing a school-teacher catapulted into the presidency after a student posted a viral video of him ranting about corruption in politics), co-founded a successful TV production company, and produced shows for a network owned by controversial billionaire Ihor Kolomoisy, who later backed his presidential bid. As a teenager he and his best friend shared a pair of Western jeans, which they would take turns to wear on dates. His candidacy in the 2019 presidential election was initially seen by some as a joke, his political party called the Servant of the People party, but he won with 73% of the vote. A person wrote recently, “Zelensky has suddenly grown cojones of cosmic proportion.”  A global hacking group Anonymous, has launched “Cyber War” against Russia. Many Western businesses are cutting ties with Russia. The list is so long, but the best I heard was Apple. You know that will hurt Russia the most.

LISA