What I Heard This Week 12-29-2022
General Motors is recalling 825,000 trucks and SUVs in North America because daytime running lights may not deactivate when the headlights are on, potentially causing excess glare. This recall covers various Cadillac CT4 and CT5; Buick Envision; Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles from the 2020 to 2023 model years. GM said the body control module software can be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air update to address the issue. Now this next recall is a little more serious. Subaru is recalling 271,000 Ascent SUVs with model years 2019 to 2022, due to increased fire risks, urging owners to park their vehicles outside until repairs are completed.
If you see a dryer sheet in your mailbox, it probably means that your postal carrier has seen wasps, yellow jackets, or other stinging pests in or near your mailbox, which is a very cozy place to hang out. Do your part to try and get rid of pests, then change out the dryer sheet every so often so your postal carrier can appreciate your love and care. Don’t forget to do something nice for your postal carrier this holiday season. And sanitation people (where would we be without them!). Bank tellers, teachers, babysitters, police and fire department, restaurant wait staff, doctor’s office, baristas, gardeners, dog groomers, hairstylists, mentors, or people you admire. If you need an excuse to say thank you, it’s time.
My sister and I were talking a few weeks ago, and she happened to mention she was getting ready to make Bourbon Balls. I told her that I was planning the same thing so I could take them to neighbors this year. We spoke about the fact that we both still use our mom’s recipe from when we were growing up. Mom made Bourbon Balls then stored them in coffee cans with waxed paper, sending plenty to my uncle when he was in the Marines. He was very popular around mail time after cracking open his cans of whiskey-soaked cookies.
After our call, I went through my old recipes and found the hand-written Walnut Bourbon Balls recipe from 1972, in my sister’s handwriting. She would have been in 8th grade, so you understand where our family priorities were. Tina took the index-card copy of the recipe, scanned it, cleaned it up, and had pretty copies printed for me. I’m going to frame them for Christmas, give one copy to my sister and one to my niece. Here is the recipe, just in case you have some spare coffee cans that need filling:
2.5 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about a 12 oz. box)
2 tablespoons cocoa (the better the cocoa, the better the balls)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (or walnuts and flaked coconut)
3 tablespoons corn syrup
¼+ cup Bourbon – plus a tad bit more for sipping – maybe more because it’s going to be cold. 😊
Additional powdered sugar for rolling
Combine wafer crumbs, cocoa, powdered sugar, and walnuts. Add corn syrup and bourbon, mix well. Form into 1-inch balls, roll in additional powdered sugar. Balls freeze well and thaw in about 30 minutes.
Honey never expires. If it’s kept in an airtight container, the National Honey Board says honey remains good forever, even if it crystallizes or darkens over time. Just finished reading about the fact that 50% of the US lakes and rivers are too polluted for swimming, fishing, or drinking. Elon Musk has stopped paying rent on offices and has told staff not to pay vendors, along with considering denying severance pay to laid off workers. Inflation slowed at a higher rate than expected in November. Studies now show that Covid-19 can still persist in the bodies of infected patients well after death, even weeks. In Harris Co. a 66-year-old man was arrested after throwing a puppy from a second-story balcony to concrete below, breaking the dog’s leg where the injured limb had to be amputated. You know exactly what I think!
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Guitarist Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones is 79. Actor Hector Elizondo is 86. Singer Billie Eilish is 21. Director Steven Spielberg is 76. Movie critic Leonard Maltin is 72. Country singer Janie Fricke is 75. Magician Criss Angel is 55. Actor Tommy Cole of The Mickey Mouse Club is 81. Talk show host Phil Donahue is 87. Drummer Bobby Colomby of Blood, Sweat and Tears is 78. Actor-comedian Ray Romano of Everybody Loves Raymond is 65. Country singer and actor Red Steagall is 84.
Actor Jane Fonda is 85. Actor Samuel L. Jackson is 74. Country singer Lee Roy Parnell is 66. TV anchor Diane Sawyer is 77. Actor Ronnie Schell of Gomer Pyle, USMC is 91. Actor Frederic Forrest of Lonesome Dove is 86. Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane is 82. Actor Susan Lucci of All My Children is 76. Singer Ricky Martin is 51. Twilight series author Stephenie Meyer is 49. Actor Jennifer Beals is 59. Musician John McEuen of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is 77. Actor Brad Pitt is 59. Actor Ralph Fiennes is 60.
Steelers legend, Franco Harris, died at 72, just three days before the Pittsburgh Steelers were set to honor and retire his No. 32 on the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception, perhaps the single most iconic play in NFL history. Trailing 7-6 with 22 seconds remaining in the 1972 AFC Divisional Round matchup against the Raiders, Harris caught an errant Terry Bradshaw pass that caromed off the Raiders safety Jack Tatum just inches before it hit the ground and then scampered to the end zone for a game-winning touchdown. That play sparked a dynasty for Pittsburg. Football was so much fun then. The Steelers have not allowed any player to wear No. 32 since Harris left the franchise.
Singer-songwriter, Shirley Eikhard, died at 67. She supplied hit songs for Cher, Emmylou Harris, Anne Murray, Chet Atkins, and others. She wrote Something to Talk About in 1985 and offered it to several artists, but all declined to record it. Then years later, Bonnie Raitt recorded it as her first single on Luck of the Draw album and won best pop vocal performance at the 1992 Grammy Awards.
Cecily Strong is leaving Saturday Night Live after 11 seasons. She follows fellow cast members Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson who left at the end of last season. My favorite will always be the John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Chris Farley, and the Dana Carvey’s through the years… plus so many more. They entertained us with Coneheads, Roseanne Roseannadanna, Candy Slice, Buckwheat, Gumby, Mister Robinson, Wild and Crazy Guys, Church Lady, Samurai (Samurai Hotel, Samurai Hitman, Samurai Night Fever, Samurai Optometrist). Thanks for such great memories.
Your success and happiness lie in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. Helen Keller
“There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, that heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet.” Brooke Medicine Eagle
A 16-year-old high school student was very upset when she learned that her yearbook photos had been edited when someone removed her chemotherapy port scar from her chest. She said, “I wasn’t really self-conscious of having the port because that was the access to heal me, to cure me. That’s not something that I want to try to hide because that saved my life.” She said that she understands why the yearbook company filters pictures, because so many people now think they have to filter and edit their own looks, it’s considered normal behavior. What a shame we have become so self-obsessed.
A Philippine artist uses his own blood to produce canvas paintings that have received both praise and criticism because of his unusual choice of medium. He was born in a low-income household with little access to school and art supplies. He experimented with the color from plums and tomatoes, then happened to scrape himself when he was younger, realizing that bloodstains are hard to remove. He visits his town’s health clinic every three months, then stores the blood in a cooler in his art studio. Next up, he plans to create the largest blood painting ever on a 328 ft. canvas, setting a world record. I know, right now you’re saying to yourself, “Where does she find this nonsense? 😊 Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday. Charles Lamb
A young man in Tokyo has his dream job. He gets paid to do nothing. In the past four years, he has rented himself out over 4,000 times. Once he went to a park with a person who wanted to play on a see-saw. Once he beamed and waved through a train window at a complete stranger who wanted a proper send-off. He had tea and cakes with a woman who wanted to wear a sari but was worried that it might embarrass her friends if she wore it out with them. His companionship business supports a wife and child.
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin
In Stockholm they installed a speed camera; if you drive at or under the speed limit, you’ll be entered into a lottery where the prize money is funded from the fines that speeders pay. There has been a reduction in speed of 22%.
It has been several years now since I started writing in this space. From the beginning I wanted you to be able to read this column like we were sitting across the table from each other, having a nice chat and a cup of coffee. Over the years, I received many words of love about what I write (thank you), along with occasional indifference, some disagreement, and even a bit of hostility every now and then. I work hard to find fun facts and repeat them to you. Sometimes facts are not compatible with everyone. Often, I let you know what my real thoughts are (since you can’t actually see me rolling my eyes), especially when a story hangs on the edge of ridiculous and absurd. I always take your kind and/or harsh words as a good sign because I know you are reading this. So, what if some of the details that I find fascinating, you totally disagree with, or vice-versa. This is what makes life interesting, and I appreciate you continuing to take the time to read it all. And continuing to shop with us. And continuing to sell with us. We thank you for your support in 2022 and wish you the best in 2023. We are nothing without YOU!
But always remember: Have your adventures, make your mistakes, and choose your friends poorly. All these make for great stories. Happy New Year.
LISA
Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com
