What I Heard This Week! 01-28-2021
Right after the kids and I adopted Teller the Wonder Dog, I believe I mentioned (bragged) that he never sheds. Hah. Well, had to be because all his hair was brand new. When I first met him downtown, he was rather bald in spots, only all over his body. I first thought it was mange, but now we know that he has allergies and must be on a grain-free diet. Now he sheds everywhere. Luckily, he really likes to be brushed and touched, but it is still a mess to contend with, especially since we also have three shedding cats. There is a sticky brush positioned in each room now, so we can do a little clean-up on our way out the door each morning. Today Tina and I came up with a brilliant idea. She suggested vacuuming Teller each day. Oooo, how about a little box like a car wash, that you put your pet in to, then it blows and vacuums them, and when the green light comes on, they are free to roam the house without shedding. We. Will. Make. Million$.
Barbie will be 62 years old this year. That is when most people start thinking about retirement and grandkids. In fact, Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company’s largest and most profitable line. However, sales have declined sharply since 2014. I guess that’s why Barbie’s iconic Malibu Dreamhouse mansion is on Airbnb. It is not the one-story cardboard Barbie Dreamhouse that I had as a kid, it’s a real-life version of the three-story structure that was manufactured between 1998 and 2008. There is a walk-in closet full of incredible fashion that reflects her many successful careers…astronaut, fireman, doctor, veterinarian, yoga instructor. There is a personal cinema, a deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean, right next to the infinity pool and plenty more glamour, along with a monstrous amount of pink. “Life is plastic, it’s fantastic.” From what I can find, I believe the house must be owned by Mattel.
With spring plantings around the corner, please remember to save your 1-gallon nursery pots and donate them to the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, at 299 Hwy 332 West in LJ. They also need Five Gallon Buckets, Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, and Chicken Scratch, along with bags of plain white sugar for the Hummers that they feed all year long. Note: Their fundraiser Brew on the Bayou has been postponed (again) to November 6, 2021. We must do everything we can, to support non-profits during this crazy time. I just look for reasons to go to Tractor Supply, so guess where I will be on Saturday morning?!?
Just heard that the Clarion Inn on 332 is closed. Back in the glory days, it was called The Ramada and was THE happening place, mainly because it was big, and all the rooms overlooked a great big indoor swimming pool in the middle of the building. It was one of the few places at that time, to have a big party. There was drinking, live bands and partying that COVID would not believe. I think there may have been a couple of sure-footed people that ended up in the pool at a function or two. I hope I have my timeline right. Years later, the pool was filled in, a huge fountain appeared, the parties continued, and it became The Swiss Cherotel and Conference Center, locally owned by the Raschle family. Swiss chef, Dominic, COULD cook up a storm. My favorite was his mushroom risotto which was not even on the menu. You know how hard risotto is to cook, and he made it just for me. My toddler son loved the fountain and called it the “Ramada Water.” You could take Gage by there every single day, and he was just as thrilled as the day before. Years later, it became the Clarion Inn, and my only memories are delivering papers when my carrier didn’t show. I know that I am not the only one in town with memories of the place, some sweet, and some not so sweet, and some that I cannot even repeat. I can only hope that they rebound and are back as a part of our community soon. It is always a negative when a hotel shuts their doors. Revenues from hotel-motel tax are used for a variety of projects that help promote our city as a tourist destination for meetings, conventions, historic and cultural travel, and other types of attractions. Wear your mask. Please.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Journalist Betty Rollin is 85. Former NFL quarterback Eli Manning is 40.Singer Harry Wayne Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band is 70. Singer John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) of the Sex Pistols is 65. Actor-comedian Garrett Morris is 84. SNL. Singer Don Everly of The Everly Brothers is 84. Guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is 71. Actor-writer-producer Billy Mumyis 67. Will Robinson in Lost in Space. That will make you feel old. Singer Lisa Marie Presley is 53.
Comedian Tom Smothers is 84. Singer Graham Nash is 79. Singer Howard Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers is 75. TV chef Ina Garten is 73.Barefoot Contessa. Bassist Ross Valory of Journey is 72. Model Christie Brinkley is 67. Actor Blythe Danner is 78. Guitarist Dave Davies of The Kinks is 74. Singer Melanie is 74. Brand New Key. Actor Morgan Fairchild is 71. Actor Nathan Lane is 65. Singer Fabian is 78.
Drummer John Steel of The Animals is 80. Singer Florence LaRue of the Fifth Dimension is 79. Singer Alice Cooper is 73. Country singer Clint Black is 59.Singer Al Kooper is 77.Blood, Sweat and Tears. Actor Barbara Hershey is 73. Actor Mamie Van Doren is 90. Untamed Youth. Actor Mike Farrell is 82. M*A*S*H. NBC news anchorman Tom Brokaw is 81. Singer Rick Astley is 55.Drummer Simon Phillips of Toto is 64.
Hammerin’ Hank Aaron, who shattered Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1974, died at 86. Country singer Randy Parton, Dolly’s brother, died of cancer at age 67. Actress Dena Dietrich died at 91. In case you don’t remember her, she played Mother Nature in the Chiffon Margarine commercials, back when we thought margarine was good for us. Phil Spector died at 81, in a California state prison. The strange and revolutionary music producer produced 20 top 40 hits between 1961 and 1965, including “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “Be My Baby,” and “He’s a Rebel,” as well as Righteous Brothers’ epic “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” the 1965 hit said to be the song most played on radio and television in the 20th century. He transformed rock music with his “Wall of Sound” method and was later convicted of murder. He had the crazy hair. Larry King, legendary talk show host, died at 87 of COVID. Joanne Rogers, who served as chairman of the board of Fred Rogers Productions, and was the widow of Fred Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” died at the age of 92.
More “A Florida Man” Headlines -A Florida Man and Woman Were Run Over by Patrol Car While Lying in Road to Watch Eclipse. A Florida Man Beat, Pepper Sprayed Mom Because ‘She Was a Narcissist. A Florida Man Finds a WWII Grenade, Places It in His Truck, Then Drives to Taco Bell. A Florida Man Learns Hard Way He Stole Laxatives, Not Opioids. A Florida Man Accused of Robbing Chinese Restaurant at Finger Point. A Florida Man Spent Weeks in Jail for Heroin That Was Actually Detergent. A Florida Man Thought He’d Do Donuts on the Airport Runway. Police Were Not Amused. A Florida Man Tried to Run Over Son Because He Didn’t Want to Take a Bath. A Florida Man Dances Through DUI Sobriety Test.
Elementary kids have iPhones. When I was a kid, I put glue on my hands just so I could peel it off when it dried.
The 59th Annual Shrimp Boil & Fish Fry is Saturday, from 11 -1 at the LJ Civic Center. It is the same delicious food, but you’ll need to support them this year by getting in line for take-out only. The same fabulous auction (with such amazing deals) will be online. See page 9 of this paper, activate your phone’s camera, and scan the code to visit the live auction site, plus all the details you need. If you do not know a Rotarian, then call Scott Ferry 979-299-9821, to get your car raffle ticket. Rotary does so much for our community, so do NOT forget they need our support more than ever this year.
The Perth Zoo’s resident male Sumatran orangutan, Dinar, was given a police escort when he left the zoo for the first time in 17 years…to go to the eye doctor and get an eye check. Malaysian researchers developed a method to transform fiber found in normally discarded pineapple leaves to make a strong material that can be used to build the frames for unmanned aircraft, or drones. Just over a year since the first reported COVID-19 case in the US, the country has now hit 25 million infections.
Two snails are talking. “You know my wife left me with the kids last Spring? You want to know the hurtful part?”
“What is it? “I can still see them at the bend in the road.” (Stolen from Dave Mayberry because it made me laugh.)
February 2 is the most-watched weather forecast of the year, and the only one I know of that has a rodent as a leader. Legend has it that if the groundhog can see its shadow on this day, there were be six more weeks of winter. Well, since South Texas has not really seen winter yet, I am wondering how this is going to work. My poppies and bulbs believe spring is here. Perhaps they saw a squirrel and said, “That’s close enough.” Since the groundhog aka woodchuck or “whistle pig”) hibernates for the winter, its’ coming out of the ground is a natural sign of spring. In Europe centuries ago, people watched other hibernating animals, including badgers, bears, and hedgehogs, as signs of winter’s end. Germans who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s began keeping an eye on the groundhog, because there was an over-abundance of them available to watch for this fun superstition. Here in Brazoria County, we just have beavers on every corner.
New study confirms cats cannot spread COVID-19 but would if given the option. (It’s a joke.)
Donald Trump had a little red button in the Oval Office. If he pushed it, a single glass of Diet Coke on a silver tray was delivered. He drank about 12 per day. Supposedly the red button has been removed and Biden has added a Moon rock from Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the Moon. The rock was recovered by Gene Cernan, and Harrison Schmitt who served with Biden in the US Senate. The red button sounds like way more fun.
Joe Exotic, of Tiger King fame, believes he was too gay to receive a pardon from Trump. Tom Brokaw is retiring after 55 years at NBC. The threshold for dangerous global warming will likely be crossed between 2027 and 2042…much sooner than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s estimate, which was between now and 2052. A Texas doctor was charged with “theft by a public servant” after allegedly stealing a vial of vaccine so he could give shots to friends and relatives. The vaccine theft happened he was working at the county vaccination site in Humble. The new James Bond movie, No Time to Die, has been delayed again because of COVID, and this time the release date is expected to be October 8. The movie should be quite successful in theatres if we can ever get them open. This is #25 in the iconic spy franchise, with Daniel Craig in his final role as Bond.
“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” John F. Kennedy
From now until February 9th, we are encouraging you to send us your sweet Valentine wishes for the people you love. It is FREE so be sure to include your mail carrier, your kids, bank teller and your neighbor…anyone you can think of. This year it is so important to say nice things to each other and the people that take care of us. Call 285-9200. It will only take a moment. Valentines will be published February 11. There is no excuse for you not doing it. Thanks for taking the time to read us this week. We appreciate you more than you know.
LISA
