What I Heard This Week! 04-29-2021
Last week I squatted down to a lower cabinet under my bathroom sink to grab a new giant size bottle of shampoo. Because I had just stepped out of the shower, I had slathers (is that a word? – if not, should be) of lotion on my hands, so as the bottle started slipping, I grabbed for the cabinet door, then the towel rack, and eloquently slipped away from both things that could have saved me. At that point, because I was still squatting, I knew I could not rescue myself, so I quit fighting, fell back, hit a picture frame, and cut my elbow nicely in two spots. Sigh. Two days later, I was opening a package of fresh chicken with my favorite knife and cut the tip of my finger. I could not get it to stop bleeding, so I kept ointment and pressure on it inside a finger cot for several days before I dared even look at it. After about three days, I put on a band aid, then almost immediately hit, and broke open the wound again. A week later, I am just now keeping it open, but still typing with nine fingers. So, feeling quite adventurous, I decided to shave my legs yesterday. You guessed it; I sheared the skin off my ankle. I am calling it very-slow death by self-mutilation. Keep in touch. This is how it begins. 😊
Arbor Day is April 30th. Go to the Arbor Day Foundation at ArborDay.org and honor friends and loved ones with the gift of a tree. Just imagine the difference we could make if everyone gave someone a tree this year. For any and all occasions. First off, by giving a tree you are showing your appreciation, but you are also making a huge contribution to our world for generations to come. Trees come in all different sizes and variety, and the cost is so affordable, starting at just $5.00. You spend more than that on your morning coffee. My order came in this weekend, so I planted one Black Tupelo, three Red Oaks, two River Birch and one tiny Shumard Oak that I dug out of my garden where a squirrel had buried an acorn last year. What did I learn from a day of digging holes for trees? Well, I am now hyper-aware that I am now not as capable of digging big holes in hard ground, as I was a few years back. Therefore, these trees may just be planted a bit close together where the ground was softer, but what the heck. I will get to see them ‘be beautiful’ in my lifetime. But what happens in 20 years…ahh. I must worry about that in 20 years.
In the 1950s, a radical new design, the geodesic dome, changed the way engineers looked at domes for the first time in 2,000 years. Invented by architect Buckminster Fuller, the geodesic dome is a partial sphere shape structured from a series of triangles, rather than a series of arches. The historic 70-foot-high geodesic Cinerama Dome in Hollywood has announced closing for good, due to unrecoverable pandemic-year-losses. It is a one-of-a-kind structure that opened in November of 1963, built to house what was then a new widescreen Cinerama system, which employed a 70mm single-projector process of displaying on a huge, curved screen. Their first show was the world premiere of It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Yes, it is!
So, you are staying inside, practicing social distancing, and cleaning yourself? Congratulations! You have become a house cat.
The blast was described as “earth-shaking,” and reportedly cracked the foundations of neighbors’ homes. People in surrounding towns said they felt the blast, with one resident capturing it on his doorbell camera…a town away. Some people thought there had been an earthquake. As it turns out, the “large explosion” at the site of a construction company was just 80 pounds of Tannerite that a young couple decided to detonate at a party to reveal the sex of their baby. What!? I am beginning to think that if you have a “failed” gender reveal party, then you may not be fully equipped to raise a child. When did we get so competitive about something that should be so sweet and simple? In a Texas zoo, a couple safely tossed a watermelon filled with blue Jell-O into the mouth of a hippopotamus. The hippo bit down on the watermelon, oozing gender-revealing blue gunk for their audience. Dad-to-be was slammed for saying “thank God” that it was a boy instead of a girl. Two steps forward, ten steps back.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Country singer Duane Allen of The Oak Ridge Boys is 78. Singer Tommy James is 74. Tommy James and the Shondells. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is 67. Actor Leslie Jordan is 66. The Help, Will and Grace. Actor Daniel Day-Lewis is 64. Actor Michelle Pfeiffer is 63. Actor Eve Plumb is 63. Brady Bunch. Singer Carnie Wilson of Wilson Phillips is 53. Actor David Birney is 82. Singer Toni Tennille is 81. Singer Engelbert Humperdinck is 85. Singer Lou Gramm of Foreigner is 71. Singer Christopher Cross is 70. Sailing. Drummer Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead is 75.
Singer Mary Hopkin is 71. Her 1968 debut single of “Those Were the Days” was produced by Paul McCartney. Actor Alex Cord is 88. Airwolf. Guitarist Mark Bryan of Hootie and the Blowfish is 54. Actor Roma Downey is 61. Touched by an Angel. Sports announcer Greg Gumbel is 75. Country singer Stella Parton is 72. Dolly’s sister. Singer Jackie Jackson of The Jacksons is 70. Singer-actor Pia Zadora is 69. Country singer Randy Travis is 62. Actor Mary McDonough is 60. The Waltons. Singer Bob Seger is 76. Newsman Brian Williams is 62. Singer Jimmie Dale Gilmore is 76. Country singer Larry Gatlin is 73.
Joe Long, born Joseph Louis LaBracio, who played bass with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, died at 88, from complications of COVID. In September 2020, another former Four Seasons bandmate, Tommy DeVito, also died from coronavirus complications.
In February, a mysterious hacker infiltrated a computer for the water treatment system of Oldsmar, near Tampa, and increased the amount of sodium hydroxide, (also known as lye), from 100 parts per million to 11,100 parts per million. This chemical is used in small amounts to control the acidity of water, but we all know what it will do in larger quantities. A very observant supervisor noticed the measurements of the chemical suddenly changing on the computer screen, right before his eyes and promptly reversed the amounts. We are so vulnerable.
Saturday was shred day at Texas Gulf Bank. I loaded up my limit of five boxes and put the additional boxes in my daughter’s car. As I drove by the bank, I saw the line. I rolled down my window and asked them where to go. Since the line was so long, they offered to unload my boxes and take them directly to the shred truck. I declined (of course) and told them that I would serve my time and get in line. He said the line is really long. “No problem, I have all day.” Well, the end of the line was close to HEB, in front of Third Coast Bank. I was still feeling confident as we turned the corner by city hall, until the sweet lady told me that five cars in front of me would need to be the last in line because the shred truck was full. Dang. Oh, well. They told us to get there early, but if I had to weigh my morning decisions I would have to say that the cup of coffee on the back porch swing admiring the flowers, birdfeeders, and the squirrels, sure was probably worth it. TGB said they will likely do a shred day again in the fall.
Academy Awards: We dressed up, wore flashy jewelry, ate pizza, played Oscar Ballot Bingo, and had fun at my mother-in-law’s house on awards night. I was plenty in-the-dark because I had only watched a little bit of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Hillbilly Elegy, Emma, and a tiny bit of Borat. But my son and his grandmother had watched most of the films, were well informed and opinionated. My observations were, Brad Pitt had a man-bun, which was way-cuter than Halle Berry’s new haircut, Anthony Hopkins’ best actor win upset Chadwick Boseman fans, some people even forgot where they were and said things that had to be bleeped. I hope they remember not to invite them next year. Netflix beat all the studios with seven Oscars. Tyler Perry was honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in recognition of his charity efforts. He was a pure and gracious gentleman with a powerful acceptance speech. The award is given annually to “an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.” I understand that the Motion Picture Academy chooses supreme creative effort over popularity, but I do believe there should be a Most Popular Film category.
“What’s deep is that God gave us 12 notes. It’s the same 12 notes that Duke Ellington had, Bach had, Nina Simone (had),” Jon Batiste said, accepting the Oscar for “Soul” with fellow composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails fame. “I’m just thankful to God for those 12 notes.”
Southwest has told almost 3,000 flight attendants and pilots on leave that they will be needed back on the job by this summer. 4,000 of its 61,000 employees took buyouts and early retirement packages last year. It is called vaccine hesitancy and it could become a problem because only 25% of US adults have been fully vaccinated. We are getting so close, but no victory to claim just yet. Delta will start filling the middle seats on May 1. On Earth Day, New York City sued BP, Shell, and Exxon for “systematically and intentionally deceiving” New Yorkers about the leading role fossil fuels play in driving climate change. The CDC says fully vaccinated Americans can go without masks outdoors except in crowded settings. FYI: That does not mean the grocery store. COVID-19-related deaths in the United States have now surpassed 573,000, but the average number of daily COVID-19 vaccinations nationwide declined 14 percent to 2.7 million. Plan your vaccine so we can get back to normal. Please.
The new Downton Abbey movie will be released Dec. 22, just in time for the holidays. The original principal cast all return again for this 2nd movie; the first was released in 2019 before our world got so messy. What a great gift to be reunited with Lord & Lady Grantham, and the family. No word yet on the story line. There is nothing better than Broadway theatre, BUT…I just received notification of a new musical, Diana, the Musical, that was supposed to have opened the end of March 2020. Hmmm. We know what happened in March 2020. It says Tony-winning writers of Memphis and director of Come from Away will bring legend Princess Diana to thrilling new life on Broadway. Musical? Princess Diana? Research was needed here. It said because of COVID, Diana was filmed without an audience and will air on Netflix Oct. 1st. COVID brought amazing things into our lives by necessity. Some good, some bad.
Do not forget to VOTE. This is a $26.5 million Bond Election and will consist of 7 propositions that include street and drainage improvements, expansion and renovation of the police department, and construction of a new animal control facility.
Hope you were able to see the Pink Supermoon last week. It is not named because of the color, because it is not really a different color, it is just closer to the Earth. It is named after early springtime blooms of pink flowers called wild ground phlox, which appear throughout the U.S. and Canada. It is also named the sprouting grass moon. NASA released never-before-seen images from the Hubble Telescope. Some of the pictures were amazing. Have a great week, and thanks for shopping and reading with us. We appreciate you!! Make someone happy at your house, clean out the garage and sell something in The Source.
Lisa 😊
