What I Heard This Week! 09-17-2020
Taco Bell is debuting its own custom wine, Jalapeno Noir, to ‘pair’ with theirToasted Cheesy Chalupas. Taco Bell says, “The duo is irresistible. The rich taste and crunchy texture of the beloved Toasted Cheesy Chalupa complements notes of wild strawberry, cherry and beetroot in this silky limited-edition red wine.” ButI am here to tell you, if youdo not live in Canada, you will not be able to get your hands or your lips on this drink. Hopefully if the wine has a successful launch in Canada, Taco Bell will release it in U.S.
The hummingbirds are here again, and they are so much fun to watch. I sat on the porch last week for one solid hour and just watched. One bird would protect the feeders from another bird, but if a third one flew in, then the two would protect the feeder until the third one left, then the two would fuss with each other again. Sometimes they would both fly into the crepe myrtle tree that’s close by and soft pink blooms would float slowly to the ground looking like snow. It was special. Don’t forget that they need our help in preparing for their long trip. Nectar:Boil four cups of water to one cup of plain sugar until dissolved for the nectar, then don’t forget to clean out your feeders twice a week with unscented dish soap and water until cooler weather comes, then just once a week will be fine. If your hummers are many and empty the feeder, then clean it every time you refill it.
The third week of September is known as “Asthma Peak Week” because it is the one week of the year that there are many asthma flare-ups. High pollen and mold counts, cooler weather and an increased number of respiratory illnesses all seem to happen at the same time. Limit your triggers…your time outdoors, keep windows and doors closed, and shower after you spend a lot of time outside. You might even want to make sure that you have an unexpired rescue inhaler on hand.
A conservation biologist in Australia has come up with a cost-effective way for farmers to prevent their livestock from being attacked. It is called the ‘Eye-Cow.’ They take acrylic paint (mainly black and white or yellow), and paint eyes on the butts of cows. The contrasting colors are chosen to fool the predators into believing that the prey is not worthy of attack. (Aposematism is the advertising by an animal to potential predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defenses which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste or smell, sharp spines, or aggressive nature.) The basic idea came from the fact that some butterfly wings (along with some fish and birds) have eye-like patterns that help deflect preying birds, Woodcutters in Indian forests wear masks on the backs of their heads to ward off tigers hunting for prey. Lions are known to give up on their chase when they see their prey is alerted. He says, “The eye-cow technique is one of a number of tools that can prevent carnivore-livestock conflict. No single tool is likely to be a silver bullet.”
At a college town in Ohio, police arrived at an off-campus party to find twice as many people congregating than is allowed by the state’s mass gathering and quarantine ordinance. The police ran the ID of one person, only to find that there was an ‘input on the computer’ showing the young man had tested positive for COVID. The student admitted that he had tested positive a week before and then shared with the officer, that every single person at the party had tested positive, including two people from across the street. Well, well, well.
By the timeyou read this, Cat2 Sallyshould be history. She hit Alabama behaving like Harvey, moving only3mph, justhanging around and dropping massive amounts of water, with historic flooding expected for that area.Hurricane Paulette, along with Tropical Storms Teddy and Vicky, are still out there, along with Disturbance 1,2, & 3, all with expected changes by Friday. That is juston the Atlantic side. There is more action in theEastern Pacific and Central Pacific, that I am going to ignore right now.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Elizabeth Ashley is 81. Actor Ben Jones is 79. Cooter Davenport in The Dukes of Hazzard. Olympic gold medal skier Jean-Claude Killy is 77. Actor Barbara Bain is 89. Cinnamon Carter on TV series Mission: Impossible.Olympic gold medal runner Michael Johnson is 53. Actor Linda Grayis 80.Sue Ellen Ewing on Dallas. Singer Maria Muldaur is 77.Midnight at the Oasis. Bassist Tony ‘Tone’ Stevens is 71.Foghat. Actor Rachel Ward is 63. Thorn Birds. Singer Jennifer Hudson is 39. Actor Eileen Fulton is 87. As the World Turns.
Red-headed cartoon character Woody Woodpecker is 80. Actor Jacqueline Bisset is 76.The Deep. Bullitt. Actor, dancer, singer, sex symbolJoey Heatherton is 76. Actress Mary Crosby is 61. Kristin Shepard in Dallas. ComedianNorm Crosby is 93. Actor and former boxer, Mickey Rourke is 67. Actor Tommy Lee Jones is 74. Prince Harry is 36.
Diana Rigg died at 82. You might remember her as the witty, seductive spy Emma Peel onThe Avengers in the 1960s. She gained attention decades later as wicked Lady Olenna Tyrellon Game of Thrones. Rigg also played Bond girl Tracy Draco in 1969, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. She was the only Bond girl ever to marry 007 but was promptly killed off in the movie’s finale.
Back in March, a lifetime ago, we were all fighting TP hoarders, so this may be especially important information for you. Every year for the past 15 years, there has been theToilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest. You must use a sponsored TP, along with tape, glue, needle, thread, or sewing machine. Undergarments are ok, as long as they are not attached to the dress. There are different categories, traditional, modern,cultural, and themed. Send in pictures of your dress on either a mannequin or a person, then if they really like it, you will be asked to send the whole dress for further review. $10,000 Grand Prize. Last year’s winning dress, with 48 rolls of Quilted Northern TP, tape, and glue, completed an elaborate crocheted gown with a long train and three faux roses. True art. TPDressContest.com
As we watch koala bears and wildlife being consumed by fires in Australia, life destroyed and heartbroken people having nowhere to go or even fresh air to breathe in California and Oregon, flood waters consuming homes in Texas, Louisiana, Florida and the coastlines, ice melting, polar bears and penguinsand more, our hearts and minds just hurt so badly over the sheer scale of everything that’s going on in our world right now. There is actually a word for the melancholy homesickness that we have for the life we don’t recognize anymore, even though some of us never left home.PhilosopherGlenn Albrecht uses the term ‘solastalgia’ –combining the words nostalgia, solace, and desolation, to describe the profound sense of loss and isolation, overwhelming feelings of powerlessness and loss of joy in our lives. He states, it is “a form of homesickness one gets when one is still at ‘home.’”
It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either. Pirkei Avot. We must do something about climate change in our lifetime. We cannot just wait and hand this mess over to our children.
Tahlequah, the killer whale, is a new momma. In 2018, the orca became famous for carrying her dead calf on her head for 17 days over a distance of 1,000 miles off the coast of Washington and British Columbia. Her heartbreaking period of mourning touched people around the world as everyone felt the pain of losing a baby. The Center for Whale Research hopes this calf is a success story but notes there is about a 40% mortality rate for young calves, since whales are now showing nutritional stress relating to their limited food supply (less salmon), pollutants that accumulate in their fatty tissues, and boat traffic. Orca numbers keep declining with no signs of recovery. For now, researchers are calling the calf, J57.
We staybusy at our house, but my daughter and I were able to sneak in a show, The Durrells in Corfu. It is outstanding, with 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is a 26-episode British comedy inspired by Gerald Durrell’s three autobiographical books about his family’s real-life adventures on the Greekisland of Corfu(1935–1939). It isfunny, it is sad, and I hate that it is over.Obviously, I recommend it.
Friday is National Cheeseburger Day and we have a nice recipe for a delicious old-fashioned versionon page 8. If not, Chips (the old downtown LJ Red Top), Smithhart’s Grill and Dairy Bar all have great burgers, along with several other places, so support your restaurants and order a Cheeseburger PLEASE. Do you remember the Veggie Tales silly song, “His Cheeseburger?” The words are so cute.
We all know about sleep aids…music, hot baths, meditation, podcasts, and melatonin, in addition to some questionable over-the-counter stuff. Now PepsiCo is unveiling Driftwell, a new drink enhanced with ingredients to promote relaxation and help ease stress. It is packaged in an exceptionally beautiful blue can, containing 200mg of L-theanine and 10mg of magnesium, both believed to help you relax.
On September 11th, last week, there were 201 cases of virus reported in Brazoria County. That is an all-time high record. It ishard to put the genie back in the bottle unless everyone does their part.
There has been so much discussion about renters NOTbeing evicted because of lack of funds to pay their rent during the pandemic. Absolutely understandable. It is a more than unpleasant situation that the virus has put us in. But I have not heard a word about the property owners who are suffering because rent is part of their income. Everything I read seems to portray property owners as non-existent-beings that just sit around and count their massive amounts of money each month. What happens to them, for thishugeperiod necessary to accommodate their renters?There are taxes to pay and I hope you have $7000-$8000 necessary to replace the ac if it goes out. Oh, did I mention that the insurance is crazy expensive now. That doesn’t include repair to the refrigerator, the flooring, the paint, the leaky fireplace, the front door that won’t close, the light in the garage, the rotted boards on the deck, the gutters that fell, or the trees that are hanging over the roof that now threatens to get your very expensive insurance canceled. How do the property owners continue their lives, without their income? Just saying… it is a trickle-down with everyone suffering right now.
A man in a mask was trying to get something out of a vending machine, and turns to ask another man in line, properly distanced at 6 feet away, “Do you have a dime?” Man replies, “4:30.”
As I paid bills this week, I used my last personal check. YES, I still use checks, so I dug through the drawer to find a new book and make sure that the numbers were in order. I am bad about getting the checks out of numerical order. ☹ In the process of doing this, I found instructions on how to write a check.“1. Write the date numerically (mm/dd/yy). 2. Write the name of the party you are paying. 3. Spell out the dollar and cents amount here (ex. Two hundred seventeen and 40/100). 4. Optional space to indicate what the payment is for. 5. Sign your name. Your signature makes the check a negotiable document.” I remember learning this as a freshman in high school. They taught us to balance our checkbook, too. I would be willing to bet that my own children have never ever balanced their checking accounts. That is the reason for adebit card, so they can check their balances.
- After writing the above paragraph, I am wondering why the word ‘number’has a letter ‘b’ but the word numerical does not? Which brings me to the word ‘doubt’ which has a silent ‘b’ but comes from the word dubious, which does not have a silent‘b’- such a subtle difference, those silent b’s. Seems dumb. Which reminds me, why do we call the numbers, eleven and twelve. They should be oneteen and twoteenin order to follow the pattern. Alright. I am now finished. Have a great weekend and don’t forget to safely support your community. Things are desperate now. Lisa
