How About A "Snow Donut"...?

Because we had so much snow, and many places are still getting another round, I figured that we would look at a cool feature of this white stuff!

People make some fairly impressive creations using snow, but I think that Mother Nature once again proves that She can outdo our puny attempts!

Snow Donuts

You know how when you were a kid, and it snowed outside, the first thing you did was roll up a nice big snowball? You either threw it at somebody’s face or made a snowman with it (depending on what type of kid you were), but that’s not the important part of the memory right now. The important thing—the fantastic thing—is that nature has its own way of rolling snowballs: snow donuts. These rare shapes are formed—under perfect temperature conditions only—when a mass of snow either falls or is blown by the wind. If it manages to catch on to some other snow, and gravity or the wind is in its favor, then the new snowball will roll itself in the exact same way we all used to. In this case, though, the middles tend to collapse to create a donut shape, which can end up as tall as 26 inches (66 centimeters).

Now, don't get me wrong, but I think snow is very pretty on postcards! I just don't really want to live in an area where it is a regular occurrence. Been there and done that! I'll settle for a little frost once or twice during the Winter!

Coffee outside again this morning. I have some donut holes with powdered sugar! That OK?

One More Monday Mystery...!

We all enjoy a good mystery once in a while, right? That's why I started having Monday as a day for mystery.

Some times these mysteries have an explanation and sometimes they don't. The unexplained are the ones we like the best!

Annette Sagers

On November 21, 1987, Korrina Lynne Sagers Malinoski, a 26-year old woman from Mount Holly, South Carolina, mysteriously disappeared when she did not show up for work and her car was found parked in front of the Mount Holly Plantation. But that’s not even the most bizarre aspect of this story. On October 4, 1988, Korrina’s 8-year old daughter, Annette Sagers, was on her way to school and went to the bus stop in front of the Mount Holly Plantation… and she mysteriously vanished as well!

To make things even stranger, a note was found at the bus stop which read: “Dad, momma come back. Give the boys a hug”. While it looked like it may have been written under duress, handwriting experts determined that Annette likely wrote the note. It’s been speculated that Annette’s mother may have returned to reclaim her daughter so they could disappear together, but she also left two sons behind and no one in their family has heard from either of them in 25 years. In 2000, an anonymous caller claimed that Annette’s body was buried in Sumter County, but that lead never panned out. Overall, this is a truly baffling mystery with no discernible solution.

In a case like this, I believe that the families are the ones that suffer the most. I just can't imagine not knowing what happened to a loved one. Bad news would probably be better than no news at all, I think!

Coffee out on the patio this morning. How about some snickerdoodles?

Soggy Sunday 'Toons...!

Since it's raining here at the moment, I figure this would be a good day to kick back and watch some 'toons, right?

I think this would be a great day to read a book, don't you? I love to read and rainy days make it all the nicer. Napping is another good way to pass the time when it's raining! Of course, the best day is one where you can do both! Just one perk of being single!



Haven't seen ol' Bugs in a long time!



Maybe we should have another one!



Well, enough of the cartoons. Let's put on some nice music, grab a good book, and start a big pot of soup. Good way to spend a wet Sunday!

Coffee inside this morning. Too wet outside and I'm a wimp today!

The Denver Conspiracy...!

I'm sure many of you have seen or heard of the conspiracy theory that surrounds the Denver airport, but I thought I would mention it again!

You have to admit that any conspiracy with as much tangible proof as this airport should be mentioned more than once, right? Besides, we haven't had a good conspiracy story in a while!

Denver International Airport

Denver International Airport is the largest airport in the United States, and the third largest in the world. Conspiracy theorists crawl all over this as the secret cover for the New World Order’s underground headquarters. Their reasoning is that the base is abnormally far from Denver’s center, 25 miles. The airport is extremely expansive, and boasts a very strange architectural appearance. The main building is comprised on a tent structure, similar to a circus tent, made of white fabric, that is designed to remind the visitor of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, which can be seen from the airport.

But theorists claim that it is designed to resemble Indian teepees, in an effort to appease the dead Indians buried here. It is a fact that the main airport building is centered precisely on what once was an Indian burial ground. But creepier than this are the weird murals in the main building. Their designers claim to have been required to use such symbols as the Nazi Black Sun, and a scene depicting the destruction of a city and forest, with a girl holding a Mayan tablet prophesying the end of the world, and any conspiracy theorist will tell you that the room’s name, “The Great Hall,” is an obvious reference to Freemasonry.

It is a fact that the murals were commissioned by Wilma Webb, wife of Denver’s mayor, and that she conducted a Masonic dedication of the airport just before its opening.

I've seen a show with Jesse Ventura on this airport, and it was interesting!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning, as the rain is coming back. Cinnamon toast this morning, OK?

Problems With The Internet Today...!

For some reason, Comcast is cutting off a lot today. I'm going to try and finish this post before it goes out completely, but no promises!

I wanted to share a little history about Mr. Pike this morning. This was one interesting man, to say the least! Too many times, folks like Pike get sort of lost in the shadows of more prominent figures and that's a shame!

Apr 27, 1813:

Explorer Zebulon Pike dies

After surviving two dangerous exploratory expeditions into uncharted areas of the West, Zebulon Pike dies during a battle in the War of 1812.

By the time he became a general in 1812, Pike had already faced many perilous situations. He joined the army when he was 15, and eventually took various military posts on the American frontier. In 1805, General James Wilkinson ordered Pike to lead 20 soldiers on a reconnaissance of the upper Mississippi River. Expecting to return before the rivers froze, Pike and his small band departed up the Mississippi in a 70-foot keelboat in early August. Slow progress, however, meant Pike and his men spent a hard winter near present-day Little Falls, Minnesota, before returning the following spring.

Less than three months later, Wilkinson ordered Pike to head west again. This time, Pike and his men explored the headwaters of the Arkansas River, a route that took them into Colorado. There, Pike saw the towering peak that now bears his name, and he made an ill-advised attempt to climb it. Grossly underestimating the height of the mountain and dressed only in thin cotton uniforms, Pike and his men struggled with deep snow and sub-zero temperatures before finally abandoning the ascent.

During this second expedition, Pike also became lost and wandered into Spanish-controlled territory. A Spanish patrol arrested him and took him into custody. Although Pike had indisputably lost his way, he had also hoped the Spanish would capture him so he could see more of their territory. This risky strategy paid off. Failing to recognize they were providing Pike with a golden opportunity to spy on the territory, the Spanish obligingly moved their prisoner first to Santa Fe and then to Chihuahua, before finally releasing him near the U.S. boundary at Louisiana.

Impressed with his daring and his reputation as an efficient officer, the military promoted Pike to brigadier general during the War of 1812. Having survived two perilous journeys into the Far West, Pike was killed on this day in 1813 while leading an attack on British troops in Toronto. He was 34 years old.

I have a feeling that a more careful study of history would find many more stories of folks like Zeb Pike, don't you? It's worth a shot!

Coffee out on the patio this morning. I have some chocolate fudge pie I'll share!

I LIKE This Chimp...!

Many of us are always talking about having the freedom to do exactly what we want, when we want! Well, some animals have those same ideas!

Surprisingly, there is one chimp that is taking "personal freedom" to a whole new level! I have a feeling that this chimp is a lot closer to some humans than we want to admit! He does what he wants, he's sneaky about it, and he is becoming a better shot! Gotta just love this chimp!

Santino The Chimp

Santino is a chimpanzee at Sweden’s Furuvik Zoo. Santino is a normal chimp—except that he’s a bit of a jerk. In 2010, Santino began throwing rocks at zoo patrons—which, to be fair, isn’t too far out of the ordinary.

What is strange, however, is that Santino started getting better at it. He began hiding rocks around his enclosure, under hay and behind boulders that were within striking distance of patrons. He would then wait for the zoo to get busy and begin hurling rocks at people. Scientists love to study Santino’s behavior because he exhibits foresight, an understanding of cause and effect, and the ability to plan; traits that are often thought of as exclusively human.

The rest of us are a little creeped out by this hyper-intelligent chimp. If he can organize a strategic rock attack against zoo patrons, how long before chimps launch a full scale rebellion against humankind and take over the world? Seems like a logical progression to me.

I'm thinking that maybe we should take a lesson from ol' Santino and follow his example! In order to keep the wardens of the zoo from taking your rocks, hide them! Not all in one place, but hide them all over.

Practice a lot so that you don't waste all your rocks due to bad shots. Make every rock count! The main thing to remember is...do whatever you want, as long as it pisses off the keepers of the zoo!

Coffee out on the patio this morning. It's a little cloudy, but it's not raining!

Arizona Ranger On Western Wednesday...!

I know that many times here I have sung the praises of the Texas Rangers, but other states had their share of notable Rangers as well!

No post about Arizona Rangers would be complete without giving the biggest nod to this man!

Apr 30, 1867:

Arizona Ranger Burton Mossman is born

Burton C. Mossman, a rancher turned lawman, is born in Aurora, Illinois.

Little is known about Mossman's childhood in Illinois, though he apparently learned to be self-reliant and resourceful at a young age. When he was 21, Mossman left home and moved to Mexico, where he quickly began proving himself one of the most canny and successful ranchers in the territory. By age 30, he not only had his own spread in New Mexico, but was also the superintendent of a two-million-acre ranch in northern Arizona running 60,000 cattle.

As the size of the southwestern cattle industry increased, cattle rustlers began to take advantage of the lack of surveillance on the isolated ranges to steal stock. In 1901, the territory of Arizona responded by organizing a ranger force to rid the region of rustlers and other outlaws. The governor of Arizona convinced Mossman to sign on as the first captain of the Arizona Rangers.

Mossman was suited to the task. Courageous and skilled with a pistol, he had a knack for surprising rustlers while they were still in possession of stolen cattle, freshly butchered beef, green hides, and other incriminating evidence. Though he could use violence to good effect when needed, Mossman preferred to trick his quarry into giving up peacefully when possible. In one instance, Mossman rode south alone in pursuit of the multiple-murderer Agostine Chacon, who had fled to Mexico. Clearly out of his jurisdiction, Mossman had to act with finesse. With the assistance of Burt Alvard, an outlaw turned lawman, Mossman convinced Chacon that he and Alvard were also outlaws and would help him steal several top horses from a ranch in southern Arizona. When the men crossed the border into Arizona, Mossman revealed his true identity and arrested Chacon, who was later hanged.

The Chacon arrest was a typical example of Mossman's approach to dealing with Arizona rustlers and outlaws. "If they come along easy, everything will be all right," he once explained. "If they don't, well, I just guess we can make pretty short work of them... Some of them will object, of course. They'll probably try a little gunplay as a bluff, but I shoot fairly well myself, and the boys who back me up are handy enough with guns. Any rustler who wants to yank on the rope and kick up trouble will find he's up against it."

After a long and adventurous career with the Arizona Rangers, Mossman eventually returned to the more peaceful life of a rancher. By the time he retired from ranching in 1944, he had business interests in cattle operations from Mexico to Montana, and more than a million cattle wore his brand. He lived out the remainder of his life at his comfortable ranch in Roswell, New Mexico, and died in 1956 at the age of 89.

Thanks again to the folks at History.com for letting us learn about the working heroes of the Old West! Mossman had a long and exciting life, it seems!

Coffee outside this morning. It may start to rain, but let's take a chance, OK?