You Can't Cure Stupid...!

Although this is just a made up case, it could just as easily be true!

For all of us that have been around the public much over the years, have probably met a few folks with the same I.Q. level as this guy! Opens up a whole new way to entertain ourselves, doesn't it?

You might know that I got this from my Baby Sis, who has a slightly twisted sense of humor...sorta like mine! I wonder if this is a family thing?

Vet Caps and Morons

A few days ago my best friend from high school sent me a ' Viet Nam Veteran' cap. I never had one of these before, and I was pretty hyped about it, especially because my friend was considerate enough to take the time to give it to me.

Yesterday, I wore it when I went to Walmart. There was nothing in particular that I needed at the world's largest retailer; but, since I retired, trips to Wally World to look at the Walmartians is always good for some comic relief. Besides, I always feel pretty normal after seeing some of the people that frequent the establishment. But, I digress...enough of my psychological fixations.

While standing in line to check out, the guy in front of me, probably in his early thirties, asked, "Are you a Viet Nam Vet?"

"No," I replied.

"Then why are you wearing that cap?"

"Because I couldn't find the one from the War of 1812." I thought it was a snappy retort.

"The War of 1812, huh?" the Walmartian queried, "When was that?"

God forgive me, but I couldn't pass up such an opportunity. "1936," I answered as straight-faced as possible.

He pondered my response for a moment and responded, "Why do they call it the War of 1812 if it was in 1936?"

"It was a Black Op. No one is supposed to know about it." This was beginning to be way fun!

"Dude! Really?" he exclaimed. "How did you get to do something that COOOOL?"

I glanced furtively around me for effect, leaned toward the guy and in a low voice said, "I'm not sure. I was the only Caucasian on the mission."

"Dude," he was really getting excited about what he was hearing, "that is seriously awesome! But, didn't you kind of stand out?"

"Not really. The other guys were wearing white camouflage."

The moron nodded knowingly.

"Listen man," I said in a very serious tone, "You can't tell anyone about this. It's still 'top secret' and I shouldn't have said anything."

"Oh yeah?" he gave me the 'don't threaten me look.' "Like, what's gonna happen if I do?"

With a really hard look I said, "You have a family don't you? We wouldn't want anything to happen to them, would we?"

The guy gulped, left his basket where it was and fled through the door.

By this time the lady behind me was about to have a heart attack she was laughing so hard. I just grinned at her.

After checking out and going to the parking lot I saw Dimwit leaning in a car window talking to a young woman. Upon catching sight of me he started pointing excitedly in my direction.

Giving him another 'deadly' serious look, I made the 'I see you' gesture. He turned kind of pale, jumped in the car and sped out of the parking lot.

What a great time! Tomorrow I'm going back with a Homeland Security cap.

Whoever said retirement is boring just needs the right kind of cap!

Sometimes I wonder if all us old retired farts enjoy coming up with ways to mess with the heads of those that are so gullible! We probably do! At our age, we take our fun where we can find it, ya know?

We'll have our coffee on the patio this morning, if that's alright with you!

Just Another Monday Mystery...!

I know that this is one I've never heard of before, so I figured you all might enjoy finding out about it as well!

I have to admit that today's little mystery is bizarre, to say the least! But then again, that's what makes it perfect for our Monday mystery, isn't it?

Overtoun Bridge

The Overtoun Bridge is an arch bridge located near Milton, Dumbarton, Scotland, which was built in 1859. It has become famous for the number of unexplained instances in which dogs have, apparently, committed suicide by leaping off it. The incidents were first recorded around the 1950′s or 1960′s, when it was noticed that dogs – usually the long-nosed variety, like Collies – would suddenly and unexpectedly leap off the bridge and fall fifty feet, to their deaths. In some cases, however, the dogs would survive, recuperate, and then leap off the bridge again. What makes this tragic mystery even more mysterious is that many of the dogs that jump from Overton Bridge jump from the same side and from almost the same spot: between the final two parapets on the right-hand side of the bridge.

Some believe that the bridge is haunted. In 1994, a man threw his baby son off the bridge, claiming that it was the anti-Christ. Later, the man attempted suicide there as well. Was Overtoun Bridge responsible for this tragic event? Some believe that Overtoun Bridge is a “thin place”, where the barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead meet, and sometimes cross over.

I don't know about you, but I think I'll stay away from this bridge. I certainly am not letting my cat anywhere near it, that's for sure!

Thanks again to Listverse for the information!

Coffee out on the patio again this morning, but today I have some good ol' sweet potato pie! How's that?

And Now For Something Different...!

Today I'm changing things up a bit.

It seems that a few folks don't like the way I do a blog. Know what? I DON'T CARE!!

What makes some people think that everything has to be done by their rules! If push comes to shove, anyone that doesn't like a little humor in the morning can find another place to visit, right?

How about starting off with Abbott and Costello? We haven't seen them for a while!



These guys were very special in the way that they made folks grin a bit!



See? I enjoyed that! In the end, it's all about liking what you do. I like to laugh and grin and smile! I also enjoy helping others to do the same! If that upsets some people, I'm sorry for them! I like to share and if I can share a smile or a grin, I'm good to go!

Coffee on the patio this morning. I have some fresh purple plums I'll put out, so help yourself!

Strange Animal Facts...!

This is a bit off the norm, but it is very fascinating!

Wild and wooly way to start the Saturday! I love these weird things!

1. The tuatara is a lizard-like creature endemic to New Zealand, and it is thought to have existed for at least 200 million years (if you believe in evolution, or 6,000 years if you believe in special creation). The most fascinating aspect of tuataras is their third eye – complete with lens, cornea, rods and nerve tissue connecting it to their brain. This suggests that the eye was a fully functioning eye in times gone by. By six months of age the eye is covered by scales. Tuataras are the only remaining species of the sphenodontia genus.

2. Another fascinating fact about ants is that some species send their queen into neighboring nests, where she will bite the head off the resident queen and begin laying her own eggs to take over.

3. On average, sharks kill 10 humans every year. But here is the thing: approximately 100 people die each year when they are stepped on by cows. Remember that next time you are in a field of cattle.

4. Woodpeckers slam their heads into wood at a rate of 20 pecks per second. What protects them from injury is a spongy area that sits behind their beaks and acts as a shock absorber.

5. In the seventeenth century, when anti-Catholicism and anti-papacy was rife throughout the puritan world, puritans would stuff wicker effigies of the Pope with live cats and then set it on fire – taking much glee in the screaming anguish of the poor cats.

6. Unlike most animals, the word for butterfly in European languages do not resemble each other. In German it is schmetterling, in French it is papillon, in Spanish it is mariposa, in Italian it is farfalla, in Dutch it is vlinder, and in portuguese it is borboleta.

7. To vomit, some frogs spew out their entire stomach, rinse it off with their right hand, and then push it back in.

8. The hoatzin (pronounced watseen) bird is a vegetarian which, due to its strict vegetable diet, has stomachs similar to a cows to help it digest. The need for large amounts of food makes these birds very heavy, and consequently bad fliers.

9. Manatees have two teets beneath their forelimbs, which is very likely to be the cause of the many tales of mermaids heard around the world in the days of great sea voyages.

10. Here is one for all the animal rights activists. The giant tortoise was often killed for its delicious oil, which was considered by the Dutch the only way to make the flesh of the now extinct Dodo bird palatable. The flesh of the giant turtle is sufficient to feed several men and virtually every part of it is a taste sensation (including the bone marrow and eggs).

Over at Listverse where I found this article, they had pictures but I decided against including them here. I haven't had my coffee yet and I wasn't quite ready to face this yet!

Speaking of coffee, let's have ours out on the patio this morning. Hopefully it won't rain!

Unusual Place For This Friday...!

Since Friday is the day I try and choose a good spot for us to check out, I picked a good one today.

The world is so full of wonderful and beautiful places that most of us will never get to visit. Thank goodness for web sites like Listverse that make it possible for us to at least take a virtual trip to them!

Sanqingshan

China

Sanqingshan has been considered a sacred place. Used by Taoists for meditation, and believed to lead to immortality it’s easy to see why. Sanqingshan is shrouded in mists for 200 days of the year. The mist gives an otherworldly quality to the mountain, along with thousands of streams that pour into pools, granite formations that resemble silhouettes of humans and animals, and strangely shaped pine trees. The pools and vegetation create unique environments that lure many exotic and rare birds and animals to make their home there. Sanqingshan is home to about 2,500 plant species. This is one of the only places to find the plants that are used in making traditional Chinese medicines.

It really is breathtaking, isn't it? I can only imagine the sounds coming through the mists early in the morning!

Coffee on the patio this morning! How about some fresh sliced apples and cheese wedges on the side?

Useful Health Warning...!

I don't share things like this very often, but this one is worth it!

It's so good to finally get a health warning that is useful!!!

IT INVOLVES THE SHAMPOO WHEN IT RUNS DOWN YOUR BODY WHEN YOU SHOWER WITH IT!!!!

WARNING TO US ALL!!!

Shampoo Warning!

I don't know WHY I didn't figure this out sooner!

I use shampoo in the shower!

When I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body, and printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning,

"FOR EXTRA BODY AND VOLUME."

No wonder I have been gaining weight!

Well! I have gotten rid of that shampoo and I am going to start showering with Dawn dish soap instead. Its label reads,

"DISSOLVES FAT THAT IS OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE."

Problem solved!

If I don't answer the phone I'll be in the shower!

We'll take a chance and have our coffee on the patio this morning! I have some fresh nectarines I'll share!

Western Wednesday, Sort Of...!

Although this story is not typical of the western stories we normally do, I figured it was pretty close!

It has plenty of the things we often find in western themes, like beautiful scenery, colorful hard drinking men, and folks that were very creative about they made a living!

Jul 25, 1897:

Jack London sails for the Klondike

Jack London leaves for the Klondike to join the gold rush, where he will write his first successful stories.

London was born in San Francisco in 1876. His father, an astrologer named Chaney, abandoned the family, and his mother, a spiritualist and music teacher, remarried. Jack assumed his stepfather's last name, London.

From an early age, London struggled to make a living, working in a cannery and as a sailor, oyster pirate, and fish patroller. During the national economic crisis of 1893, he joined a march of unemployed workers. He was jailed for vagrancy for a month, during which time he decided to go to college. The 17-year-old London completed a high school equivalency course and enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley, where he read voraciously for a year. However, he dropped out to join the 1897 gold rush.

While in the Klondike, London began submitting stories to magazines. In 1900, his first collection of stories, The Son of the Wolf, was published. Three years later, his story The Call of the Wild made him famous around the country. London continued to write stories of adventure amid the harsh natural elements. During his 17-year career, he wrote 50 fiction and nonfiction books. He settled in northern California about 1911, having already written most of his best work. London, a heavy drinker, died in 1916.

Ya know, thanks to sites like History.com, we can all learn some interesting things about folks from our past. Sometimes what we thought we knew turns out to be so much more! Don't you agree?

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. These daily storms are coming in very quickly and dumping a lot of rain!

Mixing Politics And Computers...!

If you are already as tired of the political scene as I am, then this might work for you.

My Baby Sis sent this to me and I wanted to share it with everyone, regardless of what your politics may be, I think you may find it humorous...at least, I did!

HOW TO START EACH DAY WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK

1. Open a new file in your computer.

2. Name it 'Barack Obama'.

3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.

4. Empty the Recycle Bin.

5. Your PC will ask you: 'Do you really want to get rid of 'Barack Obama?'

6. Firmly Click 'YES.'

7. Feel better?

GOOD - Tomorrow we'll do Nancy Pelosi.

That's just about as involved in politics as I want to get today!

Coffee in the kitchen as it looks like rain again. However, I do have some fresh peach pie! Sound good?

Monday Means A Mystery...!

Today I have a good one for us to ponder!

Many of you may have heard of this place before, but I have to admit my ignorance of it until I found this information on the net! It is pretty interesting and makes for a good mystery!

Huge Lake in Chile Disappears Overnight

20/08/2009 23:53:00

In May 2007, a huge lake in Chile literally disappeared overnight. The only things left behind was a giant, 30 meter deep pit, icebergs, and dry soil!

All of the water and its contents were gone. Despite the fact this strange incident took place more than two years ago, word is just now getting out about it. As word is finally starting to spread across the internet, UFO enthusiasts and paranomalists are putting forth theories as to how something like this could have happened.

This wasn’t a small lake or pond, either---it was approximately five miles long! Located in Patagonia, Chile, the last time geologists saw it was in March 2007 and nothing appeared strange or different about it at all. What could have happened within just two short months? How could a giant lake disappear out of nowhere? In addition to the lake simply vanishing, a river that flowed from the lake was reduced to a very small stream.

When this story first broke, many people thought it was just a hoax, and indeed it does seem too bizarre to be true. It is true, however, despite how baffling it is. Apparently the icebergs were still left behind---intact, despite the fact that the water was gone. Geologists also report huge cracks at the bottom of the pit. Did the water somehow drain through the cracks? Was there some sort of earthquake? Why then were the icebergs fine?

One glacier specialist, Andres Rivera, explained to a Chilean newspaper that the lake itself did not even exist three decades ago. So, is it possible that the landscape in that part of the world is reforming itself? Geologists and glacier specialists are currently doing tests to see what they can find out about the bizarre landscape in that area.

While some are holding out to see if there could be any scientific explanation about what happened, some media reports are trying to claim that the water was actually drained by UFO’s! Is this just media sensationalism, or something more? Whether there is a scientific explanation for what happened or paranormal, only time will tell.

This isn’t the first time a lake disappeared out of nowhere. There have been a few instances in the past where an earthquake caused water to drain. The only problem with this theory in this case in point is that there had been no reports of any earthquakes in that particular area in spring of 2007.

I told ya it was a good one, didn't I ? I think that one of the reasons this is so great is that it's for real! I sure would like to know what caused this lake to go away, wouldn't you?

Coffee on the patio this morning. I have some macaroons with a caramel topping!

Funny Sunday Again...!

I know that everyone is waiting with much anticipation to see just what is on the cartoon lineup today!

I figured we would do a little Bugs Bunny today. Ol' Bugs sorta gets a bad rap, being from Brooklyn. Maybe we should just cut him some slack, even if it's only for a day! OK by you?



Just to keep Bugs company, we'll throw in some Porky Pig and his sidekick, Daffy Duck! This one will give us a glimpse of the future of law enforcement!



I know that some will think this is a waste of time, but seriously...what were you in such a rush to do anyway? Kick back and relax a bit, my friend! Stress isn't good for ya, ya know?

Coffee on the patio this morning. I still have some fig newtons if you'd like one.

Saturday Is Donut Day...!

It's really not donut Saturday, but I like them anytime and this seemed as good a time as any!

Here is a little history about donuts that you may not know. Heck, I didn't even know that donuts had a history of their own! Kinda cool, actually!

Mysterious History of Donuts

Fascinating Fact: No one really knows when donuts were invented or who invented them.

Donuts (doughnuts in UK English), were originally made as a long twist of dough – not in the ring form that is most common these days. It was also common in England for donuts to be made in a ball shape and injected with Jam after they were cooked – this is still very common. Both methods of cooking involve no human intervention as the ball and twist will turn itself over when the underside is cooked. The ring donut common to America just seemed to appear – but one Hansen Gregory, an American, claimed to have invented it in 1847 when he was traveling on a steam boat; he was not satisfied with the texture of the center of the donut so he pressed a hole in the center with the ship’s pepper box.

I got this information off of Listverse! If you want to see some really good list about all things, give them a visit!

Coffee on the patio this morning and we will share some...you guessed it, donuts!

A City That Never Was...!

Since this is travel Friday, I thought we would go some place in our minds only.

That is necessary because this place was never built. It should have been but sadly, it wasn't! I, for one, would love to live in a place like this!

Straight from the good folks at Listverse, here's one to think about!

Triton City

Buckminster Fuller was a brilliant visionary, scientist, environmentalist, and philosopher who, in the 1960s, developed a bold design. It was dubbed Triton City and was intended to be a floating utopia for up to 5,000 residents. His giant, floating city was designed to encourage people to share resources and conserve energy.

Fuller was initially commissioned by a wealthy Japanese patron to design a floating city for Tokyo Bay. He died in 1966, but astoundingly enough, the United States Department of Urban Development commissioned Fuller for further design and analysis. His designs called for the city to: be resistant to tsunamis, provide the most possible outside living, desalinate the very water that it would float in for consumption, give privacy to each residence, and incorporate a tetrahedronal shape which provides the most surface area with the least amount of volume. Everything from education to entertainment to recreation would be a part of the city. Fuller also claimed that the low operating costs would result in a high standard of living.

HUD eventually sent the plans to the U.S. Navy where they were dissected and analyzed even further. The city of Baltimore, upon hearing of the project, became interested and petitioned to have Triton City moored off of its shores in Chesapeake Bay. However, as municipal and federal administrations changed, the project languished and was never brought to light. Today, there are derivatives of Triton City, such as the artificial island Kansai and its airport in Osaka, Japan, but they pale in comparison to the scope of Triton City.

What an imagination it took to envision such a place! Too bad that some of old visions can't be brought to bear in this age of the commonplace!

Coffee on the patio this morning. Already hot, but it's gonna get worse!

Little Problem In Denver...!

You might want to avoid any vacation trips to Denver for a bit.

This is the kind of thing that could certainly ruin your vacation if you met it face to face, know what I mean? Imagine having to keep all the kids and small pets inside all summer, just because of a silly little 6 foot Monitor lizard running loose!

Residents warned: 6-foot lizard loose in Colorado

STEVEN K. PAULSON, Associated Press

Updated 09:42 p.m., Tuesday, July 17, 2012

DENVER (AP) — A sheriff has warned residents in a tourist town northwest of Colorado Springs that a strong, aggressive 6-foot lizard that eats small animals — including dogs and cats — is on the loose in the area.

Teller County Sheriff Mike Ensinger said Tuesday that a 25-pound pet Nile monitor lizard has gone missing after breaking a mesh leash and crawling away.

Ensinger said about 400 homes in the Woodland Park area were warned. He added that the animal, which escaped Monday and is known as Dino, has not bitten any humans — yet.

"We have a 6-foot reptile out and about," Ensinger said. "If it gets hungry enough, we don't know what it will do."

Ensinger said his animal control division is searching for the animal.

Area resident Rick Stasi said the sheriff's advisory was unsettling, warning "pet owners and parents are urged to use caution while pets and children are outdoors."

Stasi said he plans to keep his two small dogs indoors.

Bradley Bundy, a veterinarian at Dublin Animal Hospital in Colorado Springs, said the lizard could inflict a nasty bite if cornered.

"This kiddo could hurt someone if they don't know how to restrain it," Bundy said. He added that the lizards are sold in area pet stores and look cute when they're only 8 inches long, but they can grow to reach 9 feet when they get older.
Ensinger said officers may use a tracking dog if Dino isn't located by Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm not going after it," Ensinger said. "I don't do reptiles."

It seems to me that there is something totally wrong with being able to keep a critter 6 feet long that could eat small children and pets...in the city and restrained by only a mesh leash! I mean, this thing is a 25 pound meat eating reptile! I don't know about you, but that kinda creeps me out!

Fresh coffee on the patio this morning, but keep a watch out for anything big and hungry looking crawling around, OK?

Western Wednesday With Wobbly Joe...!

Sometimes I have to wonder about the nicknames folks had back in the old days.

Some of the names were a mystery and some were self explanatory! This one speaks for itself, I think!

Jul 18, 1914:

Singing Wobbly Joe Hill sentenced to death

Convicted of murder on meager evidence, the singing Wobbly Joe Hill is sentenced to be executed in Utah.

A native of Sweden who immigrated to the U.S. in 1879, Joe Hill joined the International Workers of the World (IWW) in 1910. The IWW was an industrial union that rejected the capitalist system and dreamed one day of leading a national workers' revolution. Members of the IWW--known as Wobblies--were especially active in the western United States, where they enjoyed considerable success in organizing mistreated and exploited workers in the mining, logging, and shipping industries.

Beginning in 1908, the IWW began encouraging its membership to express their beliefs through song. The IWW published its Little Red Song Book, otherwise known as the I.W.W. Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent. A few years later, the witty and handsome Joe Hill became one of the Wobblies' leading singers and songwriters. Hill composed many of the IWW's best-loved anthems, including "The Preacher of the Slave" which introduced the phrase "pie in the sky." By 1915, Hill was one of the most famous Wobblies in the nation.

Public notoriety, however, could prove dangerous for a radical union man. In 1915, Hill was arrested and charged with murdering two Salt Lake City policemen during a grocery store robbery. Although the evidence against Hill was tenuous, a jury of conservative Utahans convicted him on this day in 1914 and he was sentenced to death. He was executed by firing squad the following year.

Ever since, scholars have debated whether Hill was actually guilty or was railroaded because of his radical politics. Regardless of his guilt or innocence, Hill became a powerful martyr for the IWW cause by telegramming his comrades with a famous last-minute message: "Don't waste any time in mourning. Organize."

Guess that being well known didn't pay off back then like it does now days! One thing hasn't changed much...and that is the practice of convicting a person with little or no evidence!

Still raining, so we should have our coffee in the kitchen! I'm thinking some egg and sausage sandwiches should taste pretty good, especially with some hot sauce!

A Lesson For Politicians...!

Sooner or later, some of the guys involved in politics will start to catch on that they are not popular!

Bad enough to be beat by a cat in the election, but to have the same thing happen for 15 years...well, I'd say that sends a very strong message! This story from the Sun News in California is just too good to pass up!

Cat mayor celebrates 15 years on the job in Alaska town

9:29 am, July 16th, 2012

Stubbs, a part-manx cat with a short tail, has been the mayor of Talkeetna since he was elected shortly after his birth,.

After 15 years, the term of the mayor of an Alaska town shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Stubbs, a part-manx cat with a short tail, has been the mayor of Talkeetna since he was elected shortly after his birth, KTUU-TV reported.

Back then, several of the town's 900 residents didn't like the human candidates who were running for mayor so they encouraged everyone to vote for Stubbs the cat as a write-in candidate. The cat won the election and has been mayor ever since, the station reported.

Stubbs spends much of his time at Nagley's General Store, where he is quite popular.

"Oh my gosh, we probably have 30 to 40 people a day come in who are tourists wanting to see him," Lauri Stec, who works at the general store, told KTUU.

Talkeetna is located near Mount McKinley and is about 180 km northwest of Anchorage.

I'm not sure, but I think that if I was in politics and had been beat out by a cat for 15 years...I might either give up politics or even move out of town! In fact, moving out of the state might be even better!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning, as the rain is coming back in! Sorry about that!

How About A Field Trip For Mystery Monday...?

Since we have been doing mysteries on Monday, I have a great one today!

Again, this one is not a run of the mill mystery but a real historical place that we could visit...if we wanted to! However, given it's history I think we might want to consider it very carefully before we venture forth! Ya think?

Valley of the Headless Men

In the Nahanni National Park of Northwest Canada lies the Nahanni River. The area is only accessible by boat or plane and is home to many natural wonders, such as sinkholes, geysers and a waterfall almost double the size of Niagara Falls. Lord Tweeds Muir (John Buchan), author of The 39 Steps, once said of the valley: “It’s a fancy place that old-timers dream about. … Some said the “valley was full of gold and some said it was hot as hell owing to the warm springs. … It had a wicked name too, for at least a dozen folks went in and never came out’ … Indians said it was the home of devils.”

The 200 Mile gorge has become infamous, due to a number of gruesome deaths and many disappearances, earning itself the eerie name, The Valley of the Headless Men. Anomalies first began in 1908, when the Macleod Brothers came prospecting for gold in the valley. Nothing was heard or seen of the brothers for a whole year, until their decapitated bodies were found near a river. Nine years later, the Swiss prospector Martin Jorgenson was next to succumb to the Valley, when his headless corpse was found. In 1945, a miner from Ontario was found in his sleeping bag with his head cut from his shoulders. While skeptics of an unknown power at work in the Valley would put the grizzly mutilations down to feuding gold prospectors or hostile Indians, there are other strange happenings in the area which add to the valleys mysteriousness. The fiercely renowned Naha tribe simply vanished from the area a few years prior to the first deaths. Other Indians of the area have avoided the Valley for centuries, claiming an unknown evil haunts it. Many parts of the valley remain unexplored, and there are tales the Valley holds an entrance to the Hollow earth. Others believe the Valley is home to a lost world, with lush greenery and a tropical climate, due to the hot springs generating warm air, as well as untapped goldmines and wandering sasquatches. While a haven for Bigfoot remains unlikely, one thing is for certain, something strange lurks in the Nahanni Valley.

A real mystery from a real place! How good does it get for those of us that like a really good mystery?

I think we can have our coffee out on the patio again this morning! Got some fudge brownies this morning!

Another Cartoon Sunday...!

I just can't seem to get enough of having a few cartoons each and every week!

I could be all serious and talk about politics, new wars, law breakers, extreme weather, bad crops, and the many trials and tribulations of our so-called "heroes" of the entertainment industry! I could, but I won't!

Instead, I'd rather have a few laughs by watching a silly cartoon or two. I get enough of the other crap during the week, ya know? After all, that's the reason they include a comics section in most papers...to have something to soften the bad news in the rest of the paper!



I can't help myself! I just have to have another!



I do hope you all have a great and peaceful Sunday! Don't worry about all the bad stuff going on. It will still be here tomorrow, I'm afraid! Until then, keep on smiling!

Coffee on the patio this morning. Want some biscuits and sausage gravy?

Saturday Matinee Like The Old Days...!

Saturday always reminds me of the days when, as a kid, we looked forward to the Saturday Matinee.

On television we had the weekly cowboy shows and at the theater we had everyone else! Of course, the serials were the best. Remember them? Only trouble was, you had to come back time and time again to see how they turned out!

This song is a little reminder of those days!



Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane! Nice trip once in a while, don't ya think?

Coffee out on the patio this morning, I think. It may rain later, but right now it's dry!

A Trip To The Woods This Friday...!

Of course, this is not just any woods, but a very special place!

This group of trees could almost qualify for one of our Monday mysteries, ya know? Once again this just proves the point that the world is chock full of strange and unusual places! What a wonderful world we live in!

Crooked Forest

The Crooked Forest is a grove of oddly shaped pine trees located outside the village of Nowe Czarnowo, in western Poland. The forest contains about 400 pine trees that grow with a 90 degree bend at the base of their trunks. All of the trees are bent northward and surrounded by a larger forest of straight-growing pine trees. The crooked trees were planted around 1930 when the area was inside the German province of Pomerania.

It is thought that the trees were formed with a human tool, but the method and motive for creating the grove is not currently known. It appears that the trees were allowed to grow for seven to ten years before being held down and warped by a device. The exact reason why the Germans would want to make crooked trees is unknown, but many people have speculated that they were going to be harvested for bent-wood furniture, the ribs of boat hulls, or yokes for ox-drawn plows. It is a bizarre case that still can’t explain.

This would be an interesting place to visit, but I would be a little shy about having a picnic there. How about you?

BTW, it's Friday the 13TH again! I'm just saying...!

One more morning of coffee in the kitchen. We can share some fresh cantaloupe, OK?

There Has To Be A First time...!

No matter what you decide to do in life, there always has to be a first time.

This obviously applies to everyone, both famous and unknown. Often the first time was the beginning of a reputation that lasted forever.

Jul 12, 1861:

Wild Bill Hickok's first gunfight

Wild Bill Hickok begins to establish his reputation as a gunfighter after he coolly shoots three men during a shootout in Nebraska.

Born in Homer (later called Troy Grove), Illinois, James Butler Hickok moved to Kansas in 1855 at the age of 18. There he filed a homestead claim, took odd jobs, and began calling himself by his father's name, Bill. A skilled marksman, Hickok honed his abilities as a gunslinger. Though Hickok was not looking for trouble, he liked to be ready to defend himself, and his ability with a pistol soon proved useful.

By the summer of 1861, Hickok was working as a stock tender at a stage depot in Nebraska called Rock Creek Station. Across the creek lived Dave McCanles, a mean-spirited man who disliked Hickok for some reason. McCanles enjoyed insulting the young stockman, calling him Duck Bill and claiming he was a hermaphrodite. Hickok took his revenge by secretly romancing McCanles' mistress, Sarah Shull.

On this day in 1861, the tension between Hickok and McCanles came to a head. McCanles may have learned about the affair between Shull and Hickok, though his motivations are not clear. He arrived at the station with two other men and his 12-year-old-son and exchanged angry words with the station manager. Then McCanles spotted Hickok standing behind a curtain partition. He threatened to drag "Duck Bill" outside and give him a thrashing. Demonstrating remarkable coolness for a 24-year-old who had never been involved in a gunfight, Hickok replied, "There will be one less son-of-a-bitch when you try that."

McCanles ignored the warning. When he approached the curtain, Hickok shot him in the chest. McCanles staggered out of the building and died in the arms of his son. Hearing the shots, the two other gunmen ran in. Hickok shot one of them twice and winged the other. The other workers at the station finished them off.

The story of Hickok's first gunfight spread quickly, establishing his reputation as a skilled gunman. In 1867, Harper's New Monthly Magazine published a highly exaggerated account of the shoot-out which claimed Hickok had single-handedly killed nine men. The article quoted Hickok as saying, "I was wild and I struck savage blows." Thus began the legendary career of "Wild Bill."

For the next 15 years, Hickok would further embellish his reputation with genuine acts of daring, though the popular accounts continued to exceed the reality. He died in 1876 at the age of 39, shot in the back of the head by a young would-be gunfighter looking for fame.


Sometimes the tales being told after the action are really what builds the reputation. Sort of like the politicians of today, ya know?

Better have our coffee in the kitchen this morning. Rain is hanging around still!

Another Wild West Wednesday...!

Somewhere down the line, I got sort of locked in to doing something on Wednesday relating to the old west.

Now, thanks to History.com, that isn't as hard as you would think! They seem to always have an article or two that I can steal...I mean, borrow to use!

I love the fact that there are still so many things about the old west that I can learn and that's why I like sharing all that I find!

Jul 11, 1869:

Tall Bull dies

Tall Bull, a prominent leader of the Cheyenne Dog Soldier warrior society, is killed during the Battle of Summit Springs in Colorado.

Tall Bull was the most distinguished of several Cheyenne warriors who bore this hereditary name. He was a leader of the Dog Soldiers, a fierce Cheyenne society of warriors that had initially fought against other Indian tribes. In the 1860s, though, the Dog Soldiers increasingly became one of the most implacable foes of the U.S. government in the bloody Plains Indian Wars.

In October 1868, Tall Bull and his Dog Soldiers badly mauled an American cavalry force in Colorado. He confronted General Philip Sheridan's forces the following winter in Oklahoma. Near the Washita River, Sheridan's Lieutenant Colonel George Custer attacked a peaceful Cheyenne village under Chief Black Kettle. The Cheyenne suffered more than 100 casualties, and Custer's soldiers brutally butchered more than 800 of their horses. However, Custer was forced to flee when Tall Bull and other chiefs camped in nearby villages began to mass for attack.

Custer's attack had badly damaged the Cheyenne, but Tall Bull refused to surrender to the Americans. In the spring of 1869, Tall Bull and his Dog Soldiers took their revenge, staging a series of successful attacks against soldiers who were searching for him. Determined to destroy the chief, the U.S. Army formed a special expeditionary force under the command of General Eugene Carr.

On this day in 1869, Carr surprised Tall Bull and his warriors in their camp at Summit Springs, Colorado. In the ensuing battle, Tall Bull was killed and the Dog Soldiers were overwhelmed. Without the dynamic leadership of their chief, the surviving Dog Soldiers' resistance was broken. Although other Cheyenne continued to fight the American military for another decade, they did so without the aid of their greatest warrior society and its leader.

Let's face it! The old west was brutal, to say the least! There were many times that innocent bystanders got caught in the middle, and the homesteaders certainly had to stay on their toes in the wilderness! That's a scary way of life, I think!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning! It's supposed to rain again and I don't want my coffee to get watered down, ya know?

The Redneck Wonder Drug...!

I've heard some crazy things before, but this one caught me off guard!

Guess that Rednecks have always had a special secret knowledge about the 'possum, so secret that a lot of Rednecks didn't even know! I'm one of the ones that didn't get the memo, I reckon!

Opossum protein neutralizes nearly all poisons, could have benefits for humans

By Eric Pfeiffer

The American opossum is invulnerable to nearly all forms of poison. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)Opossums may someday provide an antidote to nearly all forms of poison, including everything from snakebites to ricin.

The Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins has found that the American opossum produces a protein known as Lethal Toxin-Neutralizing Factor (LTNF). And as the Boing Boing blog points out, the LTNF protein is exactly what it sounds like, seeking out otherwise lethal poisons that have entered an opossum's body and neutralizing them.

Amazingly, tests on the opossum LTNF found that the protein even left the marsupial creatures immune to poisons from snakes on other continents that the American opossum had not been previously exposed to.

The BittelMeThis blog goes into further detail, explaining that scientists then injected mice with the LTNF protein and subjected the rodents to venom from otherwise deadly creatures, including Thailand cobras, Australian taipans, Brazilian rattlesnakes, scorpions and honeybees.

When the venom did not kill the mice, the mice were then exposed to deadly poisons, including ricin and botulinum toxin. And again, the LTNF protein was able to diffuse the poison, leaving the mice unharmed.

Interestingly, the journal entry on LTNF was published more than 10 years ago, in 1999. As several readers have pointed out, this raises questions as to whether the protein benefits would be applicable to humans and why the test results are only now making news.

As the journal's own abstract notes, "Thus, natural LTNF from opossum serum has potential as a universal therapy for envenomation caused by animals, plants and bacteria."

You have to wonder why this stuff is just now coming to light! Seems like this would be important enough to spend more time researching! But what do I know?

Better have our coffee inside today. Still raining off and on daily!

Monday Myth Mystery...!

Since we have started using Monday for some kind of mystery, I found an old one for today!

True it's kind of old, but I think it still qualifies. After all, the age of the mystery doesn't make it any less mysterious, does it? Besides, this story has an unbeatable strangeness to it, and that fits in just fine here at the Hermit's!

Spring Heeled Jack

A man was returning home one night in London in 1837, and saw a strange figure jump over the fence of a cemetery and land in front of him. He also reported to the police that the figure had a strange look to him. He had pointed ears, a long nose, and glowing eyes. Several months later, a young woman was attacked by a strange creature in an alley. He gripped her arms and tried to kiss her. She reported his hands were cold and clammy. The woman screamed, and the man ran off. Many people heard her screaming and came to the rescue, but nothing out of the ordinary was found. 

This story grew as it spread. It eventually turned into another ending: the man ran in front of a carriage and jumped over a 9 foot fall fence. The mayor didn’t take the stories seriously, and assured everyone if it was anything, it was just a man who would be caught. Another girl reported a creature fitting the description came into her house and attacked her. Many, many more people reported being attacked by Spring Heeled Jack (the name given to the creature), but the legend eventually turned into a myth.

I'm not sure, but I think this guy might live in my neighborhood! Might even be one of my neighbors, ya know?

Let's have some fresh coffee on the patio this morning. All I have to share is a few fig newtons...if that's alright!

Guess What Day This Is...?

It's a Sunday once again, and that's a good thing.

What that means is that we either made it through another week...or that we are getting a fresh start on a new one! Win-win, you might say!

Anyway, Sunday always means cartoons! Mainly just because I want to!



And just because I liked that one, here is another!



Well, it's time to get some coffee and move out to the patio. Looking for some more rain later, but for now we're good!

Happy Accidents Do Happen...!

Ever since I read this story over at History.com, the song has been running around in my head!

I'm sure you know what I mean! We all have had one or more songs like that from time to time! Anyway, I hope you find this interesting.

Jul 7, 1962:

"The Stripper," by David Rose, becomes the #1 pop hit in America

As points of shared cultural reference, certain pieces of movie and television soundtrack music have become nearly indispensable to our modern existence. The theme from The Twilight Zone, for instance, is used to indicate the occurrence of a spooky coincidence. Or the theme from Jaws is hummed just as one person sneaks up behind another in a pool. When people sing the familiar themes from famous movies like Psycho or Deliverance, they make an instantly understandable shorthand reference to a specific idea or emotion, without having to speak a single word. The same is true for a snippet of soundtrack from a very obscure 1950s television program called Burlesque. That piece of music by David Rose is to acts of old-fashioned striptease roughly what the theme from Rocky is to early-morning winter jogs. Composed in 1958 and released as a single four years later, the hammy tune called "The Stripper" became a #1 pop hit in the United States on July 7, 1962.

David Rose was a composer and arranger who had a huge hit record back in 1944 with "Holiday For Strings," but who is better known as a prolific composer for television from the 1950s to the 1980s. While working on the short-lived television show Burlesque in 1958, Rose decided to score a dressing-room scene with music playing softly in the background as if barely audible from backstage. "So I wrote eight measures of strip music and forgot about it," Rose later told Billboard magazine.

Purely as a joke, Rose used a few spare minutes of studio time shortly thereafter to have the brass, the clarinets and the percussion section of his orchestra record a slightly extended version of what he still regarded as a silly throwaway. Rose had a handful of copies of the untitled number pressed on vinyl and handed out to orchestra members as novelty gifts, and that was the end of that. Until four years later, that is, when someone at his label, MGM Records, pulled the one-minute-and-55-second master recording out of the archives and had it put on the "B" side of Rose's string-orchestra version of "Ebb Tide." When a Los Angeles disc jockey flipped "Ebb Tide" and heard the piece now entitled "The Stripper," he thought it was so funny that he played it almost continuously during his program one day. Soon "The Stripper" was a regional, then a national #1 hit, and well on its way to becoming a permanent piece of American pop culture.

The first thing I did after posting this was to go to YouTube and find the song! I don't know if it helped or made it worse! I have to admit, this song still rocks!

Coffee on the patio this morning. I'll turn on the oldies station on the radio!

Let's Go Tripping This Friday...!

Have you ever noticed that Mother Nature comes up with many, many beautiful places for us to wonder at?

Way too often, though, these places are not close enough for most of us to visit! Here is one that is fairly close, considering. Man, from the pictures I've seen this place is pretty amazing!

Fly Geyser Reno

Nevada

Fly Geyser was accidentally created in 1916 while drilling a well for water, though they didn’t start forming until 1960. The spot picked had an unknown geothermal area. The heated water eventually found a weak spot in the well and pushed itself to the surface. The minerals started building up to create a mini volcano of about 5 ft. tall, with layers of terraces. The terraces have different colors from the minerals in the water and the geothermal water has found more weak spots to create two more geysers nearby. The water spouts continuously and fills holes and hollows in the terraces, to give the area a surreal look. Water where there isn’t much water to begin with has attracted swans, ducks, and other animals to the area. Fish also swim through the ponds, introduced by an unknown human dropping the eggs in the water.

Let's have our coffee out on the patio this morning! We have a couple of new folks joining us and that's always a nice thing! Welcome to all our new friends!

What Were They Thinking...?

If you want to see some folks get really upset, start placing bans on displaying the American flag on the graves of veterans!

To some it may sound like it is just a minor thing, but I don't think I would want to be on the city council after this!

Texas Town Bans Flags on Veterans’ Graves

A Texas town is reconsidering a controversial ordinance that it approved earlier this month that would ban the displaying of flags at gravesites.

The ordinance, approved by the City Council of Mineral Wells, states that flags would be allowed on graves at the town’s Woodland Park Cemetery only one week before and after Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day. July 4 and Labor Day, other popular flag holidays, were not part of the approved time frame.

After citizens expressed outrage, flooding the city council office with calls Monday, the council scheduled a public meeting for July 10 to reconsider the new flag policy.

Veteran Robert Veach, whose father is buried at Woodland Park, was one of the first to speak out against the ordinance, telling the Mineral Wells Index that he believed he should be allowed to put a flag at his father’s grave 365 days a year.

The ordinance was adopted by the Woodland Park Cemetery Board, said Peggy Gustin, the administrative clerk for Mineral Wells, because the number of items placed at gravesites, which included teddy bears, statues, bird baths and squirrel feeders, were becoming a few too many.

“Excessive adornment at the cemetery was causing it to be unsightly, so the cemetery board came up with a solution that they thought would work for all,” Gustin told ABCNews.com.

After several public meetings were held over several months, the ordinance passed. The last two meetings were held specifically for the public to voice opinions, according to a news release from the City Council. The final meeting was publicized on the front page of the local newspaper. No one one showed up to voice objections, according to the news release.

But within days of the ordinance passing, the city received complaints from angry citizens, including Veach.

“The city of Mineral Wells would like to clarify its position in that this action was not in any way taken with the intention of bringing any dishonor or disrespect to any of our Veterans, past or present,” a news release on the City Council’s website said.

The ordinance also stated that flowers and decorations were allowed for only 21 days after a funeral, and that the flowers must be in a nonglass vase and would be removed once they became “unsightly.” But only the flag provsion of the ordinance is under reconsideration.

As for the July 4th holiday, flags will be allowed in the cemetery, Gustin said.

“People are welcome to do their flags on July 4,” Gustin said. “Nothing is going to be done considering the flags until after the meeting on July 10. They won’t be removed. People can place them.”

Sometimes you have to wonder just what kind of idiots we have in office. It's like the inmates are running the asylum, ya know?

I think we should have our coffee and tea in the kitchen this morning. I have some fresh apple pie...if Mom hasn't eaten it all, that is!

Celebrating With Lewis And Clark...!

Even the early explorers couldn't help but enjoy a good celebration on the 4TH of July!

It's good to know that these two took the time to appreciate the founding of such a great country, and to share the holiday for the first time west of the Mississippi!

Jul 4, 1804:

Lewis and Clark celebrate July 4

Staging the first-ever Fourth of July celebration west of the Mississippi River, Lewis and Clark fire the expedition cannon and order an extra ration of whiskey for the men.

Six weeks earlier, Lewis and Clark left American civilization to depart on their famous journey. Since their departure, the party of 29 men--called the Corps of Discovery--had made good progress, traveling up the Missouri River in a 55-foot keelboat and two dugout canoes. When the wind was behind them, Lewis and Clark raised the keelboat sail, and on a few occasions, managed to travel 20 miles in a single day.

By early July, the expedition had reached the northeastern corner of the present-day state of Kansas. The fertility of the land astonished the two leaders of the expedition. Clark wrote of the many deer, "as plenty as Hogs about a farm," and with his usual creative spelling, praised the tasty "rasberreis perple, ripe and abundant."

On this day in 1804, the expedition stopped near the mouth of a creek flowing out of the western prairie. The men asked the captains if they knew if the creek had a name. Knowing none, they decided to call it Independence Creek in honor of the day.

The expedition continued upstream, making camp that evening at an abandoned Indian village. To celebrate the Fourth of July, Lewis and Clark commanded that the keelboat cannon be fired at sunset. They distributed an extra ration of whiskey to the men, and the explorers settled back to enjoy the peaceful Kansas night. In his final journal entry of the day, Clark wondered at the existence of, "So magnificent a Senerey in a Contry thus Situated far removed from the Sivilised world to be enjoyed by nothing but the Buffalo Elk Deer & Bear in which it abounds & Savage Indians."

The next day, the travelers resumed their journey up the Missouri River toward the distant Pacific Coast. They would not pass by their pleasant camping spot in Kansas again until their return journey, two years and many adventures later.

Guess this was the start of many such celebrations all across this wonderful place we call home! I would say that from long ago, up to the present day, even with all our faults, we have plenty to celebrate!

I hope we never lose track of our history and the efforts of so many to bring us to where we are today!

Fresh coffee on the patio this morning. Happy Independence Day to one and all!

A Great Fish Story...!

You know how many fishermen are always getting blamed for telling tall tales about fishing? Well, this one had pictures!

Makes a big difference when you can back up your best fishing tale with not only witnesses, but with pictures! How good is that?

Eagle snatches Lake Padden fisherman's catch right off his line

Credit: Rick Warren
by KING 5 News
Posted on July 1, 2012 at 11:53 AM

A Ferndale fisherman had a close encounter with a bald eagle a few weeks ago.

Bruce Huntley was fishing on Lake Padden near Bellingham with buddy Rick Warren when the eagle swooped down and snatched the fish on his line just 10 feet in front of his boat.

Huntley told the Bellingham Herald that the bird "scared the holy bejesus" out of him.

Warren had his camera with him and got a couple great shots of the eagle. He told the Herald that getting the shots was a lot better than catching a fish.

I'll bet that this ol' boy's fishing tales will carry a lot more weight now! He might be able to get a job as a fishing guide for those that only want to fish with a camera!

What a great shot! Wanna bet he has 'em framed?

Coffee outside this morning, but we might have to head to the kitchen when the rain starts!

Another Mysterious Monday...!

Nothing like a good mystery to start off the week!

This is especially true about mysteries that, as of yet, don't have a good explanation, ya know? If we could explain it, the mystery wouldn't be fun anymore! Know what I mean?

Grooved Spheres

Over the last few decades, miners in South Africa have been digging up mysterious metal spheres. Origin unknown, these spheres measure approximately an inch or so in diameter, and some are etched with three parallel grooves running around the equator. Two types of spheres have been found: one is composed of a solid bluish metal with flecks of white; the other is hollowed out and filled with a spongy white substance. The kicker is that the rock in which they where found is Precambrian – and dated to 2.8 billion years old! Who made them and for what purpose is unknown.

Well, that certainly gives me something to think about this morning. How about you?

Coffee in the kitchen this morning, with some Raspberry Crumb Cake on the side, OK?

Sunday Again...!

Sunday around the Hermit's place usually means cartoons!

I see no reason to change that, do you? After all, if the truth be known, most of us enjoy a little silliness now and then. You are never too old to enjoy a good laugh, right?



You just gotta love the voice of this next character...at least, I do!



OK, that's all from me this morning! I hope everyone has a great day!

Coffee on the patio this morning. I'm thinking the rain may have stopped for a while.