A Sad Time for MBH This Week

I will be away for a couple of days attending a funeral for my sister-in-law, Kay. It is extremely unlikely that I will create a blog post during those days. So, be aware that I will probably post again on Friday, OK?

Do you like peanut butter? Whether you do or are allergic to it, there are other nut butter alternatives. Some of these are also tweaked with other flavors to make new options for your nutty cravings. Check out this article and it accompanying video to see how several of them rate.

Now these items, I do think could have been written or said by children:
Adam & Eve were created from an apple tree.
Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark.
Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night.

Did I already tell you about the article on America's scariest road? If so, ignore this paragraph. If I have not done so, or if I have and you just forgot about it, read on. They say it is a road in central Colorado. Apparently, to them, it has to do with hairpin turns and no guardrails. I have been there, and I think I drove it last time. Well, if you are curious and don't recognize it from the photo below, go here and all shall be revealed.

Now that we have been talking about cars, it is time to reveal what the top car (in terms of sales) is for each state. Spoiler alert: Nissan Leaf for Washington and Georgia. The others are in the Esquire article.

Have you ever gone on a site like tripadvisor.com and entered a review of anything? You know. like a hotel or a hike or a famous landmark? Would you write only positive reviews, or only negative, or just tell about your experience either way? Some people seemed to find the dark cloud in place most see only sunshine. For example, one person said of the Great Wall of China, "if bricks are your thing you may or may not enjoy this (I didn’t), if bricks and walls are not your thing best to avoid, if you can, too big." Read about all these Negative Nancys in this article.

Then again, maybe it is only these people that are willing to speak the truth about famous landmarks? Here's a question for you. What is truth?

You all know that there are 50 states...right now. Wait. What did I just say? Right now? It seems that some in the Great State of Texas want to split off and become a sovereign nation...again. What do you think of that? Supporters are comparing it to Scotland trying to leave the United Kingdom. I don't think I like the idea, but what do you think?

I have limited time this week, so I cannot dilly nor can I dally. I have some stuff to finish so today can get underway. Go have one more cup of coffee and then get your day started, too. Talk again later in the week? OK?

It's My Friday (But You Can Use It, Too)

This photo is not mine. I had to study it to make sure it was even really a photograph. I found it in this article about Landscape Photographers of the Year. What do you think? Isn't that cool and a half?

What about this one? I like the deep monochromatic look of this.I saw a scene similar one year near Yosemite and tried to capture it, but it looked nothing like this.

Again, the monochromatic look drew my eye to these aspens in snow.

Pancakes in the microwave? Apparently. Smoothie made the night before so you don't have to fire up your blender at 6am? So it seems. Scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese in 2 minutes Sure, if that's your breakfast of choice. Oh, all of these recipes require a Mason jar. You've got one begging to be used, right?

Let's keep going with the political theme in today's Clarity of Vision.

Do you like the speed of roller coasters? I like California Screamin' at California Adventure in Anaheim, CA. It launches from zero to 55mph in 4 seconds. However, Consumer Reports tested a car that goes from zero to 60mph in 3.5 seconds. It also broke their rating scale, coming in at 103 in a 100 point scale. Unfortunately, it costs over a $125K. What car is it? Read the article yourself, you freeloader.

What NFL jersey sells best in your state? Can you guess without looking at the image? I guessed my state correctly.

Raise your hand if you were just cogitating on how powerful neural networks have become. How many of you just raised your hand? No one? Someone had the idea to run the opening credits of Star Trek: The Next Generation through an image recognition neural network. It did not do so good. Spoiler alert: there are no waffle irons in the credits.

Why, yes! I do have some aluminum foil sitting around the house that rarely gets used. Why, yes! I would like to know what other uses foil has. Sharpening scissors, you say? Use it as a funnel? An ironing assistant? And more?

I decided to evaluate the story thumbnails offered on the front page of yahoo.com:
85 total stories
6 stories about New Orleans
5 stories on the election and candidates
5 stories around the journalist killings in VA
1 story about singing Smelly Cat

Well, I see nothing else that looks like fodder for today's post. Let's go ahead and start our weekend, OK? See you next week.

Weight of Words

I came across my notes that I have not shared all the Bible stories as told by kids. Here are two more:
The people who followed the Lord were called the 12 decibels. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. One of the opossums was St. Matthew who was, by profession, a taximan.
St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage. A Christian should have only one wife. This is called monotony.

Do you believe that kids said the quotes above? Come on. What child is going to say 'acrimony'?

When I was trying to decide which songs to download this week, I searched for a way to learn about some groups that I don't have but are similar to some of my favorites. I came across music-map. I searched for 'jim croce' and it said the most similar were James Taylor, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, America, Jackson Browne, Harry Chapin. Those all seem reasonable to me. Check for yourself.

I came across some interesting information about the weight of clouds (I have never seen the movie Weight of Water. Maybe it tells you this same info?). They might look fluffy and ethereal but clouds are quite heavy; the average cumulus cloud (the big white cotton-candy-like ones you see on nice days) weigh 1.1 million pounds.

It turns out that you can make Peanut Butter Cookies with an egg, some sugar, and some peanut butter. In less than 10 minutes, you can be eating nice, hot cookies right out of the oven. Go on. You know that you want to.

Still hungry? How about some candy corn-themed cupcakes?

It is headed back up towards 110F this weekend. You know where I'd rather be than here? Well, yes, just about anywhere, but I was thinking of Colorado. Here we are with the folks outside of our cabin a few years ago. Notice that the ladies are wearing jackets and the guys are in shirt sleeves. It must have been in the 60s.

Thinking of Colorado, I can never take a shot of the falls (Cascade Falls, by the way) like this again. They erected a small covered sitting area that blocks the view. Boo.

By the way, Preacher Bro added a comment to yesterday's post correcting my assertion that Dr Pepper contains prune juice. He also commented that it might be OK if I said that for reasons of humor. In fact, I did choose Dr P just to poke a little at his family, who are all crazy for the drink. And I needed to comment on something that could have gone sour in whatever drink I chose. So, it had to be prune juice. Sorry, Preacher family.

Election season is coming, folks. That means caucuses and primaries and negative commercials.

Opinions expressed in CoV do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of A Legend In My Own Mind. Now, if you are of the opinion that this post is long enough, I do agree. Have a Thrilling Thursday.

Cool Products and Hot Weather

Do you watch Shark Tank? We do. I enjoy it, partly just because I am exposed to products that I can either ridicule or praise. It has been on for six seasons now. 122 episodes. So, what do you think have been the most successful products? I actually knew which was #1. Can you guess? #9 is ReadeRest, glasses holder that lets you store your glasses somewhere on your body. I remember that episode. It has sold $8 million since Shark Tank. But #1 has sold over $50 million.

Speaking of entertainment, did you see the video of what Disney princesses would look like without makeup? Most still look pretty good.

It is supposed to be 109F this weekend. That makes me want to retreat to some cool locale and enjoy the weather and view that we just don't get at home. Let's go to a nice little spot just south of Telluride.

Also near Telluride is Bridal Veil Falls. Doesn't that look refreshing for the end of summer? I was playing with filters in iPhoto and liked the vintage look.

We had a summer monsoon blow through tonight, carrying lots of dust and some rain. So, I grabbed a shot of the San Juan mountains with a little storm rolling in.

Do you like Patrick McManus books? He tells stories about his childhood that seem relatable but totally hilarious. Anyway, I came across an article that totally feels like one of McManus' stories. It talks about having an imaginary brother that watches only PBS.

Since we were talking about stories, let's share one that our director tells occasionally at our concerts.
A Minister was walking down the street when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age. The group had surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting the dog, he went over and asked "What are you doing with that dog?" One of the boys replied, "This dog is just an old neighborhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we've decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog."

Of course, the reverend was taken aback. "You boys shouldn't be having a contest telling lies!" he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, "Don't you boys know it's a sin to lie," and ending with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie." There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the reverend was beginning to think he'd gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the dog."

I mentioned the passing of My Better Half's sister in yesterday's blog post. I really got to know her a lot better in the late 90s when she helped watch over our daughter, TD, while she was in college in the L.A. area. TD would go up there on weekends and summer and Aunt Kay would willingly open her house for us. We made several trips over there to visit both and I got to know Kay and her son. Over the years, it seems that some of that closeness was left behind as we all went our ways. Now, I wish we had more time. All of you, stay in touch with your family and friends. Our time here on Earth is limited, even if we take perfect care of ourselves. Build up memories for yourself, your loved ones, and even friends.

116 ft, 7 in of tamale? Yes, please. Well, only if Guinness certifies it, right?

The Beatles in Lord of the Rings? No, please. It didn't happen anyway, but they pursued it. J.R.R. Tolkien turned them down, though.

Come on. Who doesn't like Dr. Pepper?

Come on. Who doesn't look forward to a new blog post everyday? You know that you do. So, let's end this one so the anticipation for the next one can begin to build. It's a Wonderful Wednesday, kids. Enjoy it.

RIP, Aunt Kay

Wondering what the weirdest law is for each state? Wonder no more. This article shares them. As a teaser, I will tell you that exploding golf balls are illegal in MA.

Speaking of states, let's check out a little bit about how the Manifest Destiny impacted the population centers of the country. You can link to the interactive gif, or check out some screen shots of different years here. I will share a screenshot (not interactive. The slider does not work) of 2010 because it shows that 3 cities in TX and 3 in CA are now in the Top 10.

What can you do with WD-40 beside lubricate things? Use it instead of PAM when you cook? Nope, that's not an option. Spray it out of your mouth over a match and launch a fireball? I don't think so. Use it to clean scuff marks? Indeed, you can. And a few more things, too.

Do NOT watch this unless you can handle a fairly realistic looking disembodied hand. It is amazing. I had to watch it twice to really appreciate how well done it was.

Do NOT read this article talking about how we can stay in better shape as we age. It will just depress you because you are probably not doing it. I know that I am not. I do need to step it up and I know that. Maybe this week.

One reason I need to stay in the best shape I can was made obvious this past week as MBH's sister, Kay, passed away on Saturday. She had a heart attack on Thursday morning and was alert enough to call 911. When we arrived Friday evening, she was sedated and resting. They measured no significant brain activity on Friday and her son made the choice to make her DNR if another heart attack happened. It did on Saturday morning and she went home to be with the Lord. We will go back over for her funeral next week. RIP, Aunt Kay. I'll share more about her on another day.

I know that heredity, diet and exercise all play a part in my overall health, but I would think that making better choices in each of them should help. That is one of the reasons I went vegan a couple of years ago and am still 50%+ plant-based eating now. So, if I can just ramp up the exercise....

Another outcome of Aunt Kay's passing is we have a renewed emphasis on making sure that our legal documents are available for the kids if we pass away. Will, living trust, living will, mortgage docs, retirement accounts, car and house titles, etc. Do you know where all your stuff is?

This next story has a huge chart that I had to split into two parts. The first are shows whose finale rated better or even with their average ratings for the show. The second includes those shows whose finale ratings fell. You can see that Glee did great by bringing back everyone for a send-off. Dexter stunk up the airwaves. You are, of course, free to rank them in your own order. And before you check, it does not go back to the M*A*S*H, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart days.

Time's up, especially since I have been away for a couple of days. I have to get ready for my 8am call. Have a Tremendous Tuesday.

Pray for Aunt Kay, OK?

Let's start today's blog post with a call to prayer. MBH's sister is in the hospital with congestive heart failure. We don't know the severity yet, but are heading over this afternoon to be with her and the family. We were notified yesterday and I think that no news from overnight is a good sign. So, let's all pray for wisdom for the healthcare workers, strength and recovery for her, and patience for the family as we come together with Aunt Kay.

If the Mythbusters say something, I have to agree with them. Am I right or am I right? I found out that they tested whether it was safer to talk on a cell phone while driving holding the phone or talking hands-free. Which do you think they picked? No spoilers here. You'll have to read about it.

What would the states look like if they were sized according to their population? Hint: the coastal states pretty much win.

The above map looks kind of like a ceramic tile piece. Do you have tiles at home? Is the grout looking pretty yucky? Ours is. Probably I could use some guidance on the best way to clean it. Unbelievably, this article talks about several ways the author tried and what worked best for him.

And speaking of maps, remember these old maps that showed places of interest in each state. I wonder how many I have visited in the states where I have lived or vacationed?

A guy built his own control panel because...why not? You can see an image of it below. He's got buttons and switches and sliders. Some launch apps like Photoshop and After Effects and iTunes. Some launch video clips from Hitchhiker's Guide and Firefly. Some play sound effects. You can see much more here, but be warned there is some offensive language involved.

Could you name states if all you could see was the last three letters of the name? In three minutes? I got 87%. See how you do.

Beer is not really my cup of tea. A beer made from Count Chocula is even less inviting. What about you? Do you like beer? Do you like flavored beers like made from chocolate or honey?

Apple is moving iPods to the “accessory” racks in its stores. I didn't even know they were still for sale. Would you spend money on one nowadays? If you have a smartphone, isn't that the place where you would carry your music? Otherwise, you are carrying around two devices.

Look at this story lede and tell me if you agree. Can everything be explained away with no blame placed on the person? Regardless of what they are thinking, it IS a choice of acting on it. And it IS disgusting. BTW, no, I did not click on the link for the story.

OK, COV and then, I am finished.

Have a great weekend. And keep praying. Thanks.

Free Coffee for Life? Only If You Cheat the System

How would you like a free Starbucks coffee every day of the year? Well, did you know that you can get a free coffee on your birthday? One guy knew that and bought 365 cards and registered a different birthday for each. So now, he gets a free coffee everyday, for life. Why can't Starbucks shut it down? That was not explained.

How about another of the stories
A man asked his wife what she would like for her birthday. "I'd love to be eight again" she said. So he pulled out all the stops to make her dream come true. He whisked her off to Disneyland, made her go on all the scariest roller coasters, and force-fed her cotton candy and churros and ice cream.

Then he took her to McDonald's for a special kids' meal before rounding the day off with a trip to the cinema to see a two-hour cartoon carnival. That night she slumped into bed, feeling exhausted and queasy. "So what was it like being eight again?" asked the husband. "Actually," she said, "I meant my dress size?"

How is your heart rate? Normal right now? What about when you are watching an action movie like the most recent Mission Impossible? Is it elevated? Mine was. Anyway, what do you think your heart rate would do during a TV program like Game of Thrones. A scientific study was done at UCSF that tracked how heart rates changed during the show using a smartphone app.

Speaking of heart rate, do you monitor yours when you exercise?

Who's heard of the Five Man Electrical Band? They were most popular from the mid-60s through the mid-70s. Anyway, my point was that today's photos are of signs, and it made me think of their song called 'Signs'. Listen to it while you check out the photos.

You probably finished looking at the photos before the song was over. that's OK. Which photo is calling you to go on a trip right now?

Do you know what the 14th Amendment to the Constitution says? It was ratified on July 9, 1868, and granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves recently freed. You have probably heard that many Republican candidates for president think it should be repealed so that people won't enter the country illegally so that their child will be born as a citizen. I can understand how that gets people up in arms, but I am not sure changing the Constitution is the best direction. I think Marco Rubio's position most closely mirrors mine "I’m open to doing things that prevent people who deliberately come to the U.S. for purposes of taking advantage of the 14th Amendment, but I’m not in favor of repealing it."

Spotted this morning on Yahoo, Kelly Clarkson is a little bit pregnant. Or is she all the way pregnant? I guess the headlines says it all.

I saw a story about Mark Kelly, the astronaut who is spending a year in space. That made me think about how cool it would be to have a years worth of photos from space. That made me think about the fact that he has to exercise a lot to fight the deleterious effects of weightlessness. That made me wonder why the International Space Station doesn't spin to introduce artificial gravity. That made me research it on the interweb. It sounds like the main reason is just the size of the structure required to do so. The smaller the ship, the more RPMs would be required. One guy reckons that a two mile diameter ship might work. Otherwise, you've got Coriolis effect and other stuff to deal with. I read this article, but my search for "why can't ISS spin to induce gravity" brought up a number of links.

I think we have been busy enough this morning. Let's hit Waffle House before we get back to work. You're paying. Ha ha.

Did Jesus Say 'I Feel the Need for Speed'?

When I am on a vacation and see a map with a diagram on it, I like to try and capture the corresponding view depicted. Here is a sign from Canyonlands near Moab, UT.

And here is the actual canyon depicted on the map. It looks like they did a pretty good job.

Eat for $4 a day? A book says that is possible. And you can get that book for free. Go to the link in the article and grab it.

Have you been looking for a good Bible-themed wax museum? If you live close to Mansfield, OH, go check out BibleWalk. Mary, Joseph, Jesus, John the Baptist, Solomon. I think they are all there. But wait! There's more! Tom Cruise is there. John Travolta. Steve McQueen. This museum has recycled wax figures of Hollywood stars into characters of the Bible stories. You can see a few photos in the article.

On the subject of celebrities, did you see that Shaq thinks an in-his-prime Michael Jordan would beat in-his-prime LeBron James? You can see his comments here. He chose someone else, though , as his all-time favorite player. Who? No spoilers here.

Did you see that courtroom sketch of Tom Brady last week?

Or what some people did to it?

The web has other examples of Brady-fied art (Mona Lisa Brady, anyone?). Anyway, this past Friday night, Jimmy Fallon used it as part of his periodic sketch of Thank-You Notes.
“Thank you, courtroom sketch of Tom Brady, for showing us what it would like if Tom Brady deflated himself.”

And here are a couple more from that night.
“Thank you, the media, for complaining about how much coverage Donald Trump gets in the media. If only there was something you, the media, could do about that.”
“Thank you fancy gyms, or as I like to call you, James.”

Sure, the last one may not be that funny (and the audience didn't think so, either), but that is part of the challenge for those who use humor in their daily lives. Hopefully, this comic will be funny. It is to me.

OK, whether that was funny or not, the fun of today's blog post is coming to an end. I'll be back soon with more fun-ness to share with you. Have a Wonderful Wednesday.

Fighting the Urge to Skip Today's Post

Do you ever look at stories about 'hacks'? You know, where the item being discussed is presented or reinvented in new ways? Would you look at a story about pizza hacks? I did? I saw pizza muffins, waffles, roll-ups, even bread pudding. And there are several more options. Check them out and enjoy that leftover pizza.

I know that you have heard the news of Disney building a Star Wars-themed area in their parks in Anaheim and Orlando. Not many details have been published just yet, but you can read the ones that have here.

So, now that I have you thinking about space operas, which ship do you think would be the fastest in the universe? The Millenium Falcon? Thunderbird 3 from Thunderbirds? Apollo 11? Tie fighters? USS Enterprise? The Tardis from Dr. Who? Well, look at the chart and you can compare all of these and many more.

In a totally unexpected and wacky move, let's have the CoV comic appear up front today.

I saw that Preacher Bro liked yesterday's story. No wonder, since as a preacher, no one ever steals his seat. Today, let look at a tale of a dude who may or may not be a scofflaw.
A game warden spotted a man leaving a late carrying two buckets of fish. "Excuse me," he asked. "Do you have a license to catch those fish?" The man said: "No, but you don't understand, sir. These are my pet fish." "Pet fish?" replied the warden incredulously. "Yes, sir. Every night I take these fish down to the lake and let them swim around for a while. Then I whistle and they jump back into their buckets, and I take them home." "I've never heard such nonsense," said the warden. "Fish can't do that!"

The man thought for a second before suggesting: "If you don't believe me, I'll show you." "I can't wait to see this!" said the warden mockingly. So the man poured the fish into the lake and stood and waited. After several minutes, the game warden turned to him and said: "Well?" "Well what?" asked the man. "When are you going to call them back?" "Call who back?" "The fish!" snapped the warden. "What fish?"

Is it warm where you are? I saw a report that the whole of the country is experiencing higher-than-average temperatures. That should make this shot of Ironton, CO, either bittersweet or soothing.

How about a nice warm fire right now? Of course, in CA, they've got way too many fires going already.

Well, if cool weather images aren't capturing your interest, maybe you would rather see a scene famous for Westerns and hot weather.

Before we say Buh Bye to photos, let's look at one of my inspiration photos. A shot of the Grand Canyon by Ansel Adams.

Some days, there are so many articles I see to share, and some days (I think it's been 3-4 days without much good stuff), not so much. I did find this paragraph in an old email still hanging around (since Sept, 2003!).
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe

How did you do deciphering it? I felt it was surprisingly easy. Isn't it amazing how our minds work?

Some of you watch UFC fights. I haven't seen any, but I do see headlines about them often. Today's headline asked who would win if UFC fighters took on Marine Corps martial-arts experts. Who would you guess? I did not watch the accompanying video. I just read the text, but if you are into this sort of stuff, check it all out.

Have you ever wondered at the gosh-darned vulnerability of people back in the Old West buying 'snake oil' products? In our modern, sophisticated world, we would never be that gullible, right? Hold on one second. I need to take my pills. Let's see. ColdBeGone. Echinacea. Elder Berry. OK, as I was saying, nowadays, we have access to all sorts of information that can tell us if a product is worth buying. What if the company doesn't document the ingredients of a pill or liquid? Would you buy it? Well, the government just shut down a company doing exactly that. This company sold over 200 supplements. Maybe people haven't changed that much in 150 years, huh?

Let's see if you are gullible enough to believe that I am going to end today's blog post right now. Did you believe it? OK, what about now?

No Mo' MoMo

Are any of you readers under 40? Maybe Andrew Hamilton could pose as an example of achieving your goals. He went after the record of scaling all 58 of Colorado's peaks over 14,000 ft. He made it in less than 10 days, cutting over 24 hrs off the previous record holder. Luckily, I am over 40, so I can just read about it and not worry about actually wanting to do it.

Are any of you readers homeowners? If you are, then maybe you have a wall around your backyard that is unsightly. Here is a way to use an IKEA product to improve the look of your fence.

Any of you readers pet owners? Even if you are not now, it is likely that there was a pet in your family at some point in your upbringing. You will doubtless understand the sorrow we felt at having to put down our schnauzer, Morris, this past Saturday. He had been sick with a liver ailment for a while, and had been losing weight for months, but we just knew this weekend that it was time. I have a photo below, but not the one I was looking for. I guess I never posted it. Here is one with Morris, Molly, and the family at a local park. I think my daughter started it, but the grandkids mostly called him 'MoMo'. RIP, Morris.

Let's lighten the mood a bit. I have mentioned before that, in our multi-church choir concerts, the director tells stories, Bible verses and jokes between songs. Here is one of the stories that always gets a laugh.
A lady sat in my seat in church just the other day. She’s a very nice person. In fact, she’s a good friend. And I can easily sit somewhere else. No big deal.

But I like my seat. It’s on the right just as you enter the church sanctuary. It’s nice because I can rest my arm on the end. It’s a good seat, but I wouldn’t raise a fuss over something as unimportant as a seat, and I never hold a grudge.

Actually, it was just three months ago she took my seat and I have no idea why. I’ve never done anything to her. I’ve never taken her seat, or anything that belonged to her. And now I suppose I’ll have to come to church an hour early just to get my seat.

You know, I think she took it deliberately, because it’s one of the best seats in the house. And she had no business taking it, and I don’t see why I should have to go to church two hours early just to get what’s rightfully mine!

This is the way great social injustices begin: inconsiderate people taking other people’s seats! That’s how revolutions start. A person can only take so much, you know. And what I want to know is: Where’s it all going to end? If someone doesn’t do something about it, nobody’s seat will be safe. People will sit wherever they feel like, and next, they’ll be taking my parking place, then my home.

I am not seeing anything in Yahoo or social media for sharing today.  So, I will just share a Clarity of Vision and jump into work.

Make it marvelous today, my friends. We can scour the interweb together again tomorrow.

Hey, Lady! This Post is Not Ugly

Is it hot where you are? It is plenty hot where I am, so why is My Better Half wearing a sweater? Obviously, it is because this photo is not taken here at home. It is from when we were up north.

And when we went to dinner on that Thursday night, she wore a hoodie because it was quite cool at night.

You certainly will not see me lighting a fire here at home tonight. It is still 106F outside at 8pm as I write this. It was just barely cool enough 7,000 feet up in the mountains.

The photos above are all in color. Black and white photography is a small, niche type of shots. There was a time when B&W was all we had. This article shares some B&W shots from WWII period, and the a colorized version of each. It makes the somehow more real, at least to me,

You know that place over by the mirror where you have been wondering about how to decorate? What about your own miniature paper town? A Scottish artist has created Papertown, and he has some paper buildings for sale. Just a thought. You might not want to put it in front of a windows that you open, though.

In our bi-weekly concerts, the director of our multi-church choir speaks between songs, offering a story or a joke or the Biblical basis for the next song. One of the jokes that he often repeats is one about a parrot that insults a woman, Have you heard it before?
A woman was walking along the street when a parrot in a pet shop window squawked: "Hey, lady, you're ugly." The woman tried to ignore the insult and hurried on her way. The following day when she passed the pet shop, she quickened her stride in the hope that the parrot wouldn't spot her, but he did and squawked loudly: "Hey, lady, you're ugly." The woman was extremely embarrassed.

When the same thing happened for a third and fourth day, she had reached the end of her tether. She stormed into the shop and demanded to speak to the owner. She threatened to sue him and to have the parrot put down unless the abuse stopped. The owner promised faithfully that the bird wouldn't say it again.

The next day, the woman walked past the pet shop and the parrot called out: "Hey, lady." The woman turned round and glared at the bird. "Yes?" "You know..."

Do you remember the other day when I raised a semi-theological question, requiring a response from Preacher Bro? Let's go there again. Today's controversial posting is an article questioning whether Jesus is actually the Son of God. My response is "Yes," but read the story first to hear his points and see if any make sense. Well, I suppose all make sense, but it doesn't change my answer. Spoiler alert: The authors says "that he was an apocalyptic proclaimer of the Kingdom of God who went to his death with faith in God's promise to redeem Israel and the world."

And now for something a bit less theological.

El Niño is a weather pattern that allegedly brings wetter weather to the US. This year's version is forecast to be a big one. So, if it will be big, why is it still called 'boy' (how you would translate niño from Spanish)? Why not 'El Grandote' or something?

Do you like the flavor of General Tso's Chicken? You are wishing it was vegetarian, though? Am I right? How about General Tso's Cauliflower? As yummy as that sounds, the recipe says it can take 90 minutes to prepare. I will admit, then, that it ain't gonna happen.

We have to make it through the whole day before the weekend is really here. Let's get started so we can get finished. See you next week.

Friday Eve Fun

At the end of our 4.2 mile hike two weeks ago, the top of the hill ended with a only small shack and a tall tree.

And here is a shot form the bottom of the hill. We hiked up toward the middle peak.

And in the opposite direction, there was a lovely view of a valley and a cinder cone peak.

Let's stay with the 'nature' theme for a moment longer. I have never been to the Arctic, but I know it is a lot of ice and snow. Unfortunately, there is not as much now as there was just a few years ago. Check out the animation in this article. It makes it very hard to dent the impact of global warming.

Are you disgusted by the state of modern television programs? Too much sex, profanity, violence? Do you live for the TVLand channel and reruns of Lucy and Bonanza? Well, a channel called Antenna TV will be airing the Johnny Carson-hosted episodes of The Tonight Show starting Jan 1. NBC owns the name Tonight Show, so they will be billed as Johnny Carson. You have five months to figure out how to get access to this channel. For us, it is Channel 95.

Let's stay with the 'past' theme for a moment longer. Do you miss the music of the 20s? A group called Postmodern Jukebox sings modern songs in different jazzy styles. Here, they perform Iggy Azalea's Fancy in the style of a flapper. I like it. If you want, compare it to the video for Weird Al's version, Handy.

Something a bit more up-to-date is new flavors for classic foods such as potato chips, Oreos, and M&Ms. So, here is a new flavor or M&Ms...pecan pie. Sounds like an odd combination, doesn't it? Well, it does to me.

Let's stay with the 'junk food' theme for a moment longer. Do you like ice cream? If so, do you prefer hard or soft-serve? Hopefully you said soft, because I saw a rating of ice cream treats from McDonald's, Dairy Queen, and Wendy's. Which do you think Yahoo chose? Spoiler alert: It was NOT McD's.

Hold on a minute. We are not through with the 'ice cream' theme yet. Rolled freshly-made ice cream is a thing... at least it is in NYC. This looks like it could be the S'Mores Galore one. Rolled ice cream does sound fun, but I am not going to wait in line an hour for it.

If you eat too many sweets, you will not be able to fit in your specially designed jeans with an iPhone-charging pocket. On sale not for a mere $189. Oh, don't go away shaking your head at the high price. THEY CHARGE YOUR PHONE! What more can you ask?

Secrets of cooking shows? Yes, please.

Popcorn? Yes, please. Popcorn ceilings? No, thank you.

Clarity of Vision? Yes, please.

End of today's blog post? Yes, please. Today's goal? Have a Thrilling Thursday.