MONSTER: ANYONE WHO ABUSES CHILDREN AND ANIMALS

Jane Goodall has a message 4 Air France: End the “cruel trade” of lab monkeys http://t.co/ZmG1B7cObc RT 2 thank her! pic.twitter.com/9VZGUeUYiy
— LION (@LIONS4Mercy) May 25, 2014

SUNDAY: MISSING CHILDREN'S DAY

Rita and Roger came over and Roger fixed my window blind.  Is there anything that man can't do?

DONNIES LAST DOUGHNUT

One of the things Donnie can get in La Crosse that he can't get in Austin is ENTERMANN CHOCOLATE COVERED DOUGHNUTS which are, probably, the most unhealthy food items on the planet but he loves them.

They're made in New York and everyone, there, knows about Entermann Doughnuts.  Beyond there they become more scarce.  Why they sell them at WOODMANS IN LA CROSSE is a mystery but there they are and Donnie always stocks up when he's here.

He ate the final doughnut this morning.  Maybe, if he's a good boy, I'll send him some more for Christmas.

LIFE GETS MORE CONFUSING EVERY DAY

Rita called and wondered if I was OK because I didn't have anything on the blog about yesterday.

Of course I was OK but I was having a slight malfunction with the computer while I was trying to get the picture of the mama duck on the blog.

I was finally successful after calling the computer several unkind names.

After the mama duck episode, the most exciting things about my birthday, yesterday, was dinner at Cedar Creek, Loving up the pug dogs at Renee's house, opening the bedroom blinds and having the right half fall off the wall and Roger explaining to me that the reason my pants keep slipping down below my waist is that my belly forces the belt to slide down.  It has something to do with fat and gravity but you'll have to ask Roger if you want the real scientific explanation.

Today Rita and Roger are coming over so Roger can check the bedroom blind and see why it's falling off the wall and Rita will install the Charter Cable converter box thing that I guess I need for some reason which I don't really understand.

As helpless as I am, it's amazing I'm still alive after 74 years.

DUCK WITH FLOWERS

Rita and I saw the most beautiful thing yesterday.  We went to get some plants, in the parking lot at Shopko.

As we were looking for hanging basket items (which Rita is planting today) one of the ladies pointed out a MAMA DUCK NESTLED IN THE FLOWERS.  Apparently, mama thought that would be the perfect place to have her babies which were underneath her.

The staff had put up signs not to feed or scare the little family and just let them be.  Mama sat as still as could be and I'm sure I would have walked by her if I had not known she was there.

Look carefully at the photo and you'll see her.  It's a pretty good camouflage!

BOB DYLAN IS 73 TODAY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

BOB DYLAN



TODAY SHOULD BE A PERFECT DAY

UNCLE MILTON

DIED

MAY 24, 1974

I LIKE THESE

The perfect watch for summer is here with these vivid colour @TSOVET timepieces http://t.co/d4FosNrnCJ pic.twitter.com/fuhbatk1Af
— ShortList Magazine (@ShortList) May 23, 2014

A NOTE FROM DONNIE THAT MADE MY DAY

"Your note on Ron's computer problems and the ease with which the young figure it all out brought to mind my trouble yesterday.

I took the laptop to the coffee shop.  When I got there It wouldn't turn on when I opened the cover.  I tried what I could and then called Linda.

'Did you try the on/off button?' she asked.

I guess you know the answer."

WINDOWS 8 WOES

Just finished a long phone call with Ron from Rapid City.  He got a new Dell computer with WINDOWS 8 and it's driving him to tears just like it did with me.  It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who can't figure it out!

 

Ron is pretty sharp with computers but, believe me, that doesn't help much when you get to Windows 8.  You turn it on and it's like you've never seen a computer before in your life.

 

He called because he couldn't figure out how to even turn the computer off!  I told him not to despair because it took me a good two weeks before I figured it out.

 

The thing about Windows 8 is that, although it is a nightmare to begin with, I would urge anyone to stay with it for a while and once you figure it out you'll find out you can do a lot more with it than you could with the old Windows and it's SO MUCH faster.

 

My biggest complaint about buying anything anymore is that there is no instruction book with anything you buy.

 

What the hell happened to instruction manuals?  Are these young kids, now, just naturally born knowing everything??  Nobody needs instructions anymore?  If that's the case, lets just shut down the schools and save a lot of money!

 

But, you know, now that I think about it, When I was 18 I knew absolutely everything too.  Nobody could tell me anything.  Today I turn 74 and I'll be the first to tell you I don't know a damn thing.  I wish I was 18 again so I could figure out how to answer the phone.

HOUSTON IS EXPLODING!

I lived in HOUSTON and loved every minute of it so I'm not surprised, this morning, to read that HOUSTON IS THE FASTEST GROWING CITY IN TEXAS and ONLY NEW YORK IS GROWING FASTER THAN HOUSTON IN THE USA.

 

BERT'S BIRTHDAY PLANS

WHAT'S BERT DOING FOR HER BIRTHDAY?

She says, "The kids are taking me to a restaurant for supper so that will be a treat.  Other than that, just enjoying the day."

BIRTHDAY PARTY TIME

I'm going to Rita and Roger's, today, to celebrate my birthday.  The dogs made a birthday cake for me.

They didn't put any candles on the cake.  I know how old I am and it's much older than I'd like to be.

I went to an antique auction, the other day, and three people bid on me.

THE ONLY WAY TO TRAVEL

This is an interior shot of the AL-ANDALUS TOURIST TRAIN.  You may not get there as fast but it sure beats

being squeezed into a metal tube with a screaming kid behind you...doesn't it??

This train will take you on a tour across Andalusia for six days and five nights.  It was originally USED BY THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY and I figure, if it's good enough for them it would be good enough for me.

See more pictures and find out more about the train by clicking here:
http://www.red2000.com/spain/travel/essential/alandalus.html

KISS A TURTLE TODAY!

We can't let all this birthday talk get in the way of another celebration going on.

WHAT TO BERT AND I HAVE IN COMMON WITH JOAN COLLINS??

JOAN COLLINS IS HAVING A BIRTHDAY, TODAY, TOO only she's had more birthdays that Bert and I have.  Miss Collins is 81 today.

 

WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WAY

This is, basically, true but you must remember that the cost of living is higher in Norway and you'll, probably, have to eat lutefisk once or twice a week.

 

Still, with tuition in the USA going through the ceiling, if you know a kid who really wants to learn, they might want to look into this possibility.

 

Remember, there are worse things than living with a bunch of Norwegians.  I can't think of any worse things, at the moment, but I'm sure I'll come up with something.

 

I LOVE THIS

TABBERTS UP NORTH

Travel Wisconsin.com is featuring an interesting article on EIGHT SECLUDED CABINS IN WISCONSIN and one of them just happens to be TABBERT'S UP NORTH - ST. GERMAIN

Now, where have I heard that name before?

Read more right here: http://www.travelwisconsin.com/article/cabins-cottages/eight-secluded-cabins

I LIKE THIS

DOGGIE HUMOR: MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS

IT'S A BIG DAY FOR BIRTHDAYS

ONE OF THE BEATLES IS UNDER THE WEATHER

I looked at this when I came on line, this morning and thought, "Oh, NO!  People will think I'm talking about our Paul SOLBERG.

 

Paul Solberg is just fine.  Don't forget.  He's a sturdy Viking.  It's the other Paul.  Paul McCartney that's hospitalized with some kind of nasty virus he came down with while on tour.

 

Just so we're clear on this...it's Paul McCartney who is on tour.  I don't think the Paul Solberg show is on the road right now.

 

Back to the other Paul....McCartney, that is, he's doing better and will recover from the virus he came down with in Japan.  Doctors have advised him to take a few days rest and then he'll be back on stage again.

 

Paul...McCartney that is...has his birthday coming up next month.  He, of course, is just a kid.  While I turn 74 today, Paul...McCartney that is....will be 72 in June.

TIME FOR LUNCH

ATTENTION FOOTBALL FANS!

Those of you who love the game will know the name CHRIS KLUWE who, most recently, played for the Minnesota Vikings.  In this TED TALK he explains augmented reality and what it will do for the game of football in the future.

MEMORIES PRESSED BETWEEN THE PAGES OF MY MIND

That's the way Elvis sang it and I thought of that line, this morning, when I realized that it was 23 years ago today that I started working at Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston!

 

Radio was my life long passion and those were great years but my years working for the now "gone but not forgotten" CONTINENTAL AIRLINES came in a close second.

 

I was lucky.  So many people I've talked to, over the years, have complained about hating their jobs.  I could never quite relate to that because I loved every minute of my radio and airline work and I still miss those exciting years of work and the wonderful people I met.

 

When I go to "sleep" for the last time I'll be able to say that my life was "one hell of a ride"!

WEATHER LOOKS GOOD THROUGH SATURDAY

ATTENTION DOG PARENTS!

GPS DOG COLLAR!  WHEREVER THEY ROAM, YOU'LL KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.
Why didn't someone think about this before now?

CHECK OUT WHISTLE.COM HERE

NORMAL HIGH

Normal high for the 22nd of May in La Crosse is 73.  Forecast high for today is 71.  Close enough.

DUMB JOKE DEPARTMENT

I SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SWEDE

It must be the #lutefisk. 97%of Swedes are #satisfied with their lives, according to a recent study, @RundquistS reports
— Allen & Kelley Co. (@allenandkelley) May 20, 2014

IF I HAD A HORN I'D BLOW IT

PLANTING TIP

Passing this along from Farmers Almanac, if you're planting by the moon, today is the day to plant your late root crops.

 

You were planning to plant some late root crops......weren't you?

DUANE IS BLOOMING

"I have a blanket of violet colored shooting stars, yellow parsley and wild onions in my back yard.  In the front I will have bouncing betties.  Light purple multiple blooms that do bounce in the wind."

 

I DIDN'T KNOW FRIEND HAD ANY KIDS

SUPER 8 HISTORY

Donnie sent an interesting article on the history of Super 8 Motels.  An interesting bit of trivia is that the first Super 8 motel was opened in Aberdeen, South Dakota in 1974..

WHERE'S THE BEST BARBECUE?

Travel+Leisure is featuring an article on the best city's in America for  great barbecue.

TOP 10 ARE
Nashville
Memphis
Kansas City
Austin
Houston
San Antonio
Charleston
Dallas-Ft. Worth
Savannah
New Orleans.

Has anybody ever seen a list of the best city's in America for great Lutefisk?

I wonder what a lutefisk barbecue would be like?

C'MON. ADMIT IT. YOU GOOGLED "BEANIE bABIES', didn't you??

The website, ESTATELY, did a search of the subjects most searched on Google by each state.  This might scare you!

Some of the big searches from Wisconsin were:
Beanie Babies
Menthol Cigarettes
The Green Party
Oprah's Book Club

Searches from Texas turned up:
Are dinosaurs real?
Boogers
Do I have herpes
Rodeo

I won't comment.  I could comment.  But, I won't.

Except to say......

The stupidity of the American people speaks for itself.

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THE HAIL IN BOULDER THIS AFTERNOON!

OH, WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY

There's some rainfall around Mitchell this morning but the rest of the upper Midwest is sunny and dry.  That's good news!  We need to dry out around here.

TUNA TIME

Just got my tuna salad recipe out.  It's going to be a beautiful day with a sunny sky and highs in the low 70's.  As soon as those first spring days arrive, the first thing I think of is tuna.

 

Some folks think of the green leaves, spring flowers and singing birds.  Not me.  I think of tuna.

WHAT'S FOR DESSERT?  Maybe I'll celebrate the holiday.

 

ARE THESE GUYS NUTS???

The BLUE ANGELS are coming back to La Crosse this summer but I don't think, even they, fly this close.

This is not a fake picture.  It's the real deal.  Two pilots of the Swiss Patrol are flying these two jets, in this formation, at the Berlin Air Show.

That guy flying the upside down plane is either nuttier than a fruit cake or he's got the nerve that Superman could only dream about!

BAD NIGHT IN THE WINDY CITY

I'm thinking about Daniel and Jon this morning and hope they made it through the terrible storms in Chicago last night.

More than 115 flights cancelled at O'Hare, all the flights cancelled at Midway, golf ball size hail, lightening strikes, flooding.  They got it all last night.

SHRINKING BRAINS

New Scientist magazine says OUR BRAINS HAVE SHRUNK IN THE PAST 20,000 YEARS.  Are they kidding?  Mine has shrunk in the past TWENTY years.

WE'VE WAITED A LONG TIME FOR WEATHER LIKE THIS!

ROUND AND ROUND AND ROUND IN MY MIND

Do you ever wake up with a song going through your mind?  I did this morning.  It was this song by THE JAMIES.

It was a major hit in the summer of 1958 when I was living in Minneapolis and going to radio school.

 

IF I COULD I'D ADOPT THEM ALL

LEAVE IT TO THE BEARS

LEAVE A BIG TIP TODAY

A PERFECT DAY!

For the first time in months I was able to walk to Festival this morning.  Temperatures are in the low 70's at 10:00 A.M., the sun is shining and NO COLD WIND!!  This, actually feels like summer today!!

Alas, Donnie came a week too early.

RICH FOLKS

There are rich people and then there are REALLY, REALLY, REALLY RICH PEOPLE that make the rich people look like welfare cases.

 

Here's a guy who's in the "Really, Really, Really category.

 

Dmitry Rybolovlev ordered to pay $4.5bn (£2.7bn) in record breaking divorce http://t.co/Qdzh6KkQIh #bbcgofigure pic.twitter.com/XBim9meFkz
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 20, 2014

I'll bet he's wondering whatever possessed him to get married. 

SUPER CELL

Weather can be a very scary thing, at times.  This is one of those times.  It's a time-lapse view of a super cell forming over Newcastle, Wyoming.

MY FAVORITE DIVA

Happy 68th birthday...

CHER!

She may be 68 but she'll never look it!

 



CRAZY HORSE VOLKSMARCH

Some of you are seeing an ad for the CRAZY HORSE VOLKSMARCH, on this web page today, which is held the first full weekend in June.  If you're a walker, like me, and will be in the Black Hills at that time you might want to join the folks for a 6.2 mile walk through the woods, to the shrine.

For complete information CLICK HERE

SLEEPLESS

About every six months I have a night that I can't get to sleep.  Last night was the night.  Toss and turn.  Up and down.  I think I'll have to nap this afternoon.

 

Sleep, Sleep, I got no sleep

I must have counted a thousand sheep!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

We'll see a lot more sun this week than we have in months.  This is just what the doctor ordered.  A stretch of dry weather to dry up the flooded areas and the fields.  Maybe we can get the farmers back to spring planting!

I wish Donnie had been here this week.

 

GUESS WHO?

I think the one on the right is

with the mafia.

 

EMMA

Donnie did a great job capturing this beautiful shot of

Rita and Rogers "EMMA".

I'M A GLUTEN FOR PUNISHMENT: THIS IS FOR LINDA

AMERICAS MOST IGNORED DISEASE

A MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WALK is scheduled for NOON, TODAY, THROUGH DOWNTOWN LA CROSSE.

Walkers will be bringing attention to supporting people with mental health problems.

If you'd like to join the walk, meet in front of the city hall by noon today.

RAIN

It has been raining most of the day.  I haven't left the apartment.  If we don't dry out pretty soon I think the farmers can forget about any crops this season.

Usually, by this time of the year, I've heard the phrase, "We sure could use some rain" about a hundred times.  Haven't heard it once this year.  What we need this year is the SUN...if it's still up there!

YIKES!!!

One of World's Biggest Dinosaurs Unearthed in Argentina http://t.co/raIAE2hUV9 pic.twitter.com/zZ27re8YUs
— LiveScience (@LiveScience) May 19, 2014

ON THE SHORES OF NESHONIC

LUTEFISK JOKE

Everyone seems to be in such a hurry to scream 'racism' these days.

A customer asked, "In what aisle could I find the lutefisk?"

The clerk asks, "Are you Norwegian?"

The guy, clearly offended, says, "Yes I am. But let me ask you something. If I had asked for Italian sausage, would you ask me if I was Italian?

Or if I had asked for German Bratwurst, would you ask me if I was German?

Or if I asked for a kosher hot dog would you ask me if I was Jewish?

Or if I had asked for a Taco, would you ask if I was Mexican?

Or if I asked for some Irish whiskey, would you ask if I was Irish?"

The clerk says, "No, I probably wouldn't."

The guy says, "Then because I asked for lutefisk, why did you ask me if I'm Norwegian?"

The clerk replied, "Because you're in Home Depot."

ENERGETIC MORNING

8:00 A.M.

Just finished scrubbing the kitchen floor and there's a load of laundry ready to come out of the dryer.  As I told Duane, I had a burst of energy but it will be totally used up by noon.

TODAYS BEST ADVICE

CHICAGO CAB: 1940

Yellow Cab with a rumble seat introduced in Chicago in 1940...the year I was born.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE TOWNSHEND

WARMER WEATHER FOR WISCONSIN!!

SLEEPY HEAD

I woke up at 3 and thought, "Time to get up".  I rolled over and went to sleep again!  Next thing I knew it was 4 am.  Sorry, but I'll be running an hour late all day.

JACOB GRADUATES

Congratulations to Rita and Roger's grandson, Jacob, who graduated from UW-MADISON this past weekend.

Rita said, "We are proud", and they should be!  Jake is pictured with his Mother, Renee and sister, Cheyenne and he, and his brother Terrell are two of the nicest and most polite young men I have ever met.

Good luck, for the years ahead, Jake!

 

 

MAY RAY DAY

We're celebrating MAY RAY DAY today.  The day we celebrate the warming days of the sun, which we haven't had much of this year.

We'll still be well below our normal temperature for this time of year today but tomorrow we'll get up close to 80 degrees so we'll celebrate Ray Day today and enjoy it tomorrow.

MARILYN SPEAKS

SWEET TALK

NICE TODAY. LOUSY TOMORROW

It was 74 at 3:00, this afternoon, with blue sky and fluffy clouds.

Tomorrow we're back to showers and thunderstorms with temps about 10 degrees colder.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

"If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed.  If you read the newspaper you're misinformed."
~MARK TWAIN~

I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS...AMAZING!

BIG RIVER

IT'S RELATIVES DAY AND I'VE GOT 'EM COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK

THIS IS THE ONE THING LARRY KING EVER SAID THAT MADE ANY SENSE

I never learned anything while I was talking. ~ Larry King
— Zen Moments (@Zen_Moments) May 18, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE STRAIT

George turns 62 today.

This is my favorite GEORGE STRAIT song as he sang it at the Astrodome in my most favorite big city in the world, HOUSTON, TEXAS.

WELL SAID

It was a clever marketing guru who snuck the "s" in fast food.
— Georg Grey (@Georg_Grey) May 18, 2014

FINALLY....A DAY THAT FEELS MORE "MAY-LIKE" TODAY

It's going to be a sunny Sunday with afternoon temperatures around 70.  Enjoy, because TOMORROW IT'S BACK TO MORE THUNDERSTORMS....(like we need more rain).

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING?

For me, I can't remember a 4 o'clock in the morning that I wasn't up.  For this guy, 4 o'clock in the morning is a hobby.  Watch this.  It's great fun.

I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS