AUGUST 2014

AUGUST 2014

Thursday, September 29, 2011

NORM IS IN TOWN AND WILL BE IN TONIGHTS TORCHLIGHT PARADE

George Wendt, who played Norm on CHEERS arrived in La Crosse yesterday and plans to stay for the rest of Oktoberfest.  He'll also be in the Torchlight Parade tonight.

Check out the full story here: LA CROSSE TRIBUNE

LET THE WIND BLOW

WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ANY HAIR...A LITTLE WIND? NO PROBLEM!  Right Roger?

I'll bet you didn't know this:
Warm air moves to the poles where it cools down.
Cold air moves toward the equator where it warms up.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

DONNIE'S TRAFFIC REPORT

"Texas A and M University researchers report that Austin traffic is the 3rd worst in nation, after only Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Austin traffic is more congested than Houston or Dallas-Ft. Worth; and we tie with New York and San Francisco."

ONE DEAD IN CAR ACCIDENT THIS MORNING--HEAVY FOG IN THE AREA

CLICK HERE TO READ STORY IN THE LA CROSSE TRIBUNE

FROM THE CHURCH BULLETIN

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

KITTY KUP....AND KITTY

SICK HORSES

I'm glad Rita and Roger don't have the horses to worry about any more. I see the deadly horse virus Eastern Equine Encephalitis has spread to central Wisconsin. The disease is spread by mosquito bites.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TEMPERATURE?

Texas will be in the 90's today, South Dakota in the 80's, Minnesota in the 70's and Wisconsin in the 60's.

BARDOT TURNS 77 TODAY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIGITTE

DONNIE REPORTS:

"Now even the thunderstorms come without rain. This afternoon we had three hours of thunder and lightning and wind and dark skies--and not a drop of rain. Twenty miles on either side of us saw heavy showers, but we got nothing.

It is a supernatural curse. Someone in our neighborhood has been very naughty."

As I was reading this, from Donnie, I couldn't help thinking this would not be happening if Lady Bird was still living just down the road.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

ADVERTISING FROM THE PAST

Can you imagine an ad like this running today?  Even so, I think I've had a little of that "senile agitation" from time to time.

IT'S 4 O'CLOCK

I think I'll take a break from doing nothing and have a cup of coffee and a doughnut.

This is one of the parts of being old and retired that I like.

WATCH THE BIRDIE!

If you want to do some fall bird watching in Wisconsin, check out this TRAVEL WISCONSIN website BIRDS TRAVEL WISCONSIN

THE WISCONSIN CHEESE SITE HAS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

You'll find cheese news, recipes and more and the Wisconsin Cheese Map is a must if you're traveling through Wisconsin.

For the map go to the website WISCONSIN CHEESE Click on "Wisconsin" at the top of the home page and then click on cheese map. There's an address form you can fill out and they'll send you the map that shows, not only where all the cheese stores are, but lots of other interesting tourist stops in the state.

TV TALK

Ron said, "Update on the Pan Am TV show. Penny liked it but it did not do enough for me to keep watching it"

And I forgot to mention that I stayed up, again last night, to watch part two of the TWO AND A HALF MEN SEASON OPENER. Last week I gave it the benefit of the doubt and thought it had possibilities. After last nights segment...no way. It's doomed.

A NOTE FROM LYNNE

"We have had 1 1/2" rain in the last 3 days and looks like more is coming. We are hoping for a sunny warm day on Saturday as we are going to the tailgate party at the UW stadium with Derrick and Jennifer. No game tickets though. Jennifer's brother has a yearly turkey boil and lots of other food.

Last Saturday we went to the Warrior Dash in Twin Lakes and watched Sandy's kids and spouses climb walls, run, and the last was jumping into a mud pond to the end line. I camcorded the event. What a muddy mess. Here is a photo. Then we went back to Sandy's for a party celebrating her son, Carl's, 40th birthday. All participants were cleaned up before they got to her house. :-)

IT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT

I walked by this tree yesterday and it was solid green. I walked by it today and look what happened while I was sleeping. Everything else is still green. This guy decided to get a jump on the season.

HALLOWEEN IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

What better time is there to go vampire hunting? Don't know where the vampires are? Lonely Planet does. CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE ON THEIR WEBSITE

I'M MAKING A GROCERY LIST


Thunder is out of food and I'm running low on a few things. I'm thinking I'll get the "fixins" and throw them in the crock pot for soup early in the morning. I think we've cooled off enough for soup.

REMEMBERING THE PAST

This date must bring back a lot of memories for Jayne Meadows. She was born on, September 27, 91 years ago today. It was also on September 27, in 1954, that her husband, Steve Allen, appeared as the host on the premiere of the TONIGHT SHOW on NBC. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAYNE!

MORE SECURITY, NEXT YEAR, AT UWL

Interesting article in the La Crosse Tribune, this morning, about the Oktoberfest trouble on campus, at UWL, this year. CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY In past years much of the trouble has been along the Oktoberfest parade route but this year it was big trouble on campus.

As I noted, earlier, on this blog, the college students I come in contact with around here seem to get surlier and unhappier every year. I can't help but wonder if it isn't a sign of the times. And, it's not a good sign. I was under the impression that college years were supposed to be fun years to remember. Doesn't seem to be that way any more.

THUNDER DOESN'T MISS A THING

He insists I include the HELLO KITTY COLLECTION for the ladies on the blog this morning.

GOOGLE TURNS 13 TODAY

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT GOOGLES PAST DOODLES

Monday, September 26, 2011

THE ELEPHANTS NEED YOUR HELP



CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE
THE EYES OF THAILAND

IT WAS WARM IN THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON

When I checked, around 2 PM it was 80 in Rapid City and 81 in Worland.

CATS

"Let me give you a piece of advice, Grace..."

NOT ENOUGH RAIN TO TALK ABOUT

It rained all morning but it was just enough to make life miserable for those who had to go outside. I wasn't one of them. I decided I'd rather get down on my hands and knees and scrub floors rather than go walkin' in the rain.

This mornings totals:

  • La Crosse .22"
  • Holmen .03"
  • Galesville Trace
  • Viroqua .23"

DONNIE SAID, "SOME OF THESE MIGHT AMUSE YOU"

He's dead wrong. As the Queen said, "We are not amused." This list hits too close to home to be funny anymore.

The perks of reaching 60...or being over 70...or heading towards 80!

01. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
02. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
03. No one expects you to run--anywhere.
04. People call at 9 pm and ask,"did I wake you?"
05. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
06. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
07. Things you buy now won't wear out.
08. You can eat supper at  4 pm.
09. You can live without sex but not without your glasses.
10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
11. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
12. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.
13. You sing along with elevator music.
14. Your eyes won't get much worse.
15. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
16. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.
17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.
18. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
19. You can't remember who sent you this list.
20.  And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.
And never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.  And remember, the choice you have is never between now and the past, but between now and the future.

I DIDN'T KNOW THAT

Every time I click on TWITTER I learn something new. Just now I learned that TASER, that thing the cops use, is an acronym and it stands for Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle. C'mon. Be honest. You didn't know that either.

SHORT TIMER

Rita dropped coupons off on her way to work this morning and she informed me that she has:


37 DAYS
OF WORK
LEFT!

YUMMY STUFF!

I made a hamburger yesterday and needed something to go with it. French Fries is what I wanted but potatoes are a no-no on my diet. I've also been craving potato chips but, of course that's out too.

I finally found something at Co-op that I thought might quench my craving and it did!

They're a bit pricey but Stacy's Pita Chips are made from stone ground wheat flour, crushed oats and sesame seeds and they're baked. Of course they have a bit of salt (sea salt) but it's a low amount so it was OK to eat a few. Boy, are they good! I think I'd give them 4 stars or maybe more! They've got other goodies too. Check out their website STACY'S ALL NATURAL

I GOT NEWS FROM LYNNE THIS MORNING

"We had a good time with Mom B down with us for three weeks. We went to Daniel and Jon's for a celebration, to Sandy's for another good time with all her family there. Beautiful weather so many got out on the boat. Her son, Chris, is a fantastic boat captain and already has his two young sons tubing.

All Sandy's kids were in a Warrior Dash, which is climbing over walls, jumping over fire, jumping into a mud pond. I camcorded all of them. They are in marathons also.

Now I am editing all the film I took and getting it on dvds. I work hours a day as have 1 1/2 years of camcorder movies to edit onto dvds. I love working on all this but will be nice to get caught up. Then it will be working on photo books.

There won't be much more time working outside on the lawn and flowers so will get more done on other projects."

STRANGE SIGNALS COMING FROM OUTER SPACE

Could they be trying to contact us?? Probably not but this is a good story. MYSTERY SIGNAL

HAPPY JOHNNY APPLESEED DAY

I eat quite a few apples. I got some really good organic Granny Smith's at Co-op the other day. I don't usually pay any attention to organic but I've heard that they use so many chemical sprays, etc. on apples that they're one of the most contaminated fruits on the market. So, I went with the organic and they were very good.

By the way, I don't think it's true that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. If I had any more doctors they could incorporate as a small city.

I liked this medical stuff better when we were kids. We had one doctor and he knew everything there was to know about everything. And, if we were sick, we didn't have to make an appointment and go to a clinic. We called Doc Redding and he was at our front door in 15 minutes.

I'm thinking that might not be a bad way of doing things. When Donnie and I were back in Marion, a few years ago, old Doc Redding was still up and about, looking great and pushing 100. He must have been doing something right.

IS IT A HIT?

I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough for PanAm but, from the reviews I read this morning, it sounds like it could be a hit.

I usually don't read reviews. I don't really care if someone else likes or dislikes it. After reading a few, this morning, I remembered why I don't usually read them. Too many words.

Did you think it was good or did you not? With a review, you have to read and read and read before they ever get around to telling you whether they liked it or not. I wonder if they use all those words to impress us with how much they know about the particular form of entertainment they're reviewing. Of course, if they actually knew as much as they'd like you to believe they know, they'd be doing the acting or directing rather than reviewing it.

Did you like the show? Let me know what you thought of it.

DONNIE LAMENTS

"I still can't believe the world is ending--I dared think the 100-degree days were over. Wrong! 102 today, 103 tomorrow, burning sun, strong wind.

I would not be surprised now to see 100 degrees in October. We don't even speculate on rain any more--it just isn't part of any forecast."

Sunday, September 25, 2011

TV

Ron reminded me that PanAm is on at 9 tonight. I'd love to see it but I haven't been up until nine since I was 30 years old. I couldn't stay up that late if my life depended on it.

If I live long enough, however, I'll watch it in Re-runs after the show is cancelled. They're about 13 years old but I'm just now watching Seinfeld for the first time in late afternoon re-runs. It's all new to me!

AUNT WILDA CALLED TODAY

We talked about 20 minutes and she sounded so good. She was with Bob and Lynne for three weeks so she had a long vacation. Now, she says, she's home until Thanksgiving.

MORE FOLKS OUT OF WORK IN WISCONSIN

FRONTIER AIRLINES is cutting back service in the state and 213 Wisconsin workers will be out of a job.

WEATHER STATEMENT

I just saw there's a special weather statement for Rock County about the possibility of funnel clouds forming this afternoon. I hope none develop near Bob and Lynne.

HERE'S SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND

"To be upset over what you don't have, is a waste of what you do have."

Don't know who said it but it's a good thought.

WILLARD WOULD LIKE SOME OF OUR WEATHER

"Red Flag fire warning is in effect. Hot 90's all week. I like your wet fall forecast."

IN HONOR OF COMIC BOOK DAY HERE'S A BIT OF COMIC BOOK TRIVIA

The public met DICK TRACY for the first time on October 4, 1931 in the DETROIT FREE PRESS. His creator was CHESTER GOULD.

SHE LOOKS DAMN GOOD AT 82!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
BARBARA WALTERS

DOWNTOWN IS THE PLACE TO BE!

I was thrilled to see the story in the La Crosse Tribune, this morning, about the high, or should I say, RED HOT demand for downtown housing in La Crosse. The lofts, in the old buildings, are getting rented before the owners can get them ready.  And, where the people want to be, the businesses are sure to follow.

This has been the trend for several years in the big and medium sized cities around the country.  Gone are the days when people want to live in the country, on a couple of acres...with all the headaches, work, driving and cost that goes with it.

The people that moved to the country, early, had a great life of quiet and room to spread out.  But when everyone decides they want to follow you, you're no longer in the country. Your in a sub-division with the traffic, the noise, the zoning, the crime and all the rest of it that you were trying to get rid of when you moved to the country.

You know the old story. "What goes around, comes around"
. The "smart" place to be was in the country. Now, we're back to "The smart place to be is in the city".

CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY IN THE TRIBUNE.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

ART IS WHERE YOU FIND IT

After they cleaned up the debris from the big downtown fire we had a few weeks ago this wall was left. It looked, to me, like the perfect abstract painting.

YOU AREN'T GONNA BELIEVE THIS

Click on this site NORWAY and look at the size of the crabs they're catching there. One of those would feed every Solberg in La Crosse County!

CHICKEN

CLICK HERE FOR SOME GOOD CHICKEN RECIPES

WANNA GO FOR A REALLY FAST RIDE?

This guy is almost as good at driving a car as Roger is. I love it, at the end, when he gets it up over 180 MPH.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul on this date in 1896.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"It's easier to build strong children then to repair broken men."
Fredrick Douglas

THERE'S ANOTHER OKTOBERFEST THAT'S CLOSE TO US

The American Schleswig-Holstein Heritage Society is hosting this one in Davenport, Iowa. The big events of the day will be a card tournament and bands including Barefoot Becky.

Hey! You can't make stuff like that up.

ANOTHER GREAT OKTOBERFEST TWEET

"Is that a pretzel in your lederhosen or are just just happy to see me?"

OKTOBERFEST AROUND THE WORLD

I love the tweet from Germany I saw this morning: "OKTOBERFEST Munich is puking."

CHECK YOUR BACK YARD

I see that junked satellite entered the atmosphere and hit the earth early this morning but they don't know where it landed. If you notice a pile of twisted metal in your back yard you might want to give NASA a call.

US AIRLINES COULD DO BETTER

Travel and Leisure magazine has published their list of the worlds best airlines as voted by their readers. Out of 32 airlines that made the list, Singapore Airlines was named the best airline in the world.

Only 3 U.S. carriers made the list. JetBlue came in at #16, Hawaiian Air was 23 and Southwest Airlines made the list at 25.

OKTOBERFEST

It must have been a fun night in La Crosse. There were sirens wailing through the streets about every 10 minutes all night long. They woke me up several times. Tonight will be the big party night of the celebration.

The parade kicks off at 10:00 A.M. I'll probably walk down and check it out for a little bit but I'm not up for standing in a crowd of 100,000 people watching hours of high school bands and tractors rolling by.

There's another event I do want to see this afternoon. The Oktoberfest Photo Contest begins at 2 at the La Crosse Public Library.

Friday, September 23, 2011

IT HAS STARTED!

When I go to Festival I usually go early but I had some other things to do so I didn't get going until around 10. I had to run to the bank first so I walked through the downtown area. Totally forgot about Oktoberfest starting today. All the bars were already open with standing room only and the party goers were spilling out into the streets. I'm sure a lot of them were totally drunk by noon.

I'm not decided whether I want to walk down to the parade tomorrow. I'll wait until morning to decide.

RICK AND ANGELA HAD A SUCCESSFUL HUNTING TRIP


Roger said,

"They're back home. Food for the winter".

YUMMY GOOD GERMAN FOOD

The PUNCHBOWL website has some GREAT OKTOBERFEST recipes. Check them out here: PUNCHBOWL GOODIES

YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY

One of my readers, this morning, was from Chantilly, Virginia. I had never heard of Chantilly, at least I don't remember it, but I should have.

I looked it up and, lo and behold, the town of 23,000 is part of the Washington D.C. metro area and it's home to Washington Dulles International Airport. I've flown in and out of NATIONAL AIRPORT but I missed Dulles and Chantilly which is, probably, why I don't remember it.

NASA SAYS "NOT TO WORRY"

NASA says if any of that space junk, that's falling back to earth, does hit you it won't be very hot. The heating stops and the cooling starts about 20 miles up. So, the good news is that, if the piece is big enough, it might kill you but it won't leave a burn mark.

WHICH WAY TO THE SENIOR CENTER?

OKTOBERFEST BEGINS TODAY


Here's the official Oktoberfest website.CLICK HERE FOR OKTOBERFEST SCHEDULE

GUESS WHAT? I FORGOT!

With a mind like a steel trap, I can't believe I forgot. Uncle Ed was born 104 years ago on Tuesday. I had it on the calendar but, somehow missed it. I may have missed the whole day, as far as I know.

NEED A MINI CAR?

STILL GOING STRONG



MICKEY ROONEY IS 91 TODAY

IT'S HERE

AUTUMN ARRIVED AT 4:04 THIS MORNING
Equal hours (12) of day and night

CARL FOUND THIS

Thursday, September 22, 2011

HERE IT IS!

The latest fall color report from TRAVEL WISCONSIN.com
CLICK HERE

IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING

I needed to iron a shirt, this morning, so I got the board out, plugged the iron in and discovered a short in the cord. NUTS! I'll have to buy a new iron.

I would complain but I got to thinking. I bought that iron when I lived in Houston and I used it a long time before I moved back to Wisconsin so it's been serving me for 20 years or more.

I guess, instead of complaining, this time, I'll have to give credit to the folks at SUNBEAM for a very good product.

BIG WEEKEND IN LA CROSSE

CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL OKTOBERFEST WEB PAGE

THEY'VE, OBVIOUSLY, EATEN ENOUGH TO FEED A SMALL STARVING COUNTRY

I HOPE YOU HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN

This is the last full day of summer! Fall officially arrives tomorrow morning at 4:04 A.M. (CDT).

THE TROUBLE WITH AGING


I looked in the mirror, this morning, and noticed my face is running out of room for wrinkles.

WISCONSIN CHEESE FEST COMING EARLY NOVEMBER

This looks like a lot of fun. Check it out here: WISCONSIN CHEESE FEST IN MADISON

DID YOU KNOW?

You can watch BBC-TV programs on your computer. CLICK HERE TO WATCH

YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET!

Check this out.
CLICK HERE TO SEE FORD'S NEW ELECTRIC BIKE!

WHAT DAY IS IT?

CLICK HERE TO GET THE RECIPE FOR ELEPHANT FRUIT SALAD!
ENJOY ELEPHANT



APPRECIATION DAY!

I'm happy to report that customs in Hong Kong, this week, confiscated nearly 800 pieces of elephant tusks worth $13 million. They have one man in custody and they're looking for more.


Once we've totally destroyed the planet (we're coming close) and killed everything off in our insane hunger for money what will the money be good for?

CRANBERRY TIME

This weekend the little town of Warrens will hold it's annual CRANFEST. The town of less than 400 folks grows to 100,000 during the Cranfest weekend. I remember the first year I was back here Rita, Roger and I did some "Cranfesting".




This apple crisp with cranberries looks good...and healthy!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

THIS IS A STEAL!

There's a house for rent in Greenwich Village that's a very special house. It's only 9 1/2 feet wide!!

I saw pictures of this place several months ago and it's really a neat house. It even has a backyard garden which is a luxury in New York at any price...and it DOES have a hefty rent. $14,000 A MONTH!! No. That's not a typo. $14,000 EVERY MONTH is right. But, get this. Cary Grant once lived there. I'll bet you can't say that about your house!

WANT A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP?

I just saw this: FITBIE It's a web page that give you some good tips.

FROM MY GOOD FRIEND, GARY:

SEND ME TO TAHITI
To save the economy, in September, 2011, Boehner will announce that he is ordering the immigration department to start deporting old people(instead of illegals) in order to lower Social Security and Medicare costs.

Old people are easier to catch, and will not remember how to get back home!

BRAIN TRIVIA

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC sent out some information on their new book about the human body. It looks like a great addition to your library, by the way.

The brochure contains some interesting bits of trivia. For instance, did you know that your brain generates more electrical impulses in a single day than all the worlds telephones put together.

You notice I said your brain. I don't think mine puts out that much juice. My batteries are starting to run low.

THERE'S JUST A BIT OF COLOR BEGINNING TO SHOW

But it's enough to put us in an OKTOBERFEST mood!

TODAYS BEST NEWS

Image by FlamingText.com

Image by FlamingText.com
nter>

TO EACH HIS OWN

I mentioned that Rick and Angela might be cold, this morning, with Worland under a freeze warning. Roger informed me that they're camping in the mountains all week, sleeping on the ground with only a tent between them and nature (which includes the bears).

Rita and I are in agreement that our idea of "camping out" is a nice warm room at a Holiday Inn, preferably, close to the bar.

THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AIRLINE COMMERCIAL I'VE EVER SEEN



Donnie said: "Almost makes me want to fly again...if only I could afford it. But it's a marvel, that man can make such miraculous machines. Why can't we apply that genius to just getting along?"

BAD BAD COFFEE TABLE

Stuff you can live without but it's still fun! CLICK HERE

WEATHER AT A GLANCED FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

TIME TO COVER UP

It's time to cover up. I had to put my heavy bathrobe on this morning. There was a chill in the apartment. What a change, considering I had the air conditioning on just a few days ago. I think the old A/C has done it's work for the season. I'm going to go down to the basement, this morning, and get the cover and seal it up for the season.

I'VE GOT THE BEST!

I manage to screw up most everything I touch but I did one thing right when I got my Gunderson Senior Preferred health insurance.

The plan has been rated #1 in Wisconsin by the The National Committee for Quality Assurance and it's listed as 5th best in the nation.

WORLAND, WYOMING WAS UNDER A FREEZE WARNING THIS MORNING

I'll bet Rick and Angela have their jackets on.

LARRY HAGMAN IS 80 TODAY

ALZHEIMERS

WORLD ALZHEIMERS DAY

For more information on Alzheimers Day CLICK HERE

TIMES CHANGE

The La Crosse Tribune reports crime is down in La Crosse but way up at the University of La Crosse. In fact, up 43% last year. Much of it alcohol related.

I guess I'm not surprised. We have so many students living here at the apartment building and I can't help but notice that each year they become less friendly and more hostile. They all seem to be angry. Frustrated.

I guess I can't blame them. The whole country appears to be angry. Frustrated.

What a difference from the days when I was in my 20's. "The age of Aquarius" and "California Dreamin'" had it's rough spots but we still had a lot of hope. These kids seem like they've lost all hope.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

HOW BIG IS THE SUNDAY GAME FOR THE PACKERS?

CHECK IT OUT HERE:
PACKERS

HERE THEY GO AGAIN

DONNIE REPORTS ANOTHER FIRE
"We were packing again today for evacuation--a big house fire just a mile north of us, in the midst of all this explosively dry woodlands. Fire trucks and police wailing by our place all morning. Fortunately, no wind at all today, and at last report the fire is contained, but the house gone."

I WAS JUST THINKING

I was just sitting here thinking. Next month it will be 29 years ago that I moved to Texas. When I start remembering all the things that have happened in those 30 years it's no wonder I'm tired!

LA CROSSE WEATHER