HAVE YOU HAD ANY YET?

DO YOU EVER WONDER WHAT THE RICH PEOPLE ARE DOING TODAY?

HERE'S A PEEK!

WHY DO THEY CALL A DUFFLE BAG A DUFFLE BAG?

I'm, apparently, not as inquisitive as I thought I was.  I never wondered why they called a duffle bag a duffle bag until I read the answer this morning.

The cloth that's used to make a duffle bag was originally sold in Duffel, Belgium.

Duffel is a town of about 16,000 folks and that's where the heavy woolen cloth, called duffel comes from.  Besides the bags, duffel is also used to make military overcoats and luggage.

 

Now I have to wonder why they call the cloth duffle.

"MADE IN CHINA".....NOW IN SPACE!

China successfully launches spacecraft with three astronauts onboard from remote site in Gobi desert. yhoo.it/11EiuaT
— Yahoo!(@Yahoo) June 11, 2013

IF AUTHORS COULD TALK

I sent a tweet to Lucy Worsley, author of the book I'm reading "If Walls Could Talk".  I told her that I really loved it and it was fun to read.

She sent me a return tweet, "Thank you!  Clearly you are an intelligent and discerning individual."

Now, there's an author who writes great books and also knows class when she sees it!

PACKERS HISTORY

Had he lived, Vince Lombardi would have been 100 years old today.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 10 YEARS....CHER RETURNS!

There isn't much that will keep me up after 7 PM but I will stay up for CHER, one of my all time favorite diva's, as she makes her first public appearance in 10 years on NBC's THE VIEW.  The show will air on June 18.

By the way, Cher has a great new video of one of her classic hits, "Do You Believe in Love".

Logo Design by FlamingText.com

GOOGLE DOES IT RIGHT

Google has a new laptop, on the market, that has virus protection built in when you buy it.  That's the way they all should be!

DONNIE AND LINDA HEAD BACK TO TEXAS TODAY

Linda said, "Last day in beautiful Southern California.  We just got  back from a nice, casual, dinner at a Turkish restaurant in Laguna Beach.  Our friend Chris has to teach his on line class and then we will go to a lovely Japanese bakery and gelato shop for dessert...yum!  Lot's of good food on this trip."

WISCONSIN KITTY UP FOR ADOPTION

CLICK HERE FOR A GREAT STORY ABOUT A WISCONSIN KITTY who took a 300 mile ride, holding on for dear life, in the engine of a semi truck.

THE MAJESTIC SKY OVER SOUTH DAKOTA

Randy Halverson is a native of South Dakota and a master at time-lapse photography.  This is some of his work and the subject is the South Dakota sky.

 

OK~EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THIS WORKS

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE MUSIC TO REMIND YOU OF DAYS GONE BY

I just ran over the Kwik Trip to get a loaf of bread and this song was blaring out across the parking lot.  It took me back to KIMM in Rapid City and the summer of 1966.  Back to the days when I had hair and everything.

 

DON'T TELL ME THAT THE FOUR LEGGED ANIMALS DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF LOVE

A child with Down Syndrome and a dog with a heart filled with love.

A PARTY ON THE SHORES OF LAKE GENEVA IN THE 1800'S

HOW TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY FOR TWO TINY PIECES OF CLOTH

I don't know if this will be of more interest to the men or the ladies.  If you want to spend more than $200 for very little coverage check out the TOP 10 LUXURY BIKINI FASHIONS FOR SUMMER RIGHT HERE

TODAY'S FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday to Prince Phillip who is 91 today.  And, one of the great singers of all time was born, on this date, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.  Judy Garlands birthday was June 10, 1922.

 

IT'S A MIRACLE!

A DAY WITHOUT RAIN IN THE FORECAST!  I never thought we'd see a day like that again.  Actually, the whole week looks pretty rain-free and finally the temperatures will start to warm up.  Highs will be around 75 today and 80 tomorrow.

 

There's a chance for thunderstorms on Wednesday but sunny days will return for Thursday and Friday.

PHOTO BY RITA FROM JESSICA'S PARTY

DONNIE SENT A PICTURE FROM THE LOS ANGELES GARMET DISTRICT

"This woman worked in my office in Bolivia 15 years ago.  Her son later went to Italy to study fashion, then returned to L. A. to start a business with his Mother.  We went to the downtown fashion district to visit their workshop."

JESSICA'S GRADUATION PARTY WAS A MAJOR SUCCESS

Jessica's Graduation Party was a major success and I think we gave her a great send off to start her college years at Stout this fall.  Hopefully, she'll brush the chocolate off her teeth before she shows up for classes.

Rita took a bunch of pictures so, hopefully I'll have more to share with you later.

In the meantime, take a look at this happy quartet!  You're looking at some happy folks.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHNNY DEPP~50 TODAY

LET'S BOOK A ROOM

Interesting article, this morning, at the Yahoo! travel page, "10 hotel secrets from behind the front desk."  (Read it here.)  Having had a bit of experience in this area I can tell you that most of these items are true...a few I've never come across or heard of.  I'll let you guess which is which.

TASTY ON TOAST

Festival's new house brand of strawberry preserves is really good.  Certainly, just as good as the higher priced name brands. 

REMEMBERING A WISCONSIN ARTIST

LES PAUL was born in Waukesha on June 9, 1915.

RAIN IN THE FORECAST FOR LA CROSSE EVERY DAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

DON'T MONKEY WITH MY LOLLIPOP!

WHAT'S UP THIS WEEK?

TODAY
Jessica's Graduation Party
TUESDAY
Eric's Birthday
Donnie and Linda return from California
WEDNESDAY
Bill Miller performs at Riverside Park
THURSDAY
Wisconsin Heat Awareness Day
FRIDAY
I have an appointment with my dermatologist
SATURDAY
Linda's Birthday

WE'RE GOING TO JESSICA'S GRADUATION PARTY TODAY.....COME HELL OR HIGH WATER!

REMEMBERING THE RAPID CITY FLOOD JUNE 9, 1972

I remember, like it was yesterday, driving past this scene just hours after the flood waters roared through Rapid City destroying everything in its path and killing hundreds.  You never forget a day like that.

THANK YOU!

We had over 400 hits, on this website, today, before 5 P.M.!

HYMNS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS...LET'S ALL SING TOGETHER

Precious Lord, Take My Hand, And Help Me Up

Just a Slower Walk with Thee

Go Tell It on the Mountain, But Speak Up

Nobody Knows the Trouble I Have Seeing

Guide Me O Thou Great Lord God, I've Forgotten Where I've Left my Car

Count Your Many Birthdays, Count Them One By One

Blessed Insurance

It Is Well With My Soul, But My Knees Hurt

WISCONSIN HEAT AWARENESS DAY IS JUNE 13

I just read an article about Wisconsin Heat Awareness day and they stressed the fact that there were 24 heat related deaths in the state last year.

 

Unless the weather changes soon I don't think we'll have to worry about that this year.  Here we are, eight days into June and I still can't open the windows because the wind is too cold.

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM

June 8 is National Chocolate Ice Cream Daywp.me/p1DAeX-3Ki Father's Day Ideas #uppers twitter.com/Foodimentary/s…
— Foodimentary (@Foodimentary) June 8, 2013

THE CATS DIARY

Rita found this.  It deserves an Academy Award, a Tony, an Oscar, the Nobel Prize and a years supply of Friskies.

A SALUTE TO GENERAL MILLS

Hat's off the General Mills and Cheerio's for standing by their TV commercial featuring a bi-racial family in spite of the army of bigots across America who have risen up against it with their usual ignorant babble.

IT WOULD BE HARD TO FIND A BETTER WRITER THAN JEANNE MARIE LASKAS

I just finished reading "Hidden America" and it's about the most interesting thing I've read in years.  Spend some time with a coal miner, A migrant worker, an air traffic controller, a Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader, a gun store owner, some workers on an oil rig, Land fill workers and more people who work at jobs the rest of us rarely think about, much less know about.

 

There is so much to learn about what goes on, behind the scenes, to produce the box of strawberries you buy at the store or get rid of the garbage when you're done with your meal.

 

You'll learn all about it in this book and you're in for some big surprises!

 

It's quick and easy to read and you'll love it.

 

The authors work has appeared in GQ magazine, Esquire, The Smithsonian, The Washington Post and other publications and she's the author of several other books.

TOO BAD I DON'T STILL LIVE IN HOUSTON OR RAPID CITY

Non-Stop flights from Houston, Texas to Rapid City, South Dakota begin this coming Thursday.  Did you know that Rapid City also has non-stop flights to Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis?  READ THE FULL STORY HERE

THIS IS BAD NEWS FOR SOME, GOOD NEWS FOR OTHERS. I'M ONE OF THE OTHERS.

The only place in the lower 48 United States that is more than 100 miles from a McDonald's is on the western plains of South Dakota.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin on June 8, 1867. 

If you look at a dog and don't feel #excitement and affection, you must be a #cat. tinyurl.com/9stfwco
— Ian Lawton (@ilawton) June 8, 2013

I MISS THE MONKEYS AT THE PARK

Here's a playful Gibbon in Africa.

CELEBRATE WORLD OCEANS DAY TODAY

WE DON'T NEED NO MORE STINKIN' RAIN

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and saying a little prayer that the weather man is wrong but I think it will take a miracle.

 

The chance for Sunday thunderstorms has increased to 90% which doesn't bode well for Jessica's graduation party on the back yard.  Is this hideous weather never going to end?

 

If it snows as much next winter as it has rained this spring we'll be buried alive in the white stuff.

The normal high for today: 78
Today's forecast high: 69

Iowa expecting a 'bumper crop' of mosquitoes snsanalytics.com/m5kuy6
— Sioux Falls Daily (@SiouxFallsDaily) June 8, 2013

4-year-old boy accidentally shoots and kills his dad in Arizona: apne.ws/ZXV5CS -CC
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 8, 2013

WHAT DO WISCONSIN AND EGYPT HAVE IN COMMON?

This Egyptian Proverb:

THE MOUTH OF A

PERFECTLY HAPPY MAN

IS FILLED WITH

BEER

IT WAS A GREAT CROP THIS YEAR

GET RID OF ANY STANDING WATER YOU MAY HAVE AROUND YOUR PROPERTY

News reports say we could see a larger than usual crop of mosquito's this year due to the never ending deluge of rain we've had.  Get your repellant ready!

GET WELL SOON KATHY

Poor KATHY IS UNDER THE WEATHER suffering from Strep Throat.  That's miserable stuff to have so let's hope she's better soon.

It's always been you, #Wisconsin. twitter.com/DiscoverWI/sta…
— Discover Wisconsin (@DiscoverWI) June 4, 2013

WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF GREEN. NOW, WE NEED SOME SUN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM JONES: 73 TODAY

I think I'll move back to Texas and squat.

AND, AS LONG AS I'M COMPLAINING THIS MORNING........

I don't think I'll make it though the summer.  I spent one winter in San Francisco and that was more than enough for me.  I left, never wanting to see that city again...and I never have.

I went stark, raving mad going day after day after day after day with rain, drizzle, clouds and fog.  Having left that town I never thought I'd see such awful weather again.  I was wrong.  More than a month of the clouds, rain, drizzle and fog in Wisconsin has me climbing the walls.  I keep thinking it has to end but I don't see any sign of that yet.

My computer is working fine but, as usual, PICASSA is not.  I know that everyone else on the planet thinks Picassa is just the greatest thing ever but I don't understand it, can't figure it out and can't make it work.

 

I know I look intelligent but, actually, I'm dumb as a post.

DONNIE: STILL WORKING ON THAT CALIFORNIA VACATION

REST IN PEACE

ESTHER WILLIAMS

91

 

One of the funniest radio shows ever is Michael Feldman's "Whad'ya Know" on Wisconsin Public Radio and he's bringing his show to La crosse this Saturday morning at 9:30 at the Viterbo Fine Arts Center.  That should be a fun treat!

THEY DON'T GET ANY CUTER THAN THIS

Following the Sunday morning murder at the Cass Street Kwik Trip, the management has decided to close the store between midnight and 4 A.M.  That's a good move but anyone who lives in the downtown area knows a lot more has to be done as the area gets more dangerous by the day, or should we say by the night.

 

I shudder when I think of the many nights I walked home from the hotel.  The last couple of years I could tell that it was getting more dangerous to do that and I wouldn't think of going out, at night, anymore.

 

Who would have ever dreamed that the time would come that people would be afraid to walk the streets, at night, in little old La Crosse!

Gary U.S. Bonds didn't have a lot of hits but the ones he had were memorable.  Gary is still alive a kickin' at 74 today.

 

Our southern friends and family already have a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico to keep an eye on.  Tropical storm Andrea has come about a month earlier than the first tropical storm usually appears.
(Photo from NASA)

 

I don't think I'll even talk about the weather anymore.  It's become obvious, to me, that it's never going to change.  Every day, for the rest of my life, it's going to be the same.  Cloudy, Cold with rain.  There is no such thing as summer anymore.  Might as well get used to it.

I guess I should be thankful that todays chance of rain is only 50% and, of course, that 50% will come when I go to Walgreen's to pick up some more of the never ending parade of pills.

I'll try to be thankful that our afternoon temperatures will be in the upper 50's even though, in the old days, those temperatures used to be in the upper 70's this time of year.

I thought the old saying about being in the "winter of your life" when you got old was just a figure of speech.  I didn't realize that when you get old it actually does stay winter for the rest of your life!

WILLIE'S GOT THE RAINY DAY BLUES....JUST LIKE THE REST OF US!

When I see the oncologist there's quite a long wait between the blood draws and the visit with the doctor.  Everybody in the waiting room was talking about the same thing.

 

*They can't stand any more rain.

*They can't get their gardens planted.

*They feel sorry for the farmers.

*And, above all, they can't stand any more rain!

My visit to the doctor went well.  They told me the same thing they usually do.  I've got a couple of diseases that can't be cured but I'm as healthy as a horse.  She added, "That's because you're following your diet."

I'm such a good boy.

Speaking of doctors.....

A 90-year-old man goes for a physical.  All of his tests come back with normal results. 

 

The doctor says, "Jack, everything looks great. 

 

How are you doing mentally and emotionally?  

 

Are you at peace with God?" Jack replies, "God and I are tight. 

 

He knows I have poor eyesight, so He's fixed it so when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, poof! 

 

The light goes on.  When I'm done, poof!  The light goes off."

 

"Wow, that's incredible," the doctor says.

 

A little later in the day, the doctor calls Jack's wife.

 

"Ethel," he says, "Jack is doing fine!  But I had to call you because I'm in awe of his relationship with God. 

 

Is it true that he gets up during the night, and poof! ... the light goes on in the bathroom, and when he's done, poof! ... the light goes off?"

 

"Oh sweet Jesus" exclaims Ethel.  "He's peeing in the refrigerator again!"

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'



You Grew Up In Rural Wisconsin .......

 

 *You know how to polka, but never tried it sober.

 

 *You know what knee-high by the Fourth of July means.

 

 *You know it is traditional for the bride and groom to go bar hopping between the church      

& reception.

 

 *You know the difference between "Green" and "Red" farm machinery, and would fight with your friends on the playground over which was better!

 

 *You buy Christmas presents at Fleet & Farm.

 

 *You spent more on beer and liquor than you did on food at your wedding.

 

 *You hear someone use the word "oof-dah" and you don't break into uncontrollable laughter.

 

 *You or someone you know was a "Dairy Princess" at the county fair.

 

 *You know that "combine" is a noun.

 

 *You let your older siblings talk you into putting your tongue on a steelpost in the middle of winter.

 

 *You think Lutheran and Catholic are THE major religions.

 

 *You know that "creek" rhymes with "pick".

 

 *Football schedules, hunting season and harvest are all taken into consideration  before wedding dates are set.

 

 *A Friday night date is getting a six-pack and taking your girlfriend shining for deer and then out for Friday night fish.

 

 *Saturday you go to your local bowling alley.

 

 *There was at least one, if not several, in your class who had to help  milk cows in the morning.

 

 *You have driven your car on the lake.

 

 *You can make sense of "upnort," "bat-tree" and "warrssh."

 

 *Every wedding dance you have ever been to has the hokey pokey and the chicken dance.

 

 *Your definition of a small town is one that only has one bar.

 

 *The local gas station sells live bait.

 

 *At least twice a year some part of your home doubles as a meat processing plant.

 

 *You think that the start of deer season or (the Packers going to the Super Bowl) is a national holiday!

 

 You actually understand these jokes and will forward them to all your Wisconsin friends!!!!!

IT WAS 114 DEGREES IN DEATH VALLEY YESTERDAY

TODAY IS

NATIONAL MOONSHINE DAY

 

JOB ALERT

#JobSearch Residential Treatment Staff Job - Mayo Clinic - La Crosse, WI Find this Job & More goo.gl/ojmj4
— La Crosse Wisconsin (@LaCrosse_Buzz) June 5, 2013

EVERYBODY IN LA CROSSE WANTS TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS ONE: WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN?

Skiing under the influence of alcohol is prohibited. (Wyoming)
— Dumbest Laws (@DumbestLaws) June 5, 2013

A 70% chance for more rain today.  We're going to get a break Friday and Saturday with partly sunny skies.  After that....guess what...it starts raining again Saturday night.  The poor farmers must be tearing their hair out.
 

Time to make my spring round of doctors again.  This morning it's 5 vials of blood work and the oncologist.  Next week it's a trip to Onalaska to see the dermatologist.  I'll bet doctors wouldn't have much to do if it wasn't for old people.

 Yesterday I got an email from Rita saying she still "fits into her earrings", whatever that means and, this morning I get this picture from Donnie with the caption that says, "Vacation Pose".  Whatever that means.  Do you see anything in this picture, that I don't see, besides a rooftop and trees?

What are these people talking about?

We have a break in the rain but there's more moving in.  It rained most all of the day.  I didn't even think about leaving the apartment.  We're only a couple weeks away from summer and we haven't had much of a spring yet.

GREAT TIMING: Donnie and Linda got to California just in time for a 2.5 earthquake in Los Angeles.

R.I.P. DEACON JONES

What do Norwegians eat?

After watching this, I'm convinced.  We come from a long line of very odd people.

RAINING IN LA CROSSE AGAIN (SIGH)

I got a cryptic note from Rita this morning.

"I don't want to brag or make anyone jealous, or anything, but I can still fit into the earrings that I wore in High School."

Does anyone understand what the hell that means?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE PHILLIPS: 69 TODAY

I loved every song the Mamas and Papas ever sang but "California Dreamin'" had to be the best of all.  It's the one song, along with "San Francisco", that really defined the '60's.

Considering the fact that Donnie and Linda arrived in California last night, I just had to listen to it again this morning.

 

70% CHANCE FOR RAIN TODAY

After yesterdays beautiful sunshine, we move back into a rain pattern, every day, through Friday.  I see several areas of rain, this morning, strung out across Minnesota.  All of it heading this way.

The man accused of the murder of a man at the Cass Street Kwik Trip yesterday morning is in police custody.  Outside of that, they're not giving out any more information about what caused the altercation.

Donnie and Linda take off for California tonight.  They're flying with one of my favorite airlines, Southwest.

Southwest had an "incident" on Friday when a flight from Portland to Chicago was delayed a couple of hours after one of the "ever alert" flight attendants found a .22 caliber bullet laying on the floor of the plane while they were still at the gate.  All the passengers were re-screened and the aircraft was searched before they could re-board and continue on to Chicago.

ANOTHER GONG SHOW CLIP. DAMN! I LOVE THIS STUFF!

I was just reading that a man from Kaukauna won this years CHEESE CURD EATING CONTEST over the weekend.  He ate a half pound of curds in less than two minutes.

 

The contest was held in Little Chute, Wisconsin which reminds me of the trips Willard and I took to Cut and Shoot, Texas.  No cheese curds there but they do have a huge flea market and a great cowboy bar!

 

It was always a dream of mine to be a "curd eating champion" or a "cowboy bar".

DOWNTOWN LA CROSSE THE YEAR I WAS BORN: 1940

THAT'S SOME NASTY LOOKING SKY OVER WISCONSIN

RT @tompurdywi: One I never posted the other day, full gust out of Grant county shelf from Wed in SW Wisconsin #wiwx twitter.com/TomPurdyWI/sta…
— NWSMilwaukeeSullivan (@NWSMKX) June 3, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CHUCK BARRIS, HOST OF THE GONG SHOW. HE'S 84 TODAY!

Remember the "Gong Show" and Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine?  They don't use the word "zany" much anymore but that's what the Gong Show was.

 

All things chance all the time but NO MORE ROOM SERVICE AT THE HILTON HOTEL IN MID-TOWN MANHATTAN?  What's the world coming to??

 

I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  "Service" of any kind, anywhere, is pretty much a thing of the past.  The end of the room service will mean the end of 55 jobs at the hotel.  You can expect other hotel to follow Hilton's lead.

 

I would think the folks at Hilton might want to follow Southwest Airlines lead and, at least, put a couple bags of peanuts on the nightstand.

 

And, I'm betting that if Paris stays there she'll still get room service.

IT'S HOT IN TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON WITH 91 DEGREES IN DRIPPING SPRINGS AND McALLEN

Guess I'll get out and about tomorrow.  It won't be all that warm at 66 but there's no rain in the forecast and that's the only dry day we'll have.  A pretty good chance for rain returns Tuesday through Thursday.

MURDER ON CASS

I was out of Sprite so I walked over to Kwik Trip.  I saw police cars with their lights flashing a couple of blocks away and thought it was probably a motorist stopped for a traffic violation.

 

When I got closer, however, it became apparent it was something much bigger than that.  I saw the yellow tape surrounding the entire Kwik Trip parking lot and police cars everywhere.

 

I turned around and walked back to the Conoco station.  The young lady working there said there had been a murder committed at Kwik Trip overnight.

 

I got home and checked around the internet and sure enough, it was a homicide that occurred around 3:20 this morning.  The victim was rushed to the hospital where he later died.

 

No name has been released and no details about the incident have been released.  Police aren't even saying what type of weapon was used.

 

WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

Another sign it's a strange spring.  Duane wrote, "Sunny but chilly.  Back to wearing flannel nightshirts for warmth."

IN HONOR OF BUBBA DAY

This has got TEXAS written all over it...and I love it!

I looked at my weekly calendar.  The only exciting thing I have scheduled is a doctors appointment.  You know you're old when a visit with your doctor is the biggest social event you have to look forward to.

That cold front that came through yesterday sure cooled us down today.  Temperatures are in the upper 40's this morning and it will stay in the low 60's this afternoon.  That's around 10 degrees cooler than our high of 74 yesterday.

THE BEAUTIFUL WILDFLOWERS AT DONNIE AND LINDA'S HOUSE

LET'S PARTY!