Annoying Things and Funny and Serious Things

 Self check out. Anyone else never use self check out? I tried it once or twice in a grocery story but needed help so what's the point? Also this trend means some check out clerks will eventually lose their jobs. I think if I do the self check out they should pay me! At least give me 20% off. What do you think? 

Another annoying thing. Some cities are charging a big fee to drive in city centers. Of course this doesn't affect the wealthy, they can easily afford it. Most fees like this hurt the working middle class.  

One thing that made me smile as I drove to work was when I drove the speed limit on a four lane (two lanes in each direction) city street and the person behind me also going to work where I worked tailgated so I would speed. I was in the slow lane of two lanes so they would pass me in the faster lane and rush ahead, but then we stopped at a stop light they would be right next to me. That happened pretty often. All that stress and risk of a speeding ticket for them and they did not save one second of time.

My list of annoying things is rather short. I am pretty easy going. I don't get road rage.

So this turned out to be a rather short list of annoying things. 

Below is cute Mr. Snoopy who is ever lovable and never annoying. 

 

A busy night at Stonehenge when trucks move the stones around for the time change. I have visited Stonehenge but did not know about the trucks moving the stones twice a year for the time change. Ha Ha.

Polish Cavalry Hussars saved Vienna in 1683 when it was almost defeated by Muslim invaders. They were told of the looming catastrophe by a huge signal fire lit in Vienna and the Polish king lit an answering fire meaning help was on the way. Then they arrived on horseback and saved Vienna.

Charlie Kirk, Brew Ice Tea, Fun TV Shows,Home Repairs

 The dog's reaction to internet mad news is priceless.

Do you make cold brew ice tea? It is easy, cheap and we have a very wide variety of teas to choose from. Teamonk makes a jasmine rose tea and Yorkshire Gold is a standard black tea for me. I fill the tea strainer with my choice of loose leaf tea (leave a bit of room as the leaves expand when wet) and put it in a pitcher of water for 8 hours. I leave the pitcher on a kitchen counter at room temperature when it is brewing. No hot water used, just cold water. 

I watch some great TV shows: Son of a Critch (seems true to life, sweet comedic show about a young boy growing up in Newfoundland, Canada), The Cleaner (season 3 is here, a comedy, he cleans crime scenes), Fisk (funny Australian series about an eccentric lawyer. I like the TV series filmed in Tokyo, titled 99.9 about a young lawyer who represents the .1 percent of criminals in the Japanese court system who are found innocent. I had already read that in Japan if the police charge you it is 99% chance you will be found guilty. The show is fiction and the main character is very young and a quirky guy.

Yes Charlie Kirk, the pride is awakened in honor of you. 💕🦁🙏🕇💕

I'm having a busy week. My oldest son is coming over three times to cook dinner for the two of us. Much appreciated by me. Delicious healthy food (shrimp and risotto the first night) and best of all, fun chats. I got two plumbers to bid on replacing an old toilet with a new one. Shockingly expensive to hire people for home repairs. Last week my washing machine quit working (20 years old, a Kenmore, a great brand) and I replaced it with an LG brand washing machine. 

And you may recall I replaced the old electric panel for my house with a new panel a couple months ago. My house is 70 years old and so was the electric panel so it was time for a new one. The old breakers were failing. A fun thing is I made my first Shutterfly framed photo collage. A birthday gift for my sister with 9 photos of family. It turned out very pretty and full of memories. I titled it "Happy Times." Have a happy September friends.

 
 
 

Some funny quotes to lighten our day

 "Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest." Larry Lorenzoni

"Parents should leave books lying around marked Forbidden if they want their children to read." Doris Lessing

"Women's clothes: never wear anything that panics the cat." P.J. O'Rourke

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg though he knows that you are slightly cracked." Bernard Meltzer 

Ha ha, slightly cracked, I like that. The photo is from coffee I made, plus I used my milk frother. Have a good day and remember to laugh.

 

Solzenitzen Graduation Advice and Funny Quotes

 

It is graduation time in my town and I happened upon Aleksandr Solzenitsyn's commencement speech he gave at Harvard in 1978. His words ring true today.

His words were a warning to the west of the dangers of materialism and the dangers of legalizing immorality in the name of freedom. He put much blame on the media for this situation, "The press is more powerful than the President, the Congress or the judiciary community. Americans have a right not to have their divine souls stuffed with gossip, nonsense and vain talk." He warned that our spiritual life, "our most precious possession" is damaged by the media.

Solzenitzyn was born in Russia in 1918 and raised in the Russian Orthodox Church, a crime in Russia. He wrote a letter to a friend critical of Stalin that caused him to be sent to Siberia and prison camp for eight years, which was usually a death sentence. After the prison camp he was put on a plane and sent into permanent exile, not his choice. He lived in the USA for many years, returning to Russia in 1994 to live in a house on ten acres given to him. 

What an amazing life he led from Siberian prison to Nobel Prize. He warned the West of the dangers of spiritual emptiness and called for a return to the teachings of the Christian faith.

 Bounce wearing his LED collar for walking at night with his mom, that's me.

For those who like to giggle, I just bought "The 2,320 Most Hilarious Quips and One-Liners" and I will be sharing some here in future posts. In such serious times I crave lots of giggles. Here is one: "The hardest years in life are those between 10 and 70." Helen Hayes at 73. 

And one more funny: "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!" Dave Barry

A Busy Week and a Funny

 

This has been a busy week. Who knew being retired can be so busy? At this point, most things I do are things I choose to do and the people I spend time with are people I choose.

We celebrated my older son's birthday at our family's new favorite restaurant and our three nonalcoholic drinks were so pretty I took a photo, see above. Mine is the pretty lavender color drink at the front, it had Rose in its name and was delicious.

The next day I had lunch with my two long time friends of 25 years who I met while we worked at the university. We went to a restaurant that has Greek and middle eastern foods. They even have a dish I love, flaming cheese, which makes me happy. In an earlier post I shared a photo of flaming cheese, with its three foot tall flames at our table. That Greek restaurant closed and now I have found a new one that offers that entertaining dish.

The day after that I attended Women's Bible Study at church with ten wonderful ladies. The age range is 30 to 80, I am guestimating. Two of the ladies immigrated to the USA from other countries, Jamaica and the Philippines, and we are a diverse group, united in our love for Jesus and for each other. The group leader brings her one year old daughter who is a friendly youngster, and her daughter even sat on my lap briefly, Those were treasured moments.

And a funny for you. Some readers like when I type out the words, Remember Life's Most Valuable Antiques Are Dear Old Friends.

 

Now this little old lady wants some quiet time at home.

Funny yard sign I saw and red Autumn leaves in December

 In these preChristmas days let me share some photos of pretty red leaves. It seems autumn leaves have arrived here in coastal California in December.

The above photos were all taken in our church parking lot in December.

Here is a sign I thought was humorous in a dark way. See if you think it is funny too, or can you guess why I thought it funny or ironic. I saw this whilst walking Bounce. The sign says "Please keep your dog off our LAWN."

 

I thought the sign was ironic because I do not see a lawn and there is not one blade of grass growing there. It is all dirt and weeds. Keep your dog off of our yard or Keep your dog off of our dirt might be more accurate. That would show the home owners have a sense of humor to laugh at themselves. Well, that's me and my sometimes dark sense of humor. And yes, I did keep Bounce off of their dirt.

Knee Cap Dislocation for Bounce, Boba Ice Cream Bars, and Book Cartoon

 

Ha ha, whoever created this cartoon above must know me. I even use Little Free Libraries to give away and receive more books in addition to buying.

Above is a painting of Bounce, my darling companion. A few days ago he was peacefully standing at the patio door looking outside when he shrieked in pain. I was standing right next to him at that time. That was at 10:30 a.m.. Then at 1:30 he was standing still and again yelped with pain. I called the vet and they said bring him in in two days to our next available appointment. I said two days is a long time when he is is pain. The receptionist was kind and talked to the staff and they said I could bring in Bounce at 3:30 that day. At 3:00 he again yelped in pain. 

[Jennifer asked how old is Bounce, he is 10 so that is considered a senior dog. I adopted him, or he chose me, at a shelter 5 years ago and vets estimated he was five then. Bounce has plenty of pep for walks and he is feeling good now after several days of rest and meds.] It turns out many small senior dogs and large dogs too can have a knee cap dislocation. It is caused by genetics or injury. He was put on anti-inflammatory meds, and must rest for about a week. Rather boring, no two times a day walks. Below is Bounce in a box before the knee problem.

Here is a fun new ice cream bar I discovered at Safeway. The box says Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Bar and Made in Taiwan. Most of the box including company name is in Chinese. This is a yummy treat with the Boba in it. Three other tasty Boba flavors are Matcha, Pudding and Oolong Tea. A nice way to cool down on a summer day.

Funny Friday, Mercy Me

I love this book cover and hope it makes you smile too.
I have wanted to read this book, Mercy Me, and feel very wealthy, since I ordered a copy and it is on its way here.
Reviewers say it is funny, and you know we can all use more laughs.
I don't even have the book yet, but had to share the cute cover photo, and I will post a review when I have read it. Apparently the author, Margaret A. Graham, pokes fun at church ladies in a good natured way while she also shows that when you need help, call a church lady!
If you have read it, let us know if you like it in a comment, pretty please.