August 4th, 2022
“ Dobroho ranku”, or “Good Morning!” in Ukrainian, an Eastern Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine. I have decided to maintain the UJT will focus on Ukraine until we can all rejoice in the end of hostilities. It has been 159 days since Russia attacked Ukraine.
This week I learned some stuff:
• We learned this week that Georgie had an aggressive form of cancer that started in the back of her throat and now has spread to her lungs. She is doing ok now and the doc is giving us some steroids to help her be more comfortable but we will only have perhaps days or weeks left with her before she will be suffering. I know I don’t complain during all the years she loves us so completely but this hurt is almost too much to bear. I will miss her so much. I have been lucky to have several great friends over the years but Georgie is the best listener of all of them. I will miss her so. Every time we go through this loss we seriously consider not getting another pet. But we always do. We love being loved unconditionally and because we just do rescue beasties we feel good about it too.
• When you were a child on hot day ever get your hands on an ice cold Coke and just guzzle half of it down in one pull? Then of course you have the obligatory window rattling 10minute belch where you say the pledge of allegiance, boy scout motto and the ABC’s though the belch? No? Well I have and at the time it didn’t seem like a big deal. Just something we did on a hot August afternoon in South Florida. Well, I had a similar experience this week for the first time in at least 55years and it was fun. These days I enjoy Cokes regularly every 3-5 years but this one was memorable.
• I have given up on doing the “prototype” smaller version of the big sunflower panel using just lead came. The pieces are just too small to manage that way. So I have decided to use came for longer runs across the pane and around the edge of the flower’s center and foil the rest. This should be a pleasing compromise but we will see.
• August 4th is the 216th day of 2022. Just 152 days till Christmas! Today in 1683, is the date traditionally ascribed to Dom Perignon’s invention of champagne; it is not clear whether he actually invented champagne, however he has been credited as an innovator who developed the techniques used to perfect sparkling wine; Today in 1821, The Saturday Evening Post is published for the first time as a weekly newspaper; In 1892 on this day, the father and stepmother of Lizzie Borden are found murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. She was tried and acquitted for the crimes a year later; In 1944 on this day, a tip from a Dutch informer leads the Gestapo to a sealed-off area in an Amsterdam warehouse, where they find and arrest Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and four others; On this day in 1964, civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney are found dead in Mississippi after disappearing on June 21; Summer Jam at Watkins Glen: The Federal Communications Commission rescinds the Fairness Doctrine which had required radio and television stations to present controversial issues “fairly” today in 1987; Today in 1834, John Venn, English mathematician and philosopher was born; Born today in 1901, Louis Armstrong, American trumpet player and singer; Frances E. Allen, American computer scientist and academic was born today in 1932; Richard Belzer,(AKA Munch) American actor was born today in 1944; John Riggins, American football player, sportscaster, and actor was born today in 1949; Today in 1955, Billy Bob Thornton, American actor, director, and screenwriter was born; Barack Obama, American lawyer and politician, 44th President of the United States, Nobel Prize laureate was born today in 1961; Paul Reynolds, English singer-songwriter and guitarist from the Flock of Seagulls was born today in 1962; And lastly, today in 1962, Marilyn Monroe, American model and actress And lastly, today passed away.
Website Update:
This week:
• A new Vocabulary Quiz !!! Yeah!
• Week 2 for our Musical Trivia Quiz
• I was unable to come up with any new recipes this week.
• The Home Page quote this week is actually two quotes one from one of my favorites wize men, Mark Twain, “Worrying is like paying a debt that you don’t owe”. I have always thought of worrying in this way. The other quote I will share this week comes from a commencement address to the 2015 graduating class of the University of Houston by Mathew McConaughey. It was new to me when I stumbled over it. You can see the entire 13 Truths speech here. My personal favorite is, “Unbelievable” is the stupidest word in the dictionary. “ Acknowledge acts of greatness as real and do not be so naive about man’s capacity for evil nor be in denial about our own short comings. I enjoy Mathew’s perspective.
Writing, Ceramics, Bonsai Trees, Stained Glass and Painting Update:
• I am still holding off planting my Weeping Willow trees. I want the roots a bit more established.
• Stained glass project update I am struggling with the tiny pieces with the lead came. I am trying some sort of hybrid of came and foiling. Keep your fingers crossed. On top of that some old geezer went to bed with his soldering iron still plugged in and in the stand. That was enough to kill my soldering iron. Boy Howdy!
• I am continuing my streak of slacking off on the paper edits of Grandpa Stories. I just haven’t carved out any time for more chapters.
Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
I guess I have tried maybe a half dozen methods to loose weight. My first experience with weight gain was when i was a brand new 24 year old new dad living in Hawaii. I grew fond of this particular Aussie Beer called,”Fosters Lager”. But unlike all the beer that passed my lips before these seem to stick some. My waist got a bit bigger as well as my ass. So I cut out the Fosters and Viola! I went back to normal. The next time I noticed a weight issue was earlier this century when my suits started needing to be a size or two larger. I had trouble believing it because I was walking between 3-5 miles everyday. My daughter heard about this medical diet called Medifast. I did it. Lost the weight and I hated it and I quit it. The weight came back. And it stayed. Since then I have enjoyed the most success using a doctor supervised Intermittent Fasting method. Basically, you limit color intake to the hours you are awake and moving. In my case it was first from 11am -7pm then from 2pm to 7pm. It worked. I lost like 70lbs. Then I started creeping back up. So now I am starting the WW program. It feels dumb but I am doing it. Wish me luck.
Music Update:
This week’s eclectic mix is another reflection of the parts of life that often mean the most.
This week’s UJT Radio Program:
• Hank Williams — I’a So Lonesome I Could Cry — I was a young boy when i first heard this song. It would be playing on the AM radios of the cars i would pass as I was selling papers at the street corner. I think it was also the first time I ever saw anyone singing with the song on the radio, which has become a lifelong pleasure of mine. I am not much of a C&W music guy and this one is as C&W as you can get. But I have always loved this song. It was released as a single in 1949 and help establish Hank Williams as one of the greatest C&W artists of all time.
• The Temptations — I Wish it Would Rain — This one is another melancholy tune about love lost from the other side of the spectrum. This was a 1967 Motown single that crossed over to virtually every audience.
• Tim Flannery — Telegraph Hill — Thanks to my friend, Joe McAndrew, I got to see Tim perform this song live. Google Tim and your likely to get more hits about his baseball career but all a long he was a singer/songwriter. This is from his album, “Traveling Shoes” released in 2009.
• Spoon — You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb — This song hooked me right away. Its from their 2007 release, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Bonus Track Version). For those of you who were never a fire cracker coveting boy, a Cherry Bomb was just the best! It had a waterproof feature that made it perfect for blowing up toilets and powerful enough to flatten a mail box.
• Nora Jones — Sunrise — A pretty song sung well. I hope you like it. I swiped it from the Songs For Japan album released in 1988.
• Neil Young — Rockin’ in the Free World — I think every one was a bit surprised when Neil released this one. It was such a departure from his previous work and definately showed the influence Punk Rock was having on him. I always liked it and I hope you do too. This one comes from his 17th album, “Freedom” released in 1989.
That’s it… Do the best you can; Laugh every chance you get; Always remember… The best is yet to come! As always, thank you for being my friend!