More Wild Life

Yesterday a bird.  

Today a mouse.  Yes, a mouse on the couch. My husband called to me. Actually it was more like a holler. Sounded serious. The dogs had gone berserk and they were up on the couch. Lee was standing there wanting paper towels or Something. I grabbed a towel and some paper towels in the kitchen.

Then I saw what he was facing. An immobile mouse. Don't mice run when they see people?

Not this one. We were able to throw the towel over it and I grabbed it,  took it outside for release.
It just remained still. We think one of the dogs brought it in (Jill?) and maybe injured its spine because it was not moving, not making any sounds of pain nor had any visible injuries.

My brave man put it out of its misery.

I hate critters in the house.

Curling Straight Hair

I just saw an ad on tv for a hair styling kit for $29.95. It consisted of long strips of some soft material which you wind into your hair and go to bed.

In our teenage years, we used our dad's clean boot socks.  Free.

Bird Feeder

My husband was gifted with a bird feeder and he likes filling it and watching the birds (and squirrels) eat.

Yesterday he told me, "There's a bird in the house." There he was. Perched on top of the padded rod above the sliding glass door to the back deck.

The question was, how did he get in through two dog doors. Both dogs were running around in a crazed circle.

We shut them into a bedroom and closed all other doors to rooms. We opened the front and back doors to try to shoo him out. No luck. The last we saw him, he went under the couch.

Our neighbor helped Lee tip the couch up. No bird. The only thing we can figure is that he must have flown out one of the doors while we were looking down.

New theory: One of the dogs brought him in after he caught him outside. The bird was not injured. At least he could still fly.

A different incident in an otherwise dull day.

Buick Coupe

This is a screen shot taken from a silent movie short, Saturday Afternoon, starring Harry Langdon. The date was 1926.

Last night I went to bed early so of course I was awake in the middle of the night when the Silent Sunday Night movies were showing on TCM. Some of them are almost too crazy during the 1916 era but by the middle '20's there is some plot and a lot of slapstick.

This photo was taken after I had seen this car driving for a few minutes. I grabbed my phone and naturally it was turned off! By the time it was operational, the car was stopped and Harry was out of the rumble seat.

The reason I wanted the photo is that this model car was the one my grandparents had when they moved in with my mom, dad and me in 1944. It's a Buick, with wooden spoke wheels and the rumble seat and the spare tire, barely visible here. I have remembered that car and always wished

I had taken a photo of it. I was starting to take pictures with a Brownie camera that my Granny Brown had given me. No color film then (that I could afford) but the car was a faded, dark green.

My friend, JoAnn, and I used to sit out in front of 100 West 12th in Hutchinson, KS, and wish we could drive! We were 14 and in Kansas at that time, you could get a full driver's license. I remember going to the office. It wasn't even called by any official name. Just the place where you went to get legal permission to drive.  Two questions:  Are you color blind and do you have epileptic seizures? No and no.  Here's your license. Not a learner's permit, a regular license.

Thanks, Harry, for using that particular car.

Outlook

There are many things in this world that can make one happy. Sometimes we concentrate too much on the sad things that happen instead of being like Pollyanna and looking only for the good.

Maybe I just didn't pay attention but I do not remember a time when I was saddened by what a president expressed in talks to the public. My memory goes back to FDR's fireside chats on the radio.

This is not a nostalgic longing - things were never perfect, or even uplifting, at all times in the past. But now, every day brings another event that divides us as a country.

I guess my fear is that I will never be around long enough to see things start turning back to an optimistic outlook and respect for others.

Talk About Dense!

This is one that I really hate to admit even happened. (Grammatically incorrect sentence!)

A few days ago we decided to get take-out for lunch.
 I drove to a fast food place that we don't visit very often. I noticed there were several large white trucks in the parking area and some orange cones but the drive was open so in we went.

Turning the corner and approaching the speaker/ordering spot, I saw one of the large white trucks parked facing me in the drive-through.


Oops.

The place was closed and they were remodeling. There was no sign indicating that fact on their huge sign in front. I backed up and thought some of the men who appeared to be working there gave us an odd look as I was swinging the Ford 150 cargo van around in order to exit through the entrance drive.

Later we passed the Aldi's grocery store and it had two huge signs⛔⛔ with red letters: "Closed for remodeling." Too bad they couldn't have loaned one to the restaurant.

The Bum Song

My grandparents lived in Iowa on a small farm. When I was in the third grade, I took a trip, by myself, on the train to Fairfield, IA. There were stewardesses on the train to watch out for kids traveling alone.

What an adventure. I didn't even have to wear a name tag. I met people on the train but I remember only one - a Mrs. Waterhouse. I have her autograph in my autograph book.

There was no electricity on their little farm in Woolson, IA. They did have a crank phone which I have to admit that I did listen in sometimes when it didn't ring "our" ring. I don't find Woolson on a map but it was just south of Richland.

There was a big old Victrola in the parlor and a bunch of thick 78 rpm records. My favorite was what I thought was called The Bum Song.  I found it on YouTube and it wasn't the same one. Right next to it was Hallelujah, I'm a Bum.  That was it!

And here it is for your enjoyment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uKbIkYGsIg

I think I had those lyrics memorized at one time. Recorded in 1928 on Victor records and rereleased in 1941 on Bluebird records.

Loved That Coat

The picture is from 1953. Newly-weds and my wine colored coat that my folks bought for me to wear to my junior year at Emporia State Teacher's College (now known as Emporia State.)

I remember shopping for a winter coat with both my dad and mom. This may seem odd now, but I think my dad enjoyed seeing my mom and me picking out "stuff" to take to school. We looked at many coats. Being the tight wad that I still am, I wanted this one so badly but was going to choose a tan model that was much cheaper. My dad asked which  one did I really like and I told him this one.
"Let's get it then." (Not too spoiled a brat at twenty.) It was $75.00.

Well I loved that coat. I was like a tent, full and long. There were smaller buttons on the sleeves and the texture was a little nubby. (Is that even a word?)

The reason I bring this up is that the other night I dreamed about that coat. In my dream I was shopping at a store that was closing. This was probably influenced by my trip to our Penney's store which is closing. I hardly ever "shop" anymore. I don't need anything. During this trip to Penney's  I made a small purchase which I thought was going to cost me about $8.00 . The cashier rang it up and said, "Four dollars and thirty-two cents. You saved $108 dollars. What a deal!!

So in the dream I am shopping and I see my coat from 1951! It looks brand new and I can't wait to buy it! What actually happened to the real coat?  After wearing it for years, I gave it to my dad's cousin, Violet, who was a miracle worker with fabric and could sew, remake, alter anything you gave her. She cut off the buttons and gave them to me. The thing is, I don't remember what she made out of it!

Anyway, the dream was a pleasant memory.  Next I'll tell you about the one I had last night that included John McCain and a trip on a motorcycle.

Hurricane Reporting

Several articles about news persons standing out in the rain reporting on the storm have appeared on social media.

One article said it originated with Dan Rather in 1961 reporting on Carla. Since television is all about seeing the story, the networks decided that viewing the ferocity of the storm would emphasize that people should stay inside.

I don't know whether that worked in the beginning but it should by now. In my opinion they should stop it. We know it's a terrific storm - four hundred miles across - the same distance across Kansas from west to east. Category five is a powerful storm.

I hope the people who opted to stay and ride it out are all right.

Grocery Shopping

The store wasn't crowded. Maybe most folks found out that this was the day that the grocer decided to move EVERYTHING in the store to a different shelf.

Wouldn't it be nice if there were a warning - sort of like a hurricane warning - stating: "On a certain date we will be swirling all our contents around inside the store, landing you know not where. You may want to shop on an alternate day."

We wanted to stock up. Not because of weather but because of the coming of many people to our state fair which starts tomorrow. The traffic here is usually minimal but for about nine days we will have Kansans from other places trying to find out where things are.

It's a great fair - not too big - and much improved. If it rains, there is no mud and all the paths on the grounds now have names. There is talk of tearing down the grand stand. It's been around since the 1920's. I hope they decide to keep it. They did save Ye Olde Mill several years ago. It's one of only about three remaining in the USA.

Wildlife

We have had a mouse in the garage most of the summer. Maybe more than one. They all look alike to me.

Never have we seen one inside the house.  Until Sunday morning. I got up early and saw Jill, our wild terrier, nosing something under a side table. In the partial darkness, it looked like some doggie had failed to go outside to do their business. (But under a short table?)  I looked down and moved Jill, who seemed to be hovering over the item, and saw a long tail.

Yes, a dead mouse.  I believe Jill must have brought it inside and luckily she wasn't interested in eating it.

I disposed of mouse with large amount of paper, grabbing it by the tail.

Yuck.

Don't Worry - Be Happy

That is hard to do with flooding in Texas and fires in Montana, Oregon and California. Such sorrow for the Texans and now for all the folks near the fires. The smoke is traveling east along with the jet stream so we are getting red sunsets and lots of smoky skies.

People calling for prayer is a good idea but I fear there is more suffering ahead. It may take much more than prayer to solve our problems.

This is a downer blog on a national holiday.

We must also count our blessings.