Scanning though the list of trending topics, I saw a headline and couldn’t believe its source. It was Newsweek… no doubt about it. But the title was pretty darned “sensationalized” for me to think it was from a reputable news source. I went back in time 10 years to see what the main headline was on this day back then.
See if you can guess which headline is from 2013, and which is from 2023:
I know I sound cynical — and I guess I am. I will admit I distrust ALL forms of media.
How can you trust an organization who blasts about an Amber Alert of Facebook, then when you click because you want to be aware in case you might be able to help, you find a subscribe screen and have to pay to see where some poor kidnapped child might be.
How can you trust an organization that thinks it’s newsworthy that some trans chick wants her testicles returned?
Everything is click bait.
Except here, at whatifitdid.com, you won’t find one advertisement — and you won’t find a single place where you’re asked for a donation or pushed to pay a subscription fee. Ok, so it’s not news… but neither is what the mainstream media is churning out either. 🙂
At least here, you get to see a couple pretty cool hound dogs…
Now you know: There have been 256,000 unsolved homicides across the United States since 1980.
I think I’m making it too easy on ole’ Brad the hummingbird. He brings his entire family to dine at the feeder and they spend most of the day — every day — hanging out there. They consume about 3 cups of liquid from the feeder every other day! That’s a lot for things so darned small.
I have mosquito bites… multiple itching bumps.
Hummingbirds eat insects. They feed on wasps, flies, ants, gnats, and MOSQUITOS! But not here, obviously. If they were doing their job, I wouldn’t have gotten eaten alive while weed eating the ditch.
Brad, if you’re reading this — you must get some protein in your diet. Sure, carbs give you energy but it isn’t healthy if that’s all you consume.
Today is weigh-in day. Oh my!
I’m typing this too early to share results from the diet trio’s one month weigh in, and I’m not feeling confident that I’ll be the biggest loser this week. I need to get a couple more bodies added to the “fat girls” group so my chances of winning will be higher. These 2 girls were the only ones I could think of that might join — and they want no part of it.
Today is also HVAC repair day.
Repair dudes are coming today to install the ordered parts in a last attempt to revive my mini-split units. By late afternoon, I’ll either be extremely happy… or I’ll be devastated and worrying about the next course of action. I hope it’s not the latter. We started this process on April 11th and have limped through long enough.
It’s true that summer isn’t going to be around a whole lot longer, but the mini splits are also great to warm up the house on cool mornings before we fire up Chester, the wood boiler. Not gonna lie…I miss him. I got used to the scalding hot water he produced and I’m not sure how many more times I can crank up the temp of the hot water heater.
Brain food for the day: The meerkat is the world’s most murderous mammal with 20% of all meerkats being violently killed by another meerkat, most commonly their mother, sister, or aunt.
Dharma leads a life of leisure! She goes to the doctor more frequently than I do. She eats at the same time every single day and it’s prepared by someone else. She has no jobs to do, no laundry or dishes or anything at all she has to stay on top of. When she grunts, she gets whatever she wants and never says thank you. She can lie in the sun without a care in the world.
She’s never worried the first time about a roof over her head or taxes or groceries. She naps frequently and someone even picks up her poop. (ME!) She doesn’t brush her own hair, gets lots of belly rubs, and she doesn’t have deadlines. That’s the LIFE, you guys!
Everything above also applies to Merida, but she isn’t nearly as lazy. If I get to have one week as a dog, I don’t want to spend it jumping around all over the place and scratching human legs with a bone. I want peaceful naps and no responsibilities… like Dharma.
Brad’s got it pretty good too!
Brad the hummingbird made it back home. He has several friends that come around too and buzz the heads of those sitting on the deck. He’s not worried about air conditioners and there’s plenty of food/drink and a place to party all summer.
Can you tell I had a rough day?
When a person wishes to be a dog for a week — or even a hummingbird — that’s a good indicator that they might be having a few substandard days in a row. I spent hours outside yesterday with a weed eater and it was HOT! Coming inside, it was still hot. Today is the day the A/C parts are supposed to be in, but no idea when the repair dudes are coming to work on the units.
This too shall pass. I’m grateful I’m healthy enough to weed eat — and withstand the hot temps. Weed eating might be miserable, but it sure is great exercise.
Fact for the day: In 2022, 68 year-old Maya Murmu was collecting water in India when an elephant stamped on her. She was rushed to the hospital, but died from her injuries. When family members gathered for her funeral, a herd of elephants appeared, and one of them lifted Murmu’s body and threw it in the air. Then the elephants tore her house down. (It was said Murmu was part of a group of poachers that killed the elephant’s baby.)
What are your weaknesses? You know… what are the things you want and simply have a difficult time resisting?
I love expensive perfume and hair products… I love jewelry. But I can resist those things without a huge amount of effort. Expensive sunglasses and shoes? Don’t get in my way. 🙂
Steer me clear!
Don’t let me surf Zappos. Whatever you do, don’t let me even walk by a place that sells Maui Jim sunglasses. It doesn’t matter that I have a bajillion pair of shoes or multiple pair of sunglasses — I always want just one more of each.
Tech items (yes, I probably have at least one of everything and duplicates of more than I could begin to list) are tied with jeans for 2nd.
I have at least 20 pair hanging in one closet — and more in other closets. Who needs that many pair of jeans?? And I don’t like the cheaper brands… oh no. 🙄
Dharma’s weakness is shrubbery after a rain.
Perry’s weakness is anything sweet.
(Everything he wants falls under the heading “sweetie cakes” — even donuts.)
What about you?
I’ll betcha the entire time you’ve been reading this you’ve been thinking about the things you can’t resist. Maybe it’s stuff to cook with… maybe it’s fishing equipment… or tools… or yard equipment… (Mr. Pesky falls under both the last 2) — or maybe you have the same weaknesses that I do.
Life’s short — whatever your weakness… treat yourself every once and awhile! (So long as it’s legal.) 🙂
Today I Learned: Missouri has some of the loosest alcohol laws in the US. Hard liquor can be sold in grocery stores and gas stations; bars can double as liquor stores; public intoxication is legal; and open containers are allowed in most areas, including by passengers in vehicles.
We’re on notice today… an air quality alert is in effect until midnight. The Canadian wildfires are bringing more smoke to our area and many others. The officials at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has declared the air unsafe, and within the alert, they also listed recommended actions for the public to take.
It’s too bad the recommendations make zero sense. Get this:
The air is unhealthy for active children and adults (along with people with respiratory disease). Those people should limit outdoor exposure. Ok… I get that.
Next, it’s recommended that the public walk, bike, carpool or use public transportation. Inactive people aren’t going to be walking or biking… active ones are to limit exposure. Does that mean it’s ok if we’re exposed to the polluted air if our legs are moving? 🙄
Not smoke or smog but fog… or is it mist… or steam?
Enlighten me if you know what it is that’s covering the ground.
The AI generated answers to what it could be aren’t specific enough for me to know the difference. “Steam can form over plants and crops when the temperature of the air above them is cooler than the temperature of the plants themselves. This can happen in the early morning when the ground is still warm from the previous day’s sun and the air is cooler.” So it could be that.
Another said, “Once the air temperature cools to the dew-point temperature, the invisible water vapor that surrounds us condenses into tiny water droplets and it is these that form fog.“ So it could be that.
And finally, yet another said, “Mist and fog are caused by water droplets in the air, and the only difference is how far you can see.” So it could be that.
Dharma doesn’t care what it is or which form of nature created it — she just knows it gives her a spook.
Today I Learned: Despite the popular belief that SOS stands for “Save Our Ship” or “Save Our Souls”, it actually doesn’t stand for anything. SOS was developed because it was an easy sequence of letters to remember in Morse Code (three dots, three dashes, three dots).
