Labor Day is a sure sign that summer is winding down. My favorite brother and I didn’t take the day off from exchanging funny memes and images though, and I can prove it.
Gene, Joan and Nicholas…
My text exchange with Scott started with him sending me a photo of himself that he created using ChatGPT’s AI image creator. He uploaded a photo of himself and told good ole’ ChatGPT to make him “look like a rockstar.” I thought as a rockstar, my brother looked like Gene Simmons. Not to be outdone, I did the same with an image of myself, and one of Perry and sent them to Scott.
His response upon receiving Perry’s photo was that he looked like Nicholas Cage. Upon receiving my photo he wrote: “I always wondered what happened to Joan Jett!“
Joan Jett?
I had no clue who Joan Jett was, so I went to youtube. One click and I instantly knew — how could I forget Joan Jett?? And ever since then, I’ve been singing…
I love rock ‘n roll So come and take your time and dance with me Ow!
Every band needs a keyboard player and a lead guitar front man, right?
We’ve got that covered! Now all we need is a band name and some talent. 🙂
Now you know: Joan Jett’s career started with the all-female rock band, The Runaways. After being rejected by major labels, she co-founded her own label, Blackheart Records, to release her music. In 1981, I Love Rock ‘n Roll spent 7 weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. She’s been dubbed the Queen of Rock.
I read something about the AG of Missouri demanding voice service providers stop transmitting unlawful robocalls through their networks. He said, “We are putting telecom companies on notice – if you help criminals reach our citizens, we will take action.” While I appreciate the effort, those suckers adapt quickly… and if that’s not bad enough, there are other roadblocks that stand in the way.
We’re familiar with ongoing battles around here…
Carriers face legal limits too. Blocking legitimate calls risks lawsuits, so carriers must balance caution with action. There are tools — like call-blocking algorithms, STIR/SHAKEN protocols (used by AT&T and Verizon) — that can reduce the number of robocalls, but they can’t fully stop them. The FCC reported 4.8 billion robocalls in the U.S. in January 2025 alone.
Connectivity has always been a problem, right?
When I was a kid, our biggest phone challenge was that our neighbor yacked too much on our party line. Every single time we picked up the phone to make a call (probably me calling Nanny and Pap-pa to come get me), it was the same voice. Of course, we weren’t allowed to say anything to the talkative person. Mom wouldn’t have allowed her kids to be disrespectful.
On our party line, we simply picked up the phone every minute or so — hoping the blathering woman would think an adult needed the phone. To avoid sales calls and trickery scammers now, I silence all unknown callers and figure if it’s important, the person calling me will leave a voice message. What do you do to avoid scammers pestering you through your mobile phone?
Now you know: The Murderer Susan Adkins of the Manson family married twice during her imprisonment. Both men were admirers she met through them writing her. The first falsely claimed to be a millionaire and the second was a Harvard law graduate who represented her at her parole hearings.
I talked the other day about Corbin, my favorite sister-in-law’s son, being critically injured. I also explained that he has 4 kids under the age of 10. His oldest is Calvin — he’s the 10 year-old.
A hard working man…
At 10 years-old, Calvin mows grass with a push mower. While he may be supervised, he does all the hard work. Not long ago, he mowed the neighbor’s yard and when asked what he charged, he said, “$70 sounds about right.”
The neighbor laughed and gave him $40. And now, he wants to start his own business to help take care of the family while his dad is unable to work. He told Scott that if he had a logo and t-shirts, he thought he could get more business. It’s not like I could resist that request.
He said he thought it would be awesome if his logo said, “HARD WORKING MAN.” 🤣
I did a few different layouts for Scott & Tammy to pick from since they’re going to get a few shirts and a couple hats made. I prefer a small logo on the front of a shirt with a big version on the back, so I made that layout look better than the others when sending them mock-ups. I’m sneaky like that.
Wouldn’t it be GREAT if more people had the work ethic of a 10 year-old?
I’m not sure I ever did… but I know for sure I never will. Calvin’s Dad is still in ICU and on a respirator — and I’m still praying for a full recovery.
Now you know: The cheese considered “most hated” is called Casu Marzu. It’s a traditional Sardinian sheep’s milk cheese containing live insect larvae (maggots). The presence of maggots is what makes it infamous — and it also makes it illegal to sell in many placed due to health concerns. Some consider it a delicacy and part of a cultural heritage.
Last Friday, my favorite brother’s step son, Corbin, fell and sustained critical injuries. I didn’t share anything about it here because it’s not my story to tell, although I find that I’m thinking about it constantly. Now that it’s been shared on Facebook — his coworkers started an online fundraiser for him — I can at least say that he’s recovering.
Four kids under the age of 10.
With a growing family and a recent mortgage, of course, financial challenges exist. So very many people have opened their hearts and donated money to help — and family members have been there to support his wife, Amber, and pray for healing and comfort for all. As a mother, I’m heartbroken for Tammy and can’t imagine how difficult it must be for her to watch her child suffer.
Corbin is still in a medically induced coma and doctors have said his physical recovery will likely take 2 years. Doctors say his time in ICU will be around 3 months.
Life is so fragile, isn’t it?
Your life — and lifestyle — can change on a dime. Corbin’s health challenges have certainly reminded me to be grateful for healthy days while knowing those aren’t promised — and that no matter how bad you think things are going for you… there’s always somebody out there that has it worse than you.
Be kind. Be grateful.
Corbin’s wife shared the following, written with love and expressed in a way that is beyond what I could ever do:
Many people keep asking what’s going on with Corbin. My mind is mostly mush right now; so I’ll do my best. My gentle, loving, caring husband took a really bad fall on Friday: July 18, 2025. This fall has placed him in the ICU fighting for his life. Many Miraculous Miracles have happened already, but prayers are so needed right now for his brain and body along with: wisdom for the doctors, endurance, strength, peace, healing, our family, and wisdom in the months to follow, especially with our kiddos and financial concerns….
This situation feels like quite the load, but I know a guy that makes loads lighter. So in this time we are clinging to the one Rock we truly can cling to. Our great hope, The Lord Jesus Christ. Trusting and knowing that He goes before my husband and our family, and fights our battles. He is the Faithful one that we can trust. That He holds the authority in this life and the battle is already won. That the Lord is the mighty physician. That He is working all things out for our good and His Glory. That is the hope we are holding on too. Finding refugee in the protection of our loving father knowing He is upholding us.
I’ve been so humbled with so much gratitude by watching the body of Christ move and support us already. We have quite the army around us. Thank you. I can’t thank you all enough. Thank you. I am praying for you all as well. We are feeling the magnitude of love and prayers all around us. Thank you.
Much love, peace, and grace to you all in the Lord.
Here’s to being, in Corb’s words and anthem for the year; “FULLY ALIVE IN 2025!!” I am standing on that in agreement, in Jesus name.
Thank you for your time and support for our family.
Corbin’s loving steadfast wife, mother of his children, team mate in this life, and best friend,
Amber
Now you know: Roman Emperor, Diocletian, was the first to voluntarily retire in 305 AD to grow cabbages. When begged to return to power, he declined, saying “If you could see the vegetables I grow with my own hands, you wouldn’t talk to me about empire.” He lived out his days gardening by the Dalmatian coast.
It drives me crazy what some think is politically important to focus on. The people who are alarmed about Trump’s chronic condition (swollen ankles) are obviously under the age of 50. I don’t intend for this post to be political in nature — but about aging in general.
Y’all… dude is 79 years old! He’s on his feet — or sitting with his feet lower than his heart and not propped up on a stool — a huge amount of time. I’d be surprised if his ankles weren’t swollen. When I spend hours at my computer, my ankles swell. It doesn’t mean I can’t do my job AND take care of 3 spoiled rotten hound dogs.
Oh… and the backs of Trump’s hands show bruising! GASP! I’m 66 and don’t take aspirin daily. When my dogs get rough during tug of war over a toy, I’ve seen my own hands look a whole lot worse than photos being shared of Trump’s. That’s not abnormal. It’s something that everyone faces if they’re lucky enough to reach their senior years. Old skin isn’t the same as young skin.
Normal signs of being a senior human shouldn’t be politicized.
If you want to disagree with Trump on issues, I get it. Criticize away! If you’re trying to use his swollen ankles and bruises on the back of his hands to say he’s unfit for office, you need to do better if you want traction with people over the age of 50. We know what happens to human bodies naturally and we know where to buy compression socks. 😉
You don’t even need to worry about Maxie Waters’ feet. Let’s face it — if she’s able to walk and talk with these things at the bottom of her appendages, Trump’s ankles shouldn’t be a worrisome revelation:
Trump has only been in office about 6 months.
Our President hasn’t magically aged 100 years since he was elected. At least he’s aware of where he is and you can understand him. Joe Biden’s cognitive decline was obvious at the point he was running for another 4 years (when Kamala stepped in), but that wasn’t the case when he was elected in 2020. If Trump’s only health concerns over the next 3.5 years are swollen ankles and bruises on the backs of his hands, citizens don’t need to panic. It’s part of the natural aging process.
Now you know: At 92-years old, Gladys Burrill earned a Guinness World Record as the oldest woman to complete a marathon, finishing the Honolulu Marathon in 2010.
