Politics Plus

Those of us of a certain age (ancient) probably remember the Perry Como Show segment addressing the letters they received each week with their signature song:

“Letters – We Get Letters, We Get Stacks & Stacks of Letters …”

Well, I came across a Diary at Daily Kos just a day ago about the impact of receiving letters, and it restored my faith in humanity.  So I decided to share it with you today

There’s a WWII Vet, a Mr. Joe Cuba (better known as “GI Joe”) who resides at Brookdale Assisted Living facility in Wichita Falls, TX who will turn 100 y/o on March 2^nd.

The germ of an idea on how to mark that day started when his oldest daughter, Beverly, wanted to do something special for her Dad’s Centennial Celebration.  Joe (who is the son of Czechoslovakian immigrant parents), Beverly and the Brookdale staff talked it over, and he shared with them that he thought it’d be nice if he were to receive a Birthday card for every year he's lived.

The staff jumped into action and posted a very simple request on Brookdale’s manager (Stephanie Veitenheimer) Facebook page:

Then a local news outlet, Texoma’s, picked up the story – and the ball started rolling.

From there, it was picked up by the USA Today Network … and the dynamite went “BOOM!”.

Veitenheimer said: "We've had people all over the U.S. call us to ask if it's a legit post.  It's been just humbling to know that people want to help us celebrate his 100th."

Medical equipment companies have reached out to her to see if they could give Joe any medical equipment he might need for his birthday.

"Teachers have said their students are learning about the Greatest Generation and want to send cards to him. It's just awesome," she said.

Joe was the second born of 12 children – 6 boys and 6 girls – who grew up on a farm in Archer County, Texas raising livestock, cotton and wheat.  The entire family only spoke Czech, and Joe didn’t learn English until he started school.

While there was plenty of work for all of them to do on the farm, the Depression they lived through wasn’t as hard on them as on people in the city – they always had food on the table.

(Reminds me of what my Mom always said, who was born in 1916 and grew up on a farm in Illinois with 3 brothers.  They never went hungry, and the Depression was much easier on farm folks than city folks.  And similar to Joe’s family, they only spoke German at home.)

Before heading off to war with the U.S. Army Air Corps, Joe made sure to marry the love of his life, Nida, on Aug. 3, 1943.  He later served in Guam and vividly recalls the 33 days it took for them to sail across the Pacific on the “iron ship” from Seattle.  He swears he’ll never eat another sardine or powdered eggs again.

The USA Today Network story got so much positive feedback, they did a follow-up story featuring the response not only from locals – but from people across the country.  And of course the cards started to trickle in.

And about “Gi Joe’s” wish for those 100 cards – one for each year?  Well, that trickle turned into a deluge!  He has gotten over SIXTEEN-THOUSAND CARDS AND LETTERS from well-wishers far and wide … and still counting!  (We all probably pity the poor postman.)

It’s been a response so exceeding their expectations that Brookdale had to dedicate an entire room just to store all the greetings and gifts.

GI Joe takes care to share the good wishes he’s received with the other residents at Brookdale, and especially enjoys it when other Veterans come to visit.

Without a doubt, it’s a Centennial Celebration that will be long-remembered and cherished … and one that helped restore my faith in humanity!

[Sidebar: Some of us (like TC) are much more conscientious in getting things posted in a timely manner than others of us (like ME).  There was just too much news happening today – I let the bright shiny object get my attention, just like a dog …]

Woozles Want Equal Time

And speaking of dogs, while many of us have shared our delight in having Pooties, I have no doubt we have our fair share of Woozle lovers out there, too.  I think they deserve some equal time – and what better way to provide it to them than some clips from this week’s Westminster Kennel Dog Show?

Not being a dog-person myself, I’ll be honest in saying that I was surprised how much I truly enjoyed the Agility Course Run  competition – especially the weaving part.  So here are some GIFs of the winners while weaving.

[NOTE: The heights refer to both the height of the bars they have to jump AND the dog’s height.  A dog cannot compete at a higher height than their own actual measured height.]

8” Division Winners

Lark

12” Division

Pixel

16” Division

Pink

Boss

Click for List of All Winners

 

Here are the entire runs of all the top winning competitors.  It really is quite entertaining!

Notorious RBG Returns to Work Today – YIPPEE!

How’s this for some great news?  One of our favorite Supreme Court Justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (AKA Notorious RBG) today has returned to her actual workplace – first time since her lung cancer surgery in late December.

(Even though not physically present, she has been keeping up with the Court’s workload while recuperating at home – although she has missed two weeks of oral arguments.)

No doubt her regular workout routines have helped the 85 year-old Justice in her rapid recovery from her fall, rib fractures and lung cancer surgery.

And it’s reported she enjoyed the Get Well Card that was signed by a few folks wishing her a speedy recovery whose names you might recognize: Steven Spielberg, Lady Gaga, Spike Lee, Glenn Close, Laura Dern, Amy Adams, Ron Howard, Ted Danson, Helen Mirren, Stephen Colbert, Meredith Vieira and MORE!

 

Rosalynn Gets Bussed on Camera

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, 94 year-old Pres. Jimmy Carter took Rosalyn to an Atlanta Hawks basketball game.  They were there to receive a humanitarian award from the Hawks for all the good deeds they do, and also to honor the LGBTQ community during the Hawk’s first “Pride Night” celebration.

The theme for the night was “Love Wins” – so it’s not surprising that the couple (who were married in 1946) was featured on the Hawk’s “Kiss Cam”.  And this is not the first-time they’ve been on a “Kiss Cam”.  The Atlanta Braves featured them twice, in 2015 and 2016.

A Presidential Kiss Cam featuring President Jimmy Carter ?#TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/fehHljid4C

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 15, 2019

Winter Road Rage – Canadian-Style

Despite Thursday being Valentine’s Day, everything was not all love, kisses and roses in Canada.  A couple people caught videos of some brutal winter road rage, Canadian-style:

Now THAT’S something we would all welcome crossing our borders!

In closing, I suppose for fairness’ sake, we should also give our Pooties some “face-to-face” time … with a window washer.  No doubt there was enjoyment happening on BOTH sides of the window pane in this video clip.

The best thing I’ve seen today… 🙂

pic.twitter.com/b7LwYxvbv1

— It’s Mueller Time (@BookHookah) February 9, 2019

 

 

 

There’s an old and wise adage that advises one to not change horses in midstream.  But if you thought I’d heed its wisdom, you’d be wrong!  I had a “Friday Fun” all worked up – but then decided this once in a lifetime (hopefully) record-shattering Polar Vortex needed to be memorialized.  So it was back to the drawing board, which is why it’s so late in getting posted.

Plus it gives me a chance to showcase my old stomping grounds of Chicago, which was brutally hit – like much of the country.

But if you thought sub-zero temps with wind chills of -50 degrees – or more – would stop some idiot adolescent from going outside WITHOUT A SHIRT to throw boiling water in the air to have it freeze instantly, you would be wrong.

But it does make for a pretty photo.

JOHNNY CARSON: It was really cold this week.

AUDIENCE: How cold was it?

Cold enough to actually make light poles shiver!

We’ve all seen lots of pictures featuring the record-breaking weather, so I want to focus on some of the unique phenomena peculiar to Chicago.  But first, an aerial overview of the city showing Lake Michigan frozen along the shoreline.

 

WHY ARE THEY BURNING THE TRAIN TRACKS?

Probably the most surprising thing that was covered was the “burning” of the train track – both Amtrak and Metra.  But actually this is standard practice when the weather drops below freezing.

As one could imagine, brutal cold weather can wreak havoc on the rails with snow and ice clogging the track switchings that are vital to keep the trains running.  The tracks aren’t actually set on fire, as Chicago actually uses a gas-fed system adjacent to the rails to generate heat at its A-2 interlockings – the busiest intersections for switching tracks.  Similar to the gas logs you might have in your fireplace.

And fire is also employed to repair “pull-aparts” where the temperature is so cold that it causes the metal to shrink causing the rails to pull apart.  In those straight-away locations that are not equipped with gas (or electric) heating they use a rope soaked in kerosene.

The four guys in the orange vest in the slideshow above are working on a pull-apart.  You can tell from the black smoke created by the kerosene.

Not to worry – it’s perfectly safe.  Not only does at least one staff person stay on hand to monitor the flames, but the diesel fuel trains use combusts only with pressure and heat, not open flames.

The gas-powered heaters are a little old-fashioned and are only used at A-2 intersections – the busiest interlocking sites.  That’s because the density of the rails makes it difficult to employ more modern technology.  At other locations, electric-powered heating elements and electric-powered hot air blowers are used.

WHAT THE FOG?!?

“Smoke On The Water” … it’s not just the title of a Deep Purple song.

When a very cold air mass moves off the land and blows over the warmer water it creates what’s called “Sea Smoke” or “Sea Fog”.  This happens even if Lake Michigan is iced over – that’s because the Polar Vortex produced temperatures that were significantly colder than the ice.

For about the first 25-seconds of this Twitter video you can get a sense of how cold it must be to create the vastness of Sea Fog/Smoke like this.

WATCH: Steam rises off Lake Michigan with outside temperatures in Chicago near -20 degrees. https://t.co/cHqXyCDbBj pic.twitter.com/bkBIgadK3s

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 31, 2019

KA-BOOM!

I actually experienced an “Ice Quake” on Tuesday – KCMO’s coldest day.

Decades ago Illinois had an earthquake on a Saturday morning when I was in high school that I can still recall.  And I felt that again on Tuesday and checked w/ the neighbors who said they felt it, too – accompanied by a loud “BOOM”!

Apparently these “Ice Quake” or “Frost Quakes” were felt across wide swaths of the Midwest on Tuesday and Wednesday.

When temps tumble below zero it can cause a natural phenomenon known as “Cryoseism”.  It’s an actual seismic event that happens when there’s enough water in the ground that freezes with super cold temps.  This then  cause enough expansion (just like the old milk bottles dairy men would leave on our porches in the old days) to crack the frozen soil causing a “quake”.

But enough of the science lessons.  Let’s enjoy some of the really odd outcomes of this Polar Vortex visit.

 “♫ I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles ♬ … That FREEZE Instantly”

And You Might Have Problems With Your Car – Especially When the Polar Vortex Begins With Freezing Rain

And If Your Car Does Start, Hope You Don’t Get Pulled Over By This Officer

And If You Get Hungry, Do NOT Eat Your Noodles Out On The Balcony

And Lord Help You If You Have To Go To Bathroom

But it also created some beautiful photos, too.  So I’ll leave you with my favorite – a flock of geese in a Sea Fog on the lake.

 

[Apologies for being later than I usually post, but I spent the morning and good part of the afternoon running errands and stocking up for being iced, snowed and frozen in beginning this evening.]

America is very fortunate to have Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the helm in the House – her fierce leadership is a good reason people call her “Ninja Nancy”.

But our pootie critter friends  also want to show off their chops with some of their fantastic Ninja moves that were caught at just the purrfect moment.

ATTRIBUTION:

https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/ninja-cats/?utm_medium=fk&utm_source=fkk-c4m&utm_term=1022019&utm_campaign=ninja-cats&utm_content=blog-link

https://mymodernmet.com/ninja-cats-hisakata-hiroyuki/

In fact, someone has suggested that rather than Trump’s wall or “steel slats barrier” that a kitten-fortified shrubbery hedge would both be attractive and efficient.

(And as always, the Comments are even more entertaining.)

I propose a kitten-fortified border shrub instead of a wall.
Who’s with me?
#WednesdayWisdompic.twitter.com/zsIH94qxjO

— Question Everything (@LMAO_in_Fla) January 9, 2019

And meet a cat who thinks the kitchen floor must be made of lava because, with his Ninja-like moves, he avoids touching it at all costs!

 

I wanted to close with a heart-warming story 5to restore our faith in humanity, and I needed to go no further than our own Kansas City Chief’s offensive lineman, Jeff Allen.

A week ago last Saturday when KCMO was dealing with a snowstorm that pummeled the Midwest, Allen’s car got stuck in a snowbank on the way to the big game.

A Good Samaritan by the name of Dave stepped right up and pulled Allen’s car  free – even towing it up the hill.  Allen wanted to thank him, but improperly entered Dave’s phone number on his cell, so only knew that his first name was “Dave” and he drove a Suburban SUV.

So, he turned to the Chiefs Kingdom for assistance with a Tweet:

My car got stuck in the snow before the game & a nice guy named Dave help pull me out without knowing I was a player. I want to give him tickets to the AFC championship game for helping but don’t have a way to contact him. He drove a 97 or 98 Black Suburban. Pls RT #ChiefsKingdom

— Jeff Allen (@JeffAllen71) January 13, 2019

Through the power of social media, he was able to locate Dave.

Update: Despite the recent influx in people changing their name to Dave in the KC area lol, I was actually able to track down the Dave that helped me thanks to the power of social media and #ChiefsKindgom. Thanks for your kindness https://t.co/e4OkEg6AAw

— Jeff Allen (@JeffAllen71) January 13, 2019

And as noted, Dave Cochran is a homeless man – but with a big heart.  So that Suburban SUV Dave used to haul Allen out of the snow also serves as Dave’s home!

Turns out that Allen was not the only person Dave helped that day:

Cochran helped free at least five autos and asked for nothing in return, not even from the guy behind the wheel of a flashy new car.

“I was kind of scared because I’m towing with a ’95 Suburban,” Cochran said, “and he’s driving a brand new 2019 BMW.”

Washington Post

Dave earned the three free tickets he’s getting!

 

Dave said the reward meant a lot to him — he’s a lifelong Chiefs fan, but has never been to Arrowhead Stadium.

“God bless him,” Dave said. “I’ve never been to a football game in my life.”

CBS News

Well, not only did Dave get three tickets for tomorrow’s AFC Championship game against New England at Arrowhead Stadium courtesy of Allen, but the KC Glass Guys noticed that Dave’s Suburban SUV/Home had three missing windows – not good for a home, given the weather we’ve been having and are going to get.   They put in all three new windows as an appreciation for his good deed!

When Trump continues to plumb the depths of hate, bigotry, misogyny, etc. (and apparently has still not hit bottom), I hope a story like this helps restore our faith in our fellow man.