Random Observations

I don’t mind brown. Redheads often look good in brown. What I take exception to is – you know that friend you have that walks around in his life with his cell phone in his hand and feels the overwhelming need to share every single breathing moment of his life and so you get to see stuff you could have lived a long time without seeing? That’s what I take exception to. Am I the only person who chokes back the gag reflex when seeing FB postings of relatives or loved ones or friends’ food? Am I the only one who notices they are always brown? Am I the only one who thinks, “Oh, look. It goes in the same color as it comes out.”

When my cousin Michael graduated high school, he wanted to go into forestry. He has always loved nature. Now, in his 60s, he still very much in love with nature. Every day on FaceBook, he posts pictures of nature or something nature related. But his big passion is orchids. He definitely has two green thumbs because his homegrown orchids are stunning. He posted a picture of an orchid that looks like a cute child’s face. It certainly couldn’t be real, it had to be some kind of meme or something so I contacted my dear friend Margaret Ashworth – as I’ve mentioned before, she is a writer for The Conservative Woman UK and has a weekly Sunday column called Notes from the Sticks. She did some research and this is what she sent back, apologizing for not being able to find the exact orchid I had mentioned. (rubbing my hands together in delight …) I can’t wait to read the comments when you peruse this: 17 Flowers That Look Like Something Else | Bored Panda.

Warning: you may want to skip this section – heaven knows I’d like to but Nebraska Energy Observer prides itself on free speech and boy, have I got a speech for you. Those of us who have attained a certain age have slowly come to grips with the fact that we are not quite what we used to be. There are those few odd indignities with which we are forced to deal. You might refer to it as a fact of life – not the exciting kind, like learning about sex – the fact that we now have to do things our parents stopped us from doing when we were babies. Namely – playing with poop. “What in the world is she talking about???”, you may ask yourself but that’s just because you have yet to reach ‘the certain age’. (smug grin …) But you’re time is coming so perhaps you should read this and learn from example. This morning’s task, according to my doctor, is what is euphemistically referred to as ‘stool collection’. I looked at the ‘kit’ I was to use with same kind of interest a scientist brings to fungus growth in Petrie dishes. I had resigned myself to fact that this ‘event’ was designed to protect me from beasties that may be hiding in my body (that I have trusted all my life but evidently never knew was conspiring against me). With as much good-natured aplomb as I could muster, I faced the kit. And then I saw them. Two long stem … no, not roses … brushes. I’ll give you a minute. It took me a couple of minutes, too. Ok; ready to proceed? I can’t, of course, relate here all the thoughts that crossed my mind while staring at the brushes but the one that stands out in my mind is, “What sick human being decided that a cheap paint brush was a good idea for this?” Reading the directions – I had to read them three times because I couldn’t quite wrap my brain around what I was being instructed to do – I ‘manned up’ and proceeded to follow the directions. The first part was easy – I’ve done that all my life. Presented with step two is what got me. I won’t, out of a fear that you may be reading this while snacking, go into detail but I ‘addressed’ the situation at hand. This is the instruction that got me – “Tap the brush on the side of the toilet once.” Once? Only once? Why not three times? Why not the drumline from a rock song? Why not use both brushes at one time and pretend I’m Ringo Starr??? ONCE, it said, so I promise – I swear to you! – I only tapped once.

Now comes the … uh … ‘good part’. I am to take the said brush and apply it to this tiny little square on a cardboard ‘frame’ (brush; frame; very artistic references). I pretend I’m two years old and apply the brush to the spot. Is that enough? Is that too little? How about I make little dots all around the cardboard? But wait! There’s more! There are TWO brushes. I look at the second brush, I look at the used brush, I look at the target area in the toilet. Wait, what? Is the first one ‘too dirty’ to use? Did you think I lied with the first one? Do you think I borrowed someone else’s poop and they’ve left the building and now I have to prove I’m using the same poop? There’s a limit here, people, and I’ve about reached mine! Despite what I’m being instructed to do, it is my job to be the adult in this situation and so … brush number two finds its target. I have now completed the assignment. You know what the saving grace is??? Later today, I get to hand my artwork to a tech at the lab and say, “I’ve got a little something for ya.”

Random Observations

Awhile back, I mentioned a program on Netflix, Blown Away. I hated the outcome of that contest because I didn’t feel it was a contest so much as a political statement. With great trepidation, I viewed season two of Blown Away. I’m absolutely delighted to report that season two is wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was an international flair to this season as a young woman from Australia competed, as well as (be still my heart) young Brit – Elliot. This season was great fun to watch, and there was a surprise as well; the judges bring in guest judges each week and in episode 7, the surprise judge is Stephen Weatherly. If you’re into football, you may be familiar with that name. Stephen Weatherly is a defensive end for the Carolina Panthers and seems to be a very nice young man. But here’s the surprise: Stephen is a hobby glassblower! It was fun to see his reaction to the competition space. I very much recommend watching this season of Blown Away.

 

Where do you find the intersection of outer space, motorcycles, history, and science? Right here at Nebraska Energy Observer, of course. This little gem (pardon the pun) was fun, fascinating, and remarkable. All that and it’s free! I had to stay with it and am so glad I did. I think you may find this even better than the title suggests.

 

Ya gotta love a good geek; in this video, there are several. Very nice young people; I’ve watched several of their videos and they don’t cuss or talk off-color – they’re just nice kids having a good time in pursuit of their passion. I first learned about geodes from the FaceBook entries of the daughter of a young woman I worked with. She and her husband are excellent parents and go out of their way (not to mention giving up quite a bit of their own free time) to share the adventure of science; planets, geodes, and the sciences that explain them. I had seen geodes, of course, but never paid enough attention to actually know where they come from. This is a very good video and I hope you enjoy it.

 

Moment of transparency. My favorite English accent is Yorkshire. I have a friend who says his Lancashire accent is much nicer and well, you know, everyone has an opinion. I came across these brothers several months ago and enjoy them very much. As soon as they learn how to ship internationally, I’m going to buy one of their polished ammonites.

 

This, too, is amazing. People are brilliant to find and appreciate these things. God is brilliant in creating them.

 

Be sure to tell all your friends to read Nebraska Energy Observer because … wait for it … we rock you!

Random Observations

I have a fascination with films of various periods in history but for the most part, I enjoy British history pieces. Kings and Queens – Americans understand the concept but it’s as foreign an idea to us as moon dust. Part of the pull to period pieces is the dress and accoutrement of the kings and queens. While I have often been inspired by the jewelry of both, I’ve never given thought to the jewelry in itself. I always thought they were big and gold because of the wealth of the monarch but really, a lot has to do with the reason for the jewelry. This is beautifully explained in the video. When you see some of the fine work done on the shanks and circles of the rings, I think you’ll find it more interesting than you expected. A fine video but probably, in this case, not long enough.

See? (she says as she gently shakes her index finger at you) You thought you knew everything, didn’t you? I know – I did, too. But then I came across this video and was forced to recognize that there’s a shed load of stuff I don’t know. Not only did I not know it, I didn’t know I didn’t know it. That’s pretty, um, ‘unaware’ (use the term ‘stupid’ at your own risk). There are some topics here that might, perhaps, cause one to think, or do further research. Not me, necessarily, but, perhaps you?

I read somewhere that two primates in a zoo tested positive for the virus. Apply grains of salt here. If that is indeed true (no one will ever tell us), then the lockdown across the country in the early days of the virus was a very good thing for bigfoots. If bigfoot, who may or may not exist, was prevented from a virus that may or may not kill us, may or may not have been protected, may or may not be the best news about lockdowns. If this is not the weirdest entry in Random Observations you’ve ever read, I suspect it may – or may not – come close.

This is not my particular cup of tea but my older sister and my very dear friend like them so I watched this video. They’re pretty, of course, but I wouldn’t spend any money on them. Unfortunately, I love diamonds. Yes; I know, you don’t have to tell me. Anyway, after watching this video, I have a better appreciation for this result of mollusk discomfort.

Because French bulldogs drool – and I have a weak stomach when it comes to body fluids – I’ve given up my love and fascination with the sweethearts. Looking at Llasa Apsos and Shih Tzus now. Sigh.

 

 

Random Observations

This link was sent to me by dear Alys, lover of cats. It’s brilliant. Can you imagine the time taken to set these up? Staggers my imagination. Hope you enjoy it!

“What has it got in its pocketses?” asked Gollum. Ah! Pockets! Someone please explain this to me – women LOVE pockets. I bought four tops because they had pockets. My daughter calls to tell me about a new garment and absolutely enthuses about the fact that it has pockets. We love pockets! But not on the breast of the blouse – we’re not overly fond of that look. But pockets on the sides of a blouse or skirt or dress? Sign us up – we want it. I like this little girl and she made me laugh out loud – I knew exactly what she was going to say before she said it! You don’t have to watch the whole thing, but do suffer through till she gets to the third garment, the gray sweatshirt. Laughing still!

“Turn about is fair play.” That being said – there are a great many videos by women showing how to dress according to an era; 18th century, 14th century, maybe the Roaring Twenties. Great fun and in almost all instances, the videos relate how women of that era dealt with the issues women have had since the Creation. You know – “that stuff”. You take my meaning. Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this little gem! It’s not about women – it’s about MEN! Yay! If you could use a real good belly laugh – and frankly, who couldn’t? – read the comment I put on the video. Hey! That’s just me; inquiring minds want to know.

I am a devoted reader of The Conservative Woman UK. Excellent authors, real conservative as opposed to ‘in name only’, and some of the most committed commenters you’ll ever see. There is a special writer, though; her name is Margaret Ashworth and she is a gem. She should be declared a national treasure – because she is! Her weekly article, Notes from the Sticks, describes life in the rural areas of England and focuses on flora and fauna, and are absolutely delightful – and eye-opening to those of us not born there. Her article about hares and rabbits, though, upset me because it brought to mind our own dreaded jackalope. Oh, the fear the mere name produces! I’ve heard (terrible!) stories of them gnawing the legs off people unfortunate enough to come across one unawares. Watch this video ONLY if you are NOT prone to nightmares. Also, for your safety, read the Wiki page regarding jackalopes. My hands are shaking as I type this. Beware!

Finally, I have to share this. Young woman, ex-pat living in Japan does reaction videos. Normally she would not be someone I would notice but the video title caught my eye and so I watched it. I wanted to see what her reaction would be. She was respectful and I appreciate that. I also left a comment and gave her a fuller understanding of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Random Observations

Just keep in mind that I do this all for you. The picture of the video looked mildly interesting so of course, I clicked. This would be considered ‘too much time on one’s hands’. The other thing is … magnets are expensive, especially ones as strong as those in the video. I once worked in a warehouse; I was in charge of the lock room (so named because the contents were expensive) so I know how much ‘good’ magnets are. This gentleman spent a LOT of money for all those magnets.

I know what I expected to see when I clicked on this video. It certainly wasn’t that. My first reaction was a big eye roll and my finger was on the mouse ready to leave … except … I couldn’t it. This thing is oddly compelling – if only in the ‘how did they do that’ way. I thought the track must be magnetized but as far as I know, marbles aren’t made of magnetic material. I couldn’t tell if the ‘accelerator’ was like a pinball flipper but it seemed to be. It will be interesting to get your feedback on this one.

That sound you hear is the excitement of stick match manufacturers around the world.

I love wood – there’s a lot of wood and glass in my house. I enjoyed this because it’s something you don’t see on every street corner. If it were beef, I’d buy some of those slabs but as it is, I’d love to see the cedar polished or resin-coated. Sort of reminds me of an Ent autopsy.

Some day, if I’m very, very good, God will give me another blessing by allowing me to meet my English friends (very much my family) face to face. If that happens, I hope I get to meet this one, too. He’s not a friend but I’m really impressed with his work. The wood is simply stunning and the pencils? A brilliant idea. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I have.

Random Observations

Like a lot of women, I have ‘closet clothes’ that I wear every day but I also have two other closets and I’m sure those women who will confess will agree that they have two other closets as well – the ‘off-season’ closet and the ‘maybe I’ll be that size again’ closet. Ordinarily, I’m very conscious of ‘clutter’ – I do believe if you haven’t used it or worn it in a year, send it to charity. But for items I really like, they stay in the (appropriate) closet. While the rest of America was putting on lockdown weight, somehow, through no action of my own, I lost weight. And then more weight. I seem to have plateaued (gosh, I hope so! I was the ‘incredible shrinking woman’ there for a while). It’s chilly here in my part of Florida right now and I was feeling uncomfortable – I didn’t grab my go-to jacket because it’s so big on me now it isn’t really warm anymore. Off to the subset closet. Going through the clothes on the rack like shopping at a store, each item passed was mentally check-marked and noted. Then I got a big surprise; a jacket I thought I had given to Goodwill a long time ago was hiding way in the back. It was in the subset of the subset, under ‘seasonal and small’. It’s a silk outer with a flannel liner and toasty warm. I’m a happy closet shopper today.

Here you go, folks. I’m not going to add anything because y’all are a whole lot smarter than I am and even I understand this. This is one to watch.

Perhaps our Neo may want to re-think Sunday Funnies. But of course, he won’t. Good on him.

This is also important. You may know that my little church closed its doors on Dec. 24th – low membership, the virus, financial issues; the ‘perfect storm’. I’m attending, electronically, the church of one of our Bishop. It’s in Atlanta, well, Dunwoody Georgia, to be exact. While it is open, thank God, and folks and families attend, I can’t help but notice that there’s only a cantor, no choir and that Communion is received in only one kind – partly because of State ‘guidelines’ and partly from a concern for all the folks attending, young and old alike. For reference, Jordan Sekulow is the son of Jay Sekulow who was the lead attorney in President Trump’s (first!) impeachment.

I think this is exciting news but perhaps – and I don’t know as I’ve not discussed it with friends in England – not all will be pleased?

It may be that you have the answer to this question; I don’t recall any statistics regarding the electronic attendance at the ‘inauguration of President Biden’. Surely there were banner headlines about 80 million viewers for the most ‘popular’ president in the whole entire world and its history?