Signs - Faster than what?

I spied this sign as we were driving through a small town on our journey down to Arizona. I'm not even sure what STATE we were in (not as in state of confusion, because that's always a given when you are constantly moving your house), but as in what STATE in the United States. I think this was a phone service store. I shot this right out of the truck's window before the light changed.

For more signs, visit Lesley here.

From the "You've GOT to be Kidding Me" File

Okay everyone! I've cracked open the "You've got to be kidding me" file, and these are what fell out:

These shoes are NOT made for walking!
Christian Louboutin makes beautiful shoes, but, c'mon, THESE are ridiculous! These are 8-inch heels! Talk about a face plant! The only way I could wear these is if I were lying on the ground!

What's that smell....or not
Every once in awhile you may read a story of a person who has an odd pet. Or two.

Or fourteen.

And they are skunks.

You heard me.

Brenda and Don Hoch from Hudson, FL have owned skunks since 2006, and accept skunks from the local rescue. Florida is only one of two states that allow skunks for pets. Their scent glands are removed when they are 2-3 weeks old. Many skunks start out as pets and later are found abandoned along the road. Brenda and Don started accepting the little abandoned critters after they had purchased their first skunk at a pet shop.

Why a skunk as opposed to a cat?

Brenda said: "They're much more affectionate than a cat. They love to be held and petted. Plus they know how to use a litter box. Like a dog they will come when called by their name and understand simple commands. "They don't bark, however, or make much noise at all except for some growling at each other when it's dinner time. (The Sun)

Besides the 14 skunks, they also have 3 dogs -  2 greyhounds and one lab. The skunks have been known to cuddle up with the dogs and sleep.

Whatever floats your boat I guess!

Speaking of Odors....
Lucy McCrae of the Netherlands has teamed up with a synthetic biologist to created a pill to make your sweat smell nice.

No, really, I'm serious.

"Swallowable Parfum is a digestible scented capsule that emits a unique odor through your own perspiration," McCrae writes on her website. Every person will smell differently because of our genetic makeup.

Huh.

So when my husband tries to tell me there's a difference when he sweats - "clean" versus "stinky" sweat (obviously he's lost his sense of smell as he's gotten older), I can now pop a fragrance pill in his orange juice before he goes off to exercise so we can add a third version -  perfumed sweat!

You're putting what where?
Speaking of putting questionable things into your body, have you heard the latest craze that the youngun's have been up to?

It seems that teens are soaking tampons in vodka and inserting them in their, um, body cavities.

And - tampons are not just for girls anymore. Boys are doing it, too.

The advantages (if you want to call it that) of absorbing vodka through a body cavity versus drinking it?

a) no alcohol smell on the breath

b) supposedly no side effects of throwing up

c) the person gets drunk faster and the high is more intense because the alcohol is absorbed right into the blood stream instead of if a person were to DRINK the alcohol and it goes through the stomach and less alcohol is absorbed.

There have been cases of alcohol poisoning from this, and even if a teen is brought into the ER, doctors don't always think to look, um, below the waist for a problem.

A super sized tampon holds a shot of vodka. (In case you were wondering.)

I'm still wondering how anyone could insert a fully absorbed tampon; that would be like trying to push a wet noodle through a colander. Or something like that.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
Remember as a kid how you just couldn't wait for the ice cream truck to come through your neighborhood? You'd hear that familiar tinkle of that music and you'd yell, "The ice cream man! Ma! Can I buy some ice cream?"

You memba, right?

My how things have changed.

People will be screaming for the ice cream truck. But it will probably be just men.

That's because the women driving the truck are "scantily clad" and look like Playboy models. It's called the Aphrodisiac Ice Cream truck.

I know that "sex sells", but isn't this just wrong? I mean, selling flavors like "Chocolate 3sumVanilla Quickie" and "Aphrodisiac Orgy"? Geesh, they can sell them at $10 a pop and a guy wouldn't care as long as he was served by someone looking like that! But if that wasn't enough, there is even an ice cream shot that can be eaten right off one of the girls.

And then there are the stripper poles on top of the van.

Their web site states that the Aphrodisiac van is great for "crazy wild parties to family gatherings..."

I can see it now. A great addition to the grandma's birthday party.

Well, maybe it'd be more appropriate for GRANDPA'S. Get that ole thumper going faster!



And that's this edition of the "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Try not cry when you read/see this

Maybe you've heard this story already. Maybe not. But I just couldn't pass up the opportunity of sharing it with all of you.

This is a story about a friendship between two unlikely animals.

An elephant named Tarra,

and a dog named Bella.

Tarra is an Asian elephant from Burma, born in 1974. Soon after Tarra came to the United States, a ban was put on Asian Elephants as they were considered an endangered species. For the next 20 years, Tarra entertained audiences all over the world in circuses, amusement parks, zoos and videos. Once she got tired of entertaining, an Elephant Sanctuary was opened in Hohenwald, TN and Tarra was the first resident. This sanctuary is now the nation's largest natural habitat which has been developed specifically to meet the needs of endangered elephants.

Elephants usually come to the sanctuary alone, but soon match up with another elephant for companionship. (All are females).

Except Tarra.

Tarra matched up with Bella. Or vice versa. Bella first showed up at the Sanctuary in the Fall of 2003. There are other stray dogs wandering the Sanctuary, but they tend to stay away from the elephants.

Not Bella.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that when she was found on some newly acquired property, she was guarding a bulldozer. Then she moved on to a four-wheeler, and finally Tarra.

The two were fast friends, albeit, an odd couple. They ate together, played together, and sometimes even slept together.

Watch this video to see them in action.




In April 2007, Bella had a spinal cord injury and had to spend a few weeks immobile in the office. Tarra stood guard nearby. She missed her pal. Watch this video of their reunion. But beware......Bella just passed away recently, and Tarra can not be consoled.




There is a book and a video about Tarra and Bella available on the Sanctuary's website. Also, more information about the sanctuary can be found there. Have a look around. And here is a tribute to Bella.

I hope that Bella and Tarra will reunite in heaven. They made quite the pair, didn't they?

Sunday Bridges - Crossing the Missouri River

This is crossing the Missouri River in Kansas. For more bridges, visit Louis here.

Weekend Reflections - A Blast from the Past

Saw this cute little get-up recently on our travels when we stopped at a campground in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Now THAT'S what I call traveling in style!

For more reflections, visit James at Weekend Reflections.

Thursday's Things in a Row

If it's Thursday it must be one of two things: wash day or Things in a Row day.

On a recent trip to the laundromat, which was on a Thursday, I found several things in a row.

Top loading washers:

Front loading washers:

Carts:

and dryers:

So, yeah, that was a little boring. Yawn. I decided to take a walk outside to see what I could find.

The first thing I saw was this crazy looking tree, or what was ONCE a tree.

Now I ask you, why would ANYONE save this? Wouldn't you cut this down? What an eyesore! And what was really funny was seeing a squirrel running down the tree! He stood out like a sore thumb! I was sorry to have missed the shot!

Just across the street and down the block I found all these lamp posts standing in a row.

I guess there's more things in a row in the above photo - plants around each lamp post, striped parking spots, and telephone wires, jump right out at me!

In the parking lot of the laundromat I found these pretty red flowers lined up in a row against the fence, whose pickets were all lined up, you guessed it, in a row. Does anyone know the name of these flowers?

And finally, I spied these raindrops just begging to have their photo taken. Look how nicely they lined up for me on this leaf!

So maybe my laundromat Things in a Row wasn't so boring after all!

What have you got this week?

Signs - No Masks!

I forgot to post this photo last week for my sign. I thought it was appropriate being Halloween week. Oh well, that's me. Always late.

Saw this sign on a convenience store door on Halloween.

I asked the cashier, "You SERIOUSLY have to post a sign like that?"

"Yes", she said.

I wonder if someone tried to rob them previously on Halloween with a funny mask on. Hmmm.....

For more signs, visit Lesley here.

Field Trip with Lily

A couple of weeks before we left Illinois, we picked up our granddaughter, Lily, and took her on a little field trip. We had never done this before, and she was so excited to go out with Papa and Gwama!

We took a drive into the country to see "The Witness Tree", a beautiful 250-year old burr oak tree.

The branches of this towering tree spread out over 80 feet, and the trunk's circumference measures 14 feet!

This tree has served as a landmark and meeting place for over 200 years! In the 19th century, Chief Shabbona  of the Potawatomi  Indians held council here, along with the Fox and Sauk tribes.

Could you imagine all what these branches have heard?

 

The tree received its name because it was a witness, or reference point, for surveyors of the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad during the building of the railroad through Mineral Township.

After we left there, we stopped at the Hennepin Canal.

Lily threw rocks in the water with Papa.

I explained to Lily about her shadow and how she was stepping on it! She got a kick out of that!

And finally, when we were driving back to our daughter's house, I had glanced in the mirror and saw Lily doing this. I couldn't resist taking a photo while looking in the mirror.

This was taken before her eye surgery. You can see her one eye was wandering a little there. Now her eyes are perfectly straight and she is doing great after the surgery!

All for the Ta-Ta's - Part Boob, I mean Two

These are the rest of the fantastic bras from the Art Bra Exhibit shown at the Women's Expo that was held at the park where I stay for the winter. If you missed Part One, click here.

"Beverly's Bra" made by my friend Rachel and dedicated to her sister-in-law, Beverly, who recently lost her life to breast cancer.

Boobie Trap

Bouncing Buds

Chicken Breast

Good & Plenty

Hooters

Knockers Up

Life without a Mammogram

Look at these Puppies!

Over Easy "Yokes on You"

Peep-a-boo

Sugar Tits

Texas Hold 'Em

Z-Bra

With the $5 entry fee, we got 5 raffle tickets. Prizes were displayed all along one wall. There was a box in front of each prize. I could deposit either 1 or up to 5 tickets in the box for a drawing. I chose which prize or prizes I was interested in.

Prizes included gift baskets, picture, therapeutic pillow and more.

These quilts were also prizes. Aren't they beautiful?

I won a door prize from the Women's Expo. It was a basket filled with kitchen "stuff".

Two spatulas, flexible cutting boards, to-do-list, shopping list, tablet, pizza party music, plastic drinking bottle (not shown) plastic container for trinkets or whatever, measuring cups and spoons, and coffee.

On Saturday Night there was a Hot Pink Fundraiser Dance. It cost $5 to get in, and they encouraged everyone to wear pink. The music was provided by the local talent of our park. First off:

Roman (l) and Steve (r)

then

Van

Next up, our good friend Doug, half of the group "Plan B". (The other half, David, hadn't arrived in AZ yet.) Doug can play a mean guitar!

Then E.J. took the stage. Curtis joined her in the first number. The two of them made beautiful music together!

If you could have seen this women a couple of years ago, you wouldn't believe THIS is the same person. She was in a wheel chair ALL THE TIME and was about 100 pounds heavier. Doesn't she look great?

E.J.

Curtis is a GREAT entertainer. He can sing country and western, to Motown, to Elvis. And he's a wonderful guy, too!

Line dancing is a favorite at the park.

Of COURSE, it wouldn't be a dance without the DISCO BALL, right?

During the halfway point of the dance, some of the bras were brought in for those who didn't get to see them in the exhibit. But this time - they were on LIVE models.

This is our friend Don. He told us that he was embarrassed to do this, but it was for a good cause.

What a sweet tutu!

This was the big bra hanging above the door to the exhibit. I TOLD you it was big!

All of a sudden, Don doesn't seem so embarrassed, does he as he attacks our other friend, Mike.

There was a contest to see who wore the most pink. There was a tie between these three women. The man won because not only did he have a pink shirt, but also pink shorts under his pants!

(Camille, activities director all the way on the right)

Now, if you've been following my blog for awhile, and you've seen pictures of my husband, Jim, you may have noticed that he's always wearing a green shirt (or a slight variation of that color). He DOES own more than one shirt; he just likes the same KIND of shirt, and the same color. He is DULL with a capital "D" when it comes to clothes. I tried to convince him to buy a pink button down shirt for the occasion, but it was a no-go.

So this was Jim's version of "wearing pink" to the dance.

Pink napkins (that they gave out AT THE DANCE) stuffed into his pockets. DO YOU FEEL MY PAIN PEOPLE?

I have to add that Jim was NOT DRUNK in the above photo, although it looks like he is! He was sitting next to me and I asked him to move a little bit so I could take his photo. I have no idea why he cranked his head that way. Wait, did he REALLY do that, or was it just me and my camera? For it was ME who was feeling pretty darn good after guzzling a bottle of wine. Hiccup!

And so, that was my wild and fun weekend at the resort. And it's only week one. Oh boy!