Happy Birthday,. Dustin

On Nov. 1st - Happy 24th Birthday, Dustin.......

Black Cat in Des Moines

Black Cat spotted in Des Moines on Halloween

sorry, just couldn't resist

Candy Code

Kids are getting smarter these days, at least when it comes to Trick or Treating. They are starting to mark driveways with chalk to alert each other what to expect at a particular house for a Halloween treat. Starting from the top, these are some examples: "mean dog", "dentist lives here", "these folks are drunk", "cash or gift cards", and "open bowl on porch". My driveway, of course, had the first one, "mean dog". For more codes visit http://www.cockeyed.com/archive/candy_code/candy_code.html

Mark and Lori check out Old Man's Cave at Hocking Hills State Park, OH

 

Who's Haunting the White House

I found this book on White House Hauntings on http://www.ghostvillage.com/. Seems like Abe, Abigail Adams, Andrew Jackson and even the Lincoln children haunt the White House.

http://www.googobits.com/articles/555-the-haunting-of-the-white-house.html: added this tidbit:

Apparently, some of the presidents and their family members who have lived in the White House over the years have enjoyed their experience so much that they're hard-pressed to leave. According to some very reliable - and, in some cases, quite notable - witnesses, a number of them still reside in the presidential abode, and appear to have no intention of leaving.

Kind of like Bill and Hillary...

Also found on the ghostvillage.com website is this tale:

"It Crawled Into Bed With Me"

Breakfast of Champions

I don't like nuts in my cereal!

But seriously, aren't both these guys left-handed?

Happy Birthday Lori

Happy 43rd Birthday, Lori

Don't insult the King

Moroccan jailed for 'king insult'
Open criticism of Moroccan King Mohamed VI is rare
A Moroccan schoolboy, aged 18, has been jailed for insulting the king, after replacing the monarch's name with that of his favourite football club.
He altered the phrase "God, The Nation, The King" on the school blackboard to read "God, The Nation, Barcelona".
FC Barcelona says it has appointed a lawyer to look into whether they can help the boy, within the framework of Moroccan law.
In several cases young men have been jailed for insulting the royal family.
The BBC's James Copnall in Rabat says it is not completely clear whether the court felt the remarks about the football club or other apparent insults to the king were the problem.
The Moroccan justice ministry has not commented on the case.
The family of the boy, Yassine Belassal, is appealing against the ruling, and his father told the BBC he was preparing to write a letter to King Mohamed VI asking for a royal pardon.
An internet campaign is also under way to have Mr Belassel freed.
Earlier this year one man received a three-year sentence for creating a mock Facebook profile of the King's brother, before receiving a royal pardon.
Last month, another man was jailed after suggesting that some royal practices did not help the development of the country.
He was cleared on appeal following a media outcry.

I have one comment on this story: upon boarding my camel for a Moroccan caravan through the Sahara, I said, clapping him on the neck, "let's go, Mohamed!" I was then taken on the 'desert ride from hell.' It lasted twice as long as we thought, chapping, blistering, and bruising our backsides. At the halfway point we got 'refreshments' which was hot tea (it was at least 110 degrees outside-my feet feeling aflame). And upon entering our cab back to the city, they sprayed rose water on us cause we stunk so bad. Moral of the story...don't insult the king!!!

The picture at the top is the King. He looks strikingly like our caravan leader...

Vote and get a free beer

You have been sent an online news article from kathy as a courtesy of pnj.com.

Article Title:
Vote and get a free beer

To view the contents on www.pnj.com, go to:
http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200810221914/NEWS01/81022048

Message:
Wait til the pizza industry hears this....

Cure for high blood pressure

I found this medical announcement questionable:

The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure
By Amelia Tomas, LiveScience Staff
posted: 23 October 2008 02:52 pm ET

livescience:http://www.livescience.com/health/081023-farts-blood-pressure.html
A smelly rotten-egg gas in farts controls blood pressure in mice, a new study finds. The unpleasant aroma of the gas, called hydrogen sulfide (H2S), can be a little too familiar, as it is expelled by bacteria living in the human colon and eventually makes its way, well, out. The new research found that cells lining mice’s blood vessels naturally make the gas and this action can help keep the rodents’ blood pressure low by relaxing the blood vessels to prevent hypertension (high blood pressure). This gas is “no doubt” produced in cells lining human blood vessels too, the researchers said.

I'm thinking my family should have some really low blood pressure readings!!!

Pumpkin Way: E-Card Greeting

Pumpkin carving or Cindy after celebrating her birthday?

This email was sent to you by jhara@gcmuni.net
from www.pumpkinway.com

Happy Birthday Cindy

Happy 38th Cindy on Friday Oct. 24th.

Meet Iris

This would be Dustin Bishop's daughter.

Welcome to the family!!

Need a little more info to update the sidebar...Seems Grandma Nancy is still in shock.

Happy Anniversary Deb and Omar

Happy Belated Anniversary - 11 years on the 18th of Oct.

Frightening Halloween Masks

the 'blogger' chose the size of

these pictures...had nothing to do

with my political attachments....

Stan & Lois celebrate their 45^th wedding anniversary on Sunday, October 19, 2008!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Posted by Lori

Walkway made of mystery gravestones

Eerie mystery: How did gravestones become walkway at Ann Arbor home?

I found this story interesting: These excavators were putting in a new sewer line. They had to move some pavers that led from a sidewalk to the front door of this house. When they flipped one of these hundred pound pavers over, it was a grave marker. Actually, all of the 50 some pavers were grave markers. Thus the mystery presented itself...where did they come from and what an odd thing to use to make a walkway. It wasn't until the former owners came forward did we find out where the grave markers came from. Seems the former owners of the home were gravestone makers and these stones had misprints or scratches in them and new ones were made to replace the flawed ones. The old 'waste not-want not' theory. Mystery solved!

Hurricane Omar

I've been waiting all hurricane season for this www.weatherchannel.com headline:

Omar Weakens And Races Away

Zach asked his mother, Deb, why did they name the hurricane after Daddy?

Spirit Globes

I don't even remember what website I found this picture on. You ask, "what is a spirit globe?" Well, I'm not really sure. I searched the web for 'spirit globe' and didn't come up with anything. The caption on this picture was something like, "Laverne and Shirley conjure up some Spirit Globes at our Annual Retreat in Sonoma." Looks like a double exposure to me but am now remembering that Glendora, the Good Witch, traveled in a globe like thing like this...and she had such a sweet voice and was so nice to the Munchkins...

Happy Birthday!!!!

Cleans up pretty darn good!!

Lois and Stan while visiting Mark & Lori in Centerville, OH (October 12, 2008)

Posted by Lori

Frightening TV Shows

Looking outside at the near full moon, I had a memory of one of my favorite childhood tv shows. Can you name this character and show?

Halloween costumes

Biskit can't decide which Halloween costume to sport this year....what do you think? Mr. Spock or Cavepug?

Happy Birthday GUYS......

Happy 24th Birthday Brady. Happy 7th Birthday Zach. Party Party

Pumpkin Carving

This takes the cake!

Halloween Trick?

Out of digits on the national debt clock.........let the Halloween frights commence!!!

Sibs Meet at Tama Casino

The family that bets together, gets together...or something like that. Where else would these cats meet for a day out? Picture on left are the Sibs in picture formation (like the one from the 70's in sidebar). Picture on right: Nola, Betty, Bonnie, Lois, Stan, Beth and Sam. Stan and Lois will travel on to Ohio to meet up with Lori and Mark. Sam and Beth are coming on up here to GC for a night with his daughters and families. Betty and Nola--burning up blacktop in a hot Mustang convertible...

Note: I did not intend for the word game in between pictures but am sure you get the idea.

Asteroid Event Tonight

From www.space.com:

A very small asteroid will streak into the skies over Sudan tonight, astronomers announced. It is expected to burn up in the atmosphere, creating a show.
It will not strike Earth.
But astronomers are abuzz over the event, because it is the first time an asteroid "impact" has been predicted with near certainty.
The space rock is only about 6 feet in diameter (3 meters) and poses "no risk to those on the ground," said David Morrison of NASA's Ames Research Center. A similar-sized object during the day would likely go unnoticed, he said.
The fiery entry will appear like a very bright shooting star known as a fireball, or what astronomers call a bolide.

There is no note, however, on exactly when this asteroid was identified...sounds to me like it was just in the last 24 hours...if it was any bigger and had a possible chance of hitting the earth we wouldn't be too worried about the economy, political races or the price of fuel...we'd be running for the nearest fallout shelter.

29 Days to Pick Your Sofa

Rodolfo Rocchetti from Tappezzeria Rocchetti is a master upholsterer from Rome, and he made some really creative pieces of furniture...and looks like he is non-partisan-we have the Black Panther sofa for the Obama fans and the Big Hunt sofa for the Palin fans...

Cooking With Balls

Hailed as the world's first recipe collection of its kind, Cooking With Balls includes testicle pizza, battered testicles and and barbecued testicles with giblets.
Ljubomir Erovic, the chef behind the book, said testicles are rich in testosterone and are believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac in China as well as his homeland of Serbia.
The collection, made available by e-book publishers YUDU, features testicles from several different animals, including stallions, ostriches, bulls, pigs and turkeys.
"Wash testicles thoroughly for 30-45 minutes," begins the recipe for testicles pie. "Once softened, mince them in a mincer."
A "very sharp knife" is needed for traditional style testicles, which get boiled, cut up and deep fried in hot oil.
Erovic, 45, said: "The tastiest testicles in my opinion probably come from bulls, stallions or ostriches, although other people have their own favourites. All testicles can be eaten - except human, of course. The best for aphrodisiac properties are sheep and stallion testicles."
Erovic also organises the World Testicle Cooking Championship held annually in Serbia since 2004. It draws in chefs from Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Norway and Serbia. One metric tonne of testicles are prepared during the contest.

I'm ordering this book tomorrow as well as the 'very sharp knife.' I will suggest a recipe out of it whenever Steve needs a behavior modification, "Can't find any ostrich testicles at HyVee, I may have to use yours........"

GoodSearch

GoodSearch.com (the bar just below the Kell Well header) is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up! Just click on the button and you will be taken right to the search engine... A high school friend whose son suffers from a disease called UMDF sent me this. I will use this search engine now and will donate to his cause but you can choose any cause.
GoodShop.com (added near the end of the sidebar) is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.
Once you are on http://www.goodsearch.com/ be sure to enter [a charity] as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!