Good Morning All!
Happy Birthday to my daughter-in law Sarah’s dad, Jim, who turns 58 today. Here’s to you, Jim, on your special day of celebration! Happy Birthday to my good friend, energy company executive & engineer, roofer, carpenter, husband, father & grandfather extraordinaire, Noman, who turns 61 today in Irving, Texas. Here’s to you Noman! Happy upcoming birthdays to former client Michelle, whose family has owned Mr. Service in Spokane for many years (her father-in-law, Jerry, was a great client and had a fabulous collection of die cast cars, trucks & airplanes…the biggest collection I ever saw!). Their family are great people. Here’s to you Michelle! Also, Happy Birthday to friends Morgan & Meg, who celebrate their birthdays on the 4th of July! And last, but not least, here’s to family friend, contractor/carpenter & rodeo cowboy (among many other talents) extraordinaire, Radar, who celebrates his birthday on July 7th in Lewiston, Idaho. Here’s to all of you!
Here’s the culinary tip for the day: Check out Republic Pub in Post Falls (on Fourth Street). It’s located in an old house…it has great atmosphere (lots of outdoor seating under some massive trees with bistro lights strung from the house to the trees), great food and great service. I had their skewered rib salad…it was really yummy. My mom had one of their signature hamburgers and Judy had a grilled chicken salad. We all agreed that Republic Pub merits a return trip!
Well, I’m off to Iceland for an adventure with my oldest daughter and her family. Should be fun and definitely something new and different. When your kids say they are going on a trip and want you to come along, you automatically (without question) say YES! I’m looking forward to going on a search for the arctic fox and the Icelandic shepherd dog, two animals that can only be found in Iceland, a land of lava fields, fjords, volcanos & spectacular waterfalls…not to mention Viking folklore. I’m also keen on checking out the Icelandic version of hot tubs…natural hot springs called “hot pots”. Iceland, here we come!
I was doing some yard work yesterday afternoon and came upon our hydrangea that was out in full bloom. A beautiful light & dark blue/purple color combination. It’s the best year that I can recall for hydrangea blossoms!
I came across the 1969 Topps Football Card for Walther Johnson, who played his entire NFL career with the Cleveland Browns and one year with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was born in Cincinnati in 1942. He played college football at New Mexico State & Long Angeles State and was drafted in the second round of the 1965 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He was a three time Pro Bowler (1967-1969). He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame and is considered one of the “Cleveland Brown Legends.” His 1969 football card describes him as “One of the NFL’s up and coming defensive stars. Walt is big, fast and especially effective at rushing the passer. His nickname on the Browns was “Zoom.” He contributed to the Browns’ NFL championship teams in the mid-1960s. He turned to professional wrestling at the end of his football career. He continued wrestling until 1984. He owned a car wash in Kentucky and later ran a security alarm company in the Cleveland area. He died in 1999 of a heart attack at age 56 in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Here’s to Walter Johnson of Cleveland Brown fame!
Here is the silly question for the day:
Q: What are the results of a cow leaping over a barbed wire fence?
A: Udder disaster.
Did you hear that six of the seven dwarfs are not Happy?
“I’ve had an unbelievable life. I’ve been very lucky. You do create your own luck too, you know? I never forget where I’m from. Whenever I pass a building site or see somebody digging a ditch, I always think, “That’s real work.”
—Liam Neeson, Irish actor of “Commuter”, “Taken”, “Star Wars” & “Rob Roy” movie fame
“I haven’t become an American! Having a house in L.A. is just where the house is. It’s just a convenience thing living there. I carry Wales around inside me. I’d consider moving back there one day, I never really left.”
—Tom Jones, Welsh singer of “It’s Not Unusual” fame
“I love your funny face…your sunny, funny face.
For you’re a cutie…with more than beautie.
You’ve got a lot of per-son-a-li-ty
You fill the air with smiles…for miles and miles and miles.
Though you’re no Mona Lisa,
For worlds I’d not replace
Your sunny, funny face.”
—George & Ira Gershwin, “Funny Face” (1957)
“There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven; but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart…It is the secret signature of each soul, the incommunicable and unappeasable want, the thing we desired before we met our wives or made our friends or chose our work, and which we shall still desire on our deathbeds, when the mind no longer knows wife or friend or work.”
—C.S. Lewis, “The Problem of Pain”, as quoted in “C.S. Lewis’ Little Book of Wisdom” (2018)
Here’s to a great Tuesday and Happy Fourth of July everyone!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)