Good Morning All & Happy Saturday!
The crocus are in full bloom and a sure sign that Spring is well on its way! My idea of a perfect day weather wise is a Spring day with partly cloudy skies, a slight breeze and a temperature of 75. What’s yours?
Little miss Tempa Jo had a good day yesterday, by all accounts. We’re just taking each day at a time and enjoying her company. We really don’t know what to expect going forward…it’s a little (or a lot) scary. We’re just asking God to keep us strong so that we can be there for Tempa and each other. As my Dad used to say…”just do the best you can.”
Happy Birthday to long-time friend and member of our family, Ken in Queensland, Australia, who celebrates his 55th birthday today! Here’s to you! Have fun on your special day of celebration! Also, Happy Birthday wishes go to junior high and high school friend and all-around athlete and WCC basketball referee extraordinaire, Mike; and to church friend and husband, father and firefighter extraordinaire, Ben; who celebrate their birthdays today! Here’s to you two!
Speaking of birthdays, today is the 90th birthday of one of my all-time favorite actors/musicians, Hal Linden of “Barney Miller” T.V. fame and an accomplished clarinetist to boot. Happy Birthday Hal! Here’s to you for all you’ve done to entertain us so well over the years!
I was sad to learn of the death of actor Yaphet Kotto this past week. He did a great portrayal of diabolical Ugandan Dictator Idi Amin in the film “Raid On Entebbe” in 1977 and earned an Emmy Award nomination for best actor that year. He also starred in the James Bond thriller “Live & Let Die.” He had a fabulous speaking voice and a signature smile. Here’s to Yaphet Kotto and all of his great performances over the years!
I came across another one of my 1964 “Outer Limits” collectible cards the other day (Card #13). This one features the “Monster From Venus.” It’s a pretty creepy looking monster with huge bulging eyes and big fangs. Given the known conditions on Venus, you can understand why it might look the way it does! Here’s an excerpt from the back of the card: “To those who see the flash of light in the sky, it appears to be just a shooting star. Yet, that yellow glow that shot Earthward is actually a spaceship from the Planet Venus. Aboard the spacecraft is a criminal Venusian. In order to escape punishment on his own planet, the monster stole a spaceship and headed to Earth. Landing in a forest area, the beast makes a frightening discovery…even though it is mid-summer on Earth, it is still too cold!” This card says that there’s more about this monster on Card #13 & #14…you’ll just have to wait for a future blog posting to find out more…
Here is the trivia question for the day:
Q: “What currency is dispensed from Antarctica’s only ATM…the Euro?…the U.S. dollar?…the New Zealand dollar…or the Antarctica Dollar…?”
A: “Since the only ATM on Antarctica is provided by Wells Fargo Bank, the ATM dispenses U.S. dollars only…that’s assuming that you actually need cash in Antarctica…and convenience stores located there???
There was an article in the weekly “Inlander” newspaper this past week about movies/actors that should have been recognized for an Oscar/Academy Award. One of the films mentioned was “Some Like It Hot” in 1959 featuring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. It really was a terrific movie and I agree that Marilyn, Tony & Jack should have gotten co-Oscars for their performances in that hilarious movie. One of the great ones, for sure! What do you think? What other movie and/or actor/actress got overlooked for an Oscar in your opinion?
Here’s the thought for the day:
“I challenge myself everywhere…onstage, on the golf course…Hey, isn’t that the point of it all? To keep getting better? Otherwise, why do it?
—Hal Linden, actor/musician who turns 90 years young today
Here’s to a great Saturday and lots of love and good wishes always…GO ZAGS (Gonzaga) and GO EAGLES (Eastern Washington University) in their “March Madness” games today!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)