Some Telling Numbers August 25, 2021
Posted by nrhatch in Health & Wellness, People.comments closed
Sarasota Memorial Hospital posted some telling numbers on Monday, comparing the recent effects of Covid on vaccinated vs. unvaccinated people:
*Out of 230 patients hospitalized, 25 were vaccinated and 205 hadn’t managed to get vaccinated yet.
*Out of 51 patients in the ICU, 3 were vaccinated and 48 remained unvaccinated.
*Out of 34 folks on ventilators ~> 1 was vaccinated and 33 were NOT.
Covid vaccinations save lives and prevent serious life-threatening symptoms, like impaired breathing.
Know anyone who is dragging their heels?
Encourage them to get vaccinated . . . before it’s too late.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Eww . . . What Is That SMELL???!!! August 24, 2021
Posted by nrhatch in Home & Garden, Humor, Less IS More, Nature.comments closed
After a dip in the cool pool for water aerobics this morning, we biked back home, parked our bikes in the garage, and started to walk through the courtyard to the front door.
And that’s when we got a *whiff* of something.
Something foul.
Or perhaps fowl.
But definitely deceased, demised, a done deal.
We lifted leaves and peered through branches.
And noted nothing.
We combed the courtyard from top to bottom without finding any rotting carcasses.
Nevertheless, our olfactory senses, still objecting to the odor, encouraged us to continue looking.
High. Low. Up. Down.
Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
No source of the substandard stench could be found . . . until BFF (who is taller than me by a good 12 inches) looked up on the roof of the garage and spied . . .
A dead fish sizzling in the stalwart summer sun.
Given its last landing pad, it must have been a flying fish.
BFF hauled out the ladder and headed up to the roof armed with AJAX, rubber gloves, trash bags, and twist ties.
Once the deceased fish had been dealt with, disposed of, and dispatched, BFF hosed off the roof and returned to the cool comfort of the A/C.
Aah . . . that’s better!
The Seven Up! Strobe Effect August 15, 2021
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Life Balance, People.comments closed
Are you familiar with the Seven Up! documentary series that’s been under production for the past 50+ years?
The Up series of documentary films follows the lives of ten males and four females in England beginning in 1964, when they were seven years old. The first film was titled Seven Up!, with later films adjusting the number in the title to match the age of the subjects at the time of filming. The documentary has had nine episodes—one every seven years—thus spanning 56 years.
Film maker and Director, Michael Apted, followed the 14 children he selected for the series from the adorable age of 7 for the next 56 years, filming the trajectory of their lives through education, career, marriage, children, divorce, illness, vacations, moves, etc.
The documentary presents their lives with strobe-light like intensity ~> grade school * blink * secondary school * blink * university * blink * first job * blink * marriage * blink * children * blink * divorce * blink * retirement * blink * death
* blink *
The apt metaphor “life flies by in the blink of an eye” came to mind as we watched the existential ups and downs in 49 Up!
As each subject aged with spectacular rapidity, we considered how various life choices might be influenced just by knowing that there would be a “filmed reckoning” every 7 years ~ at ages 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, and 63.
Would we be kinder? More charitable? More cooperative? More forgiving? More generous?
Or just the opposite?
Judging from some of the random behavior caught on smart phones these days, it appears that many people don’t care who’s watching as they misbehave, throw tantrums, and have meltdowns in public places.
They refuse to change their stripes just because “the public” is watching.
In any event, the series may have ended with the recent demise of its director (who also directed Nell, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist, Class Action, Amazing Grace, et al).
After 63 Up! aired in 2019, Michael Apted up and died. The two events are likely unrelated since Apted didn’t pass away until January 2021. At that time, a few journalists speculated that Apted committed suicide. I found no confirmation to support their unbridled sensationalism.
Perhaps Apted’s death is just one of the existential truths of his life ~ a forced retirement, if you will.
Life . . . we live it, or we miss it.
Things Go Better With Coca-Cola August 11, 2021
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Humor, Travel & Leisure.comments closed
Coca-Cola has been around for a LONG time. In that’s sense, it’s an antique!
An antique with an instantly recognizable logo on a cheery cherry background.
The Coca-Cola logo was created by John Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, in 1885.[94] Robinson came up with the name and chose the logo’s distinctive cursive script. The writing style used, known as Spencerian Script, was developed in the mid-19th century and was the dominant form of formal handwriting in the United States during that period.[95]
Robinson also played a significant role in early Coca-Cola advertising. His promotional suggestions to Pemberton included giving away thousands of free drink coupons and plastering the city of Atlanta with publicity banners and streetcar signs.[96]
Coca-Cola came under scrutiny in Egypt in 1951 because of a conspiracy theory that the Coca-Cola logo, when reflected in a mirror, spells out “No Mohammed no Mecca” in Arabic.[97]
Yup. Ice cold Coca-Cola has been around since long before inflation whittled away at the purchasing power of the wooden nickel.
What’s your favorite soft drink?
Or would you prefer something harder?
Aah . . . that’s better!
Our Adoptees August 7, 2021
Posted by nrhatch in Home & Garden, Humor, Nature, Sustainable Living.comments closed
Every Spring, when the snowbirds leave for parts North, we are offered plants from their gardens, which we happily adopt.
Case in point: this century plant with sharp spear-like points ~> a lethal beauty.
This colorful bromeliad enjoys hanging around our shady palm tree and teeny tiny tree frogs like splashing around in its mini swimming pools of water.
Our newest addition ~ this Norfolk Pine. Norfolk Pines are tropical plants and (like me) cannot tolerate temperatures below 35 degrees F. (1 C.).
Although it’s not an actual pine, we may decorate it with twinkling lights for the holidays.
Aah . . . that’s de-light-full!
B~I~N~G~O August 3, 2021
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Life Balance, Mindfulness, Nature.comments closed
If you keep your eyes open, you never know what you may see . . .
Headlights heading for you . . .
Or a turtle far from sea . . .
Yo, dudes & dudettes! Wherefore art thou, NEMO?
Keep your eyes open as you pass passers by . . .
Can you find a fish, see a bird, or spot a butterfly?
Will you look up and see the moon shining from on high?
Or perhaps spy rain (or snow) falling from the sky?
LOOK!
Check out that branch over there . . .
I think that squirrel thinks you’re nuts
But don’t mind him.
What does he know?
He can’t even remember where he’s buried his treasure!
Look! I see a Daisy!
To play Nature’s BINGO, keep your eyes open as you look around
But be careful!
Don’t trip over your own two feet and land S~P~L~A~T on the ground!
Aah . . . B~I~N~G~O!
Spirit Lights The Way 