Jul27

round and round.

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 Active duty service members often carry sentimental items to help combat the challenges of war – perhaps a picture of a loved one, a handwritten letter, or a good luck charm. For Marine Cpl. Scott Harrison, that item was a music box from his sister, which he would hold close to his ear during breaks in the fighting during the Vietnam War. “I would close my eyes, and I would think of a carousel in a mountain meadow,” Harrison told CBS News. “… An image totally opposite of where people are trying to kill each other.”
​
Harrison left the war in 1968, but his carousel daydream continued to help him through a different battle: post-traumatic stress disorder. He eventually decided to buy a broken-down carousel and bring his fantasy to life spending 26 years handcarving the animals himself.
​
In 2010, Harrison opened the carousel to the public in Nederland, Colorado, and launched a nonprofit called Carousel of Happiness to spread smiles round and round for all. “Just to go to that carousel and see everybody having such a great time, is good medicine for me,” Harrison said. “Because I started out trying to treat myself, and then it just changed into something that I could do for others.”

—

source credit: CBS News

 

”there is in the worst of fortune, the best of chances for a happy change.’

-euripides

Jul26

abundance.

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you’re welcome, friendly bike rider

—

“gratitude is an appreciation for every moment in your life.

it is a feeling of abundance.”
– brenda nathan

Jul25

open mic.

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open mic night at the comedy club

where future comedians begin

everyone gets five minutes

(a tough gig, very brave souls, all)

to try out their material

 win over the audience

including this guy

who sat off to the side

looking like he really enjoyed the set.

—

‘as soon as I did my first five minutes of stand-up

i knew that i would rather be a failure at comedy

than a success in marketing.’

-jimmy carr

Jul24

Ozzy ‘n Paul

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when Ozzy met Paul for the first time

in 2001 while waiting to go on the Howard Stern Show

and he turned into an awkward fan boy

—

 While dulcet harmonies of the Beatles may not have always been associated with his hard-rock sound and dark lyrics, Ozzy always held up the Fab Four as his biggest inspiration. Black Sabbath,  the band that made Ozzy famous, achieved mainstream success in the early 70s, and it was decades before the singer came face to face with one of his idols and main inspirations, McCartney, describing the experience as “like meeting Jesus Christ”.

When asked what it was like to meet Ozzy Osbourne, Paul McCartney jokingly said “it was like meeting Satan.”

While I’ve never been a huge fan of metal music,

I do admire musicians of all kinds.

 I also admire musicians who admire each other.

RIP Ozzy

Jul23

no better high.

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imagine my excitement

when walking back from town

something catching my eye

 peeking under the little trees

alongside a front porch

only to discover

a complete tiny village.

—

‘there is no better high than discovery.’

-E. O. Wilson

*Edward Osborne Wilson (1929–2021), University Research Professor Emeritus at Harvard, was the guiding force that shaped the mission of the E.O. Wilson BiodiversityFoundation. Widely considered one of the greatest natural scientists of our time, he was a pioneer in efforts to preserve and protect the biodiversity of our planet, receiving more than 150 international awards, including Pulitzer Prizes for his books On Human Nature and The Ants.

Jul22

aye.

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—

‘a week is a long time in politics.’

‘harold wilson

—

source credit gary larson, the far side

Jul21

age with mischief.

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our friend, the birthday queen 

celebrates

with a relaxed and festive pool party 

we go around the circle

sharing stories of our connections

while she glows and cheers the day.

—

‘your time on earth is limited, don’t try to age with grace.

age with mischief, audacity, and a damn good story to tell.

-author unknown

 

 

 

Jul20

on ice cream day, if you happen to be in Venezuela.

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Coromoto Ice Cream Shop

Shop the world’s largest number of ice cream flavors, ranging from delightful to downright bizarre

Trout, mushrooms in wine, sardines—these are just three of the 900 ice cream flavors enjoyed at the Heladeria Coromoto ice cream parlor in Merida, Venezuela. The shop offers the world’s largest selection of ice cream flavors, and there are seemingly no limits to the variety of tastes for the most adventurous of palettes, all of them all-natural. “If you eat the spaghetti with cheese ice cream, it has real spaghetti and cheese in it,” says manager, Jose Ramiraz.

After years of working for large ice cream companies, Portuguese immigrant, Manuel Da Silva Oliveira realized he could expand the horizons of ice cream, infusing it with all kinds of eclectic and exotic flavors, and opened Heladeria Coromoto in 1980.

His first attempt was avocado, and he wasted over 50kg of ice cream trying to perfect it. Now, it’s a local favorite, and can be paired with a number of flavors such as sweetcorn or black bean, as well as mango or coconut to bring out its sweetness.

The shop serves locals and tourists from all over. There are about 60 flavors offered in the shop at any given time and the flavors are changed according to the season. Among the bizarre selections, one can find more traditional flavors like chocolate or vanilla.

Being in Venezuela, there are also plenty made with rum, such as rum-and-raisin. Some odd-named flavors include British Airways, I’m Sorry, Darling, and the blue-hued Viagra Hope, which is made of honey and pollen, but shares the bright, sky blue shade of its namesake.

—

‘you can pour melted ice cream on regular ice cream.

it’s like a sauce!’

-chris pratt

 

—

source credit: Gastro Obscura

Jul19

legacy passed on from a daughter.

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‪Anne C. Serling‬ ‪@anneserling.bsky.social‬
To those wondering what my dad would have to say about Trump,
here’s a clue…
Jul19

earning for learning.

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 Saline tween turns rocks into college fund:

Eleven-year-old Tucker Lambert hopes money earned from his startup – he digs rocks out of neighboring farm fields and sells them to landscapers – will pay for him to attend the University of Michigan, M-Live reports.

 The rocks, if left in the ground, would damage farm equipment, so Tucker digs them out and sells them from $1 to $50 depending on the size.

Customers can buy the rocks by setting up an appointment with his father. If you don’t need any rocks, you are welcome to contribute to his GoFundMe campaign here. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/tuckers-rocks

Tucker’s Rocks est. 2024 Rocks, Stones Boulders, Landscaping Rocks

From Dad:

My 11 year old son has collected rocks for 2 years now. Tucker is a very busy young man. He collects the rocks from local farmers’ fields. He sells these to save money for his future college fund.

Tucker does all this with one four wheeler and one wagon. He digs the rocks out with a shovel. He is a small operation,  located in Saline, Michigan.

—

“build your house on the rock of learning;

no one can take your education away from you.”

  – john spence