The Producer was out scouting for some new views and discovered the Bee Cave sculpture park. I think you will find it as interesting as we did. We are being catered to today by Veracruz All Natural. Our entertainment is Sara Evans.
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Quesadilla Choose: grilled steak, grilled chicken, al pastor, or veggie on flour or corn tortillas with Monterey Jack cheese. Served with guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo
Waiting as usual for the meister of brew to cough up my hot, steaming, frothy cup of joe, a glance toward the newspaper captures a disturbing headline. Customers who have bagged their own groceries are seen as a minimum wage worker threat. Needing more information after the cup is delivered, I grab the paper and head for the back porch.
The story details that the habit some shoppers have of bagging their own groceries is viewed by store bagging employees as threatening their way of life. “Minimum wage phobic,” was how one worker put it. The worker went on to say that a law ought to be passed, making those who have bagged their own groceries guilty of a hate crime.
Sipping my brew and thinking deeply about the issue causes me to miss the first blaring second of the klaxon horn we call a doorbell. Twiggy and Lucy have already gone airborne, so it’s best to see who is there. Then, casting about some turkey treats to turn the dog’s attention to something other than the door, I do the ritual and finally open it.
“I say, boy. This here. I say this here is delivery.” The line came out of Foghorn Leghorn with the velocity to raise my thinning hair. “I say, boy. Don’t. I say, don’t just stand there. I say take this envelope.” It is strange to have someone blowing hot air that has the scent of corn. I take the envelope, and Foghorn Leghorn wishes me a good day and struts off down the street.
Knowing it was from Linda Hill, in no hurry, I watch as the giant chicken disappears around the corner. Turning to the envelope, a quick opening reveals this message. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “bagged.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy! If you want to enjoy, visit Linda’s blog and read how easy it is. Here’s the link. https://lindaghill.com/2022/07/15/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-16-2022/
Today’s good news is taken in its entirety from the Good News Network.
File photo by Jay Blacktrans
DC Subways Will Have $50M in Revenue From New Solar Panels Covering Parking Lots With Shade By – Good News Network –
The transit agency for the Washington, DC Metro area announced Friday a deal worth up to $50 million over 25 years to install solar panels atop buildings and parking structures at four subway rail bus stations.
Combined, Metro says the four sites will generate 12.8 megawatts of electrical capacity and make this “the largest community solar project in the National Capital Area and one of the largest in the nation.”
It will also provide Metro customers who park their cars at the stations with new shaded parking and protection from the elements.
Under the agreement, SunPower Corp. will install photovoltaic solar panels over carports and canopies that shade surface lots and above parking garages. The four Metro sites are Anacostia, Cheverly, Naylor Road, and the Southern Avenue stations.
Goldman Sachs Renewable Power will own the solar power system and provide annual payments to Metro through 2047, providing a long-term revenue stream that will support the regional transit agency’s operations—at no cost to Metro, which is run by the governments of DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
“This project benefits residents of our region, even people who don’t ride Metro, by leveraging the potential of our stations to generate revenue and increase the community’s access to a clean, renewable source of energy,” said Metro CEO Paul Wiedefeld. “This project advances the region’s sustainability goals while generating revenue to help keep Metro safe and affordable in an extremely tight budget environment.”
When complete, the stations (located in DC and Prince George’s County, Maryland) will have 17 acres of photovoltaic solar panels—the equivalent of 13 football fields—and generate enough electricity to power at least 1500 single-family homes. Homes and businesses in the local PEPCO area will be able to sign up for a share of the clean, renewable energy generated by the project while saving on their utility bill.
The project is part of Metro’s sustainability initiatives and will help advance the Clean Energy DC Plan that seeks to cut carbon emissions in half—and transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2032. Construction is expected to begin early next year.
The good news here is sustainability need not cost money but, if planned, can save money. Today’s JohnKu talks about intelligent projects.
“Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm on Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.
Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next time.”
This post was published on September 12th, 2016. Let’s hope it has legs.
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The inspiration for this list came to me while watching a few shows where people compete for money, a hosting berth on a food show, to see if they would like to sell or list their house, or just want a new place to live. I did not know what to call these shows, so I labeled them competition shows. Anyway, I think you get the idea.
10 If you are watching a competition show and it involves food, do not think you need to match bite for bite. If you do, at best, you’ll be too full to sleep. At worst, your doctor will conduct an intervention and perhaps admit you to a sanitarium to lose weight. (Man, that first 100 pounds came quick, didn’t it?)
9 If you are watching a competition show that involves racing from one place to the next, do not think you need to rush to the store after it is over. If you do, at best, the kindly officer will let you off with a warning after he hears your story. At worst, your insurance company will not reinstate your policy in spite of your promise to get rid of the racing gloves. (You would have been okay had you not slid sideways into the 7-11.)
8 If you are watching a competition show and the players are all on an island with no food, do not plan your vacation while watching. If you do, at best, your room choices will seem luxurious when in fact, they should be condemned. At worst, you’ll arrive at your destination and realize that primitive camp living might not have been the best option. (Especially since your family considers roughing it to be no room service.)
7 If you are watching a competition show and the favorite day of the show is demolition day, do not tackle that small home improvement. If you do, at best, you will spend three minutes on demolition and ten days on reconstruction. At worst, your demolition fever will go unchecked until you realize you have no more bedrooms. (That night sky is sure filled with stars, isn’t it?)
6 If you are watching a competition show and the principles pay for rundown houses with cash, do not make an offer on a house. If you do, at best, you will overlook some needed repairs. At worst, you will realize there is no one to help you with what has been described as a “tear down.” (It looked so easy on TV, didn’t it, Bunky?)
5 If you are watching a competition show and the homeowners are asked if they love it or should they list it? Do not call an agent to list your house. If you do, at best, you will have second thoughts about your beloved home. At worst, your house will sell in two days with the new owners wanting to move in a week, and you have nowhere to go. (How come everything for sale is higher priced than what you got for your house? Huh?)
4 If you are watching a competition show and there are judges eliminating chefs, do not decide you can cook better than all of them. If you do, at best, your offerings may not be enthusiastically received. At worst, you will have a food walkout at your house, and you’ll be the last chef standing. (Seems kind of lonely, just you and that pot of stew.)
3 If you are watching a competition show and it involves food trucks, do not think that may be an easy way to make a buck. If you do, at best, your first week will be a killer. At worst, after you spend all that money to buy the truck, you realize you can’t sell the truck. (Kind of cramped to live in, right?)
2 If you are watching a competition show that involves two guys giving the homeowner a complete makeover for $30,000, do not ask for bids on your remodel. If you do, at best, you’ll never get a price low enough to proceed. At worst, you will find someone to do the job at your price and have to hire another contractor to redo the job at twice the price. (All looked good until the ceiling fell. Right?)
1 If you are watching a competition show that involves selecting a home from three choices of houses, do not think you will be that lucky. If you do, At best, you will need to see more. At worst, you will look at three, pick one, and discover that a better house has come on the market and is cheaper. (So much for being in a rush, huh, Rube?)
Since it is fawn time again, it seems we should check to see how the deer are getting along. Today we are catered by Paperboys in Austin. Our entertainment is Big and Rich.
A nice sit on the back porch and a concert by the cardinal intent to broadcast his availability is interrupted by a tone on my phone. (I didn’t mean that rhyme.) A quick look on the screen shows a large box on the porch. Thank heavens it didn’t fall into the backyard, is my thought while going through the unlock process.
A gate of steel rolled back, four bolts unlocked, two crossbars lifted, and the front door is thrown open. A mental note is made to replace all this stuff with a security sensor. There is nothing on the box to indicate the contents or sender, but the assumption is it’s from Linda Hill. A walk around the box reveals nothing.
All of a sudden (Love that), a whirring noise accompanies the slow rise of the top of the box. The decision was made to step back just as the top fell to the driveway. Inside the box, a strange green color glows as a hand clutching some kind of gun rises from within.
Soon a green helmated character in a green skirt follows the hand. “Where’s the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom,” says the character. The realization comes to me that this is Marvin the Martain in person. I immediately apologize for the lack of a kaboom, and Marvin hands me an envelope. (Of course)
Marvin continues to rise and disappears in a large fluffy cloud. I open the envelope to find a message. Here is what it says, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “make a note.” Do with it what you will. Have fun!
A 6-year-old who realized after disembarking that she had lost a tooth aboard a plane was desperate to get it back.
Seeing this, a passing captain, with his jacket, cap, and epaulets, stepped in to write a note to the Tooth Fairy explaining the situation.
Lena and Laura Larmon were at the tail end of a long travel period, with a return leg from Norway to Greenville-Spartanburg Int. Airport, South Carolina, interrupted in New York with a 36-hour delay. Finally, stepping off the plane must have felt like bliss, until at the baggage claim, when 6-year-old Lena realized she had lost a tooth.
“We tried to walk back to the airplane, but security was closed. It was 2 a.m.,” mom Laura told Good Morning America, adding that Lena was “crying and very emotional” when she realized that, without the tooth to place under her pillow, there would be no corresponding visit from the Tooth Fairy.
That’s when United Airlines Captain Josh Duchow, seeing Lena’s distress, stepped in to help. With his captain’s bearing and official uniform, there would be no doubt that a quick written explanation from “Captain Josh” would be an acceptable receipt for the Tooth Fairy’s records.
“Dear Tooth Fairy, Lena had a tooth fall out on her flight to Greenville,” wrote Duchow, who piloted the flight. “Please take this note in place of her tooth.”
Note to Tooth Fairy – courtesy Laura Larmon
Mother Laura later shared the story on Instagram and Facebook as a break from “a world of bad airline stories.”
United Airlines released a statement on Duchow’s part, declaring: “we’re proud to see moments like this that underscore our commitment to going above and beyond for our customers and creating an airline where Good Leads the Way.”
The good news here is it doesn’t take much to show kindness. Thank you, Captain Josh, for your kindness toward Lena. Today’s JohnKu talks about being kind. I hope you have a great weekend.
