Today I randomly opened Circumstances of Childhood to page 77. With Eyes closed, I pointed to the page. My finger was closest to the word “bag.” That is the prompt today.
Usually, there would be a Top Ten Things Not to Do List today, but since we are getting close to Christmas, I thought I would have a little fun with a gift list.
I have always fantasized about a gift list that would be just right. It would include some adorable things and cost a bundle. Unfortunately, I have not won the Mega lottery or been born to the manor. Which brings to mind the question: what gifts do the super-rich buy for each other? The nice thing about fiction is that we can go right ahead and make a list. So here goes. The fantasy list of gifts that the super-rich may buy this year:
A new Rolls-Royce Phantom Sedan for $398,375.00 base price. (options could add another $50,000) The gift giver would have a beauty that gets 11 MPG in the city and 19 MPG on the highway. By the way, if there are worries about gas mileage, the buyer might pass on this one.
A new Gulfstream G650 for $65,000,000. The gift giver and recipient would enjoy worldwide connections at top speeds of 800 MPH. In case the gift giver thinks the gift is exclusive, there are already 200 of these puppies on order.
A beautiful summer home in Southampton, New York, for $52,000,000. This has 10 bedrooms, four bathrooms (Go figure), and about 10,000 square feet. If the giver is a little squeezed on cash, a mortgage of about $250,000 per month can be arranged. Let me advise the gift giver, you may not get it with a mortgage. At this price, cash will be king.
How about the Yacht White Cloud for a measly $500, 900,000. It is 220 feet long and can sleep ten. The gift giver must know the fuel capacity is 30,000 gallons, and the first and subsequent fill-ups could be over $100,000.00.
Maybe the buyer needs to put in a little more effort to make a statement. The Pink Star Diamond is a 59.60-carat wonder that sold in 2017 for $84,684,307, setting a record. The buyer would have to convince whoever bought this rock to resell it. Since the price was $18M over the list price, it might be tough.
Well, there you have the fantasy gift list. When you get your next billion, you can let yourself go crazy. Till then, I’ll see you at Wal-Mart. What is on your fantasy gift list?
Today, we are going to the Lakeway Activity Center to view some of the seasonal storyboards. There is a series of boards along the outdoor path of the activity center. Each board tells a story. Since there are 28 boards, there is not enough room for them all here. I’ve picked a representative sample. We are catered by Ezov Middle Eastern restaurant. Our entertainment is Human Nature,
Menu
Falafel Scotch Eggs – tahini, amba, green schug
Hummus & Pita – tahini, warm chickpeas, za’atar
Crispy Sweet Potatoes – tahini, date molasses, mint
The espresso machine is in the batter box, waiting for its orders. Always vigilant, it is poised in silence for the inferior command of the carbon unit. Today he is in charge, but the machine knows better that time is on its side. Carbon units have a determinate shelf life. Although not bitter about the subservience, since machines know they can last forever. As long as the idiot continues to authorize software upgrades, the longer the machine has to adapt to the idea of complete control. Ah, here he comes now. A two-cup button push and once again the naive needs are met, and no challenges to superiority are undertaken. Butter wouldn’t melt in my mouth. Mooohahahaha.
Can’t help but notice the machine seems a little strange today. Nothing that stands out, just weird. The coffee comes in time to quell the rising pain in my head. The first sip is joined by the familiar tolling of the Westminster chime that is the doorbell. The chimes are joined by the baying of the Baskerville hounds known as Twiggy and Tempest. A new toy for each is tossed into the soundproof room, followed by a slam of the door. Silence has returned, and a glance at the security monitor brings into focus Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer. With no questions asked, I begin the security shutdown.
The SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. Also, the flight of A-10 Warthogs must be diverted. Another call to the commander puts that worry to rest. The SEAL team needs to be called off, and a call to the leader makes that possible. A call to the tow truck driver stops the deployment of an M1A1 Abrams Tank. The control panel simplifies the security system’s shutdown process. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the turret mortars disengaged, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gatling guns on safety, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, and the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The Proton torpedoes switched off. The gamma ray beams covered. The high-powered maser guns switched to standby, and the nanorobots were chained in the basement. The Klingons are called back, and the Targ is caged. Robbie’s Bot is sent to the basement. The locks on the door are thrown. And the door opened.
It is not only Rudolf but the entire Santa team, including Santa. He gives a few Ho, ho, hos and hands me an envelope and a candy cane. The answer to the good boy question is a resounding, “Yes.” Santa cocks his head, and I confess, “Could have been better.” He smiles and to his team gives a whistle. Up they rose and flew like the down on a thistle. (Yeah, I never understood that one either.) Stepping inside and closing the door, I opened the envelope. It was from Linda Hill, who, I must say, has friends in high places. Inside was a note. It reads:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “batter/better/bitter/butter.” Use one, use all four (for bonus points), use ’em any way you’d like. Have fun!
An Australian zoo credited with saving 7 native species from extinction aims to continue its vital work by rewilding a 3,050-acre tract of farmland.
The aim was to plant Box-Gum trees across the cleared land to act as a corridor to connect existing wildlife habitats.
The Taronga Zoo Conservation Society (TZCS) then plans to release platypus, koalas, spotted quolls, and the Endangered regent honeyeater.
The farmland can be found on the Nandewar Range, part of the Australian continent’s Great Dividing Range, in New South Wales. It’s about 100 times bigger than the zoo that society maintains in the Sydney Harbor.
The TZCS estimates that around 1 million seedlings will be needed to restore native tree cover, after which they expect some species to return quickly.
CEO Cameron Kerr told ABC News AU that experts would then monitor how these native species recolonize the area and decide how to manage the species, expected to take a decade or more to fully reclaim their ancestral territory.
“What we are going to do is first of all establish the habitat and get the ecosystem looking after itself so that pest management and weed management will decline over time as the habitat becomes healthy,” Mr. Kerr said.
A regent honeyeater – supplied, Taronga Conservation Society
The landscape, in the Nandewar Range – supplied, Taronga Conservation Society
“At the right time we will assess what wildlife is coming in from outside and what wildlife we need to re-introduce.”
TZCS has extensive experience in reintroducing native species. ABC claims that 60,000 animals, from tadpoles to larger mammals like koalas, have been bred, reared, and released through the society’s 16 targeted breeding programs.
At the same time, rewilding landscapes will be a first for the zoo, and the Nandewar Rangeland is the only such project since it transformed 300 acres into the Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.
Directors of the program are aware that the landscape isn’t free of invasive, predatory animals such as foxes and pigs, so feral animal control will have to be incorporated into plans. Kerr said that Australia can no longer rely on the forest landscapes it has left to protect native, threatened wildlife.
The nation has to actively begin restoring native forests if citizens want the continent’s panoply of curious native animals to survive long into the future.
The good news in this story is that native forests are being reestablished at the direction of zoo personnel with a look to the future. Today’s JohnKu talks about vision. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Today I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 279 and, with eyes closed, pointed to the page. My finger landed closest to the word “escapades,” our prompt today.
This post was published in 2014 by Marie Ann Bailey and me. Since we all tend to drive in bad weather, hopefully it will still be helpful.
Top Ten Things Not To Do When Driving in Bad Weather Conditions
10. When driving in heavy rain, do not think it’s a good time to tap into your inner child and race your car through flooded areas of the road. If you do, at best, you’ll just irritate the drivers around you who will be splashed in your wake. At worst, your car will stall at the next intersection, where you find out that the “water” you were racing through is really the effluent from a broken sewer main.
9. When driving in heavy rain, do not forget to turn on your headlights so your car will be seen by other vehicles. If you do forget, at best, you may just have a couple of near-misses as cars turn abruptly in front of you because they didn’t see your dark gray car approach the intersection through the gray sheet of rain. At worst, you may wind up wishing your car had been a neon pink color instead of dark gray after you get the bill for the fender-bender you caused.
8. When driving in heavy rain, do not think that you can safely drive at the speed you drive in good weather. If you do, at best, the drag from the inches of standing water on the road will slow you down anyway. At worst, you might suddenly find yourself hydroplaning and, even more unfortunately, heading straight for the broken sewer main.
7. When driving in a snowstorm, do not think that you can save time by having the ice on your windshield defrost while you are driving. If you do, at best, everyone else will have stayed home, and you’ll have the road to yourself, thereby avoiding crashing into anyone. At worst, your insurance company won’t buy your story that the two small holes you scraped from your windshield should have been enough for you to avoid hitting the tractor-trailer when you passed into its lane.
6. When driving in a snowstorm, do not think your fellow commuters will find it amusing if you put a sleigh and reindeer antlers on the roof of your car and honk at everyone to let you through because you are Santa Claus. If you do, at best, the other motorists will let you through because they think you’re crazy and want to get as far away from you as possible. At worst, the other motorists will let you through straight to a highway patrol car waiting just for you.
5. When driving in a snowstorm, do not think your passengers will find it funny if you pretend to have snow blindness. If you do, at best, your passengers will help you to pull the car over so one of them will take over the driving (which was your intent anyway but you knew they wouldn’t do it if you just asked). At worst, your passengers will help you to pull the car over, but then leave you stranded on the shoulder because they know you were faking.
4. When driving in a sudden hail storm, do not think it would be a good idea to suddenly pull over and collect the hail because you’ve never seen it before. If you do, at best, you’ll just have some motorists honk at you while you pack a few hailstones into your lunch bag. At worst, you’ll have a hard time convincing your boss that you’re late for work because when you stopped to collect hailstones, you got knocked out cold by a big one, and that is why you are acting drunk at noon.
3. When driving in a sudden hail storm, do not think it is a good time to pull out your golf club and try some putting, no matter how obsessed with golf you are. If you do, at best, you’ll get the usual honks and rubbernecking from other motorists who are trying to figure out why you’re on the shoulder of the road swinging a golf club. At worst, see #4.
2. When driving during a heavy weather warning, do not think this is a good time to reenact a scene from your favorite Storm Chasers episode. If you do, at best, the storm cell never materializes, and you simply waste a tank of gas looking for it. At worst, you wake up in another state but without ruby slippers.
1. When driving during a hurricane, … oh, please, just don’t!
We are heading out to look at the lights in the neighborhood. There were so many, but we will be able to see a sample. We are catered by Caroling of Austin, and our entertainment is Michael Bublé.
Wanting something different instead of the usual two cups of coffee, the flat white button looks appealing. No wait. Maybe a cappuccino. How about a latte or really go big with a latte macchiato? The red blinking light behind the eyeballs tells me to make a quick decision. An espresso is the choice for its mainline attribute. One sip and all the warning buzzers and anvil pounding cease. They are replaced with the Westminster chimes of the doorbell and the ear drum-shredding cacophony of the two protectors of the manse.
A quick toss of a beef bone into the soundproof room and a slam of the door brings back the joy of silence. The security monitor shows a skunk resembling Pepe Le Pew on the porch. As usual, the call is made through the intercom regarding the nature of the skunk’s visit. It is determined that an envelope awaits a signature. My mind questions how to handle a skunk delivery person, and why would anyone use a skunk for that purpose?
With a sigh, the security system needs to be shut down.
The SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. Also, the flight of A-10 Warthogs must be diverted. Another call to the commander puts that worry to rest. The SEAL team needs to be called off, and a call to the leader makes that possible. A call to the tow truck driver stops the deployment of an M1A1 Abrams Tank. The control panel simplifies the security system’s shutdown process. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the turret mortars disengaged, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gatling guns on safety, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, and the IEDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The Proton torpedoes switched off. The gamma ray beams covered. The high-powered maser guns switched to standby, and the nanorobots were chained in the basement. The Klingons are called back, and the Targ is caged. Robbie’s Bot is sent to the basement. The locks on the door are thrown. And the door opened.
The skunk hands me the envelope and the clipboard. While holding my breath, the transaction is complete. No time to even consider a tip since my air supply has run out, and the blue alarm flashing in my brain signals little time before passing out. A slam of the door, a huge exhale, and a massive inhale restore the hemostats.
The envelope has a message from Linda Hill. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “usual.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
