Views of the Neighborhood – Deer Check

August 31, 2025August 30, 2025 ~ John W. Howell ~ 72 Comments

Today, we are checking out the deer in the neighborhood. We are catered by Maie Day of Austin, and our entertainment is Steve Martin, Allison Brown, and Jackson Browne.

gimme burger – Wagyu smash burger, the works, gimme sauce, fries 24

Grilled Half Chicken – Lemon-honey brined

steak frites – 8 oz sirloin with fries

Fried Redfish – succotash, cornbread purée 7 oz

Prime Rib – au jus, horseradish cream, burnt onion powder – 10oz/20oz

Chicken Fried Steak – black pepper gravy

Butterflied Fish – whole grilled fish, sweet pepper chow chow

tomahawk Pork Chop – whiskey-brined, pepper glaze

Ribeye – flake salt, beef tallow 16oz

New York Strip – flake salt, beef tallow 16oz

Picture of an old time school bus

Let’s go

The crowd shuffles in.

Carrots for everyone.

Newlyweds.

Two guys babysitting.

“You talking to me?”

Corncaine.

A buck caught in the virtual headlights.

Dad and lad on a sunny morning.

Four fawns and one nanny.

The boss.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the food and music. I wish you a beautiful week.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Toast

August 30, 2025August 29, 2025 ~ John W. Howell ~ 58 Comments

A rough night calls for a smooth coffee. Mine is made, and adding half and half turns the dark brew to the color of toast. The first sip signals the brain that we are indeed going to survive, and it can now lay down the hammer. Once my head recovered from the clanging low caffeine warning, a new threat arose instantly with the Westminster chime rendition of the doorbell. A toss of a plush toy into the soundproof room and slamming the door put an end to the baying of Igor’s hounds in the form of Twiggy and Tempeste.

The security camera could not pick up the idiot who cannot read the “do not ring the doorbell” note above it. “Who’s there?” is the challenge. “Letter for J. Howell,” the reply. The suggestion of leaving it on the porch was met with the age-old excuse of needing a signature. While thinking of all the times a signature was not required on items like proton torpedoes and machine guns, the security system shutdown is initiated.

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 shutdown process of the security system. 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 locks on the door are thrown. And the door opened.

Standing there is a little mouse who looks very much like Jerry from the cartoons. His clipboard is bigger than he is. He shoves it towards me, and my signature is recorded. He hands me the letter and sticks out his hand er paw. A classic quest for a tip. “Value experiences over possessions,” is my tip. Slamming the door and opening the envelope, I see it is from Linda Hill. It reads:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “toast.” Use it as a noun, use it as a verb, use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link.

https://lindaghill.com/2025/08/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-aug-30-2025/

“You know there will be comments about slamming the door in the face of a cartoon icon.”

“You tell me what you tip a cartoon. Ink? Paper? Or what?”

“I would have gone for a piece of cheese and a slice of toast.”

“You just said that to get in the prompt word.”

“Maybe, but at least the cheese would have been nice.”

“This may surprise you, but I don’t carry cheese around in my pocket.”

“Short distance to the fridge.”

“And what? Leave the front door unprotected.”

“You been smoking weed?”

“No, why?”

“I sense a little paranoia.”

“Well. You know how I am about security.”

“Yeah, we all know.”

“What about the Uber?”

“It’s over there, but maybe we should get some armed guards to go with us.”

“Stop it. Over where?”

“There.”

“You have to be kidding me.”

“See that bench on the front. That’s for us.”

“That’s a giant flower pot.”

“True, but all we have to do is remove the brick and be on our way. Here, take these goggles.”

“What are they for?”

“Bugs.”

“Bugs?”

“Yeah, you don’t want bugs in your eyes, and I would keep your mouth closed as well.”

“How does the dribe see?”

“His problem, not ours. Let’s go.”

“I hope this works.”

“Small sacrifice for a VooDoo Ranger.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

August 29, 2025August 28, 2025 ~ John W. Howell ~ 64 Comments

AP Photo

Today’s good news story comes from the Associated Press

Little legs, big dreams: More than 100 teams compete in Lithuania’s international Corgi race

By LIUDAS DAPKUS

Updated 7:46 PM CDT, August 24, 2025

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Cute and adorable Welsh corgis, widely known for their association with the British royal family, are in fact a breed of passionate racers.

That’s at least according to the 120 teams from around Europe taking part in the Corgi Race Vilnius, in Lithuania’s capital, which drew an international bunch of furballs and their owners from countries including Poland, Latvia, Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Thousands of Lithuanians gathered in the capital’s largest park on Saturday and Sunday to watch the events — a solo sprint, a contest for the “mightiest voice,” costume challenges, and group racing.

The event is set to culminate on Sunday with the so-called World Corgi Meetup, where dogs in Lithuania will be connected via a live broadcast with their peers in the United States, Ireland, and Poland.

“This is so much fun and great emotion for the entire family, something bright that many people are craving for these days,” said retired teacher Janina Stoniene, who attended the race with her three grandchildren. The children said they admired the costume challenge as dogs were dressed in eye-catching outfits like Batman, a princess, or an airplane.

A corgi named Amigo, sporting a factory-themed costume complete with two tiny chimneys and “Fur Factory” lettering, was named the proud winner of that contest.

Another called Mango, whose owners are from Lithuania, was the champion of the solo race.

“So this is a mango, like a fruit mango, and we are participating (for the) second time in Corgi Race 2025,” said Ignas Klimaika, a proud corgi lover from Vilnius. “Last year, we didn’t manage to end the race perfectly. We had a really good training. We had trained every day, but this year we decided we just go without training, just to participate, just to enjoy all the lots of corgis,” he said. A corgi dog participates in a fashion show during a international event Corgi Race Vilnius 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

A corgi dog participates in a fashion show during the international event Corgi Race Vilnius 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Saturday, August 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Corgis race during a international event Corgi Race Vilnius 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) — Corgis race during an international event, Corgi Race Vilnius 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

A corgi dog participates in a fashion show during a international event Corgi Race Vilnius 2025 in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) — A corgi dog participates in a fashion show during an international event, Corgi Race Vilnius 2025, in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

But this year, Mango won the racing competition, while his owners screamed and waved to try to inspire him to triumph.

“He knows what he did and he’s really proud of himself,” said Ignas, who is already planning for 2026.

Here is a link to a video of the event
https://apnews.com/video/lithuanian-capital-becomes-centre-of-the-corgi-universe-with-host-of-corgi-contests-9964ad598f17454890307ecc6aefc3af

The good news here is that folks from around the world have a common interest. Today’s JohnKu discusses the commonalities in the human race.

We all have interests,

It warms the heart when they’re shared . . .

Aids understanding.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste Outside

August 28, 2025August 27, 2025 ~ John W. Howell ~ 118 Comments

“Hey, Twiggy. What are you doing?”

“Waiting for Tempeste.”

“Where’s Tempeste?”

“Out in the yard having a sniff-A-thon.”

“Hey, Tempeste. You through sniffing?”

“Yeah, I suppose. Nothing interesting today.”

“Go play with Twiggy. She could use some exercise.”

“Didn’t she just get back from a consultation with a surgeon?”

“Yes, but she didn’t have a procedure. She and Mom just talked.”

“What did they talk about?”

“You know your mom has been researching Twiggy’s illness and came up with some evidence that Twiggy should be on an antibiotic for up to three months before any surgery.”

“She told the surgeon that?”

“Yup. The surgeon agreed and also said Twiggy is not showing symptoms of Meningitis.

“So she is getting better?

“It sure looks that way.”

“I can’t wait until she plays with me again.”

“You two know I’m right here, right?”

“How about chasing me and taking my toy away?”

Maybe later, Tempeste. I think I hear the roar of the dinner dish.”

“Hold on, wait for me.”

“You are so quick. I think dinner is ready.”

“I could eat a horse.”

“I doubt Mom is making horse, but it will be good.”

“That is one thing about dinner. It is always good.

Note. We will be continuing Twiggy’s medication and will check with the doctor in four weeks. We are all happy with her progress and continue to hope the surgery won’t be necessary. Thank you for all your good wishes and concern.

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Finger Point Prompt – Offense

August 26, 2025August 26, 2025 ~ John W. Howell ~ 62 Comments

Today I randomly opened Circumstances of Childhood to page 141 and with my eyes closed, pointed at the page. The word closest to my finger is offense. That is our prompt today.

“No offense but do you know what you’re doing?”

“No offense?”

“Well, I’m just wondering. That looks complicated.”

“I’ve been doing this for years. So, to answer your so called ‘no offense’ question. Yes, I know what I’m doing.”

“Okay. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I’m not offended but it seems that youngsters ought to think a little more before talking.”

“You have to admit that from where I’m sitting your actions look a little strange.”

“Strange? How so?”

“For one we are way too high for my comfort.”

“Well you didn’t have to come along.”

“I can say if I knew were were going to end up on the top of the world I would have stayed home.”

“It is a little late for that now.”

“I know and that is what worries me. How are we going to get down to the valley?”

“You’re kidding right?”

“No.”

“We are going to glide down.”

“Glide down?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Look at you. You are scared aren’t you?”

“I’ve never been this high before.”

“You are a condor. What do you mean you have never been this high before? These mountains are your home.”

“My mom never let me .”

“That explains it all. Today you are going to become an adult.”

“By sailing down to the valley.”

“By catching the wind currents and soaring above the mountains and then down to the valley.”

“Does sound fun.”

“Yeah. Just don’t look down. Spread your wings like this and step off. Go ahead. I’m right behind you.”

Top Ten Things Not To Do When Attending a Parent-teacher Conference

August 25, 2025August 24, 2025 ~ John W. Howell ~ 74 Comments

Image from Pixabay

This post was published on April 29, 2014, by Marie Bailey and me. Since school has begun, it is time to prepare for the dreaded parent-teacher conference. Hopefully, this advice will help.

Top Ten Things Not To Do When Attending a Parent-Teacher Conference

10 When attending a parent-teacher conference, do not assume your child is never at fault. If you do, at best, you might be disappointed. At worst, you may find yourself explaining certain behaviors that could only be learned at home.

9 When attending a parent-teacher conference, do not try to explain away your child’s behavior with some made-up medical excuse. If you do, at best, you might be questioned about your own veracity. At worst, you might have to explain to child welfare that a medical exam found no medical reason for the behaviors.

8 When attending a parent-teacher conference, do not try to deny providing unusual help on the term project. If you do, at best, you will appear to be someone who has issues with the truth. At worst, you could be accused of being a severely overprotective parent with recommendations for counseling.

7 When attending a parent-teacher conference, do not try to ingratiate the teacher with abnormal compliments. If you do, at best, you will look like you have something to hide. At worst, the teacher will think you are shallow and assign the same trait to your child.

6 When attending a parent-teacher conference, do not assume the teacher will be impressed with your professional or work title and your forceful personality. If you do, at best, you may be in for a rude awakening. At worst, the teacher will think you are a bully and report you to the principal.

5 When attending a parent-teacher conference, do not do all the talking. If you do, at best, you may miss some important information. At worst, the teacher will think you care more about yourself than your child and end the conference early with none of the issues resolved.

4 When attending a parent-teacher conference, do not bring along friends or relatives as support. If you do, at best, the teacher will feel outnumbered and end the conference early. At worst, the teacher will bring in several witnesses, and pretty soon, the conference will take on the appearance of a trial with you as the defendant.

3 When attending a parent-teacher conference, do not bring gifts. If you do, at best, the teacher will feel uncomfortable in giving you an honest evaluation of your child’s performance. At worst, the teacher will need to call the principal to witness turning down what they consider to be a bribe.

2 When attending a parent-teacher conference, do not call the teacher by their first name. If you do, at best, the teacher will believe you are rude. At worst, the teacher may get the impression that you are unnecessarily challenging the professional relationship, which will not bode well for the rest of the semester for your child.

1 When attending a parent-teacher conference, do not wear your most casual clothes. If you do, at best, the teacher will believe you are not serious about the conference. At worst, you may be unknowingly violating the school dress code and be asked to leave the building.

Views of the Neighborhood – Lakeway City Hall Art Exhibit by Larry Bishop

August 24, 2025August 23, 2025 ~ John W. Howell ~ 68 Comments

Let’s get rolling

Here’s a shot of the gallery. Notice the works are framed. My cloe-ups have excluded the frames since there is a significant glare problem with them.

About the artist.

Norway Rapids

Yaupon Creek

Serene Storm

Jackson

St. Croix Driveway

Hamilton Greenbelt.

South Garden.

620 @ Dawn

Morning Green Light.

Tantallon.

Iceland Harbor.

Brnggs Canel

Rainy Parking Lot.

Yupon Creek.

Rock[port Palm.

Hawbill Turtle.

Mahogany Road.

Bayside Getaway.

Coldwater Creek.

South Garden Skyline.

Manager’s Quarters St. Croix

Well, there you have it. Time now for food and entertainment. I hope you have a beautiful week.

/div>

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

August 22, 2025August 20, 2025 ~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

Today’s Good News story comes from Yahoo News. Thanks to Noelle Granger for sending it to me.

Companies announce game-changing plan to harvest drinking water from the ocean floor — here’s how it works

by Yei Ling Ma

Three companies are leveraging modern technology to reshape the future of commercial desalination, making the process cleaner, smarter, and more cost-effective, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Safe drinking water helps prevent the transmission of preventable diseases like “cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio,” per the World Health Organization. Yet, more than four billion people in 135 low- and middle-income countries worldwide lack that, according to a 2024 study published in the journal Science.

Access to fresh drinking water is shrinking as global water usage increases, driven by industries like agriculture and new technology like artificial intelligence.

Desalination appears to be the most logical solution since 97% of the Earth’s water is found in the ocean.

However, traditional commercial desalination methods like thermal desalination and reverse osmosis are highly energy-intensive and expensive.

Seawater reverse osmosis requires significant energy to pressurize water that passes through a semi-permeable membrane. This membrane filters out salt and impurities, allowing only water molecules to pass through. This process creates a concentrated brine byproduct that can harm aquatic life when deposited back into the ocean.

Thermal desalination leverages heat energy to remove salt from the water. The process involves heating the water to produce steam, which naturally separates from the salt and minerals, and turns back into fresh water when the steam has cooled. Thermal desalination also requires a lot of energy to heat water at scale.

Dirty fossil fuels power these methods, and they remain expensive compared to alternative methods of harvesting freshwater.

Flocean, Waterise, and OceanWell are three water desalination companies that are thinking outside the box.

Instead of wasting energy to pressurize the water to pass through filter membranes, could the desalination process harness the ocean’s natural water pressure to do the same thing?

By using deep-sea technology, including deep-sea robots and undersea power cables, and submerging the filter membrane to a depth of at least 400 meters, or 1312 feet, the water pressure at that depth will naturally flow through the desalination membrane. According to The Wall Street Journal, this deep-water desalination process can save up to 40% on energy usage.

In addition to the benefits of working at that depth, the harmful brine byproduct the process creates can be dispersed quickly back into the ocean, minimizing harm to aquatic life.

Flocean and Waterise have established their pilot desalination plants off the coast of Norway, and OceanWell has built its plant at a reservoir in California’s Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, per the Wall Street Journal.

These companies are seeking government contracts that will help further develop and make more accessible this cleaner, desalination process.

Currently, Flocean is supplying ultra-pure water to a local Norwegian company to make premium-craft cocktail ice. The company also has a contract with Mongstad, an oil refinery facility, to produce approximately 264,000 gallons of desalinated water per day, expected to be launched by the second half of 2026.

Waterise has entered a contract with Jordan Phosphates Mines, a mining company based in Jordan, agreeing to supply 6.6 million gallons of desalinated water per day from the Gulf of Aqaba, south of Jordan.

Most commenters seemed intrigued and hopeful about this new desalination process. However, others questioned the logistics behind the process.

“But they still need to pump that fresh water from the depths to wherever it’s going on land so it’s hard to see where significant energy savings comes from,” one commenter pointed out.

The good news in this story is that companies are exploring various alternatives to traditional desalination techniques. Today’s JohnKu discusses various approaches to problem-solving. I hope you have a peaceful weekend.

Conformity can,

Hamper the quest for knowledge. . .

Knowledge solves problems.

Thursday – A little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste on Watch

August 21, 2025August 19, 2025 ~ John W. Howell ~ 96 Comments

“So why the long face, Twiggy?”

“Brother. You know I have a droop.”

“Well, yeah, but I thought you looked worried.”

“No. Everything is fine. Thought I would gaze out for a while.”

“What’s out there?”

“A couple of deer mooching carrots off Mom.”

“I like the term mooching. You know I would be upset with them if I liked carrots.”

“I know what you mean. I hope they never develop a taste for kibble.”

” Looks like they have had enough and are exiting to the right.”

“You are very observant today. You even got the direction right.”

Seems a little lonely when they go.”

“I agree. I know I called them moochers, but it is nice to see them in the morning.

“Hey, look at that. Some wise guy is driving down the street.”

“Yeah. He’s not allowed to do that without a bark.”

“How do we get down from here?”

“Just follow my lead. Don’t get ahead of me.”

“Okay, I’m right behind you.”

“Just point your nose down the stairs and let it rip.”

“Wow. That wasn’t as hard as I thought.”

“The rule is nose before butt.”

“I got it. By the way. Did Mom paint this room? It looks yellow.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Nope, it’s just the lamp reflection off the white walls. There is probably a filter for that, but you know Dad.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Tempeste Have a Discussion

August 14, 2025August 12, 2025 ~ John W. Howell ~ 74 Comments

“Hey, Tempest. What are you doing?”

“You know I was just getting ready to attack cheeseburger.”

“You seem to have a pretty good grasp on the concept of attack.”

“It’s the only way to handle cheeseburger.”

“So what do you intend to do with cheeseburger?”

“I thought maybe we could play tuggy with it.”

“Tuggy is real hard with cheeseburger. Cowie might be better sinceit is bigger.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask how are you feeling today?”

“Well I have been better but all in all I feel pretty good.”

“You went to the Neurologist. What did he say?”

“Well he agrees with my regular doctor that I have bacterial meningitis. He also concurs that I have fluid in my ear canal which will require an operation to fix.

“Oh dear. That doesn’t sound good.”