Weird Wednesday v.2.20

In celebration of things quirky, weird, odd or funny. If it strikes my funny bone, you'll probably see it here.

"It's weird when people start sentences with 'frankly' - as if their other sentences don't count." ----Doug Coupland

I recently came across this blurb in a national magazine that is notable (or used to be notable) for offering condensed versions of popular books. Fun fact:

Who knew?

It got me wondering; what method was used to come up with this startling fact?

Were the parents surveyed? Tell me Mrs. Brown, at what age was your child the most adorable? Any parent worth his/her salt knows the right answer to that one. The ONLY correct answer is "this very minute."

Perhaps the children themselves were surveyed:

So when exactly did you reach full adorable potential?

I believe this factoid begs an even bigger question: who really cares? I can't imagine telling my own children that they have been on the downhill side of adorableness for over twenty years. Should I tell my almost 5- year-old granddaughter that she's already jumped the shark? Will this fact convince advertisers to utilize 41/2-year-olds rather than 3-year-olds or 6-year-olds in their ad campaigns? Well, that last one might actually be true, but I have to think that overall adorableness is more important than age-related adorableness.

Who really cares when anyone is most adorable?

But then, what do I know? I'm not a scientist...just a mom.

P.S. I'm having format issues today; SORRY!

Posted with Blogsy

Weird Wednesday v.2.13

In celebration of things quirky, weird, odd or funny. If it strikes my funny bone, you'll probably see it here.

"Know what's weird? Day by day, nothing seems to change. But pretty soon, everything's different."----Bill Watterson

When my little brother was in fifth grade (my sister, his twin, was in fifth grade too, but she's not part of the story), his teacher gave the class a spelling test every week. One week, I heard my parents begin to chuckle as they reviewed my brother's weekly work. The teacher had marked one word incorrect, and helpfully provided the correct spelling in the margin. It looked something like this:

weird WIERD

My parent's hysterical laughter eventually drew the rest of the family to the dining room table, where they taught us that sometimes teachers make errors, too. (BTW - the teacher stood by her version of the word, until my mother convinced her otherwise.)

 

I recently came across this sign posted at a Washington State ferry terminal:

 

Is it just me, or does this sign imply that assaults on persons not employed by the state will NOT be prosecuted? Or perhaps prosecuted, but not to the full extent of the law?

I am not familiar with "Chapter 47.60 RCW", but I imagine it stipulates additional penalties above and beyond the norm when a state employee is assaulted. Still, is the sign really needed? Are we unable to prosecute to that extent without prior notification to the assailant? Makes no sense to me.

....Hey, wait a minute...there's a sign...I'd better pick someone different to attack!

 

Have you run across any signs that make you go...hmmm?

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Weird Wednesday v.2.6

In celebration of things quirky, weird, odd or funny. If it strikes my funny bone, you'll probably see it here.

 

"I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird." ----Paul McCartney

 

Take a look at this weird phenomenon. I think it looks like one of the prairie dog colonies you might find in the Great Plains that run from northern Texas to eastern Montana. There are somewhere between 40 and 50 mounds in this picture alone. Notice the older mounds that have been beaten down by the weather, and the newer mounds where the dirt appears fresh and relatively undisturbed.

Somebody has been busy!

But this picture was taken in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where prairie dogs do not live.

Dang mounds are ruining our view!

This weird landscape is the result of the work of one or more moles on our property. Here's the culprit:

How do you like those nails?

The Washington State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife reports that a single mole can construct 200 mounds over the course of a winter! We've experienced a relatively mild winter, which may be the reason our resident mole(s) has been so active the last few months.

My husband has tried to address our little pest problem. In scenes reminiscent of "Groundhog Day", he repeatedly develops detailed plans of attack that usually end in defeat. He's tried a number of ploys (everything short of lethal methods) with limited success. Fortunately, he has been able to chase them out of our main lawn area. Unfortunately, he has yet to eradicate our "friends".

Maybe it's time to make nice with the neighbors?

What's the weirdest thing in YOUR neighborhood?

 

Posted with Blogsy

This Weekend, I...v.2.4

Linking up with Sar and Syn for a little look at my weekend.

This Weekend, I...explored a local park with my husband. We woke to an unexpectedly warm, beautiful 47-degree winter day, so decided to try something new and take a walk inside the Illahee Preserve. It's only few miles from our home, but we not yet ventured into this local park. It was absolutely gorgeous! Our county parks department and a dedicated team of volunteers do an excellent job of maintaining the five or so miles of trails in this 444 acre park. It is filled with stunning trees, beautiful vistas, and wide trails. We only saw a few other walkers, most with dogs. We will definitely return!

A gorgeous winter day in the forest

This Weekend, I...had the opportunity to try out one of my Christmas presents. My thoughtful daughter, the lovely Sar, gave me a "Collapsible Party Carrier". Doesn't that make it sound as though the party should fit inside? The carrier contains two two-sided stacking trays, with a flexible lid that can expand for tall desserts. Each tray has one flat side, while the other side has divots for securing holding deviled eggs. The container can hold two fruit pies, one meringue pie, or 24 deviled eggs. It's pretty slick, and I'll get much use out of it. Thanks again, Sarah!

Heide's famous deviled eggs - a party in a carrier!

This Weekend, I...watched the Super Bowl with friends. Although the Seahawks weren't playing, the menfolk were still interested in the game, but the women were definitely more interested in the commercials. It's amazing how terrible some of the commercials were, but like a train wreck, we couldn't look away! The high point of the evening was celebrating the recent engagement of two of our favorite people...Amanda and Chad. Or as I like to refer to them...Chamanda! We toasted with our favorite special occasion drink, Shingleback Black Bubbles Sparking Shiraz. (check it out here) Here's wishing the happy couple the very best!

Congratulations, Chamanda!

Hope your weekend was filled with fun, friends, family and LOVE!

 

Posted with Blogsy