Random Thursday
Before we get started, it might be good to remember this quote from Texas Bix Bender: "Speak your mind, but ride a fast horse."
What's in your goose? - 72 pounds. That's the weight of the spare change in our official household repository, which happens to be in the shape of a goose with a rare skin condition. Have you weighed your coinage lately? Now's a good time to take care of that important financial chore, especially if those coins are what you're relying on for your retirement income. There's probably a rule-of-thumb for computing the ideal coin poundage per predicted month of retirement living; someone should research that.- If you laugh at the idea of worrying about retirement income (and who doesn't?), you can trundle that spare change to your nearest CoinStar kiosk and deposit them into an iTunes Music card. On top of that, the coin counting is free when you do that...100 pennies out of every dollar goes directly to feed your digital music jones.
Of all the members of the animal kingdom, Abbye rates turtles dead last on the scale of Interesting Things to Contemplate. I realize that some dogs go wild around a turtle, barking their fool heads off, but she just doesn't see the attraction. And if you think she was blasé when she could see them, you can imagine her boundless level of disinterest now that she can't.
The one at right was inexplicably exploring our back porch yesterday at noon when Abbye went out for her midday constitutional. I went to great lengths to call her attention to the little guy, and she spent about a nanosecond investigating. I guess they just don't smell very interesting, although I have to admit that I've never knowingly sniffed a turtle. I'm not sure that sort of thing is even legal in Texas.- Employing the kind of obscure logic that's the exclusive domain of seventeen year old boys, The Nephew decided that his summer job this year needed to be one working outdoors...doing manual labor so he could bulk up, get in shape, turn himself into a lean mean teen machine. We're all like, yeah, right, this coming from a kid who would, if he but had the means, hire someone to press the buttons on the TV remote for him (IOW, a typical teen). So, he started work this week for a local fence-building company. His mother came home from her job around 5:30 pm after his first day, and he was already in his pajamas. Ah, he'll live. It reminds us of yet another Bender quote: "Nobody ever drowned in his own sweat."
- It's time to play the newest game sensation that's sweeping America: Name That Tool.
We've got rain in the forecast; time to pray!
$29.78 and an Amazon gift certificate for me, it was my New Year's Eve highlight this year!
Wish I had a guess for the tool, it sure is intriguing looking.
Posted by: Bret at June 22, 2006 02:37 PMJen, I can't remember when (or where) we got that goose, but we've been feeding it intermittently for about 25 years. That explains the bottom-heaviness. ;-)
...it was my New Year's Eve highlight this year!
Man, I want to party with you, dude...you're a wild man! ;-)
You'll likely have a "doh!" moment when you find out the use for that tool...
Posted by: Eric at June 22, 2006 03:00 PMThe "MAX: 25 RPM" label is what's throwing me. Otherwise, it's clearly a Langstrom 7-inch T-wrench.
Posted by: Bret at June 22, 2006 03:38 PMWell, do you think 25rpm is too fast for the Langstrom 7-inch T-wrench...or too slow?
Posted by: Eric at June 22, 2006 03:46 PMI love the goose. My mom has a pig with a similar skin ailment that she has fed with pennies ever since we gave her the pig in 1976! I'm afraid 72+ pounds of pennies won't fund her retirement. ;-)
Posted by: Gwynne at June 22, 2006 04:36 PMIs the tool some kind of bicycle thing? What is the scale?
Posted by: Gwynne at June 22, 2006 04:38 PMGwynne, it might depend on the vintage of some of those pennies. Could be some hidden numismatic treasures hidden in dat piggy. ;-)
The tool is not bike-related...at least, I can't think of a way to use it on a bicycle. Good question about the scale, though; I considered putting something next to it when I photographed it, but forgot to do so. The tool is less than 2" across.
Posted by: Eric at June 22, 2006 04:42 PMThe only place we have turtles are in the zoo so I don't know how Mac feels about 'em but I do know that he is excited over rabbits in a cage (I know that you were talking about her disdaining view of them but I haven't really found anything that Mac disdains yet!).
Posted by: Rachel at June 22, 2006 05:25 PMRachel, in my experience, that's a fundamental characteristic of the terrier...they're interested in everything! That can make them a handful sometimes, but they're always fun to be around.
Posted by: Eric at June 22, 2006 05:29 PMAnd if you think she was blasé when she could see them, you can imagine her boundless level of disinterest now that she can't.
That's one of the funnier things I've read in some time.
Posted by: Jim at June 22, 2006 06:11 PMLooks like the tool goes in a drill - the part sticking out the back looks familiar.
The front ... not so much.
I'm going to guess that it's a tool used for turning something.
What do I win?
I'm going to pull a "Wallace"...it's not a tool, it's the Beatles "Abbey Road"...
Posted by: Janie at June 22, 2006 08:20 PMJim, you're just easily amused. We've always known that about you. ;-)
Brian, you win the coveted Fire Ant Award for Mastery of the Obvious. Congratulations!
Janie, I think Mud School has gone to your brain. ;-)
Posted by: Eric at June 22, 2006 09:07 PMI have no idea what that T-shaped nut-like bolt is. Though you may be interested in this: the bikeman's name that tool contest!
Posted by: mis_nomer at June 22, 2006 09:28 PMI like turning in my pennies at the CoinStar thingee for Amazon.com credits. It's almost like getting free books!
Name That Tool: Al Gore!
Oh wait...sorry...wrong sort of tool...
Posted by: Denise at June 22, 2006 11:57 PMOur retirement holder couldn't take the pressure anymore and exploded. I think it was trying to tell us it was time to find a coinstar...but well, we just switched to a metal popcorn tin (you know, the Boy Scouts sell popcorn every Christmas in decorative tubs - that kind of tin.)
Free books? Now there's an idea! Hmm...
My girls don't really care about turtles, but they do lick frogs.
Posted by: beth at June 23, 2006 06:32 AMMy girls don't really care about turtles, but they do lick frogs.
Yeah, what's up with dogs and amphibians, anyway? I think the funniest thing we've ever experienced with Abbye was a chance encounter with a toad. What are they thinking?
Posted by: Eric at June 23, 2006 06:36 AMBrian, you win the coveted Fire Ant Award for Mastery of the Obvious. Congratulations!
Woo hoo!
That will look nice in the "awards" section of my resume.
Posted by: Brian at June 23, 2006 06:57 AMI'm impressed. Not only do I not have an "awards section," I don't even have a resume to not have one in.
Posted by: Eric at June 23, 2006 08:17 AMI don't have an awards section on my resume either.
But now I can start one!
Posted by: Brian at June 23, 2006 08:49 AMAbout the publisher
Random Abbye photos...
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[Midland unless otherwise indicated]
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That goose is fantastic!
Posted by: jen at June 22, 2006 02:05 PM