FIVE SECOND STORIES

 Automotive Fine Art by Tom Hale

In 1992, Mr. Hale had an exhibition at the Lansing Art Gallery when I was working there. Beautiful work-a nice blend of hyper-realism and abstract shapes. He had begun his career in this genre in 1985.

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When we have emptied a peanut butter jar, we typically put it out as a treat in the Diner. We're not sure who enjoys it but it has to be someone with a small head because the jar is usually clean as a whistle all the way to the bottom. I put one out last night before the rains and this morning, I found it on the path. I thought that was nice of them, imagining they said  "We know you guys recycle!" when they left it. Good neighbors!

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Buddy, when we've had muggy evenings this past week.

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8/6: More heavy rains-1.75" with temps in the low '60's. What the Brits would call a "filthy day".

8/8: Finally, dry enough to mow the jungle. Curious thing amongst American men-mowing the grass is like getting a haircut. In both cases, you feel and look better. Odd how we've been trained to prefer this particular visual aesthetic of lawns. 

 

I also did some major tomato plant trimming. We finally have some fruit but too much leaf-tomatoes like to have good air circulation. Some creatures found within:

Yikes! The Tomato Hornworm! The hungry, hungry hippo in wormworld.

Dragonfly

 

I saw one of these while working:

Male Widow Skimmer Dragonfly

8/9: Pool Day and first big ripe tomato. We celebrated, as our tradition, by making BLTs. Last year, it was on this very date as well.

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Politics: 

A new billboard from George Conway's anti-psychopath PAC that was put up outside of Mar-a-Lago.

New Roach merch: Whiskey glass with bullet

Only $24.99-3 different versions, 10% off now if you sign up for their email!

 

8/6: Kamala picks MN Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.  From the Midwest, was in the Nat'l Guard, former social studies teacher and High School Football coach, member of the House of Representatives 2007-2019, a hunter and gun owner, married with 2 kids, member of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America -he brings a lot of knowledge and experience to the team. I think he is a wise choice. Best of luck!

 

One of the latest taglines coming out of the campaign that I applaud: "mind your own business!" It's none of your business who someone loves, the books they read, their choice to bear children, who they are friends with, amongst other things.

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I was listening to the 60's channel on Sirius while driving around the other day, when a song came on I was not familiar with: "Sidewalk Surfing" by Jan and Dean. It came out in 1964 and was co-written by Brian Wilson and refers to skateboarding. Now, I wasn't aware of skateboarding back then but it turns out that skateboarding was started in CA in the late-40's-early 50's by surfers when the waves in the ocean were flat. 

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Found in Dr. Hannibal Lecter's kitchen:

This turned up on my FB feed-handmade resin SkullSlice knife holder. Why the algorithms thought I'd be interested is a mystery. Regularly $79.99 now on Summer sale (for a limited time only) for 51% off!

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A couple of paintings by Magritte that I had not seen:

The Key to the Fields 1936

 

The Invisible Mirror 1942

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C uttered this quote and cited a meme she had seen on FB. I had never heard of it. Wonderfully absurd and feels like a Groucho Marx saying.

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Salman Rushdie on storytelling: "We need stories. We need stories to understand ourselves. “We are the only creature that does this unusual thing of telling each other stories in order to try and understand the kind of creature that we are".

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Update on 8/1 FSS piece concerning the stranded astronauts. NASA in a statement on 8//7 said that they are stuck if the Boeing capsule cannot be fixed. They could return in February, 2025  on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon which is scheduled to fly up to the ISS. Helluva choice: POS Boeing or one of Elon's junky machines. So much for "I'll Be Home, For Christmas..."

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One day I was driving down Grand River Ave in East Lansing when I noticed this building, between Collingswood and Bogue:

Evans Scholars? I was unfamiliar with this group and so was C. I investigated and it turns out to be connected with golf:

From the WGAESF website:

Who We Are

The Western Golf Association conducts championships for professional and amateur golfers, promotes the use of caddies and supports the Evans Scholars Foundation’s efforts to award full tuition and housing college scholarships to hardworking caddies with limited financial means.

We’re a driving force in the game of golf, a respected charitable cause for tens of thousands of supporters and a distinguished leader in the nation’s golf community.

Western Golf Association

The WGA began in in 1899, when 11 Chicago-area golf clubs formed an organization to promote their interests in golf. It was in Golf, Illinois, where the WGA established its headquarters. At the nearby Glen View Club, the WGA held its first Western Open and Western Amateur championships to showcase the exceptional talent of golfers who called the west their home.

Today, we conduct four amateur championships – the Western Amateur, Western Junior, Women’s Western Amateur and Women’s Western Junior – and two professional events – the Korn Ferry Tour’s NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank and the BMW Championship, the penultimate event of the PGA TOUR FedExCup Playoffs.

 

Evans Scholars Foundation

In 1929, famed amateur golfer Charles "Chick" Evans Jr. asked the WGA to administer the fund he had established to send deserving caddies to college. The WGA awarded its first two scholarships in 1930, sending caddies Harold Fink and Jim McGinnis to Northwestern University. Until World War II, all Evans Scholars continued to attend Northwestern, and it was there that the first Scholarship House was established.

As the Evans Scholars Foundation grew, WGA Directors realized the impact of Chick's dream on the lives of young men and women with limited access to a college education. When Chick's original investment was exhausted, the WGA Directors perpetuated the Evans Scholars Program by making contributions of their own.

Today, the Foundation is funded by contributions from Par Club members across the country as well as proceeds from our championships. The Evans Scholars Program provides academic, professional and social resources that help students maintain a cumulative 3.3 GPA and 98 percent graduation rate. There are a record 1,130 Evans Scholars enrolled in 24 leading universities for the 2023-24 academic year, and 12,040 young men and women have graduated as Evans Scholars since 1930.

The MSU branch, established in 1955, there are currently 85 scholars and 958 alumni. 

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Fun Vids:

Whirling Dervish-Sufi meditation

A vlog entry by Walter Santi from Turkey who has 3 indoor cats, 14 outdoor cats, a dog and wild critters who visit his garden.