Okay, folks, time to say ‘goodbye’ to the weekend and ‘hello’ to the new week. Sigh. Yeah, me too. But it’s all in the perception. If we expect it to be a downer of a week, then it will be, but if we greet it with a smile and say, “Give it your best shot!”, then we at least stand a chance of making it ‘til Tuesday before we don the gloves! So, welcome to a great Monday that’s gonna usher in a great week! (Was I convincing?)
So, how was your weekend? Here, the temps were finally bearable, so it was a nice weekend, if not a particularly exciting one. We did have a grill-out with our friends on Saturday evening … the first one all summer … and we enjoyed that very much. Well, let’s get this show on the road … grab a snack (yes, Larry, I remembered the bacon this week) and let’s find something to smile about!
Meet Palmerston, the British Foreign Office’s famous feline “Chief Mouser.” But not for long! You see, Palmerston has given notice of his pending retirement, saying he wishes to, “spend more time relaxing away from the limelight.” Understandably, for it’s a tough job, made even tougher by frequent disagreements with Larry, the cat charged with catching mice for the prime minister at 10 Downing Street. His letter …
The Foreign Office praised Palmerston for his service, saying …
“We’ll all miss him paw-fully, but wish him a purr-fect retirement.”
My late ex-husband got a job once simply by wearing them down. At the time, jobs were scarce in the small rural community where we lived, and he was out of work. He picked a company he really wanted to work for, went there and was told there were no openings, but they took his application for future reference. He went there nearly every day for two weeks, “just to check and see”, hung around for a few hours each day (much to my relief, for at least he wasn’t ‘hanging around’ the house!) and at the end of two weeks, the foreman hired him, saying he would probably see less of him if he hired him than he was seeing of him then!
A stray dog in Brazil seemed to have the same idea! One day in May, this stray showed up at a Hyundai dealership where the staff noticed the dog hanging around but figured that by the next day he would have moved on, seeking food or a home. But day after day, the pup returned to the dealership.On a particularly rainy night, the manager of the dealership, Emerson Mariano, felt so sorry for him that he decided to invite him inside, offering him food and water. Well, Mariano bonded with the dog that night, and he wasn’t about to turn him back out, so he convinced the Board of Directors to adopt the dog, and they named him Tucson Prime. In time, the dog proved to be such a useful asset in the way he greeted and interacted with customers, that they gave him a job!
Tucson is definitely a goodwill ambassador, for many customers have returned to the store even after purchasing a car, just to pay Tucson a visit and bring him little gifts and treats!
Now, if that one didn’t bring a smile to your face, I’m afraid we’ll just have to paint one on!
There is a guy named Patrick who runs a blog called Patrick’s World, and as its slogan proudly proclaims, it’s a blog dedicated to purely wasting time. I would definitely say that Patrick has too much time on his hands … however I give him five stars for imagination and creativity!
Patrick took out some traditional German sausages, hooked them up to some wires that were connected to some sound equipment, and made a fully functional piano. Yes, you read that correctly. A piano.He calls his invention the Bockwurstklavier, or Bockwurst Piano, after the Bockwurst, a traditional German sausage made from ground veal and pork. The piano consists of 10 sausage keys, each of which is hooked up to a wire that leads to a circuit board and other sound processing equipment. Whenever Patrick touches a sausage whilst also touching the piece of equipment in the background, the “machine” produces piano sounds.
The keys work either by touching them individually or collectively, so it is possible to play full chords and, hence, a number of tunes. As long as there is contact with another bit of electrical equipment, touching the sausage keys produces sound.
Check out the video …
Okay, time for some cartoons!
And obviously I’m not going to send you on your way without a cute critter video!
I see some beautiful smiles lighting up your faces … not sure if it’s the spiked coffee or Tucson that did the trick! At any rate, go forth and share those lovely smiles, my friends, for we all need as many as we can get to keep our spirits up. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! Much love ‘n many hugs from Filosofa, Jolly and Joyful!
Wonderful, as always. I think every store should have a Tucson!
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I fully agree!!! It would make shopping so much more fun!!!
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Yes!!
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Terrific fun today, Jill.
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I’m so glad!
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Thanks, Jill, for the bacon and the smiles. Now, concerning the week ahead….I think I will just go back to bed. I read the news headlines before I read your post.😒 ain’t no reason to stay conscious this week.
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Awww … I’m glad you enjoyed, and glad the other Larry left you some bacon! Yeah, I don’t blame you, my friend. I felt like pulling the covers back up myself this morning after checking the news on my phone upon waking.
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Palmerston just looks regal. Tucson is cute. Thanks for the bacon! 😋😋
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My pleasure!!! I hope you shared the bacon with our friends?
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Thanks for the bacon, and the smiles. Have a happy Monday friend!
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You have a happy week also, dear Emily!!!
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thanks for the laughs – a nice way to start Monday morning!
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I’m glad to have started your week out with a smile … now the key is to be able to keep it there! Mine was gone by 9:00 a.m. on Monday. Sigh.
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it doesn’t take long to turn that smile upside down…
My wife did say she actually felt bad for him when he was removed from his press conference yesterday. It can’t be easy being such a public figure…
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Your wife is far kinder than I am. Personally, I thought they should have escorted him to stand in front of the window! Sigh.
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A great post, Jill. I especially liked the baby animals.
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Awwww … I’m so glad! Nothing like baby animals to bring a smile!
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Namaste, Miss Jill! It is a Jolly Monday today. Do you know why? Cause my friends Jolly and Joyful are here with all of the treats and my juicebox! Now I have a humongous smile! I really like Palmerston and the letter. Gem helped me to read it and told me what some of the words mean. Palmerston is really smart! I liked the story about Tucson the dog too. The sausage piano is weird but the video is neat. I love the wild baby animal video. Jolly and Joyful and you get 4 thumbs up! Do you know how to do that? It’s two finger thumbs up and two big toe thumbs up! Did I make you smile and laugh? WNBHAK! Thank you and Bye!
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Namaste, Benjamin! I am so glad to know that you are wearing a humongous smile, because if I’ve made you smile, then that makes me smile, too! Palmerston is smart! My favourite story today, though, was Tucson … I just loved that one! Ha ha … your joke is funny … 4 thumbs up! Jolly, Joyful and I thank you for the neck-buster hugs and kisses! Have a fun week! We love you!
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Jill, great stories. Picking one, does the Brazilian canine Hyundai dog get a commission with each sale? Maybe one of those veal/ pork brats?
Thanks for sharing. Keith
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Thanks, Keith … I’m glad you enjoyed them! The story of Tucson was my absolute favourite! I’m sure he would enjoy one of those brats, but hopefully they feed him something a bit healthier!
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I remembered Monday!!
Seriously and irresistibly cute baby animals here, particularly the wolf cub at the end and love that cartoon with the cat and the nine reapers, very clever and funny..
I can be very British here and say ‘trust the Germans to make a sausage into a musical instrument- very Avant Garde art, with a message,’
Palmerston (Foreign Office) and Larry (Downing Street) were notorious for not getting on. Here is some classic footage when they distracted the nation at a time of very serious talks involving Northern Ireland:
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Namaste, Mr. Determined! I tried to watch but when I tried it said video unavailable. That’s okay cause it has a different video of Sir Palmerston. I liked that one! Thank you and Bye!
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Glad you found one of Palmerston.
His erstwhile foe Larry has become a cult figure with many a person suggesting he should be Prime Minister.
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I’m so glad you came down from the tower for a bit of humour! I loved the video … all that hissing is altogether too familiar! Have a good week, my friend!
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Did you guys enjoy it 😺😺😺😺😺?
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We did, Uncle Woger!!! We gots kittie-nip dat night, an’ we laughed at da Palmerston video you sended us! 😸😸😸😸😸
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😻😻😻😻😻
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