Good Monday morning, friends!  I hope your weekend was lovely, and I know you are all eager to get back to work!  Jolly and I are grateful that you stopped by to share a few laughs with us to start the week before heading to the salt mines.  Do any of you actually work in the salt mines?  Do they even still have salt mines?  Were there ever salt mines?  I thought salt came from sea water!

So, did you all have a wonderful weekend?  Mine?  Meh … it was okay.  Daughter Chris had a band performance on Saturday night … she is in a Pipes & Drums band, and every year they play for the Caledonian Society on Burns Night, honouring the dead poet Robert Burns.Then on Sunday, we had to go out and find a birthday present for our friend and neighbor Ali, who claims he was 35, but the reality is that he must be dyslexic, for it’s actually 53.  Then we had dinner & birthday cake with them Sunday evening.  They are wonderful friends, and it’s such an honour that we are considered a part of their family.

Well, let’s go find some fun stuff to get this week off on the right foot … or even the left one … but first, grab a snack over on the table.

Da fishies liked it …

Last week, a California winery, Rodney Strong Wine Estates, had a little accident.  Well, a rather largish accident if you ask me … they sprung a leak and accidentally dumped some 97,000 gallons of Cabernet Sauvignon wine into Reiman Creek, which empties into the Russian River.  Had it not happened on Wednesday, nearly a week ago, I would be online buying my plane tickets to California as we speak!

The Department of Fish and Wildlife is investigating, but as yet it appears that no fish died, though some appeared to be hungover the next morning.  I’m picturing a bunch of old men lying on their bellies by the river, lapping up river water like pups at a stream.

Misdemeanor charges and penalties are likely to be levied against the company, and a company spokesperson says they suspect a mechanical failure but haven’t quite figured it out yet.

Did the horse pay for a ticket?

Over in Wales, they even let horses ride the city buses.  A horse found running loose in traffic on the busy A48 road Thursday evening was captured by witnesses and loaded onto a bus for a brief ride.

The bus driver offered his vehicle when police determined it would be awhile before they could get a horse trailer to the scene. The horse took a 5-minute ride on the bus and was reunited with its owners at a nearby parking lot. The bus was taken for a thorough cleaning.

Define 24 hours?

I always thought a “24-hour” facility, whether grocery store, convenience mart, or gym, meant that they never close.  So, imagine my puzzlement at the following headline …

Utah man locked inside 24 Hour Fitness gym after closing

Dan Hill said he visited the gym in Sandy for a late night workout Saturday and he finished swimming laps in the pool after midnight Sunday to discover he was alone in the building and the doors were locked.

Hill said he called his wife, who suggested he “find a comfortable place to sleep.”  Sounds like maybe she was happy enough to be rid of him for a night, eh?  He ended up calling 911 …

“So, I called dispatch and the guy pauses for like 10 seconds and says ‘You’re where?’ And I said, ‘I’m in 24 Hour Fitness, and there’s an alarm system here and I don’t want to get busted for breaking and entering.'”

Hill took his Facebook friends on a tour of the gym while waiting for police to arrive. Officers showed up to let him out of the building just before 1 a.m.

The manager of the gym said the hours changed in December from 24 hours to 4 a.m.-midnight.  Nice of them to let people know, eh?

To our Aussie friends …

Yesterday was Australia Day.  I meant to dedicate an entire post to that day, however I had a busy day yesterday and it completely slipped my mind.  That said, given the trauma that has been taking place in Australia for the past few months, the bushfires, loss of wildlife, vegetation and structures, and now a terrible hailstorm that has ravaged Melbourne, I couldn’t just let it go without some recognition.  However, since this is Jolly Monday, I will only present a few pictures … and a heartfelt hope that the fires are soon out, and that the nation can begin to heal.  Love ‘n hugs to all our Australian friends … Andrea, Simeon, Paul, Anne, and so many others.

Now, how about just a few ‘toons and memes …

My favourite!

Seems to me that humans could take a lesson from these guys!

And, dare I finish Jolly Monday without a cute animal video?  Of course not … and Jolly has found just the thing in honour of Australia Day — koalas!

Funny, but I always heard koalas were a bit on the mean side, but you sure couldn’t tell it from these cuties, could you?

Well, friends, it’s time for me to tackle the laundry, plus finish taking the Christmas lights off the windows – not a word from you guys — yes, I DO know it’s January 27th!!!  And, it’s time for you to head to work, or grab the snow shovel so you can get out to get some groceries!  Please share those smiles today – we’ve all got our share of troubles at the moment, whether it’s the politics of the day, fires, or the threat of deadly illness, and a smile, a kind word, or a hug surely does help sometimes.  Meanwhile, keep safe & warm, and have a great week!  Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa and Jolly!