As I find myself sorely lacking in humour tonight, I am reposting a Saturday Surprise from June 2018, but it is, I think, one well worth repeating!  I hope you find a smile or two here to start your weekend!

Well, well, well … we have all survived yet another week and here it is, the first official weekend of summer!  So, does everyone have happy plans for the weekend?  Me?  No, no … Chris is at yet another band competition this weekend, this one in Dublin (Ohio, not Ireland), so Goose and I are just chillin’.  I don’t know about you all, but I think my U.S. friends will know what I mean when I say it’s been a tough week, and personally, I’m in the mood for some beauty, some humour, and some cute furry critters.  But first, a funny-sad story about a member of the Sig-7 (short for Significant Seven):

A few nights ago, I was sitting with my laptop perched half on my right leg, half on the arm of my chair, two kitties curled up sleeping peacefully on my lap, when suddenly the quiet was pierced by a ultra-sonic, high-pitched shriek!  A glance across the room, and there is Boo jumping no less than four feet into the air, turning in circles mid-air, and screaming, shaking his front paw.  Imagine me trying to get the laptop safely on the desk, the kitties safely off my lap and go to the rescue or poor Boo … somehow in this process I whacked my knuckle on something and cracked or chipped the bone.  As I began to approach this jumping, shrieking kitty, something flew at my face, then landed at my feet.  A bumblebee.  Boo had been stung by a bumblebee!  I managed to get the bumblebee outdoors on a piece of paper, but sadly, later that evening he was found belly-up and cross-eyed. Boo is not kind to bugs.  Believe it or not, I cried over that darned bee — for two days!  Boo is fine – since Chris was at band and Miss Goose was out, I was very thankful that he wasn’t allergic to bee venom.  He limped for an hour or so, more for sympathy than out of pain, I think.  The next morning I found another dead bee, this time a wasp, on the kitchen floor.  Sigh.  Gonna be a long summer.

And now for a little beauty …This is the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Shiraz, Iran.  The Mosque was constructed between 1876 and 1888, during the Qajar dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1785 to 1925. It has been dubbed the “Pink Mosque” due to the plethora of pink-colored tiles blanketing the ceiling. The best time to visit the mosque is in the early morning, when the sun reflects the stained glass patterns onto the floor.

The designers were Mohammad Hasan-e-Memār, an Iranian architect, and Mohammad Rezā Kāshi-Sāz-e-Širāzi. Restoration, protection, and maintenance of this monument is being continued by the Endowment Foundation of Nasir ol Molk. The colourful windows and doors are handcrafted by carpenter master Hajj Mirza Ayat.

Isn’t it beautiful?  I would love to visit there someday.

Now, I promised some humour, but I am finding my sense of humour is a little off these days.  In fact, before I put anything on my Jolly Monday posts, I run it by either Chris or Miss Goose first, for I was informed when I was about to use a story about a lady who was run down by a car … I don’t remember the details, but I found it funny, and Chris happened to be reading over my shoulder and said “GRANNIE … NO … You cannot use that for Jolly Monday!!!”  And so, I now have two content editors who tie my hands just a bit, in addition to my literary editor who only gnashes his teeth when I misuse the comma or apostrophe.  Or misspell a word.  Or make a sentence too long.

You can always count on kids for a bit of humour, yes?  I came across this a few days ago … snippets from children who were asked for their instructions on life. I put my favourites in blue … what are yours?

• Never trust a dog to watch your food. — Patrick, Age 10
• When you want something expensive, ask your grandparents. — Matthew, Age 12
• Never smart off to a teacher whose eyes and ears are twitching. — Andrew, Age 9
• Wear a hat when feeding seagulls. — Rocky, Age 9
• Sleep in your clothes so you’ll be dressed in the morning. — Stephanie, Age 8
• Never try to hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. — Rosemary, Age 7
• Don’t flush the john when your dad’s in the shower. — Lamar, Age 10
• Never ask for anything that costs more than five dollars when your parents are doing taxes. — Carrol, Age 9
• Never bug a pregnant mom. — Nicholas, Age 11
• Don’t ever be too full for dessert. — Kelly, Age 10
• When your dad is mad and asks you, “Do I look stupid?” don’t answer him. — Heather, Age 16
• Never tell your mom her diet’s not working. — Michael, Age 14
• Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat. — Joel, Age 12
• When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she’s on the phone. — Alyesha, Age 13

And then there’s this …

Which brings us to my favourite part of the day … funny animal videos!!!  Today, I dedicate this segment to my youngest friends, Benjamin, Reuben & Amelie …

And one more — just an 18 second clip — watch the baby panda …

Well, my friends, I should let you go so you can get started on those special weekend plans.  Anybody having a grill-out this weekend?  Save me a burger, if you don’t mind.  Have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Well, well, well … we have all survived yet another week and here it is, the first official weekend of summer!  So, does everyone have happy plans for the weekend?  Me?  No, no … Chris is at yet another band competition this weekend, this one in Dublin (Ohio, not Ireland), so Goose and I are just chillin’.  I don’t know about you all, but I think my U.S. friends will know what I mean when I say it’s been a tough week, and personally, I’m in the mood for some beauty, some humour, and some cute furry critters.  But first, a funny-sad story about a member of the Sig-7 (short for Significant Seven):

A few nights ago, I was sitting with my laptop perched half on my right leg, half on the arm of my chair, two kitties curled up sleeping peacefully on my lap, when suddenly the quiet was pierced by a ultra-sonic, high-pitched shriek!  A glance across the room, and there is Boo jumping no less than four feet into the air, turning in circles mid-air, and screaming, shaking his front paw.  Imagine me trying to get the laptop safely on the desk, the kitties safely off my lap and go to the rescue or poor Boo … somehow in this process I whacked my knuckle on something and cracked or chipped the bone.  As I began to approach this jumping, shrieking kitty, something flew at my face, then landed at my feet.  A bumblebee.  Boo had been stung by a bumblebee!  I managed to get the bumblebee outdoors on a piece of paper, but sadly, later that evening he was found belly-up and cross-eyed. Boo is not kind to bugs.  Believe it or not, I cried over that darned bee — for two days!  Boo is fine – since Chris was at band and Miss Goose was out, I was very thankful that he wasn’t allergic to bee venom.  He limped for an hour or so, more for sympathy than out of pain, I think.  The next morning I found another dead bee, this time a wasp, on the kitchen floor.  Sigh.  Gonna be a long summer.

And now for a little beauty …This is the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Shiraz, Iran.  The Mosque was constructed between 1876 and 1888, during the Qajar dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1785 to 1925. It has been dubbed the “Pink Mosque” due to the plethora of pink-colored tiles blanketing the ceiling. The best time to visit the mosque is in the early morning, when the sun reflects the stained glass patterns onto the floor.

The designers were Mohammad Hasan-e-Memār, an Iranian architect, and Mohammad Rezā Kāshi-Sāz-e-Širāzi. Restoration, protection, and maintenance of this monument is being continued by the Endowment Foundation of Nasir ol Molk. The colourful windows and doors are handcrafted by carpenter master Hajj Mirza Ayat.

Isn’t it beautiful?  I would love to visit there someday.

Now, I promised some humour, but I am finding my sense of humour is a little off these days.  In fact, before I put anything on my Jolly Monday posts, I run it by either Chris or Miss Goose first, for I was informed when I was about to use a story about a lady who was run down by a car … I don’t remember the details, but I found it funny, and Chris happened to be reading over my shoulder and said “GRANNIE … NO … You cannot use that for Jolly Monday!!!”  And so, I now have two content editors who tie my hands just a bit, in addition to my literary editor who only gnashes his teeth when I misuse the comma or apostrophe.  Or misspell a word.  Or make a sentence too long.

You can always count on kids for a bit of humour, yes?  I came across this a few days ago … snippets from children who were asked for their instructions on life. I put my favourites in blue … what are yours?

• Never trust a dog to watch your food. — Patrick, Age 10
• When you want something expensive, ask your grandparents. — Matthew, Age 12
• Never smart off to a teacher whose eyes and ears are twitching. — Andrew, Age 9
• Wear a hat when feeding seagulls. — Rocky, Age 9
• Sleep in your clothes so you’ll be dressed in the morning. — Stephanie, Age 8
• Never try to hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. — Rosemary, Age 7
• Don’t flush the john when your dad’s in the shower. — Lamar, Age 10
• Never ask for anything that costs more than five dollars when your parents are doing taxes. — Carrol, Age 9
• Never bug a pregnant mom. — Nicholas, Age 11
• Don’t ever be too full for dessert. — Kelly, Age 10
• When your dad is mad and asks you, “Do I look stupid?” don’t answer him. — Heather, Age 16
• Never tell your mom her diet’s not working. — Michael, Age 14
• Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat. — Joel, Age 12
• When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she’s on the phone. — Alyesha, Age 13

And then there’s this …

Which brings us to my favourite part of the day … funny animal videos!!!  Today, I dedicate this segment to my youngest friends, Benjamin, Reuben & Amelie …

And one more — just an 18 second clip — watch the baby panda …

Well, my friends, I should let you go so you can get started on those special weekend plans.  Anybody having a grill-out this weekend?  Save me a burger, if you don’t mind.  Have a safe and wonderful weekend!