Welcome to yet another Jolly Monday, friends! A number of you don’t have to go back to work today, for it is a bank holiday in some parts of the world.  But for the rest of us, it is business as usual, and so we will try to start the week with something to smile, chuckle, or maybe even laugh about, yes?  Did you have a great weekend?  It was warm-ish here, although for me, still sweatshirt weather, but when we went out on Saturday, at least 75% of the people I saw had on shorts.  We went to the mall on Saturday.  Have I mentioned that I am not a fan of malls?  I did what I needed to, which was get the battery in my watch replaced, then found a comfortable chair and sat down to read Madeleine Albright’s new book, using the kindle app on my phone.  Somewhere around page 25, I fell asleep.  So that was my big mall experience.  Now, grab a cup of coffee and let’s have some laughs, shall we?

Cool bees … cooler beekeeper

Wally Leatherwood is a beekeeper in Waynesville, North Carolina.  Last Tuesday, Wally picked up about 18,000 bees, in three boxes, from a local farm, and put them in the back of his pick-up truck to transport home.  Then Wally decided he was hungry, it was ‘bout lunch time, and so he stopped at a local barbeque joint.  Now, Wally is a beekeeper, meaning that:  a) bees are his livelihood, and b) he understands and likes bees.  So, out of consideration for the bees, he put them into the cab of his truck and left the air-conditioning running so they wouldn’t roast.

You can probably already see where I am going with this story, yes?

By the time Wally came back from his lunch … somehow the bees had escaped from one of the boxes and were having a field day inside the truck cab.  Now, I like bees just fine … there are a few that I go nose-to-nose with and we have some deep, meaningful conversations.  But to sit in the cab of a pick-up truck with some 6,000 bees swarming all around me … um, no … just no.  But Wally thought about it a minute, figured he didn’t have much choice, and got in the truck and drove ‘er home.  But not before his friends caught 30 seconds or so on video and made it all the more entertaining with their (not) helpful commentary.  Take a look …

Wally made the drive home sting-free, but got 5 or 6, he says, transferring the bees from the truck to their new hives.  Guess they liked that air-conditioning and wanted to stay in the truck.

Throwin’ away money …

Remember buying that skillet or pair of shoes that fell apart within a week or two, and you said, “Well that was like throwing away money”?  But in Seoul, South Korea at the Inchon Airport, somebody threw away money in the form of gold bars.  Seven of them, to be exact.  Worth … wait for it … more than $350 million!!!  And guess who found them?  An airport janitor!Investigators said the gold bars, found wrapped in newspaper in a trash can, are believed to have been ditched by two men who were transporting the bullion from Hong Kong to Japan. The men are believed to have abandoned the gold because they were worried about being searched by customs.

Now here’s the real kicker … if the gold is not claimed within six months, the janitor becomes the rightful, lawful owner of it all!  If the rightful owner does claim it during that time, the janitor will still be allowed to keep between 5% – 20% as a finder’s fee under South Korean law.  Even a measly 5% comes to $17.5 million!

There’s only one teensy-weensy catch:  if it turns out that the gold is linked to any criminal activities, then the janitor will get nothing.

One comment on the story was interesting:

“Someone somewhere will want that gold back. and they know where he works and what he does…. won’t be hard to track down.”

Um … seriously, I doubt that if he gets that money he will continue being an airport janitor.

Designer … what???

Take a look at the jeans in the picture …

If you can even call them ‘jeans’, that is.  Personally, I prefer a bit more denim in my jeans.  According to the retailer, Carmar, “Extreme Cut Out Pant is a high rise pant with large statement cutouts on front and back.”  I would more likely define it as a few strips of denim, not even big enough to make a good dust rag.  But now … guess, just guess what the price for a pair of these air-conditioned pants is?

$168

Yep, you heard right … One-hundred-sixty-eight dollars.  And … guess what else???  They are currently sold out!  I’ve been telling you there are many fools out there!  Friends … we could make a killing!  Think about it … we buy some cheapo jeans on clearance for, say $15 a pair.  Sharpen our scissors and have at it.  We could even let our kids/grandkids have a go at it.  Slap some designer label on ‘em, sell them for $159.99, thereby undercutting Carmar, and we’re rolling in dough!!!

A cruel eviction …

They have lived in the neighborhood since 2009, nearly ten years, ever since the farm where they used to live closed down.  They are happy here in Sullivan Heights, a suburb of Vancouver, Canada, but at least one of their neighbors doesn’t want them here and he … chopped down their home!!!“They” are peacocks … one of nature’s most gorgeous species … if you are a male peacock, that is.  Anyway, the peacocks moved into this suburb and most of the neighbors seem to like them …

“The majority of us love them. They add value to the neighbourhood. We haven’t seen any aggression from the peacocks. You can feed them from your hands.” – Katie Taylor, resident of Sullivan Heights for 12 years

But, just as with anywhere, you always have a few people who only like nature if it is convenient for them, if it fits their lifestyle, and apparently the peacocks can get a bit noisy at night.  Based on the complaints, the city did try on several occasions to round up and relocate the peacocks, but they liked Sullivan Heights so much that they just kept returning!  Finally, the city gave up and basically told the people to ‘deal with it’.

And then, last year, Parminder Brar’s father slipped and fell … he slipped on peacock … um … poop.  And that was the final straw for Parminder.  He formally requested that the city take down the tree where the peacocks were nesting, but the city said “nope”.  So last week, Parminder chopped down the tree himself.  Uh-oh.

The neighbors were incensed, and the city was none too happy either, especially considering they aren’t quite sure what to do about it all.  According to Jaspreet Rehal, the city’s public safety manager …

“It’s a legal grey area. They don’t fall squarely into any animal control rules, regulations and bylaws. Cutting down the tree was not an option. It was a very healthy tree, it was important to the environment around it and we take tree removal very seriously.”

Brar could face a fine of up to $10,000 … or the peacocks could be relocated.  Right now, it’s anybody’s guess.  For what it’s worth … I’m on the side of the peacocks.  Surprised, aren’t you?  Oh … and guess where the peacocks are currently nesting?  On Mr. Brar’s roof!!!  🤣 🤣 🤣

Okay, folks … much as I hate to see you leave, leave you must, for you have important work to do out there in the world, and I have a post to write for my blog, not to mention laundry and cleaning stuff.  I hope you all have a wonderful week and that you keep a smile on your face all week long – a smile that you share with others you come across who don’t have one of their own.  Keep safe & happy!  Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa!

One of my very favourites …