The Biggest Family in Britain -

 22 children in one family - no multiple births such as twins or more.  Noel, then 18 and Sue, 14, began their roles as multiple breeders at those tender ages.  Today she's 44 and he's 47.  The manufacturing machinery is said to have been shut down by Mrs. Radford.  

The happy couple - married in 1992 and still now in 2021 - do though have six grandchildren!  

Questions that intrigued me - how do you feed everyone?  On a 300 lb/$ a week shopping bill.  

My God all of the birthday presents - 24 counting the parents/  Christmas must be a killer!   Photos show a lot of plastic?  Mylar? balloons and yet,   reading further  each kid got one a "big present" - sled, skates, bicycle .. and so on per year.  The Radfords have birthday and Christmas money saved and set aside solely for those items. 

And speaking of money, from whence does it come?  The Radford Pie Company purchased in 1999 which they own.  

Where the hell do they all live?  Heh heh this is cool.  They all live in what's called "a care home" in Britain and we would call The Old Folks Home.  Individual or shared rooms ..Very spacious living room (lounge.there) kitchen capable of feeding them all - I really think it was a stroke of genius.  

They are said to be going to Australia to spend a month with another family of many off-spring (but only 16.))  That is such hell I can't even bear to think about it.   The noise alone never mind the tearing around.  

Shall We Stroll the Hollywood Boulevard and see the stars?

 The bronze stars imbedded in the Hollywood Walk.  It officially opened on this day in 1910 after 16 months of construction  before there could have been many of stars  ... although I read that before the 16 months had  passed, there were 1,500 stars planted.  Early birds.

Today there are 2,60- contained in the 15 blocks of Hollywood and another three blocks of Vine.  Altogether, to strut the 1.3 miles 

How does one get a star - what are the qualifications.  You have to be invited; you have to be outstanding in:  radio, movies, theater, TV, or recording.  

Who was the first?  Joanne Woodward accompanied, no doubt by her husband since 1957 Paul Newman.

As if these people don't get enough attention  (snort.)

Super Bowl Sunday Diversions

If you are not a fan, it pays to have something to amuse that doesn't involve grown men patting each other's fannies and making a lot of loud noise.

Yesterday - Saturday - being errand day around here as we were about to go out, I said to Richie, "Oh!  I want to stop at RiteAid for some nail polish - holding up a nicely-taloned hand.  "I'm going to girly it up a  little," and he laughed out loud then shook his head, patted my butt and walked away. 

A bottle of 'ballet slipper pink' was just exactly what I wanted - the closer your nail polish to your own nail color the longer those nails will look.  You can work up to lethal in no time at all.  

I patted my purchase  happily and we left.  In the car, while giving my little bottle admiring looks the label jumped out at me and it read 'stark naked'  I'll go back for the ballet shoes next week.  I am not going to run around stark naked in anything!  Even something as silly as that is.

GO CHIEFS!

On this day...

 On this day in 1941 Germany and Italy declared war on the United States -- and we've been eating pizza and pretzels ever since!

ADD:  1998 on this day (must have been a weekday) Majority Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee pushed through three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, over Democratic objections.  History repeats itself.

Just In Time for the Game

Odds are good you have already stocked up on Super Bowl Snacks - Isn't the day's  banquet  why there  even IS a Super Bowl any how?  

This game is almost always boring but wait!  Back in 2019  didn't someone rebut me with the game between San Francisco - 55 and the Raiders 45?  

Enough about statistics. 

Let us move to our grocery lists "just in case" there is a forgotten idem.  These were all listed as Best in Show in various  medias?

Pizza cut in circles with a round cookie cutter;  deviled eggs are much loved; and home-made chili  will warm you on a nasty day.  Serve with taco chips or roll-up limp tortillas (little messy but, "Hey it's football! We're not out here to play patti-cake!  Brownies or ice cream (or both) for dessert and through out, the host's version of guacamole.  Sometimes these can be godawful good; others just godawful. Best of luck!  Oh!  GO Kansas City Chiefs!!!

 

I Was Lying On the Couch Monday Did he say that or did dereading a Stuart Woods novel when ...

 Suddenly  my head was all confused .Richie was  was talking to a paramedic  in hushed tones.  

I was too addled to know what was going on.  The paramedics came, strapped  me on a chair for the stairs and very carefully they slipped me down the stairs and into the ambulance. .  Since that was rather nervewracking it can't have helped whatever the hell was wrong with me.  

I'm pretty sure that all  six of the paramedics took turned asking me to smile and raise my arms, both signs of a transient  ischemic attack if the corners of your smile are crooked  and your arms decidedly lopsided. when raised.  But:  transient means fast or swift.  Clearly the paras were not disturbed at all.  But little fazes them; they had the siren on ""hush" I swear.  

As proof enough to me, the hospital neuro read the notes the paramedics had made en route, quickly ordered and read n MRI and a CT scan s of the brain.  He then told  said I could go back home; my test results indicated a mild case?   Or did I imagine that?

Tuesday I came home and it took all day to get home and  $3,00 a day at that.  The day rom rate must be hella appealing to hospital management.  

What did I do once home.  Smoked 3 or 4 cigarettes, settled down with a lovely icy cold Pacifica beer.  and then went to bed.  

COMMENT

A fellow writer rather acidly said, "For $3,00 a day the hospital should provide the beer."  A sentiment with which I heartily agree.

 

Flash!

Ground hogs - aka - woodchucks - Going in to hibernation they weigh 12-15 lbs. where they routinely live 6 to 8 years.  During hibernation, their their heart beats slow from 80 to 5 per minute.  

The humble groundhog should be call "scared cat hog"  if they see anything that scares him/her they jump right back into their hole. They often made a squeaky sound (indicates fear.)

Ground Hog Day is more hype than any kind of real celebration. Food treats?  Pancakes!

It is celebrated by the English with Beef Wellington a traditional dinner and may well be the reason Ground/Hedge Hog day is celebrated there!

If you would to visit genuine ground hogs, I suggest a visit to Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, KS  Very nifty small zoo but charming for all of that.