Now That's Just Crazy

What do odd birds and highways have in common?  Well, it seems they all appear repeatedly this week in the news. 


Odd Ducks on Highways

Just last Sunday you might of  heard about Randy Lee Tenley of Montana being hit on a highway while he was attempting to create a fake Bigfoot sighting.  He dressed in a ghillie suit and stepped into a lane of Highway 93. Unfortunately a 15 year old, inexperienced driver unable to stop her car,  hit him, then a second teenager of 17 struck him again.

Yes, that was a "less than brilliant" stunt for sure. A Montana Highway Patrol Lt. Col. Butch Huseby was quoted as saying, "This is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. Really." (this prompts the question, what are some of the  other dumbest things he has seen?)  They are investigating to see if there was alcohol involved.


Now here we are just 5 days later and another case of  reckless behavior involving a highway.

I promise you that no one is going to get hurt in this video but it is nail-biting worthy.




There must be little duck guardian angels.   I have to take a break and go calm my jittery nerves.


Speaking of  Highways

An excerpt from Highway to Hell by AC/DC

Living easy, living free
Season ticket on a one-way ride
Asking nothing, leave me be
Taking everything in my stride
Don't need reason, don't need rhyme
Ain't nothing I would rather do


Joyce Coffey of Epping N.H has been arrested 4 separate times this week in a span of 26 hours for blasting Highway to Hell from her home.

After a complaint was filed concerning loud music, Joyce was given a warning on Tuesday afternoon to turn down her stereo. Five hours later the police were called back at her house and at that time she was placed under arrest.  Her music was still blaring with speakers facing out of the house.

Coffey was released on a $500.00 personal recognizance bail but again the police returned to her home around 9:30 PM after yet another complaint was filed.  This time she was arrested and had to post $1000.00 bail.  But wait ...the persistent Joyce was still playin' her tunes at 1:10 AM  and she, again,  was arrested.  That time she had to post $10,000 bond.

The final call came when  threw a frying pan and hit her nephew in the head.  At this point the judge sentenced her to home confinement with a monitor and a mental health evaluation to be scheduled prior to her October 15th court date.

I would say that Joyce must really love that song but I don't think she is understanding the living free and easy part. As for the line "ain't nothing I would rather do"... I think we are all pretty clear what she would rather do...play her music loud.


Speaking of Odd Birds

 

 A Massachusetts man said he is hoping for the safe return of his 39...yeah 39...plastic lawn flamingos. He turned a ransom note over to the police.

Arthur  O'Neil said his 39 flamingos in their colorful costumes have been taken from his Mansfield lawn since May and a ransom note that he received in August used the name "Arturo", a named he had bestowed on one of his birds. The ransom included a phone number but he decided to turn the note over to the police instead of placing a call to the bird-napper.
"I understand the police have more important things to worry about but it hurts." O'Neil said.
O'Neil went on to say that if any more of his lawn ornaments are stolen he is going to quit displaying them. 
(What? There more than the 39 that are already MIA?)

Costumes??? Names??? He had 39 pink flamingos in colorful  costumes? If I were the police, I would check with the next door neighbor. 

Green Acres



My husband grew up on a farm. His family stayed in the same geographical area for his entire childhood surrounded by their very large extended family.  I, for the most part, have always lived in towns or cities.  My family moved around a bit as a kid but I did spend a large portion of my childhood in the vicinity of Iroquois County, Illinois.  I met my now husband when he was 12 years old while my dad was drilling a water well for one of the buildings on the farm. I was 11 and remember him as being tall and skinny.




Anyway...Thursday, we headed back to his family farm, which he now co-owns with his two brothers.  My husband and his brothers look at their farm not only from the perspective of their family history but also from the perspective of costs, profits, production, blah, blah, blah...more work than fun. 

It turns out that it takes a great deal of work to plant crops like soybeans.



My brother-in-law is a good guy and a good farmer






We are pretty much the equivalent of a modern version of Green Acres with a twist.  My husband knows a lot about being a good farmer as he grew up on the farm. BUT.... He likes the city life.  I know next to nothing about farming, much like Eddie Albert's character, Oliver and I think farming looks interesting...dare I say fun.  So in our version hubby is Lisa and I am Oliver.

From where we live in Kansas City it takes 7.5 hours to get to Iroquois County, IL.  We always take the small state highways as opposed to the Interstate highways because it makes for a far more interesting drive.
Oddly enough, taking the backroads gets you there in exactly the same amount of time. 


This is what would see if one would drive on the Interstate



Ahhh, the beauty of traveling the Interstate (you do get the sarcasm here, right???)



The backroads however always have neat things to look at. 



If you ever need some tacky souvenirs, Nostalgiaville is the place to get them.
Need anything with Betty Boop on it???  Kingdom City, MO




Crossing the Mississippi at Louisiana, Mo




The Mississippi River (my tinted widows are making it look dark...it wasn't)

 Stopped in Springfield, Illinois for lunch.  If you haven't ever visited the historical area of Springfield it is worth a look.  The Lincoln Museum and Library is really interesting.



Abraham Lincoln's home in Springfield, IL

Be sure to check out the show  "Ghosts of the Library".  You won't
believe what you are seeing.



A little gas station in Dwight, IL that sits on RT 66












The little town near hubby's family farm is L' Erable.  It is tiny at around a hundred or so people.  You would have to hand count the inhabitants as the US Census doesn't recognize it as a town.  Still, it is the home to the oldest wood framed church in the state of Illinois. St. John the Baptist, Roman Catholic Church is still used today.



St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, L'Erable, IL





We recently attended a very pretty wedding
at St. John the Baptist



The largest town near our farm that would have hotels is Kankakee, Illinois.

Civil War Memorial in front of the Kankakee courthouse



As a little girl I thought this was the most magnificent waterfall.
I hadn't ever seen a real waterfall at that point.  Who knew??

Kankakee gets a lot of negative press as it has experienced an economic slump for a number of years but there is a lot of pretty places around town as well. 



We make a few trips back to the farm any given year but it is especially nice if we can go during the time of the county fair.  This year it worked out. 

So today, I am just getting you to the farm...tomorrow, I will post some farm pictures and Wednesday will be a post about our day at the fair.

The Good for the Day...It was a fun trip visiting old familiar places and seeing our family and friends.

The Bad for the day...when will this hot weather ever cool down.

The Weird for the Day... Kankakee is about 50 miles south of Chicago.  Saturday morning, we walked out of a mall to a downpour.  The rain was so heavy that it flooded nearby areas including O'Hare Airport.

A song about a train leaving from Kankakee