Leckband Cornhusker State Blog

RESOLUTIONS REVIEW

How am I doing with my 2021 New Year's resolutions? Mixed results.

> Take at least 8 road trips, A+. We've already exceeded that goal with at last one more to come. [See below.]

> Give up French fries, A-.

> Get a DNA report from Ancestry.com, A. I am 52% Germanic Europe, 35% England & NW Europe, 8% Sweden, 3% Norway, & 2% other regions. [Neanderthal?]

> Do my PT exercises at least 3X per week, D.

> Avoid useless FB arguments, B-. Don't test me with pro-abortion posts!

> Add to our NP & bucket lists, A+. We've already visited Everglades, Sequoia, Yosemite, & King's Canyon NPs, which ties our record for visits in one year. If all goes as planned, we'll visit Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Zion, Capitol Reef, & Bryce Canyon NPs on our Great Western Road Trip. [See below.]

> Lose at least 10 lbs, F. I'll be lucky if I eek out a D- this year.

GPA = B

ROAD TRIP PREVIEW

Yes, we're headed for another road trip, which I'm calling our Great Western Road Trip. We leave tomorrow for a stop in CO & a visit with our nieces Jocelyn & Lia. Then it's off to Canyonlands NP & Grand Canyon NP before a Hill Sibling Bash in Sedona, AZ. On our way back to NE we'll visit Zion, Capitol Reef & Bryce Canyon NPs.

SIBLING BASH

I think it might be good to review some ground rules with Lois' siblings.

* No arguments about politics, climate change, or religion.

* A maximum of two conversations conducted at the same time when we're all in the same room.

* Wine for The Sisters is a must, but beer for the rest of us is also a must.

* Fou-fou coffee for The Sisters is a must, but manly, dark roast coffee for the rest of us is also a must.

* The only medium I'm interested in seeing is medium-well steak.

* Shopping trips? Grudgingly permitted, but no checking out New Age shops.

* Although The Sisters rule, 2nd & 3rd tier siblings should be consulted, too. 1st tier are sisters Wanda, Kathy, Lois, & Anita.[Sister-in-law Carmen is an honorary sister.] 2nd tier are brothers David & John. 3rd tier? That would be John Olson & me.

* All participants get a say in where we'll eat out & what activities we enjoy. [I absolutely insist that we tour Oak Creek Canyon & Red Rock State Park.]

WHAT I'M READING

I finished reading "The Real Custer: From Boy General to Tragic Hero," by James Robbins. It's an easy read, & if you are fascinated by George Armstrong Custer, you should check out this book. I started reading "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders & the Birth of the FBI," by David Gann. My brother clued me in on this book. Thanks, Mark! I previously read Gann's "The Lost City of Z," & thoroughly enjoyed it.

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HAWAII

"Kilauea erupts. One of the most active volcanos on Earth is erupting on Hawaii's Big Island. Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed WED that an eruption has begun in Kilauea volcano's Halemaumau [HAW-LAY-MOW-MOW] crater at the volcano's summit." Norfolk Daily News, 9/30. While we lived in Hawaii, Lois & I were able to visit Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. You should add it to your bucket list. While we didn't get to witness an eruption, it was still well worth the trip.

COFFEE

"As if a cup of coffee wasn't expensive enough, a confluence of factors is driving up farmers' costs to grow the beans & it could begin filtering down to your local cafe before the end of the year . . . A sustained drought followed by two July frosts blew a hole in Brazil's coffee output, immediately sending wholesale prices for the popular Arabica bean to more than $2 per lb. The frost will significantly affect the 2022-23 harvest . . . The Brazil frosts followed COVID-related supply chain snarls, a dearth of shipping containers, labor shortages & other production hiccups. Add in rising costs for virtually everything & you have a bitter cup brewing for coffee drinkers." NDN, 9/28. It's been awhile since I've blogged about my love of coffee. One of my favorite brews is Seattle Dark Roast #5, but I haven't enjoyed that for awhile. Nathan, my favorite son, recently got me Kirkland's Coffee from either Costco or Sam's Club--can't remember which. Probably my favorite coffee of all time is Kona, which is grown on Hawaii's Big Island.

CRIMINAL MINDS

"Black woman masquerading as KKK member terrorized neighborhood." Drudge Report

DEPT. OF SHAMELESS JOKE-STEALING *

* Compliments of Reader's Digest, July/Aug 2021

"My five-year-old hasn't said a word in the car after I convinced him that the volume control on our stereo ejects his car seat."

"I like having conversations with kids. Grown-ups never ask me what my third-favorite reptile is."

"My five-year-old after I explained the concept of breast-feeding: 'Can you squeeze Capri Suns outta those things or just milk?'"

"Sometimes at night, after my son has gone to bed, I go into my room & finish all my sentences."

CLIMATE CHANGE

"South Pole posts most severe cold season on record." Drudge Did you want to know my opinion of climate change? All right. I have no problems accepting climate change. World history is a history of climate change. The Little Ice Age in the 1700s wreaked havoc. In the 1970s there was a prediction of a new ice age on the way. What I'm skeptical about is humankind's ability to reverse so-called global warming, especially by throwing trillions of dollars at it. That strikes me as the ultimate hubris. I'm just sayin'.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

"McDonald's introduces limited run of finely aged 1992 vintage McRibs." Babylon Bee

ON THE BORDER

"Biden cracking down: No more gift baskets for illegal border crossers." Babylon Bee