The Story Behind the Photograph - Dave and his brother Felton

Dave and his brother Felton. originally uploaded by anyjazz65. A mouse ate Felton.

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until THIS stops. Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Waylon Flowers and Madame

Original, funny and so convincingly real that she has her own biography, Madame, none-the-less was the creation and character of the brilliant Waylon Flowers. Waylon Flowers' all too short life, full of creativity and humor, ended today in 1988. He was only 48. Goodbye Mr. Flowers. And Thanks.

These are the most popular pages: Curl-up-and-dye Marilyn Art Pepper Gnat Trap Alison Young Resident Alien Ginger Panda Barney Kessel Sunday Funnies Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until THIS stops. Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Get Smart

"Did you know that television BEGAN in 1965?" NO. I don't believe that. "Would you believe color television began in 1965?" No. "Would you believe that Get Smart staring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon first aired today in 1965?" Has it actually been 42 years and we still remember the famous gag lines...Would you believe it? and- "Sorry 'bout that... " Gosh, that's heard at least once a week, even now, almost half a century later. And remember the shoe phone?

These are the most popular pages: Curl-up-and-dye Marilyn Art Pepper Gnat Trap Alison Young Resident Alien Ginger Panda Barney Kessel Sunday Funnies Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until THIS stops. Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Eddie Condon

Today in 1973 we lost Eddie Condon. Fortunately, we didn't lose his music and his sense of humor. Thanks Eddie.

Can anyone identify this painting? Is it Francois Schuiten? Looks like his work but can someone confirm it?? Click for larger version. Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until THIS stops.

There is little need here to go into the harm that the wall of Religious Intolerance has done to our world. Maybe this is a subtle chip in that wall. And then maybe it is just the gentle, humorous incongruity that sets it apart. Okay, okay. Maybe too obscure for me too. It's George Carlin's birthday today. Happy Birthday George. Now, George spoke on religion once back in 1999. He wasn't subtle at all. George Carlin appeared in concert in Oklahoma City about two years ago. One highlight of the program was when mid-monologue, all the lights in the theater went off and no one left their seats. Everyone wanted to hear what crotchety Carlin had to say about the event. When the lights came back on finally, Carlin explained that someone had pulled a fire alarm as a prank and left by a back door. The fire alarm automatically shuts down the electricity. The fire marshal returned the electricity and Carlin resumed his monologue. Perhaps the prankster was a religious extremist who didn’t appreciate Carlin’s rant on religion, proclaiming his worship of the Sun and Joe Pesci. Religious intolerance at work again probably.

Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until THIS stops.

The mystery of the left-handed coffee cup. Now, although much care is taken to buy (or otherwise appropriate) only RIGHT-handed coffee cups for the kitchen, somehow, now and again, occasionally, here and there, without notice, a left-handed one will appear in the coffee cup cabinet. The wife and Personal Director, claims that they change in the heat of the dish-washer. Well, it’s a very mysterious explanation but she could be right. Think about those socks that disappear in the clothes dryer. There is something very mysterious about that too. Left-handed cups are not very useful. Excepting of course for that strange breed of left-handed people who claim they actually prefer left-handed cups. But they are a fringe minority. A normal right-handed person just can’t drink coffee from a left-handed cup. You could suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome or at the very least a sprained wrist, not to mention the scalding from the spilled hot coffee. So many coffee cups end up sleeping on dusty charity shop shelves, in abandoned basements and rental storage sheds. One can submit left-handed coffee cups to the home for helplessly left-handed head cases. Everyone knows they could be right-handed if they wanted. Some misguided cups have been reprogrammed out of the silly left-hand notion. Some of these poor cups have been abused as youngsters. They were forced to serve things not suited for their personality such as cocoa and/or bath-tub gin. They were too young to realize it was sinkful, sick and wrong. Others, well, others have just succumbed to peer pressure. “Just try it for a while,” the others say. And sure enough they wake up some morning with unexplained stains, sitting left-handed at the back of the cabinet. They never see the light of day in the breakfast nook again. Some end up full of pencils on an office desk in a cubicle far, far away. Fortunately, some believe with faith and persistence they can be reprogrammed to be healthy and useful members of our kitchenware. It is not the way Frankhoma intended, and so it is written in the Pottery Barn Catalogue, chapter 112, verse 4. Nor is it accepted in other beliefs such as Corning or Melmac. No. That’s silly. Everyone knows it’s a right-wing conspiracy to make everyone buy more coffee cups.

Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until THIS stops.

Toot Toot...

Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until this mess is cleaned up.

You can’t be classified as a “clean-freak” if you have more than two toot-toot’s in your bathroom waste basket. Oh. Okay. For those of you not thoroughly indoctrinated with the subtleties in the vernacular of the two-year old, here is a bit of clarification. Toot-Toot (tut-tut) Function: noun Definition: 1. Musical instrument 2. The cardboard cylinder center of a toilet paper roll. 3. Two short blasts (as on a horn or toot-toot); also : two sounds resembling such a blast Instructions: Find the box of interesting things sitting in the corner of the bathroom. (That’s the room with the big shiny white chair.) Dump that box of interesting things onto the floor. Sort. Scavenge one of those little grey tube things. Place one open end to your lips, say: “Toot, toot,” while marching around the house as in a parade. Repeat as needed to get attention or until mommy gets the camera. Quit.

The Story Behind the Photograph - The Butterfat Gang

Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until this mess is cleaned up.

This is the last known photograph of the notorious Butterfat Gang of Seven who terrorized the dairy industry in the mid 1930’s. Harlan Underln, standing, center, led the gang in raids on milk trucks and neighborhood Rubber Baby Buggy Ice Cream wagons throughout Iowa and County Cork The Butterfat Gang of Seven, (actually there were five or so members, but none of them could count) all descended in some way from lineage of the infamous robber, Dennis Moore of the 17th century in England. Highwayman Moore was noted for lupin(e)s and doing something completely different. The method of the Butterfat Gang was simple. They would stand in the road and stop dairy delivery trucks. Eight or nine of the gang members would circle the truck and stand lookout. Three or four other members would then insist the driver sell them what ever stock was carried on the truck. The driver would then be obligated to return to the dairy and restock for the morning deliveries. This certainly confounded dairy owners not to mention the trauma experienced by many cows. Their last caper was said to be the carefully planned robbery of the 2:40 AM milk train. It went awry when most of the gang members overslept. No one knows how many actually showed up as none of them could actually count. The engineer refused to stop the train anyway. Throughout their reign of confusion, none of the gang was ever caught. Actually no one ever looked for them either. They all lived well into their fifties and died overweight Heppel Whitsig, (seated, with cigar) invented the combination creel and picnic basket and went on to a successful retirement in poverty. He never married. His twin brother, Wimpole, (also seated but no cigar) was either the youngest or the oldest in the gang, depending on which account of his birth was accurate. His mother could not seem to recall the event. Fred (too tall) Herringbun was not on the Titanic when it tragically struck an iceberg. He married young and his wife dressed him funny. Gable Snoot, seventh from left in this picture, worked briefly as a store window model for suspenders (or braces). He was spotted there by a Hollywood movie director who went into hiding and was never seen again. The rest of the gang is pretty much unknown but perhaps someone will recognize a relative or a neighbor here. These events rarely get a notation in history books although some say the gang activities accelerated the research leading to the invention of the milking machine.

The Koala saga

Yes, I refuse to use Kleenex until this mess is cleaned up.

Now, this gets a bit ridiculous here but it’s something that has been nagging to get organized for a long time. Too long. You know how chewing gum gets after a few years under the table. Residing at a certain zoo (which shall remain nameless for reasons that will become obvious) are several koalas, a sleepy looking marsupial native to eastern Australia. They are looked after by a kind and watchful staff and by all appearances are quite happy about their captivity. The personnel assigned to koala care have given the loveable little animals all pet names. The two original koalas at the zoo were Cookie and Archie. Then there was Cheri and Dwight and Pepe. At a zoo New Year’s party, two more were named Spike and Roman. There are two new acquisitions one from Europe and one from Africa: Virgil and Afro. In recent years there was also a new birth but that one was quickly taken by another zoo. Its name was to be Owen or Open, or something like that. And that’s it.