respublica

Fur what it's worth

This is new to me, but then I've never had a fur coat or even wanted one or could afford one. But the newest rage in fur is coyote fur. "Coyote fur pelts are in big demand to provide the lush, silvery or tawny-tinged arcs of fur on the hoods on Canada Goose coats and their many global imitators. A good western coyote, prized for its silky, light-colored fur, can fetch more than $100. The top price at a recent Colorado auction hit $170, a 40 percent increase from four years ago."

The St. Louis area has it share of coyotes and this might appeal to trappers and subdivision neighborhoods. We probably have the wrong kind, though, and we have more than our share of "save all wildlife" residents who wouldn't look kindly on trapping them.  It is scary, though to know we have coyotes roaming our streets at night and in the early morning. So there's that...

"Fur experts say the uptick in coyote demand began with Canada Goose parkas, with their distinctive Arctic Circle patch, a brand that went big in 2013 when model Kate Upton famously wore one over her bikini on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit Issue. Over the years, more celebrities and their fashion-conscious followers began donning the parkas, which now can retail for more than $1,000 each."

It's a bull market for coyote fur right now with no sign of a let-up.

More ice, more accidents

How many winter messes will we have to endure this year? Woke up this morning with yet another icy glaze covering sidewalks and streets. The local news is all about the many many accidents on St. Louis interstates. There are even areas where they've closed portions of the highways totally. What bugs me is this was forecast yesterday and especially last night. Here is a link to KMOV's prediction last night. The other stations did the same and yet St. Louis interstates are so bad they've made another morning rush a nightmare.

So here comes MoDOT spokesman Bob Becker holding a press conference and lecturing us on what we already know. He did this a couple of Sundays ago when we had a bad ice storm and accidents were everywhere. He's done it for each winter event we've had, after the weather hit. But if news channels as well as us, know it was coming, what was MoDOT doing?

FOX2 in St. Louis has reporters out on the interstate overpasses giving traffic reports. In Missouri it's all about accidents and slippery surfaces. In the Metro East, the reporter had no accidents to report for drivers on their way into Missouri. "Be aware of the possibility of slick spots" he said, but traffic was moving fine all across the Metro East.

So what is the difference? Again, it just has to be how each of the state DOT's treat the roads and when. Illinois is just so much better at getting ahead of these things than Missouri. It's maddening that MoDOT can't do what IDOT does. Mr. Becker! Go over to IDOT headquarters and find out how they do things to get ahead of things.

Unbelieveable close call

Last Saturday's high winds wreaked havoc in lots of places, but nothing is as miraculous or unreal than what the wind did to this St. Louis area couple.

A decorative ceiling beam fell in their bedroom and landed right in the middle of the bed. Other than some scrapes and bruises, they were not hurt.

 

Clean up begins

The tree company rolled in yesterday afternoon to begin the clean up. They came with chain saws, chipper, and a couple of other machines which were new to me.

There is a ways to go, but we can now use the side door and the driveway.

A ladder adds to its total

Mattresses 24

Ladders 16

Whole lot of mattresses going on

Friday was a big day for mattresses falling onto the local roadways. I have no idea what is going on with mattress moving these days, but it is what it is. One near Troy Illinois already today.

Mattresses 24

Ladders 14

Tree fall

Sunday morning as I was coming down the stairs to get ready for church, Dale stopped me and told me "We won't be going to church today." My first reaction was, "What?!" Did it ice up or snow during the night? But no. A huge evergreen tree in our neighbor's yard fell during the night's strong winds, crashed down the fence and landed on our cars. We could barely see the cars there was so much tree on them. We waited until it was a little later to call some seminary staff who would have some idea of what to do. Ray, our head of environmental services drove over, looked it over in some variation of awe, and then conferred with Gayle, our landscape director. They decide the first order of business was to get some of the brush off the cars and the back part of the driveway so that Dale's car could be towed to a repair shop today. His car took the brunt of the hit, the windshield is smashed as well as front hood damage. We also had a couple of house windows broken.

Gayle got in touch with some of her sem students who work for her part time on grounds and after lunch 3 of them showed up with the tools necessary to free up some of the mess. They did some excellent, efficient, and hard work for a good part of the afternoon. This morning Dale's car will be put on a flatbed and taken to a dealer to be repaired. My truck has exterior damage, scratches, dents, and the tarp which covers the back bed has a big hole. We'll worry about that vehicle later.

Our tree mess became quite a tourist stop yesterday for the many local people out taking walks. But, again, it was such a blessing to have those students willing to give up their Sunday afternoon to do a hard day's work. Today a tree company is coming to take apart the enormous truck and other limbs.

As an update, the car is now off to be repaired.

As you can see, this area is still a sight seeing stop for neighbors.

What makes a word a bad word

Someone commented on my post about the overuse of the F word in everyday conversation. He asked, What makes a word a bad word?

Well. For instance, What makes the word grass mean grass? It's the definition of the word. When it comes to the F word what is the traditional definition and how has it long been used? It has been a vulgar insult. It's a historically crass word with an insulting sexual connotation often used in anger. I don't know the history of the word and am not about to Google it, but I'd bet the longtime use of the word was between men as a way of insulting the other's manhood.

Now it's everywhere and used in every situation.

Things chefs never tell you

If you plan on going out to eat this weekend, maybe you won't want to read this, but maybe you should. The Food Network did a survey of chefs from across the country asking them what they know about restaurant food and behavior that they never tell you. I was considering going out to eat tonight.

Here are a couple answers, the rest are at the link.

Your breadbasket may be recycled, meaning uneaten bread from former customers' breadbasket may end up on your table.

Chefs hate picky eaters.

Don't order fish on Sundays they won't be fresh

Tip 20 percent but it's also fair to penalize bad waiters with a smaller tip

Roaches are more common than you think

Chefs work when they're sick

60 percent of chefs want their own cooking show.

The cutest mailbox ever

The Golden Ratio 4 couple, they have 5 Golden Retrievers, recently bought a second home in the Florida Keys and this week added a new mailbox which is so darn cute. A Manatee!  Or Mailatee!

If you haven't paid attention to the Golden Ratio 4 stories and videos on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, you are missing the best thing online.