Portable, Go-Anywhere High Chair

So happy to be carrying these fabulous high chairs.  Lightweight, no assembly required, sturdy.  Each comes with its own matching carrying bag.

Kudzu Keepsakes has these in stock in our two physical locations.  We also take orders on line for the solid colors, camo, and collegiate styles.  

Ideal for grandparents, traveling families, active families, or at home.  

Find us on Facebook: PortableHighChairCarolina.

Again and Again

  

          It’s happened again.

            And again and again.

            I think it’s called confusion. Or not paying attention. Or perhaps just plain old getting older.

            Once again, I confused the tube of toothpaste and the tube of Preparation H. No, I won’t admit which way this happened.

            The frequency of such situations is increasing.  I walk around the house looking for my keys, only to realize after a frantic search that they are in my hand. 

            This happens with my glasses as well.  I move papers, books, pots, pans, towels sheets and more, then find the glasses on top of my head or in a pocket. 

            And the cell phone?  Oh, my goodness.  I believe it has feet and just walks away to trick me.  We have a home phone, i.e. land line, primarily for use as a fax, but I believe it has been used more often as a locator when I have to call my cell phone just to find it.

            Oh, and then it gets worse.  Later, I look at the cell phone and see that I have a missed call.  I check for a missed call, just to find it was my own call from the home phone! 

            And, by the way, I can tell you this: toothpaste seems to have certain healing properties!

Lucrative Laundry Day

I hit the jackpot!  It was a lucrative laundry day. 

            Have you ever had one of those?

            Let me back up a moment.  The Duppster doesn’t believe in wearing anything twice between washings. Not jeans, not khakis, nothing.  That adds up to a whole lot of laundry.  And since Dupp is a rather large man – size 3X shirts – it doesn’t take many items of clothing to fill up the washing machine.

            Anyway, the good side of this situation is that Dupp frequently forgets to take loose change (and other things) out of his pockets before tossing clothing into the hamper.  Maybe I should check pockets before putting a load of clothes in the washer but I don’t.

            So, I figured whatever money comes out in the laundry goes into my wallet.  Now, mind you, I don’t stick my hands into the pockets to pull out money but just keep whatever comes out naturally.  “Naturally” means it falls out in the washer or dryer or after I shake the pants vigorously nine or ten times. 

            Sometimes, Dupp actually leaves bills, i.e. paper money, in his pockets. 

            No, I won’t get rich this way, but there’s usually enough to enjoy my chocolate candy.   Last week, I could have gotten a whole box of chocolates.

            What a lucrative laundry day!

Cookies, Chickens, Frogs & More

Sometimes I get a kick out of unusual observances and holidays. 

            This past Sunday was Mother’s Day, of course, and International Nurses Day, but also Limerick Day, National Nutty Fudge Day, National Doodle Day, Hug Your Cat Day and Odometer Day.

            Monday was Frog-Jumping Day; Tuesday was National Chicken Dance Day.  You DID dance in celebration, didn’t you?

 

           Among the observances on Wednesday were Straw Hat Day, Turn Beauty Inside Out Day, Nylon Stockings Day and one of my favorites, National Chocolate Chip Day.  It’s too hot to commemorate Nylon Stockings Day (for those of you who still wear such things) but it’s never too hot for chocolate chips. 

            And then there’s this: The Headless Chicken Day is always the third weekend in May.  (Yep, it’s called “day” even though it’s two days.) 

            According to the sponsoring organization’s web site, the event is based on a true story about a Wyandotte rooster named Mike.  On September 10, 1945,  Leon Olsen, a Fruita, Colorado, farmer, used an axe to make Mike headless so that the rooster would be his family’s dinner, but rooster Mike “continued trying to peck for food.” 

            The festival celebrates Mike’s example, noting that “you can continue to lead a normal life, even after you have lost your mind.”

            If those folks in Fruita ever make the festival a week-long affair, they can celebrate The Headless Chicken Day along with National Chicken Dance Day.  Quite an observance, wouldn’t you say?   

 

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"Special" Election Doesn't Quite Describe It!

Photo from The State newspaper

   


         This is gonna upset some of my Republican friends, but that’s certainly not the intent.

            It’s like this: for several years, I’ve been saying I’m tired of so much partisan politics and so much partisan bickering.  And I really, really am. 

            That’s the same thing I’ve heard loads of other folks fussing about also.  They’re tired of everything in Washington having to do with party lines.  They’re tired of partisanship in our state legislature.  They want what’s good for the people to be put before what’s good for one party or the other.

            But, have we looked at our own back doors or front doors or wherever we generally look?  Don’t we put party before consideration of individual candidates when we vote straight party tickets?

            And, now, here we are faced with a special election (May 7th) in our own first congressional district – a race pitting former Governor Mark Sanford (he of Appalachian Trail fame) against Elizabeth Colbert Busch, businesswoman and sister of comedian Stephen Colbert. 

            Guess what we’re hearing and reading now from people who are sick and tired of partisan politics?  Here are a few of the comments:

            “No, I don’t like Sanford, but he’s the Republican, so that’s how I’ll vote.”

            “Forget a third-party candidate or a write-in, because that would just hand the election to the woman instead of a Republican.” 

            “I didn’t want Sanford to be the Republican nominee; he’s a scoundrel but I just can’t vote for a Democrat.” 

            “Yeah, Sanford was wrong to leave the state, to lie about his whereabouts, to not leave anyone in charge.  Yes, he was wrong to violate a court order.  But he’s the Republican.”

            Those are just samplings.  In the last two weeks, people who used to talk about character, honesty, integrity and such, are listing reasons they don’t like Sanford.  They are not questioning Colbert Busch’s character and integrity --- yet, they’ll likely vote against honesty, character and integrity because of party loyalty. 

            What’s right for the country, what’s right for the citizens – these take precedence over what’s right for a particular political party. 

            Just callin’ it like I see it, folks.

Yawn, Yawn, Yawn

             Yawn.

            This is somewhat like a test: see if you can read these few paragraphs without yawning, okay?

            Just the other night, Mom, the Duppster and I were in the car, heading home from an event.  All three of us were yawning. 

            So, we started talking about why people yawn and why it seems that yawns are contagious. 

            According to Andrew C. Gallup, PhD, "Brains are like computers... They operate most efficiently when cool, and physical adaptations have evolved to allow maximum cooling of the brain."

            Gallup reports that the brain warms up as people get tired and sleepy, but it’s not really boredom or sleepiness that causes yawning; it’s the need to cool the brain. 

            We inhale air when we yawn; our eardrums stretch; cooler air gets to our sinuses, ears, brains and more.  Our lungs are stretched. 

            All of this, of course, is just Gallup’s theory, but his theory is based on scientific research.

            Haven’t we all heard that yawning is contagious?  Is it? 

            Yes, it is.  According to various studies by several scientists, yawning, which is involuntary, is a part of centuries or eons of socialization.  It’s a way of relating to other people and has come down through the generations.

            So, next time someone yawns, don’t think the person is bored.  He’s just socializing with you!

            Now, there are two questions: 1) Did you read this without yawning? and 2) Can you keep your eyes open – totally open – when you yawn?

It's Been 12 Years . . .

            Today marks 12 years since Dad died. 

           Just the other night, several of us were sharing some funny stories about Dad, and we laughed ‘til we had tears running down our faces.

            We talked about the old green Studebaker Dad used to drive.  Well, actually, it wasn’t just green.  Dad had used a spray gun not far from the car to paint something white.  While he worked on whatever that creation was, white paint splattered onto the Studebaker, changing it from solid green to green with white dots all over.  He left it that way.

            And the outside of the Studebaker was the better part of the car. 

            Once the door to the car opened, one could see an emptiness – of sorts.  Dad had removed the back seat from the car.  What this meant was that we children had to either stand in the back or sit on the floor when we rode in that car.  Yes, this was before seatbelts and other modern conveniences. 

            We also had an old Pontiac convertible.  Or perhaps it was an Oldsmobile.  I just remember it was from the late 50s or very early 60s; it was tan; and it was l-0-n-g, like most cars of that era.  There was an expanse of tan between the back seat and the trunk. 

            And it was in the trunk that Dad had placed the old back seat that came out of the green-and-white Studebaker.  Dad had removed the cover or top of the trunk from the long convertible and put the Studebaker’s old bench seat in that empty cavity.  When we rode in that green seat way back in the trunk area, it was like traveling in a separate vehicle; we were that far away from the driver!

            Yep, as Mom said the other night, Dad is still keeping us laughing 12 years after his death.