I'm dreaming of a...

 I bet you sang the rest of that title!

Have you ever tried to interpret your own dreams?  Sometimes I have the most bizarre, nonsensical dreams that if I made them into a movie, someone would say they are way too far-fetched to even classify as fantasy.

Do you ever have recurring dreams?  Growing up, I frequently had a dream about being chased in a forest by a bear.  That's probably a very common dream, or variation of a common theme.  But what does it mean? Was I afraid of something?  Why a bear?

Scientists are actually studying the brain during dreaming.  There is a great article from Time magazine that discusses research and theories about dreams.  Some believe it is a brain dump - our brain's way of getting rid of unnecessary information and committing the important details to long term memory. 

Others think it is an expression of our desires and wishes.  Still others think it has to do with problem solving.  Maybe it's all of the above.

Of course no one knows for certain why we dream of a flying monkey taking a swim in the lake with a talking seal.  But my dreams rarely fail to entertain!

And the opposite...

And last, but not least....

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Sunday Synopsis

 

Alice & Gerald: A Homicidal Love Story by Ron Franscell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First, let me say this was a well-written book. In that way, it was good. In looking at the events of the book, not so. Alice and Gerald are two of the most disgusting humans to walk the Earth.

From the beginning, the reader knows what happened to Virginia Udin and her two young sons, Richard and Reagan, ages 12 and 10 respectively. They were shot by Virginia's ex-husband and the father of the boys, Gerald. The reason why? Gerald and his current spouse, Alice, didn't want to have to pay child support. In fact, Alice resented Gerald's former family so much she refused to let Virginia step on her property to drop the boys off for a visit.

In addition to these 3 victims, Virginia's mother Claire was a victim. She lived out the rest of her life not knowing what happened to her daughter and grandsons and having a small hope that at least the boys would turn up.

Alice did not have a problem with Gerald's method of removing the problem. In fact, she had previously killed one of her husband's, maybe two of them. Her own children went to the police, but the police could never prove it. Just like with Gerald, the police knew, but they had no bodies, so scene, and no evidence.

What is so disgusting is that Alice and Gerald lived free and clear for the next forty years. Forty! Until a tenacious police officer finally found the body of Alice's poisoned, dead husband right where they knew he was going to be. This led to Gerald's confession of his crimes. But for 40 years, they lived free and clear, even moving out of state far from the long arm of the law.

Franscell does a masterful job of relating the details and ins and outs of this complicated story creating suspense in spite of knowing the eventual outcome. It was well worth the read.

View all my reviews

Fun Photos

 I just love flowers.. and trees, but today flowers.

Time to visit more photos at Image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

Happy Random Tuesday

Halloween is in a week.  Do you have anything planned?  I don't have young children and our grandchildren live out of town, so I have nothing going on Halloween night.  However, this Friday, the memory care facility my mom is in is having a Fall Fest with Trunk or Treat, games, prizes for kids, so I'm going to make sure Mom has candy to pass out, and I will probably do a simple decoration with the trunk and take a chair for her to sit in.  She will enjoy seeing the kids dressed in their costumes.  Do you have plans?

Did you know that trick-or-treating originated in Scotland and Ireland way back in the 16th century?  That blew my mind.  Here's an article on it if you're curious.

Moving right along...

And last but not least...

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Fun Photos

I took these photos of the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas (next to the Alamo) when we stayed there in 2019.  The Menger is supposed to be the most haunted hotel in San Antonio.  Luckily, if we ran into any of the ghosts during our stay, they were quiet. I do believe there is a ghost who lives in the bathroom near the bar, which is also said to have many spirits hanging around.  The bathroom definitely had a "presence."  Very creepy!  But nothing unusual happened in our room during our stay.

 

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Happy Random Nonsense

 

Hello!  Hope your week is going well!  I had a fabulous weekend!  I got to spend some one-on-one time with my son, and then my husband and I went to watch the final part of the Wings Over Houston Air Show.  The weather was incredible!  We've been so used to triple digit heat that 70-something felt a little chilly.  I took a bazillion photos, but, not having worn my glasses, most of them were unfocused.  The finale varies by year, and this year it was the US Air Force Thunderbirds.

The Thunderbirds are an elite air demonstration squadron based in Nevada. Their show consists of 6 F-16C Fighting Falcons and 2 F-16D Fighting Falcons.  These are single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircrafts.  I don't understand much about flying even though my dad was in the Air Force, then an air traffic controller, and my son-in-law is currently in the Air Force Reserve, but I do know this... It was impressive!  

Moving right along...

And here's a joke for you:

“My wife and I have decided never to talk again about my addiction to aviation puns.  It’s a soar subject.”

Hope you have a happy week!  Visit Stacy Uncorked/Random Tuesday Thoughts and Comedy Plus/Happy Tuesday for more fun!

Sunday Synopsis

 

Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been a long while since I read a Janet Evanovich book. I like this series, though. Obviously, since I've read 22 books in the series. I think there are 30.

Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, and her sidekick Lulu, engage in some fraternity hijinks on campus when a man who skipped his bail hearing disappears after being accused of assaulting the dean. Stephanie's paramour Morelli makes an appearance as does handsome, mysterious Ranger who conveys a whole range of emotions simply with the word, "Babe." Stephanie's mom, grandmother, and the funeral home, as well as an exploding car, are staples in the Plum series.

It's twisty, funny, and a little absurd. I enjoyed this book.

View all my reviews

Fun Photos!

 Pictures from The Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX

Home of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (college football)

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An emotional support WHAT?

We've all heard of emotional support animals, and we usually think of dogs, or maybe cats, but... there is a man in Pennsylvania who has an emotional support alligator!  Yep!  You read that right!

Joseph Henney  is a reptile rescuer.  I had no idea reptiles needed rescuing.  Back in 2015, Wally was "rescued" from a pond in Florida, and a friend of Henney's took the alligator to him.  All these years later, Henney not only still has Wally the Gator, but he is a registered support animal.  Henney even took him to the ballpark before a Phillies game last month.  I believe the only reason they didn't let him in was because the Phillies were already warming up for the game.

His owner says that six-feet-long Wally has never bitten anyone in his 8 years of living with Henney.  He won't eat live food, either. He prefers Cheetos and is not kept in a cage.  He gives hugs and smiles.  He's got a huge following on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.  I'm not exactly sure how to feel about this.

I saw a TikTok of Wally swimming in a backyard pool with a couple of little girls, and they were playing with him.  It seemed a little creepy and dangerous to me.  I learned in science class that the brain of a reptile cannot feel emotions and is only concerned with self-preservation needs such as hunger and thirst.  So, how can Wally the Gator be explained?  Beats me!

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

That' s all for today, but don't forget to visit Happy Tuesday and Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Have a great week!