Tuesday, October 14, 2025

The mysterious stone formations in South America


On the Bolivian shores of Lake Titicaca, near the ancient site of Puma Punku, lie mysterious stone formations carved with extraordinary precision. Dating back over 1,000 years and linked to the Tiwanaku civilization (500–1000 CE), these stones rest nearly 3,800 meters above sea level, amid one of the world’s most enigmatic archaeological regions. 

Their sharp angles, perfect grooves, and interlocking shapes suggest an advanced level of stoneworking that seems far ahead of its time. Scholars still debate their purpose whether they were parts of temples, ceremonial platforms, or unfinished constructions abandoned mid-creation. Time and erosion have softened their edges, but not their mystery. Standing silent by the lake, these stones seem to whisper of forgotten knowledge of a civilization that carved permanence into stone, only to be reclaimed by the winds of the Andes.

Sunday, October 12, 2025

My name was Oreo, and I am also a children's book

 After only eight years with me, a very sweet, funny, and special boy cat has left me and his brother and sister cats here, and we will miss him so much. No replacing him, either: he was the most gentle cat I have ever seen, and so willing to adapt to changes in homes that happened to us.

My thought is that if you have a special dog or cat: if you need something to do or just feel the creative urge, write stories about your pet. Include pictures. And then you can publish it for some little boy or girl to use to learn to read. And you and the memory of your pet will grow in the hearts of those children.

I wrote this a few years ago, but now it is all I have aside from my memories and pictures. But I also have the hope that some child will find this funny, just as I did as I watched it all happen. And the thoughts of my dear friend, Oreo, also called "The Flumps," will bring some happiness again. I miss him so much already.



 Hello! Let me tell you my name. I am The Flumps. I live with a person who feeds me.    He loves me a lot too. I agree: I am worth it.

My real name is “Oreo” like the cookie. I am three years old. I was a Christmas present for a young girl who lived with her grandmother and her service dog. But the person who feeds me and keeps me warm calls me “Flumps.”

That is what he says I do: I fall down and go “flump” on the bed or the rug when I am tired. It feels good, and then I sleep. 

(You need to read more about me in the book...)

Cooper Flagg tough move on LaMelo Ball for bucket and throws lob to Anth...

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Legendary Goalkeeper Goals

See here...look into my eyes....

 

Look into my eyes...
you are getting sleepy...
sleepy...a deep sleep is falling over you.
You have a burning desire
to leave comments about this blog.
You are delighted with the stories
you find here.
The material and ideas presented are unique and creative.
You are getting sleepy....
You want to call and write me for help on
that assignment that is hard to write...
You are becoming a better student....
You will obey me....

You don't say? You don't say--so here's a few words


Oh, so that's the deal, eh?  You've been so busy and entertained with the great ideas on this blog that you've written everything BUT a comment because you forgot the password.  That doesn't surprise me: you've even forgotten to write comments.  

Well, here's a reminder: it's not Mary, even if she does drink like a fish.

Oh. That reminds me--it's not sturgeon either, although you could become a sturgeon if you get good grades in college and get accepted to medical school.  You might actually learn something on this blog about college--or maybe even about grades.

You could do me the honor of a comment about how this blog is doing. No swordfish, please. Mary said so.  At least SHE cares--as soon as I find out the new password. 

--------------------------
With that introduction being done, it's time for the conclusion. 
Make a note: this is MY voice. Well, it's my fingers. That guy in the mortar-and-tassel hat borrowed them--and had me type this. It wasn't my idea--it was his. He just kept stirring around in my head and saying things like "I'll wait until one of us is good and ready. I've never been good. But I was always ready." I agree, Groucho.
---------------------------------------
"So--you're back again?  Well, there's a price to pay this time.
No, not that--you're thinking about tuition.  Well, it's time you use your tuition--or maybe your intuition--and drop me a line.  Or drop me a comment and a line.  Or just drop me altogether.  I'd drop you if I was holding  you in my arms--especially if you're one of the guys.  If you were one of the girls, I'd think twice.  If you were one of the guys, I wouldn't even think.  But that's neither here nor there.

"Speaking of here and there, I'm here and you're not--so wherever you are, how about letting me know what you think of this site? That is, if you can--think, that is.  Are you learning about the whys, ways, and means of the world?  How about the Ways and Means Committee--are they learning anything?  I meant the Congress.
 
"Even so:  be a fair sport and send me a comment.  I used to play sports:  I played the horses, but I quit because they beat me too many times. No matter how fast I ran, they were faster.  Send me some money if you have some:  I've heard all about student loans--and I could use a few dollars.  Open up and don't bother to knock, because you're in places with long syllables and a lot of vowels.  Send me a few syllables along with a few dollars if you're inclined.  And if you're in a decline, then I'll wait--you must be from somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere.  Everything is upside down, they say, from one hemisphere to the other.

"But don't wait:  the school year ends faster than you think.  They say it's going faster than ever, but you can't tell me that, especially when my students would say they needed more time to turn in their assignments.  At least they didn't turn on me.  Well, maybe they did:  they turned and ran.  But some of them ran toward me--I can't imagine why, because it wasn't for the money I had in my pockets.  Being a teacher, I was hoping they had some money in their pockets. They picked my pockets in graduate school.  And that's why I became a professor.  It's the only way to get an education.  And boy--have I learned a lot!  I may end up on a lot--with used cars.  And that's why you need an education:  to learn about getting used like a car.
  
"Trust me. You can learn a lot in a place like this from me. And maybe you'll learn about cars--or education. They go hand-in-hand. I took my girl's hand and led her to my car--and boy, did I get an education."
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(In fact, writing that was an education from the maestro himself; and let me tell you it sure was wild to find myself as a medium-in-writing-assistance mode with Groucho. Mark Twain and O. Henry have also borrowed me in similar ways, and of course, Oscar W. You might say I led a real Wilde time in a past life. And I'm completely Earnest about that.)