Category: True Stories

Happy New Year, Peeps!

Another year’s gone down the toilet, and I’m happy to flush it. Too many things happened and too many things didn’t, but at least we have a lot to be thankful for, like the .gif I stole from here.

As for you folks who visited and linked to Tacky Raccoons, we are thankful for your rapt attention during the past year. We know who you are and where you live. You’re good peeps.

To you commenters who occasionally remind us that we’re not the only ones in the kitchen, here’s a tip ‘o the ‘ol tarboosh:

1389AD, alex c., AmyOops, Angel, anon, Anonymous, Basement Cat, Bill, Bounce Houses, brcmongooseMongoose, Brian, Brian In Florida, Bunkessa, C Monster, Calo, Captain Obvious, Caryl, Chiqui, chicquero, cmblake6, dalparadise, Dan, danielledevalera, davelogdotcom, deena, DF’s Puddy Tat, Dillon, doriangrey1, Feng, foxylady, G Eagle Esq, gingerfightback, Hala Ajam, harmonysweetpea, Heart, hihihihih, insipid life of mine, JB Maddawg, Jane, Jen, John, John M., Jonco, kdub, Kitty, LC Aggie Sith, Lemur King, Leeuna Foster, Lisa, The Literary Horse, Macker, Mark, Maxim, MILESTONE MAN, Mr. Caps, mrmacs, Mr.PaulRevere, The Necromancer, Number Six, nursemyra, Ollie, Paula Tripordie, Pete56, phil cordery, PISSED, planetross, raincoaster, Rob Cypher, RobinKatie, RoboMonkey, Rose [1], Rose [2], Soylent Green, sparrow1969, stan, Stefan, Tattoo Jim, Teresa in Fort Worth TX, thebigbookofdating, The FonZ, Tony McGurk, VE, The Watcher, Wheels, Ziffy, & Zoe.

Happy New Year, folks. Wish you the best. — Bunk

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

London Olympic Stadium holds 80,000 people. This blog was viewed about 270,000 times in 2011. If it were competing at London Olympic Stadium, it would take about 3 sold-out events for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

22 December 1918 Ville-sur-Cousances, France: Two letters from “Soldier Bill”

22 December 1918

Dear Mom and Dad:

Well nothing much new. Everything is about the same. Am feeling O.K. and in good health. There is really nothing worth while to relate for this place is dead as the deuce.

We have organized a Jazz band and I am playing the ukulele. Have played in several concerts and are figuring on a big one for Xmas.  The music we have is sure old but it is the latest that we have. Yaka Hula, etc.

You wrote a letter saying that you was going to make the sweater, etc. Well, I got the sweater, etc. about a week before I got the letter.

Well, this will be all for the present.

So long,

Bill

22 December 1918

Dear Mom and Dad:

Well, there is absolutely nothing new or startling but I feel like writing. Altho I wrote to you yesterday. Read a letter from you this evening and it had the Kodak pictures in it. Was glad to get them, too. I can’t think of anything to write so I am going to take one day out of my diary and give it to you in detail.

Here it is —– Sept. 26

We are in a camp near Auzeville and the big drive is to start. In fact the one that finished the “Boches”. Then the morning of the 26th dawned but dawn was preceded by a terrific barrage which was as loud as thunder and lighted up the whole skyline for miles. We were not flying ours but were held in reserve.  Hundreds of “planes” were now flying over head. One bunch had over 150 in it.  Along about 8 a.m., along comes a boche plane and he burned three of the balloons all observers landed safe but one and his parachute burned and he fell to his death.  A fellow by the name of Barnett and I started out to see the fun.  Put our guns on and started for the front line trenches which were about 5 miles north.  After a short while we hit the trenches but of course our boys had advanced and were chasing the boche for a fare you well.  We hit several mine craters where the boche had mined the roads but already our engineers had started to budge them.  After another hour’s walk and dodging a few pieces of shrapnel we hit the town of Varennes and were keen for souvenirs.  The boche were still in one side of the Varennes and we were in the other.  Machine guns were crackling with a steady roar and long streams of ambulances carrying away the wounded.  Dead Boche were laying every where.  The roads were filled with them.  Long about then a Boche 77 took my ….. but never touched us. Then we started going through the dugouts and it was there that I got the general’s helmet.  Also was almost lucky enough to capture a Jerry but a doughboy beat me to it.  He was hiding in a dug out.  Looked like he wan’t as old as “Bugs” and he was scared almost to death.  After monkeying around a while we hopped an ambulance and rode back toward Auzeville.  So that finished the day’s fun.  But you ought to have seen the dead Huns.  Some had legs blown off.  Some had their heads and shoulders off and some were in pieces only.  A great many had been burned by mustard gas and were burned to a crisp.

Well, I guess I’ll have to “fini” as it is getting late. Hope I get the Xmas box soon.

Bill

Amish Winter

[Image clipped and edited from newsvideo found here. Update here.]

Surf’s Up – Way Up

A series of huge breaking wave-shaped clouds lined the horizon in Birmingham, Alabama 16 December 2011. [Found here via here.]

Portable Camera

That’s Herman “Germany” Schaefer. He stole first base in 1911. [Found here.]

Chinese Woody

Communism doesn’t encourage creativity.
It forces it.

[via email – h/t 1389AD]

#OCCUPOOPAGE


The original 25 images came from a google search for “butthead,” which is my honest opinion of the OccuPoopage. What a waste of, um, you know, ah, nevermind.

(Copy and paste everywhere and anywhere you see fit.)

Ross Eugene Long’s Contribution to The World

On 26 March 2002 awesome happened. Ross Eugene Long III of Oakland California was awarded U.S. Patent 6360393. He invented the stick.

Abstract: An apparatus for use as a toy by an animal, for example a dog, to either fetch carry or chew includes a main section with at least one protrusion extending therefrom that resembles a branch in appearance. The toy is formed of any of a number of materials including rubber, plastic, or wood including wood composites and is solid. It is either rigid or flexible. A flavoring (scent) is added, if desired. The toy is adapted to float by including a material therein that is lighter than water or it is adapted to glow in the dark, as desired, by the addition of a fluorescent material that is either included in the material from which the toy is made or the flourescent material is applied thereto as a coating. The toy may be segmented (i.e., notched) so as to break off into smaller segments, as is useful for smaller animals or, alternatively, to extend the life of the toy. Various textured surfaces including camouflage colorings are anticipated as are straight or curved main sections. The toy may be formed of any desired material, as described, so as to be edible by the animal.

Not only did Eugene Long III invent the stick, he attached 20 claims to it based upon different materials and options that might be used to manufacture it. Pure brilliance, that.
[Full text of Patent here. Story discovered here. Additional info on the history of the Patent here. More awesome Contributions to The World here.]

Thanksgiving 1621

Only two descriptions of the Thanksgiving of 1621 are known to exist. (Image of reconstructed settlement from here, quotes below are from here.)

“Our harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours ; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninetie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour, and upon the Captaine and others.  And although it be not always so plentifull, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so farre from want,  that we often wish you partakers of our plentie.”

Edward Winslow, Mourt’s Relation.
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“They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health & strenght, and had all things in good plenty; fFor as some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no want.  And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees).  And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many, besids venison, &c. Besids, they had about a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean corn to yt proportion.  Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their freinds in England, which were not fained,  but true reports.”

William Bradford, Of Plimoth Plantation.

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In Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford lists the Mayflower passengers and also tells us who died during the first winter of 1620/1621 and spring of 1621.  No other ships arrived in Plymouth until after the “First Thanksgiving” celebration.  The [53] Pilgrims at the “First Thanksgiving” are all the Mayflower survivors.