Category: Random issues

. . . already the 4th for many in the USA.

Item #1: Back when My parents would take us to Warren, PA for 4th of July activities.
Warren was a larger town than where we lived and there were many relatives and friends there.
We arrived in time for the parade. That was followed by bands performing at a high school field (I think). What we did in the interlude I don’t remember. I’ve a very selective memory about those years, and in general. Always the case.
But, as darkness came Warren produced a loud, colorful, and visual display of fireworks. I think, after the fireworks, we likely stayed with my Dad’s brother – Uncle John – before going home in the morning.

When Nancy and I moved to Iowa, we soon bought a fiberglass canoe and when university classes ended in the spring we started a circuit through the USA. The canoe went along.
In Pennsylvania we stayed with my parents and had Dad drop us off in Cook Forest State Park. We were on the Clarion River above where the reservoir backed-up to. Neither of us had been in a canoe much, and this one was a bit tippy. A few days later we went to a small pond of a friend to practice. Next we visited my brother’s family near a larger lake (about 70 acres) at Chapman Dam. I think one or more of us got wet there. Nephews, I think. Then from PA to Georgia.
The Chattahoochee River flows along the north and west edges (then) of Atlanta. We took the canoe there. All I remember is passing near
the air base at Marietta and having a very large plane pass low over us. We also went near Savannah and carried the canoe from Uncle Henry’s backyard to the Ogeechee River.
On the 4th of July we went to Stone Mountain, and had the canoe on the lake; thus explaining the photo above. We expected spectacular fireworks that evening. And there were. It didn’t last long.
A thunder and lightning storm passed over the area. A bolt or bolts ignited all or most of the fireworks on top of the mountain. In about 5 minutes the show was over, the storm also went on, and tranquility came to the park. Show over, folks. Go Home.
Later in the summer we ended our canoeing on Tanaya Lake in Yosemite National Park. That is a bit over 8,000 feet and while Oxygen is a bit scarce there, the wind isn’t. After a bit of exploring [looking at the scene(s)] and wanting to return to the launch area,
we couldn’t. We circumnavigated the lake where the wind was minimal.
Years later, when in Idaho, we sold the blue canoe to students and they carried it back to the upper mid-West.

Item #2: 13 become 1

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Item #1: Terms

About the word “ledger” or “ledger board”: the term given to the long board attached to the house in the photo. The term, as a noun, often implies a book (especially a large copy of a Church liturgical book, or breviary). Another use is for a stone that covers a grave completely. Search for images. I’m going for one about 10 feet long!
There is also “ledger bait” – who knew?
This is from fishing; it is a bait rigged so that the bait lies on the bottom below the sinker.
The common theme – going back to Dutch (legger) – is that the thing stays in one place, where you put it. Our 20 ft. ledger board is attached to strong structural parts of the house just above windows.
Because the shed roof over the car-park area is supposed to stay there, a ledger board is the solution.

Item #2: Seen

Each week there are different things to be seen on the Naneum Fan. “Mr. Nash” rose and Checkered White Butterfly
Milkweed on the right. Ours is called Showy milkweed ( Asclepias speciosa)

but others are more colorful, I think.
12 Natives

Item #3: Pink cotton

Pink and other colors.

Not too long ago we put white things in a wash with a red cotton shirt. That was a mistake. The pink T-shirt was a bummer, but the pink “briefs” were even more of a downer.
But I digress.
There is a story out of Australia regarding the creation of cotton plants that (might) produce colored cotton. In their way of spelling that is “coloured” cotton.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian federal government agency responsible for scientific research. It will be several months before the colourful plant tissue they have created grows into flowering cotton plants; only then will the scientists be absolutely certain of their success.
I’ll wait.
OZ cotton in colors

Item #4: Dust to go

Logo here is from the Kennewick, WA baseball club.

News this past 10 days has had stories of dust blowing off the Sahara Desert. This happens every few years so if you are over 30, it is old news.
Washington State has two interesting dust events as shown in the photos below.Right side photo is from: small Dust Devils

The rolling cloud of dust is from the web – source not known. The clouds of dust cause traffic accidents if they appear suddenly over 70 mph traffic. The small Dust Devils can grow into much larger ones and the sky will turn brown. Dust and wind on the ground is a nuisance but not usually a big issue. Soil heads into Idaho and Montana – that’s not good for Washington farmers.

Item #5: Did you know

On average, a Panda feeds for over 10 hours every day. A human adult follows a similar pattern at home under strict quarantine. Thus the name Pandemic.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Most of the news this week has been nasty!

Item #1: Flowers showing this week

Wild Buckwheat – – most of ours are under a foot tall

Mock Orange (left, bush 12 feet) and Lupine (1 to 2 feet)

Item #2: About cats and others

This photo looks a bit busy. The main thing relates to the future covered walkway. The 4 posts went up Thursday. I’m anticipating the pouring of concrete mid-to-late next week. There are numerous animals that could walk on the fresh concrete, so I am (a) building a temporary fence, and (b) a temporary ramp over a 2 ft. deep trench. Both of these are incomplete in this photo. However, the entrance ramp is usable. It is near right-center, next to the house.
Unfortunately, neither Annie (Brittany) nor Nancy (human) approve of the ramp. I’m adding sides.
Annie keeps trying other, previous, approaches to the house. She tries for 3 or 4 minutes and then will follow me up the slight incline.
Meanwhile the cats adjusted almost immediately.
May be that this is age related. Nancy and Annie are the elders of the household.

Item #3: Hard way to start a day

#1.: A man and his grandson fell from the sky, caught by the trees, then fell to the ground after unbuckling.
The 70 year old was looking for his glasses and the grandson was looking for his phone – under the plane.
An on-looker suggested they might want to move just a little.
All’s well – – in Australia

#2.: While using a laptop computer in her backyard, a woman falls asleep.
A Black bear approaches, claws and bites her. She pounds on the bear with the laptop, and after a bit the encounter ends. A good use for a laptop.
The web link to this story includes a picture of hands using a laptop, but inside a building. The photo of the bear is out in the wilds, not a backyard, and not a Black bear. Looks like a Grizzly, to me.
The story is under a “lifestyle” heading. I’d have gone with “other.”

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Item #1: Fun idea

David Zinn does chalk art that washes away in the rain.
sidewalk and other art

He seems to have fun doing street art and folks have a good time too.
I have a different idea from the drawing on the wood, as shown above.
Our changes to house and grounds will include aninclined covered walkway, sized for wheelchair use. The covering will match the roof of the house and shaped as in the small illustration to the right. So far we only have four holes with concrete “footers” so there is no picture. The front overhang will only be 2 feet and the 2 front poles will have cars approaching them. The roof will go back 20 feet and attach to the house.
The question is how to protect the wood poles and the beams to the house from an inattentive driver?
I’ve considered large rocks set a bit in front. However, the only large rocks locally are Basalt Columns (look it up), and they are ubiquitous in EBRG area landscaping. Who wants common, like that.
Either here at home or locally, I can get butt ends of large trees; Cottonwood or Pine. I have lots of time to think about alternative visual effects. Don’t know if I can paint an animal on one. I could hollow one out and make a planter. Still thinking.

Item #2: “A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y and W”

What’s wrong with the four things below?

raff-riff; hop-hip; tock-tick; knack-knick

Why do you want to see or hear
riff-raff; hip-hop; tick-tock; knick-knack ????

. . . and the answer is: ablaut reduplication

a short video

And the word “ablaut” means – –
A vowel change, characteristic of Indo-European languages, that accompanies a change in grammatical function; for example, i, a, u in sing, sang, sung.
from German Ablaut, literally “off-sound”
There’s more, but you can search it up.
I had nothing better to do on a cold morning.

Item #3: whizzing in the wild Panic2020 has caused New York City to close all the options that have offered places to pee to those in need. Peeing in public isn’t even a crime anymore. In 2017, NYC introduced the Criminal Justice Reform Act, which decriminalized low-level offenses.
Thus, Kristen Fleming, of the NY Post, reports that “more people than ever are contributing to NYC’s No. 1 problem by whizzing in the wild.”
We, in fact, live in what authorities call a wildland interface. Tuesday we had a Black Bear visiting. Nancy will have a photo on Sunday.
My question is: If one pees on a NYC street is it appropriate to describe this as “whizzing in the wild?”

The Big Toilet

{In the photo used here someone or something is very likely whizzing. I’ll let any readers search the web for photos of action in NYC.}

Item #4: Now blooming

Item #5: Rocks

Four holes dug for posts and two holes dug for short walls yield rocks and dirt in abundance. Concrete to build on partially fills the holes. There are excess rocks.
Long ago I started a loading dock such that a pickup bed height matches the structure faced with railroad cross ties. The volume behind the RR ties will be filled with rocks.
I’ve loaded rocks into buckets, and buckets into the Chevy truck.
Then, backing up to the ‘dock’, I pour the rocks into their destination.
The previous two days each, I’ve done about 8 buckets (50 pounds of rocks, about, per 2/3rds of a 5 gallon pail).
Other tasks intervened, but towards the end today I had 18 buckets of rocks ready for their short ride.
The remaining rocks and dirt around the holes still looks like too much. Another 8 or so buckets are in my future.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Item #1: Closing the book

Mose Triplett enlisted in the 53rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment in May 1862. He fell ill as his regiment marched north toward Gettysburg, and he remained behind in a Virginia military hospital.

He ran away from the hospital, records show, while his unit suffered devastating losses at Gettysburg. Of the 800 men in the 26th North Carolina, 734 were killed, wounded or captured in the battle Pvt. Triplett missed. He left the hospital, found a unit of the Northern Army, and fought for the other side – thus entering the books of the winning side – earning benefits for his offspring from the US of A.

But enough of Mose.
His late-in-life daughter, Irene, was the last child of a Civil War soldier to receive benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Each month she would receive $73.13 from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
No longer. She died last Sunday, age 90. RIP

The Wall Street Journal carried this story and had a previous one in 2014. The WSJ requires a subscription. Other sites may have similar histories of Irene and her family. Here is the link to the 2014 article, Civil War & the Tripletts

Item #2: Needs a caption

This photo appeared on the web (source unknown). Is the squirrel cold, annoyed, or waiting for a turn at the feeder?
Our local residents are the Douglas Squirrel. They eat the seeds of pine cones and we are just at the edge of their habitat. On the map at this site ( Link) Kittitas County is near the center of the State, and only the western half, the mountain part, is colored green. We know they eat black oil sunflower seeds and the walnuts.
Ours always seem to be moving or eating. Or making noise.

Item #3: Rainbow Colors

Above are 3 of our Iris that started blooming this week. Because they get tall, our Kittitas Valley wind can cause disarray in the flower bed. The lack of rain means I have to water them.
The name – Iris – appears to come from a Greek Goddess, and words such as “iridescent” derive from this word for rainbow. If you want more of Greek Mythology, here is a Link.
If you do a search with just the word “iris” using the images tab you will see lots of flowers. Search using “Greek Goddess Iris” to see artistic visions of the Goddess. Note that some have her carrying a pitcher, but whether for water or other liquid I could not find a good answer.

Item #4: Light at the end of the tunnel

Our garage did not have insulation above the ceiling, but such is required for living space. The contractor included this in his bid, but I wanted the rest of the house insulation rejuvenated or replaced. A representative from an insulation company from Yakima came for a visit on Monday, and wanted to schedule us for next Tuesday.
When we had new shingles put on the roof a few years ago, we installed 3 skylights. We did not do the cuts in the ceiling and the shafts. So the issue is to get all 3 shafts boxed in and through the ceiling so the insulation can be placed, without a future disturbance. Two of the three are almost done – early photo above.
But here’s the rub: While it was great to see the light coming into the room, we likely won’t see the light of the full Moon. Full cloud cover tonight, Friday. Bummer. Monday will be our best view with about 94% of the Moon illuminated.
The shafts are finished with naturally light-colored Knotty Pine that appears to give the incoming light a soft glow. More experience needed.

Item #5: Puns

We were sent a long list of puns; here are a few:

1. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

2. A fellow in a kayak was chilly, so he lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too.

3. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, ‘I’ve lost my electron.’ The other says ‘Are you sure?’ The first replies, ‘Yes, I’m positive.’

4. The fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.

And I’ll add this one:
What do the Irish call a fake diamond ring? A shamrock.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Goes with Item #2.

Item #1: What’s that?

In the driveway gravel I noticed something strange. It looked like a large squashed insect. Left image, below.The right side image provides an explanation. I’ve got two White Spruce by the driveway. [Picea gauca] They produce lots of cones but I seldom see the new growth. I’ve trimmed the lower limbs up to about 10 feet, so far. New cones are 25 feet up. These are hardy trees native to Canada and Alaska. I have to provide water, and they grow well.
Our winds off the Cascades beats things up, including trees. Last week we had gusts of over 50 miles per hour. A few of the new cones came loose and then got flattened in the driveway. The purple color seems to be common for the new cones of trees. They are very exposed to intense sunlight, so maybe the pigment (anthocyanin) helps them – and many other plants, also.

Also, of interest this week:The male pollen bearing flowers of the Lodgepole pine are golden in the morning sun. The frost in early May killed the first growth of the Carpathian walnuts – black on the right side image. During the 3 weeks since then there is new growth, almost translucent and very pretty.

Item #2: The hygiene hypothesis

Regarding immunity to things:
As this site ( Link) explains, some disagree with the name of this because it is not about an adult’s personal hygiene.
This is a topic being discussed during Panic2020;
. . . and I just like the photo.

The more geeky might need something else to worry about – try this site:
The year 2038 problem, or Y2038.
If you are old (>35?) enough, you might remember the Y2000 computer issue. Link here: Y2K.
I’ll pass on worrying about Y2038.

Item #3: Friday – hott!
About 9 AM on the left, 6 PM on the right. We are near the center, a few miles west (left) of the blue line.

The day was clear sky and intense sun. Here at home we almost reached 90°F., at mid-afternoon. South of us 100 miles, the airport at Pasco did get to 95. About 4 o’clock the high sky started to get a few clouds and in the last 2 hours the temp has dropped 5 degrees. Air is moving in from the Pacific Ocean with lots of moisture – and stormy weather is expected from Midnight until Sunday Noon. Thunder!
Sunday high temp is expected to be 25° lower than today.
We’ll see.

Item #4: Puzzled?

Do the puzzle without reading all the clues.
I saw this along side a photo of Joe Biden writing in a folder of some sort. That is unfair insofar as most politicians are clueless.
{If you are a politician – that’s a joke.}

Item #5: The air is full of

White fluff from Black Cottonwood trees [black or western cottonwood (P. trichocarpa)]. From the house, going out the driveway, the area is devoid of these trees. About 2/3 of the way to Naneum Road the grass along the sides catches the blowing fluff and holds it. Like a winter snow.

What good are they?
The trees are used much by birds and other animals. The tuft of cottony hairs aid in seed dispersal, and are from female trees only. I should cut those down, but neighbors have them also.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Item #1: Choices

There was a tank of wine ready for bottling at White Heron. The grape is “Amigne” – rare even in Switzerland, its country of origin. The wine is pale yellow.
Cameron decide to enlist the pruning crew rather than the bottling gang. So 3 that might normally come didn’t. One that usually doesn’t help bottle did. The 5 pruners worked together earlier, for weeks. None of us interact much with a general population. The wine outlet at Pike’s Place in Seattle is closed so Cameron is not out in that strange and busy environment. Work flow is better with two more, but we managed.
Cameron is not usually “on the line”, but floats about taking care of issues, such as adding corks to the overhead bin or making sure the filter is doing its job. He is also in charge of the music.
The little machine that puts the labels on decided to be temperamental.On this bottle, on the right side, there is overlap of the White Heron wing-art. On the left side, the information label is on top of the artistic label.
We produced two of these before the error was detected. We shut things down until Cameron could fix the problem.
I chose to take these 2 bottles as part of my compensation. I like the idea of having a unique bottle, and usually save them to take to a dinner at someone’s home. All the bottles – or almost all – have a black cap of heat-shrink material. I also like that idea and look.
For another of the crew, we pull bottles that have neither labels or the cap. He likes to write the vintage year and name on the cork. Others prefer the proper presentation – a well dressed bottle.
If you had a choice, what would you choose?

Item #2: “Staying Alive” parody

I’m tired of Panic2020, but this YouTube video is well done.

“Stayin’ Inside”

About the original: “Stayin’ Alive” is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was released on 13 December 1977. [Wiki]

Item #3: Choose to stay inside

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Item #1: Getting behind

I’ve been busy directing traffic and giving advice to professionals. {smiley face} I used the image of a backhoe because our cattle raising neighbor (4 miles) showed up this week to begin his part of completing my vision of the new approach to our front door.
The construction crew worked hard until Thursday noon, then paused, (moving to another project) and the electrician started. Monday – back to the building activities. Then more inside sheet rock, insulation, painting, and a tile floor. Not real soon.
Siding is yet to come, but some preparation has been done. I’ve removed the ‘battens’ or ‘bats’– the thin strips in the photo. [The origin of the word seems to be from ship-talk – comes from the noun batten, which denotes, among other things, an iron bar used to secure the covering of a hatchway on a ship.
I’m doing the regular chores, mowing some grass, spaying week killer, and in spare moments watching the delicate wild flowers emerge.

Item #2: New flower

Image here is from the web. These are a bit more colorful than I saw today – and didn’t have a camera with me, only a dog and a cat for a morning stroll.
The scientific name is Phacelia linearis (Pursh) Holz. . I haven’t found a local name, but flower guide books call it Threadleaf phacelia.
Also, our White Lupine is blooming. It is earlier than the blue type. When trying to find out about it, I see it is cultivated in the Mediterranean region and the seeds have “uses” – need to look into that.

Item #3: Got connections?

Us? Not often.
It seems impossible to initiate a cell phone connection from home. We can, however, start down near EBRG and talk through the car’s system and stay connected into our driveway. We’ve driven 2.5 miles farther north (end of the road) and continued a conversation. Technology is a wondrous thing. Makes us wonder, anyway.

Press the “SOS” button and things happen.Near the small town of Jamieson, Australia, last Sunday, police were notified around mid-afternoon of an “SOS” signal coming from their area. A visitor to the area activated an emergency beacon – which was satellite connected to GEOS Alliance, an emergency response organization headquartered outside of Houston, Texas. The distress signal was then bounced to authorities in Canberra – Australia’s capital city – who beamed the message to Victorian Police.

Could happen to anyone: Five camels, a dog, and a man

When you press the SOS button

Item #4: Peaked yet?

This item is related to Panic 2020. I am sorely tired of the misleading, incomplete, and wrong news reports being tossed at us.
And not a moment too soon.

Item #5: It cost how much?

And it was worth about one sixth of that.
Nancy use a $25 coupon she won via a promotion in EBRG to help local restaurants. She got something that resembled a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, two taco like things, and a large amount of fries. These last were okay. We cut the sandwich in half. It was not quite okay. I took a bite of the taco like thing. My scientific self thought a sample of 1 just would not do. I took a second bite. Then I threw the rest in the garbage. The dog Annie might have eaten it and not thrown it up, but why take the chance.
We have some Safeway made chocolate cookies and I have ice cream in the freezer. We’ll warm a couple of cookies in the microwave oven and top with Neapolitan ice cream and a few Cashews. Here’s to that!

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Item #1: Prohibition

Roughly 100 years ago officials banned alcohol. Presently they have banned everything else while claiming alcohol sales are an essential business. Panic 2020. Confusing.

Washington State was one of the 33 states that had adopted Prohibition laws before the 18th Amendment was ratified in 1919.
WA history and prohibition
On November 3, 1914, after prodigious Anti-Saloon League lobbying efforts statewide, Washington voters approved Initiative Measure Number Three, prohibiting the manufacture and sale (although not the consumption) of liquor statewide.
The “not consumption” clause allowed the manufacture of limited beer and wine at home.

it actually stimulated a demand for wine grapes. Grapes were shipped (mostly from California) with small blocks of yeast, printed with what I will call reverse instructions – how not to make wine.
Don’t do this.

“After dissolving the brick (yeast) in a gallon of water, do not place the liquid in a jug away in the cupboard for twenty days, because then it would turn into wine.”

Item #2: Can you see me now?

Item #3: Bad and Good
A man no longer has his job. Bad news for him.
He no longer has his job with a Wales health board. Good news for them.

In this news article there is no explanation why Philip Burns (aka the Marbella Man) had the job nor why he was paid so much. It makes me wonder who else has such jobs, and how I can get one. At one of the links it says: It described the sum as “market rate for this level of expertise”.

£360,990

The 9 month contract (US dollars, $460,000) allows him to work from Spain. Meanwhile local nurses were told to expect a pay cut to save £25,000 a month.

Item #4: Get the snow out

State Route 20 is the northernmost route across the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington and is commonly referred to as the North Cascades Highway. The mountains up that way get a lot of snow. Getting rid of it takes much time and work – with big equipment, and artillery.
Clearing work has stated at Early Winters Campground on the east side, and near Diablo on the west side. The DOT expects the two crews to meet after 6 weeks of work.

9 min. video w/drone

Note a top layer has to be taken off before the rotary snow blower and be used. At about 6 minutes the crew is shown using artillery to get the snow to move. They have made a deep cut in the snow to hold and stop the snow upslope from the road surface.

Item #5: Car problems

Neighbor Kenny called to ask for a “jump start” of his truck. I was just finishing watering baby onions, so I went over in the ancient Chevy truck.
Two weeks ago I drove 20 miles and back to buy cheap gas. I had to hold the seat belt over me – it won’t latch – and had to hold the door in against the frame, ’cause that latch was stuck in a closed position.

I did say it was ancient, and those are just 2 of the issues.
While we were getting his truck started, brother Ron showed up. When leaving, I mentioned the stuck door latch to Ron. He had me pull the handle from inside while he pushed on the metal. Voilà, it worked.
I think voilà is French for “holy crap.”
So Kenny was off to the battery dealer and I was headed home. With a working door.

May May be a better month than April.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John

Item #1: Fail On the right side, note AUG 2014 and below that “use within 4 months”
With all the Panic 2020 stuff going on, many folks have taken up bread making. All the talk of such led one of Nancy’s music group to offer her a bread making machine. I had quit making bread because when she started playing music at the local Food Bank an organizer there starting giving her bread.
So the current issue is seen in the photos above. My yeast had been in the refrigerator, but not frozen. Would that have helped?
Anyway, a test showed no response from the little critters. We were told stores are out of yeast. But, we’ll have a look. There is a report that during a recent 4 weeks – compared to the same period in 2019 – yeast sales have quadrupled. 410% as of April 11th, according to Nielsen.
In return for the machine, we are committed to providing the giver a couple loafs of bread. His will have holes in the bottom. I think I’ll do some for us by removing the prepared dough and using a standard pan in a regular oven.
The bread machines also use dried milk. Got none.

Item #2: Success

Smoke coming from a house. A 911 call. A child still in the house.
Where?
Police – in – out – where?
Fire fighters with a hose line, with medics following.
Where: a closed toy trunk at the end of a bed.
A little girl. Safe. Not harmed.

So my questions: Why in the trunk? Maybe with a favorite toy?
And how did one of the responders think to look in the trunk?

This activity was in Monroe, WA, about 25 miles NE of Seattle. Unfortunately, we don’t learn the rest of the story.
Link – we don’t learn much

Item #3: Where are they

On the left: Left-Coast beach – – – On the right: Right-Coast beachThis Panic 2020 thing is so confusing.

Item #4: Cleaned

Until now, Newmarket, 60 miles northeast of London, has been famous for being the birthplace and global center of thoroughbred horse racing. Also well known are the Newmarket Sausages – Musk’s, Powters, and Eric Tennant Butchers. The main difference between the three recipes is that Musk’s uses bread as a filler while Powters and Tennants both use rusk. Newmarket now has a new claim to fame.

A well-meaning employee took the opportunity to give a locked-down library a thorough cleaning. Then she re-shelved all of its books – in order by their height. Newmarket Library, Suffolk

But back to “rusk.” It is a hard, dry biscuit. The closest thing in the USA to rusk, is melba toast.

Item #5: Handshakes are out

Virtual hugs have replaced hand shakes. Here’s yours. (~)
Some folks are more fancy.
Image at right found on web. No credit given. Sorry.

And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John