Category: History

  • That Donut Song by Washboard Sam

    That Donut Song by Washboard Sam

    I got a kick out of a song by Catfish Keith last night on the Big Mo Blues Show on KCCK radio. It was “Who Pumped the Wind in My Doughnut.” He always sings songs with lyrics that I mostly don’t understand and that was one of them, at first. I’ll give you a hint;…

  • The Greatest Christmas Record of All Time

    The Greatest Christmas Record of All Time

    Last Friday night on the Big Mo Blues Show on KCCK radio, I heard Eric Clapton sing a song that I later found out was a cover of a song originally co-written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones, “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday.” A Wikipedia entry about it reports that it has…

  • Amaryllis or Hippeastrum Trio?

    Amaryllis or Hippeastrum Trio?

    The Amaryllis trio are reaching for the stars, and “star” may be the operative word because I just found out the name of the flower may be in dispute. It turns out that the actual name of the Amaryllis is probably Hippeastrum due to a change in the genus classification of this striking bloom. My…

  • Amaryllis Progress and Other Notes

    Amaryllis Progress and Other Notes

    I have a few messages to pass on today. This is the last day of November and the Amaryllis plants are doing so well Sena had to brace the tallest one using a Christmas tree stake and a couple of zip ties. It’s over two feet tall! I’m not sure what to make of almost…

  • Svengoolie Hosts the Film “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”

    Svengoolie Hosts the Film “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”

    Last night I watched “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (released in 1948) for the first (and probably the last) time on Svengoolie. I thought I’d be able to watch it while wearing my new Svengoolie Holiday Sweater that Sena ordered for me, but it arrived too late in the evening for me to make the…

  • Fluoride in Your Precious Bodily Fluids

    Fluoride in Your Precious Bodily Fluids

    Yesterday, Sena and I talked about a recent news article indicating that a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review the allowed level of fluoride in community water supplies. The acceptable level may not be low enough, in the opinion of the advocacy groups who discussed the issue with the judge, according…

  • Thoughts on the Big Mo Pod Show 034: Laughing in the Face of Death

    Thoughts on the Big Mo Pod Show 034: Laughing in the Face of Death

    I heard the Big Mo Blues Show just (Halloween theme) this last Friday night and was not surprised to see that one of the songs discussed on the Big Mo Pod Show on Saturday was Peetie Wheatstraw’s “Devil’s Son-in-Law.” When I first heard it, it got me chuckling because I didn’t understand hardly a single…

  • University of Iowa Psychiatrists Publish Huntington Disease Study Results

    University of Iowa Psychiatrists Publish Huntington Disease Study Results

    I ran across a fascinating story about a study on Huntington’s disease published by members of the University of Iowa Health Care. The study examined how the Huntington’s disease gene might enhance brain development and function early in life prior to the onset of the devastating disease. It was published in The Annals of Neurology:…

  • Because I Wanted a Hurts Donut…

    Because I Wanted a Hurts Donut…

    I got an urge for a Hurts Donut so I walked on the Clear Creek Trail to Coralville get to the little hole in the wall shop. You can easily walk to several places in Coralville on the trail. Actually, I wanted to also check out the Coralville Public Library and see S.T. Morrison Park.…

  • People Remember Hurricane Edna

    People Remember Hurricane Edna

    The hurricane season this year continues to be deadly, and they are not named after women anymore. That stopped in 1979; how and why it stopped is quite a story in itself. The latest one is named Milton, which is a benign sounding name, but the storm is anything but that. I was reminded of…