The Ultimate Pawn Star

Thanks to the Smart's in general, and Katie in particular, Poppy now has his very own Gold & Silver Pawn t-shirt. And it's a really bitchin' shirt too. It must be since I got no comments whatsoever when I wore it to work (yes, we have no dress code.) And word on the street is that Poppy Mac must be distantly related to the Harrisons, the real pawn stars. He has the same bad attitude as the "Old Man", the same hair style as Rick, and is well on his way to having the same build as both "Big Hoss" and Chumley. Here are a few candid photos. You be the judge.

Viva Las Pawn Shop

Last weekend Mr. and Mrs. Smart (Jason and Katie) accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Smart (Jerry and Mary Ann) to Las Vegas. Although Mr. and Mrs. Smart (Jason and Katie) didn't win anything, we were able to score some pictures (and a t-shirt) from the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop for Mr. McKeever (Poppy Mac).

You may recognize The Gold & Silver Pawn Shop from Pawn Stars, on the History Channel. I hadn't seen the show before, so unfortunately I don't know if I saw Rick, Big Hoss, Chumley, or any others, but I did see a fabulous spoon collection, which I later noticed on the show when we got back home and watched it.

Here are two pictures from the outside of the pawn shop (no pictures were allowed inside). Maybe Poppy Mac will post a picture of himself wearing his bitchin' t-shirt.

The Wolf Moon

Tonight's full moon will be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year because the moon is at perigee (31,000 miles closer to the Eath) than when it's at apogee. And since it's the first full moon of the year, it's also known as the "Wolf Moon", a term attributed to Native American culture and the notion that hungry wolves howled at the full moon on cold winter nights. So be careful as you go out and about tonight, and by all means do not let small children, house dogs, and de-clawed kitties frolick in the moon light. And if you don't believe me, click here:

Wolf Howl sound bite

In Memorium

William K. McKeever Jr.

William K. McKeever, Jr., 80, of Allentown, died Thursday, January 21, 2010 in Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Twsp. He was the husband of the late Frieda M. (Vido) McKeever. Born in Northampton, he was the son of the late William K. Sr. and Anna (Osmun) McKeever. He worked at Black and Decker, Allentown for many years before retiring in 1986. He was an Army veteran serving during the Korean War. He was a member of the American Legion Post # 576, Allentown. He was a Protestant. Survivors: Survived by a daughter, Lori A., wife of David R. Taylor of Sewell, NJ; brother, Donald F. and his wife Lee of Ambler; and a grandson, Benjamin. Services: 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 27, at Trexler Funeral Home, 1625 Highland St., Allentown. Call 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. www.trexlerfuneralhome.com Contributions: May be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 961 Marcon Blvd., Suite 452, Allentown, PA 18109.

Published in Morning Call on January 23, 2010

"Can you help a baby out?"

The news from Haiti is not good at all, in fact, it totally sucks. Mama and I, having had three beautiful babies of our own, and now two (and counting) beautiful grand babies, decided to try to help the poor little Hatian babies. UNICEF, being our charity of choice, received a donation of half a large tonight (and there will likely be more.) As Karl Marx once said: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs". The choice is yours. But please, "Can you help a baby out!"

Look Who Stopped By For A Visit.

The batteries in my camera were dieing, but I managed to snap these two pictures of the friendly neighborhood hawk. After that, the camera ran out of juice. I was standing about five steps away from this guy. He sat there for a long time, too. If had more power I could have taken a lot of pictures. He wasn't exactly moving; it was below zero that day.

Christmas 09 - babies

Here are some pictures!