Summer is Here

Some things that caught my eyes. Too important to wait until Monday or Tuesday.

Wild Cooking Woman 6/4/25

No oven! Lots of steps, though.

Tulsa mayor announces $105 million trust to address impact of 1921 massacre.

Dante’s Inferno has nine circles of hell, each representing a different type of sin. The circles are Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. Can we split some people in half so they can be in both Greed and Treachery?

Have you read Percival Everett’s book James? A Mark Twain revival appears to be circling us.

Patti LuPone has been called to account. Publicly.

The president’s staff is considering ways to revamp Trump’s intelligence briefing because he doesn’t read often. Former intelligence officials who worked in the first Trump administration said Trump preferred to be briefed verbally and to ask questions but would not read memos or other lengthy written material.

Watching NY play and thinking about the week to come. June 1 is the official start of summer. Hurricane season starts today and runs through November. Are you prepared? Today is National Nail Polish Day. Tomorrow is National Rotisserie Chicken Day. Wednesday is National Cheese Day. 1329 more days.

Kintsugi 6/1/25

Info to Make It Through the Week

Have a one-on-one political conversation on Sandbox without getting shouted down. Speak your mind, and find out what you’re missing. Join for free today.

11 Sentences That Immediately Reveal Someone’s True Character

Is There a Least Bad Alcohol?

Today marks the start of hurricane season. What can we expect in Houston?

Tick bites are no joke. Here’s how to prevent them and protect yourself.

Six ways to make your life easier and more peaceful.

25 Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Recipes

What is the dog age equivalent calculator?

The Boatkin, a new handbag, marries the design of the Hermès Birkin and the material of L.L. Bean’s Boat and Tote. Is this really important? No, but…

Learn the Roots of These Travel Words. Then pack your (carry-on) bag and get going.

President Obama’s Favorite Films, Books, and Music of 2024: See Anything That Interests You?

Baked Brie in Puff Pastry With Apricot or Raspberry Preserves

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 1(8 ounce) package brie cheese, round
  • 1⁄8 cup toasted almond, sliced (optional)
  • 1⁄4 cup raspberry preserves or 1/4 cup your favorite preserves

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425.
  • Lightly grease cookie sheet.
  • Roll puff pastry out slightly.
  • Place cheese wheel on top (leave rind on).
  • Place preserves on top of cheese.
  • Place almonds on top of preserves.
  • Bundle Puff Pastry up and around the cheese.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes.
  • Let cool for five minutes.
  • Serve with your favorite crackers.

Million-Dollar Cookies

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups crisp rice cereal
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1 cup flaked coconut
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  • Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Mix butter, oil, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, vanilla, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until smooth; stir in flour, crisp cereal, oats, coconut, and chocolate chips to form a dough.
  • Roll dough into walnut-size balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Press cookies down with a glass that has been buttered and dipped in sugar.
  • Bake cookies in the preheated oven until edges are golden, about 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others. I do not want to see the Republican party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny—Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear.


Senator Margaret Chase Smith, R-Maine,

June 1, 1950

Memorial Day (formerly Decoration Day) has come and gone. However, attempts to part you from your money have not. Sales and scams abound. Be careful. If possible, don’t buy more than you can pay for in cash. The only good debt these days is for things that appreciate, like real estate. With interest rates above 6%, that may not be such good debt either. New recipes for BBQ shrimp, chicken lasagna, and angel food cake. 1334 more days.

Wild Cooking Woman 5/27/25

Suggestions for these interesting financial times

  • Review your credit card bills and bank statements for subscription services you may not be using. Cancel those you can do without.
  • Use your public library for books, movies, music, and games instead of spending money.
  • Freeze your credit report through the 3 major reporting bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. This may provide some protection from people opening accounts in your name. Get a free yearly copy of your credit report. Here are the phone numbers for these 3 agencies:

Experian phone number: 1-800-493-1058
TransUnion phone number: 1-800-916-8800
Equifax phone number: 1-888-548-7878

  • Check your accounts at least monthly, but more is better. Use 2-factor authentication for additional security.
  • Pay off credit card balances you carry from month to month. Debt is slavery.
  • Pay attention to how much credit you use each month. Using more than 5% of your total available credit will probably lower your FICO score.
  • Pay your bills on time, every month. Period.
  • Use a junk email address for accounts that are trying to sell you something. Periodically look at it, then purge it.
  • Use encrypted email for anything financial or that contains personally identifiable information, like your Social Security number.
  • Stop downloading dicey games, opening emails from addresses you don’t know, and be suspicious of those you do know.

Your mortgage rate update for Monday, May 26, 2025, as reported by the Moneywise mortgage rates index. The current averages are:

  • 7.261% for the 30-year fixed mortgage rate,
  • 6.329% for the 15-year fixed mortgage rate, and
  • 6.748% for the 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) rate.

What’s Goin’ On, i.e, is there any good news? Not much…

No more pennies will be produced! One penny costs almost four cents to produce! What will happen to those $0.99 price tags?

The White House froze aid to South Africa earlier this year and offered an expedited pathway to citizenship to white Afrikaners, running contrary to the administration’s broader crackdown on immigration. 

Good news

James Brandon Lewis Quartet’s newest album, Abstraction is Deliverance, will be released on 5/30/25.

It’s been said that “expectations are resentments under construction.” Brené Brown couldn’t agree more.

Waiting for something important to happen? Use this counter to find the number of days between two dates.

Why are so many Southern porch ceilings blue? Read Black in Blues by Imani Perry if you want a lyrical explanation.

Looking for less biased news? Check out the following interactive chart and sources:

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