Zippy on vacation The word “sunset” can be used to signify many things. My personal favorite is the one pictured here. That’s Zippy enjoying the view this past weekend in Charlevoix, Michigan. Another meaning of Sunset” is to fade out or to discontinue. That’s the meaning I’m after here. One question came up multiple times this week, with some slight variations. Here it is, along with the answer. Question:  When the pandemic began, we laid…

Horrifying images not intended to scare children. Thanks, PBS Learning. I learned this week that a species of jellyfish found off the coast of China, Japan, and Korea can weigh up to 440 pounds. There’s a video here, and the size of this thing is terrifying. In Finding Nemo, I learned that you can bounce on the fleshy heads of jellyfish without getting stung, and this creature has an abundantly fleshy head. The…

Sitting outside this weekend I was thinking about things I wish I had when my kids were toddlers, things that would have helped to keep them occupied. The first things that came to mind were all electronic — iPhone, iPad, Netflix. But then I came upon this. And it’s good that I didn’t know about it a decade ago. https://www.poopaint.net/home-1 From the website: Inspiration found in a bathroom stall! PooPaint allows kids to wipe using…

Zippy sunbathes in the nude. Some things sound inappropriate, but they’re not. For example, I sometimes post naked pictures on my blog. But only of my dog. She’s immodest and doesn’t seem to mind. (Her fur coat doesn’t count.) So, you see, that’s not inappropriate. What about the DOL’s new joint employment test, which went into effect in March? Was that inappropriate? Eighteen Democratic state attorneys general seem to think so, and they’ve filed…

Rebellious? Indifferent? Clueless? I’m still trying to understand how this car thought it was ok to take up FOUR parking spaces in the parking lot at a Walgreens near my house. Any one of the spaces seems suitable for a car of ordinary proportions. I have parked in most of these four spots before, and my experiences were uniformly positive. I’d give four stars to each spot. Reliable, met expectations. Near enough to the store…

A Sheboygan man was recently sentenced to 150 days in jail and probation for repeatedly clogging women’s toilets with plastic bottles. According to the Sheboygan Press, the serial toilet clogger told police he gets urges to do odd things, like look for bottles in the garbage to plug toilets. I get urges to do odd things too, like scour local newspapers for stories like this one. But since I’m sharing this important knowledge with readers,…

Recent coronavirus-related conversation in my house, after cancellation of planned spring break vacation, loss of kids’ summer internships, suspension of in-person college classes, and more than one day of snow in May: Lisa: This is getting ridiculous. We need something to look forward to. Me: 2021? It may feel like there’s not much to look forward to lately, but if you’re into watching state bills on independent contractor misclassification, I’ve got some exciting news for…