NEW WEBSITE

In the last couple months, the traffic on my website, FunnyPhotoContest.com, and the number of contestants has dropped about 50%.  Of course, I’m discouraged and wonder if after 6 years, my site has run it’s course and the time has come to shut it down. I don’t want to end my website as I’ve greatly enjoyed running the site and it has kept me very busy.

In addition, I worry about how I will fill my time once my website goes away.  Luckily, yesterday I received a surprising and actually inspiring email from a classmate.  Since 1992, Chuck R. has operated a website for our high school classmates -- The West High School Class of 1958.  But a few months ago, he closed down the site.  It was a great site and it was a shame he ended it.  So yesterday, when I received an email from Chuck, I was delighted to see he sent an e-newsletter to me and all of my classmates.  Plus, he mentioned he would be sending the e-newsletters about every six-eight weeks.

Eureka!!!! What a great idea.  Instead of my FunnyPhotosContest.com website, I can create an e-newsletters for my relatives.  I have 100’s of cousins whom I don’t even know.  What a wonderful way to connect to them and get to know one another.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

MRS. MARTIN

My daughter told me that yesterday when she went to the car wash, she began talking to a nice older lady as they waited for their cars.  She said that as they chatted she kept thinking to herself, “this lady looks so familiar.”  But she just couldn’t recall who the woman might be.

And then all of a sudden, she said to the woman, “Is your name Mrs. Martin?”  The woman replied that it was before she  remarried. “Oh my gosh,” my daughter said,  “you were my first grade teacher.”

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

JAMES’S BIRTHDAY

I feel just terrible that I forgot my son-in-law’s birthday last week.  Every January when I pick-up a new calendar for the year, the first thing I do is write my family’s and friend’s birthdays on the calendar.  But somehow I neglected to write James’s name on Aug. 6^th.  And so, I did not send him a birthday card with a check enclosed.

Although it did not make-up for my awful oversight, I did call him after receiving an email, at dinner time, from my daughter stating, “Just a reminder, it’s James’s birthday.  But you can be sure, I will never, ever again forget his birthday.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

THE ARTIST

On the second Friday of every month, the local senior center offers a free movie.  This month the movie was “The Artist”.   My friends, who had seen it, told me it was very good and described it as a black and white movie without any sound.  It sounded interesting and I looked forward to watching it.

Sure enough the clothes, hair-do’s, make-up, and even the plot resembled a movie made in the fifties.  It was as if I had stepped back in time.  And my friends had been right – it was a delightful film.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

FIRST PLACE

I almost canceled my plans to play duplicate bridge this morning, but I'm sure glad I didn't.  On Thursday when the right side of my hip / buttock started hurting, I took a muscle relaxant when I went to bed to make the pain go away.  Although I did feel some what better in the morning I took some ibuprofen anyway and did some stretching exercises in hopes of preventing it from getting worse.  Unfortunately, after meeting friends for lunch and then watching a movie at the senior center in the afternoon, the pain returned in full force.  I had been sitting on a hard chair for two hours and no doubt that caused my sciatic to return.

As soon as I arrived home, I took more ibuprofen, iced my hip, and then did more stretching, determined to heal myself. However when I woke, the pain had barely receded.  Nevertheless, as I did not want to disappoint my partner, I dressed and drove off to the bridge class.  I was very uncomfortable all morning, but we won first place, and it was worth it!!!

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

FOSOMAX

I started taking fosomax for osteoporsis in 2003.   But three years ago I began feeling a tingling sensation in my jaw.  Since I heard this could be a dangerous symptom, I called my doctor and she told me to stop taking fosomax.  Instead she recommended I begin taking 4000 IU of Vitamin D3 twice a day.

Unfortunately, in the last year or so, my bone loss has increased and once again I need medication for my osteoporosis.  That is not what I wanted to hear and to make it worse the new medicine costs $2500 a year for a shot every 6 months. 

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions. http://www.FunnyPhotosContest.com>

OIL CHANGE

When I bought my new Toyota a near ago, I received a bonus of a free oil change every six months for two years.  And so, last Feb. I went to the Toyota dealership for my first oil change and while I waited I enjoyed the free cookies they provided. 

Since it’s now August and time for another oil change, I called the dealership this morning to schedule an appointment.  The agent I spoke with asked me how many miles I had on my car.  Since I’m retired and don’t drive a lot, I told him that I have only 3,000 miles on my speedometer.  “Oh,” he replied, “now a days you can wait until you have driven 10,000 between oil changes.” 

What a surprise.  At this rate, I am good for another two to three years!!  However, I’m sure I should not delay an oil change for that long a time.  The serviceman agreed and recommended that I take care of it at least once a year.  That’s fine with me…though I’ll miss the good chocolate chip cookie.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

ROGER EBERTS

I started reading (actually listening to) Roger Ebert’s book, “Life Itself”.  And to my surprise Rogert Ebert not only grew up in Urbana, Illinois, but was a junior in high school when I was a freshman at the University of Ill in Champaign-Urbana.  How cool that this man whose movie reviews I followed for years and I were at the same place at the same time.  In fact, when he entered the university in 1960, we may have sat in some of the same classes or at least past each other on the University’s quadrangle.

Of course listening to the book felt a little like a trip to memory lane.  What a delight to hear him mention Green Street, the Daily Illini campus newspaper, Gregory Hall, Steak and Shake, etc, places I still remember.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

BUBBLE STUFF

In two weeks, I’ll be visiting my 2 and ½ year-old granddaughter, Lily.  So yesterday when I was at the drugstore, I saw a little stuff toy with a label on the front that said, “Press me.”  Of course, what did I do?  I pressed the button and the toy started laughing and laughing.  In fact the noise seemed to go on endlessly.  But I thought that Lily might like it so I put it in my shopping cart.

However, as I walked through the store it occurred to me that no doubt Lily wouldn’t just press the button once, she would probably press it repeatedly, thus annoying my son and daughter-in-law immensely.  And so, when I got to the check out counter, I told the clerk I changed my mind and decided not to buy it.  At the same time, I noticed a bottle of bubble stuff that I bought instead.  I’m guessing Lily will enjoy blowing lots of bubbles and her parents won’t object too much.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

MOCK CHOPPED LIVER

As a child, I loved the delicious chopped liver my Mother made on special occasions.  Of course back then no one worried about the high level of cholesterol chopped liver could produce with its fried beef liver, hard-boiled eggs, and schmaltz (rendered chicken fat).  Over the years I made it a few times, although I hated the work involved -- frying and then grinding the liver.

But a few years ago I ate mock chopped liver at a friend’s house and it was great.  Plus, instead of liver the recipe calls for walnuts and a can of peas.  It’s almost impossible to believe those two ingredients can produce the same taste as chopped liver.  But it does.  Actually I think the key is that in addition to the nuts, peas, and eggs, the recipe calls for several large onions slowly sautéed in olive oil.

So last week, when it was my turn to hostess my bridge group, I decided to serve mock chopped liver with small strips of celery and they loved it.   It makes a big batch, so of course, I had quite a bit left. And I’m glad I didn’t have to worry about high cholesterol, because I ate it all up in no time at all.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

COUSIN PETER

I remember as a child my Dad talking about his cousin, Alice, in Czechoslovakia.  and I also remember that Alice sent my sister and I a pair of Czechoslovakian dolls dressed in traditional costumes.  Sadly to say none of the family ever met Alice and there was very little communication with her either.

But in 1992 when my sister and my son took a trip to Europe and Israel, they stopped in Czechoslovakia and finally met Alice, her husband, and their son, Peter. Recently, my son’s wife told me that one of her co-workers was born in the same city as Alice.  And it then occurred to me that perhaps I could “connect” with Peter on Facebook.

My concern however, was that he might not speak English.  Fortunately, my grandson told me that I could write a message, then open “google translate” to have it translated to Czech.  “Wow,” I thought, “that’s great.”  And I also wondered, not for the first time, when did my children and grandchildren become so much smarter that I am?

So this morning, I found Peter on Facebook – at least I think it may be him – and sent a message asking if his Mother’s name is Alice.  Now I have to wait in eager anticipation for, I hope, his reply.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

CROCK POT

Once a week, I go to my daughter’s house to “supervise” my 16 and 14 year-old grandsons.  I use to baby-sit them, but now they are grown and old enough to take care of themselves.  But during the summer when my daughter and son-in-law are at work, it’s probably not a bad idea to have grandma keep an eye on her grandsons and all their friends once a week.

This morning when I walked in I saw a note on the kitchen counter that read, “Boys, please put the crockpot in the frig on the base, plug it in and turn on low.”  I read the note a few times, confused that my daughter wanted the crockpot put in the refrigerate.  But when my grandson came into the kitchen he read the note and knew immediately the crockpot was “in the frig.”  So much for my interpreting skills.

About a half hour later when I went to get a glass of water, I noticed the crockpot was unplugged!!!  So I quickly called my daughter for instructions to make sure her family would have dinner tonight.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

WAR HORSE

Most of the time, when a book is made into a movie, the movie is never as good as the book.  But yesterday when I saw “War Horse” I was impressed with how closely it followed the book and how it included everything I remembered reading.  Although, one thing in the movie I didn’t remember at all was the war medal that the hero’s father had won.  Nevertheless, it was a very good movie and I enjoyed it very much.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

SYSTEM RESTORE

Thank goodness for system restore!!!  The other day my cousin sent me several files displaying our family tree.  Since she created it with a special program, she also sent me the link to download the program for free.  It was fun looking at our family tree and I was impressed with all the work she had done and the wealth of information she had collected.

Unfortunately, the next morning, when I turned on my computer, I was horrified when my normal desktop did not appear.  In fact to my dismay the screen was nothing more than a solid pink display.  After an initial few minutes of panic, I remembered “Safe Mode”.   I turned my computer off and then repeatedly tapped the F8 key as I turned on my computer again.  Once my machine booted up, I searched the help feature and was reminded of the system restore capability.  Simply put, by picking an earlier date, the computer would restore my computer to the exact settings, files, etc. that were on my computer on the date I chose and delete anything added after that date.

Woo Hoo!  I was so excited that all would be well.  And sure enough, my computer started working again.  What a relief!!!!!

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

JACOB’S FIRST CAR ACCIDENT

Last Oct, my oldest grandson turned 16.  At the time my car was over 12 years old, so I bought a new one and gave Jacob my old car with less than 50,000 miles on it.  However, there was one stipulation.  He could drive it until he graduated high school in three years.  Then my younger grandson, Jared, would turn 16 and the car would go to him for his last three years of high school.

It was certainly a good plan and hopefully will come to pass.  Unfortunately, the other day, after 9 months with no problems, Jacob had his first and hopefully only fender-bender.  As he backed out of a friend’s driveway he hit a fire hydrant!  Fortunately, the damage near the fender isn’t too bad.  There is a small hole in the exterior and it is slightly crunched like an accordion.  The dent is smaller than a soccer ball and you would hope it would not cost much to fix. But sadly the amount will probably be about three or four thousand dollars – too much to spend on a 13-year-old car.

And so all that will be done is to paint the surface to prevent rusting and to hope that in two more years, my younger grandson Jared, will still have a pretty decent car to drive.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

MY FRANK COUSINS

My grandfather had three brothers, a sister, and two half brothers.  They all married and had children. And in time, their total offspring numbered 26.  My Mom was one of those children and when all her cousins married and had children the Frank family grew to well over 100. 

Of course with so many relatives, it was impossible to develop a close relationship with all of them.  In fact, there are many of my third cousins I don’t know at all as I have never even met them.  But over the past few years, since my parents and others of their generation have died, I have often thought, “What a shame it is that I have cousins I would pass on the street without recognizing.”

So a few weeks ago, I decided to plan a luncheon for my female, third cousins who live in the area.  I talked to a couple who were thrilled to hear about my idea.  That was all I needed.  I made reservations at a nice restaurant, bought some invitations, and am now just anxiously waiting for the day to arrive.  I’m sure it will be great.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

KAHLUA

Recently, I had to buy a bottle of Kahlua for a delicious chocolate dessert that I volunteered to bring to a potluck dinner.  However, when I arrived at the grocery store I was almost prevented from purchasing it.  It was late when I walked into the grocery store and late when I approached the service desk to ask for help.  It takes me forever to find what I need in their liquor department as the liquor does not seem to be arranged in any reasonable order. So I asked if one of their staff would please fetch the Kahlua for me.

To my surprise she said, “We have to hurry. It’s ten to nine and we close the liquor department at 9:00.”  In addition, I had to pay for the Kahlua before 9:00 and I could not carry it in my grocery cart.  They had to keep it at the front desk until I was ready to leave the store.   There are certainly a lot of strange laws in our country and this one was sure new to me !!!

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

Last night I had to take dessert to a potluck dinner.  I had originally planned to bring my Mother’s delicious blitz-torte cake made with layers of yellow cake, meringue, whip cream, chopped pineapple and chopped nuts. It was always one of my favorites when I was growing up.  But I feared it might not serve 10 people, so I had to think of another dessert.  Years ago at another potluck I remembered devouring a fabulous chocolate dessert and so I called the woman who made it to get the recipe.

She began by telling me the name of the dessert was “Death by Chocolate,” made with a Pillsbury chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding, kahlua, chopped heath bars and whipping cream.  And so I made the dessert and it certainly was DELICIOUS.  On top of it, I didn’t have to worry about now having enough.  When I brought the leftovers  home, there was still more in the pan then the guests had eaten.  And trust me … they all ate a lot.  In fact most had seconds.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

REAL ESTATE DISAPPOINTMENT

In the mid 70’s I held a broker’s license and sold real estate for a few years. Although, I went on to other careers, I maintained my license all these years by taking continuing education classes and paying my real estate fee.  Although I haven’t listed or sold a house since 1977, I have since earned money with my license by collecting referral fees.

I simply call owners who attempt to sell their own homes and suggest to them that if they decide to eventually list their property, I can recommend an excellent realtor to them.  If they accept my offer and then list with the agent that I suggest, the real estate agent pays me 20% of the commission for my referral when the house is sold. 

Not a bad deal. But recently, I was very disappointed.  In January I spoke to an owner who said, she would appreciate my referral.    The agent I then recommended met with her and learned that she wanted to continue trying on her own for another month or two, but would eventually list if she was not successful.

Great, I thought and I mentally calculated my earnings.  However, I didn’t hear any more and so yesterday I decided to check the Internet to find out the status of the house.  Lo and behold, I saw that the owner did, in fact, list with the company I recommended.  I then called to ask for the details and discovered much to my dismay that, yes, the owner had listed her home.  But she had listed with a different agent – not the one I had recommended.  I have no idea how that happened, but the bottom line is I will not receive the money I had anticipated !!!

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.

REAL ESTATE

I only sold real estate from 1973 to 1977.  But I have continued to maintain my real estate license by paying my bi-annual dues and taking the required continuing education classes every two years.  And the reason I keep my license is to occasionally collect a referral fee of $500 to $1,000 or more.

About one night a week (or sometimes less) I call people who are trying to sell their own houses.  I wish them good luck, but tell them if they decide to list their property and they don’t know a good realtor, I can recommend an excellent agent.  If they then list with the agent and the house sells, the realtor pays me about 20% of his commission for the referral fee.

It’s a nice arrangement, but unfortunately, it doesn’t happen very often – maybe once a year.  So today, I was very excited when I learned the good news that one of the home owners I spoke to recently listed his house with the agent I suggested.  Now I just have to wait patiently until the house sells, because if it doesn’t sell I don’t get paid.  So here’s hoping.

By Hannah

www.FunnyPhotosContest.com a photo contest for cute or funny photos and photo captions.