National Pretzel Day

Journalist Rocky the Squirrel here –

Keeping his paws on the nuts of the world –

Today is National Pretzel Day – what a way to celebrate pretzels of all shapes and sizes.  How do you like your pretzels?  Straight, twisted, hard, soft, thick or thin?  Then think of all the different flavors you can get – cinnamon, raisin, salted, sesame, chocolate, jalapeno, bacon wrapped, stuffed with peanut butter, sour dough – served with mustard or cheese? AND let’s not forget about pretzel wrapped hot dogs – mmm.   Do you eat them straight out of the bag or do you prepare your own and bake them in the oven?

Pretzels are believed to be the world’s oldest snack and date back as far as 610 AD in Southern France. Monks baked thin strips of dough into the shape of a child’s arms folded in prayer. Add a little salt, and Voila! …the pretzel industry was born.

Pretzels also symbolize good fortune, bringing prosperity and spiritual wholeness with every bite. Wedding couples fell into the practice of breaking a pretzel, much like one might break a wishbone on Thanksgiving.  The person with the larger piece was assured domestic happiness. The pretzel, over time, came to symbolize the “tying of the marriage knot.”

 

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Once upon a time, there was a cute little boy and a cute little girl.  They grew up relatively in the same area not too far away from each other.

 You know what they say about three degrees of separation?  It was the same in this situation.  They knew some of the same people.  He went to a private Christian school that she attended church at during the week.  They ate at some of the same restaurants. For all they knew, they might have passed each other during their childhood.  It was possible.

They grew up,  went through school and college.  Until one day, the girl applied for a job at a business that changed the course of her life.  She was interviewed by the mother of the boy who took an immediate liking to the girl.  In fact the liking was so much that the mother hired the girl for the job having a secret agenda.  The secret agenda was to have her son meet this girl and fall in love.

The mother introduced them and they went to lunch together for the first time on September 14,  1988.  It was an immediate chemistry and love was in the air.  The young boy courted the young girl throughout the years doing everything together.  There would be times that one wanted to get married but the other didn’t at the time and vice versa.  Not that they didn’t love each other but because they had things they wanted to get done first.  You know the things in life like finishing college and getting a solid paying job.  But throughout this time, families merged and got to know each other.

The young couple courted for 16 years.  Yes my friends, that is not a typo.  Life was good.  What was the rush?  They grew up and got set in their ways.  She bought a home and was taking care of herself and he was taking care of his parents and helping them.

Then on Valentine’s day February 14, 2004, the young man got down on one knee and asked THE question, “Will you marry me?”  The young girl was shocked and amazed.  Her response, “What’s the rush?”  A sense of humor that has maintained throughout their relationship – that’s a good thing.

The young girl accepted.  A date was discussed.  Sadly, the mother of the young man had passed away over the years.  In honor of her, they made a date for September 15, 2004.

Now, this is the fun part.  Two lives merged as one into ONE household.  They said their I do‘s and moved in together for the first time.  What a wake up call!  PLOL (pig laughing out loud).  

Today marks their 13th wedding anniversary or 29 years of being together.  Was it easy – nope.  Has their been good times and bad times – of course.  Every marriage has bumps in the road.  It’s how you travel over the bumps to the other side that makes a long lasting relationship.  It also helps that both of them have a really wicked sense of humor.  I mean look at me.  Who do you know would adopt a pig in their lives?  Enough said on that.

So today, we at the Hotel Thompson would like to wish mom and dad a Happy Anniversary.  Here’s to another 29 years of being together!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 

31 Days of Spook – The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

Today is one that is close to our hearts here at the Hotel Thompson.  Today, we focus on one of the all time greatest movies, “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken”.  What, you don’t believe me when I say it’s scary?  Let’s discuss shall we.  What is a hero – snorts.

This movie came out in 1966 and starred Don Knotts as Luther Heggs.  It starts off with Luther driving down the street and hearing screams of, “Murder, murder” from a neighbor.  He takes pictures, gets the story from the neighbor and then goes to the local police station to report the crime.  While he’s reporting the crime, who walks in but the local ‘victim’.   The town thinks he’s a laughing joke.  And to top everything off, the full time writer for the paper, Ollie Weaver, lives in the same boarding house as he does and tells everyone over breakfast the next morning about what Luther did the night before.  This is also the time that you get to meet Ollie’s girlfriend, Alma Parker, who Luther has a secret crush with.

Poor Luther.  He works as a newspaper typesetter and wants to be a reporter so bad.  The staff of the newspaper want to increase sales and sees an opportunity for Luther to help out…even if it’s a joke  Ollie challenges Luther to spend the night in the local haunted Simmons mansion on the 20th anniversary of the murders that took place in the home.  The story was that Mr. Simmons murdered his wife and then jumped to his death from the organ loft of the home.  Legend says that you can still hear the ghost of Mr. Simmons still playing the organ at night, a haunting macabre tune.  Luther takes the bait and accepts the challenge of staying in the haunted house all by himself.

So the night comes and Luther goes into the haunted Simmons mansion.  He looks around and you visibly see that he’s scared by his shaking.  He settles down on the sofa in his sleeping bag for the night.  At midnight, it starts.  Luther hears the old organ begin to play from the loft.  He goes up to the loft area and sees the organ playing the haunting melody by itself.  He runs down the stairs and sees the painting of Mrs Simmons on the wall with hedge clippers sticking in it and ‘blood’ like material dripping out of it.  The newspaper starts flying off the shelves of Luther’s story of his night in the haunted Simmons mansion.  So much so that Nicholas Simmons (the nephew of the deceased couple) sues Luther for libel.  When it goes to court, the judge orders the courtroom to the Simmons mansion at midnight to prove Luther’s story.  Nothing happens and Luther looks like a fool.

Everyone leaves the house except for Luther who is moping around feeling sorry for himself.  Soon after, the organ begins to play the haunting macabre tune from the loft area again.  Luther runs upstairs and behold he sees Mr. Kelsey (who is the newspaper janitor) playing the old organ.

Mr. Kelsey and Luther talk about what happened and guess what?  They confront Nicholas Simmons and we learn that he was the one that killed his aunt and uncle and have been trying to cover the story all of these years.  How did he get away with the murders you ask?  There was a secret passage from the study up to the organ loft that had been his alibi.  Mr. Kelsey knew the secret and wanted Luther to be the one to open the case wide open.  Just by luck, Luther knocks out Nicholas Simmons with a body slam and becomes the local hero.

And yes.  Luther even got a girl out of the ordeal.  He marries his secret crush, Alma Parker.  As they say their “I do’s”, the organ starts playing all by itself the haunting macabre tune that was being played in the Simmons mansion.

It’s a great movie, one that is watched many times here at the Hotel Thompson.

 

National Pretzel Day

Journalist Rocky the Squirrel here –

Keeping his paws on the nuts of the world –

.

Today is National Pretzel Day – what a way to celebrate pretzels of all shapes and sizes.  How do you like your pretzels?  Straight, twisted, hard, soft, thick or thin?  Then think of all the different flavors you can get – cinnamon, raisin, salted, sesame, chocolate, jalapeno, bacon wrapped, stuffed with peanut butter, sour dough – served with mustard or cheese? AND let’s not forget about pretzel wrapped hot dogs – mmm.   Do you eat them straight out of the bag or do you prepare your own and bake them in the oven?

Pretzels are believed to be the world’s oldest snack and date back as far as 610 AD in Southern France. Monks baked thin strips of dough into the shape of a child’s arms folded in prayer. Add a little salt, and Voila! …the pretzel industry was born.

Pretzels also symbolize good fortune, bringing prosperity and spiritual wholeness with every bite. Wedding couples fell into the practice of breaking a pretzel, much like one might break a wishbone on Thanksgiving.  The person with the larger piece was assured domestic happiness. The pretzel, over time, came to symbolize the “tying of the marriage knot.”

 

Alligator People – Movie Review

Sometimes the best movies are the older black and white movies from back in the day.  The other day mom was flipping through the television guide and came across a movie that intrigued her.  She told us that we *had* to watch this movie.  We were intrigued so popcorn and drinks in paw, hoof and hand, we bundled together in the living room and watched it.

The movie was called The Alligator People and it was released in July 1959.  It’s a classic black and white starring Beverly Garland, Lon Chaney Jr and Bruce Bennett.  The name sounds interesting, right?  It starts with two psychiatrists talking about nurse, Jane Marvin, in the office.  They administer pentothal to her and put her in a deep hypnosis where she recalls a forgotten past when she was known as Joyce.

Joyce recalls just being married to her love, Paul Webster, and they are on a train for their honeymoon.  They receive several telegrams congratulating them on their nuptials.  But one telegram, Paul opens, reads and immediately starts to panic.  At the next train stop, he leaves the train to make a phone call without a single word to his new bride and never returns.  Of course Joyce gets off at the next time and back tracks to the stop that Paul got off but she can’t find him.  So there she is, newly married but now her husband is missing.  What happen?

Joyce hires private detectives and over the next following months she tries to track down her husband.  One day, she discovers an address for Paul in some college enrollment forms at Cypresses Plantation.  She writes a letter to the plantation but it comes back unopened.  Not giving up, she takes a train to the plantation which is in the middle swamp country in Louisiana.  She gets off the train and the stop is empty except for a large crate that is marked Cypresses Plantation.  Thinking that someone has to come sooner or later to pick up the crate, she waits.  This is when the handyman for the plantation (played by Lon Chaney) shows up to retrieve the box.  She hops a ride back to the plantation with him and the fun starts.

At first, the owner of the plantation and the staff deny knowing Paul Webster.  They tell Joyce that she has to leave but the train doesn’t pick up until the next morning.  The woman over the plantation tells Joyce that she can spend the night but she has to stay in her room and can’t come out.  Of course we know that’s not going to happen, right?  Joyce comes out of the room later that night when she hears someone playing beautiful music on the piano in the parlor.  She creeps down and into the parlor.  She sees a man playing the piano but when she says something to him, he quickly leaves.  This makes Joyce more determined than anything that there is something go on at the plantation.

She confronts the owner of the plantation again the next morning. That’s when she learns that the owner is actually Paul Webster’s mom.  Can you imagine?!  And Paul Webster – where is he?  Well apparently he was in a very bad accident before he and Joyce got married.  But his body was perfect when they got married so who would have thought that.  The mysterious telegram he got on the train?  Well, it was from one of his doctors from when he was in the accident.  That doctor had used a drug that he had created from alligators that made the body whole again.  The downfall that the doctor realized though was the drug would also turn the individual into Alligator People!

This is an awesome movie for sure.  Yes it’s in black and white.  BUT back in the day, they really knew how to write movies and dialogue.  The imaging graphics aren’t as good as the ones today but the story held its own and was good.  I gave it 3 hooves up out of 4.  I would have given it 4 but then I would have tumbled over.  I highly recommend this movie – if you find it, watch it and let me know what you think my friends.

 

31 Days of Spook – The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

Today is one that is close to our hearts here at the Hotel Thompson.  Today, we focus on one of the all time greatest movies, “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken”.  What, you don’t believe me when I say it’s scary?  Let’s discuss shall we.  What is a hero – snorts.

This movie came out in 1966 and starred Don Knotts as Luther Heggs.  It starts off with Luther driving down the street and hearing screams of, “Murder, murder” from a neighbor.  He takes pictures, gets the story from the neighbor and then goes to the local police station to report the crime.  While he’s reporting the crime, who walks in but the local ‘victim’.   The town thinks he’s a laughing joke.  And to top everything off, the full time writer for the paper, Ollie Weaver, lives in the same boarding house as he does and tells everyone over breakfast the next morning about what Luther did the night before.  This is also the time that you get to meet Ollie’s girlfriend, Alma Parker, who Luther has a secret crush with.

Poor Luther.  He works as a newspaper typesetter and wants to be a reporter so bad.  The staff of the newspaper want to increase sales and sees an opportunity for Luther to help out…even if it’s a joke  Ollie challenges Luther to spend the night in the local haunted Simmons mansion on the 20th anniversary of the murders that took place in the home.  The story was that Mr. Simmons murdered his wife and then jumped to his death from the organ loft of the home.  Legend says that you can still hear the ghost of Mr. Simmons still playing the organ at night, a haunting macabre tune.  Luther takes the bait and accepts the challenge of staying in the haunted house all by himself.

So the night comes and Luther goes into the haunted Simmons mansion.  He looks around and you visibly see that he’s scared by his shaking.  He settles down on the sofa in his sleeping bag for the night.  At midnight, it starts.  Luther hears the old organ begin to play from the loft.  He goes up to the loft area and sees the organ playing the haunting melody by itself.  He runs down the stairs and sees the painting of Mrs Simmons on the wall with hedge clippers sticking in it and ‘blood’ like material dripping out of it.  The newspaper starts flying off the shelves of Luther’s story of his night in the haunted Simmons mansion.  So much so that Nicholas Simmons (the nephew of the deceased couple) sues Luther for libel.  When it goes to court, the judge orders the courtroom to the Simmons mansion at midnight to prove Luther’s story.  Nothing happens and Luther looks like a fool.

Everyone leaves the house except for Luther who is moping around feeling sorry for himself.  Soon after, the organ begins to play the haunting macabre tune from the loft area again.  Luther runs upstairs and behold he sees Mr. Kelsey (who is the newspaper janitor) playing the old organ.

Mr. Kelsey and Luther talk about what happened and guess what?  They confront Nicholas Simmons and we learn that he was the one that killed his aunt and uncle and have been trying to cover the story all of these years.  How did he get away with the murders you ask?  There was a secret passage from the study up to the organ loft that had been his alibi.  Mr. Kelsey knew the secret and wanted Luther to be the one to open the case wide open.  Just by luck, Luther knocks out Nicholas Simmons with a body slam and becomes the local hero.

And yes.  Luther even got a girl out of the ordeal.  He marries his secret crush, Alma Parker.  As they say their “I do’s”, the organ starts playing all by itself the haunting macabre tune that was being played in the Simmons mansion.

It’s a great movie, one that is watched many times here at the Hotel Thompson.

 

Domestic Violence – A Word from Mom

Sometimes you hear about something on the news that totally blows your mind away.  Some of you may know, we watch a lot of paranormal shows here at the Hotel Thompson.  That’s something that intrigues us.  In watching these shows, you get to know some of the people that you see.  And with social media the way it is these days, you even get to chat with these people from time to time.  You may not have met in real life but like people here on the blog or on Facebook, you become friends.

Mom spoke to one of these friends a couple of weeks ago when she posted that she and her husband were separating.  Of course, we never know the circumstances from any marriage, behind any closed door or what takes place between a couple.  You don’t throw judgement, you support the decision and try to help.

Yesterday morning, the estranged husband kidnapped his wife and held her hostage in Nevada.  There was a police stand off and SWAT was called to the scene.  The husband not only ended up killing his wife and himself, there was also a third person whose name has not been released yet.

This situation has just touched my heart so hard and I had difficulty sleeping last night from thinking about it all.  After doing some research on line, I saw that there was some difficulties in the relationship since earlier this year and one or the other was charged with domestic violence on two different situations.  It still doesn’t make sense why it needed to come to this.  What did it solve?  You have the family and the public/fans of the couple just questioning why?  It makes sense if you are having difficulty in a relationship to move on and give each other some breathing room.  Why did it have to escalate not to 1 but 3 deaths is just unimaginable.

Friends and visitors to my blog, if you are in a relationship with domestic violence, please get help.  Don’t stay.  Don’t be a statistic.  Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline.  I know that’s easier said than done.  And I know that none of us know the exact circumstances to this case and that there are always two sides to every story.  But please get and be safe.  Life is too short and precious.

.

.

.

 

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad – Official Date :)

Once upon a time, there was a cute little boy and a cute little girl.  They grew up relatively in the same area not too far away from each other.

 You know what they say about three degrees of separation?  It was the same in this situation.  They knew some of the same people.  He went to a private Christian school that she attended church at during the week.  They ate at some of the same restaurants. For all they knew, they might have passed each other during their childhood.  It was possible.

They grew up,  went through school and college.  Until one day, the girl applied for a job at a business that changed the course of her life.  She was interviewed by the mother of the boy who took an immediate liking to the girl.  In fact the liking was so much that the mother hired the girl for the job having a secret agenda.  The secret agenda was to have her son meet this girl and fall in love.

The mother introduced them and they went to lunch together for the first time on September 14,  1988.  It was an immediate chemistry and love was in the air.  The young boy courted the young girl throughout the years doing everything together.  There would be times that one wanted to get married but the other didn’t at the time and vice versa.  Not that they didn’t love each other but because they had things they wanted to get done first.  You know the things in life like finishing college and getting a solid paying job.  But throughout this time, families merged and got to know each other.

The young couple courted for 16 years.  Yes my friends, that is not a typo.  Life was good.  What was the rush?  They grew up and got set in their ways.  She bought a home and was taking care of herself and he was taking care of his parents and helping them.

Then on Valentine’s day February 14, 2004, the young man got down on one knee and asked THE question, “Will you marry me?”  The young girl was shocked and amazed.  Her response, “What’s the rush?”  A sense of humor that has maintained throughout their relationship – that’s a good thing.

The young girl accepted.  A date was discussed.  Sadly, the mother of the young man had passed away over the years.  In honor of her, they made a date for September 15, 2004.

Now, this is the fun part.  Two lives merged as one into ONE household.  They said their I do‘s and moved in together for the first time.  What a wake up call!  PLOL (pig laughing out loud).  

Today marks their 11th wedding anniversary or 27 years of being together.  Was it easy – nope.  Has their been good times and bad times – of course.  Every marriage has bumps in the road.  It’s how you travel over the bumps to the other side that makes a long lasting relationship.  It also helps that both of them have a really wicked sense of humor.  I mean look at me.  Who do you know would adopt a pig in their lives?  Enough said on that.

So today, we at the Hotel Thompson would like to wish mom and dad a Happy Anniversary.  Here’s to another 27 years of being together!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 

8 Pictures of Happiness

Oh my friends – I have been so inspired by everyone posting their 8 Pictures of Happiness.  I thought I would *finally* join the bandwagon and share my 8 Pictures of Happiness.  I hope you enjoy them my friends 

1st Picture of Happiness –

The purr things here at the Hotel Thompson.  Surprises you huh?  Well they do bring me happiness because we are all family, right?  And you gotta admit that this picture would make you smile and happy.  You see, those two purr things can be called more spoiled than this oinker.  Why do you ask?  Well look at them. They don’t thing they can drink from a regular bowl. Oh no, they have to partake at the fountain that mom likes to call the bathroom sink – snorts!

2nd Picture of Happiness –

My mom/dad on the day they got married and was cutting their wedding cake.  Of all of the pictures from their special day, this is the one that I absolutely LOVE.  Aren’t they cute?  They had a beach themed wedding.  Their wedding cake was three tiered heart shaped with chocolate Godiva seashells all around the cake.  There was even ‘sand’ around the bottom in the form of brown sugar.  Dad says it was good that day and even a year later when they brought the top tier out of the freezer on their first anniversary 🙂

3rd Picture of Happiness –

This is the first day that I came home to the Hotel Thompson.  Me and mom’s first picture together.  I was three weeks old and weighed only ONE pound.  See my cute little snout?  When mom and dad first picked me up, believe it or not but mom had not seen me in person and had never held a piglet.  After my surrogate mom passed me to my mom, I crawled up to her neck, smelled it and went immediately to sleep.  My surrogate mom said that was a great sign.  I love laying on mom’s shoulders and smelling her neck.  You’ll see me do a lot of that in pictures,.Don’t you just recognize and love the smell of your human?  I can’t get enough!

4th Picture of Happiness –

This is the very first picture that mommy ever saw of me that made her fall in love with me.  This was taken about a week after I was born on the farm with my real mom, Bertha, and my real dad, Champ.  My surrogate emailed it to mom and mom said it tugged at heart like no other.  Every since then, I’ve had mom wrapped around my little hooves.  What do you think?  Would you have fallen in love with me in this picture ❤

5th Picture of Happiness –

Okay this picture is one of my mom’s all time favorites of me – me in the bathtub for bath time. Contrary to popular belief, piggies are actually very clean animals.  I don’t stink…partially because I don’t sweat – snorts.  Mommy does put her foot down though and makes me take a bath at least once a month.   She says to make me smell like a little powdered baby.  But I let her cause she likes those times.  In this picture, I was stomping around the tub and blowing bubbles in the water.  It was pretty fun.  Mom thought she was going to take some pictures and videos.  In the video, right towards the end I had enough.  That’s when I learned how to fly.  I jumped out of the tub.  Poor mommy, she didn’t know whether to drop her cell phone or catch me.  Hilarious keeping her on her toes.

6th Picture of Happiness –

Me and my mom.  There is no place that I would rather be than in the arms of my mommy.  They are safe arms.  They are loving arms.  They make me feel protected and I love them.  In this picture, notice my face.  Daddy was trying to make me get down.  I don’t know why it was bothering him.  Me and mom were just fine and happy as could be.  It’s okay.  Daddy finally backed down and left us alone.  See, I can be as stubborn as… as… well as a pig.  There you go.  Snorts.

7th Picture of Happiness –

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of moi.  I took it from the camera on my laptop.  It’s also here on my blog as my picture.  I was sitting there pounding on the keyboard and I took it.  It came out fabulous and I love it.  What do you think?  Do you like it too as one of your favorites?

8th Picture of Happiness –

Another one of my piglet baby pictures – mommy holding me.  See, I was terribly small when I came to live with mom/dad here at the Hotel Thompson.  I was the runt of my litter and they didn’t think I was going to make it.  But look at me now – I made it!  Daddy says that for the first six months of my life, he didn’t know that I could even walk because mommy carried me everywhere.  Silly daddy.  Of course I had legs.  If I didn’t, I would be called ham – right?  Snorts with piggy laughter.

So there you are.  My eight pictures of happiness.  I hope you enjoyed them as well my friends.  ❤

Oh and squeals… maybe I should make this NINE pictures of happiness.  I almost forget about someone that I need to add.  Someone that does bring me happiness – especially when he’s not swinging from my piggy tail.  You guess it… Houdini.  He does bring a smile to my piggy face.  He’s so full of energy!  So here you go – 9th Picture of Happiness –

 

I Really Don’t Think So

Hope you had a wonderful weekend my friends.  We spent the weekend catching up on a lot of things that mom has let go since her arthritis has been flaring up.  There was haircuts, nails, grocery shopping, Houdini had to go to the spa and other errands that had to be done.  As daddy says, ‘”It was about time too.”  And yep, I finally got me some Animal Crackers.  I was thrilled with that!

Over the weekend, we were watching a special on television that piqued our interest.  It was a special on weddings and the new venues of where to get married.  There is still the traditional way of getting married in a church.  But there are so many different venues now.  For instance, did you know that when mom/dad got married they got married in an upscale steakhouse.  They rented out the banquet room, invited 60 of their closest family/friends that thought they would never get married and had the wedding. Following the wedding, they had a sit down dinner at the restaurant and they gave the option of steak, chicken, shrimp or salmon.  That’s another thing that’s kind of part of the past – sit down dinners.  Nowadays, people go for finger foods and buffets.  But a steakhouse wedding was awesome.  You have doubts don’t you?  I thought you might so here is a picture of mom/dad from their wedding day at the restaurant.

But do you want to hear about a new venue that people are picking for their wedding?  This one totally blows my piggy mind.  It really does and I’m sure yours too.  People are opting to have their weddings in funeral homes.  I was what are they thinking.  Then they explained.  There is room for plenty of parking and the facilities usually have huge rooms inside for the wedding.  I guess you would just want to make sure that your special day doesn’t coincide with someone’s departing.

Now the question is could you get married in a funeral home?  Where did you get married?