New Years Tradition

There’s a yearly tradition that we do here at the Hotel Thompson that I thought I would share.  It’s nothing difficult, really simple if you will.  Mom/dad have done this for years and as they say, “If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it!”  I thought I would share with my friends here in blogville because one can never have too much of good luck, right?

On the 31st of December before midnight, place money outside on your porch.  It can be a loose bill, change, or in an envelope.  This stays on your front porch.  Before midnight, everyone goes outside of the house.

At midnight, you open the front door and throw the money in over the threshold.  This should be the first thing that crosses your door.  This represents money coming into your home for the new year.  Remember, you don’t step into the home until after the money goes in.

I’m not sure where mom/dad got this from but they have been doing it forever.  I mean heck, we’ll take all of the help from everywhere we can, right?  Happy money tossing tonight my friends 🙂

 

Boo! Winchester House

Today, I’m focusing on the Winchester Mystery House.  Have you heard about this mansion that is located in San Jose, California?  Have you been there?  It’s claimed that some people are there and they have never left.  The Winchester Mystery House is just that – a mystery.  It was the residence of Sarah Winchester.

In 1862, she  married William Winchester – who came from the family that created the famous Winchester guns.  Everything seemed like it was grand and wonderful …for a while.

In 1866, the Winchester’s infant daughter, Annie, passed away from a childhood disease called marasmus.  (Marasmus is a form of severe malnutrition and causes a child to look emaciated.)  Losing her child caused Mrs. Winchester to fall into a deep depression.

In 1881, Mrs. Winchester’s husband, William, passed away from tuberculosis.  Can you imagine watching two of your very close loved ones pass away so early in life?  Mrs. Winchester was beside herself and sought help from a spiritualist.  Through consulting with the spiritualist, Mrs. Winchester believed her family and her fortune were haunted by the ghosts of the people who had fallen victim to the family Winchester rifles.  She was advised that the only way she could appease the ghosts was to move west and build them a house.  Not just a house but to continuous build them a house.

In 1884, Mrs. Winchester moved west to San Jose, California and bought an unfinished farmhouse .  Work began immediately.  Mrs. Winchester  would hold nightly seances to speak with the spirits to help guide her in how the house would be worked on the following date.  In the morning, she would meet with her construction workers and give them the plans.  Did the plans make sense?  You decide.

• There are roughly 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms;
• 2 ballrooms (one completed and one unfinished);
• 47 fireplaces;
• Over 10,000 panes of glass;
• 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others);
• 2 basements with three elevators.
• It has gold and silver chandeliers and hand-inlaid parquet floors and trim;
• There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials.
• The home’s conveniences were rare at the time of its construction. These included steam and forced-air heating, modern indoor toilets and plumbing, push-button gas lights and Mrs. Winchester’s personal (and only) hot shower from indoor plumbing.
• The number 13 is repeated frequently in the home – whether in stairs, candles, wall hooks, stained glass windows or even 13 holes in the drain covers.  Also every Friday the 13th, the large bell on the property is rung 13 times at 1300 hours in tribute to Winchester.   Mrs. Winchester even signed her will 13 times leaving everything to a niece and personal secretary.

Construction continued every day around the clock until Mrs. Winchester died on September 5, 1922.  Upon her death, all hammering ceased.  When they looked in Mrs. Winchester’s safe they found the things that meant the most to her.  Not money.  Not diamonds.  Not riches.  It was two pieces of hair – one from her husband and one from her daughter.

And until this day, it is said that you can still hear the construction work taking place, that you can see the workers inside and outside of the home.  And, people still say that Mrs. Winchester herself is still in the home.

 

Daddy is Getting a Part-Time Job

Our big surprise is coming up in September – just mere months away!  So dad thought he would be resourceful and get a part-time gig with a mariachi band to help with saving some money.  And with Cinco de Mayo being in a couple of days, what better way, right?

So the next time you are in your local Mexican restaurant, be on the lookout for my daddy.  He will be the one singing off key with a southern twang.  You might want to consider giving him a little something to be quiet.

I wonder if we can find a Mexican poncho small enough for Houdini so he can go as his side kick?  You know – the more making extra money the better, right?  Snorts with piggy laughter.

 

New Years Tradition

There’s a yearly tradition that we do here at the Hotel Thompson that I thought I would share.  It’s nothing difficult, really simple if you will.  Mom/dad have done this for years and as they say, “If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it!”  I thought I would share with my friends here in blogville because one can never have too much of good luck, right?

On the 31st of December before midnight, place money outside on your porch.  It can be a loose bill, change, or in an envelope.  This stays on your front porch.  Before midnight, everyone goes outside of the house.

At midnight, you open the front door and throw the money in over the threshold.  This should be the first thing that crosses your door.  This represents money coming into your home for the new year.  Remember, you don’t step into the home until after the money goes in.

I’m not sure where mom/dad got this from but they have been doing it forever.  I mean heck, we’ll take all of the help from everywhere we can, right?  Happy money tossing tonight my friends 🙂

 

Bacon’s Show and Tell

Thanks to everyone that participated in my Bacon’s Show and Tell last month – did you have fun?  I know we did here at the Hotel Thompson. We absolutely LOVE these Show and Tell pictures and stories. 

For this month – we want to know what was your all time favorite toy growing up.  Do you have a picture?  How long did you keep it?  What did this toy do?  Share the story of your favorite toy and what it meant to you my friends.

My moms favorite toy growing up was a game called Perfection.  You get a quick 60 seconds to place 25 pieces of various shapes and sizes into the correct spot. If you get them before your time is up, you win. If you don’t get them in time, all the pieces pop up all over the place scaring the beejeesus out of you… Well so mom says. Mom got really good at the game. So good in fact that she would get people she could do it for a $1.00 – so even then mom was working it – snorts with piggy laughter. 

♥

 

 

Hello Gorgeous

I think I’m in love with this beautiful feline.  Never mind she’s the richest feline in the world.  Money has nothing to do with it… honestly.  Snorts with piggy laughter.

 

 

New Years Tradition

There’s a yearly tradition that we do here at the Hotel Thompson that I thought I would share.  It’s nothing difficult, really simple if you will.  Mom/dad have done this for years and as they say, “If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it!”  I thought I would share with my friends here in blogville because one can never have too much of good luck, right?

On the 31st of December before midnight, place money outside on your porch.  It can be a loose bill, change, or in an envelope.  This stays on your front porch.  Before midnight, everyone goes outside of the house.

At midnight, you open the front door and throw the money in over the threshold.  This should be the first thing that crosses your door.  This represents money coming into your home for the new year.  Remember, you don’t step into the home until after the money goes in.

I’m not sure where mom/dad got this from but they have been doing it forever.  I mean heck, we’ll take all of the help from everywhere we can, right?  Happy money tossing tonight my friends 🙂

 

Dear Bacon

Dear Bacon – What?  Us reindeer can’t make a living only working one time a year at Christmas.  So what do we do for part time gigs?  Well I myself go from flea market to flea market taking pictures with the humans. Sometimes just for fun, I’ll stick my tongue out.  For some reasons, the humans love that.  Hey – it’s a living in between working for the fat dude.  Signed Donner

Dear Donner – You know I really never did think about what ya’ll did for the rest of the year.  I guess you would have to make some money during the year.  And hey, why not stick your tongue out?  I bet you make more money doing that, right?  Way to go my friend.  If you are ever near these parts, stop in for some treats.

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Dear Bacon – What has been seen can not now be unseen.  Why do the humans think they can run naked throughout the house when other humans are not around?  Are we not considered family?  Nobody wants to see that – put some clothes on.  And let me just say, just because other humans aren’t around, we don’t want to smell your farts either.  My gosh – what was that a motor boat??  Signed Shocked

Dear Shocked – WOW – it must have been a vision that can not be erased from your memory.  The look on your face tells me everything. And the run by motor boat, it had to be your dad, wasn’t it?  Shakes piggy head.  My dad does that too and then tries to blame it on me when mom walks in the room.  Dude, they ought to bottle that stuff up for hazardous materials!

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 Dear Bacon – For some reason, I don’t think that humans are suppose to get up and then fall over.  I saw my mistress working at her desk, stand up and then fall over and go boom.  Her eyes were shut and everything.  I just sat here and watched… and waited.  Is it normal?  Do you humans just get tired like this?  Signed Watcher

Dear Watcher – Shakes head no.  I don’t think that is normal my friend.  Did she finally get up?  Maybe she was looking at the family budget.  Sometimes my dad’s eyes will roll to the back of his head when he looks at the budget at the end of the month.  Yeah – maybe that’s it.  For some reasons, numbers do that to humans.  I don’t get it either.  I mean what’s to budget for?  Just our food is important.

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Dear Bacon – What?  Haven’t you ever seen a kangaroo with his rabbit?  This is my buddy Hopper – he’s my pal.  He never talks back and goes everywhere I do.  Sure my friends talk about me behind my back but they’re just jealous.  Don’t you have a friend too?  Signed Hopper Times Two

Dear Hopper Times Two – Who are other people to judge?  If you want Hopper around with you all of the time, so be it.  I have little friends around the Hotel Thompson that I count as my friends.  It’s no different.  You be your own kangaroo and don’t worry about what people say behind your back.  They are just jealous that they don’t have a close friend like yours.  Hop on and take care!

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Dear Bacon – I’m just a sexy little feline trying to pay her way through cat school.  They only way I can make some money is buy working the poles.  I practice at home on the legs to any table I can find at home during the day.  Then at night, I hit the club and work my magic.  What do you think about this move?  Sexy enough for you?  Signed Magic Kitty

Dear Magic Kitty – Well, um, what can I say?  You have the moves like Jagger?  You can get into positions that I’ve never seen before.  But I gotta ask…. where do they put the money?

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 Dear Bacon – My mother thinks I’m always too mean towards my little brother and that I need to show him how much I really love him.  I can do that, I said, so I decided to give him this great big hug.  Do you believe he had the nerve to stick his tongue out at me and tell Mommy I was still being mean to him?  Apparently hugging gets you put in time out these days…. it’s not fair, I tell you!  Signed Cat Hugger

Dear Cat Hugger – You hugged him and still got time out?  The nerve of your human.  I mean look at the little guy – he is sticking his tongue out at you?  What about that?  Did your humans not see that?  You being all nice and him showing you the tongue.  I say this means war… of course don’t get caught again – snorts

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REMEMBER friends.  Dear Bacon can’t happen without YOU.  Please continue to send me your pictures and questions via email.

 

 

 

Rolls Piggy Eyes

Oh my friends – I do hope you had a wonderful weekend and that you are well rested.  Because this morning I have a great one for you.  Really I do.  Something I heard and just simply can’t resist sharing.  I know it may be weak but after you read it you have to admit it is kind of funny for a Monday.

A frog goes into the bank and approaches the teller.  He can see from her name plate that her name is Patty Whack.  “Miss Whack, I’d like to get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday.”  

Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name.  The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger and that it’s okay, he knows the bank manager.  

Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.  The frog says, “Sure, I have this,” and produces a tiny porcelain elephant about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.  

Very confused, Patty explains that she’ll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office.  She finds the manager and says, “There’s a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who says his dad is Mick Jagger, who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000 AND he wants to use this as collateral.”  She then holds up the tiny pink elephant.  “I mean what the heck is this?”  

The bank manager looks backs at her and says without missing a beat, “It’s a knickknack Patty Whack.  Give the frog a loan.  His old man’s a rolling stone.”

(I won’t tell anyone that you’re singing that last line – snorts and rolls with piggy laughter!)

 

The Shoe Box

 A man and a woman had been married for more than 60 years.  They had shared everything.  They had talked about everything.  They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask about.  

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box.  But one day, the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.  

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside.  She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box.  When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000! 

He asked her about the contents.  “When we were to be married,” she said, “My grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue.  She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.”  

The little old man was so moved that he had to fight back the tears.  Only two precious dolls were in the box.  She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving.  He almost burst with happiness.  “Honey,” he said, “That explains the doll but what about all of this money?  Where did it come from?”  

“Oh,” she said, “That’s the money I made from selling the dolls”.  

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