Hoping 2026 will be Mucho better than 2025!

                            Sydney, Australia, January 1, 2026
 

Embarrassingly enough, the City of Bakersfield CA, sponsors a Polar Bear event on News Years Day.  Yes, ever so brave hungover citizens of this desert community line up for the opportunity to jump or slide into a city pool.  Brace yourselves denizens of the Mid-West, for the mid-day temperature this year was 67 degrees!  Oh, my, brrrrrr...  Granted the low temp for the day was 44 degrees so I can imagine the water was refreshing, but ...  Let's see, it got up to 35 in Indianapolis, IN ... above freezing at least.  And in Milwaukee, poor Milwaukee, it topped out at 16 degrees!!!  Ouch.  

The Aussies know how to throw a party.  Another spectacular fireworks display presented in Sydney.  Nifty.  

My computer problem(s) has finally been resolved, and I will return to my regularly scheduled programming next Tuesday ... or I certainly hope so!  

A Very Merry Christmas to All!

 

15 Days to Christmas - Hoping I Make it!

 I had intended on doing my usual Tuesday post on Ms. Merkel, a day early for her December 10th birthdate.  As I was working on it, I hit print and my room exploded into an horrific array of flashing lights and electronic sounds.  Anyway, as I guessed it to be, my computer was kaput.  Thanks to my unbelievably patient spouse, a replacement has been ordered and will be here, oh, they said mid-December, but it is the Holiday season after all.  Sigh.  Ah, the nightmares about losing my Montgomery archive ... 

Meanwhile, a nice photo of Una. 

                                       Una Merkel, early 1930s

December 7, 1941 - A Day We Need to Remember

 

A Few Nifty Autographs

Under the category 'Gee, I didn't know that.', Binnie Barnes was born in London.  Binnie co-starred with Mr. Montgomery in The First Hundred Years (1937).  

Fritz Feld, as usually a waiter/clerk, is famous for making a "pop" sound by slapping his mouth to show extreme annoyance. 

Leatrice Joy was a silent film star, married briefly to John Gilbert.  I like the red ink and the greeting 'Hello!'  

Ms. Marie Windsor!  'Queen of the Bs'  Did you know she was 5'9"?  Nifty way of dotting her I's.