The Provo Museum of Postal Art

  So I decided to change my name.  My brand, so to speak. If the people at Cracker Barrel could do it, I could do it. I was tired of people stumbling over the Nordic syllables. Instead of saying it properly, as “Tim Tor-kild-son,” they’d add diphthongs and put the emphasis on the wrong syllable, and just generally screw it up. I’ve been called Forkelson and Thorgilson and even Tom Torkiltwinkle. And I was sick of it.  A person has the right to be known quickly and accurately when introduced – don’t they? Besides, I wanted something short and to the point. Something to fit in with our frantic, attention-deficit times. So, as I said, I started telling people, including my family and my friends, to please call me Tork.  Just plain, simple Tork. You can’t mess that up, by golly! But it’s not working.  People are objecting.  Vociferously.  My wife Amy said: “I’m not calling you anything but your proper, legal, name, when I introduce you to anybody else!...

  Here’s a field-use starter list of native birds you can actually expect to encounter in Prince William County, grouped by how they use the county (year-round, breeders, winter visitors). I built it from regional checklists for Occoquan Bay NWR and Prince William Forest Park plus Virginia DWR site notes, then summarized traits and diets from Cornell Lab’s All About Birds and Audubon. ( U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , NPS History , National Park Service , Virginia Wildlife Resources ) What’s included Only native species regularly recorded in the county’s parks/refuges—no European Starling, House Sparrow, or other non-native introductions. ( U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , National Park Service ) Diet & traits are concise field notes (e.g., “insects + seeds,” “fish specialist”) distilled from species accounts. ( All About Birds ) Year-round residents (common) Northern Cardinal — bright red male, crested; seeds, fruits, insects . ( All About Birds ) Carolina Chi...

  My Norwegian wife Amy says "OOF-DA!" after reading the WaPo. "Democrats’ divisions over Israel-Gaza war flare at national party meeting" “I do not belong to any organized political party: I’m a Democrat.” Will Rogers. Roses are red. Violets divide. Democrats like to Commit fratricide. *********************** "Texas showdown: Legal battle looming over Ten Commandments in schools" THE TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR TEXAS TEACHERS  Thou shalt have no other gods before thee, besides the Texas State Legislature.  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven playdoh images, and shalt never claim such graven images have eaten thy homework. Thou shalt not take the name of Greg Abbott in vain.  Remember Monday, and keep it quiet – thy teacher may not be fully functional yet after the weekend.  Honor thy janitors and thy lunch ladies, that thy days may be pleasant in the school.  Thou shalt not doubt.  For doubt kills obedience and causes learning.  Thou shalt not comm...

  Dear President Trump; What have you got against mail-in voting?  In my building at least half of the residents, including my wife and myself, depend on mail in voting to make our voices heard.  You must be living in a fantasy world if you think there's some foreign cabal or native cartel that is fabricating a huge amount of fraudulent mail-in ballots.  I've often wondered where you get your information from for making these outlandish claims.  It must be a committee consisting of Mortimer Snerd, Ish Kabibble, Jerry Colonna, and Peter Pitofsky (none of them sober.)  I think this is a subject you should drop like a hot patootie.  Or, as Ed Asner used to say, in his character as Sgt Mike Cosgrove on Freakazoid:  "Cut it out!" FYI:  the price of eggs just went UP again today.  I was going to buy a dozen to hard boil for our Valley Villa potluck tomorrow but decided to buy bananas instead -- I got 7 bananas for $1.98. I also snagged 3 chick...

  The Provo Museum of Postal Art is seeking contributions for their next exhibition:  Reflections on The Book of Mormon. CONTENT:  Whether you believe that the Book of Mormon is the word of God or not, if you have a feeling or an idea or an opinion on this controversial and powerful book, we invite you to express it visually and mail it to us. All artwork becomes the property of The Provo Museum of Postal Art, and will not be returned.  If an email address is included, we will notify you of receipt of your mail art and when it will be put on display at the Museum.  There is no entry fee. MEDIUM:  We are only accepting postcards, please. MAILING ADDRESS:  Please send all contributions to  The Provo Museum of Postal Art.  c/o Curator Tim Torkildson. 650 West  100 North   Suite #115.  Provo  Utah  84601  U.S.A. DEADLINE:  The Book of Mormon Mail Art Call is open until January 2, 2026.

  Dear President Trump (and a few others I have cc'ed on this email): I thought you were going to fix food prices, so that inflation would stop or at least slow down.  And how about reducing prices on a few basic foodstuffs?  Seems to me you promised all that, and more, in some of your meandering harangues. Do you know a loaf of grocery store French Bread, which just a year ago went for $1.50, is now $2.50?  And eggs . . . oy vey iz mir!  A dozen eggs cost more than a gallon of gas! A bag of yellow onions was 99 cents not too long ago.  And now a five pound bag of potatoes is five bucks . . . or more! So, like they say in Las Vegas, either put up or shut up.  If you can't do anything about skyrocketing prices except to deport more innocent people to Timbuktu, then I wish you would just start writing us paupers stimulus checks, like Biden did.  I can't afford beef anymore, but I sure would like to be able to afford a baked potato once in a while....