Frosted Flakes: Three Teenagers In the House

It’s official. I’m old.

All three ranchhands are now teenagers. Feeding three teenage boys involves as much food as you think it does. Fortunately, we have three freezers full of meat and a 5,000 square foot garden (actually gardens).

We also finished up a whirlwind family vacation last week. We scored some last minute tickets near a college ranchhand 2 wanted to visit (you’ll get more on that this weekend or next week). The rapid fire trip involved cheesesteaks in Philly, a Revolutionary War battle field, college visit and drive over to the ocean for swimming and seafood, quick diversion up to see the Statue of Liberty, back for more swimming and seafood and then the culmination of the trip. The Fourth of July in Philadelphia.

Did you know they take Independence Day pretty seriously in Philly?

We got to check out the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (see the picture at top). It was pretty cool to be standing in the same room where the founding fathers told King George where he could shove his colonial rule on July 4th, 1776.

We also got to enjoy a fireworks show with a half million of our closest friends.

Annnnd then back to reality as we were up at 3:30 a.m. on the 5th to get to the airport in time for our flight back to Nebraska. (No wonder the tickets were so cheap!)

How is your summer going? Any good family time or vacation plans? Tell us in the comments!

Frosted Flakes

(for the rest of the offseason, this Flakes section will include general Nebraska news and not just Nebraska sports - maybe I’ll continue that into football season too - who knows)

High expectations ramp up Husker hype
Heading into the 2019 season, the Huskers are receiving a healthy amount of hype.

Most Intriguing Huskers: No. 22, Rahmir Johnson | Football | journalstar.com
As Nebraska preseason camp approaches, Husker Extra is counting down the 30 most intriguing players on the roster.

James Palmer Jr. seems to be making a very good impression with the Suns this summer. Good for him. It would be fun to see multiple Huskers work their way onto NBA rosters (but I’m not holding my breath).

Photos: Commits, prospects take part in Husker volleyball camp | Volleyball | journalstar.com
Husker volleyball commits and prospects took part in drills at a Nebraska volleyball camp at the Devaney Sports Center on Tuesday. Journal Star photos by Gwyneth Roberts

Former Huskers win gold in FIVB Volleyball Nations League final | KHGI
The U. S. Women’s Volleyball National Team is golden again, rallying to defend its FIVB Volleyball Nations League title with a comeback for the ages.

The Kearney area was inundated with seven or more inches of rain and parts are still underwater. The University of Nebraska Kearney even opened up a dorm to house people from the community who can’t live in their homes right now. This has been a year to test the will of even the most hardy pioneer souls here on the Plains.

Floodwater cascades inside Kearney hospital
The cafeteria and parts of the basement at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska flooded Friday. No one was hurt.

This was amazing - in a bad way.

Photos: Flooding after July 8 storm | Photos | kearneyhub.com
Kearney, in addition to other towns in the surrounding area, is suffering the effects of Monday night's rainstorm. Roads and buildings are flooded, stranding some in their homes.

Nebraska's not for everyone, except people looking for top place to retire | Local Business News | journalstar.com
As the state's new tourism slogan opines, Nebraska's not for everyone.

Union Pacific's Big Boy, the world's largest steam railroad engine, rolls through Nebraska this week | Omaha Metro | omaha.com
Union Pacific’s iconic steam locomotive Big Boy No. 4014 will stop in several Nebraska communities as part of Union Pacific’s celebration of its 150th anniversary. Big Boy will arrive in

Sportsin’ Stuff Outside the 402/308

Photo gallery: The Hulk returns on stage 5 of the 2019 Tour de France | CyclingTips
Peter Sagan would admit that he hasn't had the best season of his career. After three top-five finishes in the first four stages...

Pete Alonso stole the show in a Home Run Derby for the ages
The Mets rookie was the last man standing, posting a dramatic win in a heavyweight battle full of memorable moments.

High school football coach Rob Mendez recieves Jimmy V Award (speech) | SI.com
Prospect High School junior varsity football coach Rob Mendez, who was born without limbs, was honored on Wednesday night at the ESPYs with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.

I’ve never paid much attention to the ESPYs outside of Jack Hoffman’s award, but this was a remarkable story.

NBA instant replay: Coach's challenges are coming | SI.com
The NBA is adding coach's challenges on a trial basis for the 2019-20 season. As Summer League in Las Vegas is showing, the process is still very new for everyone involved.

More Noise and Other Disturbances

Storing data in music
This means that background music can contain the access data for the local Wi-Fi network, and a mobile phone's built-in microphone ...

Burials should be permitted next to motorways and railway lines, says leading public health expert | The Independent
Idea for green ‘burial corridors’ comes amid concern Britain is running out of space in cemeteries and graveyards

‘Mystical’ Psychedelic Compound Found in Normal Brains
A study in rats has revealed the presence of naturally occurring dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an increasingly popular hallucinogen.

Physicists Just Teleported Quantum Information Inside a Diamond
Researchers achieved quantum teleportation within a diamond, an achievement that could shape how we share and store sensitive information in the future.

Beam me up Scotty!

Vegetarian 'Crocodiles' Evolved More Than Once in Earth's Ancient Waterways
Crocodilians today are fearsome meat-eating reptiles, but new research shows that wasn't always the case.

Milledgeville woman orders 'Moana'-themed cake, gets marijuana design by mistake | 13wmaz.com
"I think they thought that she said 'marijuana' because we are from south Georgia and kind of have an accent. So, 'Moana,' marijuana?" said Davis.

Japanese grapes fetch record $11,000 at auction
A bunch of 24 red grapes offered up for auction in Japan fetched a high bid of $11,000, making them the most expensive bunch of grapes on record.

As someone feeding three teenage boys, I can tell you my food bill is high, but not this high. Wow.

How ignorance makes us cocky | CBC Radio
It’s called the Dunning-Kruger Effect. When social psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger first wrote about it in 1999, it wasn’t taken seriously. Now it’s seen as a phenomenon that is having a very real impact on world events, from the 2008 financial crisis to the election of Donald Trump. David Dunning, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, is Michael’s guest.

I guess what you don’t know makes you think you’re smarter. This explains social media.

Rare Lake of Bubbling Lava Discovered on Remote Antarctic Island
A huge lake of sizzling hot lava has been discovered in a volcano on a remote sub-Antarctic island in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Vibrating dog vest may let you ‘talk’ to your pup without saying a word
Designed for working dogs, the haptic vest may one day also help pet owners with speech impairments or dogs that are hard of hearing.

Florida Man Hunting Iguanas Misses and Shoots Nearby Pool Guy Instead
"If neighbors are gonna be like the Wild West and shoot at everything someone's gonna get killed," warned a resident.

Another Week, Another Poop Article

Why The Cattle Industry Might Not Use A Drug That Cuts The Pollution Of Manure And Pee | HPPR
Cattle herds also produce ammonia. By the ton. It’s in their manure and especially in their urine. Because that pungent ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, it can form nitrous oxide and pump more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

The headline is a bit misleading. Yes, it will need to make financial sense for farmers to use it. Duh.

Then There’s This

Nearly 200K People Have Signed Up to Steal Alien Secrets from Area 51 in Late-Summer Raid
More than 200,000 Facebook users say they’re interested in joining a raid on Nevada’s infamous Area 51 air base this summer. Here’s why the top-secret test site is so alluring.

The weirdest things we learned this week: Nazis ate camel poop and pregnancy tests spread a fungal plague | Popular Science
Dysentery was a major inconvenience at best and a killer at worst, especially in North Africa, except for the local Bedouin fighters who never seemed to be ill for long. Their secret? Camel poop.

Best Thing I Saw on the Internet This Week

At The T-Rex Races: On Your Mark, Get Set, Rawwrr! : NPR
At first glance, the starting gate at Emerald Downs racetrack looks relatively normal. But then the gates open and the race begins, and instead of thoroughbreds a mass of people bursts forth, running as fast as they can — while wearing oversized T-Rex costumes.

Enjoy the rest of your week Corn Nation!