Saw this sweetheart today while driving to #GenericSuperstore, and it just reinforced what a weird town I live in. It was not all restored and sleek and shined up (in fact, even the license plate was rusty). Yet there she was at the stoplight, totally oblivious of everyone's interest in her. In 1952, QEII became the reigning monarch of the British Isles following the death of her father King George VI, Evita Peron went to her eternal rest, Joan Crawford had a massive hit with the suspense thriller "Sudden Fear," the first  hydrogen bomb was detonated by a bunch of men with tiny little dicks , and Patti Page had a #1 song with "I Went To Your Wedding." Her biggest hit was "The Tennessee Waltz," but she had many others, including this one: And here's another Ford Customline at the top of its game: Oh, if you do see a doggie in the window, take her or him home with you, because you'll change two lives for the better, theirs and yours. Happy Open...

Credit: AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth Presented without comment: here are Prince Harry and his lawyer arriving at the London high court on Monday as the trial for his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited kicks off.

Happy Martin Luther King Day, music sloots, and welcome to another kicky edition of Manor Music Monday. Today, we'll be chatting about a winning jazz songstress whom time has unjustly forgotten, though in her day, she delighted top jazz musicians and composers who scrambled to work with her. You can hear her tonight at "Sportin' a Semi!" the Manor's 24-hour club and creperie where DJ L'il Scratch will be laying down her irresistible tunes.  Yes, it's Patricia "Pat" Thomas. Just look at her: coquettish beauty and adorableness incarnate. Born in The City Of Big Shoulders - that's Chicago to you pesky rubes - she was an in-demand performer by nearly every jazz band in the late 1950s and early 60s, and hit the big-time, if briefly, with her 1963 LP, "Desafinado," the title track being a Bossa Nova-flavored triumph which rocketed up the charts.  It was her rich, caramel-toned voice which made her stand out, even in her early days. Her fi...

Leonhard Seppala and Togo.  Togo was born in 1913 in Alaska and seemed, from the start, like he wasn't destined for a career as a useful sled dog, or even a beloved pet. He was undersized, sickly, sharp-tempered, and relentlessly defiant. As a puppy, he chewed through harnesses, constantly bullied other dogs, routinely escaped confinement, and refused even basic obedience commands. Togo seemed like a lost cause. He exhibited none of the behaviors or traits that the best sled dogs normally possess.   Leonhard Seppala, one of the most respected sled dog trainers of his time, deemed him untrainable and gave him away. Togo responded by doing what he would do repeatedly as a youngster: he escaped and found his way back home to Seppala and his wife. The dog was nothing short of a juvenile delinquent with a host of ongoing problem behaviors. And he wasn't anything special in the looks department either; some even said he looked perpetually dirty. As Togo matured, his "flaws"...

Credit: Ottawa Tourism Since Peckerwood Manor is a multi-faceted community, wintertime looks very different for many of us. Some of us never get snow, some of us get way too much, and others fall somewhere happily in the middle. While the winter season is usually a time of hunkering down, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the beautiful season: skating, skiing, après-skiing, cooking and enjoying hearty foods, etc. Do you have a favourite winter activity, Peckers? Or did you get to enjoy a special moment during the wintertime that warms your memories? Share below!

Reception, 1910 Faragó Géza

    

"Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun... "And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking Racing around to come up behind you again... "Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines..." Oh dear, I hope this doesn't seem like a bummer OP, I just love this time of year and that's one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs. Even if it sounds somber, it's a good somber. I hate that it's still getting darker earlier, but I love feeling and smelling the freshness outdoors, and the crunching when you're walking on fallen leaves or snow. And I love Pink Floyd. Whether you're happily somber today, or just plain happy, tell us all about it, and happy Open Po...

Podcast recommendations are often the best ones, and we Peckers always have excellent taste. Comfort listens, deep dives on certain topics, or even just background noise: what's in your podcast rotation right now? Photo Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Welcome, music sloots to another edition of Manor Music Monday, today by way of a San Francisco gal with incredible talent and understated class, a combo we don't see much in performers these days of any ilk, if at all. Better still, she's still truckin' at age 86. And though it's wintertime, her music will bring back summer. Just listen and you'll feel the heat, the light humidity, a chill band and her freshly reviving voice. Also, San Francisco must have something in the water, because so many terrific jazz vocalists seem to hail from there. It can't be a coincidence. Case in point, Mary Stallings, born in 1939 in the city, the middle child of 11 siblings. Get this: she's also the niece of saxophonist Orlando Stallings, who introduced her to jazz when she was just a wee one after overhearing her scatting to Dizzy Gillespie's "Oop-Bop-Sh'bam." She performed briefly with Uncle Orlando's band and with her church, and while she was still...

Loud logo overload and aggressive “dupe” flexing, turning people into ambulatory billboards for sweatshop fast fashion that trashes the planet while pretending it’s ironic Endless Y2K necromancy: ultra low-rise jeans, visible thongs, unbuttoned pants, micro shorts — dragged back from the dead despite most bodies, climates, and basic dignity declining the invitation.  TikTok stunt cycles that gamify injury, poisoning, and arrest (NyQuil chicken, aerosol inhaling, car theft) and then act shocked when hospitals get involved “Blackout” and Benadryl challenges, where teens choke or overdose for clout, rebranding actual danger as engagement Cold plunges, IV drips, bone broth bars, and hyper-aesthetic wellness clubs mutating into luxury status symbols that cost more than actual medical care  Colostrum powders and animal-derived “liquid gold” supplements marketed as gut and skin miracles, with a marketing budget vastly outpacing the science Wellness influencers hawking extreme biohack...

Source: Bettmann We've all had moments when our clothing has betrayed us: a skirt tucked into our underwear, a nasty breeze hitting us at the worst possible time. But not all wardrobe mishaps are equal. Have you ever had a particularly embarrassing malfunction? Or seen someone else have one? Expose yours below!

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That was a TRAVESTY! And Jerry Lewis as emcee? He was even worse than Bob Hope usually is . Oh well, no point in crying over spilled half and half.  C'mon, hop inside my parents' new 1956 Mercury (it's painted in "2-Tone" colors!) and we can swing by the drive-thru and get a couple chocolate malts and split an order of onion rings while we watch Ed Sullivan. The Five Satins are going to be on, and we can watch and chat and laugh about whatever's going on in our lives at school or at work, just like an Open Post or something! Photo Credit: AK

Credit: Backgrid Here's Kristen Stewart photographed leaving her hotel in NYC yesterday. It's difficult to guess what the weather was like. Up top suggests cooler temps, while the bottoms suggest a beach trip is nigh. And then there's the hair! Kristen is known for her ~edgy~ style but I find I just don't "get" most of her looks. This definitely falls into that category. What do you think of this look, Peckers?

Greetings music slutinos, and welcome to the first Manor Music post for the new year! It's back to work for many of you today - and I know, blech. Myself, I want at least another week off, but, hey, music can be a vacation, right? No, really, it can. Tonight, at the Manor's exclusive "Bush Diver" after-hours bar and taquitoria, DJ Li'l Scratch will be playing just want you need to hear as you start the work week. Something effortlessly light, something to sweep away the drudgery, something with giggles.  How about "The Girl With A Giggle In Her Voice?" That's what she was dubbed in the early 1950s. Behold the chucklesome Alma Cogan, here in her dressing room just seconds before hitting the stage. She designed all of her fetching costumes, by the way. Never once was she seen in the same outfit twice.  I 'm still trying to wrap my noggin around the fact that she was, for quite a long time, the highest-paid female performer ever in the UK (until th...

Cancel one thing that you have decided never needs to happen. Eat something warm and delicious at least once a day. Use lamps all week. Overhead lighting is aggressive. Don’t make any major life decisions before noon, and it doesn't even have to be in your time zone.  Wear the softest clothes, even if no one sees you. Let emails sit. Nothing important happens this week. Drink water like it’s part of the new you. May as well start off hydrated. Rewatch something comforting instead of watching something new and laborious.  Clean in 10-minute segments at a time, and then decide whether to continue. Go to bed early at least once without announcing it. Ignore productivity advice entirely. Take a walk without tracking it, even 5 minutes counts. Let the week be awkward. It always is. January is a suggestion, not a mandate. Choose simple food over impressive food. Avoid conversations that start with “So this year I’m going to…” Buy nothing except food, comfort, and things that make yo...

One thing Elizabeth Hurley's gonna do is wear a bikini. The 60-year old actress rang in the new year with her boyfriend, Billy Ray Cyrus, at a 007-themed party wearing a bikini reminiscent of Honey Ryder's famous look in Dr. No .  Billy Ray went for an all-black look and I'll let you share your thoughts on his hair. Source: Elizabeth Hurley on instagram

Would, no shame. Then again, I'd "would" a lot of things. Would you? And have any of you seen or heard about any crazy vending machines out there in the wild?