Cezanne's "Still Life with Cherries" recovered from art thieves with stolen tractor!

0:03 Hi there, I'm Johnny Mac with five good news stories. I love this story about Lou and his wife. They had dreamed of exploring China together since they were newlyweds. However, over the years, diabetes left the wife partially paralyzed as retirement approached. and they were thinking they wouldn't be able to travel. Well, in 2014, they said, let's do it anyway, and they set off by car, traveling the coastal provinces of China. More than a decade later, they're still exploring. Liu replaced the car with a camper fitted with a kitchen, two beds, and a dining table. He keeps medical supplies aboard and serves as his wife's full-time caregiver, helping her with medication, rehab exercises, and daily needs. Their daughter originally worried, you know, how's this going to work? Liu said... The journeys have lifted his wife's spirits, giving them new experiences to share despite all the challenges. That is fantastic, and that is true love. Meanwhile in Italy, the police have recovered stolen paintings of Renoir, a Cézanne, and a Matisse.

1:03 These are worth millions. Three paintings, Renoir's Fish, Cézanne' s Still Life with Cherries, and Matisse's Odalisque on the Terrace. Together, these works are valued at more than $ 10 million. They were stolen in March from a private museum. Intruders used a stolen tractor to break through the property's gate after triggering an alarm. The thieves escaped across the garden, leaving the tractor behind. They also left behind a fourth painting, another Renoir. Nine suspects are in custody. Wow, nine. Still Life with Cherries last sold at auction for $ 7 million. Painted in the 1880s, it belongs to a body of work in which the artist repeatedly explored fruit through carefully arranged still lives. In Switzerland, a gardener has grown a record-breaking chili more than 20 inches long. 20.6 to be exact.

1:49 It is a Guinness World Record. Jorg first claimed the longest chili pepper record in 2017. That one was only 17.7 inches. Then the next year, he raised one to 19.9. How does he do this? He says it involves careful preparation and steady attention. He starts seeds indoors in March under grow lights, keeps them warm before moving the plants in the garden once the risk of frost has passed. He prepares the soil with mature compost, waters regularly, and uses a balanced fertilizer. Keeps the feeding in check. Too much feeding encourages leaves instead of chilies. Okay. In Colorado, a fire station got an unexpected visitor who stole some equipment. Who was it? It was a bear. They have nicknamed the bear Smokey. I thought Smokey was a firefighter's friend.

2:35 Maybe that's how Smokey the Bear fights fires. He steals from firemen. Maybe. I don't know. I don't know the origins there. The fire department shared the footage on social media, joking that Smokey the Bear had stopped by and decided to take over. It is unclear if the bear returned the equipment. And in Bavaria, 150 competitors gathered for a championship. It was the 65th German Finger Wrestling Championship. Here's how it works. Opponents sit across the table and hook their middle fingers through a leather loop. Each then tries to pull the other toward the side of the table. Some matches end in seconds, others stretch for a minute as the competitors struggle to gain the upper finger. Ferdinand took the senior title, but he made it clear that winning was not painless. He told Euronews that the sensation was excruciating.

3:21 This doesn't sound like fun at all. The sport remains popular across Bavaria, where a table, leather loop, and a sturdy finger... can turn a Sunday into a serious test of strength. And those are your five good news stories for today. If you would like this program without commercial interruption, use the Apple Podcast app. There's a banner. It says Uninterrupted Listening. You click on that, it'll tell you what to do. The short version is five bucks a month, and you won't hear any commercials here or on Palace Intrigue about the British Royals or on the other show I host, Daily Comedy News, which is about comedians and comes out seven days a week, and I hope you'll check that out. You have an awesome day.