Dec. 18, 2023

Dave Grohl's Heart of Gold, the Buc-ee's Gingerbread House, and the blonde raccoon

Dave Grohl's Heart of Gold, the Buc-ee's Gingerbread House, and the blonde raccoon

Gingerbread Houses and Good Times at Buc-ee's

Have you ever heard of Buc-ee's? If you're from the South, you probably know exactly what we're talking about. For those who aren't familiar, Buc-ee's is a massive store that sells just about everything...


Gingerbread Houses and Good Times at Buc-ee's

Have you ever heard of Buc-ee's? If you're from the South, you probably know exactly what we're talking about. For those who aren't familiar, Buc-ee's is a massive store that sells just about everything you could possibly need. It's a favorite stop for many travelers, and Deanna and Paul decided to pay tribute to this beloved establishment in their annual gingerbread creation.
Their gingerbread Buc-ee's was nothing short of spectacular. Complete with cars, electric charging stations, and gas pumps, this culinary masterpiece captured the essence of the famous store. Deanna and Paul even printed photographs of their co-workers in various poses around the gingerbread Buc-ee's, adding a personal touch to their creation.

What's so special about Buc-ee's, you ask? Well, according to USA Today, it's not just about buying gasoline or grabbing a sandwich. Buc-ee's is known for its cleanliness, massive size (they can be as big as a football field!), and the wide range of unique items they offer. Don't forget to try their famous beaver nuggets, a delightful snack made from puffed corn with a special coating.

Delivering Joy One Tree at a Time

During this time of year, many families look forward to decorating their Christmas trees. But for some military families, it can be challenging to access a tree and create that special holiday atmosphere. That's where FedEx and the Christmas Spirit Foundation step in to make a difference.
FedEx is partnering with the Christmas Spirit Foundation to deliver nearly 16,000 Christmas trees to families at over 90 military bases across the U.S. This initiative began 19 years ago with a humble start, delivering 4,300 trees to just five bases. Now, they are on the verge of reaching an incredible milestone: 300,000 trees delivered in total.

Wendy Richardson, the chair of the Christmas Spirit Foundation, expressed her disbelief at the program's growth. "It's hard to believe we're now going to exceed 300,000 total trees since we began working with FedEx 19 years ago," she said. It's heartwarming to see how this simple idea has blossomed into a program that brings joy to so many military families during the holiday season.

Dave Grohl's Heart of Gold

Dave Grohl, known for his role as the frontman of the Foo Fighters, recently spent a day off in Melbourne doing something quite different. Instead of rocking out on stage, he volunteered for the Big Umbrella Foundation, a food rescue charity that supports unhoused and food-insecure individuals.

The charity reported that Dave Grohl spent 18 hours preparing and smoking 44 pounds of pork ribs, pork butt, and beef brisket. His efforts contributed to providing much-needed meals to those in need. It's heartening to see celebrities using their influence to make a positive impact and help others, especially during the holiday season.

Meet Blondie, the Unusual Raccoon

In Crystal's backyard, an unusual visitor made an appearance on her security camera. This raccoon, whom she lovingly named Blondie, stood out from the typical raccoons thanks to its unique blonde fur. After doing some research, Crystal discovered that blonde raccoons are quite rare, making Blondie even more special.

Crystal began feeding Blondie and recorded its interactions with the other raccoons that frequented her yard. She noticed a clear pecking order, with the other raccoons giving way to the blonde one. These furry friends provided entertainment and joy to Crystal, as well as recognition around town. People even started referring to her as "the raccoon lady."

A Homecoming Surprise

Nothing warms the heart quite like a surprise homecoming. Imagine being away from your family for nine months, serving your country in Kuwait, and finally returning home just in time for the holidays. That's exactly what happened to a military dad who wanted to celebrate his return in a memorable way.
However, things didn't go exactly as planned. A series of mishaps and unexpected events threatened to spoil the surprise. Yet, this determined dad didn't give up. He found a way to quietly enter his house and patiently waited in the dark for five hours until his family returned. The moment they walked through the door and saw him, their shock and joy were absolutely priceless.
Spread the Cheer
During this holiday season, it's essential to remember the stories that bring us joy and remind us of the goodness in the world. Whether it's through creative gingerbread designs, acts of kindness, or heartwarming homecomings, these stories show us that the holiday spirit is alive and well.
As we approach the end of the year, let's remember to spread cheer and positivity. Share these stories with your loved ones, and let them serve as a reminder that even in difficult times, acts of kindness can make a world of difference.

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WEBVTT

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Caalaroga Shark Media. Santa's getting closed. So hope you haven't been naughty.

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If you've been naughty, you're listening
to the wrong show. Because Hi,

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I'm Johnny Mack with five Good News
Stories. Do you know what a BUCkies

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is? You're either like, yeah, of course I know what a BUCkies

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is, or you're from Queens,
New York City and you're like, I've

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never heard of that. I hadn't
heard of it until it came up on

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the other podcast I host Daily Comedy
News. Anyway, It's a big store

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down south that sells everything, and
Deanna and Paul thought the BUCkies in a

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town in Texas would be the perfect
model for their annual gingerbread creation. They

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even include people pumping their gas.
They were celebrating National Gingerbread House Day and

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they wanted to celebrate the BUCkies.
That's about an hour from their house,

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a place they say they always stop
at. The kind of gets our vacation

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started. Gingerbread BUCkies comes with cars, electric charging stations, gas pumps,

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printed photograph of Deanna's co workers,
and various poses around the store. She

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said, we purchased all the vehicles, got all the candy, and tried

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to make it happen. The people
that made up the village are depicted completing

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other tasks like changing a tire,
charging their tesla, giving their dog a

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chance to stretch their legs. I
think that's code. If you actually look

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through the windows, you can see
people inside walking around. They are the

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gas pumps. People are getting gas
and fixing their luggage. Let me catch

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the northerners up. USA Today wrote
what's so great about BUCkies? They wrote,

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BUCkies maybe as big as a football
field, all with bathrooms, maybe

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cleaner than yours at the house,
and they're popping up all across America.

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There's more to BUCkies than buying gasoline, sandwiches, brisket, beaver nuggets,

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fudge, beef jerky, or t
shirts, beaver nuggets the case you're curious,

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or puffed corn with special coating.
The mascot Bucky the Beaver, named

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after the owner's beloved dog Buck.
The USA Today has some tips. Is

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Bucky's a truck stop? No,
how do you pronounce BUCkies? The correct

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pronunciation is buck ease. Saying buck
you c's will mark you as an outsider.

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FedEx is hooking up some military families
with trees for troops. They're delivering

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nearly sixteen thousand Christmas trees this December
to family is at over ninety military bases

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across the US. They've partnered with
the Christmas Spirit Foundation. Tree number three

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hundred thousand was delivered during a special
celebration at Fort Liberty in North Carolina.

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Wendy Richardson is the chair of the
Christmas Spirit Foundation and said the program started

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on a crazy idea and started small. We delivered forty three hundred trees to

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only five bases that first year.
It's hard to believe we're now going to

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exceed three hundred thousand total trees since
we began working with FedEx nineteen years ago.

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Nice job by Dave Grohl. You
know him from Food Fighters. In

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between his bands tour dates in Australia, Grole spent a day off in Melbourne

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volunteering for the Big Umbrella Foundation,
a food rescued charity that helps feed unhoused

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and food insecure individuals. The charity
said Dave Girl spent eighteen hours preparing and

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lovingly smoking forty four pounds of pork
ribs, pork butt and beef brisket.

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USA Today says she brings him food, he brings her joy. No,

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it's not her boyfriend, it's a
blonde raccoon. Crystal has at least nine

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bird feeders that often attract blue jays, cardinals, goldfinches, and even woodpeckers.

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I had my dog out in the
yard the other day and I left

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out some food for the dog and
boy. The blue jays were loving the

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dog food. Anyway, Crystal got
a surprise visitor on her security camera.

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It was a blonde raccoon that does
not have the distinctive black mask that most

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raccoons have. Crystal did some research
and learned all about blonde raccoons, which

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are quite rare. She believes the
raccoon is a boy and has named him

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Blondie. So now she started feeding
Blondie the raccoon, and she's even recorded

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Blondie interacting with the gray raccoons that
also hang out in the yard. She

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says it's fun to watch. There's
a pecking order with the gray ones and

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also with the blonde one. If
the gray ones are there and the blonde

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one comes, the gray ones scatter. Interesting. She says she's now known

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around town. I went into Verizon
after one of the news stories ran They

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said, Hey, that's the raccoon
lady. A military dad is considered the

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prankster of his family. While he
tried to surprise his wife and three kids

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by returning home. He had been
in Kuwait for nine months. He couldn't

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wait to see the expression on the
faces of his family. He showed up

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at the house and he said everything
was going wrong until the very last moment.

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His right of the airport was delayed. The plane was then downsized.

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He had to catch a later flight. Series of connections, try to rent

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a car. They would accept his
debit card. His friend picked him up.

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He got home, his family wasn't
there. They were visiting relatives three

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hours away. Oof. Then he
got another surprise when he walked through his

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front door. His wife had installed
security cameras, and he was like,

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all right, how am I going
to do this? Now? I can't

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turn on any lights and I can't
watch TV because anywhere I'll go the security

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camera would be looking. He didn't
want to give up on this prize.

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He found a spot in the house
where he wouldn't be seen. He sat

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in the dark for five hours.
His wife came home and said, I

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was really, really in shock.
I guess that would be the best way

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to explain it. I was completely
in shock. I screamed Iran, I

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cried, Yeah, she's got security
cameras, dude, and you exposed the

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blind spot. I suggest you have
your security system tweetd but welcome home and

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thank you for your service. Those
are your five good news stories for today.

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Astor will do a Christmas version tomorrow
and I'll be back on Wednesday.

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You have a great day.