Jan 21

 

2021…at last

Jan  21, 2021  Week: 3  Day: 21	Local:  H 42°\ L 20°\Ave. Sky Cover: 5%
Wind:   6mph\Gusts:  11mph	Today’s Ave. Temp.: H 43°\ L 18°
Nearest lightning:1522mi.; Active fire:  59mi	Very Low Risk of Fire           Visibility:  10mi
Record: 60°[1944]   Record: -24°[1937]	Jan Averages: 44°/16° (4 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal

is our only legitimate hope of survival.

~Wendell Berry

Random Tidbits

But by the Middle Ages, blonde women were held with suspicion, and by the mid-14th century, depictions of Eve were consistently giving her free-flowing locks of golden blonde hair that marked her as an evil temptress.

In Ancient Rome, women tried to dye their hair blonde with pigeon dung. In Renaissance Venice, they used horse urine.

A Little Humor

I went camping recently. It was intense

True Things

It is unclear whether Joseph Brennan of Massachusetts was planning to make a bomb. What is clear is that he blew himself clean out of the driver's door of his Toyota Camry when he lit a smoke.

A bystander heard the explosion from a block away and came running. He found Brennan with singed hair and burns on his face, lying in the street next to his burning vehicle.

"I'm an idiot," was the first thing Brennan allegedly told the bystander. "I lit a cigarette with gunpowder in the front seat."

Once again, what Brennan was doing with loose gunpowder is unclear, but according to the bystander he risked his life to go back to his wrecked vehicle where he allegedly removed multiple items and put them in the trunk.

This, of course, did not deter the police who searched Brennan's car, where they removed 14 liquids and powders, some of which when combined could create what they called a destructive device.

Sounds like 'bomb' to me.

Brennan allegedly told police he had gotten various materials from a friend to tinker with. "I wasn't going to do anything malicious," he said, according to the report.

Police Chief Theodore Ross said in a statement that law enforcement searched Brennan's house and found "precursor components, detonators, and one completed incendiary device." Although Brennan's Facebook page shows an interest in rocket propellants, so it is probably harmless tinkering.

Bomb or amateur rocketry, he certainly found a quick way to remove a lot of body hair.

Interestng facts about AZ

Ø The geographic center of Arizona is 55 miles southeast of Prescott near the community of Mayer.

Ø You could pile four 1,300-foot skyscrapers on top of each other and they still would not reach the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Ø The hottest temperature recorded in Arizona was 128 degrees at Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994

Weekly Observations

No Tillage Week	15-21
International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week Link	16-24
National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week Healthy Weight Week Hunt For Happiness Week National Activity Professionals Week National Handwriting Analysis Week	17-23
Sugar Awareness Week No Name Calling Week Link Week of Christian Unity	18-23

 

Today’s Observations

Get to Know Your Customers Day 
International Sweatpants Day
National Cheesy Socks Day
National Granola Bar Day
National Hugging Day:  Cancelled
National Hug Your Puppy Day
Squirrel Appreciation Day

Women's Healthy Weight Day

National New England Clam Chowder Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

About 15 minutes after I got up, I had an angio-edema episode…swollen lip. It took my pill and it was not swollen in about 45 minutes.

I watched the Inauguration. Our democracy has begun its healing. Every inauguration is historic for our country. Today’s events, following the desecration of the Capitol, is monumental as well as historic. We are so fortunate to live in a country where we can disagree on policy and still have a peaceful transfer of power. The Biden-Harris administration has lots of work to do and I am sure that some of their action will not set well with me and others. Even so, we have new leadership.

I took a short break to pick up some meds at Walgreen’s Drive Thru. When I pulled in there were two vehicles ahead of me. Both were doing COVID-19 Tests. Each test took about 10 minutes. When I finally got up to the window, my transaction only took a couple of minutes. I get the importance of testing. I just wish they could figure out a better way.

Daily Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

I have four wings, but cannot fly, I never laugh and never cry. On the same spot, I’m always found, toiling away with little sound. What am I?

Historical Events

1472 – The great daylight comet of 1472 was visible in daylight for 8 days.

1790 – Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin proposed the guillotine to the newly formed National Assembly of Paris as a “humane” method of execution.

1799 – Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccination was introduced.

1807 – The London Institution for the Advancement of Literature and The Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (The London Institution) received a royal charter signed by King George III, to “promote the diffusion of Science, Literature, and the Arts, by means of Lectures and Experiments, and by easy access to an extensive collection of books, both ancient and modern, in all languages.”

1861 – Jefferson Davis resigned from the United States Senate.

1911 – The first Monte Carlo Rally took place, with 23 cars.

1915 – Kiwanis International was founded, in Detroit.

1970 – The Boeing 747, made its 1st commercial flight, between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Heathrow Airport in London, England.

1977 – President Jimmy Carter pardoned most Vietnam War draft evaders.

1981 – Production of the iconic DeLorean sports car began.

1985 – President Regan’s first inauguration (Jan 20, 1981) was the warmest on record at 55°F, while his second inauguration (Jan 21, 1985) was the coldest on record at 7°F.

1998 – News of the Monica Lewinsky/Bill Clinton affair was published, President Clinton said he “did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”

1999 In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the US Coast Guard intercepts a ship carrying 4,300 kg of cocaine.

2004 NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies with Flash Memory management and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.

2017 More than 2 million people protest worldwide in the 'Women's March' against Donald Trump, with 500,000 marching in Washington, D.C.

2020 World's oldest asteroid impact at 2.2 billion years old found in Yarrabubba, Western Australia, may have ended an ice age, reported in "Nature Communications"

Birthdays Today

@97 – Roger Nash Baldwin, founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (d. 1981)

81 – Jack Nicklaus, American golfer, sportscaster

@78 – Mac Davis, American singer-songwriter (d. 2020, following surgery )

@73 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (d. 1978; tightrope fall)

@72 – Richie Havens, singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013; heart attack)

@72 – Telly Savalas, American actor (d. 1994; cancers)

71 – Billy Ocean, Trinidadian-English singer-songwriter

@68 – [Alfred Hawthorne] Benny Hill, English comedic actor (d. 1992; heart attack)

@65 – Paul Allen, American businessman, co-founded Microsoft (d.2018; cancer)

65 – Geena Davis, American actress

@57 – Wolfman Jack [Robert Weston Smith], DJ, radio host (d. 1995; heart attack)

@52 – Ethan Allen, American general (d. 1789; stroke)

@52 – Christian Dior, French fashion designer (d. 1957; heart attack)

@47 – Grigori Rasputin, Russian Mystic (d. 1916; shot)

@39 – Stonewall Jackson [Thomas Jonathan Jackson], (Confederate) general (d. 1863; pneumonia; shot)

27 – Nils Allen "Booboo" Stewart Jr, actor

Puzzle Answer

A windmill.

 

Jan 20

 

2021…at last

Jan 20, 2021  Week: 3  Day:	Local:  H 38°\ L 22°\Ave. Sky Cover: 100%
Wind:   4mph\Gusts:  6mph	Today’s Ave. Temp.: H 43°\ L 18°
Nearest lightning: 1452mi.; Active fire: 59mi	Very Low Risk of Fire           Visibility:  10mi
Record: 61°[1950]   Record: -14°[1922]	Jan Averages: 44°/16° (4 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.

~Carl Reiner

Random Tidbits

Nearly 2,000 years before Homer, during the time of the Proto-Indo-Europeans, blonde hair was connected to the worship of the sun and fire and to the adoration of a yellow dawn goddess.

During the Roman era German blondes were taken captive and had their hair cut off to be made into wigs for fashionable ladies.

A Little Humor

Q: Where do snowmen dance? At the snowball!

Does anyone ever spiral into control?

True Things

Grease theft is up

Police arrested two New York men early Thursday morning, accusing them of stealing grease from a local restaurant. Police said that officers observed 34-year-old William Urbina of New York City and 23-year-old Kevin Romero-Castro of Yonkers conducting suspicious activity at a restaurant on 295 Flanders Road. Officers stopped their vehicle and noticed an oily substance leaking from it. Police arrested Romero-Castro and Urbina and charged them with conspiracy, larceny, and criminal trespass. Police said that stealing grease and oil from restaurants has been an ongoing crime in the area, and it often ends up damaging the equipment in the affected restaurant.

Interestng facts about AZ

Ø The Navajo Nation spans 27,000 square miles across the states of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, but its capital is seated in Window Rock, Arizona.

Ø The amount of copper utilized to make the copper dome atop Arizona's Capitol building is equivalent to the amount used in 4.8 million pennies.

Ø Near Yuma, the Colorado River's elevation dips to 70 feet above sea level, making it the lowest point in the state.

Weekly Observations

No Tillage Week	15-21
International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week Link	16-24
National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week Healthy Weight Week Hunt For Happiness Week National Activity Professionals Week National Handwriting Analysis Week	17-23
Sugar Awareness Week No Name Calling Week Link Week of Christian Unity	18-23

 

Today’s Observations

Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) [Observed] 
Camcorder Day
DJ Day

Inauguration Day
National Buttercrunch Day
National Cheese Lover’s Day Link  Link
National Day of Service Link
Penguin Awareness Day Link

Take A Walk Oustside Day

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

It’s snowing…real snow…and it’s sticking to everything. My place has about 2” and it is still coming down. So excited for a real snowstorm. The forest needs it so badly. Glad the weather guy was right this time.

Inauguration day is here. Hoping for the peaceful transfer of power. I sure hope this means that ALL the 24/7 news networks return to reporting news from around the world and stop commenting on every possible scenario of what might happen at the White House. They have all veered from the mission statement of reporting the NEWS! I didn’t agree with most of Trumps policies, I was concerned as to how the Nation was changing. He is out of office, so I’m looking for policies that make the US and all its citizens better without hurting others.

My true hope is that politicians, on all sides, can find mutual agreement on policy that will show the world that this country is still a great democracy.

 

Daily Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

I am a box that holds keys without locks, yet they can unlock your soul. What am I?

Historical Events

1265 – 1st English Parliament was called into session by Earl of Leicester.

1920 – American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded.

1929 – In Old Arizona, the first full-length talking motion picture filmed outdoors, was released.

1930 – The first radio broadcast of The Lone Ranger took place in Detroit (WXYZ)

1965 – The Beatles appeared on ABC’s Shindig.

1981 – Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated, Iran released 52 American hostages.

1981 – President Regan’s first inauguration (Jan 20, 1981) was the warmest on record at 55°F, while his second inauguration (Jan 21, 1985) was the coldest on record at 7°F

1989 – Ronald Reagan became the 1st President elected in a ‘0’ year (1980) since 1840, to leave office as President while still alive.

1993 Bill Clinton (D) inaugurated as 42nd US President

1993 Maya Angelou is 1st African American and woman to recite a poem at inauguration of a US President - "On the Pulse of Morning" for Bill Clinton

2009 Barack Obama, inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, becomes the United States' first African-American president

2017 Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America and Mike Pence as the 48th Vice President 

Birthdays Today

@100 – George Burns, American actor, comedian (d. 1996)

91 – Buzz Aldrin [Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr], American astronaut

@90 – Arte Johnson, American actor, comedian (d. 2019)

@79 – DeForest Kelley, American actor (d. 1999; stomach cancer)

75 – David Lynch, American director, producer, screenwriter

@74 – Harold Gray, creator of Little Orphan Annie (d. 1968)

@69 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate (d. 1975; myasthenia gravis)

69 – Paul Stanley, American singer-songwriter, guitarist [Kiss]

@66 – Jeffrey Epstein, financier and convicted sex offender (d. 2019; ? in jail)

65 – Bill Maher, comedian, political commentator, media critic, TV host

63 – Lorenzo Lamas, American actor

57 – Fareed Zakaria, Indian-American journalist, author

54 – Kellyanne Conway, American political strategist, pundit

49 – Nikki Haley, American politician

Puzzle Answer

A piano.

 

Jan 19

 

2021…at last

Jan  19, 2021  Week: 3  Day: 19	Local:  H 52°\ L 25°\Ave. Sky Cover: 85%
Wind:   8mph\Gusts:  15mph	Today’s Ave. Temp.: H 43°\ L 18°
Nearest lightning: 1782mi.; Active fire: 59mi	Moderate Risk of Fire           Visibility:  10mi
Record: 62°[1986]   Record: -13°[1943]	Jan Averages: 44°/16° (4 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

~Frederick Douglass

Random Tidbits

Dr. Tony Fallone noted in 1997 that hair color is the root of a person's personality. Blondes are typically more outgoing and lively and are perceived as more feminine than women with other hair colors. According to Fallone, being blonde is not a hair color, but a state of mind.

And the numbers seem to prove him right. While just 1 in 20 white American adults is naturally blonde, virtually 1 in 3 white adult females dye their hair a shade of blonde.

A Little Humor

~All you need in life is the love of your family and chocolate cake.

~Imagine how great life would be if pizza made you skinny.

~I'm thinking Gump got it wrong... life is not a box of chocolates - its a bag of frozen mixed vegetables with freezer burn...

True Things

Stefan Thomas, of San Francisco, says he has made peace with forgetting his Bitcoin password that would turn him into a multimillionaire. Thomas, who recently was featured in The New York Times, has about $220 million worth of Bitcoin locked away on a hard drive that will erase its data after 10 password attempts. Thomas has tried to put in the correct password eight times with no luck. The German-born programmer lost the piece of paper containing the password. "You sort of question your own self-worth. What kind of person loses something this important?" Thomas said during a recent interview. "It was actually a really big milestone in my life where, like, I sort of realized how I was going to define my self-worth going forward. It wasn't going to be about how much money I have in my bank account," he said. Thomas said he told his story to help prevent others from forgetting their passwords.

Interestng facts about AZ

Ø Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, grew up on a large family ranch near Duncan, Arizona.

Ø The best-preserved meteor crater in the world is located near Winslow, Arizona.

Ø The average state elevation is 4,000 feet.

Weekly Observations

No Tillage Week	15-21
International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week Link	16-24
National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week Healthy Weight Week Hunt For Happiness Week National Activity Professionals Week National Handwriting Analysis Week	17-23
Sugar Awareness Week No Name Calling Week Link Week of Christian Unity	18-23

 

Today’s Observations

National Popcorn Day

National Tin Can Day

World Day of Migrants and Refugees
World Quark Day  Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Like every Federal Holiday since my retirement, I am staying home. Federal Holidays are days we should celebrate, remember, and be with family and friends. During my years on the Rez, a Federal Holiday meant I didn’t work, and that I could go to places that were usually closed on weekends. Now I honor the Federal Holidays.

The more I read and learn about the storming of our Capitol, the more I am glad that National Security is on the job. I’ve heard of and read about ‘militias’ around the country that are extremely far right and want to see this democracy ended. Like most, I haven’t paid attention to either their names or their ideology.  I guess it is time to pay more attention.

MLK day is set aside time to think about a more peaceful country and world where skin color does not define a person. I have never understood how the color of one’s skin made them ‘good’ or ‘bad’ simply because of the color. Every race has a majority of good people and some bad apples. I always welcomed the good people into my circle and tried to keep the bad ones out of my circle. It has worked well for me, with just a few exceptions. It can work for everyone.

It’s been cloudy all day. Weather guy says about an inch of white stuff is on its way. I’ll believe it when I shovel it.

Daily Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

A farmer has a wolf, a chicken, and a bag of grain he needs to get across a river. He has one boat to take them all across. He can only take one at a time. He can’t leave the wolf alone with chicken or the chicken alone with the grain. How does he do it?

Historical Events

1825 – The US patent (#X004009) for food storage in cans to “preserve animal substances in tin” was issued to Ezra Daggett and his nephew Thomas Kensett of New York City.

1883 – Thomas Edison, using overhead wires, began serving electricity to the residents of Roselle, New Jersey.

1915 – A US patent (#1125476) was issued to George Claude of Paris titled a “System of Illuminating by Luminescent Tubes” an early neon sign.

1920 – The United States Senate voted against joining the League of Nations.

1937 – Howard Hughes set a record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in seven hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.

1953 – On I Love Lucy, Little Ricky appeared on the show, just twelve hours after he was born. Over 70% of every TV in the country watched the episode.

1977 – President Ford pardoned WWII siren Tokyo Rose (Iva Toguri D’Aquino)

1977 – Snow fell in Miami and The Bahamas. It was the only time in recorded history that it happened, and a sure sign of a coming ice age (global cooling), scientists believed.

1978 – Volkswagen Beetles stopped being produced in Germany.

1989 – President Ronald Reagan pardoned George Steinbrenner for illegal campaign contributions for Richard Nixon.

1993 – FOX expanded their prime-time line-up to seven days a week.

2012 – The Hong Kong-based file-sharing website Megaupload was shut down by the FBI.

2016 Sarah Palin officially endorses Donald Trump's presidential bid at a Trump rally in Ames, Iowa

2017 Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is extradited to the United States to face trial for his leadership of the Sinaloa drug cartel

Birthdays Today

@99 – George Burns, American comedian (d. 1996)

91 – Tippi Hedren, American model, actress

@83 – James Watt, Scottish-English chemist, engineer (dd.1819)

77 – Shelley Fabares, American actress and singer

75 – Dolly Parton, American singer-songwriter, actress

74 – Paula Deen, American chef, author

@73 – Frederico Fellini, Italian film director (d. 1993; heart attack)

68 – Desi Arnaz, Jr., American actor, singer

@67 – Paul Cézanne, French painter (d. 1906; pneumonia)

67 – Katey Sagal, American actress

66 – Paul Rodriguez, Mexican American comedian, actor

@63 – Robert E. Lee, American general, academic (d. 1870; stroke)

@54 – Robert Palmer, English singer-songwriter (d. 2003; heart attack)

@40 – Edgar Allan Poe, American short-story writer, poet, critic (d. 1849)

38 -- Pete Buttigieg, politician

@27 – Janis Joplin, American singer-songwriter (d, 1970; OD)

Puzzle Answer

He takes chicken first. He takes the wolf over second and comes back with the chicken. He drops off the chicken and takes the grain to the other side with the wolf. Last, he goes back to get the chicken and brings him across.