Hot/Cooler

As the circus continues, Sotomayor is holding her own very well. Listening to some of the senators, on both side of the aisle, ramble on and on is disturbing. The three or four paragraphs that lead up to a question is hardly necessary. Sotomayer is actually trying to take notes during some of these diatribes, partially to keep awake, I’m sure. A couple of times today, I’m sure she was simply writing ‘blah, blah, blah, get to the point.’ All in all she is giving fairly direct answers and should be good for the highest court in the land.
Some senator has introduced a bill in congress to make it illegal to develop human-animal hybrids. Twenty senators are co-sponsoring the bill—including AZ Senator John McCain. Thank goodness. The economy still in the dumpster, two wars are continuing to kill Americans—a Flagstaff native was killed Sunday in Afghanistan, and climate change and energy issues continue to hit our pocketbooks. Now congress may pass a law that prevents mermaids and werewolves from having full rights. This will certainly make our nation safer and a better place to live.

When I moved to Flagstaff, I bought a small portable swamp cooler. I only need to use it a couple of days a year, but it sure helps when it gets hot. I got spoiled in TC with a cooler that hooked up to my waterline outside. I never had to worry about filling it with water. That cooler kept the 100+ heat of Tuba out of my home. This portable model does have to be filled every couple of days. Not a big deal. I ran it for a couple of hours last night and for a couple of hours today. Today it ran as the temp rose, the clouds came in, and the humidity made my house a little too warm. The monsoon came through and gave us a nice little shower. We went from 85° to a nice 76°. The humidity is at 34% so it is still warm. A small cooler sure makes these days and nights bearable. I do know that swamp coolers raise humidity, but it quickly dissipates when the cooler is off.

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Random Fact
John Kerry's hometown newspaper, the Lowell Sun, endorsed George W. Bush for president. Bush's hometown newspaper, the Lone Star Iconoclast, endorsed John Kerry for president.

July is…

…Air Conditioning Appreciation Month…Blueberries Month…Cell Phone Courtesy Month…Family Reunion Month…Herbal/Prescription Awareness Month…Nat’l Doghouse Repair Month…Nat’l Grilling, Nat’l Hot Dog, Nat’l Horseradish, and Nat’l Ice Cream Month…Smart Irrigation Month…Social Wellness Month…Tour de France Month…Women’s Motorcycle Month…

Week of July 15
Rabbit Week

July 14—196 days so far this year…169 days remain in 2009

Gummi Worm Day

St. Swithin’s Day [Sometime in the late 800s-900s, there lived a man named Swithun or Swithin. He was the Bishop of Winchester in Old England. For some unknown reason - since Bishop Swithin was not particularly famous - his remains were transferred to Winchester Cathedral on this day in 971. It so happened that there was a heavy rainfall on this same day. Some say Bishop Swithin was angry about the move and caused the downpour. From then on, according to an old English adage, if it should rain on July 15th, it will rain for forty days thereafter.]

* Ancient Rome: Festival of Castor & Pollux

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…
1573
Inigo Jones London, architect; restored St Paul's cathedral
1606
Rembrandt van Rijn Leiden, Netherlands, painter (Night Watch)
1779
Clement Clarke Moore US, author ('Twas the Night Before Xmas)
1850
St Frances Xavier Cabrini [Mother Cabrini], 1st US saint
1919
Iris Murdoch Ireland, novelist (Severed Head)
1935
Ken Kercheval Wolcottville Ind, actor (Cliff Barnes-Dallas)
1944
Jan-Michael Vincent Denver, actor
1946
Linda Ronstadt Tucson Az, singer

IT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY…
1149
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is dedicated at the site where Jesus is said to have been entombed after his crucifixion.
1888
Bandai volcano (Japan) erupts for 1st time in 1,000 years
1904
1st Buddhist temple in US established, Los Angeles
1912
Jim Thorpe won the decathlon in the Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden.
1922
1st duck-billed platypus publicly exhibited in US, at NY zoo
1941
Florey & Heatley present freeze dried mold cultures (Pencillin)
1964
Barry M Goldwater (Sen-R-Az) nominated for president by Republicans—Remember AuH2O?

1997
Fashion designer Gianni Versace was shot to death on the steps of his mansion in Miami Beach, Florida.

Word Puzzle from NPR Sunday Puzzler…1987

In this puzzle every answer consists of two three-letter words, starting with the same letter—that go together to ame a compound word or a familiar two-word phrase

EX: Vegetable holder
Answers: pea pod

1. Teeter-totter
2. Walk ver-r-r-ry slowly
3. Shy
4. It may bite you at night
5. Last part of a Casey Kasem countdown
6. Foreign correspondent
7. Baseball team assistant
8. Conceal oneself, biding one’s time
9. 1979 Mel Gibson film
10. London tourist site

• Bonus: Not seriously

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Answers:
1. Seesaw
2. Tiptoe
3. Pigpen
4. Bedbug
5. Top ten
6. Pen pal
7. Bat boy
8. Lie low
9. “Mad Max”
10. Big Ben
* Bonus: For Fun
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