Tuesday

335 days so far this year…30 days remain in 2009
24 shopping days remain until Christmas

***Provocative Quote***
"To get ahead and stay ahead, use your head." ~unknown

***Free Ramblings***
I got a call from Bob, my 76 yr. old friend in Denver. He had knee surgery a couple of weeks ago and is slow on the mend. At least that’s what he says. He says the doctors and physical therapists say is right on schedule. He is a 14Ker—climbed the peaks over 14K in Colorado, and is not the type to be inactive, or in this case, less active. I’m sure it is tough for him.
I had lunch today with our retirement group. We shared Thanksgiving stories and had a good lunch at Red Lobster.
Flagstaff is having one of its driest years in recorded history. The record was set in 1942 and right now we are over an inch lower than that record. How disturbing. While some moisture is expected during December, it probably won’t be enough to stop us from setting a new record. The entire ecosystem here is in trouble. Our Aspen trees are in trouble this year, our pinon trees have been in trouble for a couple of years, our ponderosa may be next. I sure hope this all ends soon. It has taken about 10 years for all this damage; it will take at least that long for our forest to recover. Right now, ten years of above average rainfall seems as impossible as ten years of below average rainfall.
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± Good News from Values.com
A man was walking in the park one day when he came upon a cocoon with a small opening. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It looked like it had gotten as far as it could, so the man decided to help the butterfly. He used his pocketknife and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily, but something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to emerge was natural. It was nature's way of forcing fluid from its body into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.
If we were allowed to go through life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.

± Unusual News
NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The longtime U.S. supervisor of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line says her job is to soothe the nerves of harried Thanksgiving cooks. On Thanksgiving, at least, Marty Van Ness is everyone's mother as she dispenses sage (and savory) advice from Butterball's Talk-Line headquarters in Naperville, Ill., the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday. Van Ness has been on the Talk-Line for 18 years and says she has heard it all in that span. "The most distressed calls are when someone has mishandled the turkey," Van Ness told the newspaper. "They call because they think they have a safety issue, and they want me to tell them, 'You'll be fine.'" She says she tells callers who have made too a big mess of the Thanksgiving feast to salvage the meal that she sympathizes, and wishes them better luck for next year.
"People are relieved they have someone to talk to who will hear them, and not judge them," she told the Journal Sentinel. "I would never tell them they're stupid. Everyone makes mistakes."

± Random Fact
The amount of oxygen produced by an acre of trees per year equals the amount consumed by 18 people annually. One tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year.
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§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus

Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month

§ Week of 1 December
Cookie Cutter Week ~ Tolerance Week ~ Recipe Greetings for The Holidays Week ~ Operation Santa Paws Week ~ Hand Washing Awareness Week

§ 1 December Observances
Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day—for those wearing bifocals at the computer screen
Day With(out) Art Day—since 1989 Museums close and workers volunteer at AIDS Outreach Programs
World Aids Day—since 1988
-Cape Verde : Restoration Day (1968)
-Central African Republic : Republic Day (1958)
-Iceland : Independence Day (1918)
-New Guinea: Independence Day (from Austrailia 1973)
-Portugal : Independence Day (from Spain 1640)
-Portuguese Guiana : Mocidade Day/Youth Day
-Romania : National Day since 1989
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~ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1958 A fire at Our Lady of Angels School grade school in Chicago grade leaves 90 children dead due to poor fire prevention including no sprinklers and no fire drills

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY
~ The Arts
Marie Tussaud in 1761 French creator of wax sculptures
Rex Stout in 1886 mystery writer (Nero Wolf)
Mary Martin in 1913 actress (Peter Pan) Larry Hagman's mom
David Doyle in 1929 actor (John Bosley-Charlie's Angels)
Woody Allen [Allen Stuart Konigsberg] in 1935 Actor, Director
Lou Rawls in 1935 vocalist
Richard Pryor in 1940 Illinois, comedian/actor
Bette Midler in 1945 singer, dancer, comedy
Gilbert O'Sullivan in 1946 singer (Alone Again Naturally)
Richard Keith in 1950 actor (Little Ricky-I Love Lucy)
Charlene Tilton in 1958 actress: Dallas

~Athletics
Morris "Red" Badgro in 1902 NFL hall of famer (Yankees, Giants, Dodgers)
Lee [Buck] Trevino in 1939 PGA golfer
Pamela McGee in 1962 WNBA center/forward (Sacramento Monarchs)
Steve Walsh in 1966 NFL quarterback (Buccaneers, Bears, Saints)
Reggie Sanders in 1967 Florence SC, outfielder (Cincinnati Reds)

~Business / Education / Politics
Arthur B Spingarn in 1878 US NAACP-chairman (1940-65)
W A "Tony" Boyle in 1904 United Mine Workers president

~Science / Religion
Martin Rodbell in 1925, American scientist, Nobel laureate

~In Remembrance~
David Ben-Gurion founding father of Israel, @ 87
James Arthur Baldwin writer (Another Country), cancer @ 63
Lionel Stander actor (Max-Hart to Hart), @ 86
George Everest Welsh surveyor and namesake of Mt. Everest @ 76

Historical Events on this day
1641…Massachusetts becomes 1st colony to give statutory recognition to slavery
1804…Emperor Napoleon marries Joséphine
1835…Hans Christian Andersen published his 1st book of fairy tales
1878…1st White House telephone installed
1887…Sherlock Holmes 1st appears in print: "A Study In Scarlet"
1913…1st drive-up gasoline station opens (Pittsburgh)
1917…Boys Town founded by Father Edward Flanagan
1919…Lady Nancy Astor sworn-in as 1st female member of British Parliament
1929…Game of BINGO invented by Edwin S Lowe
1934…Josef Stalin begins a purge of real and perceived enemies 1942…Nationwide gasoline rationing goes into effect with most drivers receiving coupons for 3 gallons per week
1955…Rosa Parks sets off a bus boycott in Montgomery, Georgia when she refuses to give up her seat in the “colored” section of a bus.
1959…12 nations sign a treaty for scientific peaceful use of Antarctica
1969…US government holds its 1st draft lottery since WWII
1982…Michael Jackson releases "Thriller"
1990…Construction workers drill through the final wall of rock to join the two halves of the Channel Tunnel and link Britain to France
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§ Diner Slang
What are the following Diner orders?
1. Paint it red
2. Java, Joe or a cup of mud
3. A blonde with sand
4. Shake one in the hay
5. Cackle fruit
6. Wreck 'em
7. Adam & Eve on a raft
8. On the hoof
9. Bloodhound in the Hay
10. Whistleberries
11. Frog sticks
12. Paint a bow-wow red
13. Irish turkey
14. Zeppelins in a fog
15. Burn one
16. Pin a rose on it
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Scroll down for answers
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ANSWERS
1. Paint it red: Put ketchup on an item
2. Java, Joe or a cup of mud: Coffee
3. A blonde with sand: Coffee with cream and sugar
4. Shake one in the hay: Strawberry milkshake
5. Cackle fruit: Eggs
6. Wreck 'em: Scrambled eggs
7. Adam & Eve on a raft: Two poached eggs on toast
8. On the hoof: Any kind of meat cooked rare
9. Bloodhound in the Hay: Hot dog and Sauerkraut
10. Whistleberries: Baked beans
11. Frog sticks: French fries
12. Paint a bow-wow red: Gimme a hot dog with ketchup
13. Irish turkey Corned beef and cabbage
14. Zeppelins in a fog Sausages and mashed potatoes
15. Burn one Put a hamburger on the grill
16. Pin a rose on it Add onion to an order