Sunday

347 days so far this year…18 days remain in 2009
12 shopping days remain until Christmas
***Provocative Quote***
"When all else fails, read the directions." ~unknown
***Free Ramblings***
Our parking lot has been sorta cleared since the big blizzard. Unfortunately, today it got pretty slushy. With the cold temps expected tonight, I figured driving out of the lot would be difficult tomorrow. Then, just as the sun was setting, a front end loader pulls up and started moving all the slush. I quickly moved my vehicle so that the guy could clean out the parking spaces. After about 15 minutes, I moved back and he continues to clear the rest of the area. Another storm is expected and while they first said we may get an inch, now it’s up to four inches. So we will be starting the next storm with a clear parking lot.

Wind gusts at 25mph and a high of 36° (feeling like 28°) kept me home most of the day. No need to fight the weekenders on the roads, in the stores, and at the drive-thru. It gives me a break, and puts one less vehicle on the road to slow everyone else down. Oh, and I intensely dislike crowds, traffic, and everything that goes with them.

Even in my younger days I was not into applying for the winter hunt. If I’m going hunting and camping, I want it to be cool enough at night for a nice fire, but not so cold that one freezes any part of the body. This is the winter hunt time. Our blizzard brought concerns from the town folk that there would be stranded hunters in need of help. There were about fifty hunters in the area between Flagstaff and Williams and the Grand Canyon. People went out for a couple of days, searching for hunters to see if anyone needed help. Luckily and surprisingly, all the hunters were fine. A winter hunt is hard enough, dealing with the snow and ice, the cold, and the short days. These hunters came prepared for it. It would be nice, here in Flagstaff, if all the mountain trekkers did the same. Every year, hikers and campers get lost, don’t come prepared for quickly changing weather conditions, or make mistakes that lead to Search and Rescue having to help them out. I’m certainly glad there are people who donate their time for Search and Rescue missions. I’m glad they weren’t needed in this latest storm. I know that I would not have the patience to be a volunteer. Most of the rescues are the hikers who made really stupid mistakes. I would want to set them and I hear that is not allowed.
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± Quotes from Values.com—Confidence
“There is overwhelming evidence that the higher the level of self-esteem, the more likely one will be to treat others with respect, kindness, and generosity.” ~Nathaniel Branden
± Unusual Christmas Stuff…
-The first nativity scene was displayed in 1223 by St. Francis of Assisi in Italy.
-In Syria, Christian children receive their gifts from a camel.
-In Sweden, the Christmas season begins on December 13, the feast day of St. Lucia. On this day it is traditional for the eldest daughter in every family to wear an evergreen wreath with seven lighted candles on her head.
-Orthodox churches that follow the old Julian calendar will celebrate Christmas on January 7.
-A Yule log-shaped cake called a "Buche de Noel" is traditionally served in France.
± Random Fact
Almonds are a member of the peach family.
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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 12 December
Chanukah (Hanukkah) Week 12th-19th

§ 13 December Observances
Ice Cream and Violins Day
-Malta : Republic Day (since 1974)
-Upper Volta : National Day
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~ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1809…the first abdominal surgical procedure was performed -- in Danville, Kentucky. The patient was Jane Todd Crawford and the operation was performed without the aid of an anesthetic.
BIRTHS ON THIS DAY
~ The Arts
Rex Allen in 1922 (Wilcox AZ) cowboy actor—Disney Nature Narrator
Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter in 1948 musician: Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers
Phillips Brooks in 1835 Episcopal bishop/composer (Little Town of Bethlehem)
Jamie Foxx in 1967 comedian
Van Heflin (Emmett Evan Heflin, Jr.) in 1910 actor
Heinrich Heine in 1797 German poet/lyricist (Schubert, Liszt)
Ross MacDonald in 1915 detective novelist (Goodbye Look)
Carlos Montoya in 1903 Spanish guitarist
Dick Van Dyke in 1925 actor
Richard Darryl Zanuck in 1934 film producer/executive Jaws, Driving Miss Daisy…
~Athletics
Richard Dent in 1960 defensive end (Eagles,Bears)
Larry (Lawrence Eugene) Doby in 1923 Baseball Hall of Fame
Archie Moore in 1913 light-heavyweight boxing champion
~Business / Education / Politics
Harold Guinzburg in 1899 publisher (founder of Literary Guild)
Mary Todd Lincoln in 1818 1st lady
Ted (Theodore Anthony) Nugent in 1948 guitarist/conservative activist
George P Schultz in 1920 US Secretary of State
~Science / Religion
Robert Plot in 1640 English naturalist
Philip Warren Anderson in 1923  American physicist, Nobel laureate

In Remembrance~
Samuel Gompers organizer (AFL), @ 74
Grandma [Anna Mary Robertson Moses] Moses US painter, @ 101
Pigmeat Markham comedian (Here Comes da Judge-Laugh In), @ 75
Historical Events on this day
1577…Sir Francis Drake sets sail from England to go around the world
1759…1st music store in America opens (Philadelphia)
1769…Dartmouth College in New Hampshire received its charter
1843…"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens published, 6,000 copies sold
1903…Wright Brothers make 1st flight at Kittyhawk
1903…Great Britain wanted to maintain dominance in Tibet to counteract the Soviet Union’s control over Manchuria and other parts of Asia. Tibet would also act as a buffer between Soviet controlled zones and India.
1918…Woodrow Wilson, becomes 1st to make a foreign visit as President (France)
1924…KOA-AM in Denver CO begins radio transmissions
1928…Clip-on tie designed
1966…1st US bombing of Hanoi
1969…Arlo Guthrie releases "Alice's Restaurant"
1972…300 British Thalidomide victims are being offered a compensation deal said to be worth £11.85 million over 10 years which is rejected by the victims. (Eventually an agreement is reached providing £20.00 million.)
1978…Susan B Anthony dollar, 1st US coin to honor a woman, issued
1983…British Airways incorporates
1990…President De Klerk of South Africa meets with Nelson Mandela to talk of end of apartheid
1993…Deadline for Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, they don't
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§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline (3,3) is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)

1. Bill Gates, perhaps? (3,4)
2. constructed a canopy for your boat (5,4)
3. draft apprehension (4,4)
4. Six-foot Barbie (4,4)
5. soused animal stinker (5,5)
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ANSWERS
1. Bill Gates, perhaps? (3,4) DOS Boss
2. constructed a canopy for your boat (5,4) built tilt
3. draft apprehension (4,4) beer fear
4. Six-foot Barbie (4,4) Tall Doll
5. soused animal stinker (5,5) drunk skunk