Monday 3-28

29 March 2010~~Week 14 of 2010: 88 days this year…277 remain

‡ Scottish Proverbs

He that teaches himself has a fool for a master.

A liar shou'd hae a good memory.

‡ Free Ramblings  

For those of you not living in Arizona, we are not like Phoenix. I heard on the news that our capital will reach 90° sometime this week. Flagstaff should hit 65° just before our next snow storm comes in on Thursday. I’m certainly not complaining in any way. I like the four seasons I grew up with—spring, summer, fall and winter. I am not looking to find a place that has the seasons—hot, hotter, and hotter than Hell. Yes, I am tired of all the snow, but know that we have several storms still a-waitin’ to keep us on our toes. Flag made it to a warm 58° with little wind.

My next door neighbor is moving out. She and her two boys—one in high school, one in elementary school, are headed out. Someone new should be moving in a week or so. They have been decent neighbors. No loud parties, friendly conversation with the lady, and nice. I must say, I won’t miss the seven year old, who really liked to crawl around my trees and bushes, stare in the window, and on occasion bring his little friends for a loud game of ‘it’. They are moving to a standalone house which will be much better for the two kids. This complex is not a place to raise kids. The ad for this place says a ‘mature treed commons area’. That sounds so inviting, but alas, the commons area does have mature trees. They don’t mention that there is no grass and is basically very hard dirt. Part of the area is a natural drainage with two unprotected culverts—hardly kid friendly from a safety point, but very kid friendly for adventurous children. In my four years here, I have never seen any water in the drainage area. It did have nice rocks along the sides, but the snow this winter and the several sledding/bike trails have pretty much messed that up. Maybe our HOA will do something about that when spring or summer finally arrives. If I had my way, the commons area would get some playground equipment, and some small short natural vegetation, but that costs money—something realtors probably don’t want to do. Who knows who will be moving in. For some reason, neighbors seem to come and go quite frequently.

‡ A quick smile  

My grandmother told me how she ended up marrying Grandpa. She was in her 20s, and the man she was dating left for war. "We were in love," she recalled, "and wrote to each other every week. It was during that time that I discovered how wonderful your grandfather was."

"Did you marry Grandpa when he came home from the war?" I asked.

"Oh, I didn't marry the man who wrote the letters. Your grandfather was the mailman."

‡ Random Fact  

The most expensive swimsuit in the world is a bikini that is worth $30 million dollars. Designed by Susan Rosen and Steinmetz Diamonds, the bikini is made with more than 150 carats of D flawless diamonds which are all set in platinum.

‡ Puzzle  

In each of these puzzles, a proverb is written with exactly one letter of each word replaced with another. Can you figure out what the original proverb is?

1 I pool ant has honey ale boon panted.

2 Paste net wart pot.

3 So thing owl heard by tree.

‡ Side Show Stories

An "exercise" at a middle school in Worcestershire, UK began when pupils heard that there was a gun in the school. Five minutes later the alarm bell sounded and more than 300 were sent outside and saw three teachers running across the field.

They saw a "gunman" in the distance and heard what sounded like gunfire before seeing one of the teachers fall to the ground. Colleagues appeared to attempt to resuscitate him.

It was all part of a big role-playing scenario designed to teach the children about forensic science, but by the time teachers got the kids all back in the school's auditorium to explain everything, many of them were already frightened, crying and some even getting sick in the bathrooms.

‡ Calendar Information  

• March’s Month Long Observances •

BIRTHSTONE: aquamarine and bloodstone (courage) FLOWER: Narcissus [daffodil, jonquil] (vanity)

National Cheerleading Safety Month • National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month • National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month • National Craft Month • National Ethics Awareness Month •National Eye Donor Month • National Frozen Food Month • National Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month •National Kidney Month• National Nutrition Month • National Social Work Month • National Umbrella Month • National Women's History Month • Optimism Month • Play The Recorder Month • Poison Prevention Awareness Month • Red Cross Month • Save Your Vision Month • Sing With Your Child Month • Small Press Month •Spiritual Wellness Month • Women's History Month • Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month • Youth Art Month

• Observance Weeks in March•

28-4/3

Root Canal Awareness Week

• 27 March Observances—US/UN/World •

Knights of Columbus Founders Day

National Mom & Pop Business Owner's Day

Passover

Smoke and Mirrors Day

Texas Loves The Children Day

Delaware : Delaware Swedish Colonial Day (1638)

•27 March Observances—by country •

Central African Republic : Death of President Boganda Day (1959)

Chile: Day of the Young Combatant, celebrated with civil disorder by leftists and anarchists.

Madagascar : Commemoration Day/Memorial Day (1947)

Taiwan : Youth Day/Martyr's Day

Vietnam : Veterans' Day (1973)

‡Number One Songs in…

1952 ►Please, Mr. Sun - Johnnie Ray

1960 ►The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith

1968 ►(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding

1976 ►Til the Rivers All Run Dry - Don Williams

1984 ►Footloose - Kenny Loggins

•What Happened on this Day •

In The Arts

1827 ►20,000 attend Ludwig von Beethovens burial in Vienna

1932 ►Comedian Jack Benny appeared on radio for the first time

In Athletics

1994 ►Coach Jimmy Johnson quits Dallas Cowboys

In Business or Education

1886 ►Dr. John Pemberton brews the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta, Georgia.

In Politics

1638 ►1st permanent white settlement in Delaware (Swedish Lutherans)

1798 ►Republic of Switzerland forms

1852 ►Ohio makes it illegal for children under 18 & women to work more than 10 hours a day

1943 ►Meat, butter & cheese rationed in US during WWII

1951 ►Julius & Ethel Rosenberg convicted of espionage

1973 ►Last US troops leave Vietnam, 9 years after Tonkin Gulf Resolution

In Science/Religion

1848 ►For the first time in recorded history, Niagara Falls stopped flowing. An ice jam in the Niagara river above the rim of the falls caused the water to stop.

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1797 ►The MOHAWK treaty is signed at Albany today by 5 Indians, including Joseph Brandt. All of their lands in New York are ceded for $1000.

• Born on this day •

Artists and Composers

Howard Lindsay, 1889, playwright: A Woman’s World

John Joseph McLaughlin, 83, editor, columnist, television host

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

Pearl Bailey, 1918, singer

Bud Cort, 60, actor (Harold and Maude, Brewster McCloud)

Eric Idle, 67, actor (“Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” “Suddenly Susan”), author

Nancy Kwan, 71, (Hong Kong), actress (Flower Drum Song)

Christopher Lambert, 53, actor (Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes)

Lucy Lawless, 42, actress (“Xena”), (Auckland, New Zealand)

Elle Macpherson, 46, (Sydney, Australia) model, actress (Sirens)

Ruby Murray, 1935, Irish pop singer (Softly Softly)

Athletes

Earl Christian Campbell, 55, Hall of Fame football player

Jennifer Capriati, 34, tennis player

Walt "Clyde" Frazier, 65, NBA guard (New York Knicks)

Man O'War, 1917, racehorse

Kurt Thomas, 54, former gymnast

Cy [Denton True] Young, 1867, winningest pitcher

Business, Education Leaders

Billy Carter, 1937, brother of President Carter Billy Beer

Edwin Drake, 1819, drilled 1st productive US oil well

Sam Walton, 1918, billionaire CEO (Wal-Mart)

Political Leaders

John Major, 67, former British prime minister

Eugene J McCarthy, 1916,Senator-MN, Presidential candidate 1968)

John Tyler, 1790, 10th US President

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Isaac Mayer Wise, 1819, rabbi, founded American Hebrew Congregations

•Today’s Obits •

John Jacob Astor, 1848, chartered American Fur Company, @ 84
Lee Atwater, 1991, political strategist (R), brain tumor @ 40

Robert F Scott,1912, British pole explorer (Antarctica), froze on expedition @ 44
Charles Villiers Stanford, 1924, Irish composer/writer, @ 71
Charles Wesley, 1788, hymn writer ("Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" (Lyrics)), @ 81
‡ ANSWERS to puzzle

1 I pool ant has honey ale boon panted: A fool and his money are soon parted.

2 Paste net wart pot: Waste not want not.

3 So thing owl heard by tree: To thine own heart be true.

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