TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1905 - 2" rain falls in 10 mins in Taylor, TX
MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I complain about our wind, but thankfully we have no tornadoes here. Watching the aftermath and now footage of the tornadoes as they hit, I certainly see that Flags 45-50mph winds ain’t nuttin. The lives disrupted by yesterday’s super cells in beyond belief.
Our group met for lunch. Mary had a good time with her grandkids for Easter. About a week from now she gets to have a colonoscopy. The day before she and Mike are going on a balloon ride in Sedona—at 4:30am. They will go down in the morning. If it was me, I think I would spend the night in Sedona. It’s only about 40 minutes away, but every few minutes of sleep counts. Cheryl is headed to Santa Fe for a grant writing workshop in two weeks. She won’t be around Flag for her birthday, so we are celebrating it next week in Williams. We’ll be going to Bearizona, a new local wildlife park with a drive through and walk through area. It takes about 2 hours to do the whole park. Then we will have lunch and then Cheryl is serving her favorite birthday cake. Should be a good time.
A few days ago I was busy avoiding the hoopla of the royal wedding. That has almost become impossible. I’m sure if I turn on the TV tomorrow, that is all I will see. I’m sure the internet will be abuzz with everything about the wedding. Between the live reports, the repeated footage, and the incessant commentary on everything may be exciting for some. I will do my best to avoid it.
Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…]
1. In the novel Animal Farm, Benjamin was what type of creature?
2. What book starts with the words -Call me Ishmael?
3. In literature who is the alter ego of Percy Blakney?
4. Who wrote 'Gentlemen Prefer Blonds'?
5. In 'Call of the Wild' by Jack London, what was the dog's name?
6. In Greek mythology who created man?
7. Vienna is the setting for which Shakespearean play?
8. Whose last unfinished novel was 'The Last Tycoon'?
9. Who was the wise cat in T.S. Eliot's book 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'?
10. In James Bond's books what was Dr. No's first name?
CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?
Hmmmm…
>Number of US states that provide paid leave to new parents: 2
>Percentage of men and women, respectively who have accessed this benefit: 21, 79
>Percentage of US parents who rank ‘bullying’ as their greatest fear for their children: 30
THIS REALLY WORKS…
>Just soak the oranges in boiling water for five minutes then peel as usual. As a bonus, the "white" part of the peel will come off along with the peel to give an awesome look to your salad.
>This is a great tip to keep your oil-based salad dressings from going to the bottom of the bowl and keeping it on your greens! Take your dressing and heat it in the microwave for ten seconds before using.
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…
Note: I couldn’t resist a little wedding trivia
>In the U.S., the bride traditionally walks down the aisle last, after the bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, and ring bearer. In England, the bride is the first down the aisle to emphasize her importance. Another key difference in the wedding precession is in America, the groomsmen walk arm-in-arm with the bridesmaids. British bridesmaids, however, follow the bride without escort, while the groomsmen, known in England as ushers, stand in the front.
>Each wedding party in England typically has bridesmaids around the same age as the bride and groom, but also younger bridesmaids, from ages 10-12. In the U.S., the bridesmaids are usually close friends or family of the bride or groom and are around the same age
>British women traditionally wear hats—big ones—to weddings. At a Christian ceremony in the U.S., the bride is usually the only person with something on her head.
>Generally in the England, weddings take place in the afternoon. After the ceremony, the guests attend a wedding breakfast. There are a couple of theories about the origin of the term wedding breakfast. One theory is that the name comes from the tradition of the bride and groom fasting before the wedding, therefore, the reception would be when they would break their fast. Another is that the wedding breakfast is the first meal of the couple's married life, just as breakfast is the first meal of the day.
>Pre-wedding bashes are called bachelor and bachelorette parties in the U.S., while in the U.K. they are referred to as stag night or stag weekend for the men and hen night for the women. Britain has more legal restrictions about weddings than America. For example, in England and Wales, couples cannot legally get married outdoors unless the location has been approved by local authority.
>In the U.S., wedding cakes—both the main cake and, in some cases, a groom's cake are a major part of the reception. In Britain, the dessert is traditionally a fruit cake. The top-tier of the fruit cake is saved for the christening of the couples' first child. The top-tier in the U.S. is saved for the couple's first anniversary.
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:
Cavalcade of Rednecks: (1) A 26-year-old woman was charged with a grab-and-go at a convenience store in Crestview, Fla.--an 18-pack of beer stuffed under her shirt. (2) A 25-year-old man was arrested for trespass after, he said, he forgot exactly which strip club he had been banned from and accidentally wandered back into that one. (3) Sharon Newling was arrested in Salisbury, N.C., for shooting at her stepson (not at him, she said, but shooting toward him to make him stop working on his car). (4) Stephanie Preston married Bobby Duncan in Greensboro, N.C., at our lady of Jiffy Lube cathedral. (5) Carey Newman, 34, was arrested in Franklin County, Ill., charged with throwing a lawn mower at another woman
A LITTLE LAUGH:
One night our dog suddenly began barking almost every night at around 3 a.m.
Irritated and sleepy, my husband, Larry, searched the back yard for what might have disturbed this otherwise peaceful animal.
For three days he found nothing amiss. When the dog woke up the neighborhood a fourth night at 3 a.m. with frantic barking Larry finally snuck around the house through the alley only to discover our quiet neighbor, the last man you'd suspect of wrongdoing, throwing pebbles over the fence at the dog.
My husband demanded to know what he was doing.
"My mother-in-law is visiting," the embarrassed neighbor explained. "If she gets woken up in the middle of the night one more time she says she'll leave."
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’:
♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫
2003 Inductee: The vocal duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield virtually defined the term “blue-eyed soul.” As the Righteous Brothers, they cut a string of hits that fared well on both the pop and rhythm and blues charts: “Unchained Melody” (#4 pop, #3 R&B), “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration (#1 pop, #13 R&B) and their masterpiece - and one of the seminal singles of the rock and roll era - “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (#1 pop, #3 R&B). MORE INFO
Click on Song Title to see and hear it.
DAYBOOK INFORMATION
«THIS WEEK
24-30
Administrative Professionals Week
National Dance Week
National Dream Hotline
National Scoop The Poop Week
National Playground Safety Week
National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week
Safe Kids Week
Sky Awareness Week
28-30
Gathering of the Nations Pow Wow
«TODAY IS
Arbor Day
Interstate Mullet Toss Days
National Dance Day
National Dream Hotline
National Hairball Awareness Day
National Shrimp Scampi Day
Save The Frogs Day
Taiwan: Cheng Cheng Kung Landing Day
(Commemorates landing in Taiwan in 1661 of Ming Dynasty loyalist Cheng Cheng Kung (Koxinga), who ousted Dutch colonists who had occupied Taiwan for 37 years.)
Japan: Showa Day
(honors the birthday of the Shōwa Emperor (Hirohito), the reigning Emperor from 1926 to 1989)
… ARTISTS: AUTHORS: COMPOSERS…
1667 - John Arbuthnot, Scottish writer (Alexander Pope)
534 - Taliesin, Welsh poet, according to legend in Mabinogion
…ATHLETES
Andre Agassi, Tennis player, turns 41
1918 - George Allen American professional football coach
…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1863 - William Randolph Hearst, publisher (SF Examiner, Seattle P-I)
…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)
Duane Allen, Country singer (The Oak Ridge Boys), turns 68
Daniel Day-Lewis, Actor, turns 54
1899 - Duke Ellington [Edward Kennedy], bandleader (Take "A" Train)
Celeste Holm, Actress, turns 94
Tommy James, Singer (The Shondells), turns 64
Rod McKuen, Poet, turns 78
Michelle Pfeiffer, Actress, turns 53
Eve Plumb, Actress ("The Brady Bunch"), turns 53
Jerry Seinfeld, Actor, comedian ("Seinfeld"), turns 57
Uma Thurman, Actress, turns 41
…POLITICIANS
1901 – Hirohito Japanese emperor (1926-89)
1830 - Adolph Sutro, SF mayor, built Cliff House, railways, tunnels
…SCIENCE & RELIGION
--
Today’s Obits:
2006 - John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian economist, dies at 97
1980 - Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, British director (Psycho, Birds), dies at 80
2008 - Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist, the first to synthesize LSD, dies at 102
Today’s Events:
… ARTS
1852 - 1st edition of Peter Roget's Thesaurus published
1953 - The first U.S. experimental 3D-TV broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV
1967 - Aretha Franklin releases "Respect"
… ATHLETICS
1892 - Charlie Reilly is baseball's 1st pinch hitter
1961 - ABC's "Wide World of Sports, debuts
… BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1553 - Flemish woman introduces practice of starching linen into England
1813 - Rubber is patented
2004 - Oldsmobile builds its final car ending 107 years of production
… INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1700 - Lemoyne d'Iberville today visits a Pascagoula Indian village, one day's walk from the French post at Biloxi. The Pascagoulas have been hit hard by disease brought by the Europeans. D'Iberville is impressed by the beauty of the women.
1851 - One in a series of treaties with California Indians will be signed today at Camp Barbour. These treaties promise to set aside lands for the Indians and to protect them from Americans.
… INTERNATINOAL POLITICS
1429 - Joan of Arc leads Orleans, France, to victory over English
1970 - 50,000 US & South Vietnamese troops invade Cambodia
1975 - Ethiopia nationalizes all ground/earth
1990 - Wrecking cranes began tearing down Berlin Wall at Brandenburg Gate
2005 - Syria completes withdrawal from Lebanon, ending 29 years of occupation
… SCIENCE & RELIGION
1927 - Construction of Spirit of St Louis is completed
… US POLITICS
1983 - Harold Washington sworn in as Chicago's 1st black mayor
ANSWERS:
Trivia Quiz
1. In the novel Animal Farm, Benjamin was what type of creature?
Donkey
2. What book starts with the words -Call me Ishmael?
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
3. In literature who is the alter ego of Percy Blakney?
Scarlet Pimpernel
4. Who wrote 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'?
Anita Loos
5. In 'Call of the Wild' by Jack London, what was the dog's name?
Buck
6. In Greek mythology who created man?
The demigod Promethus
7. Vienna is the setting for which Shakespearean play?
Measure for Measure
8. Whose last unfinished novel was 'The Last Tycoon'?
F Scott Fitzgerald
9. Who was the wise cat in T.S. Eliot's book 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'?
Old Deuteronomy
10. In James Bond's books what was Dr. No's first name?
Julius
Close Up Picture
…AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW
