Feb 15

 

Happy President’s Day!

Feb 15, 2021     Week: 7               Day: 48                Visibility: 10 miles

Local: H 41°\ L 16°\Ave. Sky Cover: 5%                                    Wind:  6mph/ Gusts: 4mph

Nearest Lightning: 315mi.                                                 Very Low Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  349mi

Record: °[. ]  Record: °[. ] 

Feb. Averages: 47°/19° (5 days with moisture)            

Today’s Quote

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. ~Henry Van Dyke

Random Tidbits

The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.

In Medieval times, girls ate unusual foods on St. Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future husband.

A Little Humor

Q What do you call a stolen yam? A hot potato

.....

When I Wake Up In The Morning I Shake My Head. If It Rattles I Know I Still Have My Marbles

Presidential Trivia

Grover Cleveland served two terms, but they weren't back-to-back.

Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. He won his first election by a very narrow margin, lost the 1888 election to Benjamin Harrison, and then came back in 1892 after winning the popular vote.

Benjamin Harrison was the first White House occupant with electricity.

Harrison and his wife Caroline were the first occupants of the White House to enjoy the wonders of electricity. But as it was a new technology, the couple was afraid of being electrocuted by the light switch, so they regularly left the lights on all day and night.

William McKinley was very forgiving towards his attempted assassin.

McKinley's reaction to being shot is unlike anything you've ever heard. He was shot in the torso by an anarchist in 1901 in a receiving line, and as they took him away, he said,"Don't let them hurt him," referring to a mob that was forming around the would-be assassin. He later said the shooter was,"some poor misguided fellow," and"he didn't know, poor fellow, what he was doing. He couldn't have known."

Weekly Observations

Date (Fruit) Week Great Backyard Bird Count Link	12-21
World Irish Dancing Week National Entrepreneurship Week Link	13-20
Children of Alcoholics Week  Link  International Flirting Week   Jell-O Week   Love a Mensch Week  National Secondhand Wardrobe Week: 14-20  Through With The Chew   Link	14-20
National Condom Week National Nestbox Week NCCDP Alzheimer's & Dementia Staff Education Week	14-21
Learning Disabilities Week	15-18
Brotherhood / Sisterhood Week Link	15-20

 

Today’s Observations

Angelman Syndrome Day Link
Fasching: 15-16
Love Reset Day
Lupercalia
National Chewing Gum Day

National Gumdrop Day Link
National Hippo Day Link
President's Day 

Remember The Maine Day
Shrovetide: 14-16 

Singles Awareness Day

Susan B Anthony Day

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: 15-16

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

The storm was quick and left just enough snow to barely cover the ground. But moisture is moisture and I ain’t complaining. Still no side effects from the Moderna vaccine. One down, One to go.

After watching most of the impeachment procedure there is a difference between Civil Disobedience and Criminal Activity. Our country needs a clear and concise definition of each, so that law enforcement, politicians, and everyday people can recognize the difference. Until that happens, this country is going to experience turmoil. I would also be beneficial to define clearly and concisely ‘peaceful’ and ‘non-peaceful’. I’m hoping for the best.

Daily Puzzle

Answer: bottom of the page

Lovely and round, I shine with pale light, grown in the darkness, A lady’s delight. What am I?

Historical Events

1758 – Mustard was first advertised for sale in America, by Benjamin Jackson, in Philadelphia, PA.

1764 – The city of St. Louis was established in Spanish Louisiana (now in Missouri, USA).

1879 – US President Rutherford B. Hayes signed a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.

1898 – An explosion sank the battleship, USS Maine, in Cuba’s Havana harbor, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard, sparking the Spanish-American war.

1903 – The first Teddy Bear was introduced in Brooklyn, NY.

1932 – George Burns and Gracie Allen debuted as regulars on The Guy Lombardo Show on CBS radio.

1950 – Disney’s Cinderella cartoon feature opened in theaters. It was one of the biggest films of the year and was theatrically re-released several times- 1957, 1965, 1973, 1981, and 1987.

1953 – The first American to win the women’s world figure skating championship was 17-year-old Tenley Albright.

1961 – The whole 18-member U.S. figure skating team was killed in a plane crash in Berg-Kampenhout, Belgium. The team was on its way to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

1965 – The flag we know today, the red and white maple leaf was designed as the new flag of Canada. Prior to that, the official flag was Britain’s Union Jack.

1992 – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced in Milwaukee to life in prison.

2001 – The first draft of the complete human genome was published in Nature.

2003 – It was estimated that between 8,000,000-30,000,000 people in 600 cities worldwide… the protest of the Iraq War was the largest protest in the history of the world.

2005 – YouTube was activated online.

2013 – A meteor exploded in the sky over Russia’s Ural Mountains, near Chelyabinsk, shattering glass and setting off car alarms for miles. Also, asteroid DA14 came with 18,000 miles of Earth.

2011 US President Barack Obama awards writer and activist Maya Angelou the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

2019 US President Donald Trump declares a national emergency to divert funds to build a border wall, after signing bipartisan spending agreement to avoid another government shutdown.

2020 Beijing orders people returning to the city after Lunar New Year holiday to self-quarantine for 14 days to prevent spread of Covid-19.

Birthdays Today

@100 – Miep Gies (Hermine Santruschitz), Austrian/Hungarian citizen, protected Anne Frank’s family and held Anne’s diary (d. 2010)

@98 – Irena Sendler, Polish social worker saved 2,500 Jewish children from Warsaw (d. 2007)

@90 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American jeweler (d. 1902)

@86 – Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist and activist (d. 1906)

@86 – Cesar Romero, American actor (died in 1994)

@81 – Harvey Korman, American comedic actor (d. 2008)

@77 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, physicist, mathematician (d. 1642)

@77 – John Sutter, owned the property that started The California Gold Rush (d. 1880)

@75 – Cyrus McCormick, American and businessman, co-founded International Harvester (d. 1884; stroke)

@73 – Henry E. Steinway, German-American businessman, founded Steinway & Sons (d. 1871)

70 – Jane Seymour, English-American actress

@33 – Chris Farley, American comedic actor (d. 1997; OD)

Puzzle Answer

A pearl

 

Feb 14

 

Happy Valentines Day

Feb  14, 2021  Week: 7  Day: 45	Local:  H 45°\ L 24°\Ave. Sky Cover: 80%
Wind:   7mph\Gusts:  16mph	Very Low  Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  1013mi
Nearest lightning: 746 mi.	Record: 66°[2015] Record:-15°[1949]
Visibility:  10mi	Feb. Averages: 47°/19° (5 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.

~Karl A. Menninger

Random Tidbits

Nothing is reliably known of St. Valentine except his name and the fact that he died on February 14 in Rome. His story, though, has become the paradigm for the tradition of courtly love.

There are several legends behind Saint Valentine. One is that in the 1st century AD it is said that Valentine, who was a priest, defied the order of the emperor Claudius and secretly married couples so that the husbands wouldn't have to go to war. Soldiers were sparse at this time so this was a big inconvenience to the emperor.

A Little Humor

Q What does a lawyer wear to work? A lawsuit!

Q Why did the pickle stop being a contortionist? It was to cucumbersome

Presidential Trivia

Rutherford B. Hayes started the annual Easter Egg Roll.

Hayes had a presidency full of "firsts," including the first White House Easter Egg Roll in 1878. He had reportedly been taking a walk when a group of children approached him and asked about the possibility of an Easter egg roll, on the South Lawn of the White House. Hayes liked the idea, and it continues to be a tradition today.

James Garfield was a southpaw.

Though his presidency only lasted 81 days, Garfield sticks out in many people's minds for being the first left-handed president. Apparently, he was also the first ambidextrous president.

Chester Arthur enjoyed a rather luxurious lifestyle.

While it may not seem like a lot for a president today, Arthur owned 80 pairs of pants, which was quite the extravagance for the time period. Other luxuries he enjoyed included: a personal valet, a White House decorated by renowned artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, and fresh flowers placed in front of his deceased wife's portrait daily.

Weekly Observations

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week Link Have A Heart for A Chained Dog Week  Link National Marriage Week  Link  Link Risk Awareness Week	7-14
Love Makes the World Go Round; but, Laughter       Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week Love A Mench Week Random Acts of Kindness Week Link	8-14
Date (Fruit) Week Great Backyard Bird Count Link	12-21
World Irish Dancing Week National Entrepreneurship Week Link	13-20
Children of Alcoholics Week  Link  International Flirting Week   Jell-O Week   Love a Mensch Week   National Secondhand Wardrobe Week: 14-20  Through With The Chew   Link	14-20
National Condom Week National Nestbox Week NCCDP Alzheimer's & Dementia Staff Education Week	14-21

 

Today’s Observations

Shrovetide: 14-16 

Autism Sunday Link 
Ferris Wheel Day

Frederick Douglass Day  Link

International Book Giving Day Link

League of Women Voters Day

Library Lovers Day

National Have A Heart Day
National (Organ)Donor Day
National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day

National Organ Donor Day

National Women's Heart Day Link
Pet Theft Awareness Day  Link
Quirky Alone Day Link
Race Relations Day
Read to Your Child Day

Shrovetide: 14-16 

Saint Valentine's Day

(World) Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day Link
World Marriage Day  Link
World Sound Healing Day Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Great News for me: My appointment was at 11:00-11:30 this morning in a county park parking lot. I got there at 10:40 and was ushered into a parking space by some military guys. Several people came to my window to check my appointment card and to verify my information. The nurse showed up at 11:10 to give me my shot. She stuck a post-it on my outside rearview mirror that said: 10:25. I thanked everyone of them for working as it was windy and chilly. I drove out at 10:26 and was home in 10 minutes. It was so organized. Now to get the appointment for shot #2 by email. A quick and very efficient experience.

Snow started at 1:30 and coming down hard. It was predicted to begin at 3pm or later. Hopefully about 3” and hope it is wet. There is also thunder.

On Thursday evening about 8pm there was a helicopter near my place flying near Mt. Elden, the nearest mountain to my place. It was a rescue for a guy who had fallen. Today I found out the rest of the story. The guy had a severe broken ankle and could not walk down. The rescue team was dropped into him with blankets, sleeping bags, water, and pain meds. Everybody spent the night. In the morning it was too windy for a helicopter, so they had to carry him down the mountain. He will be OK but is in the hospital for ankle surgery. We have a great volunteer search and rescue team here at 7000’.

The trial had a couple of hours of private discussion about witnesses but worked it out and the closing arguments continue with, so far, no big hiccups. Vote taken and will stand: 57 Guilty; 43 Not guilty. He is acquitted. I hope our country can move on.

Daily Puzzle

Answer: bottom of the page

First I am dried, then I am wet. The longer I swim, the more taste you get. What am I?

Historical Events

278 – Valentine, a priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was beheaded for performing (illegal at the time) marriage ceremonies.

1779 – Captain James Cook, the great English explorer, and surveyor in the Royal Navy, was murdered by natives of Hawaii during his third visit to the Pacific island group.

1822 – The patent (#X003456) was issued for the first practical grass mowing machine to Jeremiah Bailey of Chester county, Pennsylvania.

1876 – Both Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray applied for a telephone patent. Alexander’s was later approved.

1903 – The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (it was later split into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor).

1912 – Arizona was admitted as the 48th state of the United States.

1920 – The League of Women Voters was founded in Chicago.

1929 – Sir Alexander Fleming left a plate of staphylococcus bacteria uncovered, and noticed the mold had killed much of the bacteria. He identified the mold as penicillium notatum and shortened the name to Penicillin.

1932 – The US team won the first bobsled competition at the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, NY.

1938 – Former silent film actress Hedda Hopper began her gossip column in The Los Angeles Times.

1949- The Knesset (parliament of Israel) convened for the first time.

1961 – Element 103, Lawrencium, was first synthesized at the University of California.

1962 – First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy gave a tour of the White House on CBS television.

1989 – Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses. It was rescinded in 1998.

1989 – Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million to the Indian government for damages it caused in the 1984 Bhopal disaster.

2000 – NEAR Shoemaker became the first spacecraft to orbit around an asteroid, 433 Eros

2002 – The final Family Guy episode aired after Fox announced its cancellation. It came back after DVD sales indicated a huge audience for the show.

2018 South African President Jacob Zuma resigns from office

2019 JP Morgan is the first bank to create its own crypto-currency JPM Coin

2020 More than 800,000 people displaced from their homes in north-western Syria amid assault by Syrian pro-government forces on last rebel stronghold

Birthdays Today

@80 – Jack Benny, American comedic actor (d. 1974)

79 – Michael Bloomberg, American businessman, politician

77 – Carl Bernstein, American journalist, author

@77 – Frederick Douglas [Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey], former slave (d. 1895; heart attack)

@76 – Margaret E. Knight, "the most famous 19th-century woman inventor" (d. 1914)

70 – Terry Gross, American radio host

@60 – John Barrymore [John Sidney Blyth], actor (d. 1942; cirrhosis)

@57 – Gregory Hines, American actor, singer, dancer (d. 2003; liver cancer)

@53 – Vic Morrow, American actor (d. 1982; while filming)

51 – Simon Pegg, English actor, director, producer

@37 – George Ferris, American engineer and inventor, created the Ferris Wheel (d. 1896; typhoid)

29 – Freddie Highmore, Actor

@28 – Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter, guitarist (d. 1975; OD)

Puzzle Answer

Tea