13 Apr

 

13 April 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 15 Day 103 \ Ave. Sky Cover 60% \ Visibility 20 miles Flagstaff Today 64° \36°  Wind 6mph \ Gusts 13mph 
Air Quality: Moderate \ High Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 85mi \ Nearest Lightning 170mi
Apr. Averages for Flagstaff: 60° \ 27° \3 Days of moisture
Sun with high clouds

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

3/19-4/16    National Cherry Blossom Festival 
3/22-4/20   Consider Christianity Week
                  International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week
                  National Cleaning Week
                  International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week
                  National Cleaning Week
8-16          National Robotics Week
9-15          Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week 
                 National Dog Bite Prevention Week  
                 National Occupational Health Nursing Week  
                National Public Safety Telecommunicators (911 Operators) Week
                Pan American Week
                National Student Employment Week 
11-13       National Catholic Educational Association Week
13-15       American Council on Education
13-16       Satchmo Days

Daily Observations

Make Lunch Count Day
International Plant Appreciation Day Link 
Make Lunch Count Day 
National Borinqueneers
Make Lunch Count Day 
National Borinqueneers Day (Puerto Rico) Link
Peach Cobbler Day
Plant Appreciation Day
Scrabble Day
Sterile Packaging Day
Thomas Jefferson Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Cooler than yesterday but still a nice day. Yesterday I had the front door and window open until 7:30pm. Not so much today.

I had my regular phlebotomy yesterday afternoon. This one was easy and quick.  When I arrived home, there was a small fire on Mt. Elden and I could see the smoke from my place. Turned out, thanks to all the moisture the fire was easily contained to about 1/10 acre.

The Afghanistan withdrawal did not go as planned. I just heard a story about the dogs that assisted in the war over there. There were two types of dogs…military dogs and private contractor’s dogs. Both types were used for security purposes. The military dogs were evacuated by the military. The contractor’s dogs were at the mercy of the private contractors. Mostly they simply left the dogs in Afghanistan. It hardly seems right.

Happy I’ll be busy tomorrow morning. A friend needs a ride to work at 7:30 and I need to put out Andy & Faith’s trash, as they are back in Phoenix with Andy’s sick brother. I’m always up by 7am, just usually not ready to be out and about.

Both Tennessee reps have been chosen to replace themselves after being kicked out of the TN House. Guess the House there was a little too quick in condemning their behavior.

Enjoy…

Facts…

Houses can host many common dream symbols, but the building as a whole represents your inner psyche. Each room or floor can symbolize different emotions, memories and interpretations of meaningful events.   

Moon Facts…

The Moon is moving away from Earth

It’s not something you’d notice by looking up in the night sky, but the Moon is actually moving away from our planet at a rate of 3.8 centimetres (1.5 inches) per year, which is about the same rate at which human fingernails grow. The Moon used to be closer to Earth, billions of years ago, but due to “lunar retreat,” which happens when the gravity of the Moon pulls at the oceans and the oceans pull back a little, increasing the orbit of the Moon, our dear satellite is spinning away from us.

Beauty in our 50 states…

5. Colorado

To make it into the top 10% of scenic states, you’ve gotta have a certain je ne sais quoi. That’s no problem for Colorado, since anybody who’s ever set foot here has been wowed by the sheer verticality. Colorado has more than 50—that’s FIVE ZERO—peaks higher than 14,000ft, more than triple the rest of the lower 48 combined. Harder to reach, but no less amazing, are the state's abundant mountain lakes—places that make the journey up those peaks worth the trek and provide some of the most underrated beachfront on the planet. The only drawback to Colorado is that the eastern third or so feels like Nebraska got a director's cut. To get the most out of this state, take a drive from Denver to Telluride and prepare to be blown away.

Historical Events

1962 – Silent Spring by Rachel Carson was published.
1964 – Sidney Poitier became the first African-American male to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film, Lilies of the Field.
1976 – The United States Treasury Department reintroduced the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note.

Birthdays Today

@93 – Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect, game designer, created Scrabble (d. 1993)
@83 – Thomas Jefferson, American lawyer and politician, 3rd President (d. 1826)
“When the people are afraid of the government, that’s tyranny. But when the government is afraid of the people, that’s liberty.”– Thomas Jefferson
@83 – Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, poet, playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
“The creation of the world did not take place once and for all time, but takes place every day.”– Samuel Beckett
@83 – Paul Sorvino, American actor (d. 2022)
77 – Al Green, American singer-songwriter and pastor
“Teach success before teaching responsibility. Teach them to believe in themselves. Teach them to think, ‘I’m not stupid’. No child wants to fail. Everyone wants to succeed.”– Al Green
@76 – Madalyn Murray O’Hair, activist, founded American Atheists (d. 1995; murdered)
@74 – Seamus Heaney, Irish poet (d. 2013)
“Poetry is always slightly mysterious, and you wonder what is your relationship to it.”– Seamus Heaney
73 – Ron Perlman, American actor
@62 – Christopher Hitchens, essayist, literary critic, journalist (d. 2011; cancer)
59 – Caroline Rhea, Canadian comedic actress
53 – Ricky Schroder, American actor
“There have been times I almost got a persecution complex. I felt like people wouldn’t let me grow up. They always saw me as a smiling kid or goofy teenager, no matter how much I’d changed.”– Ricky Schroder
@42 – Butch Cassidy(Robert LeRoy Parker ), American criminal (d. 1908; gunshots in Boliva)
@35 – Guy Fawkes, planned the Gunpowder Plot (d. 1606; hanged, drawn & quartered)
“A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy.”– Guy Fawkes
35 – Allison Williams, American actress and singer
19 – Brooklyn Nelson, American actress

 
 

12 Apr

 

12 April 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 15 Day 102 \ Ave. Sky Cover 5% \ Visibility 25 miles Flagstaff Today 76° \33°  Wind 7mph \ Gusts 15mph 
Air Quality: Fair \ High Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 133mi \ Nearest Lightning 380mi
Apr. Averages for Flagstaff: 60° \ 27° \3 Days of moisture
Sunshine

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

3/19-4/16   National Cherry Blossom Festival 
3/22-4/20   Consider Christianity Week
                  International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week
                  National Cleaning Week
                  International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week
                  National Cleaning Week
8-16          National Robotics Week
9-15          Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week 
                National Dog Bite Prevention Week  
                National Occupational Health Nursing Week  
                National Public Safety Telecommunicators (911 Operators) Week
                Pan American Week
                National Student Employment Week 
11-13        National Catholic Educational Association Week

Daily Observations

Belmont-Paul Women's Equality Monument Day   Link
Big Wind Day  Link
Day of Human Space Flight Day
Drop Everything and Read Day
Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
International Day of Human Space Flight
International Day for Street Children Link  
Licorice Day
National D.E.A.R. Day (Drop Everything And Read)
National For Twelves Day Link 
National Licorice Day Link
National Only Child Day Link
National Spring Signing Day
RAINN Day (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) Link 
Walk on Your Wild Side Day
Yuri's Night

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Another warm, nice spring day. Ain’t complaining.  

The mystery of gas prices continues. Prices have been rising for a couple of weeks. I use Gas Buddy to find the cheapest gas. For months, it has been Sam’s Clubs. I needed some gas and started watching the price climb on Gas Buddy. This morning the cheapest gas was at a nearby Conoco…@$3.97 at 7am. When I got to the station, it was $3.99 about 10am. The last time I filled up, Sam’s was $3.89.

On day 100 of 2023, there has been 142 mass shootings. How long will Congress stall?

Enjoy…

 

Facts…

Being chased is one of the most common dream symbols in all cultures. It means you're feeling threatened, so reflect on who's chasing you (they may be symbolic) and why they're a possible threat in real life.

Falling is a common dream symbol that relates to our anxieties about letting go, losing control, or somehow failing after a success.   

More Slang origins…

If The Creek Don’t Rise

This means that if everything continues to plan, things will be okay. It’s often said in a reassuring way, to calm people down and encourage them to keep on trying.

A rising creek could spell trouble, as it can lead to flooding and other issues.

Beauty in our 50 states…

6. Washington

Seattle doesn’t have the best skyline in America only because the Columbia Center is a great feat of architecture. It’s because of the setting: Seattle looks south to Mt. Rainier and sits between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. And that’s just one city. The state is home to not one but two towering mountain ranges (the dramatic Cascades, the rainforested Olympics) as well as the winding Columbia River Gorge. The San Juan Islands are the closest thing you’ll get to cruising through Alaska without having to go north of the 49th parallel. And even parts of Eastern and Central Washington–especially up north in the Okanagan—have some spectacular desert scenery.

Historical Events

1961 – Aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin became the first human being to travel into space.

Birthdays Today

@ 104 – Beverly Cleary, author (d. 2021)
@80 – Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2004)
83 – Herbie Hancock, American pianist, composer
“Don’t be afraid to expand yourself, to step out of your comfort zone. That’s where the joy and the adventure lie.”– Herbie Hancock
77 – Ed O’Neill, American comedic actor
76 – David Letterman, American talk show host
@75 – Henry Clay, American lawyer, 9th US Secretary of State (d. 1852)
“Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character.”– Henry Clay
@75 – Charles Napier, American character actor (d. 2011)
@72 – Billy Vaughn, American musician, bandleader (d. 1991; mesothelioma)
@67 – David Cassidy, American singer-songwriter (d. 2017; liver failure)
67 – Andy Garcia (Andrés Arturo García Menéndez), Cuban-American actor
@66 – Tom Clancy, American author (d. 2013; heart failure)
“The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.”– Tom Clancy
66 – Vince Gill, American singer-songwriter
“The devaluation of music and what it’s now deemed to be worth is laughable to me. My single cost 99 cents. That’s what a single cost in 1960. On my phone, I can get an app for 99 cents that makes fart noises – the same price as the thing I create and speak to the world with. Some would say the fart app is more important. It’s an awkward time. Creative brains are being sorely mistreated.”– Vince Gill
@64 – Tiny Tim (Herbert Butros Khaury), singer, ukulele player (d. 1996; heart attack)
“I’d love to see Christ come back to crush the spirit of hate and make men put down their guns. I’d also like just one more hit single.”– Tiny Tim
52 – Shannon Doherty, American actress
50 – J. Scott Campbell, American comic book author, illustrator
44 – Claire Danes, American actress
44 – Jennifer Morrison, American actress
36 – Brooklyn Decker, American model
29 – Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress

 
 

Apr

 

11 April 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 15 Day 101 \ Ave. Sky Cover 5% \ Visibility 25 miles Flagstaff Today 70° \32°  Wind 6mph \ Gusts 11mph 
Air Quality: Fair \ High Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 280mi \ Nearest Lightning 702mi
Apr. Averages for Flagstaff: 60° \ 27° \3 Days of moisture
Sunshine

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

3/19-4/16   National Cherry Blossom Festival 

3/22-4/20   Consider Christianity Week
                  International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week
                  National Cleaning Week

8-16          National Robotics Week

9-15          Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week 

         National Dog Bite Prevention Week  

         National Occupational Health Nursing Week  

         National Public Safety Telecommunicators (911 Operators) Week

         Pan American Week

         National Student Employment Week 

11-13        National Catholic Educational Association Week

Daily Observations

Barbershop Quartet Day
Cheese Fondue Day
Farm Animals Day
Golfer’s Day
Hug Your Dog Day
Louie Louie Day
National Be Kind To Lawyers Day  
Identity Management Day Link 
International "Louie Louie" Day
National Clean Up Your Pantry Day
National Pet Day
International "Louie Louie" Day
National Clean Up Your Pantry Day
National Pet Day Link
National Ranch Water Day Link 
National Teach Children To Save Day
Pet Day
Siblings Day
Submarine Day 
National Teach Children To Save Day
Pet Day
Siblings Day
Submarine Day Link
World Parkinson's Disease Day Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

A great day weather-wise. I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

Last night was the Grammy salute to the Beach Boys. It sure brought back a lot of memories. Glad I watched it. The many artists performing the Beach Boy songs did a great job.

Another assault rifle killing. Four dead, nine hospitalized in Kentucky mass shooting…inside an unopened bank in Kentucky. It’s early but the shooter was either a current or former employee of the bank. Insanity.  

An old levy on Lower Lake Mary, near Flagstaff, has buckled and sprung leaks. Being blamed on 20 years of drought and now lots of water in the lake. The water is flowing into an old catch pond. No damage to nearby structures.

Enjoy…

 

Facts…

Animals often represent the part of your psyche that feels connected to nature and survival. Being chased by a predator suggests you're holding back repressed emotions like fear or aggression.   

More Slang origins…

Fair To Middling

This is actually just a very complicated way of saying “Okay.” If you ask a Southerner how they’re doing and they say “fair to middling,” what they mean is that they’re doing all right. Not good or bad – just in the middle.

The word “fair” is pretty obvious in its meaning. It means satisfactory or “so-so.” But what does “middling” mean? Apparently, it’s an old Scottish word which means “of average quality”, now part of the oddest southern sayings you will ever hear.

Beauty in our 50 states…

7. Oregon

Oregon is the perfect transition from California—and Nevada—into the Pacific Northwest. The state begins with rugged coastline and temperate desert, much like northern California. Then it eases through the mountains into evergreen wilderness, making Oregon’s stretch of I-5 the most scenic section of that highway. The state’s also got fantastic beaches, most notably Cannon Beach and Seaside in the north, with their trademark Haystack Rock. There’s also Mt. Hood, the jagged peak that’s the most scenic point between Mt. Whitney and Mt. Rainier. Add in Crater Lake, the Willamette Valley wine country, and the undulating Painted Hills in the empty, open east, and you've got a state that holds its own as a coastal gem or a desert standout.

Historical Events

1945 – American forces liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp.
1965 – Fifty-one tornadoes hit in six Midwestern states, killing 256 people.
1970 – Apollo 13 launched.

Birthdays Today

95 – Ethel Kennedy, American philanthropist
“For anyone to achieve something, he will have to show a little courage. You’re only on this earth once. You must give it all you’ve got.”– Ethel Kennedy
91 – Joel Grey (Joel David Katz), American actor, singer, dancer
90 – Tony Brown, American journalist, academic
@84 – Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-Australian pianist, composer, conductor (d. 2013)
84 – Louise Lasser, American actress
@69 – James Parkinson, English surgeon, paleontologist (d. 1824)
62 – Vincent Gallo, American actor, director and producer
@61 – Richard Berry, singer-songwriter, wrote ‘Louie Louie’ (d. 1997; heart disease)
42 – Alessandra Ambrosio, Brazilian model
39 – Kelli Garner, American actress
36 – Joss Stone, English singer-songwriter
“If I could be a doctor and save lives I would, but I can’t so I sing songs.”– Joss Stone
36 – Lights (Valerie Anne Poxleitner), Canadian singer-songwriter