~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
November 2nd, 2011

★~ Today’s Quote: 

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last lone aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch-hazel wither . . .–Robert Frost

★~  Celebrating November which comes from the Latin word novem meaning “nine” because this was the ninth month of the early Roman calendar.

♥ ~ Gem Stone: Topaz – The  Topaz strengthens the mind, increases wisdom. In ancient times it was thought to guard against sudden death

♥ ~ Flower:  Chrysanthemums:  The chrysanthemum represents compassion, friendship and secret love. This flower is also a symbol of the sun. Chrysanthemum was named after the Greek word which means gold flower.

♥ ~ November Folklore:
November take flail; let ships no more sail.
If trees show buds in November, the winter will last until May.
There is no better month in the year to cut wood than November.
Ice in November brings mud in December.

★~ Plan Your Epitaph Day:

The moans from El Morno readers are deafening….sugar skulls, funerals, death, ENOUGH ALREADY! Have no fear, today we are wrapping up: Hallowe’en, Samhain, All Saints Day, All Soul’s day and Day of the Dead. Is it my fault the Christians kept trying to one up the Pagens?

Planning your Epitaph coincides with the Day Of The Dead (Nov-2-3)  and All Soul’s Day (Nov 3). If you want to leave your Epitaph in the hands of your family, go right ahead, just keep in mind you could end up with something like this…

Here lies Teresa, a rock fell on her head.

Here lies the body of our Antoinette
Done to death by a banana
It wasn’t the fruit that laid her low
But the skin of the thing that made her go.

I made an ash out of myself.

Don’t attempt to climb up in a tree, That’s what caused the death of me

Here lies the body
of Jonathan Blake
Stepped on the gas
Instead of the brake

Here lies
Ezekial Aikle
Age 102
The Good
Die Young

★~ Deviled Egg Day:

A deviled egg by another name is eggs mimosa. This dish is a traditional favorite in both American and French cultures. Deviled eggs originated in ancient Rome but the term “deviled” didn’t appear until the 18th century when it was used to describe highly seasoned, fried, or boiled dishes. By the 19th century, the word “deviled” was used to describe hot seasonings in general. Today, not all deviled egg recipes are spicy, but a little cayenne pepper or hot mustard can always give them an extra kick.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1896 – Britain issued the first motor car insurance policy, but damage caused by frightened horses was specifically excluded.

♥~ 1947 – The world’s largest and widest plane ever built — with a wingspan of 319 feet, 11 inches — made its only flight on this day in 1947. Its pilot, owner, and designer, Howard Hughes, flew the huge, wooden plane over Long Beach Harbor, California at an altitude of 70 feet. The flight lasted just one minute.

♥~ 2003 – British intelligence finally identified a mysterious transmission that had baffled analysts for days. The nation’s leading communications scientists determined strange high-frequency noises coming from Scarborough signal station in Yorkshire were caused by a goat rubbing its horns against an antenna mast.

♥~ 2006 – Jackson Pollock’s ‘splatter’ painting No. 5 1948  sold for $140 million by entertainment mogul David Geffen to Mexican financier David Martinez.  Pollock created the painting by dribbling paint on to a bare board laid on the floor of his studio.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1734 – Daniel Boone frontiersman, explorer; captured and adopted by Shawnee Indians as Big Turtle; captured by British; died Sep 26, 1820

♥~ 1755 – Marie Antoinette Queen of France [1774-1793]; executed by guillotine Oct 16, 1793

♥~ 1898 –  Official birthday of cheerleading, which began in 1898. See did you know for fascinating facts.

♥~ 1913 – Burt Lancaster Academy Award-winning actor: Elmer Gantry, [1960]; Trapeze, From Here to Eternity, The Bird Man of Alcatraz, The Unforgiven, Atlantic City, Local Hero, Field of Dreams, The Phantom of the Opera, The Rainmaker, The Rose Tattoo, Scorpio, Tough Guys, Airport, Come Back Little Sheba, Gunfight at the OK Corral, Judgment at Nuremberg; circus acrobat;

♥~ 1961 – k.d. (Kathryn Dawn) Lang, singer: In honor of her birthday some people refuse to  capitalize the first letters of their name.  Songs include: LPs: Angel with a Lariat, Shadowland, Absolute Torch and Twang, Ingenue, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, All You Can Eat, Drag ,Invincible Summer, Live by Request.

★~ Did You Know: 

♥~ In the 1880s, Princeton University supporters frequently cheered in unison from the stands. In 1884, a Princeton graduated named Thomas Peebles moved to Minneapolis and shared Princeton’s cheering ideas

♥~ November 2nd, 1898 was the University of Minnesota football team’s final game against Northwestern University. Minnesota had been losing games, and the student newspaper published an editorial and said, “Any plan that would stir up enthusiasm for athletics would be helpful.”

♥~ A group of young men from the University of Minnesota decided to lead the whole crowd in cheering, and on this day in 1898, Johnny Campbell picked up a megaphone, stood in front of the crowd of spectators, and directed them to yell: “Rah, Rah, Rah! Ski-U-Mah! Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Minn-e-so-tah!” The crowd shouted so enthusiastically that Minnesota was inspired and won the game 17-6. For 25 years, cheerleading was an activity only for men.

♥~ In 1923, the University of Minnesota created the first female cheerleading squad, but it wasn’t until the 1940s that women became the majority of cheerleaders

♥~ Today 97% of all cheerleaders are female, however, almost 50% of collegiate Cheerleaders are male.

♥~ Cheerleading is not considered an official sport in most states (although this is hotly debated), but it is a dangerous one — of the 3 million female high school athletes, 12 percent are cheerleaders, but it accounts for 65 percent of catastrophic injuries.

♥~ In the 1900’s megaphones came into play and the Pom Pons were invented in the 1930’s.

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One of my favorite Epitaph is, “I told you I was sick!” Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday.

♥
Kb