~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
July 12th

★~  Today’s Quote:  An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. ~ Henry David Thoreau 

★~ Different Colored Eyes Day:

What do David Bowie, Jane Seymour, Christopher Walken, Mika Kunis, Dan Aykroyd, and Aidan Quinn’s character (Officer Gary Hallet) in Practical Magic have in common? They all have Heterochromia, or two different eye colors. I wonder what eye color they put down for their driver’s licenses? Since our Odd family seems to be musically inclined, why don’t we celebrate Different Colored Eyes Day by listening to songs inspired by eye color: “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” or “The Bluest Eyes in Texas.” I’m sure you can think of some others.

★~ Simplicity Day:

We celebrate the simple things in life on the birthday of Henry David Thoreau, who wrote of simple living in his book Walden, the memoir of his time spent living at one with nature at Walden Pond. Today might be the perfect day to slow down and think of some ways to simplify your life. See if you can find a pond to ponder by while you enjoy a simple piece of pecan pie.

★~ Pecan Pie Day:

Ya’ll might think that pecan pie is for the holiday table but that’s just not true. Sitting on the porch watching the fireflies dance and the crickets sing while eating a piece of pecan pie is a fine way to spend a July summer evening. Summer Pecan pie calls for roasted pecans, eggs, butter, flour, and vanilla. The sweet custard pecan pie made with pecans and corn syrup is best served up at the holidays. Sugar, you can surely make your own pecan pie, but if I was you, I would just stop at Baker’s Square or the grocery store and pick up a pie. Don’t forget to buy some whipped cream to put on top. Now, my friend Betty Sue always buys her pie, warms it in the oven, whips up her own cream to put on top, and tells everyone she made her pecan pie from scratch — and that works too.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1958 – Yakety Yak, by The Coasters, became the number one song in the U.S.A., according to Billboard magazine. It was the first stereo record to reach the top of the chart.

♥~ 1960 – The first Etch-A-Sketch went on sale. Over 50 million units were sold during the next 25 years. It was the favorite toy of many moms because it was self-contained and so-o-o quiet.

♥~ 1982 – E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial broke all box-office records by surpassing the $100-million mark of ticket sales in the first 31 days of its opening.

♥~ 1990 –  Northern Exposure TV premiere. In CBS’s comedy-drama Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow) was forced to practice medicine in remote Cicely, AK, to pay off his student loans. He gradually accepted his lot with the help of the town’s quirky citizens, who needed him because he was the only doctor in town. The show’s cast included Janine Turner as bush pilot Maggie O’Connell and John Corbett as DJ Chris Stevens. The last episode aired in 1995.

♥~ 2006 – Debbie Phillips of Charleston, West Virginia, reported to police someone had been in her house and cleaned it. Nothing was missing. Police didn’t worry about it much, but it really bugged Debbie. A month-long investigation revealed a neighbor across the street with a house key hidden in a similar spot outside had hired a cleaning service. They went to the wrong house.

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1817 – Henry David Thoreau philosopher, writer: On Walden Pond; died May 6, 1862

♥~ 1854 – George Eastman inventor: Kodak camera; flexible roll film; died Mar 14, 1932 An interesting fact about Eastman-he hated to have his picture taken.

♥~ 1873 – It rained frogs in Kansas City. Really. The logical explanation for the odd occurrences is that a tornado or strong whirlwind picked up the frogs from a shallow body of water and carried them – sometimes for hundreds of miles – before dropping them on a Kansas city.

♥~ 1908 – Milton Berle (Berlinger)
comedian: Uncle Miltie, Mr. Television: The Milton Berle Show, Texaco Star Theatre; actor: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Oscar, Side by Side; died Mar 27, 2002

♥~ 1937 – Bill Cosby Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor: I Spy, The Bill Cosby Special [1968-1969]; The Cosby Show, Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids, Leonard VI, California Suite

♥~ 1948 – Richard Simmons weight loss expert, entertainer: Sweatin’ to the Oldies

♥~ 1948 – Jay Thomas Emmy Award-winning actor: Murphy Brown: Gold Rush [1991]; Mork & Mindy, Married People, Love & War, Cheers, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Straight Talk, Little Vegas, The Gig

♥~ 1950 – Eric Carr musician: drums: group: KISS: Strutter, Deuce, Got to Choose, Hotter Than Hell, C’Mon and Love, Rock and Roll All Nite, Detroit Rock City, Shout It Out Loud; died Nov 24, 1991

♥~ 1951 – Cheryl Ladd (Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor) actress: Dancing with Danger, Changes, The Grace Kelly Story, One West Waikiki, Charlie’s Angels, Poison Ivy

♥~ 1969 – Lisa Nicole Carson, Actress (“Ally McBeal”)

★~ Did You Know: 

♥~  If you’re an average blinker, your eyes will be blinked closed for about 30 minutes today.

♥~  Your eyes don’t freeze in the cold because of the salt in your tears.

♥~  Why does your nose run when you cry? It’s excess fluid from your eyes.

♥~  One in 500 people have one blue eye and one brown eye.

♥~  A human eyeball weighs about an ounce.

♥~  In 1979, a South African boy was found to have a marigold seed growing in his eye.

♥~  If you go blind in one eye you will only lose about one fifth of your vision.

♥~  If you’re looking at someone you love, your pupils will dilate. when you’re looking at someone you hate , they do the same thing.

★~  Today’s Giggle: 

Arthur is 90 years old. He’s played golf every day since his retirement 25 years ago. One day he arrives home looking downcast. “That’s it,” he tells his wife. “I’m giving up golf. My eyesight has become so bad that once I hit the ball I couldn’t see where it went.”

His wife sympathises and makes him a cup of tea. As they sit down she says, “Why don’t you take my brother with you and give it one more try.”

“That’s no good” sighs Arthur, “your brother’s a hundred and three. He can’t help.”

“He may be a hundred and three”, says the wife, “but his eyesight is perfect.”

So the next day Arthur heads off to the golf course with his brother-in-law. He tees up, takes a mighty swing and squints down the fairway.

He turns to the brother-in-law and says, “Did you see the ball?”

“Of course I did!” replied the brother-in-law. “I have perfect eyesight”.

“Where did it go?” says Arthur.

“I don’t remember.”

♥