~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
August 19, 2011

★~ Today’s Quote:  Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. ~ Ogden Nash

★~ National Aviation Day:

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established this day to recognize the development of aviation. Today is the birthday of Orville Wright, who worked with his brother Wilbur to invent the world’s first successful airplane. Why did FDR pick the b-day of Orville? (I know Teresa will ask me this.) Was it because he liked Orville better or because Orville had an awesome mustache and Wilbur didn’t? Who knows. At any rate, today we appreciate the work of aviators throughout the years who have helped make the skies friendlier.

★~ Hot and Spicy Day:

If you like your food full of heat, fire, and spice, well then today is your lucky day—it’s Hot and Spicy Food Day! Archaeological evidence suggests that people have been using hot spices in their recipes for over 6,000 years. Did you know that the hottest chili pepper in the world is the Naga Jolokia (ghost pepper)? On average, one of these peppers is over 170 times spicier than a jalapeno pepper!

Throughout the world, there are hundreds of different spices that provide an array of flavored spicy foods. Why not use cayenne pepper powder to make spicy potato wedges…because today is also Potato Day!

★~ Potato Day:

Hey man, today is, like, one totally tubular tuber day! Potatoes have been a popular part of diets around the world for centuries, contributing to so many favorite recipes worldwide. Each year, the United States harvests 45 billion potatoes. The average annual diet of a global citizen is 73 pounds of potatoes, and the world’s top potato producer is China. So get up, couch potatoes—it’s time to make one potato, two potato, three potato, four, five potato, six potato, seven potato more! Icha bacha, soda cracker, icha bacha boo. Icha bacha, soda cracker, out goes Y-O-U!

Oh sorry…where were we? Oh right. Today, enjoy potatoes prepared your favorite way to celebrate National Potato Day!

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1856 – Gail Borden of Brooklyn, NY patented his process for condensed milk. You’ve heard of Borden’s condensed milk … “The milk from contented cows.” This slogan was used in one of the great American advertising campaigns. The familiar flat- topped cans of Borden’s condensed milk are still available, as are Borden’s ice cream, cheese and other products — all with the seal of approval by Borden’s famous mascot, Elsie, the cow.

♥~ 1993 ~ Speaking of Cows Frank J. Wisner, owner of Cripple Creek Brewing, served the first root beer float in Cripple Creek, CO. Inspired by the moonlit view of snowcapped Cow Mountain, he added a scoop of ice cream to his Myers Avenue Red root beer and began serving it as the “Black Cow Mountain.” Kids loved it and shortened the name to “Black Cow.” Cripple Creek Brewing still sells beverages based on the original formulas.

♥~ 1972 – Chicago V hit #1 on U.S. album charts. It top the album charts for nine weeks with these tracks: A Hit by Varese, All is Well, Now That You’ve Gone, Dialogue (Part I),Dialogue (Part II), While the City Sleeps, Saturday in the Park, State of the Union, Goodbye and Alma Mater.

♥~ 1981 – Charlie’s Angels, starring Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and the voice of John Forsythe as Charlie, was seen for the last time on ABC-TV. The show went into syndication and is still seen on cable TV.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1871 – Orville Wright aviator: one of the Wright Brothers: pioneers in aviation; died Jan 30, 1948

♥~ 1883 – Coco (Gabriel Bonheur) Chanel fashion designer; perfume creator: Chanel #5; died Jan 10, 1971

♥~ 1902 – (Frederic) Ogden Nash poet; Ogden Nash, the undisputed American master of light verse, wrote quite frequently for The New Yorker. One of his most well-known couplets from Reflections on Ice-Breaking reads: “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.” Mr. Nash had fun with just about any subject. Consider this little ditty from his observations at the dinner table: “Celery, raw, develops the jaw. But celery, stewed, is more quietly chewed.” died May 19, 1971

♥~ 1940 – Johnny Nash singer: I Can See Clearly Now, Stir It Up, Hold Me Tight, A Very Special Love

♥~ 1955 – Peter Gallagher actor: Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Short Cuts, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Man Who Knew Too Little, American Beauty

♥~ 1969 – Matthew Perry, Actor “Friends”

★~ Did You Know: 

♥~  Most planes flying internationally have their home country’s flag painted on or around their tails. Generally, the flag is facing the proper way round on the left (port) side of the aircraft and backward on the starboard side. Why? Because that’s how it would look if a real flag were hoisted on a pole above the airplane during the flight.

♥~ Each engine on a Boeing 747 weighs almost 9,500 pounds (4,300 kg), costs about $8 million, and burns about 12 gallons of fuel per minute when cruising.

♥~ American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by removing one olive from each salad served in first class.

♥~ KLM is the world’s oldest airline established in 1919.

♥~ One of the strangest forms of lighting is ball lightning, which can form inside an airplane and appear to be rolling down the aisle while glowing and sparkling. Although it’s startling, it has never harmed anyone.

♥~ The captain and the first officer always eat different meals during a flight, just in case one of them gets sick.

★~ Odd to Know:  Potato Lore:

♥~ Laying a potato peel at the door of a girl on May Day to show her that you disliked her. (not very friendly!)

♥~ If a woman is expecting a baby, she should not eat potatoes because the baby will be born with a big head.

♥~ A potato in your pocket will cure rheumatism and eczema.

♥~ If you have a wart, rub it with a cut potato, then bury  the potato in the ground. As the potato rots in the ground, your ward will disappear.

♥~ Cut a raw potato in half and rub over the sunburned area. It will immediately cool and relieve the pain. Use as often as needed.

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We are off today to entertain Jolie, our house guest. After I have my coffee and brush my teeth, I will figure out where we are off to. Cole mentioned that we have not been to the Art Institute in years. I set him straight and reminded him we LIVE IN CHICAGO, so why in the world do we need to go to the Art Institute? He mumbled something about new exhibits and great works of art. Honestly, isn’t it enough that we visit other cities’ museums when we travel? Sheesh, kids! Next he is going to be asking about “The Horse,” an exhibit at the Field Museum that people have travel far and wide to see…

Well, rest assured that whatever I do or wherever I go, you can count on me to be back here later today so we can muse together. By the way…when was the last time you went to a museum in your city? Odd Loves Company!

♥

Kb