~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
October 20, 2011

★~ Today’s Quote:  With those who don’t give a damn about baseball, I can only sympathize.  I do not resent them.  I am even willing to concede that many of them are physically clean, good to their mothers and in favor of world peace.  But while the game is on, I can’t think of anything to say to them.  ~Art Hill

★~Brandied Fruit Day: 

What is brandied fruit? Fruit, sugar, and brandy. The word “brandy” originally comes from the Dutch word “brandewijn,” which means burnt wine. Dutch traders introduced brandy to Northern Europe, as well as France and Spain, during the 16th century, and the name stuck.

I have no idea why this holiday falls in October, since it is usually made with fresh fruit (cherries, peaches, fresh berries), but you should be able to hunt and gather fruit at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. After you gather your fruit, the rest of the process involves little more than clean, chopped fruit sitting in a sugared brandy bath with alcoholic sweetness permeating the entire syrupy concoction for several weeks – or, better yet, for several months. In fact, I have a jar of Brandied Cherries that Joe’s dad brewed, dated “1982.”

Since Brandied Fruit needs to “age,” why not make it today to enjoy in a few weeks or months over ice cream, pound cake, or sponge cake? When the winter dreariness hits, Brandied Fruit just might help you see the light of spring.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1910 – A baseball with a cork center was used in a World Series game for the first time. The new baseball was secretly put into play in the seriesand proved to be much livelier. Speaking of the 1910 World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics (managed by Connie Mack) and the Chicago Cubs (managed by Frank Chance) played for the championship. (Philadelphia won the series 4 games to 1.)

♥~ 1955 – “Day-O. Day-ay-ay-ay-o!” One of the most popular of the Harry Belafonte hits was recorded — for RCA Victor. Day-O didn’t make it to the pop charts for over a year (January 1957),

♥~ 1962 – With Halloween just around the corner, we remember that Bobby “Boris” Picket and the Crypt Kickers reached the top of the charts this day (for two weeks) with The Monster Mash. And someone, somewhere, has resurrected it every Halloween since.

♥~ 2002 – 22-year-old Yao Ming, 7-foot-5-inch basketball player from China, arrived in Texas to join the Houston Rockets.

♥~ 2003 – A 40-year-old man survived a 150-foot plunge over the fast-flowing Canadian side Niagara Falls — without a safety device. Kirk Joneswas charged with mischief and “unlawfully performing a stunt.” Jones said he was driven by depression, not a desire to become a daredevil. In other words he failed at killing himself.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1882 – Bela Lugosi (Blasko) actor: Dracula, One Body Too Many, The Ghost of Frankenstein, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Night Monster, Chandu the Magician, The Ape Man, The Body Snatcher; died Aug 16, 1956

♥~ 1932 – William Christopher actor: Father Mulcahy M*A*S*H, Aftermash, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., With Six You Get Eggroll

★~ Did You Know: 

♥~ Since its formation more than 12,000 years ago at the end of the last glacial period, Niagara Falls has been a destination for world explorers, honeymooners and daredevils alike.

♥~ Niagara Falls is comprised of three waterfalls: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls.

♥~ The first person to go over the Falls in a barrel was 63-year-old school teacher Annie Edson Taylor.

♥~ The Cave of the Winds attraction at the Falls is torn down and re-built every year.

♥~ Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest State Park in the United States.

♥~ Despite myths to the contrary, Niagara Falls does not freeze in the winter. However, the flow of water was reduced to a mere trickle for a few hours on March 29, 1848 because of an ice jam upstream in the Niagara River.

♥~ During periods of peak flow in the summer and fall, more than 700,000 gallons of water per second pour over Niagara Falls.

♥~ 20 percent of fresh drinking water in the United States goes over the Falls.

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Well, what do you think? Should Cole and I break open the jar of brandied cherries that my father-in-law brewed up back in 1982, or should they be preserved for all time?

The roofer could not roof because of rain and wind. Mr. You’re-Gonna-Love-Me job just became easier, our patio is covered in shingles. I will admit that I have the desire to leave the roof as is and see how long we can go without a leak. We have never had a leak. On the other hand, I imagine that finding a roofer when there is a foot of snow on the ground and the roof is snow capped would be even more of a challenge than it is right now. So, I shall preserve and we shall overcome. Praise to the roofing gods! Let us all pray that our shingles shimmer soon.

What is new with you? Leave a comment if you have a morno moment! Odd Loves Company.

♥
Kb

I have been humming this song a lot…