~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
December 3rd

★~ Today’s Quote: There are some days when I think I’m going to die from an overdose of satisfaction.  ~Salvador Dali

★~ National Roof Over Your Head Day:

Many moons ago, my mom and I were traveling with my dad somewhere in Wisconsin when we drove by the local soup kitchen and noticed a CLOSED sign hanging in the window. We agreed it must be very sad for a hungry person to show up and find out the soup kitchen had closed for the day. My dad added to the conversation by saying he knew just how that hungry person felt: He was on business in a small town once and showed up at the local shoeshine place before a big meeting and it was closed.

To this day this story makes me laugh, but I had my comeuppance when we put a new roof on our house. One morning on the drive to school with Cole, I was going on about how the roofer had destroyed some landscaping in the front yard—one of many of my new roof complaints. We drove past a man holding a sign that read, “Homeless. Please help.” Cole looked at me and quipped, “Well, at least he doesn’t have to worry about roof repairs.” Don’t you just hate kids! I turned my car around and handed the guy $5.00.

Today, just be happy you have a roof over your head…and see if you can bring a little joy to someone who isn’t as lucky.

★~  Apple Pie Day:

Emily’s teen is still reminding her mom that she did not make apple pie last Christmas. I understand completely, since my mother did not make us fudge last Christmas. Today we shall eat apple pie! And I hope at Christmas this year I will be eating some of my mother’s fudge. Wait—this isn’t about me is it? Well, kinda…indirectly. IT’S MY BLOG.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1967 – The world’s first successful heart transplant was performed. Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the operation at Cape Town, South Africa.

♥~ 1977 – After 29 weeks in the #1 position on the album charts, Rumours, by Fleetwood Mac, was replaced at the top spot by the album Simple Dreams, sung by Linda Ronstadt.

♥~ 1978 – Mommie Dearest hit the best-seller list. The ‘poison-penned’ book, by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of movie-star Joan Crawford, stayed on the list for 42 weeks.

♥~ 1998 – A London woman  abducted by a phony cab driver sprayed an aerosol at his face when he lit a cigarette and set his hair on fire. While the kidnapper dealt with his bad hair day, the victim escaped.

♥~ 1999 – After rowing 2,962 miles in 81 days, Tori Murden of the United States eased her 23-foot boat, American Pearl, to the dock at Fort-du-Bas on the French Carribean island of Guadeloupe. She had just rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. Astonishingly, Murden appeared relaxed, even radiant, as she stood up to toss out a rope. “Next time, the Concorde,” she quipped, as she bounded out of the boat.

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1818 –  The state of Illinois  was admitted to the Union and became the 21st  United State. Today Illinois is the “most average state” in America according to the Associated Press, which analyzed data from the U.S. census, looking at things like income and age and race, as well as education, immigration, rural population percentages and more than a dozen other factors. The Associated Press concluded that Illinois mirrored the makeup of the country as a whole better than any other state. Second was Oregon, and then Michigan, and Washington, and Delaware. The “least average state” in the Union: West Virginia. Illinois’ official slogan is the “Land of Lincoln.” Springfield is the capital of Illinois.  The Illinois state flower is a violet, and the state bird is the brightly colored cardinal.

♥~ 1927 – Andy Williams Emmy Award-winning entertainer: The Andy Williams Show [1962-63]; singer: Can’t Get Used to Losing You, [Where Do I Begin] Love Story,Days of Wine and Roses, Canadian Sunset, Moon River, Born Free, Butterfly, I Like Your Kind of Love [w/Peggy Powers], Are You Sincere,Lonely Street, In the Village of St. Bernadette

♥~ 1948 – Ozzy (John) Osbourne songwriter, singer: groups: Rare Breed, Black Sabbath: Paranoid; solo: Blizzard of Oz; dead bat-head biter

♥~ 1960 – Daryl Hannah actress: The Fury, Splash, Steel Magnolias, Blade Runner, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Roxanne, Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, Grumpier Old Men, Diplomatic Siege, Dancing at the Blue Iguana

♥~ 1960 – Julianne Moore actress: As the World Turns, The Fugitive, Jurassic Park, The Forgotten, Laws of Attraction, The Hours, Far from Heaven, The Shipping News,Evolution, Hannibal

★~ Did You Know: 

♥~  The name “Illinois” comes from a Native American word meaning “tribe of superior men.”

♥~ Metropolis, the home of Superman, really exists in southern Illinois.

♥~ On December 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi and a small band of scientists and engineers demonstrated that a simple construction of graphite bricks and uranium lumps could produce controlled heat. The space chosen for the first nuclear fission reactor was a squash court under the football stadium at the University of Chicago.

♥~ The Illinois state dance is square dancing.

♥~ In 1905, the president of the Chicago Cubs filed charges against a fan in the bleachers for catching a fly ball and keeping it.

♥~ In Mount Pulaski, it is illegal for boys (and only boys) to hurl snowballs at trees.

♥~ Illinois was the home of President Ulysses S. Grant, whose home is preserved in Galena.

♥~ The tallest man in the world was born in Alton in 1918.  He weighed 491 pounds and stood 8 feet, 11 inches tall and wore a size 37 shoe.

♥~ The Home Insurance Building was built in 1885 in Chicago, becoming the world’s first modern skyscraper.

♥~ In Illinois Michael is the top name chosen for boys. Emily is the most chosen name for girls.

♥~ Illinois boasts the highest number of personalized license plates, more than any other state.

♥~ The world’s largest cookie and cracker factory, where Nabisco made 16 billion Oreo cookies in 1995, is located in Chicago.

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When I did my Google search for apple pie, a quote from Colin Powell popped up: “Occupy Wall Street protests are as American as apple pie, and political leaders need to do more than just ‘scream’ at the demonstrators. They need to listen.”  I followed the link and read the post. I think the good and wise general makes a lot of sense without a lot of drama. While we may agree or not agree, listening is never a bad idea…is it?

Wishing you a Super Saturday. If you have a morno moment leave a comment. Odd Loves Company.