~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
Jan 28,2012

Thank you Mary Lee for the beautiful Charlotte sunrise pictures!

Post Updated: January 28, 2013

★~ Today’s Quote: The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves. W C Fields quotes

★~  Kazoo Day:

My sweet mother plays the Kazoo. Really! She used to keep a silver Kazoo in her purse for when the urge would hit her to Kazoo out a few happy tunes. She has the gift.

When she traveled with my dad on business trips, those that knew of her legendary Kazoo talent would beg her to entertain them. Never one to disappoint, she would graciously pull her Kazoo out of her purse and play a hand-clapping rendition of Yankee Doodle Dandy, or maybe it was This Old Man. It’s hard to remember, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Found a Peanut or 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. I wonder whatever happened to that Kazoo… Do share, Mother…

Alabama Vest and Thaddeus Von Clegg invented the kazoo in the 1840s. They presented the new instrument at the 1852 Georgia State Fair, and it soon became a staple in the popular music of the era. The kazoo, the banjo, and the glass harmonica are the only instruments invented in America.

★~ Blueberry Pancake Day:

Isn’t it perfect that Blueberry Pancake Day falls on Saturday? Whip up a delicious batch of Blueberry pancakes, top them with a little maple syrup, and celebrate Blueberry Pancake Day! YUM!

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1887 – 125 Anniversary of the largest recorded snowflake — a stone-cold behemoth said to be 15 inches in diameter. The freakishly massive flake reportedly drifted — or perhaps plummeted — to earth at Montana’s Fort Keogh in 1887.(The snowflakes in that Jan. 28 storm, according to a New York Times piece a few years back, were described by a rancher as “larger than milk pans.”)  For a little snowflake fun type “Let it snow” in your google search bar, and flakes will drifted downward until your screen frosted over.

♥~ 1934 – Robert Royce’s famous invention was used for the first time in Woodstock, Vermont. Previously, snow skiers had no way to get to the top of the mountain conveniently. Remember the ski tow rope the next time you schuss the slopes and have to make it back to the top.

♥~ 1978 – “De plane, de plane.” The weekly, hour-long Aaron Spelling production of Fantasy Island began on ABC-TV.

♥~ 1995 – TLC’s Creep hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The smash held down the top spot for four weeks : “So I creep yeah; Just keep it on the down low; Said nobody is supposed 2 know; So I creep yeah; ’Cause he doesn’t know; What I do and no attention; Goes to show oh so I creep.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1855 – William Burroughs inventor of adding machines and practical calculators; died Sep 14, 1898

♥~1887 – Artur Rubinstein American pianist: played solo for the Berlin Symphony at the age of 12; died Dec 20, 1982

♥~ 1912 – Jackson Pollock abstract expressionist artist: Male and Female, The She-Wolf, The Tea Cup, Painting, Easter and the Totem, Ocean Greyness, Full Fathom Five; killed in car crash Aug 11, 1956

♥~ 1936 – Alan Alda (Alphonso D’Abruzzo) Emmy Award-winning actor: M*A*S*H [1974, 1977, 1979, 1982], The West Wing [2006]; Paper Lion, The Four Seasons, Same Time Next Year,California Suite

★~ Did You Know:

♥~ The word ‘Saturday’ was derived from: Old English ‘saeter(nes)daeg’ – Saturn’s day . Latin word ‘dies Saturni’ – day of Saturn – Ancient Greek ‘hemera Khronu’ – day of Cronus

♥~ Saturday is the preferred day to hunt vampires,  because on Saturday they are restricted to their coffins

♥~ As Saturn is purple or black in color the ancient system of health care called Ayurveda which centers on holistic health recommends wearing purple or black and being around purple flowers on this day of the week.

♥~ In olden times baking was usually done on Saturday

♥~ Lock up! Saturday is the most popular day for car thieves.

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This week, stalking paid off.

When Camp-Run-a-Pup became a tail-wagging, barking business, I quickly realized that we needed some sort of clean ground cover for our yard. Perhaps it was the muddy footprints that were a permanent runner across our white carpet. Yes, white carpet. Beautiful, expensive white carpet (another blog post for another day). I researched the problem and then, as luck would have it, a client tipped me off that the city of Chicago would deliver a truckload of wood chips to my door for free.

Twice a year, the city delivered wood chips and our wood chip fix worked great for a very long time. And then, you know how you find the perfect lipstick or nail color and you love it for years but one day you go to buy it, and POOF, it has been discontinued? Well, that is what happened to the city wood chip program. I called the city for wood chips and was told, “No chips lady.” For the next few years, we managed with rock, borders, and a drainage system we had put in. But, the wood chips were still the cleanest and best solution of all. I missed my wood chips. It was a sad time in the history of Camp-Run-a-Pup.

This week, while I was on my way home from taking Cole to school, I was at a long light behind a large tree service truck filled to the brim with glorious wood chips. As I sat there drooling, I remembered someone telling me once that tree service companies had to pay to dump the chips. The light changed, and I thought, EUREKA! I followed the truck, trying to get the driver’s attention for a few miles before we hit another long light. I leapt from my car, raced over, knocked on the truck window, and requested a business card. I immediately called the number on the card and arranged for a truckload of wood chips to be delivered the next day. They could dump the chips in my yard for FREE.

Now, pictures are worth a 1000 words—

This month my car had major issues, and my Mac turned on me. This week, we healed a plumbing leak, and on the same day, the furnace went south on me. Last night, after I shared a laugh about the furnace on Facebook, a friend wondered why I wasn’t cussing and stomping. I told her I was, but then I looked out my window at those lovely wood chips and thought, Crap may happen…but at least I have wood chips.

So what are you up too on this fine Saturday?  Do Share…Odd Loves Company

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