~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
March 16, 2012

★~ Today’s Quote:  Being right is highly overrated. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. ~ Unknown

★~ Lips Appreciation Day:

They come in all sizes and shapes and make a lovely frame for our pearly whites.

Treat your lips to some lip balm and a juicy kiss. If you are feeling especially bold, visit the Violent Lips Collection and view this statement-making line of lip patterns that range from bold animal prints and fun polka dots to sexy fishnets and picture-perfect glitterati sparkle. Unfortunately, I forgot to order mine in time for Lip Day this year, but next year—watch out!!

★~ Everything You Do Is Right Today:

 

I would share this holiday with your partner, family, friends, and employer right away. I would change the word ‘You” to “I” and encourage them to help you celebrate!

★~ Curlew Day:

Not “Curfew Day,” which is how I read it the first time, but Curlew Day. The long-billed curlew is the largest North American shorebird. The Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon is expecting the curlews to arrive around March 16 to begin their spectacular courtship flight. The refuge is “an important migration and wintering area for waterfowl and other birds in the Columbia River Basin, with up to 150,000 ducks and 30,000 Canada geese resting and feeding on its marshes and ponds in the fall, winter, and spring.”

★~ Artichoke Day:

It’s so good to know that I adore the food prized by the ancient Romans as food of the nobility! My favorite way to eat artichokes is boiled with lots of butter and salt for dipping their tender leaves in. I like to get to the heart of the artichoke, slowly savoring each leaf along the way.

Artichokes are on our menu tonight!

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1850 – The novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published. Other novels by Mr. Hawthorne included The House of Seven Gables, The Marble Faun, Twice-Told Tales, Tanglewood Tales and The Wonder Book.

♥~ 1926 – Robert H. Goddard* tested his first liquid-fuel rocket. The rocket traveled for 2 1/2 seconds and covered 184 feet at a speed of 60 mph. It attained a maximum height of 41 feet. (*The Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD is name for him.)

♥~ 1955 – The Ballad of Davy Crockett, by Bill Hayes, reached the number one spot on the pop music charts and stayed for five weeks. The smash hit song sold more than 7,000,000 records on more than 20 different labels. Everyone seemed to be singing the song that saluted the frontier hero who was “Born on a mountain top in Tennessee…” Coonskin caps were seen everywhere as the Crockett craze spread like a frontier fire.

♥~ 1957 – Gumby show premiered. This kids’ show was a spin-off from “Howdy Doody,” where the character of Gumby was first introduced in 1956. Gumby and his horse, Pokey, were clay figures whose adventures were filmed using the process of “claymation.” “The Gumby Show,” created by Art Clokey, was first hosted by Bobby Nicholson and later by Pinky Lee

♥~ 1963 – Peter, Paul and Mary released the single, Puff The Magic Dragon. Through the years, controversy continually surrounded the song. It was banned by several radio stations whose management figured that the song was about the illicit joys of smoking marijuana. The group denied this startling assumption. “It’s about a magic dragon named Puff,” they said. So there.

♥~ 1998 – Sweepstakes company American Family Publishers reached an agreement with 32 states to change the way it promotes its contests. It agreed to reserve use of the term ‘winner’ for contestants who have actually won

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1822 – Rosa Bonheur French painter and sculptor: Rosa Bonheur was the first woman awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion d’Honeur, She is  best known for her realistic depictions of animals.

♥~ 1926 – Jerry Lewis (Joseph Levitch) comedian, actor

♥~ 1932 – Betty Johnson singer: I Dreamed, Little White Lies, The Little Blue Man, Dream

♥~ 1949 – Erik Estrada actor: C.H.I.P.S., Twisted Justice, Night of the Wilding, Caged Fury, The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission

♥~ 1967 – 1967 – Lauren Graham actress: Caroline in the City, Good Company, Townies, Gilmore Girls, Chasing Destiny

♥~ 1969 – Judah Friedlander actor: 30 Rock

★~ Did You Know:

♥~ The artichoke is a perennial thistle that originated in the Mediterranean.

♥~ The plant originated in the Mediterranean region and is part of the sunflower family.

♥~ Artichokes are one of the oldest foods known to man. The first mention of artichokes in literature was around 40-70 AD in The Greek Herbal of Dioscorides, a book on the medicinal uses of plants.

♥~ According to Greek mythology, Zeus turned his mistress Cynara into the first artichoke plant when he caught her sneaking away from Olympia.

♥~ Although we usually refer to it as a vegetable, the produce we eat is actually the flower bud of the artichoke plant. If you let the flower blossom, it turns a beautiful violet-blue color

♥~ Almost every artichoke produced in the United States comes from California.

♥~ The town of Castroville, California crowned its first “Artichoke Queen” in 1947? The winner was a young actress named Norma Jean Mortenson who later changed her name to Marilyn Monroe!

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TGIF! Odd Loves Company! So leave a comment if you have a morno moment. If you would like to read my rant about the weatherand are dying to know how I made it home from yesterdays adventure—Click Here.