~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
August 17, 2012

★~ Today’s Quote: An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises. ~ Mae West

★~ National Thrift Shop Day:

Thrift are a veritable gold mine of unclaimed wealth. With a little patience, an open mind, and an eye for creativity, you can find all kinds of treasures. And offer you the

opportunity to add that special piece of whimsy to your closet or abode. Like a leisure suit or a picture of Elvis painted on black velvet! Celebrate today by checking out your local Thrift store!

★~  Meaning of “IS” Day: 

It was 1998, and the grand jury was listening to President Bill Clintons testimony regarding his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, Clinton engaged in some semantic fine-tuning by stating:  “It depends on what your meaning of ‘is’ is.  If ‘is’ means ‘is and never has been’ that’s one thing – if it means ‘there is none,’ that was a completely true statement.”  Clinton also parsed the meanings of “alone,” “sexual relations” and “sex.”  . The moral of this story IS if you are cornered in a conversation pull out your IS sword and question the meaning of IS.

Now here is a challenge for you!  Try and define the word “IS.”  It “IS” is the seventh most commonly used word in the English language, yet it is almost impossible to define. Go ahead … give it a try.

★~ Vanilla Custard:

Thanks to this heavenly confection — made from a combination of vanilla, eggs, sugar, and milk or cream — we can fill our éclairs, trifles, and Boston cream pies! This pudding-textured substance dates back to the Middle Ages, when, much like today, custard was used as a filling for pies, tarts and the like, or enjoyed alone, spiced with seasonings from vanilla and beyond. The sweetened combination of eggs and milk can be baked in the oven or cooked on the stove top. The most popular varieties are flan crème caramel and Crème Brûlée. Make your own (just be careful your custard doesn’t curdle), or stop by the bakery and pick out your favorite vanilla custard-filled desert.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1939 – The Wizard of Oz  premiere. The first movie to use the combination of black and white and color film starred Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale; Bert Lahr as both the Cowardly Lion and Zeke; Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow and Hunk; and Jack Haley as both the Tin Woodsman and Hickory. Originally, Buddy Ebsen was in the role of the Tin Man; but he became ill and had to leave the production before its completion.

♥~ 1968 – People Got to Be Free, the hit single by The Rascals, rocketed into the top slot on the Billboard record chart, and stayed there for five weeks

♥~ 1987 – The movie Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey opened throughout the U.S.

♥~ 1996 – An 8-year-old gorilla named Binti cradled an injured boy in her arms and left him for keepers to rescue after the boy fell 20 feet into her enclosure at the Chicago zoo.

♥~ 2001- A 45-year-old family doctor in London took do-it-yourself to a new level by performing a vasectomy on himself.  Dr Jonathan Heatley performed his own surgery with the help of his wife and a nurse. The doctor, who had performed some 400 vasectomies, said everything went well, but advised others not to try it at home.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1786 – Davy Crockett was an American soldier, politician, and folk hero. He was first elected to the state legislature of Tennessee in 1821, and the U.S. House of Representatives in 1827, where he served three nonconsecutive terms in all. He was defeated in 1835 by a peg-legged lawyer named Andrew Huntsman, and gave up politics, saying, “Since you have chosen to elect a man with a timber toe to succeed me, you may all go to hell and I will go to Texas.” He left the next day, and he was killed at the Battle of the Alamo the following year. Although he was a skilled hunter and marksman, and had a reputation for telling tall tales, much of his rustic frontier image was a product of political spin. On his way to Congress, he reportedly bragged to a crowd, “I’m that same David Crockett, fresh from the backwoods, half-horse, half-alligator, a little touched with the snapping turtle; can wade the Mississippi, leap the Ohio, ride upon a streak of lightning, and slip without a scratch down a honey locust [tree].” His legend was cemented by the Davy Crockett Almanack, a series of humorous books published from 1835 to 1856. Writers Almanac 

♥~ 1893 – Mae (Mary Jane) West playwright, actress: Mae West became famous for her quippy innuendoes and double entendres. Some of her more notable quotes include: “A dame that knows the ropes isn’t likely to get tied up.” And, “Between two evils, I like to pick the one I haven’t tried before.” And, “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.”

♥~ 1943 – Robert De Niro actor: Academy Award-winning actor: Raging Bull [1980], The Godfather II [1974]; Brazil, The Deer Hunter, The Untouchables, Taxi Driver, Awakenings, Cape Fear,Frankenstein, Back Draft, Search for Tomorrow, Stardust; director: Bronx Tale

♥~ 1960 – Sean Penn Academy Award-winning actor: Mystic River [2003]; Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Casualties of War, Shanghai Surprise, We’re No Angels, Carlito’s Way, Colors, Dead Man Walking

★~ Did You Know: 

Speaking of little worlds like “IS” a list of Old Time Slang Terms floated across my in-box  this week so I thought you might be able to drop into conversation this weekend. Thank you Mental Floss

In the ketchup: Operating at a deficit

John Hollowlegs: A hungry man [hobo use]

Lobbygow: One who loafs around an opium den in hopes of being offered a free pipe

Happy cabbage: A sizable amount of money to be spent on self-satisfying things

Zib: A nondescript nincompoop

Give someone the wind: To jilt a suitor with great suddenness

The zings: A hangover

Butter and egg man: A wealthy, unsophisticated, small-town businessman who tries to become a playboy, especially when visiting a large city

Cluck and grunt: Eggs and ham

Off the cob: Corny

Dog robber: A baseball umpire

Happies: Arch supporters [shoe salesman use]

High-wine: A mixture of grain alcohol and Coca-Cola [hobo use]

Flub the dub: To evade one’s duty

Donkey’s breakfast: A straw mattress

George Eddy: A customer who does not tip

Wet sock: A limp, flaccid handshake

Gazoozle: To cheat

On a toot: On a drunken spree

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A thrift store is a great place to buy dog blankets, so I often find myself stopping by to look around and upgrade my camper’s bedding so they can snooze on Ralph Lauren, Nautical, Lands’ End and other brand name blankets and comforters. But given a choice…

This chair was just right….

TGIF. Cheers to fabulous Friday!

♥