★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
March 26, 2013

★~ Today’s Quote: Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence. ~ Robert Frost

★~ Make Up Your Own Holiday:

If you could “call a holiday,” what would it celebrate? Brussels sprouts? Cable television? YOU?  How about a “Bring it Out and Use it Now” holiday or a “No Bills” holiday?  I have never seen a day that celebrates ice, and let’s face it, where would the world be without ice? So many choices! What do you think we should celebrate?

★~ National Nougat Day:

The first documentation of nougat goes back to ninth-century Greece, but the confection didn’t gain popularity until it was introduced to France during the seventeenth century. In Spain, nougat is referred to as turrón, and in Italy, it is called torrone. Persians refer to it as gaz, and the Germans call it schmelz-schokolade.

★~ Spinach Day:

Who can guess which State, this statue of Popeye the Sailor man, was erected in?  Spinach is the staple crop of the city.

Spinach originated in ancient Persia, eventually making its way to Italy in 827 and finally gracing European tables in the 1300s. Its appearance in early spring made this a fast favorite when other vegetables were scarce during Lenten diets. Spinach was mentioned in some of the first known English cookbook.

When Catherine de’Medici became the queen of France in 1522, she insisted that spinach be served at every meal because she loved it so. Today when you hear of spinach dishes referred to as “Florentine,” that is because Catherine was born in Florence.

Spinach is available in a variety of types: Savoy, flat leaf and semi-savoy. Savoy is a nice dark green color with curly leaves, sold in fresh bunches. Flat leaf shows up mostly canned, frozen, in soups or baby food. Semi-savoy is a hybrid variety with crinkly leaves and appears fresh and processed.

In 1937, spinach growers in Crystal City, Texas erected a statue of spinach-loving Popeye to celebrate the staple crop of the local economy.

There is an entire board dedicated to Spinach Day recipes on Pinterest. Check it out out!

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1917 – The Seattle Metropolitans, of the Pacific Coast League of Canada, defeated the Montreal Canadiens to become the first U.S. hockey team to win the Stanley Cup.

♥~ 1936 – The first telescope with a 200-inch-diameter, reflecting mirror was shipped — very, very carefully — from Corning, New York to Mt. Palomar Observatory in California. The lens of the Hale telescope weighed 20 tons. It was dedicated at Mt. Palomar in 1948.

♥~ 1937 – Joe DiMaggio said he’d take Ty Cobb’s advice and use a 36 or 37-ounce baseball bat instead of a 40-ounce stick during that season. The result? ‘Joltin’ Joe’ hit .346 during the season with 46 home runs — the most he ever hit in a single year. In the words of Yankee broadcaster Mel Allen, “How about that!”

♥~ 1969 – Marcus Welby, M.D., a TV movie, was seen on ABC. Ratings showed the program to be so popular that it was turned into a long-running series starring Robert Young.

♥~ 1979 – Michigan State and Indiana State met in the all-time highest rated basketball telecast. The NBC coverage earned a 24.1 rating. Indiana State’s unprecedented 33 consecutive-win streak came to an end as the Spartans of Michigan State won 75-64. A pair of future NBA Hall of Famers played against each other that night: Larry Bird, later of the Boston Celtics, scored 19 points while Magic Johnson, even later, of the Los Angeles Lakers, scored 24 points

★~ Born Today:

♥ ~ 1874 – Robert Frost four-time Pulitzer prize-winning poet: Birches, Mending Wall, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening; read The Gift Outright at inauguration of John F. Kennedy; died Jan 29, 1963

♥~ 1880 – Duncan Hines author, traveler, cake-mix mogul; died Mar 15, 1959

♥~ 1904 – Joseph Campbell, author:   Is most noted for his monumental study of mythology. Campbell’s book the ‘Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) traces the common theme of the spiritual quest in myth(1949). Writers found it a treasure trove for their own work, from the poet Robert Bly to the filmmaker George Lucas, who said that without it, he would never have been able to write Star Wars

♥~ 1911- Tennessee (Thomas Lanier) Williams Pulitzer prize-winning playwright: A Streetcar Named Desire [1948], Cat on a Hot Tin Roof [1955]; The Glass Menagerie, Night of the Iguana,Summer and Smoke, The Rose Tattoo, Camino Real, Sweet Bird of Youth, Small Craft Warnings; died Feb 25, 1983

♥~ 1940 – James Caan actor: The Godfather, Rabbit Run, Brian’s Song, Dick Tracy, Rollerball, Alien Nation, For the Boys, Misery, Las Vegas

♥~ 1942 – Erica Jong (Mann) writer: Fear of Flying, Becoming Light, How to Save Your

♥~ 1943 – Bob Woodward investigative reporter: Washington Post: Watergate [w/reporter Carl Bernstein]; author: All the President’s Men [w/Carl Bernstein]

♥~ 1968 – Kenny Chesney singer: Fall in Love, Me and You, She’s Got It All, That’s Why I’m Here, How Forever Feels, You Had Me From Hello, Don’t Happen Twice

★~ Did You Know: Fun words we seldom use

♥~ Groak (unknown):   To silently watch someone while they are eating, hoping to be invited to join them.

♥~ Great Horn Spoon (seafaring slang):   Something you can swear by, used in a way similar to “by God!”

♥~ Crapulous: (1530s)  To feel ill because of excessive eating/drinking.

♥~ Bejabbers:  A substitute for “by Jesus” An Irish import, along the lines of “faith and begorrah!” Especially good for toe-stubbing.

♥~ Grumpish: (1720s)  Sullen. An alternative to grumpy.

♥~ Jargogle: (1690s) To confuse, bamboozle.

♥~ Twattle:  (1600s) To gossip, or talk idly.

♥~ Elflock: (1590s) Tangled hair as if matted by elves.

♥~ Gorgonize: (17th century) To have a paralyzing or mesmerizing effect on someone.

♥~ Monsterful: (1810’s)  Wonderful and extraordinary

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Can you use one of our new words in a sentence? Me First! I hope you all have a Monsterful day!

Odd Loves Company!

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