Michaelmas, Coffee Day

~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
September 29, 2013

Purple Asters

★~ Today’s Quote:

Faith be my shield and let Joy be my steed,
‘Gainst the dragons of anger, the ogres of greed.
And let me set free with the sword of my youth,
From the castles of darkness, the power of truth!

★~ Michaelmas:

St. Michael

Michaelmas, the annual festival to face challenges of  courage and work, is celebrated at the end of September.

St. Michael, is known as the protector of humanity, who inspires qualities of courage, initiative, and steadfastness. As we move away from the expansiveness of summer, the weather turns cooler, the days grow shorter, and we stop and honor St Michael, allowing his strength to help strengthen our will and move us into a more reflective and meditative state as we approach winter.

The Celts celebrated Michaelmas as a way to mark the autumnal equinox — the end of harvest time and the turning of the weather and seasons. In the Christian tradition, St. Michael fights and slays a dragon. Simply put, the dragon is a metaphor for the devil and the temptation to sin.

St Michael’s Day traditions include giving visitors bunches of carrots tied with pieces of red string. Carrots were considered lucky, especially if the carrots had forked roots. A well-fattened goose fed on the stubble from the fields after the harvest is eaten to guarantee the diner good fortune in the coming year and that he or she would be at least $1,000 richer by the end of 12 months. Another tradition is predicting the weather for the coming winter by the color of the breast meat of the Michaelmas goose. Also a posy of Michaelmas daisies or purple asters was used to decorate the dinner table.

On Michaelmas, we are invited to consider the resolve we require as we head into winter, the areas that we need to strengthen in ourselves, the fears that we need to face, and the initiatives that will we take.

★~ National Coffee Day:

dragon-latte-dragon

The El Morn-o-ers are very picky about their coffee. They don’t like flavored coffee, they do like flavored coffee, they want cream not milk, they want cream but not half-half, they want half-half but not cream. Some believe Starbucks is the best coffee, other prefer Pete’s or Intelligentsia Coffee.

However today all coffee fiends can join hands,  rejoice and celebrate their beloved coffee bean with free brew from many national chains.

★~ Today in History:

pope-john-paul-time

♥~ 1916 – John D. Rockefeller’s wealth made him the first American billionaire.

♥~ 1957  – Today was the last day of the regular baseball season in 1957, and two franchises played — and lost — their last games as New York teams before moving to California.  The Giants, headed to San Francisco, lost their last home game at the Polo Grounds to Pittsburgh, and the Brooklyn Dodgers were beaten in Philadelphia in their final game before moving to Los Angeles.

♥~ 1960 –  My Three Sons was welcomed into U.S. homes on ABC-TV. Fred MacMurray, who was a movie actor, had a difficult time making the adjustment to the small screen. But adjust he did, and My Three Sons endured so well that CBS bought the successful hit for somewhere between seven and ten million dollars in 1965.

♥~ 1963 – The sitcom My Favorite Martian premiered on CBS-TV. It starred Bill Bixby as Tim O’Hara and Ray Walston as the Martian, Martin O’Hara. The show ran through Sep 4, 1966

♥~ 1978 – Pope John Paul, formerly Cardinal Albino Luciani, died , only 34 days after being elected.  John Paul was immensely popular during his short reign as pope, prompting his successor, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, to choose the name John Paul II.

♥~ 1987 – Thirty Something the debut of the popular baby boomer TV series  It starred Ken Olin, Mel Harris, Timothy Busfield, Patricia Wettig, and Melanie Mayron.

★~ Born Today:

bumphillips

♥~ 1547- Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, written four centuries ago and now considered to be the first modern novel.

♥~ 1907 – (Orvon) Gene Autry ‘The Singing Cowboy’: actor: 100+ cowboy westerns; singer: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine, The Death of Mother Jones, You are My Sunshine, Mexicali Rose, Back in the Saddle Again; owner: California Angels, Golden West Broadcasting; CMA Hall of Famer; only person to have 5 Hollywood Walk of Fame stars [film, radio, TV, stage, records]

♥~ 1923 – Stanley Berenstain and his wife, Jan, created the Berenstain Bears, a series that now has more than 200 books. They wrote the first, called The Big Honey Hunt, in 1962.

♥~ 1923 – Bum Phillips football coachHouston Oilers

♥~ 1935 – Jerry Lee Lewis Rock and Roll Hall of Famer [1986]:singer: Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On, Great Balls of Fire, Breathless; cousin of singer Mickey Gilley, and evangelist Jimmy Swaggart

★~ Good to Know:

My Coffee mug

♥~ After coffee beans are decaffeinated, coffee manufacturers sell the caffeine to soft drink makers and pharmaceutical companies

♥~ The average U.S. worker spends $1,092 on coffee each year.

♥~ Starbucks is named for Captain Ahab’s first mate. The founders had considered naming it Pequod’s, after Ahab’s ship.

♥~ Chock Full O’Nuts coffee does not contain nuts. It’s named for a chain of nut stores the founder converted into coffee shops.

♥~ According to legend, Honore de Balzac drank 50 cups of coffee a day to fuel his writing.

♥~ In 1932, Brazil couldn’t afford to send its athletes to the Olympics in Los Angeles. So they loaded their ship with coffee and sold it along the way.

♥~ In 1674, the “Women’s Petition Against Coffee” said it was turning British men into “useless corpses” and proposed a ban for those under 60.

♥~ Coffee was banned in Mecca in 1511. It was believed to stimulate radical thinking and hanging out.

♥~ The first webcam watched a coffee pot. It allowed researchers at Cambridge to monitor the coffee situation without leaving their desks.

♥~ In 2008, Annamarie Ausnes received a life-saving kidney from an unlikely source: her Starbucks barista Sandie Andersen.

♥~ Click for Coffee Deals offered on  National Coffee Day

#

I’m not sure yet what our day will behold. We might go for a late breakfast and slay some pancakes or waffles. It looks like it will be a rainy, inside day. Tonight, the kids are gathering at our house for the end of television show Breaking Bad. I haven’t watched a single episode of the show, but Cole tells me about it each week and listening to the kids discuss the moral chemistry of the show is fascinating. Funny, I’ve caught the hype of a show I’ve never watched; now that is good television. Will you be watching the finale of Breaking Bad?

Sticking with the Michaelmas theme: Rat Slayer, City of Chicago 

Wishing you a most Happy Michaelmas!

♥~

12 thoughts on “Michaelmas, Coffee Day

  1. Thanks for the heads up on Coffee Day! As I type this I am sipping a cup of Kona blend from the Keurig (well actually the Cuisinart) at son number two’s house. Flavored with a bit of sweetner and some french vanilla creamer. Just right for a brisk North Carolina morning. AHhhhhhh.
    I am watching Breaking Bad but have only worked my way through season one. I had tried to watch it before and just could not get into it. I won’t watch tonight’s show—i don’t want to ruin it. I like to binge tv watch on shows and it would ruin it for me if I watched tonight. I have a lot to watch so I am going to have to get busy!!!
    Happy Michaelmas day to you, my friend.

    • Sounds like you started the morning right! Breaking Bad straight through? Whoa. You are made of stern stuff. Cole has to do the play by play for me along with color. Much to intense for me.
      Hope your Michaelmas was lovely and you are having a wonderful visit with #2 Son.

  2. Morno,
    Could not start the day without a couple cups of coffee. I drink Chock full o’ nuts the same coffee I’ve been drinking since I stoped drinking Folgers years ago. We have a fancy brand at the office and I signed off on some fancy coffee maker a couple years ago to keep everyone happy, but I have Mr Coffee in my office.
    I will be watching Breaking Bad. Wish my son was home to watch it with, we watched the whole first season together and episodes from each season thereafter. In my opinion the show is, well written, well acted, and intense. Easy to understand why everyone can’t watch it.
    Have a good one. Stay away from dragon breath.

    • I’ve had Chock Full O’Nuts, but I am a pretend coffee drinker. I like flavored coffee with lots of stuff in it.
      The kids are upstairs watching Breaking Bad. I’ve been told nothing will be the same when it is over.
      No report on dinner at your sisters?

  3. Beautiful day to celebrate Michaelmas. I love the story and will try to pick up some purple asters or daisy’s on the way home from church.
    I’ve had my first cuppa and will enjoy a second after church with cookies.
    I’ve never seen Breaking Bad, but have a lot of friends who rave about the drama and acting. I don’t have that cable channel or I probably would have checked it out.
    Happy Michaelmas.

    • Did you find your flowers? I think most of Breaking Bad is on netflicks now or you can torrent it. I think a lot of people want to watch it again from start to finish.
      Hope you had a wonderful Michaelmas.

  4. happy michaelmas! a good time to reflect on life.
    my name is irene. i have never been a coffee drinker.
    i’ve only recently heard about breaking bad! just get bits & pieces from passionate people discussing the show.
    i was a thirtysomething devotee though. does that count?!
    it’s been a rainy weekend! high percentage into the week. we are still 10″ deficient.
    good day!

    • Hi Irene. We accept without judgment that you are not a coffee drinker.
      The show sounds much to intense for me, but I do love it when Cole tells me about each week. It really challenges the teens to think…
      I loved thirtysomething. What a great night of television!
      Enjoy your rain!

  5. Never have watched Breaking Bad..must be good though..I will be watching Boardwalk Empire and Revenge and Homeland while I sip some decaf. Sunday night is the best night for tv.

    • I loved Network News, but it ended last week. Cole just told me before he went upstairs to watching Breaking Bad with his friends that when they came back downstairs…they would be different, the world would be different. I can’t wait! 😎

  6. I use to drink coffee all day long when the kids were little….needed the caffeine to keep up with the little ones. Now…just one cup in the a.m with breakfast. I love my Mr. Coffee machine that will keep my coffee hot while I am out doing my daily walking. Never heard of that show you are talking about. Will be watching Revenge tonight though. I missed Dr Pol last night on NGO. Don’t know what happened to him. Been watching him every Sat. night for the past 3 wks. You need to watch that KB…about a Veternarian that lives in Michigan and his son. He (the vet) is from the Netherlands and is so good with the animals.

    • Hi Carol!
      I was missing you! I will have to check into Dr. Pol. Thanks for the suggestion. Lots of people seem to be going back to Mr Coffee…after a stint with a fancier machine. It’s simple and it does a good job. I usually enjoy a cup of coffee late afternoon. A pick me up before Cole comes home.

Comments are closed.