★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥
January 21, 2014

★~  Today’s Quote: A hug is a great gift – one size fits all, and it’s easy to exchange.  ~Author Unknown

★~ Hug Day:

A Hug is a wonderful tonic. It makes you feel energized and gives you an emotional boost. In fact, the medical evidence is that a hug helps your body produce more Oxytocin, which is the ‘feel good’ hormone. Research has found that one 20-second hug a day makes a big difference between how happy and relaxed we are. On the other hand a lot of genuine 3 second hug (the average length of a hug) might work just as well. Of-course not everyone appreciates a casual hug, on the other hand saying, “Would you like a hug?” Seems really stupid. So I would just suggest timing your hugs appropriately.

★~ Squirrel Appreciation Day:

Let’s face it—appreciating a squirrel is hard work. Maybe not as hard as appreciating a pigeon, but still it isn’t easy. Just do your best and throw the squirrels some bread, or nuts.

★~ New England Clam Chowder Day:

New Englanders use the Native American term quahog. The name quahog derives from the Narragansett Indian name for “poquauhock.” The scientific name, mercenaria, of these clams comes from Latin meaning “wages.” because Native Americans strung the shells like beads and used them as money or “wampum.” Quahogs replace fish in the fish-milk stews of coastal England and France to become New England chowder. Prounounced “chowdah” by people situated north of Connecticut.

In Maine, those living on one side of Penobscot Bay like their clam chowder made with tomatoes, while those living on the other side like it made with milk and no tomatoes. Maine residents often call their region “Down East” and their chowder “Down East Chowder.” The definition of of “Down East” is:

When ships sailed from Boston to ports in Maine (which were to the east of Boston), the wind was at their backs, so they were sailing downwind, hence the term “Down East.” And it follows that when they returned to Boston they were sailing upwind; many Mainers still speak of going “up to Boston,” despite the fact that the city lies approximately fifty miles to the south of Maine’s southern border.

By 1836, clam chowder was already well-know in Boston and served at Ye Olde Union Oyster House, the nation’s oldest continuously operating restaurant. The building that houses the Union Oyster House is about 250 years old. Daniel Webster, the noted lawyer and orator who served as a Congressman and as Secretary of State, was a regular at the bar, where he was known for downing a tumbler of brandy and water with each half-dozen oysters–and he’d rarely eat less than six plates of the tasty bivalves!

★~ Today in History: 

[youtube]http://youtu.be/sZYjc57V55U[/youtube]

♥~ 1925 – Nome, Alaska alerted the world by radio to a diphtheria epidemic that threatened to wipe out its entire population. The famous Iditarod race is run each year to commemorate the emergency delivery of diphtheria antitoxin that saved the people of Nome.

♥~ 1959 – The Kingston Trio (Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds and Dave Guard) received a gold record for Tom Dooley

♥~ 1993 – Workers from two bakeries and WKLL Radio set a world record in Utica, New York, by baking history’s largest jelly doughnut: 3,739 pounds, 16 feet in diameter.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1922 – Telly (Aristotle) Savalas Emmy Award-winning actor: Kojak [1973-’74]; The Dirty Dozen, Birdman of Alcatraz, Battle of the Bulge, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Kelly’s Heroes; died Jan 22, 1994

♥~ 1942 – Mac (Scott) Davis singer: Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me; Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife; actor: North Dallas Forty; host: The Mac Davis Show; songwriter: In the Ghetto, Memories; ACM Entertainer of the Year [1975]

♥~ 1947 – Jill Eikenberry actress: L.A. Law, Arthur, The Manhattan Project

♥~ 1956 – Geena Davis Academy Award-winning supporting actress: The Accidental Tourist [1988]; Beetlejuice, Fletch, The Fly, Tootsie, Thelma and Louise, Buffalo Bill,The Long Kiss Goodnight, Commander in Chief

★~ Good to Know: 

♥~ Squirrels belong to the order Rodentia. There are 365 species.

♥~ They mate twice a year.

♥~ Their nests are called dreys.

♥~ Their sweat glands are on their feet.

♥~ They can run up to 20 miles an hour.

♥~ Their teeth never stop growing. Gnawing keeps squirrels’ teeth from growing into their necks.

♥~When frightened, they dart back and forth to confuse predators. This doesn’t work with cars, however, so most city squirrels don’t live longer than a year.

♥~ Although considered granivores (animals that eat grains and nuts), they will eat almost anything.

♥~ Gray squirrels bury their acorns all over the place (“scatter hoarding”), then forget where. Forgotten acorns become trees. This forgetfulness is the main way oak and other hardwood forests grow and spread, scientists say.

♥~ Gray squirrels are called “living fossils” because they haven’t changed much in 37 million years.

More Fun Facts about Squirrels

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Awesome: This film follows the ancient cycle of sunset, to night, to sunrise. A continuous loop of perpetual movement that has been unbroken since the dawn of time, and the only true constant in our lives. 

Ancients from Nicholas Buer on Vimeo.

I hug Cole every morning before school for 20 seconds. I count. And sometimes if I’m feeling extra clingy I add 5 seconds. We also have group hugs. Of-course, since Dearly Departed Joe died they aren’t the same 😀 but Rascal joins us and we hug on. If someone isn’t a hugger, I guess you can just pat them on the head. Let’s not over analyze. Speaking of over analyzing, have you ever listened to church goers talk about the Peace Be With You handshake in church? Oh. My. God. Have a little faith people. Most people wash their hands a few time a day. I digress.  I hug, shake hands, kiss one check, accept kisses on both. Does this make me hugmiscuous?

((((  Hug    )))))

Have  terrific Tuesday and if it falls short of terrific feel free to rant–it’s Rant Tuesday.

Odd Loves Company!