~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
March 27, 2014

★~ Quirky Country Western Music Day:

What country music song always puts a smile on your face? Perhaps it’s Johnny Cash’s “Every Time I Itch I Wind Up Scratching You,” Kenny Chesney’s “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” or Homer & Jethro’s “She Made Toothpicks Out Of The Timber Of My Heart.” Today is the day to pay tribute to these unique songs!

Country music evolved from Appalachian folk music in the 1920s and became a nationwide sensation in the 1940s. The Grand Ole Opry radio station in Nashville, Tennessee began broadcasting weekly concerts that showcased all the different genres of country music—hillbilly, honky-tonk, bluegrass, western, rockabilly, gospel, and more.

Put on your cowboy hat, get out your banjo, and belt out your favorite quirky country music song!

★~  Joe Day:

“Joe” Day celebrates you if your name is Joe. The name Joseph reached the height of its popularity in the 1890s (ranked no. 6) and 1910s (ranked no. 5). From 1911 to 2011, Joseph was the eighth most popular baby boy name in the United States, trailing behind James, John, Robert, Michael, William, David, and Richard according to the Social Security Administration.

Enjoy a “cup of Joe,” (a cup of coffee)! This phrase originated from a modification of the words java or jamoke. The use of Joe in phrases was common in the 1930s and appeared in various expressions, including “an ordinary Joe” and the reference to an enlisted man as “GI Joe” according to World Wide Words. And let’s not forget “Joe Camel,” created in late 1987 as the mascot for Camel cigarettes. Here is a piece of trivia for you: in 1991, the American Medical Association published a report stating that five and six year olds could more easily recognize Joe Camel than Mickey Mouse, Fred Flintstone, Bugs Bunny, or even Barbie. Joe Camel was retired in 1997, but a marketing test done in 2009 showed that Joe Camel lived on. When five and six year olds were shown a picture of the camel without any brand attached alongside other popular TV characters, they easily recognize him as Joe Camel.

★~ Spanish Paella Day:

Paella is a hot rice dish that was developed in Valencia, Spain during the 1800′s. Traditionally, the meal is made with white rice, green vegetables, meat (usually rabbit, chicken, or duck), land snails, beans, saffron, and olive oil. It is cooked over an open flame fueled by pine cones and pine and orange branches, with a bottom layer of toasted rice, then served in then pan in which it was cooked. In fact, the name “paella” actually derives from an Old French word for “pan”.

Paella quickly became popular and spread across several continents, and different variations were created. Today there are three main types of paella — Valencian paella, seafood paella, and mixed paella. The dish is a favorite for competitions, with many chefs creating gargantuan paellas at large gatherings, hoping to out-do the current record for the largest paella credited in the Guinness Book of World Records. The current record holder is Chef Juan Galbis. On October 2, 2001 he created a paella that fed approximately 110,000 people!

Portuguese Paella

★~ Today in History:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/yfw8acB7TVk[/youtube]

♥~ 1513 – it was Easter Sunday, when explorer Juan Ponce de Leon first sighted a mass of land which he later named in honor of Easter, “Pascua Florida.”

♥~ 1912 – One of nature’s most beautiful spectacles is the blooming of 3,750 cherry trees, the first two of which were planted on this day in 1912 by First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Ambassador of Japan. The cherry trees, a gift of friendship to the United States from the people of Japan, are located in West Potomac Park around the Tidal Basin, at Haines Point in East Potomac Park and on the grounds of the Washington Monument.

♥~ 1976 – Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw’s  recording of “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” reached #17, the highest position the country classic had ever reached on the country charts.

♥~ 2001 – Twelve days before his 88th birthday, Berry Thomas became the oldest bowler in America to roll a perfect 300 game.

★~Born Today:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/TwrWFOluAo8[/youtube]

♥~ 1868 –  Patty Smith Hill, kindergarten teacher, and later influential educator wrote a song called “Good Morning to All” in 1983 to start the day with her kindergarten class. Her sister Mildred, an accomplished musician, provided the melody.  The Hill sisters’ enjoyed their version of “Good Morning to All” so much they began spontaneously singing it at birthday parties changing the lyrics to “Happy Birthday.”  “Good Morning to All” was published in the songbook Stories for Kindergarten. Over time the Happy Birthday version of the song began to take over.  The song appeared in the Broadway musical “The Band Wagon” (1931), and was used for Western Union’s first singing telegram in 1933. A third sister, Jessica Hill, noticed the similarities between “Happy Birthday to You” and the song her sisters wrote, and sued to copyright the song in 1935.  According to Forbes magazine, the song produces about $2 million in licensing revenue each year. ”

♥~ 1963 – Quentin Tarantino Academy Award-winning screenwriter: Pulp Fiction [1994]; writer, director: From Dusk Till Dawn, Four Rooms, Pulp Fiction, True Romance, Reservoir Dogs

♥~ 1970 – Mariah Carey Grammy Award-winning singer: has sold more than 120 million albums and singles since her debut in 1990; only artist with a #1 single in every year of the 1990s; has spent more weeks at #1 than any other artist.

★~ Good to Know:  

 #

Vickie (our friend and camp helper)  is running camp this morno whilst Cole and I head out bright and early to…ok, I am not entirely sure. We just decided to get an early start doing god knows what…I am guessing, food will start the day, maybe some more soulless mall shopping, paired with a little thrifting to balance it out. Don’t worry,  if we find adventure along the way I will post all. Wishing you a terrific Thursday.

♥