~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
January 16,2015

★~ Today’s Quote: “There are three things in life that people like to stare at: a flowing stream, a crackling fire and a Zamboni clearing the ice.”Charlie Brown quotes

★~ Fig Newton Day:

Fig Newton day is dedicated to my dear dad.  My mother and I have tried to hide the Newton’s behind the Bisquick in the pantry for years. But my dad’s love for Newtons can not be suppressed and–even worse–sometimes he washes them down with a can of Mr. Pibb.  The man that seldom snacks insists on Fig Newtons for all road trips and there they ride in all their awfulness, next to the Oreos and Chocolate Chip cookies…terrifying the Lay’s potato chips. My mother wonders where she went wrong and has tried to inhibit and redirect his appetite for Newtons, but she had to admit defeat to this cookie defect in my dad’s personality. Terror struck my heart when Cole, after spending time with his grandfather, told me the fruit Fig Newtons were not too bad. Early intervention on my part saved him from the evil of Fig Newtons and now he walks the righteous Oreo and Keebler chocolate chip cookie path. I can not in good conscience encourage eating Fig Newtons; however, if you have already strayed from the good cookie flock then Odd will allow you one day of indulgence without harassment.

My dad always worries that Fig Newton day will not receive it’s due so please make his Fig Newton day happy by sending him a text or e-mail wishing him a Happy Fig Newton day.

Charlie Jensen: Contact information 

The picture featured above ^ is not a picture of my dad but the proud smile certainly resembles his smile after a bite of his Fig Newton

Fig Newton Factoids:

Back in the late 1800s, many prominent physicians believed that the bulk of human illness was related to digestive problems. The easy, homespun remedy? A combination of fiber plus colon cleanser cleverly disguised as a cookie. Fig cakes became a local favorite in many areas, but because they were a labor-intensive confection, they remained basically a homemade treat. That changed in 1891, when an Ohio-born baker named Charles Roser patented a machine that mass-produced fig cookies. The Kennedy Biscuit Company (later Nabisco) bought the machinery and the recipe from Roser and named the new product Fig Newton, after the Boston suburb Newton, Massachusetts. Fig Newtons were one of the first commercially baked products in America and today are the 3rd most popular cookie in the U.S., over 1 billion are consumed each year.

Bonus (for fig lovers): El Morno friend Debbie shared a Google recipe similar to her late aunt’s fig cookie (AKA cucidati) recipe.

★~ Do Nothing Day:

Newspaperman Harold Pullman Coffin invented Do Nothing Day on Jan. 16, 1973, as a day to celebrate nothing and “to protest the proliferation of special days and weeks by providing Americans with one 24-hour period when they can just sit–without celebrating or honoring anything.” Harold Coffin is Chairman of NNF “Because nothing is something he does better than anybody else.” “The only regret of the negative thinkers in the Nothing Foundation is that in order to combat the proliferation of special days they were forced to create an additional special day.” An expression of interest in the foundation’s purposes qualifies one for membership. Total number of members is unknown. The group does not publish anything, and does not hold meetings or conventions.

★~Dragon Appreciation Day!

The dragon is a creature of myth and legend. A symbol of good fortune and sign of intense power, the Oriental Dragon is regarded as a divine beast–the reverse of the malicious monster that Westerners felt necessary to find and slay. In Eastern philosophy, the Dragon is said to be a deliverer of good fortune and a master of authority. If you were born in 1904 * 1916 * 1928 * 1940 * 1952 * 1964 * 1976 * 1988 * 2000 *2012, you are a dragon!

Celebrate with something Hot and Spicey or Chinese food!

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1866 – Everett Barney patented the all-metal screw clamp skate. The skates clamped on to the edges of the soles of your shoes and were tightened with a key. With the advent of athletic shoes, there was no place to clamp the skates so the clamp skate disappeared. In its place? Roller blades!

♥~ 1961 – Mickey Mantle signed a contract which made him the highest paid baseball player in the American League. ‘The Commerce Comet’ stepped up to the plate for $75,000 for the 1961 season.

♥~ 1976 – The album, Frampton Comes Alive, was released by Herb Alpert’s A&M Records. The double LP soon reached the top spot of the album charts  for 17 weeks. It sold 19 million copies in its first year.

♥~ 2004 – Starbucks opened its first coffee shop in France. The store is located in the heart of the city at 26 Avenue de l’Opera, one of Paris’ popular tourist and shopping districts.

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1901- Frank Zamboni, the inventor of the world’s first self-propelled ice-resurfacing machine, which the Italian-American trademarked in his own name. It is commonly known as a “Zamboni.”

♥~ 1910 – Dizzy (Jay Hanna) Dean Baseball Hall of Famer: SL Cardinals [World Series: 1934/all-star: 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937], Chicago Cubs [World Series: 1938], SL Browns; broadcaster: SL Browns, Mutual Radio net, ABC/CBS Game of the Week; died July 17, 1974;

♥~1932 – Dian Fossey Google Doodle honors American zoologist Dian Fossey, who was a leading authority on mountain gorillas in Africa.

♥~ 1935 – A.J. Foyt, Auto racer

♥~ 1943 – Ronnie Milsap, Country singer

♥~ 1974 –  Kate Moss supermodel

♥~ 1950 – Debbie Allen, Dancer, choreographer (“Fame”)

★~  Komodo Dragon Gallimaufry:

Komodo dragons are the largest living lizards in the world.

The average size of a male Komodo dragon is 8 to 9 feet and about 200 lbs., according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, but they can reach a whopping 10 feet (3 meters) in length. Females grow to 6 feet (1.8 m).

Komodos come in a variety of colors, including blue, orange, green and gray. Their skin is rough and durable, reinforced with bony plates called osteoderms. They have long claws and a large, muscular tail.

Komodos have good vision; they can see objects as far away as 985 feet (300 m). They are also speedy. They can run briefly up to 13 mph (20 kph) but prefer to hunt by stealth — waiting for hours until prey cross their path.

Komodos are found  in the wild on only five islands: the Lesser Sunda Islands of Komodo, Rinca, Gili Montang and Gili Dasami — all within Komodo National Park — and the island of Flores, where the Komodo roams freely.

The lizard’s habitat can be anything from a tropical dry forest to a savanna to a deciduous monsoon forest. The Komodo likes extreme heat and humidity.

Komodo dragons are meat eaters.  They are such fierce hunters they can eat very large prey, such as large water buffalo, deer, carrion, pigs and even humans. They will also eat smaller dragons. They can eat 80 percent of their body weight in one feeding, according to the National Geographic.

The Komodo has a unique way of killing its prey. First, it springs up and knocks the prey over with its huge feet. Then they use their sharp, serrated teeth — which are a lot like a shark’s — to shred their prey to death. If the prey escapes, it will die within 24 hours of blood poisoning because the Komodo’s saliva contains 50 strains of bacteria, according to National Geographic. With its fantastic sense of smell, the Komodo will find the dead animal and finish its meal. Charming.

Komodos parenting skills leave a lot to be desired. At birth, baby dragons are  12 inches (30 centimeters) long. As soon as they hatch, the young will run away and climb up trees to avoid being eaten by their mother or other Komodos. When they are 4 years old and around 4 feet (1.2 m), the young Komodos will come down and live on the ground. Those that survive can look forward to a long life. A Komodo can live to more than 30 years.

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Our 2000 piece puzzle and makeshift table. How do you work a 2000 piece puzzle? One piece at a time.  I’ll post updates. I think we are off to a good start.

Don’t forget to send Charlie (my dear dad) a text or an e-mail wishing him a Happy Fig Newton day!  Uhm, no need to mention me when you e-mail or text…I think it’s best if he believes the gesture came directly from you. Thank you in advance.

Always remember, Never tickle the tail of a sleeping dragon!

Odd Loves Company,

♥~