★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
September 2, 2015

 ★~ Today’s Quote:  “All good and true book-lovers practice the pleasing and improving avocation of reading in bed … No book can be appreciated until it has been slept with and dreamed over.” ~ Eugene Fields

★~  V-J Day:

V-J Day, which stands for “Victory over Japan.” On August 14, 1945, it was announced to the world that Japan had surrendered to the Allies – signifying the end of World War II. This historic milestone is celebrated annually on September 2nd, which commemorates the date of Japan’s formal surrender aboard the U.S.S Missouri.

This holiday goes by several names – Victory Over Japan Day, Victory In The Pacific Day, V-J Day or V-P Day. Which ever name you call it, take a moment today to remember those who fought for this victory. It’s estimated that anywhere from 60 to 80 million people lost their lives during World War II, on both sides of the war.

★~ Blueberry Popsicles Day:

The flavorful explosion of sweet blueberries at the end of summer has never tasted better. Include these in your next frozen treat experiment and you’ll be a card-carrying member of the blue tongue society.

Mix these amazing berries up with strawberry lemonade, yogurt, watermelon, banana or lemon and freeze. It’s a cool, crisp crunch of sweetness after a long day and a great way to wind.

And the best part about blueberries is you’ll have a nice antioxidant buzz and power boost to keep you going all week long.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1897 – The first issue of McCall’s magazine was published. The magazine had previously been called The Queen—Illustrated Magazine of Fashion and McCall’s Magazine, the Queen of Fashion.

♥~ 1901 – Speaking at a state fair in Minnesota, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, quoted a West African proverb, “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

♥~ 1995 – Dangerous Minds, the soundtrack album from the movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer, hit #1 on Billboard.

♥~ 1940 – The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina was dedicated by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

♥~ 2007 – A concert in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love. The free party featured dozens of veterans of the era.

★~ Famous Birthdays:

[youtube]https://youtu.be/9W0-XpVK0GE[/youtube]

♥~ 185o Albert Goodwill Spalding,baseball pioneer, born in Byron, Illinois. He was a pitcher for the National League Boston Red Stockings from 1871 to 1875, then became a pitcher and manager of the Chicago White Stockings in 1876. In that same year, he and his brother founded the sporting goods company A.G. Spalding and Brothers

♥~ 1850 Eugene Field American humorist and newspaperman , born in St. Louis, Missouri. Field claimed two birthdays, September 2 and September 3, telling friends if they forgot him on the first date, they could remember him on the second. Field is best known for his humorous, often sardonic poetry for children, like “Wynken, Blynken and Nod” and “The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat.”

Field’s mother died when he was six and his father sent him and his brother to Amherst, Massachusetts, to be raised by a cousin. Field was an exuberant, prankish boy who enjoyed whimsy. He had five chickens in Amherst and named them Winniken, Minniken, Finniken, Boog, and Poog. Fields had no patience for school and spent his youth in and out of boarding schools. He attended four colleges, studying acting and the law, without any success. His father died, leaving Field a small inheritance, which he spent every penny of during six months in Europe.

By 1875, he was back in Missouri, writing for the Saint Joseph Gazette. He fell in love with a 14-year-old girl. When the girl’s father said she was too young to marry, Field replied, “She’ll grow out of it.” They married when she was 16, instead, and had eight children. For the rest of his life, whatever money he earned, he directed it be sent to his wife, because he knew he would spend it frivolously.

Field wrote for newspapers in Kansas City and Denver before settling down in Chicago and writing a humorous column called “Sharps and Flats” for the Chicago Daily News, a position he would hold for the rest of his life. “Sharps and Flats” ran in the morning edition and featured Field’s cutting quips and observations about Chicago, which he called “Porkopolis,” because of its rampant materialism. He enjoyed comparing Chicago to Boston, once writing, “While Chicago is humping herself in the interests of literature, arts, and the sciences, vain old Boston is frivoling away her precious time in an attempted renaissance of the cod fisheries.”

“Wynken, Blynken and Nod,” was both a bedtime poem for children and found its place in popular pop culture. In the 1960s and ’70s, musicians like Cass Elliott, Donovan, and The Doobie Brothers all sang versions of the song. In an early version of Lou Reed’s song “Satellite of Love,” the names “Harry, Mark, and John” are sung as “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.” The three smokestacks at the Lansing Board of Water & Light in Lansing, Michigan, are known locally as “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.” The popular video game Pac-Man (1980) features four ghosts to be avoided. Their names, “Blinky,” “Inky,” “Pinky,” and “Clyde,” are homage to Field’s poem.

Field’s poetry became a staple of school primers throughout the 20th century. More than 30 elementary schools in the Midwest and Southwest are named for him.

♥~ 1948 – Christa McAuliffe (Sharon Christa Corrigan) : teacher, first civilian in space.  Challenger space shuttle; killed in Challenger explosion Jan 28, 1986

♥~ 1955 – Linda Purl actress: Happy Days, Matlock, Beacon Hill, Robin’s Hoods, Under Cover

♥~ 1964 – Keanu Reeves actor: Chain Reaction, A Walk in the Clouds, Johnny Mnemonic, Speed, Little Buddha, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, My Own Private Idaho, Parenthood, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Dangerous Liaisons, River’s Edge , Youngblood, Brotherhood of Justice, Babes in Toyland, Act of Vengeance, Dream to Believe

♥~ 1966 – Salma Hayek actress: Desperado, Wild Wild West, Traffic, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Murphy’s Law

★~ Gallimaufry at its finest….

What The Font –Google has a new logo, it’s first major branding change in 16 years. Despite the change I’d recognize it anywhere.

What’s Offline? – Prime members can now download videos to watch offline.

Joint Venture –  “I’ve bought a lot of pot in my life, and now I’m selling it back.” GQ’s Chris Heath takes a look at Willie Nelson’s road to entrepreneurialism: “What Paul Newman did for tomato sauce, what Francis Coppola did for Cabernet, Willie Nelson is hoping to do for weed.”

Mental Health – According to a recent study, senior citizens’ use of computers and mobile phones might shave 10 years off their mental age. (And the related tech support calls have added 10 years to grandchildren everywhere…)

Good News – Citizens around the globe have finally found a common, universal ideal around which they can rally. The bad news. It’s a Selfie Stick. InFocus has some photos of the sticks around the world.

It can happen – “A portable toilet with a woman inside was accidentally carried across a festival site by a forklift truck. (and according to this story it happens with regularity)

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I don’t care what we call it! I am ready for the leaves to start hitting the ground! Bring on Fall! And no I won’t remember how I groused about the heat in January when I am shoveling buckets of snow. In the meantime we are finding ways to beat the heat at camp with our Redneck fountain.

Pumping it up from Katybeth on Vimeo.

My teen invested in a SawStop tablesaw this past weekend. We considered names and decided to just call him Saw. Of-course, buying Saw included a 30 mile road trip which didn’t include telling me that this impressive piece of equipment weighed over 400 pounds. I didn’t say a word as a forklift and three big men loaded it in in the van.  NOT A WORD. But can you see the question in my mind?

On the way home I casually wondered how Saw would be moved out of the van into the garage. Oh. Well. Mmmm. Options were considered. There were not a lot of them.  We needed the van in a few short hours to take home our day campers. Solution, a handy lift, from Harbor Freight. Fortunately, my doubts, that a cart made in China, bought from a discount store boasting it could handle 500 plus pounds were ill founded. Sliding it out of the van proved once again that a mother’s love can move heavy pieces of equipment.

Saw looks very handsome sitting in his rightful place in the garage ready to go to work. As soon as Cole goes back and picks up a mobile stand. I thought the salesman looked a little surprised when Cole said he’d “wait on the stand,” I just figured he wasn’t pushy but he knew my teen would be back. Saw needs wheels. He ain’t heavy he’s my tablesaw.

Once Saw is hard at work there is no end to the projects that can be accomplished around here. And the really good news is that while Cole’s old table saw didn’t have any safety features (I just learned this recently) Saw comes with built in technology that makes it impossible to cut off a finger. It costs a little more, but since my sewing sucks I think the extra investment is worth it.

Off to start my Wednesday! Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday!

Odd Loves Company,

*Wynken, Blinken and Nod
by Eugene Field

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe,-
Sailed on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew.
“Where are you going, and what do you wish?”
The old moon asked the three.
“We have come to fish for the herring-fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we,”
Said Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe;
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew;
The little stars were the herring-fish
That lived in the beautiful sea.
“Now cast your nets wherever you wish,-
Never afraid are we!”
So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam,-
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home:
‘Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
As if it could not be;
And some folk thought ’twas a dream they’d dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea;
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one’s trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:-
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.