★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥
January 21, 2013

★~  Today’s Quote: 
…A hug is an amazing thing
It’s just the perfect way
To show the love we’re feeling
But can’t find the words to say….
~Johnny Ray Ryder, Jr., “A Simple Hug”

★~ International Hug Day:

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I think this is one of the sweetest hugging videos EVER.

Hugging 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. According to research two out of three adults hug at least once a day.  So make sure you share a hug today.

★~ 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. Sure, there no shortages of interesting tales showing squirrels at their best—the adorable and spunky squirrel who fought off crows to defend his fallen friend, or the cat that raised a baby squirrel and taught it to purr—but those stories are just propaganda to keep us in denial about what we already know: Squirrels are never up to anything good.

However, there does seem to be one place where squirrels are appreciated. College Campuses! Remember Sneezy the squirrel who loves to wear hats? He resides on the Penn State campus. And  according to El Morno friend Debbie, the luckiest squirrels in the world reside on the Notre Dame campus where they are so tame they’ll take treats from students hands. They even have their own Facebook page: The Squirrels of Notre Dame

The squirrel pictured above is “our squirrel.” Yes, I’m a bit attached to the chubby little fella, he’s been working on that pumpkin since November. I’m going to have to pitch it soon but may replace it with a squash (Mom’s idea).  I don’t want him to be hungry, on the other hand, I don’t want any expensive vet bills either. Hope he is continues to be a smart squirrel and only comes down to munch when the pups are up! Click for more fascinating squirrel facts.

★~ 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!

Every year Newport, Rhode Island hosts a chowder cook-off, awarding cash prizes to the skilled chefs, and feeding thousands of hungry chowdah lovahs. We can join this culinary tradition by enjoying a bowl of delicious chowder in honor of New England Clam Chowder Day.

★~ Today in History: 

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♥~ 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.

★~ Trending Today:

♥~ Super Bowl XLVII: 49ers, Ravens Reach New Orleans Set Up Matchup

♥~ Kaepernick: Did Jim Harbaugh know Colin Kaepernick was this good?

♥~  Jennifer Lawrence: Ultimate Jennifer Lawrence Celeb Lovefest Mashup

★~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

★~ Did You Know: 

In Denmark, when the cops catch someone riding their bicycle in an unsafe manner, they hug them and give them a helmet.

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I’m going to try to make the S’more popcorn balls this Morno. I have a feeling that I should stick with banana nut bread but I’m going for it….. . At least popcorn balls just need to be molded into a simple round ball….says she with a smile.  I’ll let you know how it goes….

I hope you have today off in observance of Martin Luther King’s Birthday. Remember banks and government offices (including the post office) are closed.

Big virtual hug {{{{  }}}}

♥~