~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
September 27, 2013

★~ Today’s Quote:  Genealogy: A perverse preoccupation of those who seek to demonstrate that their forebears were better people than they are. ~ –Sydney J. Harris

★~ Ancestor Appreciation Day: 

It’s estimated that genealogy is the second-most-popular hobby among Americans. (Gardening is number one. You would’ve thought it was scrapbooking, right?). Today is celebrated by reflecting on our ancestors, and the ways in which they influenced our lives.

★~ Crush a Can Day:

How flat can you crush that can? Give it a try. It’s a great way to relieve stress especially if you give it a good kick after you have smashed it as flat as a fritter. Americans crushed and recycled 56 billion aluminum cans last year.

★~ Chocolate Milk Day:

Like practically any edible creation, chocolate milk has come a long way. Before the invention of the cocoa press, chocolate milk was once a very fatty, unrefined chocolate drink made from whole cocoa beans sweetened and flavored with sugar and spices. The creation of the cocoa press in 1928 made removing the cocoa fat from the bean possible, which resulted in a smoother, more digestible quaff.

While chocolate milk may be a drink more associated with childhood, a recent survey of adult Americans found that more than 50 percent of Americans voted chocolate to be their favorite flavor. And it doesn’t just taste good! El Morno friend Irene shared that chocolate milk is the perfect pick-me-up after a hard workout.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1530: Pope Urban VII (real name, Giovanni Castagna) died on this date in 1590.  He had only been the pope for 13 days, the shortest papacy ever.  There was no controversy about the cause of death:  Pope Urban died of malaria.

♥~ 1888 – “Jack The Ripper” Letter: Anniversary.”  In the midst of the “Autumn of Terror” in which London, England, was convulsed over the crimes of a brutal serial killer, the city’s Central News Agency received a letter written in red ink purporting to be written by the killer. He dubbed himself “Jack the Ripper” and threatened more killings. Police at the time believed (and most historians today believe) the letter to be a hoax by an irresponsible journalist, but the name took hold in the public imagination and is forever associated with the Whitechapel murders of 1888.

♥~ 1954 – The Tonight Show debuted on NBC on this date in 1954.  Steve Allen was host for the first three years, succeeded by Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and Jay Leno again.  Jimmy Fallon will become the next “Tonight Show” host in 2014.

♥~ 1991 – A Decatur, Alabama, auto dealership accepted a 450-pound bull as part trade-in on a Lincoln Town Car.

★~Famous Birthdays:

♥~ 1929 – Sada Thompson Emmy Award-winning actress: Family [1977-78]; Tony Award-winning actress: Twigs [1972]; Our Town, Desperate Characters; died May 4, 2011

♥~ 1943 – Randy Bachman musician: guitar, singer: groups: Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Let It Ride, Takin’ Care of Business, You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet, Roll on Down the Highway, The Guess Who: Shakin’ All Over, These Eyes, Laughing, No Time, American Woman, No Sugar Tonight

♥~ 1947 – Meat Loaf  (Michael Lee Aday) musician, singer: Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad, Paradise by the Dashboard Light; actor: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Americathon, Roadie

♥~ 1958 – Shaun Cassidy singer: Da Doo Ron Ron, That’s Rock ’n’ Roll, Hey Deanie, Do You Believe in Magic; actor: The Hardy Boys Mysteries, Breaking Away, General Hospital, Blood Brothers; son of Jack Cassidy & Shirley Jones; half-brother of David Cassidy

♥~ 1972 – Gwyneth Paltrow Academy Award-winning actress: Shakespeare in Love [1998]; Hook, Great Expectations, A Perfect Murder, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Bounce,The Anniversary Party, Possession, The Royal Tenenbaums, Shallow Hal, View from the Top, Proof, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,Sylvia, Spain – On The Road Again, Glee

♥~ 2013 – Google is celebrating its 15th birthday  (1998) with a piñata doodle appearing on its home page. Users hit a swinging piñata with a stick using the space bar to release sweets and earn points. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GOOGLE.

★~ Good to Know:

Have you ever wondered why we call the seasons Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter?

Before Spring was called Spring, it was called Lent in Old English. Starting in the 14th century, that time of year was called “springing time”—a reference to plants “springing” from the ground. In the 15th century this got shortened to “spring-time,” and then further shortened in the 16th century to just “spring.”

“Summer” came from the Old English name for that time of year, sumor. This, in turn, came from the Proto-Germanic sumur-, which itself came from the Proto-Indo-European root sam- (sam- seems to be a variant of the Proto-Indo-European sem-, meaning “together / one”).

The origin of “fall” as a name for a season isn’t perfectly clear, though it’s thought that it probably came from the idea of leaves falling from trees (particularly the contraction of the English saying “fall of the leaf”). It first popped up as a name for a season in late-16th century England and became particularly popular during the 17th century, at which point it made its way over to North America. “Autumn,” meanwhile, came to English via the Old French autompne, from the Latin autumnus. From here, things get murky, but it’s thought autumnus probably came from an Etruscan word and is possibly related to the Latin augere, meaning “to increase.”

Calling the season autumn first occurred in English in the 12th century, though was a rarity until around the 14th century. It then began to pick up steam and became common in the 16th century—about the same time “fall” popped up as the name for the season. Before the season was autumn or fall in English, though, it was called “harvest.”

“Winter,” meanwhile, derives from the Proto-Germanic wentruz. This, in turn, probably comes from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) wed, meaning “wet,” or it may come from the PIE wind-, meaning “white.” Either way, the Proto-Germanic wentruz gave rise to the Old English “winter” as the fourth season of the year, and the name for the season has stuck around ever since.

Incidentally, you may also wonder why the seasons are called seasons. The word “season” in this context comes from the Old French seison, meaning “sowing / planting.” This in turn came from the Latin sationem, meaning “sowing.” Initially, this referred to actually sowing seeds, but later, as with the Old French seison, it shifted definition to refer to the time period when you sow seeds, so literally “seed-time.” Season in this sense in English popped up around the 13th century. It was also around this time that season was first used to refer to seasoning food—in this case from the Old French assaisoner, meaning “to ripen.”

Additional Source: Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology

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If you have some spare time this weekend and want to learn how to turn your bath towels into swans here are the directions: The Ultimate Towel Folding Guide and while I am on the subject of folding, I found this video that will demonstrate the steps for folding the fitted sheet!

I am off to the Chicago Waldorf School to partake in the celebration of Michaelmas where my son will be the prince rescued by St. Michael. Cole desperately wanted to play the part of the Prince because the prince did not have any lines, he only has to appear distressed and in need of saving. If you are familiar with the Michaelmas story, I know you are a tad confused …. worry not, I will be back with pictures later.

Odd Loves Company!