September 16, 2009
Step Family Day
was established to recognize and
show appreciation for the importance and value of
step-parents and extended families. Research
discovered that this holiday was founded by
Christy Borgeld of Grand Rapids, Michigan.There’s
also some references to this event as
"National" Step Family Day. No documentation was
found that this holiday is a true "national day",
which requires an act of Congress.Step Family Day was first celebrated with a picnic on
September 16, 1997. The suggested method of
celebration is a picnic at a park. Since it’s inception,
it has slowly gained recognition and popularity.Step families are created through death of a parent,
divorce or separation.Decades ago, most marriages lasted for life. Separation
and divorce was often looked down upon. In today’s
society divorce and remarriages are commonplace
Over 50% of all marriages end up in divorce. That
means over half of us are divorced and/or children of
divorces.
That gives us cause to recognize the extended family.
1782 Great Seal of US used for 1st time
1890 News writer George Whitney Calhoun names Green
Bay team the Packers
1893 Cherokee Strip, Oklahoma opened to white settlement
1908 General Motors founded by William C Durant
1951 Betsy Rawls wins the US Women’s Open Golf title
1963 "Outer Limits" premiers on TV
1977 Ringo releases "Drowning in the Sea of Love"
1983 Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes a US citizen
1914 Allen Funt Bkln NY, TV host & creator (Candid Camera)
1924 Lauren Bacall Staten Island, actress (Dark Passage, Key Largo)
1925 B(lues) B(oy) King Itta Bena Miss, blues singer (The Thrill is Gone)
1927 Jack Kelly Astoria Queens, actor (Bart-Maverick, Get Christie Love)
1927 Peter Falk Ossining NY, actor (Colombo, Scared Straight)
1933 George Chakiris Norwood Ohio, actor (West Side Story)
1934 Elgin Baylor NBA star (1958-59 Rookie of the Year-Lakers)
1948 Rosemary Casals tennis player (US Open doubles 1967,71,74)
1949 Ed Begley Jr LA Cal, actor (Eating Raoul, St Elsewhere, Parenthood)
1949 Susan Ruttan Oregon City Ore, actress (Roxanne-LA Law)
1953 Jerry Pate Macon Ga, PGA golfer (US Open 1976, Canadian Open 1976)
1956 Anatoly Beloglazov USSR, 52 kg freestyle wrestler (Olympic-gold-1980)
Blessings to those of you celebrating your birth today!I hope you get lots of huggz and kisses and PREzENTS too!
Last week’s marinara sauce won’t leave your plastic container . . .
Rub the container with a damp cloth dipped in baking soda.
Or fill the stained container with water, drop in one or two
foaming denture cleaning tablets, wait 20 minutes, and rinse.
- 160 billion emails are sent daily, 97% of them are spam.
- Spam generates 33bn KWt-hours of energy every year, enough to power 2.4 million homes, producing 17 million tons of CO2.
- 9 out of every 1,000 computers are infected with spam.
- Spammer get 1 response to every 12 million emails they send (yet it still makes them a small profit).
The art of being kind is allthis sad world needs.
Last man on the moon
The Apollo 17 crew were the last men on the moon. With Ronald Evans
in the command module, Commander Eugene Cernan and scientist
Harrison H. Schmitt drove 34 km (21 miles) in the lunar buggy. On
December 11, 1972 they left behind a plaque that reads: "Here Man
completed his first exploration of the Moon, December 1972 A.D.
May the spirit of peace in which we came be reflected in the lives of
all mankind."
Cernan was the last man to have set foot on another celestial body.
I call it frugal gardening; my daughter calls it just plain embarrassing.
What seems reasonable to the gardener can seem quite strange to the
onlooker. But why pay for something when we can get it for free?
For example, when I stop to admire a flower, I can’t help it if some of the
seeds fall out into my hand. They would have just fallen onto the
sidewalk or been eaten by a bird. Once, while in a restaurant, I noticed
a lovely bouquet of some wild columbines that I had never seen before.
While admiring the bouquet, some seeds fell out of a ripe seedhead.
Now, I enjoy that plant growing in my garden, while my family can’t
believe I kept the seeds. What should I have done, left them as a tip?
Now, when I stop to admire flowers growing in a public place, my
family starts to walk away
real fast and act as though they don’t know me.
Now, what is so embarrassing about manure? I consider it to be a
valuable addition to my compost pile and I’m not about to buy bags
of it when I can go and scoop it up for free. Anyone would
appreciate your help in cleaning out the corral, right? They just think
I’m crazy because there are much better things to do than going around
scooping up poop.
And who wouldn’t ask for those leaves that your neighbor is bagging up?
I’m concerned about the landfills just like everyone else. The fact that
they help to make that black gold has very little to do with it. I am also
helping out by bringing large boxes home from work to lay under my
lasagna beds. Is it strange that I put dibs on any container at a party that
would work for winter sowing? Or that my tupperware now has
a "better" use?
One of my favorite coffee shops packs their used grounds into large trash
bags that are just too heavy for me to carry. Apparently it’s embarrassing
to my daughter when I have the young man carry it out to her truck for me,
so now I have to go to the coffee shop when I go to town alone. She sure
doesn’t complain in July when she’s biting into a big juicy tomato!
I used to go to the post office twice a week. But now that I participate in
round robins and seed trades on Dave’s Garden, I’m there every day!
The postmaster is a long-time friend and she just smiles when I send off
my SASE like a child sending a letter to Santa.
I think joining Dave’s Garden is probably the most frugal thing I have done.
Where else can you end up with hundreds of seeds for nothing but the
cost of postage? Gardeners love to share their extra plants with "newbies"
and you can save by getting in on co-ops with other members. It’s a place
where I feel right at home in spite of my "embarrassing" habits! Yep, I’m
convinced that Dave’s Garden is the best resource for the frugal gardener.
Bean Soup Mix in a Jar2 cups dry black beans
2 cups dry Great Northern beans (or any small white bean)
2 cups dry red kidney beans
2 cups dry pinto beans
2 cups dry green split peasIn four 1-pint canning jars, layer beans in order given, dividing
evenly between jars. For seasoning packets, use four individual
small sandwich bags or four 6-inch squares of plastic wrap or foil.Into EACH seasoning packet (you’ll need FOUR times this amount
TOTAL for all four jars of soup mix), place:3 teaspoons beef (or vegetable) bouillon
3 tablespoons dried chives (chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried savory
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leafTo Prepare Soup:
3 hours before serving, rinse beans with cold, running water.
Remove stones or shriveled beans. In a Dutch oven or stock- pot,bring beans and 9 cups water to boil for 3 minutes. Remove fromheat and let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans. Place beans, 5 cupsof water, and seasoning packet contents into pot. Heat to boiling,reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours until beans aretender. Stir occasionally. Add one 16-oz. can stewed tomatoes withliquid (break up tomatoes). Heat to boiling. Reduce to low, and cook15 minutes more. Discard bay leaf.Each jar of soup mix will make approximately 6 – 8 generous servings.
CLARK GABLE
Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind
Born: February 1, 1901 in Ohio.
Died: November 16, 1960 California
Spouse(s)
Josephine Dillon (1924-1930)
Maria "Ria" Franklin Printiss Lucas Langham (1931-1939)
Carole Lombard (1939-d.1942)
Sylvia Ashley (1949-1952)
Kay Williams (1955-1960)
CHILDREN:
(1)Gable had a daughter, Judy Lewis, the result of an affair with
actress Loretta Young that began on the set of
The Call of the Wild in 1934.
(2)On March 20, 1961, Kay Gable gave birth to Gable’s son,
John Clark Gable, born four months after Clark’s deathHis acting coach was a theater manager in Portland, Oregon,
Josephine Dillon (seventeen years his senior) whom he was
married to 1924-1930. Dillon paid to have his teeth repaired
and his hair styled. She guided him in building up his
chronically undernourished body, and taught him better
body control and posture. She spent considerable time
training his naturally high-pitched voice, which Gable
slowly managed to lower, and he gained better resonance and
tone. As his speech habits improved, Gable’s facial expressions
became more natural and convincing.In his long film career, Gable appeared opposite some of the
best and most popular actresses of the time. Joan Crawford,
who was his favorite actress to work with, was partnered with
Gable in eight films, Myrna Loy was with him seven times,
and he was paired with Jean Harlow in six productions. He also
starred with Lana Turner in four features, and with Norma
Shearer in three. Gable was often named the top male star in
the mid-30s, and was second only to the top box-office draw
of all, Shirley Temple.Gable spent most of the war in the United Kingdom at RAF
Polebrook with the 351st. Gable flew five combat missions,
including one to Germany, as an observer-gunner in B-17
Flying Fortresses between May 4 and September 23, 1943,
earning the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross
for his efforts.
Adolf Hitler esteemed Gable above all other actors; during
the Second World War he offered a sizable reward to
anyone who could capture and bring Gable unscathed to himGable’s last film, at age 57, was The Misfits, written by
Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston, and co-starring
Marilyn Monroe, Eli Wallach, and Montgomery Clift. This
was also the final film completed by Monroe. Many critics
regard Gable’s performance to be his finest, and Gable,
after seeing the rough cuts, agreed.Burial:
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles, CA.
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard (1908-1942)
are buried side by side.Not far away is Jean Harlow (1911-1937)
Plot: Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Benediction, Private Family
Mausoleum Room #34, Crypt B The blonde bombshell who
starred in six movies with Clark Gable. They were very close
friends and Gable was a pallbearer at her extravagant funeralTRIVIA:
Nicknamed "The King of Hollywood" in his heyday.
In 1999, the American Film Institute named Gable seventh
among the greatest male stars of all timeQUOTES ABOUT HIM.
Doris Day summed up Gable’s unique personality,
"He was as masculine as any man I’ve ever known, and as much
a little boy as a grown man could be – it was this combination
that had such a devastating effect on women."Longtime friend, eight time co-star and on-again, off-again
romance Joan Crawford concurred, stating on David Frost’s TV
show in 1970, "he was a king wherever he went. He walked like
one, he behaved like one, and he was the most masculine man
that I have ever met in my life."Robert Taylor said Gable "was a great, great guy and certainly
one of the great stars of all times, if not the greatest. I think that
I sincerely doubt that there will ever be another like Clark Gable,
he was one of a kind.
SOME GWTW LINES:
(these scenes made us hate scarlet for not doing his bidding and kissing his feet – but that was then….)
With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.
Take a good look my dear. It’s an historic moment you can tell your
grandchildren about how you watched the Old South fall one night.Now that you’ve got your lumber mill and Frank’s money, you won’t
come to me as you did to the jail, so I see I shall have to marry you.Vivien Leigh (Scarlett): Rhett, don’t! I shall faint!
Clark Gable (Rhett): I want you to faint. This is what you were meant
for. None of the fools you’ve ever known have kissed you like this,
have they? Your Charles, or your Frank, or your stupid Ashley!
No, I don’t think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly.
That’s what’s wrong with you! You should be kissed and often,
and by someone who knows how."Quite frankly, my dear, I don’t give a dam."
Fall In Love with Autumn Potpourri Excerpted from Creating Fairy
Garden Fragrances
by Linda GannonThe earthy colors and scents of the equinox
celebrate the depth of the secret presence at the
heart of nature. As autumn arrives with a vibrancy
even in its dying, so sweet and sensual. The
hillside is ablaze with burnished
copper leaves, russet vines, ripe
red berries, and velvety
mosses,as this glorious season
seduces the earth.Enchanted Forest
A rich, autumnal potpourri blend, Enchanted
Forest is rich in balsam, vanilla, and patchouli –
earthy, sensual, and mysterious. It is gorgeous in
forest green and shades of brown, with sprinkles
of moonlight thrown in.You will need:
Dried Flowers and Herbs
2 cups deer’s-tongue leaves
2 cups patchouli leaves
1 cup balsam fir needlesEssential Oils
20 drops patchouli oil
10 drops sandalwood oil
8 drops vanilla oilFixative
1/4 cup cut or ground oakmossTextured Elements
1/2 cup orange peel
1/2 cup sassafras root bark
1/4 cup sandalwood chips
1/4 cup cinnamon chips
1/4 cup vanilla bean chunksFinishing Touches
1/4 cup vervain blossoms
1/4 cup silver-painted pinecones
1/4 cup foxglove flowers
1/4 cup silver glitterFoxglove Facts
It was believed that if you
picked the tall spires of
foxglove — the most
legendary of fairy flowers
– you would offend the
fairies, but growing them
in your garden would
surely please the pixies!The delicate pink or white, bell-shaped blossoms
are covered with tiny flecks that are said to be
fairy fingerprints.Foxglove derives its folk names of fairy gloves and
fairy caps from these splendid blossoms, which
became props when the fairies played dress up.
Other names include fox’s glew and, because of
the poison found in its exquisite "cups," witch’s
thimble and bloody bells.Digitalin, obtained from the blossoms of foxglove,
is used to treat heart ailments.
This floral photo became someone’s digital art project. cute!
The working section of a piano is called the action.
Shoemakers are commonly called cobblers but correctly speaking
a cobbler is a shoe repairmen. A shoemaker is a cordwainer – they
also made leather bottles and harnesses.The device at the intersection of two railroad tracks to permit the
wheels and flanges on one track to cross or branch for the other
is called a frog.
Why does water not calm the tongue after eating hot spicy food?
The spices in most of the hot foods that we eat are oily, and, like
your elementary school science teacher taught you, oil and water
don’t mix. In this case, the water just rolls over the oily spices.
What can you do to calm your aching tongue? Eat bread. The bread
will absorb the oily spices. A second solution is to drink milk.
Milk contains a substance called "casein" which will bind to the
spices and carry them away. Alcohol also dissolves oily spices.
Having your company this morning has been a pleasure. I must admit
I would have enjoyed it much more had I been able to have my usual
dose of hazelnut creamed coffee. Thanks for being here for me.Going in for routine blood work this morning to check the cholesterol &
stuff so I’ve kept my mouth closed and my hands in my lap all night!
It doesn’t matter much to me but the doctors fret about it so I go to please them.
