It is Friday and I cannot believe how quickly this week has flown by! Having Miss B here has shaken things up in a good way and I know when she goes home we are going to miss her happy face and dancing feet more than ever. She starts pre-school in a week! How is it possible that time has gone by so quickly? All week long we have walked Papaw to his motorcycle to hug him good-bye before he goes to work. He picks up his giggling grand-girl, puts her down and I take her up to the porch to watch and wave as he pulls away. I sit her up on the rail, holding her tightly with one arm around her waist, and we wave. This morning as he waved good-by as he drove out of sight, she said “Grampa is SO Cool!” hehehe Yes, he truly is, and she’s a smart one to see it. The sun rises and sets with him when she is here, and I know she loves me very much too, but her feet go on a dancing spree when it’s time for him to come home. When I told her it was time to say good-bye to him for the day she groaned, “Again? He has to go to work AGAIN?” Yes, dear. That’s the way this works, but he doesn’t have to go tomorrow.
Verse of the Day
August 24, 2018
I love the Lord. He heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Understanding the Lord’s love, presence, and nearness should lead us to serve him and to deepen our relationship with him. While we love God for many reasons, we want to express our love to him today especially for his personal concern for us. In a world where important people refuse to spend time with those “beneath” them, we are truly blessed with an incomparable God who listens to our every cry, recognizes our very own distinct voice, and tunes his ear to hear every one of our whispers. Yes! I will call on him, praise him, thank him, confess to him, and speak with him as long as I live!
Food for Thought
Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could view the world through the enthusiastic and joyous eyes of a child all of our lives? The simple things make them so happy.
Knife Day – The knife is an ancient tool that has survived as long as man has, evolving from stone and obsidian to carbon and stainless steel. Today we celebrate this timeless tool that means so much, to so many, every single day. Receiving a pocket knife is a rite of passage for many, especially young men. Women like knives too, but it has always seemed to be more important to the boys I know. I honestly don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t see my Dad with a pocket knife. My husband has a favorite he carries every day as well – he doesn’t go anywhere without it. Knives are such an essential element to so many people that it goes beyond a handy tool. It is a way of life. For fishermen, hunters, doctors, chefs, rescue workers – they all use these tools every day for their jobs and to assist others, even saving lives. Today take a moment to appreciate and admire the simplicity, longevity and purpose a tool that has been used for millions of years and will likely be used for millions more.
National Waffle Iron Day – The waffle iron is such a handy tool, isn’t it? There are so many ways to enjoy waffles – they can be breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert! You can serve them with fruit, syrup, or even chicken and gravy! To make them though, you MUST have a waffle iron! Do you have one? We have one we use most often for weekend breakfasts, a cast iron one that we can use camping, and the old one that I have had for years as a back-up. Waffle irons come in a variety of styles and shapes, the most common one you’ll find is for Belgian waffles – the ones with the big indentations in them. I prefer the ones with the little indentations like this one – it is easier to get butter into each of the little holes!
Pluto Demoted Day – People in my generation were raised learning that Pluto was the 9th planet. It was so interesting to hear, in 2006 when our solar system went through a reclassification, that Pluto has been demoted to a Dwarf Planet. It hasn’t changed our lives in any significant way, except to wipe out a portion of what we learned was true and are now being told that it isn’t. That’s the way with science, isn’t it? We keep learning new things and the old things pass us by and we move forward with the knowledge we have gained. Today would perhaps be a good day to celebrate by learning something new about space or share what WE learned about Pluto with our littles to show them a good example of science always discovering new things.
Vesuvius Day – I remember when I was growing up my parents had shelves of books about different historical events, encyclopedias and other reference books that I would sit and read. I was fascinated by various points in history, and this was one of the events that I would read about that just set my imagination and sympathy for all involved on fire. Living in a state with an active volcano, this one is truly meaningful to anyone who experienced Mount Saint Helens because there but for the grace of God go we. Mount Vesuvius, in southern Italy, was dormant for centuries. Near the base of the mountain at the Bay of Naples sat the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In the time of the early Roman Empire there were 20,000 people living in Pompeii – merchants, manufacturers and farmers who grew vineyards and orchards in the rich soil. They had no idea that the fertile earth was from earlier eruptions of the mountain. On August 24 in the year 79 A.D. Mount Vesuvius erupted, devastating these two prosperous cities, killing thousands and literally burying the area in a thick layer of volcanic material and mud. They were never rebuilt and were forgotten, for the most part, as time marched forward. In the 18th century, Pompeii and Herculaneum were rediscovered and excavated, giving an unprecedented archaeological record of the everyday life of an ancient civilization that was startlingly and suddenly preserved in sudden death. Sometimes it is difficult to imagine how something of this significance impacted the people of the time, but let’s put this into perspective. These people believed in a variety of gods who controlled everything and when their gods became angry they punished them with horrible disasters. That’s important to think about as we learn about what happened.
Herculaneum was a city of 5,000 people and a popular summer destination for rich Romans. Makes me think of places like Martha’s Vineyard and those who vacation there to get away from the rest of the world. The city was named after the mythic hero Hercules and was filled with grand villas and fantastic Roman baths. Artifacts from gambling were found there, and a brothel was uncovered in Pompeii, which speaks to the decadent nature of these two cities. There were other, smaller little towns around there as well, also destination spots, but none quite as popular as the two major ones. Everyone was going about their day, conducting business, doing household chores, running errands and at the moment when the sun was high in the sky, at noon on that fateful day, it all came to an end when the peak of Mount Vesuvius exploded, sending a 10-mile high mushroom cloud of ash and pumice into the air. For the 12 hours that followed there was a hail of volcanic ash and pumice stones up to three inches in diameter showering down upon the city of Pompeii, forcing the people to flee in terror. About 2,000 people stayed in Pompeii, hiding in cellars or stone buildings, hoping to wait out the disaster. There was a westerly wind protecting Herculaneum from the first stage of eruption, but a giant cloud of hot ash and gas came down on the western side of the mountain, covering the city and either burning or asphyxiating anyone who remained. The cloud of death was followed by a flood of volcanic mud and rock, burying the city. On the morning of August 25th, the people who remained in Pompeii were killed when a cloud of toxic gas poured over them, suffocating anyone who remained. This was followed by a rock and ash flow, collapsing the roofs and walls, burying the dead. We know these things because a young man, Pliny the Younger, was staying along the Bay of Naples when the mountain blew up. He wrote two letters to the historian Tacitus, telling of how the people covered their heads with pillows as a defense against the stones, and about the dark and horrible cloud covered them. He was only 17 years old at the time and escaped the catastrophe to later become a noted Roman writer and administrator. According to Pliny the Younger’s (he had an uncle, Pliny the Older who died in the event) the eruption lasted 18 hours. Pompeii was buried under 14-17 feet of ash and pumice and the seacoast was changed forever. Herculaneum was buried under more than 60 feet of mud and volcanic material. Some residents of Pompeii who had fled returned to try to salvage some of their belongings, but many treasures were left behind, and lay there long forgotten.
A man digging a well uncovered a marble statue on the site of Herculaneum in the 18th century. After reporting it, the local government dug up some other art objects, but the project wasn’t really looked into until 1748 when a farmer found traces of Pompeii beneath his vineyard. Excavations have gone on pretty much uninterrupted until the present. The remains of the 2,000 men, women and children were found at Pompeii. After they died of asphyxiation their bodies were covered with ash that hardened and preserved their bodies, leaving a perfect outline. After their bodies had decomposed, they left behind some sort of plaster mold. Archaeologists found them and filled with them plaster, showing in sad detail the death pose of the victims, frozen in time.
I found that to be so sad in so many ways and history always repeats itself. Today Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano on the European mainland. It last erupted in 1944, with its last major eruption happening in 1631. They do except another eruption in the near future, which would be devastating for the 700,000 people who live in the death zones around Vesuvius.
World Daffodil Day – The first couple of times I wrote about this one I couldn’t find a reason to have this celebration in August. It’s too late for daffodils to be in bloom, and it’s too early to plant the bulbs for next year. So, what could it possibly be? Well, daffodils are a symbol of hope and life, which are both important to people who are fighting cancer. That makes sense finally! What a beautiful celebration.
This Day in History –
79 – The infamous Mount Vesuvius eruption buries the city of Pompeii.
1869 – The Waffle Iron is patented by Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Peach Pie Day – Today is a day to appreciate the amazing taste of homemade peach pie. Even eating low-carb, it’s OK to have a treat like this once in awhile – just use sugar alternatives and keep the portion small. Anything can be worked into the daily plan if we’re careful. Well, almost anything. I’m going to be thinking about this all day.
National Waffle Day – The ancient Greeks are said to have been the first waffle bakers — they cooked flat cakes between two metal plates held over burning embers. Since today is the anniversary of the day the Waffle Iron was invented, it seems like a great time to make waffles. Maybe chicken and waffles for dinner? Hmmm . . .
It’s time to head out for our day of errands, visiting with my parents – it is so important that Miss B has time with her Great-Grandparents – then coming home to have a nap, then wait and watch for Papaw to come home from work. We’d better hurry if we are going to get everything done today! God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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Celebration list sources:
www.verseoftheday.com www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.thenibble.com www.foodimentary.com