Good Morning! There are so many things to celebrate this weekend! It’s the 1st of a new month and it not only is the weekend, it’s a LONG weekend! How awesome is that? Add in all of the daily celebrations, toss in some fun food, and we have the makings for a wonderful three days! Are you ready to get started?
Before I get started, I want to wish my Dad a very Happy Birthday on Sunday! Love you Dad! See you tomorrow!
Verse of the Day
September 1, 2018, 2018
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Children don’t need to be taught; they need to be trained. Life is not just about intellectual lessons and information. It is about integrating truth into the fabric of our daily lives. God calls us to move our children and their training up on the list of our priorities because our children are forever, while most of the other things we invest our time in are temporary.
September 2, 2018
The earth is filled with your love, O Lord; teach me your decrees.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Sometimes we get so caught up in the wonders of God’s creation and the marvelous blessings of his grace we forget to ask him to teach us his truth. Let’s not only worship him in awe for his majestic creation, but let’s also worship him by learning his will and seeking to live it in our daily lives.
September 3, 2018
This is what the Lord says — your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
I sometimes long for the pillar of fire at night and the cloud by day to guide me as I make my way through this world, like the Israelites had during their wilderness wanderings. But I am reminded of God’s abiding presence in the Spirit and his promise to never forsake me. I believe that if I seek his glory he will get me where I need to be to do his will and bless me in the ways that most benefit me in this life and the next.
www.verseofthedaycom
Food for Thought
Lately I have been reading quite a few posts on a community page where women and/or children have been followed, stalked or otherwise made to feel afraid out in public – sometimes on the local trails, sometimes in stores, and other times when they are driving home. There are always two different types of comments. There are the people who answer logically – if you are being followed in a car, don’t drive home. Go to a police or fire department, call 911, etc. If in a store, go to where there are people, to management, call 911. If on the trails, be armed – if not with a gun (and only with training), then with pepper spray. Don’t let your children wander around alone, etc. And then there are the bleeding hearts who immediately start chastising the victim of possibly judging unfairly, that guy lurking and hiding in the bushes could have just been on a walk himself – don’t mind that he was HIDING on your way back from your walk. The guy in the blacked-out car following and matching your turns behind you could just have lived near you. The people who are strategically standing near that van with the open door could just be getting air, not watching your children like you think they are. Get a grip all of the bleeding hearts out there – there are bad guys in the world and yes, sometimes they are in your own neighborhood. They do not have good intentions. God gave us our instincts for a reason and if yours are screaming for attention – take notice! The lives you save could be yours and those of your children.
Saturday – September 1
Bacon Day (Always the Saturday before Labor Day) – We just had International Bacon Day last week, and today is Bacon Day – I see nothing wrong with as many bacon celebrations as we can pack into the year because . . . well, BACON!
Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day – I’m betting that the building code folks don’t get a lot of appreciation, and we all need some of that to keep getting up and going to work, don’t we? These folks are out there not only telling us what permits we need but making sure that the buildings we enter each day to complete our business transactions are safe! That’s pretty important, don’t you think? If you are having an inspection performed today, try not to be grumpy with him/her. They deserve at least ONE day of being appreciated, don’t you think?
Calendar Adjustment Day – This one is FASCINATING to me! I hope it is to you too. After the passage of the British Calendar Act of 1751, Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752. Now there was a problem! The Julian calendar system required that they drop eleven days so that they could sync themselves with the proposed Gregorian calendar, SO on the evening of September 2nd, 1752, when the population of Britain and its American colonies went to sleep, when they woke up the next morning it was September 14th, 1752. As a result of this adjustment, there was rioting in the streets by those who felt that they had been cheated and demanded the eleven days back. This calendar adjustment is also responsible for New Year’s Day being celebrated on January 1st, because before it had been celebrated on March 26th.
Chicken Boy Day – Today we celebrate the birthday of Chicken Boy. No, it’s not a cruel nickname. Chicken Boy is a roadside icon that was erected in the 1960s on top of a fried chicken restaurant in Los Angeles, a 22-foot boy with the head of a chicken holding a bucket of deep fried chicken. This fiberglass statue was a famous landmark on Route 66 for many years. When the restaurant closed in 1984, Ellen Bloom and her friends decided that Chicken Boy was worth saving and made arrangements for him to be moved to her house. Chicken Boy was kept at her house for 23 years, knowing that someday she would find a special place for him. She was so convinced about it, that she published a catalog that included gifts like Chicken Boy logo merchandise and things that Chicken Boy would be proud to have, if he were a real boy. I miss those iconic landmarks that you could see when driving down the road from one place to another.
Cow Chip Throwing Days – Every small town seems to have its fun festivals, and Cow Chip Throwing Days is one of these fun weekends celebrated in Beaver, Oklahoma. Cows apparently outnumber the people in the town by 16 to 1, so there are plenty of chips to gather for the throwing event. I don’t know about you, but even if I didn’t want to celebrate by throwing a piece of cow poop, I do love a fun country festival!
Emma M. Nutt – In January of 1878 the Boston Telephone Dispatch Company had started hiring men as telephone operators, starting with George Willard Croy. Men had been very successful telegraphy operators, but their attitudes (lack of patience) and behavior (pranks and cursing) was not acceptable for live telephone. To take care of that issue the company began hiring women operators instead. So, on September 1, 1878, Emma Nutt was hired, the first female telephone operator, starting a career that lasted somewhere between 33 and 37 years. She retired in 1911 (or 1915). A few short hours after Emma started work her sister Stella Nutt became the world’s second female telephone operator. Stella only worked as an operator for a few short years, rather than making it her whole career like Emma did. The customers responded to Emma’s soothing, cultured voice, and her patience, and customer approval was so overwhelmingly positive that all of the men were soon replaced by women. Emma was hired by Alexander Graham Bell, changing her job from the telegraph office to the telephone company. She was paid a salary of $10 per month for a 54 hour week. Reports say she could remember every number in the telephone directory of the New England Telephone Company. That’s AMAZING! For a woman to qualify for the position of telephone operator she had to be between the ages of seventeen and twenty-six, be unmarried, look prim and proper, and have arms long enough to reach the top of the tall switchboard. **The scene from “Bold Experiment – The Telephone Story” shows Emma and Stella Nutt, working alongside a male operator at the Edwin Holmes Telephone Dispatch Company.
National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day – A lot of things seem to happen without any rhyme or reason, but today we celebrate the actual English words that do not rhyme with any other words. These are all words that poets should try to avoid if they write the sort of poetry that is supposed to rhyme! One word without a “perfect” rhyme is the word ORANGE. The words MONTH, SILVER and PURPLE are also without a perfect rhyming match. That’s pretty interesting! As someone who occasionally writes poetry, I know those words make me crazy! Does anyone have any other suggestions for words that don’t have rhyming matches? We should get a list going!
National Tailgating Day – This one was started just last year, and I missed it. Sorry. Tailgating is the practice of gathering together in around the tailgate of pick-up trucks, having a BBQ, snacks, drinks and a good visit with friends before a big game, usually football. I personally am not a huge football fan, and have never participated in one of these parties, but it does sound like fun if you have the right group of people. Apparently, it’s time for the tailgating season to begin, so have fun!
Random Acts of Kindness Day or Be Kind Day – We never know when someone may be having a bad day, bad week, or a bad year. It’s sad really, we hurry scurry through our lives passing by strangers as we go without making eye contact most of the time, and they do the same to us. We are all so busy that it just doesn’t dawn on us on any run of the mill day that sometimes a random act of kindness could make someone’s life feel a little brighter and give them hope where maybe they didn’t have any. It doesn’t have to be something big, or expensive. Just knowing someone cares is often enough. This may have started as a day to celebrate, but it is actually a little contagious – or a lot contagious. It feels so good to show a little kindness that when we see the happiness on the other person’s face, it makes us want to do it some more! The person who is the recipient feels so good that they, in turn, want to do something kind for someone else. I know we’ve all received at least one kind deed from a stranger, and we’ve all done some as well. I’d like it very much if anyone reading would be willing to share some ideas, or some experiences. I’ll start . . . Received – I used to commute to and from Seattle. At that time commuters had the choice of buying a monthly pass or buying books of tickets. The tickets were easier to budget, so I went with the tickets. One time I’d changed purses, and somehow missed my ticket book when I was making the change, I had no money on me, and it was before payday, and I got to the ferry to go home and didn’t have a ticket. I was standing there, near to tears, saw nobody I knew to ask to borrow one, when an older lady came up to me and offered to pay my way across the boat. I was mortified, but so grateful at the time, and asked her if she would be on the boat the next day so I could repay her kindness. She wouldn’t let me give her back a ticket, but sweetly helped me out. I got home safe and sound that night, thanks to that lady. I hope she knew how grateful I was. Performed – This was also back when I commuted to Seattle. I would cut through Pioneer Square on my way from the ferry to my office – this was before I was as familiar with the area and figured out a better route. The homeless guys would sit around in the square on all of the benches, all of their worldly possessions around them. I became familiar with one of them, this very elderly man, who always had a smile on his face. He had snowy white hair and was always bundled up in everything he could bundle in, his dark skin and deep brown eyes would crinkle around the edges with his happy smile. I’d wonder sometimes what made him so happy, considering his situation. He always had a can out in front of him for any random passerby who wanted to toss in some change, but he never actually asked for anything. I wouldn’t give money to the street people, since I didn’t want to have it spent on booze or drugs, but I would return his smile and go on my way. I had one day a week off, so I’d miss that day, and the following day he would always tell me he missed me and had been worried that I was ill. One day I offered him a leftover banana I had not eaten for breakfast on the ferry. I asked him if he’d like it and he grinned big and wide, and told me he’d never turn down a lovely potassium filled banana. I started packing him a lunch on my work days and leaving it on his bench next to him in the mornings if he was asleep or handing it to him if he was awake. He got familiar with my schedule and would watch for me. I felt safer because I “knew” someone, and he looked forward to our brief morning conversations. After some time, I began also bringing him a cup of coffee from the McDonald’s downstairs from the ferry terminal and a friendship of sorts was born. One day, about a year into starting my commute, he was no longer there on his bench. I began noticing that his belongings were dispersed amongst the other homeless guys who sat in the square. I asked around and it turns out that he’d gathered enough change to go across the street to Starbucks for a coffee and had a heart attack and died while he was inside. It hurt that he was gone, but I was glad I’d helped him out while I could. Another guy who sat down there told me that Bill (that’s what he called him anyway) always looked forward to seeing me, even when I didn’t bring lunch, and called me the lady with the happy smile. That maybe wasn’t a single random act of kindness, but it started out that way. It hurt to go by after that, without Bill on his bench, and honestly the other guys in the square were scary – it really wasn’t the safest neighborhood. I figured out a different route that was quicker and safer, but to this day every time I go through Pioneer Square I think of Bill and miss his happy face. What can you share about Random Acts of Kindness? Big or little, they all add up to making others feel good and putting a smile on people’s faces. Jesus was a big one on random acts of kindness, as He was the embodiment of love, kindness and compassion. It really doesn’t hurt us to reach out to others with something as simple as an encouraging word, or a smile. Doesn’t have to cost anything but a moment but can pay huge dividends in someone else’s life.
Toy Tips Executive Toy Test Day – This is so much fun! Every year on September 1st in New York City the senior executives of different companies get together to play with toys. They call it “testing” the toys, but seriously, I’m betting it is all just playing. The purpose is said to be learning how to incorporate creativity into their work places. This reminds me of when I worked in downtown Seattle. Once in awhile my boss and I would go to Game Works – a HUGE video game arcade- to hang out. There would be rows of suit clad men playing video games, playing their lunch hours away. They always seemed to have smiles on their faces and appeared to be pretty relaxed after their play time lunch. Therapy for the workplace? Sounds good to me!
Sunday – September 2
Bison-ten Yell Day – Today honors the bicentennial birth date of a fictional person. Get it? Bison-Ten-Yell. Bicentennial. hahaha seriously? Someone set this day up as a holiday? Supposedly, Bison-Ten-Yell invented a set of ten battle yells. Get it? Bison-Ten-Yell. Ten battle yells. The yells were based on a memory aid system. And that’s all I could find on it. So, do with this information what you will. It’s at least a little funny and will make you wonder what some people are thinking.
Bowling League Day – This celebration was first noticed on this day in 2015. There is also a National Bowling Day, so I’m not really sure, and can’t find any further information, what the difference is, except that this one celebrates bowling as part of a league. Perhaps this is the day that leagues start taking sign-ups for their upcoming season? IS there a specific league season? I have no idea, but if you do, please let me know in the comments!
V-J Day – There are at least three dates that celebrate VJ Day. Some of the confusion could have been said to be caused by President Truman, but seriously, the war ended, everyone was happy, relieved and ready to start living out from under the shadow of the sadness of war, so what was a little confusion after all of that? I think celebrating all three is a great idea, as all three dates are important to this great event. On August 14th, Japan surrendered. On August 15th the surrender was announced to the world. On September 2nd the ceremony and formal signing of surrender was held, marking the official end of WWII and the cessation of fighting against Japan.
Monday – September 3
Labor Day – Today is a day in honor of the worker – and is also appropriately called “the working man’s holiday” – dedicated to the worker in appreciation for the work we do in or outside of the home, union or non-union, big company, small companies or government. As long as you work somewhere at something, this holiday is for you! Well, unless you work in retail, at a restaurant, an emergency service worker like a police officer, or on duty in the military. Those places are awfully busy today! That’s a lot of folks still working while the rest of us sit on our duffs! The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City on September 5, 1882 and started by the Central Labor Union in New York City. In 1884 it was moved to the first Monday in September where it is celebrated today. Labor Day became popular very quickly, and one state after another voted it as a holiday. On June 28, 1894 the US Congress voted it a National holiday. Today we have come to view Labor Day as the official end of summer. Though the Fall Equinox is still a couple of weeks away, kids go back to school and summer vacations are over, so this is a good way to mark the end of the season. Many people celebrate this weekend with one last picnic or camping trip, then close up the pools and put away the boats. As for me? I feel like, especially in the Pacific Northwest, we still have a month of summer to go and often around here it’s the best weather of the year! Not too hot, not too cold and still time to camp without a lot of crowds out and about.
This Day in History –
September 1, 1830 – “Mary Had a Little Lamb” was published.
September 1, 1878 – Emma M. Nutt becomes the first woman telephone operator.
September 1, 1939 – Germany invades Poland, starting World War II.
September 2, 1666 – The Great Fire of London is started.
September 2, 1945 – V-J Day.
September 3, 1813 – The image of “Uncle Sam”, a symbol of America, was first used.
September 3, 1951 – TV soap opera Search for Tomorrow premieres on CBS.
Food Celebrations of the Day –
September 1 –
National Cherry Popover Day – Popovers are the American version of Yorkshire pudding — an eggy batter that puffs up and over when baked in a muffin tin. They work great with a sweet or savory filling or topping!
- Jordan Pond Popovers
- Bacon-Cheddar Popovers
- Goat Cheese Popovers
- No-Beat Popovers
- Chicken Broccoli Cheddar Popovers
- Parmesan Popovers
National Gyro Day – The Nibble says that today is Gyro Day. First off, for anyone confused about the pronunciation of this delicious sandwich is that it is pronounced YEE-ro, not JY-ro. Very important distinction, so remember that. And what is it? Well, it’s a Greek lamb sandwich on pita bread. The meat is roasted on a vertical spit, or rotisserie, and served with tomato, onion and a sauce called tzatziki (yogurt/cucumber sauce). Wrapping food in a pita bread is an ancient Greek tradition, making the pita a plate that was edible.
September 2 –
National Blueberry Popsicle Day – You won’t go to the grocery store, look into the freezer case and see blueberry popsicles. Not the traditional ones anyway. You might see some in the fruit pop section, but it isn’t a flavor you’ll find in the multi-flavor bags that we enjoyed when we were kids. They don’t even include the root beer or banana flavors like they used to. Did you ever wonder who thought to make the very first popsicle though? I hadn’t until I got this information off of www.thenibble.com. I really admire all of the work they’ve put into their site, by the way. They say that in 1905, 11-year old Frank Epperson mixed together a fruit drink (it’s thought that the flavor was orange) from powder and water, but as kids do, wandered off and left it on the porch. It was an unseasonably cold night in the San Francisco suburbs, and when Frank found his drink in the morning, it was frozen. He wriggled the liquid out using his stirrer and ate it. He probably enjoyed this treat many times over the years, but we don’t hear more about this story until 1923. Frank was now 29 years old, a husband and father, and working in the real estate industry. He made what he called Epsicles for a fireman’s ball. Everybody loved them, so he got a patent for a “handled, frozen confection or ice lollipop”. His children called them Popsicles, after their Pop, so Frank started the Popsicle Corporation, collaborated with the Loew’s chain of motion picture theaters for nationwide marketing, and sales of the treat in theaters. By 1928, he had earned royalties on more than 60 million Popsicles! This success ended with the Great Depression, sadly enough. In 1929 he was flat broke and had to liquidate his assets. He sold his patent to, and rights in, the Popsicle Corporation. After 3 more corporate sales over the years, Popsicle and other “sicles” are now part of Unilever’s Good Humor Division. It isn’t clear in the records, but Frank may also have been the inventor of the twin Popsicls, with two sticks. The idea was that it could be broken in half and shared by two children. Over the years the Popsicle Corporation continued to create frozen treats on a stick, including the Fudgsicle, the Creamsicle and the Dreamsicle. Ah, such happy memories of them all! After all of this, someone decided to create National Blueberry Popsicle Day, and since there aren’t any without sugar or chemicals in the stores This picture is of the blueberry cream cheese frozen bars I made for this celebration. They were really good!
National Grits for Breakfast Day – I really like grits. I wasn’t raised eating them, but once I met them I found that I like them – and with such a name it would be easy to assume they wouldn’t be any good. Grits are a food with Native American roots, very common in the southern U.S. and most often eaten for breakfast. They are made of coarsely ground corn or hominy, very similar to thick corn-based porridge-based foods like polenta or farina (which is much thinner). You make them by adding one-part grits to 2 or 3 parts boiling water, seasoned with salt or sugar. You can buy “quick grits” that can be cooked for 5-10 minutes, or 20 or more minutes for whole kernel grits, until the water is all absorbed. If you ask many folks from the south, they will scoff at quick grits. Around here where I live, that’s the only kind that seems to be on the shelves at the store. I like mine fixed with milk, butter and sweetener, but the ex-family in my life always ate them with eggs on top. They make a very comforting meal, not low-carb, but definitely delicious.
September 3 –
National Welsh Rarebit Day – Rabbit, Not Rarebit. This dish has been around for a very long time, though nobody is quite clear on how it got its name. First what it is – it is a sharp cheese, melted into ale or beer, served over toast. It was a substitute for meat when the men had not been successful in their hunt that day. It was left for the women to fix a meal, and some clever woman came up with the name Welsh Rabbit as sort of a joke about not having any meat. I’ve never had it, but I hear that Welsh Rabbit is similar to fondue, except that you don’t dip bread chunks into cheese, you pour the cheese onto the bread. This is the basic recipe, but I adjusted it to our eating needs and gave it a try over hamburger patties, instead of bread for dinner. It was good! We had leftover sauce, so I put it over eggs for breakfast – equally good!
Serves 2.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup beer or ale
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon each cayenne pepper and paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 cups sharp Cheddar,* shredded
1 egg yolk
4 slices bread for toast
Optional: sliced tomato
Optional garnishes: fresh snipped chives or thyme
I have decided that the rest of my day will be spent in the kitchen and doing laundry. I went shopping yesterday and realized that my pantry won’t hold one single thing more – and it’s not because it’s too full (well, maybe) but it’s completely disorganized. I also need to shred a whole bunch of zucchini that my boss gave me. There’s so many things I may do with it, maybe no sugar sweet relish, and possibly some low carb zucchini bread. So much to do that I am grateful for a long weekend! God bless you and I’ll see you Tuesday.
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Celebration list sources:
www.verseoftheday.com www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.thenibble.com www.foodimentary.com