It’s Friday! Usually that would fill me with a bit of excitement, even with this time of not being employed, but today it really doesn’t. I’m actually feeling a little melancholy because tomorrow my daughter and her family are moving. Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly happy about this amazing opportunity in their lives, for their cute little house they are moving into, the new career opportunities and the wonderful little community they are moving to – I am very proud of them and the life they are building. My sadness comes from the fact that they are going from 50 minutes away to about 3 hours away – IF ferries and traffic are cooperative. All of my grandbabies are now going to be so far away that there won’t be any room for spontaneously meeting up for fun, and that is breaking my heart a little bit. Or a lot. We will be getting up and out of the house tomorrow to go over to their house, so Hubby can help them load the truck and I can have some play time with Baby R. They will then head out for their new lives in their new home. It isn’t that we WON’T see them, we just won’t see them as easily or as often. That is where my sadness comes in.
Verse of the Day
August 10, 2018
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Where can we go when all the walls fall, and all the armies crumble and all hope is lost? To the eternal God, who is our Father. He preserved Israel through the most difficult of times, protected the Bible from those who would eradicate it, and has led his Church through troubles and triumphs through the centuries. He will do the same with us until he brings us home to himself.
Food for Thought
I have been looking for work for a couple of months now, and I am perpetually surprised by how many employers are asking for the world for McDonald’s starting wages. Having managed natural health clinics for years, I am naturally gravitating towards applying for those when they come up. There is one local one that I KNOW is raking in big money by using something called “practice management”, which is basically scheduling as many patients into as little time as possible, giving each one about 2-3 minutes and charging them a bundle. I know this because I received treatment there for a bit of time, as did Hubby. They were constantly trying to ram more and more treatments down our throats and charging an exorbitant amount of money. We finally said enough is enough, I went head to head with them over their tendency to set up a schedule, not maintain that schedule, declare an “oops” we treated more than we thought we had, here is your new bill for $1000s, let’s get you scheduled for more appointments. Um. No. So I see they are now hiring new office people – they are ALWAYS overstaffed – for starting wages for fast food, expecting the world for next to nothing. That’s the problem with most natural health clinics around here. They want a WHOLE lot for not very much. Here’s a bit of insight for employers who are trying to hire a quality office manager – be willing to pay for what you are wanting to get because nobody with the experience you are demanding is willing to work for peanuts. Free treatment is great, but it doesn’t put food on the table or a roof over our heads. Geez.
Kool-Aid Day – Did you drink Kool-Aid as a kid? Or maybe you still do? I haven’t had it many, many years. Honestly, I’m not even sure I’ve ever given it to my kids, it’s been that long. Now that I try to limit our chemical and sugar exposure, this is something that wouldn’t come into our house, but when I was a kid I LOVED the stuff! There was something about an icy cold glass of Kool-Aid on a hot summer day that just put a smile on kid’s faces. This celebration is in Hastings, NE, the home town where Kool-Aid was invented. The history was far too long to try to share with you, but here’s the link. It’s quite interesting! Take a few moments and skim the article. To me it’s a classic story of someone having the desire to make something bigger of their lives. American success story from beginning to end.
Lazy Day – Today is Lazy Day! It’s your chance to goof off and, if possible, not work. Comes at a good time, doesn’t it? Hot and muggy weather makes it easy to kick back and do nothing for a day. If your chores aren’t done, well, won’t they wait just another day? Someone said once that “There are no lazy days . . . just lazy people”. I’d have to disagree – yes, there are lazy people, but even the most gung ho amongst us needs to just relax now and again. Maybe order in some pizza – if your food plan allows – and watch old re-runs or some movies. And you’re not alone! Check out these quotes by some pretty famous people:
“Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.” — Jules Renard,
“It’s true, hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?” — Ronald Reagan
“I’m just a lazy boy. I’d rather sit in my recliner and act.” — John Goodman
National Duran Duran Appreciation Day – If you were in school during the 80s, then you are familiar with the work of the English rock band Duran Duran. They formed the band in 1978 and quickly became one of the hottest bands of the 80s, with multiple top hits in the UK and the US, with over 100 million records sold! With their interest in fashion and their innovative music videos, the band earned its nickname as “the prettiest boys in rock”. The original members included Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Stephen Duffy, and even though the members have changed over the years, Duran Duran still tours today with the original members Rhodes and Taylor. Now they have the added members of Simon LeBon and Roger Taylor. Though nobody really knows why this day is celebrated on August 10th, one source has said that it was because on this date in 1985, lead singer Simon LeBon survived a near fatal accident when his yacht capsized during a 608-mile race. The band thanks their fans for all of their support for all of these years, and even acknowledge this appreciation day on their website. Here’s a link to their video “Rio” from You Tube. Takes you back, doesn’t it?
National Shapewear Day – Apparently today we need to celebrate our shapewear, though I can’t find anything to back it up – at least not easily and quickly. So to celebrate this one I guess we should put on our Spanx and celebrate that there’s something out there that can tame our muffin tops!
Skyscraper Appreciation Day – I admit, I enjoy going to the city to visit, but I am NOT a city girl by any means. I can appreciate the architectural beauty of a building reaching far into the sky, but it’s a rare occurrence for me to visit one, and that’s OK by me. So why are we appreciating skyscrapers today? Well, today is the birthday of the famous architect William Can Alen, who is behind the construction of the Chrysler Building – one of New York City’s more iconic landmarks. This day was started by Dr. Tom Stevens, who started it so the general public could admire the structural and architectural brilliance of skyscrapers. I get it – when you have a city that is a limited number of miles in width, you have to build UP to accommodate everyone. I’m not a huge fan of up, which is why I live in the country! I don’t have to do UP where I live since the tallest building in our town is 4 stories tall. I remember when we had the 6.8 earthquake in 2001, I worked in Seattle. Though I worked in a small building that was only 2 levels, I had friends who worked in a couple of skyscrapers downtown, and they reported that on the upper floors where they worked, because of the way the buildings were built – to protect them in the event of an earthquake, that the entire building swayed back and forth several feet! How scary! Of course, that beats having the whole thing crumble, but still rather disconcerting! No, I’ll stick with small buildings happily and leave the skyscraper appreciation to the folks who don’t mind all of those stairs and elevators.
Shop Online for Groceries Day – I looked for awhile and couldn’t find out who started this one or even that it was an official holiday. The only place I actually saw it was from one of the 2 sites where I get my lists of celebrations. What I did find was a list of lots of stores that sell groceries online, which is pretty awesome for difficult to find items, or for people who can’t get out easily. We used to buy much of our meat online through Zaycon Fresh, but they’ve gone out of business, which is sad since I really liked their product and their prices. I also have been doing some shopping on Thrive Market, Vitacost, and Amazon for difficult to find, or typically expensive items. It’s really saved some money here and there. What sorts of foods do YOU order online?
Smithsonian Day – I’m running late getting this finished, so here is a copy and paste from History.com. Very interesting! “After a decade of debate about how best to spend a bequest left to America from an obscure English scientist, President James K. Polk signs the Smithsonian Institution Act into law.
In 1829, James Smithson died in Italy, leaving behind a will with a peculiar footnote. In the event that his only nephew died without any heirs, Smithson decreed that the whole of his estate would go to “the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Smithson’s curious bequest to a country that he had never visited aroused significant attention on both sides of the Atlantic.
Smithson had been a fellow of the venerable Royal Society of London from the age of 22, publishing numerous scientific papers on mineral composition, geology, and chemistry. In 1802, he overturned popular scientific opinion by proving that zinc carbonates were true carbonate minerals, and one type of zinc carbonate was later named smithsonite in his honor.
Six years after his death, his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, indeed died without children, and on July 1, 1836, the U.S. Congress authorized acceptance of Smithson’s gift. President Andrew Jackson sent diplomat Richard Rush to England to negotiate for transfer of the funds, and two years later Rush set sail for home with 11 boxes containing a total of 104,960 gold sovereigns, 8 shillings, and 7 pence, as well as Smithson’s mineral collection, library, scientific notes, and personal effects. After the gold was melted down, it amounted to a fortune worth well over $500,000. After considering a series of recommendations, including the creation of a national university, a public library, or an astronomical observatory, Congress agreed that the bequest would support the creation of a museum, a library, and a program of research, publication, and collection in the sciences, arts, and history. On August 10, 1846, the act establishing the Smithsonian Institution was signed into law by President James K. Polk.
Today, the Smithsonian is composed of 19 museums and galleries including the recently announced National Museum of African American History and Culture, nine research facilities throughout the United States and the world, and the national zoo. Besides the original Smithsonian Institution Building, popularly known as the “Castle,” visitors to Washington, D.C., tour the National Museum of Natural History, which houses the natural science collections, the National Zoological Park, and the National Portrait Gallery. The National Museum of American History houses the original Star-Spangled Banner and other artifacts of U.S. history. The National Air and Space Museum has the distinction of being the most visited museum in the world, exhibiting such marvels of aviation and space history as the Wright brothers’ plane and Freedom 7, the space capsule that took the first American into space. John Smithson, the Smithsonian Institution’s great benefactor, is interred in a tomb in the Smithsonian Building.”
There you go! The history behind the Smithsonian!
This Day in History –
1833 – The village of Chicago is incorporated.
1948 – “Smile, You’re on Candid Camera”. Allen Funt’s wildly popular show debuts.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National S’mores Day – Well, if this isn’t a summer treat, I don’t know what is! We have the Girl Scouts to thank for the s’more. They published the first s’more recipe in 1927. Nobody knows if they actually created the s’more or not, but they are the first ones who brought this treat public. Sticky and gooey, loaded with sugar and carbs, s’mores are nothing short of delicious. And there are so many different ways to enjoy them as people have experimented with them. I’ve tried them with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and also using Chocolate Chip Cookies instead of Graham Crackers, but the old-fashioned s’more is the very best. Now I have made low-carb graham crackers, and I have made low-carb marshmallows, but due to using sugar alcohols not caramelizing, the marshmallows just melt when an attempt is made to toast them. It is my goal to figure out a low-carb marshmallow recipe for one that WILL toast. Someday.
Once again, I got distracted by other online work that needed to be done – you know, the fun task of paying bills, balancing my checkbook (yes, I still balance my checkbook), looking for work . . . fun stuff like that! Once I get this posted I have to get onto the treadmill, then make some progress on some other projects. 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