Mandela Day - July 18, 2019

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Mandela Day

He achieved more than could be expected of any man and today he’s gone home. we’ve lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will ever share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us. He belongs to the ages.

President Obama Speaking About Nelson Mandela

There was one man who has been lauded for leading the charge to put an end to apartheid in South Africa, and who then went on to serve as President of South Africa for 5 years after he put an end to it. He is an inspiration to all who knew him and a hero for the ages. Mandela Day recalls the life of Nelson Mandela and reminds us of the necessity for strong men and women to stand up against injustice.

History of Mandela Day

Nelson Mandela was born in Mvezo in Umata as Rolihlahla, an appropriate forename meaning “troublemaker” in Xhosa. His great-grandfather was Ngubengcuka, King of the Thembu of the Transkeian Territories. Throughout his life he fought as a revolutionary against the terrors of Apartheid, and served time in prison as a result, spending 28 years there before his release in 1990. In 1991 he began his negotiations to end apartheid, finally succeeding in putting an end to it in that year.

The rest of his life was spent working to better the lives of people in South Africa and continue to expand civil liberties within the country. He was much beloved by leaders and common people everywhere, and upon his death in 2013. Mandela Day reminds us of the life and times of this hero and the work he did in his life and encourages all of us to continue his good works in our own.

thanks for the funnies, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Word of the Day

blue moon

Blue moon (literal), Viewed from Cape Cod, Massachusetts

MEANING:

noun: A long time.

ETYMOLOGY:

From blue, from Old French bleu + moon, from Old English mona. Earliest documented use: 1702.

NOTES:

The term typically appears in the phrase “once in the blue moon”, meaning rarely or not often. In reality, a blue moon occurs on average once every 2.7 years. So what is a blue moon? Well, in a year you see 12 full moons, but sometimes there’s a bonus full moon. This extra full moon is called a blue moon, though it’s not really blue.

If you want to get technical, in a season of three months you typically get three full moons. If there are four, the third full moon is called a blue moon.

Sometimes, the moon actually shows up in blue, but it has nothing to do with the above discussion -- nothing to do with a full moon. The color is due to the smoke or dust particles from forest fires, volcanic eruptions, etc.

So why is that extra moon called a blue moon? Nobody knows. Perhaps the literal blue moon got conflated with the extra full moon because both occurrences are unusual and don’t occur that often.

USAGE:

“I started to appreciate this weird thing for what it was. Just two people who rarely have time to see each other, who aren’t quite right for each other, who enjoy each other’s company every once in a blue moon.”
Natalie B. Compton; Midair Meeting Lands in Reality; Los Angeles Times; Jun 22, 2019. 

Idiom of the Day

Let slip through fingers -

Meaning - Failing to obtain or keep up a good opportunity.

Example - This opportunity can be your break through in the industry. Don't let it slip through your fingers.

This Day in History

1743 - "The New York Weekly Journal" published the first half-page newspaper ad. 

1872 - The Ballot Act was passed in Great Britain, providing for secret election ballots. 

1927 - Ty Cobb set a major league baseball record by getting his 4,000th career hit. He hit 4,191 before he retired in 1928. 

1936 - The first Oscar Mayer Wienermobile rolled out of General Body Company’s factory in Chicago, IL. 

1942 - The German Me-262, the first jet-propelled aircraft to fly in combat, made its first flight. 

1947 - U.S. President Truman signed the Presidential Succession Act, which placed the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tempore next in the line of succession after the vice president. 

1953 - Elvis Presley recorded "My Happiness" as a gift for his mother. It was his first recording. 

1960 - Hank Ballard and the Midnighters released "The Twist." The song didn't become a hit until later in the year when Chubby Checker covered it. 

1964 - Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) hit the only grand slam home run of his career. 


1985 - Jack Nicklaus II, at age 23 years old, made his playing debut on the pro golf tour at the Quad Cities Open in Coal Valley, IL. 

1995 - The oldest known musical instrument in the world was found in the Indrijca River Valley in Slovenia. The 45,000 year-old relic was a bear bone with four artificial holes along its length. 


2015 - The Ebay spin-off of PayPal into a separate publicly traded company was completed. 

thanks, Mia

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, July 18

While you are very companionable and thrive in a partnership, you are also highly independent in nature, freedom-loving, and success-oriented. You are sentimental and in some ways surprisingly traditional, but your thinking is progressive. You can be known for your powerful mind, and also for your quirks! You are very loyal by nature, particularly in close relationships, but you still very much need for a relationship to grow and evolve. Famous people born today:

1635 Robert Hooke, English scientist (Micrographia), born in Isle of Wight, England (d. 1703)

1918 Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid activist, political prisoner (1962-90) and South African President (1994-99), born in Mvezo, Umtatu, South Africa (d. 2013)

1921 John Glenn, American astronaut (1st American to orbit the earth) and politician (Senator D-Ohio), born in Cambridge, Ohio (d. 2016)

1950 Richard Branson, British music entrepreneur (Virgin Group), born in London, England

1957 Nick Faldo, English golfer (US Masters 1989, 90, 96; British Open 1987, 90, 92), born in Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Fact of The Day:

Aaron Burr was the third Vice President of the United States under President Thomas Jefferson. 

On July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton was shot and mortally
wounded by Vice President Aaron Burr in one of the most famous duels in American history. Burr was never tried for the illegal duel and all charges against him were eventually dropped. The death of Hamilton, however, ended Burr's
political career. President Jefferson dropped him from the ticket for the 1804 presidential election, and he never held office again.

2.

1918 -

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013)

South African revolutionary and politician who radically changed the conditions of the Apartheid state of South Africa by addressing institutionalized racism and inequality. He served 27 years in prison and, upon his release in 1994, he became South Africa’s first black chief executive, an office he served for five years.

3.

Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach 2019

Jul 5 - Aug 31, 2019 | Laguna Beach, CA

Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach|650 Laguna Canyon Rd

Over 85 years old, Foapam has been celebrating art. The Pageant of the Masters is an imaginative recreation of historic art scenes with live people painted to fit the part. The Festival Art show brings local works to be out on display in a social scene. Set in Laguna Beach, it's a wonderful place to hold a festival that appreciates beauty.

further information: Festival of Arts

4.

Middlesex County Plays-in-the-Park 2019

Jul 10 - Aug 10 - 29, 2019 | Edison, NJ 

Roosevelt Park Theater|1 Pine Dr

Appreciate the theater arts by discovering Plays-in-the-Park. This is not your average community play. Each musical runs on a grand scale to provide a dazzling production on the outdoor amphitheater stage.

further information: 2019 Season at Plays-in-the-Park

5.

Fort Wayne Three Rivers Festival 2019

Jul 12 - 20, 2019 | Fort Wayne, IN

Headwaters Park|333 S Clinton St

Fort Wayne's favorite summer party since 1969! From the 2-hour Parade, Fine Arts & Crafts, Children's Fest and International Village, to live music, amusement rides, the Bed Race, and the Raft Race, enjoy family-friendly fun in the heart of downtown!

further information: Three Rivers Festival

Pictures of the day

The Entombment is a glue-size tempera-on-linen painting attributed to the Early Netherlandish painter Dieric Bouts. It shows a scene from the biblical entombment of Christ and was probably completed between 1440 and 1455 as a wing panel for a large hinged polyptych altarpiece. The now-lost altarpiece is thought to have contained a central crucifixion scene flanked by four wing panel works half its height – two on either side – depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The smaller panels would have been paired in a format similar to Bouts's 1464–1468 Altarpiece of the Holy Sacrament. The larger work was probably commissioned for export to Italy, possibly to a Venetian patron whose identity is lost. The painting is an austere but affecting portrayal of sorrow and grief. It shows four female and three male mourners grieving over the body of Christ. They are, from left to right, Nicodemus, Mary Salome, Mary of Clopas, the Virgin Mary, John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene and Joseph of Arimathea. The Entombment was first recorded in a mid-19th century Milan inventory and has been in the National Gallery, London, since its purchase on the gallery's behalf by Charles Lock Eastlake in 1861.

The Eiffel Empire

NYC meets Paris in this tiny planet composite by Noel Poage

knit
thanks, Adele

Guest Post: Knit Animal Pot Cozies

knit
thanks, Ruth

Rainbow rug crochet pattern

knit

Black Max Shawl pattern by Olga Baklanova

knit

Knit Color Block iPhone Cover

knit

Towel Topper Knitting Pattern


Crochet Pattern of the Day: Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Seaglass Summer Cardi

crochet
thanks, Sharon

Midnight Top
crochet
thanks, June

She Sells Sea Shells Top

crochet

Prima Ballerina

crochet

Chloe Doll pattern by Neogurumi

crochet

My Favorite Pillow pattern by Sincerely Pam

Some have counseled me to go to a long-term care home.   I was not sure about this. So I decided to ask my long time  doctor. So, I awaited my next visit and I asked him, "How do  you determine whether or not an older person should be put  in a Long-Term Care Home?"   "Well," he said, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the person to empty the bathtub." "Oh, I understand," I said. "A normal person would use the bucket because it is bigger than the spoon or the teacup."    "No," he said. "A normal person would pull the plug."   "Do you want a bed near the window?"   ARE YOU GOING TO PASS THIS ON … OR DO YOU WANT THE BED NEXT TO MINE?

RECIPE

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Pesto with Shrimp (Optional ) over angel hair pasta

QUICK AND EASY

Follow directions on back of Knorr's pesto sauce mix.
I added olive oil, crushed red peppers, and already cooked shrimp (freezer section)
Pour some onto your pasta and enjoy.

All you will need for this dish, some optional

Mix it together and enjoy

Housework was a woman's job, but one evening, Janice arrived home from work to find the children bathed, one load of laundry in the washer and another in the dryer. Dinner was on the stove, and the table set. She was astonished!

It turns out that Dave had read an article that said, 'Wives who work full-time and had to do their own housework were too tired to have sex'.

The night went very well. The next day, Janice told her friends all about it. 'We had a great dinner. Dave even cleaned up the kitchen. He helped the kids do their homework, folded all the laundry and put it away. I really enjoyed the evening.'

'But what about afterward?' asked her friends.



'Oh, that........... Dave was too tired.'

CROCKPOT RECIPE
thanks, Cora

Slow Cooked Coconut Chicken

A girl came skipping home from school one day. 

"Mommy, Mommy," she yelled, "we were counting today, and all the other kids could only count to four, but I counted to 10. See? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!" 

"Very good," said her mother. 

 

"Is it because I'm blonde?" the girl said. 

 

"Yes, it's because you're blonde," said the mommy. 

 

The next day the girl came skipping home from school. "Mommy, Mommy," she yelled, "we were saying the alphabet today, and all the other kids could only say it to D, but I said it to G. See? A, B, C, D, E, F, G!" 

 

"Very good," said her mother. 

 

"Is it because I'm blonde, Mommy?" 

 

"Yes, it's because you're blonde." 

 

The next day the girl came skipping home from school. Mommy, Mommy," she yelled, "we were in gym class today, and when we showered, all the other girls had flat chests, but I have these!" And she lifted her tank top to reveal a pair of 36Cs. 

 

"Ah, yes, very good," said her embarrassed mother. 

 

"Is it because I'm blonde, mommy?" 

 

"No dear, it's because you're 24."

SWEETS

thanks, Sara

Frozen Yogurt Bark

English Language 

At times it takes someone for whom English is not their native language to perceive the true potential of the subtleties of English. 

Especially for English Language Lovers.. Can any one tell the difference between 'Completed' and 'Finished'? No dictionary has ever been able to define the difference between 'Complete' and 'Finished.' 

However, in a linguistic conference, held in London England, Thulaseedharan B an Indian Brit was the clever winner. His final challenge was to tell the difference.. His response was:

“When you marry the right woman, you are 'Complete.'

If you marry the wrong woman, you are 'Finished.' 

And, when the right woman catches you with the wrong woman, you are 'Completely Finished.'"

ADULT COLORING

An older, white haired man walked into a jewelry store one Friday evening with a beautiful young girl at his side. He told the jeweler he wanted a special ring for his girlfriend.

The jeweler looked through his stock and found a $5,000 ring. The old man said, "No, I'd like to see something much more special." 

 

The jeweler went to his special stock in the safe and brought another ring back. "This one's $40,000." The young lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with excitement.

"I'll take it!" Declared the old man.

 

The jeweler asked how payment would be made, and the old man said, "By check, but I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I'll write it now, and you can call the bank on Monday to verify funds. I'll pick up the ring on Monday

Monday morning, the jeweler called the old man saying, "Sir, there's NO money in that account!" 

 

The old man said, "I know I know, but let me tell you about the weekend I just had!"

CRAFTS

thanks, Ellie

DIY Lace Twinkle Lights

A man and his wife were awakened at 3:00 am by a loud pounding on the door.

The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain, is asking for a push.

"Not a chance," says the husband, "it is 3:00 in the morning!"

He slams the door and returns to bed.

"Who was that?" asked his wife... "Just some drunk guy asking for a push," he answers.

"Did you help him?" she asks

"No, I did not, it's 3 am in the morning and it's blooming' well pouring with rain out there!"

"Well, you have a short memory," says his wife. "Can't you remember about three months ago when we broke down, and those two guys helped us? I think you should help him, and you should be ashamed of yourself! "God loves drunk people too you know."

The man does as he is told, gets dressed, and goes out into the pounding rain.

He calls out into the dark, "Hello, are you still there?"

"Yes," comes back the answer.

"Do you still need a push?" calls out the husband.

"Yes, please!" comes the reply from the dark.

"Where are you?" asks the husband.

"Over here... on the swing," replied the drunk.

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... cooking

thanks, Kitty

Frozen Chocolatey Kiwi Pops

GETTING INTO HEAVEN

A minister dies and, resplendent in his clerical collar and colorful robes, waits in line at the Pearly Gates. Just ahead of him is a guy dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket, and jeans. Saint Peter addresses this guy, “Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you to the Kingdom of Heaven?”

The guy replies, “I’m Joe Green, taxi-driver, of Noo Yawk City.”

Saint Peter consults his list, smiles and says to the taxi-driver, “Take this silken robe and golden staff, and enter into the Kingdom.” So the taxi-driver enters Heaven with his robe and staff, and the minister is next in line. Without being asked, he proclaims, “I am Michael O’Connor, head pastor of Saint Mary’s for the last forty-three years.”

Saint Peter consults his list and says, “Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” 

“Just a minute,” says the preacher, “that man was a taxi-driver, and you issued him a silken robe and golden staff.

But I get wood and cotton. How can this be?”

“Up here, we go by results,” says Saint Peter. “While you preached, people slept — while he drove, people prayed.”

PUZZLE

Wirehaired Griffon Jigsaw Puzzle

WHAT RELIGION IS YOUR BRA?

A man walked into the ladies department and shyly walked up to the woman behind the counter and said,
'I'd like to buy a bra for my wife. '

' What type of bra?' asked the clerk.

'Type?' inquires the man, 'There's more than one type?'

' Look around,' said the saleslady, as she showed a sea of bras in every shape, size, color and material imaginable. Actually, even with all of this variety, there are really only four types of bras to choose from.'

Relieved, the man asked about the types.

The saleslady replied: 'There are the Catholic, Salvation Army, Presbyterian, and the Baptist types. Which one would you prefer?'

Now totally befuddled, the man asked about the differences between them.

The Saleslady responded, 'It is all really quite simple. The Catholic type supports the masses; The Salvation Army type lifts the fallen; The Presbyterian type keeps them staunch and upright; The Baptist type makes mountains out of molehills. Oh and have you ever wondered why A, B, C, D, DD , E, F, G, and H are the letters used to define bra sizes? If you have wondered why, but couldn't figure out what the letters stood for, it is about time you became informed!

{A} Almost Boobs.
{B} Barely there.
{C} Can't Complain.
{D} Dang!
{DD} Double dang!
{E} Enormous!
{F} Fake.
{G} Get a Reduction.
{H} Help me, I've fallen and I can't get up!

WORD SEARCH

For all you Newfoundlanders and Labradorians: 

Cop: “Please step out of your vehicle”. 

Newfie:” I’m too drunk ... get in”.

SUDOKU ... easy

solution:

Perks of being over 80 and heading towards 90!

1.Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

2.In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

3.No one expects you to run--anywhere.

4.People call at 8 PM and ask, "Did I wake you?"

5.People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

6.There is nothing left to learn the hard way.

7.Things you buy now won't wear out.

8.You can eat supper at 5 PM.

9.You can live without sex but not your glasses. 10.Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.

QUOTE

THE JACK DANIEL'S TRICK
 A woman goes to a counselor, worried about her husband’s temper. The counselor asks, "What's the problem?

The woman says, "I don't know what to do. Every day my husband loses his temper for no reason. It scares me." The Counselor says, "I have a cure for that. When it seems your husband is getting angry, take a double shot of Jack Daniel's bourbon and swish it in your mouth. Swish and swish, but don't swallow it until he either leaves the room or calms down."

Two weeks later, she goes back to the counselor, looking fresh and reborn. She tells the counselor, "That was a brilliant idea Every time my husband started to get angry, I swished the Jack Daniels and he would start to calm down. It was amazing! What is it about Jack Daniels that makes it work like that?

The counselor said, "The Jack Daniel's does nothing. Keeping your mouth shut is the trick". 

CLEVER

thanks, Sheri

White Vinegar

Pour some vinegar into a spray bottle and eliminate weeds naturally.



EYE OPENER

Famous TV Living Rooms Recreated Entirely With Ikea Furniture

The living spaces on television shows are some of the most recognizable anywhere. Week after week, we spend hours there—and though fictional, they can come to feel as real to us as our own homes. In case you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Where did Marge find that killer orange couch?” we’ve got answers for you: Look no further than Ikea

Stranger Things

The Simpsons

Friends

with more recreations likely to come.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

The world is a looking glass and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. -William Makepeace Thackeray, novelist (18 Jul 1811-1863)