DIANE'S CORNER ..

Churches Get Ready for Ash Wednesday in a Pandemic

Celebrate World Human Spirit Day

So many of our statements nowadays end with ‘the world as we know it’. World Human Spirit Day is a celebration of the fact that what we know about our own world is limited and superficial. It is a day to wonder at our achievements on this planet as humans, and to contemplate the endless possibilities we have as spirits.

A day to search within for contentedness and to embrace the fact that we do not have all the answers and that may be for the best. A day to give a higher power thanks for what we have and what we don’t have, for making us who we are and for giving us the ability to touch others.

This day is a celebration of continuity, of hope, of awareness, an occasion for us all to connect spiritually, to gaze at the universe beyond our worldly bodies.

thanks for the Animal Relationships pics, Denise

Joke of the Day

Word of the Day

gold-digger

MEANING:
noun: One who forms a romantic relationship with a rich person for money.

ETYMOLOGY:
From the metaphorical use of the term for someone who digs for gold. Earliest documented use: 1826 in a literal sense, 1911 in a figurative sense.

NOTES:
In the beginning, the terms gold-digger and gold-miner were synonymous. Then came the metaphorical sense of the term gold-digger, someone forming a relationship for money, instead of love. Originally, a gold-digger was a woman and a gold-miner a man. Traditional boundaries are blurred now.

USAGE:
“Dear Coleen, I’m a divorced woman in my 50s with two grown-up children, who don’t live at home. Before the first lockdown, I met a man I really fell for, although at 39 he’s a lot younger than I am.
“He moved in with me in the summer and we get on really well -- he’s made this whole horrible pandemic much easier and I’m enjoying having him around.
“However, my kids and other members of my family have been negative about it. My daughter called him a gold-digger and my son refuses to have anything to do with him.”
Getting Stick for Seeing Younger Man; Daily Record (Glasgow, UK); Jan 19, 2021.

Idiom of the Day

What does 'As neat as a new pin' mean?

This idiom means tidy and clean.

This Day in History

1817 - The first gaslit streetlights appeared on the streets of Baltimore, MD.
1876 - Julius Wolff was credited with being the first to can sardines.

1924 - Swimmer Johnny Weissmuller set a world record in the 100-yard freestyle. He did it with a time of 57-2/5 seconds in Miami, FL.

1933 - "Newsweek" was first published.

1960 - The Everly Brothers signed with Warner Bros. Records in a 10-year contract worth $1 million.

1965 - Comedienne Joan Rivers made her first guest appearances on " The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" on NBC-TV.

1968 - The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened in Springfield, MA.

1996 - World chess champion Garry Kasparov beat the IBM supercomputer "Deep Blue" in Philadelphia, PA.

thanks, Iris

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, February 17
You are a responsible, success-oriented, and driven person who rises to almost any challenge that comes your way. Your staying power is tremendous, and others are generally in awe of your ability to overcome obstacles. Your professional life is extremely important to you. It would be best if you were careful that your worldly ambitions don't take over your life. Others admire you for your cool and collected approach to the world, and although you enjoy this reputation, it can come at a price--you don't always open your heart to others and might feel alone even if people surround you. Famous people born today:
1936 Jim Brown, American NFL Running Back (Cleveland Browns), born in St. Simons, Georgia

1955 Mo Yan, Chinese novelist and nobel laureate (Red Sorghum Clan, The Republic of Wine), born in Gaomi, Shandong, China

1963 Michael Jordan, American Basketball Hall of Fame forward, owner (5-time NBA MVP, 6-time NBA champion Chicago Bulls), born in Brooklyn, New York

1981 Paris Hilton, American actress and heiress (The Simple Life), born in NYC, New York

1991 Bonnie Wright, British actress (Ginny Weasley in "Harry Potter" franchise), born in London, England

1991 Ed Sheeran, English singer-songwriter ("Shape of You"; "Thinking Out Loud"), born in Halifax, England

READERS INFO
1.
(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:
In the 1970s, George Lucas owned an Alaskan Malamute named "Indiana." As he wrote, Indiana would always sit next to him, inspiring him to give Han Solo a sidekick that was "like a big, furry dog." She was the inspiration for Chewbacca
and Indiana Jones' name.

Queen Elizabeth has met 12 different U.S. presidents during her reign. More than a quarter of all presidents since the inception of the United States.

There are only three countries in the world that don't officially use the metric system: The United States, Myanmar, and Liberia.
2.
1965 -

On Feb. 17, 1965: Ranger 8 was launched into space in order to take close-up images of the moon's surface. In all, Ranger 8 transmitted over 7,000 high-resolution images of the moon's surface before it hit the moon at the Sea of Tranquility. It was a successful mission which provided valuable information about the moon and its surface, and its images helped scientists to choose the site of the first moon landing.

3.
Coronavirus Style by Sylvia, CAN DO Correspondent
A news story breaking the inflation of numbers at
The CDC Caught Inflating Deaths by 1600% and Violating Federal Law, May Be Investigated

Pictures of the Day

Interior of the Capela Dourada (Golden Chapel), a chapel of the Franciscans located in Recife, Brazil. The central niche for a large crucifix was carved by Antônio Martins Santiago in 1698, and was gilded by Manuel de Jesus Pinto in 1799.

China

A farmer harvests apples in an orchard after a snowfall in Yiyuan County.

knit
thanks, Emily

Bubble Beanie Hat

knit
thanks, Stella

LANA Grossa Pullover

knit

Color Dot Cardigan

knit

ISSUEw20 ** Vaunt : Knitty.com - Winter 2020

knit

Blossom Dance Scarf

Knit Patterns of the Day:

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Little Soldier Blanket

Snowman Hooded Blanket

crochet
thanks, Sheri

Meara Fisherman Sweater

crochet
thanks, Sasha

Spirits of Life Wrap

crochet

Crocheted Shawl

crochet

Stitchbird Beanie

crochet

Adyson Afghan (Crochet)

RECIPE

thanks, Shelley, New York Food Correspondent

Ham and Cheese Brioche Pudding

Quarantine Cooking Recipes

thanks, Debbie

Mediterranean Pantry Pasta Salad

CROCKPOT RECIPE

thanks, Julia

Crock-pot or Not Lower Carb Peanut Butter Granola

VEGAN/ VEGETARIAN RECIPE

Both vegetarian and vegan diets may provide health benefits, including reduced body weight, lower cholesterol levels, and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it is important for vegetarians and vegans to ensure that they are meeting all of their nutritional requirements.

thanks, Alice

Vegetarian "Beef" and Guinness Stew Recipe

COPYCAT RECIPE

thanks, Jenny

How To Recreate Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme At Home

RETRO

thanks, Ann

Old-Fashioned Custard Pie

SWEETS

thanks, Helen

Dark Chocolate Avocado Pudding

ADULT COLORING

FUN

Odd one out puzzle – which is the odd one?

answer:

CRAFTS .. St. Patrick's Day

thanks, Kathy

Paper Strip Shamrock!!

CHILDREN'S CORNER .. St. Patrick's Day

PUZZLE

Year of the Goat Jigsaw Puzzle

WORD SEARCH

acne
aimed
alert
align
analytical

battery
bench

clear

date
davit
detect
drill

foreordain

gallop
gastric
gravy
greaves

hall
honest
hotel

instep

lively

meal

nomad

older
organ

pattern
prayers
prune

rayon
regress

said
search
slat

teller
tense
trove

vises

wanted

SUDOKU .. hard

solution:

ICE BREAKER ..

thanks, Kris

You can use 'ice breaker questions' to build a rapport, enabling strangers to engage in back and forth conversion. With a little practice and possibly a beer or two, you’ll be breaking more ice than the Titanic.