Good Morning All!
I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving holiday! One of the highlights of our Thanksgiving dinner here in Spokane was a delicious salad prepared by my daughter & son-in-law, Amy & Joel, which included mixed greens, bits of cooked squash, roasted brussel sprouts and pommagranetes (sp?) which gave it a wonderful burst of flavor. It’s unlike any mixed salad I had eaten before and it was fantastic…not to mention all of the other yummy food that was prepared for the Thanksgiving table. Oh, how I love Thanksgiving! Many thanks to the loving hands who prepared the Thanksgiving meal!
Happy Birthday wishes go to our Spokane friends Avrilia, Katy & Diane & Lori, all of whom have December 1st birthdays! And here’s to other December 1st birthdays…golfer extraordinaire and one of my all-time favorite golfers, Lee Trevino, who turns 80 today; to singer/actress Bette Midler (“The Divine Miss M”), who is 74 today; to actress Zoe Kravitz, who co-starred in the movie “Divergent” with my daughter Amy, who turns 31 today; and to singer/songwriter Mat Kearney, who is 41 today! Here’s to all of you!
I remember that my father-in-law, Dwain, would always revel in the coming of rain. He loved it when it rained…and rained…and rained. Rain for him, as a “dry land” farmer, was like manna from heaven. He always spoke with reverence about rain and could never get enough of it. I came across a passage about rain in the book, “The Humboldt: Highroad of the West” by Dale L. Morgan, and it seemed to capture the feeling that Dwain had for rain:
“Rain! To the West the word is an invocation. Rain is the yardstick of the land’s worth. It is the determinant of the level of life. Rain on the land itself, the rolling, illimitable earth, has, except for stockmen and the range grasses, the significance only of an unexpected beneficence…
…In the farther West rain means not rain upon the farmland so much as snow in the mountains, running water in the creeks, ground water from springs and wells. Man himself will bring the water to the farm land, and give thanks for the privilege. All that is expected of the Lord is that He shall precipitate the rain somewhere in the country…”
—Dale L. Morgan, “The Humboldt: Highroad of the West” (1943)
Thanks to all of the dry land farmers out there who work long hours to see that food comes to our tables!
Here is the word for the day:
Brobdingnagian (pronounced “brohb-ding-NAG-ee-an”): An early 18th century English word meaning “Of gigantic size”
I’ll bet you’ve never seen that word before!
Here is the trivia question for the day:
Q: What musical instrument is played without touching it?
A: The theremin is an electronic musical instrument. It was invented in 1919 by a Russian physicist Leon Theremin. Besides its unusual appearance, the theremin is also unique in that it is played without being touched. The theremin consists of a box with two metal antennas which create an electromagnetic field. The musician stands in front of the instrument and moves his hands in the proximity of the two antennas, which forms a capacitor between his hands and the antennas. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a speaker system. The sound of the instrument is often associated with eerie situations. Thus, the theremin has been used in many movie soundtracks (no doubt in scary movies!).
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“I never said to myself, “I’m going to be the greatest.” I just wanted to do my own thing.”
—Ralph Lauren, American fashion designer
“I was never money conscious. I would never have succeeded if I thought I was going to be a millionaire.”
—Ralph Lauren, American fashion designer
“The road to love is littered by the bones of other ones
Who by the magic of the moment were mysteriously undone
You try to understand it but you never seem to find
Any kind of freedom comin’ clean is just another state of mind
When you wake up to the promise of your dream world comin’ true
With one less friend to call on, was it someone that I knew?
Away you will go sailin’ in a race among the ruins
If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon
So take the best of all that’s left, you know this cannot last
Even though your mother was your maker, from her apron strings you pass
Just think about the fool who by his virtue can be found
In a most unusual situation, playin’ jester to the clown
When you wake up to the promise of your dream world comin’ true
With one less friend to call on, was it someone that I knew?
Away you will go sailin’ in a race among the ruins
If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon.”
—Gordon Lightfoot, “Race Among The Ruins”
Here’s to a great Sunday and lots of love and good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)