Good Morning All!
Well, yesterday marked the 78th anniversary of the “day that will live in infamy”…when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, our generation’s “September 11th.” We should always remember these significant dates in our nation’s history and honor those who were lost or injured on those days. Our world was forever changed by both events. Prayers are lifted up that we never experience such days ever again.
Prayers are lifted up for our dear friends, the Green family, as they mourn the loss of their beloved son McReynold (Mac).
Today marks the birthdays of my Spokane area friend Phil, who celebrates his 77th birthday…Happy Birthday Phil! And Happy Birthday to Olympia WA childhood friend Dave, who celebrates his birthday this coming Monday, Dec. 9th! And last, but not least, here’s to my friend and accomplished singer and music/bookstore owner Ed, who celebrates his birthday this coming Tuesday, Dec. 10th!
Happy Birthday wishes also go to Irish flutist James Galway, who is 80 today; to actress Kim Basinger, who turns 66 today; to actress Teri Hatcher of “Superman” and “James Bond” movie fame, who is 55 today; singer Ingrid Michaelson who sang in Spokane during the U.S. Ice Skating Championship some years ago, who turns 40 today; and one of my favorite authors, Bill Bryson of “Living In A Sunburned Country” and “A Walk In The Woods” fame, who is 68 today. Here’s to all of you!
Here’s the holiday culinary tip for the day. Be sure and check out “Ambrosia Bistro” in the Spokane Valley on the corner of E. Montgomery Drive and N. Argonne Road. They feature a superb beef short-rib and many other tasty dinner entrees. Not to mention they make a mean “dirty” vodka martini. A great place to take someone special to dinner, for sure! It’s intimate, romantic and has excellent cuisine. You even might see some famous people there, like former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan & Iraq, Ryan Crocker, whom I’m told by Ambrosia’s owners, the Cooks, is a regular patron of their restaurant.
My Mom, Chris, and I had the privilege of attending the memorial service of a lovely woman, Debbie McGoldrick, who died of cancer recently at the young age of 65. She was a woman who was intentional about her relationships with others. She went out of her way to show concern for her friends and family…she invested much of her life to foster meaningful and caring relationships. A great example to follow, for sure. It was inspiring to hear her children’s remembrances of her…her youngest daughter gave a powerful testimony to how Debbie’s faith in Jesus changed the lives of her family and many of friends and acquaintances. Her memorial service featured a “high tea” for everyone who came. Debbie loved “high tea”. It was a lovely way to remember her. Here’s to Debbie and the way in which she related to others!
There was a great article in the most recent edition of “Golf Digest” about their chief fact-checker, Kathy Kelly Stachura, the person most responsible for the trust you put in practically everything you would read in “Golf Digest.” Kathy recently died unexpectedly of a heart attack recently at the young age of 56. One of her colleagues and writers, wrote that “She was the most remarkable kind of fixer…never in any way condescending or sarcastic, which fact-checkers often have a reason to be with writers. Kathy would soften the blow, laughing along with you. Her humor and bonhomie were constant. In the stress of deadlines or the murkiness of a fact, no matter how tedious or annoying to the writer, she never compromised…” “…Back in the early days at the office, every editor thought of Kathy as our little sister. She even resembled the adorable Mary Tyler Moore TV character in Ed Asner’s newsroom. It came as no surprise when that theme song was played at Kathy and Mike’s wedding:
“Who can turn the world on with her smile? Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?”
Even more amazing than Kathy’s ability to juggle dozens of stories every month was her equal skill at handling life. She nursed her husband (Mike) through 17 cancer surgeries impossibly back to health, while attending every play recital for daughter Annie Kate or track meet for son Jack, running her beloved dogs Finn and Charlie, riding the lawn mower, exercising on Peloton four times a week, shopping all year for Christmas presents, and keeping up always with her friends and family. In his profoundly powerful eulogy, Mike recalled, “Whatever it takes,” she would say. “The only way forward is through.” Mike went on: “But Kathy’s life wasn’t servile; it was selfless. She gave without thinking, tipped big, called always, and made sure her kids learned that life isn’t about what you do; it’s about what you do for others…And her professional life was about cleaning up our mistakes, erasing our flaws, shoring up our weaknesses. Not with slashes and red lines, but with relentless efficiency, gently nudging us toward our better selves.” Here’s to Kathy Kelly Stachura…pointing us to the “better angels of our nature!”
I came across the 1969 Topps Football Card for Pete Beathard, born in 1942 and played played professionally in the American Football League, the National Football League and the World Football League. He is the younger brother of former NFL executive Bobby Beathard. Pete was born in Hermosa Beach, California (one of my favorite places in Southern California!), attended El Segundo High School and played quarterback at USC. As a junior, he led the Trojans to the national championship in 1962. He participated in one of the greatest Rose Bowl games in history, which USC won over Wisconsin, 42-37. Pete was the second overall pick in the AFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he signed and backed up the legendary quarterback Len Dawson. He was traded to the Houston Oilers in 1967. He led the Oilers to the 1967 AFL Championship game, where the Oilers lost to the Oakland Raiders. His 1968 season was curtailed due to appendicitis and subsequently he played for a couple of other teams in the NFL, returned to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1973 and then played for a brief time in the World Football League with the Portland Storm and the Chicago Winds and then retired from professional football. In 1975 he signed briefly with the Oakland Raiders to play back up to quarterback Kenny Stabler. He finished 22nd on the all-time NFL list for yards per completion (14.2). He acted briefly and appeared in an episode of “Ben Casey” in the 1960s. After football, he went into real estate sales & development, forming Santa Fe Development, LLC in Houston, Texas. He’s currently 77 years old. Here’s to Pete Beathard!
Here is the trivia question for the day:
Q: “Which item was invented by a secretary and later sold for $47 million?
A: Like many women in the 1950s, Bette Nesmith Graham made a living as a secretary. The problem was that she wasn’t a good typist, and kept making mistakes. So she began experimenting with ways to cover up errors. She mixed ingredients such as white tempera water-based paint in her kitchen blender and painted over her mistakes with a thin paintbrush. She began marketing her typewriter correction fluid as “Mistake Out.” The name was later changed to “Liquid Paper.” In 1979, she sold “Liquid Paper” to the Gillette Corporation for $47.5 million. Her son, Michael Nesmith, would also find fame as a member of the rock band “The Monkees.” Here’s to Bette Nesmith Graham and all of the times her invention helped me make my term papers in college more presentable!
Here’s the pun for the day, compliments of my friend Al Whitney in Ohio:
“I break out in song if I can’t find the key.”
Here is the word for the day:
“Verve”: A late 17th century French word for “An energetic style of a literary or artistic work or performance”…”A vigorous nature or liveliness.” “Verve” is also the name of a recording studio that featured one of my favorite musicians of all-time, saxophonist Johnny Hodges.
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“Golf is 20 percent mechanics and technique. The other 80 percent is philosophy, humor, tragedy, romance, melodrama, companionship, camaraderie, cussedness and conversation.”
—Grantland Rice, pioneer golfer
“If I could be granted a wish, I’d shine in your eye like a jewel.”
—Bette Midler, “The Divine Miss M”, singer & actress
“O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come, ye, O come, ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels…
…Yea, Lord we greet Thee, born this happy morning.
Jesus to Thee be all glory giv’n.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
—“O Come All Ye Faithful”, traditional Christmas hymn
Here’s to a great Sunday and lots of love always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)