Good Morning All & Happy Saturday!
Well, I had a great haircut at “Tempa’s Salon & Spa” yesterday! My mom really has a way with scissors. I’m like a new man! Thanks, Mom! Mom did say that she is not taking any new customers at this time. As Maxwell Smart of Control Agent 86 fame was always fond of saying…”Sorry about that!” Speaking of getting a “new look”…I drove past a dental practice out in the Spokane Valley, near the corner of E. Sprague Ave. & N. Evergreen Road that advertised “Cosmetic & Sedated”…I’ll bet you can get a whole new look and be sedated at the same time…sounds like a great way to fight the “cornonavirus blues”, don’t you think???
Happy Birthday wishes go to actor James Woods, who is 73 today; to ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, who is 58 today; to actress Hayley Mills of Disney’s “Parent Trap” movie fame, who turns 74 today; and to actor/comedian Rick Moranis of “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” movie fame, who is 67 today. Here’s to all of you!
On this day in 1906, one of the most powerful earthquakes on record shook San Francisco, resulting in substantial damage to buildings and the loss of some 3,000 people. There’s definitely a “Ring of Fire” that lies along the coastlines of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in earthquakes, tsunamis, & volcanic activity from time to time. A powerful force in Creation at work, for sure! I’m certainly in awe of it and have been since I was a little kid and lived through the 1965 earthquake in Olympia WA (my hometown that lies along the “Ring of Fire”…something I’ll never forget!
My daughter Amy made a chocolate trifle for my son-in-law Joel’s birthday and she gave some to me while I was up at their house the other day doing some yard work (part of my birthday present to Joel). Wow, was it delicious! A trifle makes a “killer” dessert and Amy has that recipe down pat. Thanks Amy!
My daughter Andy asked if I would teach a series of classes to my grandkids on Personal Finance and I’m pleased to use the cirricculum provided by Junior Achievement. They have class sessions developed for elementary, middle school & high school levels. You can find out more about what Junior Achievement has to offer by going to www.ja.org. You’ll be glad you did! I’m looking forward to spending time next week with my grandkids learning about money, budgeting, finance, loans, banks, investments…you name it in the world of personal finance.
As many of you may be doing during the “coronavirus blues”, I’m going through my file cabinets and drawers and trying to bring some semblance of order to all of it. Well, I came across a brochure that I had kept from a retreat in Mexico that our company put on for our sales force. It was for a horse back riding adventure into the mountain jungle above Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I went on a similar adventure on bicycle with a couple of my associates. I hadn’t been on a bike since I was in high school, so it made for quite a ride! I did all right going up…it was coming down that posed a few challenges, like almost running into a cow in the middle of the road just as I was rounding a blind corner. I almost pitched over the handlebars! That was some adventure! The brochure I have features “Rancho Manolo…since 1990…”See the jungle and mountains.” Perhaps this is something you’ll want to check out if you ever get to Puerto Vallarta!…the brochure does say “You need to make a reservation” and they do have insurance!
I came across the 1969 Topps Football Card for Charlie Harper, who played seven seasons for the New York Giants. Not bad for a fellow who was the 113th overall pick in the 1966 NFL Draft! Charlie was born in Haskell, Oklahoma (a suburb of Tulsa) in 1944. He was a big player in those days at 6 feet, 250 lbs. He graduated from Broken Arrow High School and went on to play college football at Oklahoma State University. His football card says that “During Charlie’s college career, he won a reputation for his fine work on defense. Coach Sherman (the OSU head football coach) shifted this lineman to offense because of his swift-thinking and blocking ability. Used at either guard or tackle position, Charlie performs dependably. During college, he was a unanimous Big Eight selection and All-American. That’s all the info I could find on Charlie Harper. If anyone knows more about him, please let me know!
Here is the word definition for the day:
Divaricate (di-VAR-ah-kayt): “Stretch or spread apart”…”Diverge widely.” One of the challenges we face as a nation is that we “divaricate” on our political views to the detriment of the common good.
Here is the fact for the day:
The average U.S. worker stays at each of his/her jobs for 4.4 years.
Here is the thought for the day:
“I am more convinced that man is a dangerous creature; and that power, whether vested in many or a few, is ever grasping, and, like the grave, cries, “Give, give!” The great fish swallow up the small; and he who is most strenuous for the rights of the people, when vested with power, is as eager after the prerogatives of government. You tell me of degrees of perfection to which human nature is capable of arriving, and I believe it, but at the same time lament that our admiration should arise from the scarcity of the instances.”
Abigail Adams, a letter to John Adams, dated November 27, 1775
Here’s to a great Saturday and lots of love & good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)