Good Afternoon All, Happy Monday and Happy “Winter Solstice”!
Speaking of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year…it began at 2:02 a.m. this morning! This shortest day of the year is caused by North America’s tilt away from the Sun. In addition, the planets Jupiter & Saturn are as close as they have ever been in centuries. The last time this occurred was 1623…how about that??? When they say “close” they mean within 450 million miles of each other, but it looks to the naked eye as if they are right next to each other in the night sky. They call this the “closest visible conjunction” between Jupiter & Saturn. You can see it around 4:00 p.m. today just above the horizon in the southwestern sky. Here’s to the “Winter Solstice” and lots of warm drinks to ward off the cold temperatures!
Only 3 1/2 shopping days until Christmas! Have you been naughty or nice this year? Santa wants to know…
Happy Birthday to my childhood friend Dan, special events/concerts promoter & football coach extraordinaire (among many other talents!), who turns 66 today; and to college friend, Steen, public relations & business development coach for non-profits extraordinaire, who celebrates his birthday today as well! Here’s to both of you! You two definitely make our world a better place! Enjoy your special day of celebration!
Happy Birthday wishes also go to T.V. talk show host Phil Donahue (married to Margo Thomas!), who is 85 today; to actor Samuel L. Jackson, who turns 72 today; to movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, who is 70 today; to actor/comedian Roy Romano of “Everybody Loves Raymond” T.V. fame, who turns 63 today; and to actor Kiefer Sutherland of “24 Hours” & “Designated Survivor” fame (he was terrific in the lead role), who is 54 today. Here’s to all of you!
We had a family Christmas gathering last night and enjoyed some delicious barbecued ham, pimento potatoes, cheesy potatoes, and some heavenly burgundy sauce to go over ham. It was something else, to say the least! We exchanged some presents with family members and there was much joy in abundance. My grandson Izaak (age 2 1/2) got his very own kitchen to prepare his favorite foods and he loves it. My granddaughters, Isabel & Quinn received beautiful necklaces and Quinn received a mermaid rug from her great-grandmother. These were just a few of the wonderful gifts exchanged. I was lucky enough to receive a fabulous Celtic bracelet from my mom. It was made by Keith Jack “Claddagh+Scottish” Jewelry. You can find out more about his work and offerings at www.KeithJack.com. He makes some fabulous Celtic necklaces and rings as well.
I was going through some old collectible cards I have the other evening and came across one dated 1964 for “The Outer Limits,” a 1960 T.V. series that featured visits to Earth from alien beings of all sorts. The #1 card in this series is entitled “Television Terror.” I’ll never forget the opening of this program when the announcer says…”Don’t adjust your television set…you are about to enter The Outer Limits!” Here’s an excerpt from this first card in “The Outer Limits” series:
“What appears to be a boon to science turns into a near-calamity when the first three-dimensional television set is perfected. During the first demonstration of the T.V., the image of a transparent creature appears on the screen. Suddenly the image emerges from the set and is present in the room. The creature is about eight feet tall and menacing as it stalks around at the spectators. The inventor realizes there is just one way to destroy the creature…He runs to the television set and shuts it off, thus destroying the image.”
I was just nine years old when “The Outer Limits” came out and it caused a few nightmares after having watched it before bedtime. Some of the episodes were pretty spooky!
Here’s the word definition for the day:
“Camber”: An English word meaning “The slightly convex or arched shape of a road or other horizontal surface.” The “Going To The Sun” road at Glacier National Park is definitely “cambered.”
Here’s the trivia fact for the day:
The Icelandic Parliament is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. It was founded in 930 A.D.. Who knew???
Here are the thoughts for the day:
“Yes, I do believe that there is a cause and effect and a ripple effect upon everything everybody does, and they have positive consequences and negative consequences. If you start to focus on the kind of minutia of that, it’s really quite extraordinary.”
“I think the most attractive thing is a sense of humor. If someone can make you laugh, you’ve gotten a lot out of the way.”
—Kiefer Sutherland, Canadian actor of “24 Hours” & “Designated Survivor” fame and son of Canadian actor Donald Sutherland of “M.A.S.H.” movie fame
“The look of love…is in your eyes
A look your smile can’t disguise.
The look of love…is saying so much more than
Just words could ever say…
And what my heart has heard
Well, it takes my breath away.
I can hardly wait to hold you…
Feel my arms around you…
How long I have waited…
Waited just to love you…
Now that I have found you…
You’ve got the look of love
It’s on your face…
A look that time can’t erase…”
—Burt Bacharach/Hal David, “The Look Of Love,” as sung by Diana Krall
Here’s to a great Monday and lots of love always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)