14 Jul

 

14 Jul

Weather Expectations         Week 23  Day 194      Flag Today  83°/58°                             

Wind 5 mph Gusts 6 mph

Active Fire: 22 miles away Risk of fire: High   

Nearest Lightning: 82 miles away Humidity:  30%

Air Quality: Moderate Sunshine Partly Cloudy

July Averages: Temps: 82°\51°  9 days with rain

Today’s Observances:

Bastille Day
International Nude Day Link
International Town Criers Day
Shark Awareness Day Link
World Chimpanzee Day Link
World Orca Day Link

Weekly Observances:

Tour de France: 4-26  Link

Running of The Bulls (Spain): 7-14
Sports Clich Week: 7-14 Link 

National Cancer Survivor Sibling Week: 12-18  Link 
National Farriers Week: 12-18 
Operation Safe Driver Week: 12-18  Link
Nude Recreation Weekend:  12-18 

Fresh Quotation:

 

 

Today’s Reflection:

I’m starting the new week with good vibes that the monsoon will return today.

During my stay at the hospital and rehab center, my glasses go way out of alignment. I took time this morning and took them in. In 5 minutes, they fit like a glove again. Yeah!

I ordered groceries from Walmart this morning. They said some items would come today, some tomorrow. Then the first order came and while he was bringing them to my couch I got another txt from Walmart saying my order would arrive at 1pm. OK…whatever.

Historical events

 

14 Jul History

 

Good to know:

Thunderbird and Whale's Cosmic Battle© artbyanthonyduenas

Earth-shaking battles between sky and sea play out in the dramatic legend of Thunderbird and Whale. When the enormous Whale Chief swallowed too many people, throwing nature out of balance, the mighty Thunderbird swooped down from the mountains to restore order.

Their epic confrontation explains natural phenomena across the Pacific Northwest. Lightning flashes are Thunderbird's blinking eyes, thunder is the beating of its massive wings, and earthquakes occur when the two titans clash along the coastline.

This powerful story served both cultural and practical purposes. Beyond its spiritual significance, it preserved knowledge about tsunami warnings—when coastal waters suddenly recede, people knew to seek higher ground immediately, just as their ancestors learned from the legend. 

Picture of the Day:

Professional Award Winner: Northern Cardinal

A red male Northern Cardinal seems to float above the snowy ground, the crest feathers on its head blown backward in the wind as it flies in profile in front of gray plant stalks. The bird’s three-wing feathers touch the white carpet of snow, its shadow connecting below. Steve Jessmore/Audubon Photography Awards/2021

 

Today’s Trivia:

 Banded Leporinus are a species of fish found in the Amazon River Basin. They are mostly herbivorous and eat aquatic plants, leaves, and fruits when accessible.

 

Today’s Birthdays:

Jane Lynch TV Actress 66 years old

Birthplace Evergreen Park, IL

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Franklin Graham Religious Leader 74 years old

Birthplace  Asheville, NC

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Gerald Ford US President [1912-2006] @93

Birthplace Omaha, NE

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Jackie Earle Haley Movie Actor 65 years old

Birthplace Los Angeles, CA

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Vincent Pastore TV Actor  80 years old

Birthplace The Bronx, NY

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That’s All for Now

13 Jul

 

Weather Expectations         Week 23  Day 193      Flag Today  85°/50°                             

Wind 8 mph Gusts 10 mph

Active Fire: 22 miles away Risk of fire: High 

Nearest Lightning: 17 miles away Humidity:  24%

Air Quality: Moderate Sunshine Partly Cloudy

July Averages: Temps: 82°\51°  9 days with rain

Today’s Observances:

Embrace Your Geekness Day Link
Gruntled Workers Day Link
International Day of Rock n' Roll Link Link 
National Barbershop Music Appreciation Day Link Link
National Be Your Own Hero Day
National Beef Tallow Day
National French Fry Day
National Nitrogen Ice Cream Day
World Cup Soccer Day (Anniversary Observance)

Weekly Observances:

Tour de France: 4-26  Link

Running of The Bulls (Spain): 7-14
Sports Cliché Week: 7-14 Link 

National Cancer Survivor Sibling Week: 12-18  Link 
National Farriers Week: 12-18 
Operation Safe Driver Week: 12-18  Link
Nude Recreation Weekend:  12-18 

Fresh Quotation:

 

 

Today’s Reflection:

It looks like the monsoon might actually return this afternoon. We sure need moisture for our forest.

I watched the Argentina/Switzerland World Cup match last night. It was a good match though Argentina came alive in the extended time. I still don’t understand how the clock works. It counts up, but I can never figure out when the match actually going to end. Thankfully the true fans, athletes, coaches seem to find it normal.

Quite a shock to hear that Senator Lindsey Graham passed last night at 71. He was a powerhouse in Congress. I seldom agreed with him, but he could sure control things.

After visiting my brother several years ago, I got a Google Home speaker. It lets me listen to music and NPR while showering and when in the bedroom. When I was moved downstairs, the speaker came, but I could not figure out how to change the Wi-Fi network. After two weeks of messing up, I finally simply deleted the app from my phone and started over. It only took about 5 minutes to have the speaker functioning normally with the new Wi-Fi network. Lesson learned.

Laura is back at the hacienda. She flew back from Mexico City after a couple of weeks on a business trip. Her flight was delayed about an hour but made it to Merida.

Historical events

 

13 July History 

Good to know:

Australian Big-Headed Turtles have unusually large heads. Because of this, unlike other turtle species, they are unable to retract their heads into their shells

 

Picture of the Day:

 

Today’s Trivia:

 The Piasa Bird's Reign of Terror© the_tentacle_monster

Along the Mississippi River bluffs near present-day Alton, Illinois, ancient paintings once depicted a terrifying creature with wings, scales, antlers, and a human face. The Illiniwek people called this monster the Piasa Bird—a man-eating demon that swooped down to carry off hunters and warriors.

Chief Ouatoga finally ended its reign of terror. After receiving a vision from the Great Spirit, he offered himself as bait while twenty warriors hid with poison arrows. When the Piasa attacked, their coordinated volley brought down the beast forever.

Though the original cliff painting has weathered away, modern recreations preserve this legend that blends natural and supernatural fears into a tale of communal courage against overwhelming odds. 

Today’s Birthdays:

Harrison Ford Movie Actor 84 years old

Birthplace Chicago, IL

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Patrick Stewart TV Actor 86 years old

Birthplace Mirfield, England

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Ken Jeong Movie Actor 57 years old

Birthplace Detroit, MI

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Johnny Gilbert Game Show Host 98 years old

Birthplace  Newport News, VA

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Cheech Marin Movie Actor 80 years old

Birthplace Los Angeles, CA

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Gil Birmingham Movie Actor 73 years old

His father was Comanche

Birthplace San Antonio, TX

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Robert Forster Movie Actor  [1941-2019] @78; brain tumor

Birthplace Rochester, NY

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That’s All for Now

12 Jul

 

12 Jul

Weather Expectations         Week 23  Day 192      Flag Today  91°/60°                             

Wind 12 mph Gusts 18 mph

Active Fire: 33 miles away Risk of fire: Extreme  

Nearest Lightning: 157 miles away Humidity:  15%

Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Breezy

July Averages: Temps: 82°\51°  9 days with rain

Today’s Observances:

Different Colored Eyes Day
International Cava Day Link
International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms
International Day of Hope
National JELL-O Day Link  Link
National Pecan Pie Day
Night of Nights (Maritime Radio)  Link
Paper Bag Day
Simplicity Day Link

Weekly Observances:

World Orienteering Championships: 4-12 Link

Tour de France: 4-26  Link

Be Nice To New Jersey Week: 5-11 
National Therapeutic Recreation Week: 5-11  Link 
Running of The Bulls (Spain): 7-14
Sports Clich Week: 7-14 Link 

National Cancer Survivor Sibling Week: 12-18  Link 
National Farriers Week: 12-18 
Operation Safe Driver Week: 12-18  Link
Nude Recreation Weekend:  12-18 

Fresh Quotation:

 

 

Today’s Reflection:

A very warm Saturday. Fan is running full blast.

When I was moved to the downstairs, my good pillow stayed on the bed upstairs. The ones on the bed downstairs were far from comfortable. I switched the pillow this morning and should have even better night’s sleep tonight.

Every day I have more strength and am able to move about better. It feels good to be healing…even though it is slower than I had hoped.

The 2026 Space Race is in full swing. Will the US or China set up the first moon base at the moon’s South Pole. Both have upcoming flights and they are only a few weeks apart. This could produce the first man-made base outside of the planet earth.

Historical events

 

12 July History

 

Good to know:

Sedna: Goddess of the Sea© kaitmatthewsart

From the icy waters of the Arctic comes the haunting tale of Sedna, whose tragedy transformed her into the powerful ruler of the ocean. Once a beautiful young woman, she refused many suitors until a mysterious birdman promised her an easy life on a distant island.

His promises proved false. When her father attempted rescue, the birdman created a terrible storm. Fearing for his life, her father threw Sedna overboard, then chopped off her fingers as she clung desperately to his kayak.

Her severed fingers became seals, walruses, and whales. Sedna herself sank to the ocean floor, becoming the temperamental goddess who controls marine life—a stark reminder of humanity's dependence on nature's unpredictable forces.

 

Picture of the Day:

Plants For Birds Honorable Mention: Anna’s Hummingbird and cattail
The brown, cylindrical top of a cattail stands upright as a green Anna’s Hummingbird half its size pulls away seed fibers, their fluff extending from her beak to the top of the plant. The sunlit cattail is illuminated around the edges. Karen Boyer Guyton/Audubon Photography Awards/2021

 

Today’s Trivia:

Female African Plated Lizards lay large, oval eggs with leathery shells. They typically lay 2 – 5 eggs in soil-filled cracks in rock ledges in midsummer. Their hatchlings emerge roughly 11 weeks later.

Today’s Birthdays:

James Rodríguez Soccer Player 35 years old

Birthplace Cucuta, Colombia

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Malala Yousafzai Civil Rights Leader 29 years old

Birthplace Mingora, Pakistan

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Nico Williams Soccer Player 24 years old

Birthplace Pamplona, Spain

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Topher Grace Movie Actor 48 years old

BirthplaceNew York City, NY

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That’s All for Now

11 July

 

11 Jul

Weather Expectations         Week 22  Day 192      Flag Today  90°/59°                             

Wind 3 mph Gusts 33 mph

Active Fire: 22 miles away Risk of fire: Extreme  

Nearest Lightning: 159 miles away Humidity:  17%

Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Breezy

July Averages: Temps: 82°\51° 9 days with rain

Today’s Observances:

Bald Is In  Link
Bowdler's Day
Carver Day  Link  
Cheer Up The Lonely Day
Day of The Five Billion Link
Grange Day
International Skinny Dip Day  Link 
Make Your Own Sundae Day
National Rainier Cherries Day Link
National Swimming Pool Day Link
World Population Day

Weekly Observances:

World Orienteering Championships: 4-12 Link

Tour de France: 4-26  Link

 Be Nice To New Jersey Week: 5-11 
National Therapeutic Recreation Week: 5-11  Link 
Running of The Bulls (Spain): 7-14
Sports Clich Week: 7-14 Link 

Fresh Quotation:

 

 

Today’s Reflection:

A warm summer day. I’m looking forward to a great weekend.

I saw my Primary Care Physician. K took in some apple fritters and donuts from Dunkin’ to thank them for their quick response to my illness. They were happy. All reports were good. Reviewed my meds and have a current list. I don’t need to see him again until October. That is really good news.

Every day I am moving more and feeling better. This was a good wakeup call for eating and exercising better.

I ordered food and other stuff from Walmart. It will be here at my house around 2pm. This sure beats trekking through the store with a cart and a cane. 

Historical events

 

HISTORY FOR 11 JULY 

Good to know:

The Legend of Devil's Tower© earth

Seven sisters played happily until a massive bear began chasing them across the plains. Desperate for safety, they jumped onto a small rock and prayed for salvation.

The rock heard their pleas and began to grow skyward, lifting the girls beyond the bear's reach. Furious, the massive creature clawed at the stone tower, creating the distinctive vertical striations still visible today on Wyoming's Devil's Tower.

The girls didn't stop rising until they reached the heavens, becoming the constellation we know as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. This Kiowa legend beautifully connects earthly landmarks with celestial bodies, demonstrating how Native American stories often linked the physical landscape to the night sky.

Picture of the Day:

Plants for birds award winner: Red-winged blackbird and lily pad
Beak deep in a partially opened, yellow flower emerging from the water, a gray female Red-winged Blackbird stands balancing on a lily pad, her wings partially outstretched, revealing the touch of red on her shoulders. More yellow flowers color the background. Shirley Donald/Audubon Photography Awards/2021

 

Today’s Trivia:

The process of metamorphism (or the process that makes existing rocks into metamorphic rocks) does not melt the rocks, but rather transforms them into denser, more compact rocks through either rearrangement of mineral components or reactions with fluids that enter the rocks during the transformation process. The rocks are typically squished, smeared out, and folded, but they do not get hot enough to melt — if they did, they would be classified as igneous rocks instead.

Today’s Birthdays:

Alessia Cara Pop Singer 30 years old

Birthplace Brampton, Canada

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Lil Kim Rapper 52 years old

Birthplace New York City, NY

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David Henrie TV Actor 37 years old

Birthplace Mission Viejo, CA

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Mindy Sterling Movie Actress 73 years old

Birthplace Paterson, NJ

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Giorgio Armani Fashion Designer [1934-2025] @91

Birthplace Piacenza, Italy

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John Quincy Adams US President [1767-1848] @80

Birthplace Braintree, MA

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That’s All for Now