24 Aug

 

 

24 Aug

Weather Expectations Week 35  Day 236   Flag Today  81°/49°                            

Wind 22 mph Gusts 33 mph

Risk of fire: Extreme  Active Fire: 64 miles away

Nearest Lightning: 3 miles away Humidity: 61%

Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Partly Cloudy Windy

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

Today’s Observances:

Intentional Kindness Day Link
International Strange Music Day Link
Knife Day Link
National Waffle Iron Day Link 
Pluto Demoted Day
Vesuvius Day
Wayzgoose Day Link
William Wilberforce Day

Weekly Observances:

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over: 12-9/7 Link 

World Photography Week: 12-26 Link

Minority Enterprise Development Week: 18-24

Little League World Series: 19-30  Link

International Water Week: 23-27  Link
Brake Safety Week: 23-29 Link

World Princess Week: 23-29 (Disney) 

National Composites Week: 24-28  Link
National Safe at Home Week: 24-28

Fresh Quotation:

 

Today’s Reflection:

Sunday weather is great. May be some rain later today. I’m hearing some thunder while the sun is shining.

Dallas beat the Cards last night. Cowboys look good. The Navajo on the Dallas team got a lot of cheers from the AZ crowd when he came on the field.

This year, so far, there have been 309 mass shootings in the US. So sad.

Richard and Laura always have people at the hacienda. Today it was an early morning exercise group and then a nice breakfast. It is always impressive how well they entertain and get people to join in. So nice to see them so happy.  

Historical events

24 Aug History video

Cool to know:

About how many taste buds does the average human tongue have? 

 

Answer: 10,000.

 

Who did Madonna kiss at the 2003 VMAs? 

 

Answer: Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

 

 

How much does the Chewbacca costume weigh? 

 

Answer: Eight pounds.

 

Wild Animals of AZ:

Although the Western diamondback rattlesnake can be found in nearly every state park, they prefer to live a solitary lifestyle, away from humans. Luckily for us, if we venture too close, many of them will give a quick rattle warning to alert us of their presence. These vipers eat nearly anything that will fit in their mouths and are preyed upon by a variety of species such at coyotes, bobcats, roadrunners, king snakes, and birds of prey. Fun Fact: The tail rattles are made from keratin which is the same portion that that makes up your hair and fingernails.

Picture of the Day:

 

M&M stands for Mars and Murrie.

Forrest Mars (son of the Mars Company founder) first spotted the British confection Smarties during the Spanish Civil War and noticed the candy shell prevented the chocolate from melting. He teamed up with Bruce Murrie (son of Hershey Chocolate's president) and the company later trademarked the "Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand" slogan.

Great Life Magazine Photos:

Sophia Loren laughing while exchanging jokes during lunch break on a movie set, 1961.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

 

Harper’s Index from Funny Times:

 September 2026 • Source: World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Estimated increase, in terawatt-hours, in annual worldwide electricity demand by 2030 for air-conditioning

 : 640

September 2026 • Source: International Energy Agency (Paris)

For data centers

 : 529

Today’s Birthdays:

Chad Michael Murray TV Actor 45 years old

Birthplace Buffalo, NY

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Stephen Fry Movie Actor 69 years old

Birthplace Hampstead, England

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Vince McMahon Sports Executive 81 years old

Birthplace  Pinehurst, NC

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Aliona Kostornaia Figure Skater 23 years old

Birthplace Moscow, Russia

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Kevin Dunn Movie Actor 70 years old

Birthplace  Chicago, IL

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Craig Kilborn Sportscaster 64 years old

Birthplace Kansas City, MO

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Marlee Matlin Movie Actress 61 years old

Birthplace  Morton Grove, IL

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Yasser Arafat World Leader [1929-2004] @75 stroke

Birthplace Cairo, Egypt

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Reggie Miller Basketball Player 61 years old

Birthplace Riverside, CA

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Steve Guttenberg Movie Actor 68 years old

Birthplace Brooklyn, NY

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That’s All for Now

23 Aug

 

 

23 Aug

Weather Expectations Week 35  Day 235    Flag Today  84°/57°                            

Wind 12 mph Gusts 17 mph

Risk of fire: Extreme  Active Fire: 64 miles away

Nearest Lightning:15 miles away Humidity: 25%

Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Partly Breezy Snowy

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

Today’s Observances:

Black Ribbon Day Link
Cuban Sandwich Day Link
Go Topless Day Link 
International Day For The Remembrance of The Slave Trade & Its Abolition
Find Your Inner Nerd Day Link
Ride The Wind Day Link (Hang Gliding)
Valentino Day

Weekly Observances:

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over: 12-9/7 Link 

World Photography Week: 12-26 Link

Minority Enterprise Development Week: 18-24

Little League World Series: 19-30  Link

International Water Week: 23-27  Link
Brake Safety Week: 23-29 Link

World Princess Week: 23-29 (Disney) 

Fresh Quotation:

 

Today’s Reflection:

A nice lazy day here…enjoyable for sure.

Flock Traffic Cams came to Flag last year. They were removed earlier this summer as the council decided they were too invasive. The same seems to be happening around the states that have them. It seems to me that some guardrails could have allowed them to stay to help law enforcement without infringing on other’s rights. Law enforcement says they are helpful, others say they are simply spying on everyone.

I watched the Broncos/Green Bay game last night. Broncos had a horrible preseason game. They need to play as a team.

I heard a new term this morning on the news: CAVE people…those Citizens Against Virtually Everything. I only know a few Cave people and that’s fine with me.

Indy 250, Trump’s Indi race on the streets of DC, is underway. I never had an event like this, led by the US President on my bingo card. I saw a couple of news reports as the cars roared by. It reminded me of my youth when Lakeside had stock car races, and we could hear them from our home about 5 miles away. I’ve never been a fan of Indy races, and I hope none of my tax dollars are paying for this event.

Historical events

23 Aug History video

Cool to know:

The largest known living organism is an aspen grove.

Pando (Latin for "I spread out") is a group of genetically identical quaking aspens in Utah with an interconnected root system. It's an estimated 80,000 years old and takes up more than 100 acres.

 

Wild Animals of AZ:

Gila Monster

Gila monsters are specifically designed for desert life in somewhat arid country. Several of your state parks fall within great Gila monster habitat and these seldom seen reptiles of the desert can add a very cool experience to your park visit. Gila monsters store fat in their tails which helps during lean times or during their annual hibernation. Their venom is used to immobilize prey such as small mammals, birds, and other reptiles. They also eat carrion and have large claws aid in digging out underground prey, or eggs.

Gila monsters spend much of their daytime activity in shallow boroughs they have dug out, in small depressions, or other shaded areas. If you're lucky enough to see one while in the parks, stay back, snap a few pics, and observe only long enough to complete your experience without interrupting the lizard's routine.

 

Great Life Magazine Photos:

Award presenters Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly are waiting backstage at the RKO Pantages Theatre during the 28th Annual Academy Awards, 1956.

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

 

Harper’s Index from Funny Times:

Estimated number of excess deaths in India caused by a single day of extreme heat

 : 3,400

September 2026 • Source: Ashok Gadgil, University of California, Berkeley

Caused by five consecutive days of extreme heat

 : 30,000

September 2026 • Source: Ashok Gadgil, University of California, Berkeley

Minimum number of heat-related deaths in Europe since 2022

 : 200,000

Today’s Birthdays:

Kobe Bryant Basketball Player [1978-2020] @41, plane crash

Birthplace Philadelphia, PA

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River Phoenix Movie Actor [1970-1993] @23 OD

Birthplace Madras, OR

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Seth Curry Basketball Player 36 years old

Birthplace Charlotte, NC

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Gene Kelly Movie Actor [1912-1996] @83

Birthplace Pittsburgh, PA

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Rick Springfield Rock Singer 77 years old

Birthplace Sydney, Australia

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Scott Caan TV Actor 50 years old

Birthplace/Los Angeles, CA

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Shelley Long TV Actress 77 years old

Birthplace  Fort Wayne, IN

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That’s All for Now

22 Aug

 

 

22Aug

Weather Expectations Week 34  Day 234  Flag Today  85°/61°                            

Wind 7 mph Gusts 7 mph

Risk of fire: High   Active Fire: 64 miles away

Nearest Lightning: a miles away Humidity:  29%

Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Partly Cloudy Breezy

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

Today’s Observances:

Be An Angel Day
International Day Commemorating The Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
National Bao Day Link
National Surgical Oncologist Day Link
National Tooth Fairy Day  Link   Link 
Never Bean Better Day Link
Southern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day  Link
National Bring Your Cat To The Vet Day
World Plant Milk Day Link

Weekly Observances:

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over: 12-9/7 Link 

World Photography Week: 12-26 Link

National Aviation Week: 16-22

Minority Enterprise Development Week: 18-24

Little League World Series: 19-30  Link

Fresh Quotation:

 

 

Today’s Reflection:

Yet another great summer day. No complaints.

Since my medical issues, the Internet delivery service has been a life saver and very nice. Walmart sends a txt with a map showing exactly when the driver will arrive. Most of the others just DROP the package near the door, snap a photo and leave. A doorbell ring or a knock on the door would be much more customer friendly. They wouldn’t need to wait for me to answer, just notify me that a package is here at my door. I bought some sturdy sheet holders for my bed. They were delivered by the US Post Office yesterday. I watched the guy come up the steps and actually just toss the package about 5 feet to my front door.  Not real friendly. Thankfully, they were sturdy enough to not break during the toss, but the toss did rip open the outer packaging.

Internet passwords are driving me bonkers. The experts say to use a different password for every site. I really do try to save them on my various devices as well as keeping them in an address book near my computer. The sites, every so often, just log you out, so you have to put the password back in. Today I had to spend way too much time to figure out how to get on the Walmart site to order some items. Finally got on and the items will arrive by 2pm.

The 2^nd photo shoot this week at the hacienda was another success. The photographer was from Georgia…the European country. After the photo shoot he invited Laura and my brother to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants in Merida with his crew. Richard said it was informative, very interesting. and good dinner.

Historical events

22 Aug History video

Cool to know:

What is the painting “La Gioconda” more usually known as? 

 

Answer: The Mona Lisa.

 

10. What is Chandler’s last name in the sitcom Friends? 

 

Answer: Bing.

Wild Animals of AZ:

Four species of skunks can be found in Arizona: striped, hooded, hog-nosed, and spotted. Each of the four species can be found in your state parks although the striped variety is the most common. Another nocturnal animal, skunks are active at night hunting for small rodents, insects, eggs, and grubs, although they supplement their diet with various grains and fruit.

Believe it or not, there are a number of predators that prey on skunks in spite of their pungent aroma! Coyotes, mountain lions, and bobcats to name a few have grown accustomed to the foul-smelling mammals! Of interesting note, skunks rarely live over three years in the wild due to predation and a high occurrence rate of rabies. Oracle, Alamo, and Patagonia Lake state parks offer great wildlife viewing opportunities for several Arizona Skunk species.

 

Picture of the Day:

The voices of Mickey and Minnie Mouse got married in real life.

Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor were married for 18 years until Allwine's death in 2009.

 

Great Life Magazine Photos:

Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy conferred with his brother and campaign organizer, Robert Kennedy, in a hotel suite during the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

Hank Walker/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

 

Harper’s Index from Funny Times:

Percentage of American men who say it is acceptable for a woman to be topless at a public beach: 38

Of American women who say the same: 17

Today’s Birthdays:

Dua Lipa Pop Singer 31 years old

Birthplace London, England

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James Corden Comedian 48 years old

Birthplace London, England

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Ty Burrell TV Actor 59 years old

Birthplace Grants Pass, OR

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Kristen Wiig Movie Actress 53 years old

Birthplace Canandaigua, NY

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Rodrigo Santoro Movie Actor 51 years old

Birthplace Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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That’s All for Now