Jun 15
You should feel very balanced this week. Why? Because it’s palindrome week!
A palindrome exists when letters, numbers, or phrases are the same forward and backward. For example, the words “racecar” and “kayak” are palindromes along with the phrase “Was it a car or a cat I saw?”
The dates this week are all five-digit palindromes. Today is 6-15-16; it’s the same if you read it forward and backward.
Palindrome week will take place in July next year.
From last year:
May 30
Tom’s youngest brother, Bill, died, which was a major shock to all of us. He’d had Polycystic Kidney Disease and decided to go for a kidney transplant.
William T. O’Connor
(January 19, 1949 – May 29, 2016)
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O’CONNOR, William T. of Burlington, formerly of Everett, entered into rest on Sunday, May 29, 2016 in the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. Born in Boston, Bill lived in Everett for many years before moving to Burlington. Bill had a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a MBA. He worked for Walsh Brothers as a construction superintendent before his retirement. Beloved husband of Sandra (Fusco) for over 45 years. Dear and devoted father of Thomas O’Connor and his wife, Janet of Peabody and Erin Simione and her husband, Kurt of Windham, NH. Brother of Mary O’Connor of Quincy, Tom O’Connor and his wife, Mary of VA, James O’Connor of Everett, John O’Connor of Revere and Robert O’Connor of London, England. Loving grandfather of Olivia and Matthew O’Connor and Mason, Dante, and Slater Simione. Uncle of Michael O’Connor of NYC. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Bill’s visiting hours in the Cafasso & Sons Funeral Home, 65 Clark St. (Corner of Main St.) EVERETT, Saturday, June 4 from 8-10:30 a.m. followed by a funeral Mass in St. Anthony’s Church, 38 Oakes St., Everett, at 11 a.m. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bill’s memory to the National Kidney Foundation, 85 Astor Ave., Ste. 2, Norwood, MA 02062, www.kidney.org would be sincerely appreciated. Parking with attendants on duty.
From the funeral:
and
There will be more about the funeral on my Travel blog
May 30
Thanks, Grandpa… You weren’t American, but you fought valiantly for the cause overseas.
I never met my grandfather. He had died in Peshawar, India, fighting for the Black Watch during World War l. Peshawar was on the northern frontier of British India, near the Khyber Pass.
In 1947, Peshawar became part of the newly independent state of Pakistan after politicians approved merger into the state that had just been carved from British India.
We have a trunk of his belongings, though, and it’s very interesting to recreate his life.
My dad was born in Scotland in 1913.
In 1914, my grandfather was involved in this:
On the outbreak of war there were seven Black Watch battalions – for in addition to the Regular 1st and 2nd Battalions and 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion there were a further four Territorial ones which had become part of the Regiment in 1908. They were the 4th Dundee [Mary O’Note: I’m pretty sure this was his, since that’s where my dad was born], 5th Angus, 6th Perthshire and the 7th Battalion from Fife. The 1st Battalion was in action at the very start of the war taking part in the Retreat from Mons before turning on the Germans at the River Marne and the subsequent advance to the Aisne. Trench warfare then set in and the 2nd Battalion arrived from India, both battalions taking part in the Battle of Givenchy. Meanwhile the Territorial battalions had been mobilised at the start of the war but only the 5th was in action in 1914.
I guess this is why I love the Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch so much.
Thanks, Grandpa!
This summer, we’ll be going to the Edinburgh Tattoo for the second time. This had been on my bucket list for a long time since my grandfather was in the Black Watch and I just love to hear bagpipes. Even my cellphone ringtone is Scotland, the Brave.
My mom says that my Grandfather’s name is inscribed as a war hero in Edinburgh Castle, where the Tattoo is held.
When we were there last time, I didn’t quite make it to the top of the hill but this year, maybe…
You know, I’ll find that, sooner or later.
Thanks again for your service, Grandpa – and everyone who who served!
May 24
When I was a young woman, I just loved That Girl. I’d rush home from school to watch. Later, several of us would watch in the common room of our dorm at college.
Over the years, I’ve owned video tapes, DVDs. My mom bought me an episode guide for Christmas one year – which I still have.
I was absolutely excited last week when I found Season 1 is available on Amazon Prime – for free. Just the perfect way to spend these rainy afternoons we’ve been having.
Each episode begins with a pre-credits teaser in which an odd incident occurs or a discussion foreshadows the episode’s story. The scene almost always ends with someone exclaiming “…that girl!”, just as Ann wanders into the shot or the character notices her. The words “That Girl” would appear over the freeze-frame shot of Ann. The opening credits during the first season featured Thomas, in character, strolling the streets of New York.
Here’s the very first episode:
That Girl starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster, New York to try to make it big in New York City. Ann has to take a number of offbeat “temp” jobs to support herself in between her various auditions and bit parts.
Ted Bessell played her boyfriend Donald Hollinger. Many times during the show, Ann would say “Oh, Donald”. It’s become a catchphrase in our family.
I was so sorry when he died in 1996. It seemed like we were losing a family member.
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8, 1996— Ted Bessell, the actor who starred with Marlo Thomas in the television comedy series ”That Girl” and was a director of the ”Tracey Ullman Show,” died on Sunday at the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center. He was 57.
The cause was an aortic aneurysm, his family doctor said.
Mr. Bessell’s acting career spanned three decades, with appearances in at least 30 television productions including ”Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,” ”Breaking Up is Hard to Do” and ”Don’t Drink the Water.” Perhaps his best-known role was as Donald Hollinger, the steady but suffering boyfriend of Ms. Thomas’s character in ”That Girl,” from 1966 to 1971.
”To this day when I’m walking in the street, people stop and ask me, ‘How is Donald?’ ” Ms. Thomas said today.
Ms. Thomas said Mr. Bessell was discussing a feature film remake of the series in which the two main characters, now 25 years older, would meet again and fall in love. ”That Girl,” set in New York City, was one of the first on television to focus on the life of a single woman.
That Girl also included a wonderful array of guest stars including Bernie Kopell, Ruth Buzzi, Dabney Coleman, Rob Reiner, Richard Dreyfuss, Carroll O’Connor, Teri Garr, Ethel Merman, Rob Reiner, Bill Bixby, Dick Shawn, Gary Marshall, Sid Caesar, Barry Williams, Vic Tayback, Larry Storch, Danny Thomas, McLean Stevenson, Avery Schreiber, Monty Hall, Jack Cassidy, Carl Reiner, Pat Boone, Russell Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Kenneth Mars, Regis Philbin, Joe Flynn, James Gregory, Reva Rose and Dick Van Patten.
Back to my show and my youth…
May 23
See a penny, pick it up… All day long you’ll have good luck.
When you are out and about today, look on the ground for pennies. It just might be your lucky day!
My mom is forever picking up pennies – or anything that’s cash-looking. She’s made a record over the years of how much money she’s found on the street and the total amount is pretty staggering.
Finding a penny has long been considered a good omen, suggesting something good will happen in the life of the finder. Some superstitious people believe that you should only pick up a penny that’s lying face up.
Some believe we should no longer mint pennies because they cost more to make than they are worth.
Years ago a penny was able to buy something – like penny candy. Today, due to inflation, the penny does not buy much of anything. The metal value and cost of minting pennies exceed their face value. Many nations have stopped minting equivalent value coins and efforts are being made to end the routine use of pennies in several countries including the United States.
The U.S. minted 8 billion pennies in 2014, spending almost $132 million for currency worth less than $50 million, according to Citizens to Retire the Penny, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to educating the public on why the U.S. should ditch the penny.
1793 – The first pennies in the United States were made of copper.
National Lucky Penny Day is observed each year on May 23rd.
A commercial but cute, nonetheless:
May 16
Today is National Biographer’s Day!
National Biographer’s Day commemorates the anniversary of the first meeting of Samuel Johnson and his biographer James Boswell in London, England on May 16, 1763, and honors all biographers.
A biography is a written account of another person’s life.
Famous poet, essayist, literary critic, editor and lexicographer, Johnson was also a biographer. According to Johnson, the best biographers were those who ate, drank and “lived in social intercourse” with those about whom they wrote. If that were true, his best biography would be An Account of the Life of Mr. Richard Savage, Son of the earl Rivers which was published in 1744.
Applying this same rule, Scots-born James Boswell met his friend Samuel Johnson at a bookshop near Covent Garden. Nearly 30 years later he published The Life of Johnson, which became the most celebrated English biography.
Adapted from http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/days-2/national-biographers-day-may-16/
May 08
Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. It complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Father’s Day and Siblings Day.
In the United States, celebration of Mother’s Day began in the early 20th century.
It was in 1905 when Mother’s Day was finally introduced successfully by Anna Jarvis. She started a dedicated letter writing campaign to declare an official Mother’s Day. Through Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, the first Mother’s Day was observed on May 10, 1908.
This day, to honor Anna Jarvis’s mother grew into a National Observance until in 1911 every state participated. Soon it was spreading internationally and on May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day a national holiday to be held on the second Sunday of May.
Mom and me, w-a-a-a-y back in sepia, black and white photo times…
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom 🙂
Apr 12
Several years ago, my mom found a book with a curious label in it. The label said it was a “BookCrossing” book. My mom doesn’t have a computer, so I registered the book and I was off and running. I think this idea is so cool.
Each book has a unique BCID (BookCrossing ID). By entering that number at http://www.bookcrossing.com/ you can see where the book has been – and then you can track where it goes. If you’re familiar with Where’s George? for dollar bills, this is similar.
Many other Little Free Libraries are connected with BookCrossing and I thought it would be fun to have my Greenbriar Little Free Library #33664 play along, too.
In addition to randomly finding books, you can also go hunting for them at http://www.bookcrossing.com/hunt
This video is a great short explanation:
The Greenbriar Little Free Library #33664 is an official BookCrossing Zone.
Apr 07
Hooray! I’m not sure if we’re getting any more readers from this but we’re definitely getting more book donations.
Right now, we’re getting an average of 5 new books donated each day – faster than I can keep up with stamping and adding BookCrossing bookplates.
I have started reading up on starting a Geocache nearby, as well. Want to know more?
It’s all good!
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