I did a post on the 100 year anniversary of the ending of WW I back in 2018. I did a post on my Vietnam Veteran in 2019. This year, I’m staying simple. ~Vic
Well (scratching head), Flick Friday is a complete bust. There are no movie releases for today from 1950. Instead, I will highlight National Tequila Day. No, I’m not kidding. As a side note to the below, the listed Mamasita or Mamacita appears to be a Rum drink, not Tequila. But, who am I to argue. Drink up! ~Vic
Image Credit: National Day Calendar
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor!
On July 24th, commemorate National Tequila Day with a little lime and salt. Mix up a Margarita, Paloma or a Mamasita to celebrate the day! People have been making Tequila for centuries and it was once known as mezcal wine. In fact, Tequila is mezcal but, mezcal isn’t Tequila. That’s because Tequila is distilled from a specific type of agave plant. Also, the law protects its production. Take a sip and we’ll travel into Tequila’s history.
History
It all started around the 16th century. Cortez [sic] arrived on the North American continent with his Spanish conquistadors. They didn’t care much for the fermented mezcal wine served to them. However, the Spanish introduced copper stills to the population. Enter the distilling process.
Image Credit: Win Calendar
Now, our story takes us to Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. Located in a valley west of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico, the town made a name for themselves by distilling Blue Agave. Even though a variety of succulents in Mexico produce mezcal, only one delivers the nectar to distill Tequila. Blue Agave grows in the highland region. Indeed, the unique growing conditions contribute to a larger size and sweeter tasting agave. In contrast, agave grown in the lowland regions taste and smell more herbal. In Mexico, the law protects the production of Tequila. The rule states Tequila is only Tequila if it is made within Jalisco. Additionally, the law limits production to regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. However, the same ingredients distilled anywhere else cannot be labeled Tequila.
Interestingly, many names in the Tequila business, today, were the very first commercial producers of Tequila. For example, José Antonio Cuervo held the first license for making the favored beverage. He kept a well-known company, too. Two other names include Don Cenobio Sauza and Félix López, whose businesses continue in some form today. Equally enjoyed in cocktails such as the margarita or Tequila Sunrise, connoisseurs savor a good Tequila like a good whiskey. As a result, savvy drinkers experience the smooth renaissance of Tequila. Surprisingly, it’s not the firewater they remember from their youth.
On the day before gathering around the turkey, gather around the nearest jukebox to celebrate National Jukebox Day! As Americans flock to their hometowns for Thanksgiving, many will head out to neighborhood bars and restaurants. They’ll catch up with friends and family and, celebrate by playing great songs on their local jukebox.
Image Credit: pinterest.com
The name jukebox is thought to originate from places called juke houses or jook joints. In the early 1900s, people congregated in these establishments to drink and listen to music. Throughout history, the jukebox continued to evolve with the times. While the Blue Grass Boys played to sold-out audiences in the Grand Ole Opry, guys and gals danced the night away by playing their song over and over, again, on the jukebox at a local pub. With the advancement of technology, today’s jukebox is more versatile than ever before. Throughout each era, from big band, jazz, country and blues, to rock & roll, acoustic, and electric, and everything in between, the jukebox has played it all.
History…
In 1889, Louis Glass and his partner William S. Arnold invented the first coin-operated player in San Francisco. They were both managers of the Pacific Phonograph Co. Formally known as the nickel-in-the-slot machine, the player included a coin operation feature on an Edison phonograph. However, it played a limited selection of songs without any amplification.
1946 ushered in “The Silver Age” for jukeboxes as market demand for the newest and greatest technology soared. Fashionable and sleek, jukeboxes weren’t just music players, they were centerpieces often flamboyant with color and chrome. Neon and sci-fi became a tremendous influence on style as well.
Modern Era…
The 1960s was the start of a new modern age for jukeboxes. Designs of coin-operated models went through radical changes, not only because of the availability of new materials, such as plastic but also because of the need to accommodate customer demand for more song selection.
In 1989, compact-disc mechanisms replaced the older record style players as newer technology became affordable and rapidly implemented among the general population. Jukeboxes started to become more of a novelty than a necessity.
TouchTunes founded National Jukebox Day to celebrate the iconic jukebox and the powerful memories it evokes in people.
Last year, I did a post on World War I for Veterans Day as it had been 100 years, exactly, since the end of that war. I also covered how other countries memorialize and/or celebrate and, ended the post with two poems. I’ve written in a previous post about my almost Army brat status and referred to my significant other in this post.
Hargrave Military Academy Circa 1958
Ken’s first foray into the ‘military’ was the Hargave Military Academy in Virginia. His mother sent him there for summer school to assist with grades after a poor eighth grade year. He stayed for his ninth grade year and did very well. Unfortunately, it was extremely expensive and he returned to regular high school for tenth grade.
At the end of his junior year, he’d had enough of regular high school and made it clear to his mother that he wanted to go into the Navy. The military was all he was interested in. So, at the tender age of 17, his mother signed him into service. He went into the reserves for two years and began to train as a Corpsman. His sea duties were aboard the USS Robinson (DD-562), a Fletcher Class destroyer, the second ship in the Navy to be named after Captain Isaiah Robinson (Continental Navy). The “Robbie” received eight battle stars for World War II service and appeared in the movie Away All Boats.
The Robbie
Circa 1953Circa 1961
After two years of training, he went active duty…and the Navy lost its mind. Orders to report to his new ship in hand, he was sent to Charleston, SC, to be assigned to the USS Canisteo (AO-99), a Cimarron Class fleet oiler, named for the Canisteo River in New York and the only ship to bear that name. It’s crew received nine medals.
Unfortunately, upon his arrival, there was no ship to board. The Charleston Naval Base had no record of it being there and, in the meantime, he was sent to the transit barracks. While waiting, he volunteered to be a lifeguard for a week. The remaining time was spent waiting at the barracks. After three weeks, the Navy adjusted his orders and sent him to Norfolk Naval Base, the home port of the Canisteo. Upon arrival, no ship. He was, again, assigned to the transit barracks…until they could find the ship. After a four-day wait, the Navy adjusted his orders a second time and he was sent to the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard. The shipyard had no record of the Canisteo being there so, he was sent…a-gain…to the transit barracks. His ship was finally found at the Todd Shipyards in Red Hook Brooklyn, a civilian shipyard. With his orders in hand (now, a rather large portfolio of paperwork), stamped by the Navy (adjusted a third time), he headed to his ship. He reported to the Officer of the Deck and was told that he had been reported AWOL. The OOD examined the orders, informed him that his Corpsman striker slot had been filled due to his (unintended) absence and, just like that, he was transformed into part of the deck force, wiping out two years of training. He became a Bosun’s Mate striker. *facepalm*
The Canisteo
Circa 1961Circa 1962
While on board the Canisteo, he participated in the Cuban Blockade
He left active service in 1964 and rolled into the IRR, waiting for the end of his contract to expire. On March 8, 1965, Marines landed near Da Nang, marking the beginning of the ground war in Vietnam. Ken was working a full time job and was watching what was going on. By the summer of 1966, he decided that he was going to go back to the Navy, interested in the River Patrol (and PBRs) and went to see a prior service recruiter. The recruiter told him that the Navy would not give him his rank back. Ken left his office and was stopped by a Marine recruiter in the hallway. He told him to go back in and ask about the Seabees. He did so and the Navy prior service recruiter changed his tune. Off he went to Camp Endicott in Rhode Island for training. He was assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 and sent to Gulfport, Home of the Seabees.
He arrived in Vietnam in July of 1967. His base was Camp Haskins on Red Beach in Da Nang. The Marines were on Monkey Mountain across the bay and at Da Nang Air Base in the opposite direction, across the highway. At the beginning of the Tet Offensive, the bombing of the Air Base in January of 1968 nearly knocked Ken out of a guard tower. He was designated a builder and did his share of such but, spent most of his time running patrols with the Marines.
Gulfport, MS
Ken on the left.
The puppy had been rescued from a house fire.
Circa 1967Camp Haskins
Notice the guy waving in the background.
On November 3, 1967, a fellow Seabee had an accident with a saw while cutting some wood. A sawhorse shifted and the man injured himself, accidentally. The blade cut an artery in his thigh and Ken’s Corpsman training kicked in. He, literally, stuck his hand into the guy’s thigh to clamp the artery with his thumb and forefinger. When the rescue helicopter arrived, the coagulated blood on Ken’s arm prevented him from being able to remove his hand from the guy’s thigh. Ken got a free ride in the helicopter to the hospital with his charge. A life was saved (the actual details are pretty gruesome).
A life saved…
And, this concludes my long-ass tribute to my Fleet Navy/Vietnam Seabee veteran. If you have a veteran in your life…hug them. ~Vic
[Addendum: When I moved in with Ken some years ago, I was looking at his DD-214. He swore he only had one and I saw from the data that he had two. We sent off for his records and, sure enough, there were two. I discovered that, when he went to the prior service recruiter, the guy didn’t bother to check to see if Ken was still on contract. He was and, had he checked, Ken could have returned to the Navy, with rank intact, and left for Vietnam as part of the Brown Water Navy…and most likely died. The life span of PBR guys was fairly short.]
I did a post last year, celebrating the Summer Solstice of 2018. I got some really cool pictures that day. I got a few this year with some visitations from nature.
If anyone can identify my caterpillar, let me know. ~Vic
From my Adirondack chair in the side yard.Young Cardinal checking things out.Fuzzy, green caterpillar that I can’t identify.
I tried.
Crawled up on my chair.
The Summer Solstice for our area of the planet was at 11:45am EDT.
The word “solstice” comes from Latin solstitium — from sol (Sun) and stitium (still or stopped), reflecting the fact that on the solstice, the Sun appears to stop “moving” in the sky as it reaches its northern or, southernmost point (declination) for the year, as seen from Earth. After the solstice, the Sun appears to reverse course and head back in the opposite direction. The motion referred to here is the apparent path of the Sun when one views its position in the sky at the same time each day, for example at local noon. Over the year, its path forms a sort of flattened figure eight, called an analemma. Of course, the Sun, itself, is not moving (unless you consider its own orbit around the Milky Way Galaxy). Tnstead, this change in position in the sky that we on Earth notice is caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis as it orbits the Sun, as well as Earth’s elliptical, rather than circular, orbit. The timing of the June solstice is not based on a specific calendar date or time. It all depends on when the Sun reaches its northernmost point from the equator.
Did you know that the Sun actually sets more slowly around the time of a solstice, in that it takes longer to set below the horizon? This is related to the angle of the setting Sun. The farther the Sun sets from due west along the horizon, the shallower the angle of the setting Sun. (Conversely, it’s faster at or near the equinoxes.) Bottom-line, enjoy those long romantic summertime sunsets at or near the solstice!
Many cultures, both ancient and modern, celebrate the sunlight with rituals and holidays. Every year on the summer solstice, thousands of people travel to Wiltshire, England, to Stonehenge […]. There are many Midsummer celebrations all over the planet.
If the power is on where you are reading this article, you likely have a lineman to thank. From the power plant, the grid crisscrossing the country, both above and underground, and right up to the meters on our homes, these men, and women, build and maintain the system that keeps our nation running. Regardless of the source, the electricity has to be transported by employing transformers and other equipment. Due to the dangerous conditions power poses, safety is of utmost importance for both the lineman and the consumer.
When mother nature destroys what our linemen have built up, they are on call to build it back up again as quickly as possible. These men and women work tirelessly to get emergency systems back in working order and, urgently, return service to remaining areas. Even when there is no crisis, they work under dangerous conditions on a daily basis. Whether they are working in trenches, near water or on high towers, the risks are extreme.
This day was first recognized on April 10, 2013, by the U.S. Senate [via] Resolution S Res 95.
[…] Veterans of this time period are gaining the respect that was not so freely given upon their return. Involving five U.S. presidents, crossing nearly two decades and 500,000 U.S.military personnel, it left an indelible mark on the American psyche. Returning Veterans did not always receive respectful welcomes upon their arrive on American soil. There were 58,000 killed, never to return. National Vietnam War Veterans Day recognizes the military service of these men and women who answered the call to service their country when she needed them. They didn’t make the decisions to go to war.
U.S. Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., introduced legislation in 2017 to honor Vietnam Veterans with a day on the anniversary of the withdrawal of military units from South Vietnam. President Donald Trump signed the Vietnam War Veterans Day Act on March 28, 2017, calling for U.S. flags to be flown on March 29 for those who served.
[…] in January 1973, representatives of the United States, North and South Vietnam and, the Vietcong signed a peace agreement in Paris, ending the direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. Its key provisions included a cease-fire throughout Vietnam, the withdrawal of U.S. forces, the release of prisoners of war and, the reunification of North and South Vietnam through peaceful means. The South Vietnamese government was to remain in place until new elections were held and North Vietnamese forces in the South were not to advance further nor be reinforced.
Two months after the signing of the Vietnam peace agreement, the last U.S. combat troops [left] South Vietnam as Hanoi [freed] the remaining American prisoners of war held in North Vietnam. In Saigon, some 7,000 U.S. Department of Defense civilian employees remained behind to aid South Vietnam in conducting what looked to be a fierce and ongoing war with communist North Vietnam. […] before the last American troops departed on March 29, the communists violated the cease-fire and, by early 1974, full-scale war had resumed. At the end of 1974, South Vietnamese authorities reported that 80,000 of their soldiers and civilians had been killed in fighting during the year […].
On April 30, 1975, the last few Americans still in South Vietnam were airlifted out of the country as Saigon fell to communist forces.
Addendum
I live with a Vietnam Seabee Veteran. He was in-country at Camp Haskins, Red Beach, Da Nang harbor during Khe Sanh, Tet and the Battle of Hue. Thankfully, he was not directly affected but, he was nearly blown out of a guard tower when the USMC Da Nang Air Base was attacked in January 1968. He keeps a wad of shrapnel and an empty grenade in the office as a reminder of what nearly got him. He’s told me stories of returning home and being flipped off by civilians. He was never spit on, like some stories I’ve heard but, he certainly wasn’t welcomed back. ~Vic
February 20 has two celebrations. National Love Your Pet Day is, clearly, a national day to love your pet(s)…as if we need a reason or an excuse to shower our fur-babies with adoration or smother them with kisses and hugs. Still, it’s a sweet sentiment to proclaim a national day of rejoicing for our companions or, best friends or, children or, partners. They fulfill so many needs on so many levels that volumes of literature exist that could occupy a very large library.
The statistics on pets in the U.S. is interesting and on the rise. As of March 2017, 68% of all households have a pet(s), up from 56% in 1988. Topping the list, believe it or not, is freshwater fish. All of a sudden, I am seeing Nemo in the aquarium of the dentist’s office. Yeah. I know. Nemo was a saltwater fish but, that is the first thing that popped into my head.
Image Credit: thebestpictureproject.wordpress.com
The National Day Calendar folks couldn’t find the creator of this day but, thank you, whomever you are. So, give your pet(s) an extra hug or, a scratch or, a new toy or, treats (they really, really like treats) in celebration. They won’t mind.
January 1 has three celebrations with New Year’s Day being the most obvious. It is also National Hangover Day, a time of global suffering after the New Year’s Eve parties all over the planet. Loud snoring, moans, groans, staggering and heaving noises can be heard in nearly every neighborhood. Lost cars, car keys, phones, glasses, shoes and, quite possibly, underwear befuddle the squinty-eyed masses. Trashcans overflowing with bottles, cans and party favors litter cities worldwide and returning garbage workers will, collectively, curse tomorrow, many still suffering from their own hangovers. It’s a great time to be alive. The folks at National Day Calendar have graciously provided everyone with a list of symptoms, preventive measures and cures.
At a get together at the Oven and Tap, a restaurant in Bentonville, Arkansas, in October of 2015, people were talking about National Days. The conversation then turned to what day on the calendar had little or no National Days attached to it. When it was announced that January 1 was only known as New Year’s Day, Keegan Calligar and Marlo Anderson both stated, simultaneously, that it should be National Hangover Day.
National Hangover Day was submitted by Keegan Calligar and Marlo Anderson in October 2015. The day was approved by the registrar of National Day Calendar in November of 2015.
November 23 is a busy, busy day of 10 celebrations. I will highlight Buy Nothing Day as our consumerism is out of control.
This observance always falls on the day after Thanksgiving, coinciding with Black Friday. Some of the ways to observe are pretty funny:
♦ Cut up your credit cards.
♦ Do the whirl-mart…the act of pushing your empty cart around, disrupting other shoppers and buying absolutely nothing.
♦ Do a Christmas Zombie Walk…become the expression of obsessed Black Friday shoppers.
It appears the Canadians have the distinction of starting the movement as a protest in 1992. Vancouver artist Ted Dave founded and organized it in September. It was moved to the Friday after Thanksgiving in 1997.
Just stay home. Do you really need to spend that money and deal with all the frenzy? Just so you know, this Black Friday is on a full moon. Watch out.
“The first minute of silence was to indicate gratitude for those who had returned alive…the second to remember the fallen.”
Edward George Honey, an Australian journalist, was the gentleman whom first proposed a moment of silence. The two-minute silence, practiced today, originated in Cape Town, South Africa, via that town’s then Mayor, Sir Harry Hands.
We, here in the U.S., at the behest of several veterans organizations, changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all veterans, regardless of a specific war. It is a national holiday and different from Memorial Day (last Monday in May), which honors those whom died while serving and, Armed Forces Day (also in May but, the third Saturday), honoring those currently serving.
Image Credit: Pinterest
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet – to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
With a blending of cultures, this multilingual state has Native American (seven distinct tribes), French (Acadians), Spanish, African, German, Irish and Haitian influences. This unique mixture has brought forth grand cuisine, excellent music, Creole culture and Mardi Gras.
November 2 has four celebrations. Today is National Ohio Day and recognizes the 17th state to join the U.S. Nicknamed the Buckeye State, Ohioans also claim Birthplace of Aviation (North Carolinians dispute this, good-naturedly) and The Heart of It All. It’s largest city, Columbus, is also its capital and, apparently, it is the only state with a State Rock Song.
October 18 has two celebrations, one ‘third Thursday in October’ celebration and one ‘third Thursday of each quarter’ celebration (Ohhhhh K). National Chocolate Cupcake Day celebrates, well, chocolate cupcakes! My fellow blogger, Britchy, is a fine baker but, sometimes uses too much frosting (I couldn’t resist).
Also referred to as Fairy Cakes (British), Patty Cakes (Australian) or Bun (Irish, I think…), these tasty confections are perfect (to me, anyway) if you want cake without an entire cut piece and, they date back to 1796. An Amelia Simmons is credited as being the first known author of a cookbook called American Cookery with a recipe for “…cake to bake in small cups…”, though she didn’t use the word cupcake. The earliest documentation of that description comes from Eliza Leslie in her cookbook from 1828 Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes and Sweetmeats.
October 6 has four celebrations and a brand new one. Today is National Mad Hatter Day, which is àpropos to this being the month of Halloween. Considering recent political dramas, theatre of the absurd also applies.
But, in the case of today’s Mad Hatter Day, grab a top hat and be ridiculous. Celebrate Lewis Carroll’s colorful character and be an “Alice in Wonderland” if you so choose.
