...Merry Christmas!

Huh? What? Yes. Merry Christmas to one and all. And no, I have not been imbibing. On this day in 1870, the Christian holiday of Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States. Is it too early to begin the countdown? Probably. I helped a friend move yesterday into a quaint town that I know 'does it up' around the Holidays. Won't she be pleasantly surprised! Very Dickensian and charming. Pure magic. Sort of like the Kittysquirrel sitting atop this fence. Tuna or acorns? Why not both. (Thank you MB). It is sunny and cool in Chester County, PA this fine morning and I am out of laundry detergent. This means that the boys and I will have to stop by the river and get all muddy and wet before hitting the store. It only makes sense. Have fun today and if you think that you see a Kittysquirrel on a fence, embrace....don't erase. Magic is everywhere. Just ask Santa.

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life."
Charles Darwin

...SAT

Good day and warning! If you are and educator or a student you may want to stop reading right...now. I say this because you may be up to your eyeballs in recent memories of finals, last day of school and just want to put it all on the back burner until mid-August.
On this day in 1926, The College Board administered the first SAT exam.I was in my mid-teens and was very excited to be taking part in this.
The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly the Scholastic Aptitude Test or Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a not-for-profit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still administers the exam. The test is intended to assess a student's readiness for college.
In the near future we will be given the MAT for those planning on being married, the PAT which is a test designed to determine the suitability of people to bear/rear children, ( please see photo) and the CAT which heavily details proper etiquette when one owns a cell phone. My guess is that those cell phone owners who speak in full voice in movie theatres may want to study a bit harder before tackling this particular test. Don't get me started on the SCAT. NO, it is not what you think. It is the test designed to rate users of shopping carts in grocery stores. It frightens me to think that the majority of these freaks probably drove to the store and are parked near me.
Good luck, good day.
"Good tests kill flawed theories; we remain alive to guess again."
Karl Popper

...ladies first

It is the gentlemanly thing to do, but I am not referring to simple manners today. On this day in 1873, Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election. Also on this day, but in 1928, Aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. Ms. Earhart was a passenger but that doesn't change the fact that she showed bravery and courage. Later, she was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross,awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Will you be flying your own plane today? Let's hope so.
Shown today, 'Cloud Valance' because it seemed appropriate.
"There are two kinds of stones, as everyone knows, one of which rolls."
Amelia Earhart

...food for thought

"The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best."
Epictetus

On this day in 1903 the Ford Motor Company was incorporated.
On this day in 1911 IBM was founded as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott, New York.

How is that for inspiration?

Have a great day.

...in writing

Maybe blogs today are the diaries of yesteryear. Maybe not. Mine don't ever get too personal. Maybe I don't have too much to share of a personal nature. I know people who have kept every greeting card that was given to them while others capture their life moments in the form of photos. I tend to associate times in my life of importance with music and scents. A song will bring back a memory with clarity as will a specific scent, usually Summer and Autumn smells. Someone once said that everyone's' life is interesting if you leave out the dull parts. However you record your life memories please remember to keep on living your time here to the fullest. On this day in 1942 a young girl named Anne Frank received a diary for her thirteenth birthday. Shown today is a new Dining Table and Chairs from the 'Modern Theory' line, available soon at a Thomasville Showroom near you. Happy Birthday Anne.

'Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.'
Anne Frank

...Meucci Telephone

What?

No, it wasn't a typo. Bell Telephone had been around for years. Alexander Graham had been credited with this invention. But on this day in 2002, Antonio Meucci was acknowledged as the first inventor of the telephone by the United States Congress.
Meucci was an inventor, best known for developing a voice communication apparatus which several sources credit as the first telephone.Meucci set up a form of voice communication link in his Staten Island home that connected its second floor bedroom to his laboratory. He submitted a patent caveat for his telephone-like device in 1871which he did not renew after 1874. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent for the electromagnetic transmission of vocal sound by undulatory electric current.
Paperwork, people!
It is raining with thunder here in Chester County, PA. We took an early walk in the woods and caused some type of animal to stir. We are not sure exactly what the animal is as we have never seen something quite like it. Hopefully tomorrow we will see him/her again and maybe make a new friend. Keep the lines of communication open, Meucci, Bell or cell. Or any other mode for that matter.

Shown today, Ernestine.

"Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open."
Alexander Graham Bell

...express yourself

On this day in 1883 the first regularly scheduled Orient Express departed Paris. This train made it easier for people to leave their car keys on the front counter and relax for a change. The route of the Orient Express changed many times. Although the original Orient Express was simply a normal international railway service, the name has become synonymous with intrigue and luxury travel. The two city names most prominently associated with the Orient Express are Paris and Istanbul, the original endpoints of the timetabled service. I have included a chart for your viewing pleasure regarding driving. This may or may not be true, but statistics depicted in this graph changed instantly as the Orient Express made its first run. Thanks to M B for the chart. Drive safely everyone!

"Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward."
Victor Kiam

...non violence

On this day in 1957 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "Power of Nonviolence" speech at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. King was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Today's photo was sent to me from NO.It is the final picture in a series of how, after the tornado in Greensburg , Ks., homeless animals were left to survive. One by one, rescuers found them and led them to a car. All strangers to each other, see how well they got along immediately? Mother Nature can be violent, but we don't have to be.

"Be gentle to all and stern with yourself."
Saint Teresa of Avila