Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 23

Presidents Day

“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”

— Warren Bennis (1925 – 2014)
American scholar & author

Just Thinking

 

“Patience is also a form of action.”

— Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)
French sculptor

National Flag of Canada Day

At 12 noon on February 15, 1965, Canada’s red and white maple leaf flag flew for the first time on Parliament Hill. 1 year later, February 15th officially was deemed National Flag of Canada Day, reflecting Canadians’ common values of democracy, inclusion, and equity.

Of course, Canada became an independent, self-ruling nation as the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867. Prior to 1965, however, the primary flag flown was the Canadian Red Ensign, including the Union Jack and Canada’s coat of arms. We LOVE our friends and neighbors to the north. Happy National Flag of Canada Day!

Love

 

“To the world, you may be one person, but to one person you are the world.”

— Unknown

 

 

Our own value is often unknown to us unless we dare to let ourselves be loved and feel love. Special courage is needed when we have lost love, but we must always remember the importance of caring for and encouraging others, especially when loneliness is a challenge.

Climb Up!

 

“Nothing is too high for a man to reach, but he must climb with care and confidence.”

— Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875)
Danish poet, novelist & writer of fairy tales

Hmmmmm….

Beware the messages of people who point fingers and rant about other’s hatred, when they are the ones repeatedly spewing hatred and negative attacks. Hmmmmmm….

“Hatred is the anger of the weak.”

— Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897)
French author

Purrrrrrrrr….

National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day started with the Greek storyteller Aesop (620 – 564 BC), who said, “Don’t cry over spilt milk.”

 

 

 

Since then, many people have repeated his philosophy and added their own spins. For example, Greek tragedian Sophocles (496 – 406 BC) questioned, “Why bemoan what is done and cannot be recalled?”

 

 

 

 

English writer W. Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1965) thought the reason was “because all the forces of the Universe were bent on spilling it.”

 

 

 

British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay (1966 ) noted he’s not going to cry over spilled milk because he’s “too busy looking for the next cow.”

 

 

Whatever “take” you like on the ol’ saying, at least don’t do it today. As American humorist Evan Esar (1899 – 1995) observed, “A creature that never cries over spilt milk is a cat.”

Purrrrrfect!

LOL

 

“My way of joking is to tell the truth. It is the funniest joke in the world.”

— George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950)
Irish playwright & critic

Pizza! Pizza!

 

This is National Pizza Day, so have one delivered, go to your favorite pizzeria, or whip one up at home.

 

 

 

Pizza on the Grill
What? No pizza stone? No problem… you CAN make great pizza directly on the rack of your barbeque grill. This recipe is a Super Simple way to make pizza dockside or in the backyard.
8 oz refrigerated pizza dough
2 T cornmeal
Toppings, such as crumbled sausage, pepperoni, bacon, sliced mushrooms, sliced sweet onions, etc.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 12” oval. Spritz 1 side with cooking oil and place oil side-down on grill preheated on high. Grill 2-3 minutes. Spritz the top of the dough with oil, then sprinkle with cornmeal. Turn dough over.

Add sauce, cheese & toppings, keeping a ½” border on edges. (This should take about 2 min.) Close the cover & shut the heat off directly under the pizza or turn it to low, leaving it on high on the burners that are not under the pizza.) Grill another 3-6 minutes (if kept burners on low) or 5-8 minutes (if shut burners off) till cheese is melted. Cut into slices and serve with grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder for guests to add, as desired.

National Iowa Day

 

Joining the nation in 1846, the 29th state is also known as the Hawkeye State.

 

 

 

With corn fields and farming often getting top billing, Iowa has much more to offer.

 

 

 

Its oldest city is Dubuque, founded in 1788 as one of the first settlements in the entire Midwest. Dubuque is also home to Iowa’s oldest standing church… the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, built in 1833.

 

 

 

With the wild rose as its state flower and the eastern goldfinch as its state bird, Iowa’s motto is “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.”

 

 

With its population of 3.2 million people, Iowa has 400 bowling alleys, giving it the highest number per capita in the US, along with more golf courses per capita than any other state.

 

 

The National Hobo Convention is held annually in the town of Britt, complete with a hobo parade, hobo queen coronation, and a hobo museum.

 

 

 

 

 

The Iowa 80 Truckstop is the world’s largest and hosts the Trucking Museum in Walcott, dedicated to the history of trucking and vintage trucks.

 

 

Iowa also claims the 3rd highest motorcycle ownership in the nation.

 

 

 

Museums don’t stop there. Indianola is home to the National Balloon Museum, which offers hot-air balloon rides.

 

 

 

Noted as the safest state in the US, Iowa also leads the US in wind energy, producing the highest percentage of electricity powered by wind, at over 57% of its electrical power. Iowa also has the highest literacy rate in the US, setting a nationwide literacy and academic excellence standard.

 

 

In 1869, Arabella Mansfield (1846-1911) became the first female lawyer in the United States.

 

 

 

 

 

Known for friendly communities and farmers’ markets, Iowa holds the first Caucus in every Presidential primary election.

 

 

 

Iowa has also produced nearly 20 Olympic athletes in multiple disciplines. In swimming, the butterfly stroke was invented by David Armbruster, head coach of the University of Iowa Swimming in 1935.

 

 

 

 

Also developed here in Davenport was the first single-loaf bread-slicing machine in 1912.

 

 

 

 

 

The Red Delicious Apple variety originated here in the 1870s as a chance seedling growing on Jessee Hiatt’s farm in Peru, Iowa. Thinking of it as a nuisance, he tried to chop the tree down several times, but it repeatedly grew back.

 

 

Iowa is also the only state bordered by two navigable rivers… the Missouri and the Mississippi.

 

 

 

In the Native American tongue, “Iowa” means beautiful.

 

 

 

Maquoketa Caves State Park welcomes visitors to tour one of the highest concentrations of Iowa’s hundreds of prehistoric underground caverns.

 

 

 

Another attraction is the Effigy Mounds National Monument, home to ancient Native American earthworks in the shapes of animals, including bears, birds, and deer.

 

 

 

 

As the nation’s largest producer of corn, eggs, and pork, it’s little surprise to note that hogs outnumber people 7 to 1.

 

 

 

On the yummy side, Le Mars, Iowa was officially designated as “The Ice Cream Capital of the World” in 1994 by the makers of Blue Bunny® brand ice cream.

 

 

 

Little-known facts include that Snake Alley, between Washington Street and Columbia Street in Burlington, Iowa was named the Crookedest Street in the World by Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

 

 

 

Iowa is also home to the world’s largest Strawberry Shortcake. Created in 2009 as part of the annual Strawberry Fest in Strawberry Point, the cake measured more than 10 feet in diameter and featured more than 5,000 servings of berries, cake, and cream.