Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed Day

Image from Howe's Historical Collection

Johnny Chapman was born in 1774.

He was born on this day,

228 years ago.

He was one of the original

 American settlers who moved west,

 across the continent.

As Johnny made his way west,

 he planted grafted apple trees.

He also sold apple trees

 to settlers he met along the way. 

 With all the apple tree planting,

Johnny Chapman

became better known as

 Johnny Appleseed.

Way back then,

Johnny was a super cool dude

– cool beyond his years.

He was a barefoot vegetarian

 who was friends

with the local Indians

and was kind to animals!

And, he brought alcohol to America

 – with apples being used

mostly for apple cider!

Cheers, Johnny Appleseed!

 (I first learned about

Johnny Appleseed through a song,

 which tends to get stuck

in your head...

and was always blamed

 for bringing rain...

Remember this:

"The Lord's been good to me,

 and so I thank the Lord

for bringing me the things

I need

like the sun and the rain

 and the appleseed..."

Who's Your Hero?

Comic Book Day

Predictably, there is no f

ormal information on

Comic Book Day.

It’s simply a day for us

to enjoy comic books. 

I never really got into these 

as a kid.

But, some people

sure do love them!

The highest comic book price –

ever was for Action Comics #1.

 How much?

$1.5 million!

Too much for you?

 

How about the second best…

Amazing Fantasy #15 for $1million…

Marvel Comics #1

was the fifth highest

and was only $350,000.

The average money spent

on the top 300 comic books

each month is $284.44million.

  million…

a month!

And the average price of a

top selling comic book is only $3.44.

 That’s a lot of comic book readers!

Today’s the day to start

a new hobby…

go read a comic book!

 

(I’m guessing these statistics

are for the US –

though they could be world-wide…

It just seems so high!)

 

A Cherry On Top

Cherries Jubilee Day

 

 

I’m not sure about this one.

Cherries, straight from the bowl

on a summer’s day – I like!

Cherries in a can…

cherries glazed…

cherries processed in any way –

 I don’t like.

 

Cherries Jubilee Day

makes me think of a pie…

 filled with soft, mooshy cherries.

Let’s check…

Pretty much - it's a

cherries in a can,

cooked with stuff ... sauce.

It all started at the

Golden Jubilee in 1887.

(Or 1897 – no one’s sure!)

French chef Auguste Escoffie

was cooking for Queen Victoria.

 The queen loved his dessert

and it quickly became a huge hit…

cherry jubilee.

So, what do you need

to make a dessert fit for a queen?

A can of cherries, sugar, cornstarch,

brandy and icecream.

 

While the can of cherries bit

has me ready to look for

 a different dessert,

I am secretly pleased

about the cooking process…

You do stuff and mix stuff and then…

You ignite the sauce!

Ignite it!

You know you want to!

 

 

Stay in Bed for a Great Cause

Hold the Phone..

Actually, turn off the phone!

Today is

World Stay In Bed Day.

 



If you’re already up,

grab the paper,

a book or your ipad…

grab a coffee and a biscuit

 and hurry back to bed!

This fun sounding day

was established to raise awareness

 of a very serious illness.

Mitochondrial disease.

Mitochondrial disease is debilitating.

 It’s incurable.

It’s genetic.

Mitochondrial disease takes

the energy from the body’s cells.

  Eventually, organs stop working

 correctly and death can result.

Sounds scary –

but it doesn’t seem

like it would be too common,

 right?

Wrong…

Mitochondrial disease affects

 1 in 250 people.

How?

‘…any organ, any symptom, any age’

Treatments are still almost

 ineffective and there is no cure.

 Patients can not be told

 how fast the disease

will progress or how

their future really looks.

People with Mitochondrial disease

are stuck in bed.

They do not have

 the energy to get up.

 World Stay in Bed Day

 aims to raise awareness

of this disease…

and raising awareness results in

increased donations…

and increased donations

lead to further studies…

 and further studies may lead to

treatments and cures.

So, climb back into bed…

and message your friends

 to do the same.

Spread the word:

Today is Mitochondrial Disease –

 World Stay in Bed Day.

Facebook

A Dog's Day

Special or Crazy Day…

You decide.

It’s Dogs in Politics Day

and Checkers Day.

I was intrigued about

Dogs in Politics Day…

I wondered the significance.

I figured there was a fantastically

 interesting story about dogs

and something incredibly intelligent

 they must have once done…

but, no.

Dogs in Politics Day

is simply a day to learn more

 about the dogs who lived

in the White House…

 

There was a little scandal. 

 Way back in 1952,

Richard M Nixon

was running for Vice President.

Apparently, the media assumed

Nixon was using part of an $18 000

campaign contribution for his own use.

 (In 1952,

that would be a chunk of money!)

 But, Nixon stood up

and told the people of America

that he was not using

 the money for his own use.

 

 But… there was one gift,

he kept.

Nixon was given a dog.

His daughters named the dog Checkers.

 The “I Didn’t Use the Money

 For Myself” speech

 became a famous one…

 and so, we celebrate Checkers Day

and Dogs in Politics Day.

 

 Special or Crazy?

 

Tusks and Trunks

Today is International Rabbit Day.

I’m a little intrigued…

International is the big time, after-all!

But… there’s another day

I would rather look into. 

Today is also

Elephant Appreciation Day.

I do like elephants

(even more than rabbits!).

Wayne Hepburn also loved elephants…

so much so, he established

Elephant Appreciation Day in 1996.

 And, what’s not to appreciate!

They are the largest land animal.

They can live for 70 years.

Their trunk has

over 100 000 muscles!

 

 

 

Elephants eat 136kg

of food each day!

Females are pregnant

for 22 months!

(That is real dedication!) 

Baby elephants are 91kg

when born and already stand 1m tall!

 Females are the leaders

of the herd and the matriarch

remembers where to find

food, water and salt,

leading their family

through the plains.

 

 

And, elephants mourn their dead.

They remember where

 a family member died,

and spend time remembering

 them each time

they move through the area.

 Watching elephants mourning

 a death shows just how

compassionate they are.

 

 

An elephant’s ivory tusks

are used for

digging for food and water,

 fighting and stripping bark …

 and, the ivory tusks

are the reason elephants

are being hunted down and killed.

 Staring into the eyes

of an elephant,

you can see their intelligence

 and feel their gentle nature –

even though they are so huge.

 

Being Elephant Appreciation Day,

 today is the perfect day

to find an elephant

and feel how heavy its trunk is…

 

Keep The Peace



International Day of Peace

This is a special day,

not a crazy day.

 

The 21^st of September

is International Day of Peace.

The United Nations established

this day in 1981 and it was

first celebrated in 1982.

Here, in Australia,

a plane flying overhead

is not frightening…

no bombs are being dropped. 

 Kids have the freedom t

o receive a good education

and our roads are free of landmines.

 Not everyone is as lucky.

I’ve walked through

the tiny tunnels in Vietnam,

and wondered how the local people

 lived in them for so many years…

 I wandered through Aki Ra’s

landmine museum in Cambodia

and heard of the amazing work

he does, clearing landmines

every day

with very primitive equipment.

 Red Hands taught me about

the induction of children

into armed gangs,

where they are supplied drugs

 until their addiction ensures they

 remain with their captives.

I’ve wandered the streets

of Northern Ireland,

and seen the remains

of overnight battles.

I’ve seen fear and worry

in the eyes of children

from war zones

and heard their incredible stories.

 Sometimes, it’s good to be serious…

 

International Day of Peace is also

Global Ceasefire Day.

This day allows everyone,

everywhere to have a day away

 from violence.

It is hoped war and conflict

 can cease for a day…

and relief workers can finally reach

 areas they are otherwise

unable to get to. 

People in these areas can be

 provided with the care

and supplies they need.

 They can enjoy a day

free from the drone and whistle

of falling bombs

and the sound of gunfire.

 

A few facts and figures on

The Impact of War

2 million children…

killed in conflict

in the last ten years.

(That’s almost ten times

 my town’s population

killed each year… all children.)

Over a million children

have been left orphaned…

(and many then fall into Child Gangs,

 where lives are filled with killing

 and mixed drugs

or are abandoned

and left to scavenge

for food on rubbish tips.)

Over 6 million kids have been

seriously injured

or have been left

with permanent disabilities

or scarring.

Many of these children have no

 access to the equipment

and resources our children receive

 to assist with their disabilities.

Over ten million children

are left with serious

psychological trauma

after living through conflict.

They are just children…

they were unlucky enough

 to be born in dangerous places.

Conflicts cost us in other ways…

 environmentally – the hills of Vietnam

 are still struggling to overcome

the effects of napalm…

Women are often abused and raped

during times of conflict…

Financially, conflicts are expensive…

And, carelessly dropped

and forgotten war equipment

 and weapons can lead to

 further damage – especially

when children try to sell these

 for scrap metal

and lose limbs from explosions.

I almost feel like I am in

 a beauty contest…

“and, I want world peace!”

I’d love to see a day

where no battles were fought…

imagine.

Today is also

World Gratitude Day.

I’m grateful to live

in such a beautiful country.

Pictures from the

International Day of Peace

facebook page.