A Longer Summer -- I like it!

Just as Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning to summer in the US, Labor Day is its unofficial end. Due to a simple quirk of the calandar, this year Memorial Day fell on the earliest date and Labor Day will fall on its latest date. That gives us (unofficially) a few more days of the summer season!

I like it!

I will take as many summer days as I can get.
It does appear that this summer might be warmer and wetter than usual. We are getting an early glimpse of the wetter part as it looks like today will be another dreary and damp day here in the Ozarks of SWMO. I don't mind the gentle spring rains that we've been getting recently, but the severe weather is a different story. There has already been severe hail damage and flash flooding in our area during some late April/ early May storms, and the forecast looks like the summer may be full of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. 
I guess summer has its downside, too.

My morning coffee on the deck is a wonderful way to begin a summer day, even an unofficial summer day such as today. 

As I have been contemplating the personal therapy that regularly posting seems to provide me, I have been trying to envision what Out of My Hat will look like in the coming months. The end of July will mark 20 years that I've been publishing here and the blog has changed as much as I have.
And that's a good thing!
I'd like to write more often, but don't like that this has turned into a type of daily diary. I guess I will have to figure that out. I'd like to be writing about something or sharing something that is beneficial rather than posting about another day in the life of John.

Here's a little celestial trivia for you.
Did you know that the earth is slowing down during this part of its annual orbit?
Because of its elliptical orbit it will reach its greatest distance from the sun in early July (aphelion). This is the point at which the earth is travelling its slowest. As the earth gets closer to the sun, it travels faster. It takes several days more to get from the March equinox to the September equinox than it does from the September equinox to the March equinox. 
Science is cool.

Enjoy your longer summer (my northern hemisphere friends)!

John

Did you know ... ?

Did you know that our alphabet used to have 27 letters (or characters)?

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z &

Yes. The symbol we use for "and" was the 27th letter.
But when reciting the alphabet, kids were not supposed to say "...X Y Z and," or "...X Y Z and and."
They were taught to say "...X Y Z and per se, and."
"and per se and" became ampersand, but was later removed from the alphabet.

John

Did you know...?

...why that fluffy chocolate bar bears the name 3 Musketeers?
It's original form (back in 1932) was three shareable pieces. Each easy break off piece was a different flavor - chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla. The Musketeer inspired slogan was, "All for one or one for a couple of others!"
Rationing during WW2 made it difficult to get the strawberry and vanilla flavoring and so it became (and remains) the chocolate covered fluffy chocolate bar that we know today.

John

Things in my head this morning

Does anyone else ever wonder why the calendar year doesn't begin with an annual astronomical event?
Why doesn't the year begin or end with a solstice or equinox? 
Why not with the perihelion or aphelion of our orbit around the sun?
Both the winter solstice (summer solstice for the southern hemisphere) and the earth at perihelion occur within days of the beginning of the calendar year. If you're going to pick a mark to count the days around the sun, why not use something related to the actual journey around the sun?

I suppose if you're just going to pick a day and one of your months is named for a two-faced god that has a face looking backward and a face looking forward (Janus) -- well, that makes some kind of mythological sense.

Yeah, I think about weird things sometimes.

John

Fun Facts for Friday

 Did you know ...

The Rosetta Stone was discovered near Alexandria, Egypt in 1799 by French Soldiers in Napoleon's army? The black rock was inscribed in three ancient languages. The first was Greek and helped date the stone to around 196 BC (during the rule of Alexander the Great). It also served as the basis for interpreting the two different versions of hieroglyphics that were also inscribed in the stone.

Now you know.

John

A Christmas Story

Did you know...

The year was 1818.
The place was the small village of Oberndorf near Salzburg in the Austrian Alps.
A priest named Father Joseph Mohr was preparing for the midnight worship service on Christmas Eve. When the plans were nearly completed, someone found out that the organ was broken. Father Joseph's plans for a wonderful evening of worship were ruined.

The priest was inspired to write a song that proved to be a fitting song for this solemn service.
The words began, "Silent night, holy night..."
He quickly penned the words and gave them to the organist, asking him to come up with a melody. That night, the song was sung as a duet and accompanied by a single guitar.

It was published in Germany in 1838 and wasn't published in English until 1863.

Imagine...
if it weren't for a broken organ and an inspired priest in a small Austrian village on Christmas Eve nearly two hundred years ago...

Here is an acapella version of the Christmas classic.

Merry Christmas,

John <><

Note: If you click on the title in the pic, it will open fully in You Tube.

Dying Stars and Red Barns

Here's a little trivia for your Monday.
Ever wonder why barns are painted red?
Sure -- it's because red paint is the cheapest color of paint.
But why is red the cheapest paint?
The answer may surprise you!

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/barns-are-painted-red-because-of-the-physics-of-dying-stars-58185724/?utm_source=keywee-facebook.com&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=keywee&kwp_0=278774&kwp_4=1082037&kwp_1=503350

John <><

Talk about your dry spell...

Just a quick Tuesdays are for trivia post this morning as I get ready to hop on the motorcycle and hit the road for a Chicago Cubs game...

It has been 108 years since the Cubs have won a World Series Championship.
They have played over 17,000 games since their last Championship.
They have been to the World Series seven times since 1908, the last time was in 1945.
Since 1945, they have made the post season 7 times and have a dismal post season record of 13 wins and 27 losses.

Could this be their year?
Or just another huge disappointment for their fans?

John <><

Travel day!

It's early on Saturday morning and I am sitting in the Toronto Pearson airport waiting to fly home.
Chris is out in search of breakfast, a diet coke and coffee.

We have had a great time visiting our northern neighbors and need to do so more often (but not in the winter). Canada is a beautiful country and I'm sure there is so much more to see. I should probably work on learning how to travel more efficiently.

I think that we have exhausted our travel budget for the year, but are already looking forward to traveling in 2017! I think that we will also look at visiting around the US next year. I hope to make a few solo trips on the motorcycle -- short rides -- one day out, one day back kind of trips. Maybe Memphis for a Cardinals AAA game, Indianapolis to see my baby sister, Arlington for a Rangers' game -- that kind of thing. I might have to think backpack, small tent and inexpensive camp ground. It's nice to be able to think with that kind of freedom. If a few short trips go well, maybe I'll work on something a little longer.

Any suggestions for something around 500 miles or less from Ozark?
It would be cool to meet some of my readers. Many of you are friends and relatives that I have not seen in quite some time, others I see often and some I have never met. Maybe a meet the readers motorcycle trip(s) summer would be cool.

Writing of riding makes me want to ride. We'll be home by mid-day so maybe I'll get out for a little ride this afternoon.

I hope that you have a great day and weekend!

John <><

Tuesdays are for Trivia

According to Trivia hive, the average woman eats 7 pounds of lipstick in her lifetime!

Wow!

John <><

My Ordinary Life... (and Tuesdays are for trivia)

Yeah, today is one of those days.

It's house hubby day at the Hill house in the Ozarks. All of the normal household chores. Laundry (mine, along with towels and bedding. Chris takes care of her own), dusting, floors and bathroom. It's a good day for it since it is overcast with occasional light rain. If the sun comes out this afternoon, I might get ambitious enough to mow the lawn, but I am guessing that will have to wait for another day.

If the sun does come out, I'm more likely to reward my work with a nice long ride.

Chicken drumsticks are thawing and will be cooked and bbq'd on the grill for the evening meal. Maybe I'll swing by the store and grab a couple of earns of corn to go with them.

Yes, friends and neighbors, retirement isn't all fun and games -- sometimes it's just fun!

**********

Btw, did you know that in the 1956 film The Searchers, John Wayne's character Ethan Edwards uttered the words, "That'll be the day" several times. The Duke's use of the phrase made such an impression on Buddy Holly that he ended up using it in a future rock 'n' roll hit song.*
For your listening pleasure:



John <><

*source Trivia hive

Tuesdays are for Trivia: Social media and relationships

Yes, social media is having a negative impact on many personal relationships!

I know that is not breaking news, but I was surprised at the number of relationships that come to an end -- not because of social media -- but via text message!

I'm going to go out on a limb and offer my very unprofessional opinion by saying any relationship that breaks up via text message wasn't much of a relationship to begin with.

According to my daily factoid from Trivia Hive, 39% of relationships end via text message! They cite Huffington Post and Texting in Sick: Smartphones, Texting and Social Media are Changing Our Relationships as their source.

Wow! Even as a teenager I would have said that breaking up by phone (there was no texting) was poor form. Breaking up by text would be about the same as passing a note in your seventh grade class. It's no surprise, though. Technology seems have brought out the immature junior high student in all of us. If you don't believe me, just check out the Twitter accounts of some of our politicians or scroll through your Facebook feed.

John <><

Tuesdays are for Trivia

Did you know that Pennsylvania is the only state that recognizes Flag Day as an official State Holiday?

The Story We Need to know; The Heroes We Need to Remember.

It is Memorial Day Weekend in the United States of America.
On Memorial Day we honor the men and women that have given their lives to gain and protect the freedoms we hold dear in our country. Most of us will find some way to celebrate the weekend, but few will spend much time actually remembering our heroes.

I want to share a story with you. It is a story that I hope you will think of often. Perhaps, it is a post that you will share so that other will know the story, as well. It is a story of the heroes that we honor on this holiday; the story of men that gave their lives so that we might live as a people, freed from the rule of England.

This is the story behind the words of our National Anthem.
The next time you stand at a sporting event with your hand over your heart;
the next time you proudly belt out the words;
the next time you hear the Anthem;
Remember!



And my favorite rendition of our National Anthem...



John <><

A Brief Red Cup Rant, Baseball and a Date in History

I had considered writing about the stupid Starbucks boycott over the "War on Christmas" that some self-righteous, self proclaimed spokesperson for God has declared, but decided that it really isn't worth the time to try to make sense of his proclamation or anybody that takes him seriously. Neither is it worthwhile to defend Christianity from these idiots because those that really believe that he represents Christ are as unreasonable as he is.
If I believe that Jesus is being attacked and believe that he needs my help in defending him, I'll be there for him. That won't be at this time. I don't believe that Jesus is being assaulted by the red cup, that Christmas is under attack by Starbucks or that Christians should be offended by anyone other than the morons that claim to be offended by a simple red coffee cup.

In other news...

There are 146 days until the St Louis Cardinals' Opening Day baseball game. The Springfield Cardinals open 3 days later.

Tomorrow, November 10, is the fortieth anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
If you care to, you can listen to the Gordon Lightfoot song here.



John <><

Surprising Information on Bible Sales

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised at the recently released information about the most popular translations of the Bible in the United States. I have to admit that I am a little surprised (and a little disappointed) by a couple of the statistics.

The top ten according to dollar sales for 2012

1. New International Version
2. King James Version
3. New Living Translation
4. New King James Version
5. English Standard Version
6. Holman Christian Standard Bible
7. New American Standard Bible
8. Common English Bible
9. Reina Valera 1960
10. The Message

The top ten according to unit sales for 2012

1. New Living Translation
2. New International Version
3. King James Version
4. New King James Version
5. English Standard Version
6. Common English Bible
7. Holman Christian Standard Bible
8. New American Standard Bible
9. Reina Valera 1960
10. New International readers Version

I am both surprised and disappointed that the King James Version (KJV) remains at the #2 spot for dollar sales and #3 for unit sales. I realize that there are still many traditional churches that insist on using the KJV but really don't understand why somebody would choose to use a translation that uses the English language of 400 years ago, especially when we know that there are better translations available.

I am pleased to see the Reina Valera 1960 in the top ten. This is the most popular of the Spanish translations. As the US becomes a home to more first language Spanish speaking peoples, it's good to see they are buying (and hopefully reading) bibles.

I am also a bit disappointed (but not too surprised) that the Revised Standard Version--Catholic Edition (RSV-CE) isn't listed among either top ten list. I know that there are Catholics that read their Bibles regularly, but as a rule, it is not something that has been greatly encouraged in the Catholic Church.

Personally, I like the English Standard Version (ESV) at #5 on both lists. I also use the New International Version (NIV) on a regular basis and use a Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) New Testament as a give away when sharing the the gospel story.

Do you have a personal preference?
Do you have a daily reading plan or time that you set aside to read The Word?

I hope that you will take the time to read through the story of the week that leads up to the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus this week. It is a grand story--the greatest story ever told!

John <><

The Old Farmer's Almanac

I know that The Old Farmer's Almanac is one of those outdated publications that just keeps hanging on. I would guess that the information in the annual publication is available through the online site, but I've never been to their website.

On the one hand, they still have the hole punched in the upper left-hand corner of their printed publication so that you can hang it on a nail in your barn or gardening shed. On the other hand, they have mobile apps, a website and are on social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Something for everyone!

I am perusing my 2013 traditional printed edition now. Although each year's Almanac comes out in the fall, my copy has been a stocking stuffer for more than twenty years. Over the past two decades I have managed to misplace a couple of editions but have most of them since 1991.

Even before 1991, The Old Farmer's Almanac was my source of information for finding the visible planets, knowing when the principle meteor showers were taking place, watching an eclipse or finding a particular star or constellation in the night sky.

Maybe it seems strange not to have the "app" or that I haven't "liked" them on Facebook or followed them on Twitter (Actually, it's more strange that I don't have a smart phone that can even get the app!), but I happen to like the old fashioned printed edition.

...And I like the information that it contains--the regular movement of the stars across the night sky, the predictability of the planetary dance within our solar system, the effect of the moon on the tides--this is science in its purest form. The Almanac contains valuable information on plants and their growing seasons, the climates they thrive in and the amount of sun, water and warmth that they need. It is full of information and experience that has been distilled over more than two hundred years.

It is funny how some can look to science and say, "See, there is no god. It's just nature." But when I look to the heavens, when I see the life on Earth, I say, "See, there has to be a God! This is no accident!"

In case you were wondering:
On Jan. 1st, the Earth will be at perihelion--that's the closest to the Sun in its slightly elliptical orbit. We will be just 91,402,639 miles from the Sun. On July 5th the distance will be more than 3 million miles greater at 94,501,041!
Spring comes early this year as the Earth reaches the vernal equinox at 7:02am EDT on the 20th of March. The first full moon of Spring is on the 27th, making Easter Sunday the 31st of March.

I'll keep you posted as more of 2013's celestial events take place.

John <><

"We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; in feelings, not figures on a dial." --from an 18th century edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac

December Solstice

It's been almost seven hours since the Earth past that point in its orbit where the days (in the northern hemisphere) start to get longer and the sun begins to make its way higher in our daytime sky. Having friends, relatives and blog readers that are in the southern hemisphere, it occurs to me that the name "Winter Solstice" really only describes the event for half of the Earth.

It's funny that I've never really thought about that before now. I guess the internet and regular contact with those that live Down Under and in other cultures around the world does, in fact, give one an awareness of how others see the world. Just as we look forward to longer, warmer days ahead, our friends from the south might be looking forward to some cooler temps as the sun's angle increases, the temps start to drop and they move towards their fall season.

Unfortunately, that whole radiant heat thing takes a few weeks before we really start to feel the difference. So we still have a few weeks where temps will get colder and they'll still have to deal with their hottest temps of the year. Maybe that's why the solstice marks the beginning of winter (or summer, depending on your location). I reality, shouldn't this mark the mid point of our respective seasons with greatest angle to the sun marking winter's halfway point and the least angle marking mid summer?

I actually look forward to this day and can understand why ancient cultures of the northern hemisphere celebrated it. The sun is returning to its warmer place in the sky. Pagan, Christian or simply Deist, that's something that we can all celebrate.

Sure, some will simply call it an annual event that is dictated by the science of the universe. However, I see the hand of a magnificent Designer that set it all in motion long ago. The size and temperature of the yellow dwarf star that anchors our solar system, the distance and slightly elliptical orbit of our planet, the angle of the axis that provides us with seasons and regulates temperatures to make the Earth hospitable to life, the moon that orbits the Earth providing tides to clean the oceans and circulate the waters; these things are far too complex to have happened by accident.

Saying that today is the first day of Winter is a little depressing. I rather like the idea of celebrating the first day of days getting longer and the slow return of the sun to its rightful and majestic place high in the summer sky. It really is no wonder that ancient cultures saw the sun as a god.

But I'm humbled to know that their god had a Creator, my God.
And my God has provided a way to know Him personally through His son, Jesus.
It's a good time to celebrate that, too!

Merry Christmas and Happy Solstice!
John <><

Under the Weather

I don't know if it's fall allergies or if I've moved to a sinus infection/cold. In any case I'm definitely a bit under the weather today and not in much of a mood to keep up with the daily blogging for November.

So I'm going to give myself a pass on writing today and just share a couple of sources for the phrase "under the weather" with you.

I've always enjoyed finding out how phrases and sayings came to be so here are just a couple of possible origins for "under the weather."

site one
site two

Back at it tomorrow.

John <><

Did You Know...

...that even if the Roman Emperor Diocletian (early 4th century) had succeeded in destroying all of the manuscripts that would become the New Testament, he could not have destroyed our ability to recounstruct it.

Why?

According to Norman Geisler and Frank Turek in their book I Don't Have enough Faith to be an Atheist, the early church fathers of the second and third centuries quoted the scriptures so often (36,289 times) that all but 11 verses of the entire New Testament can be reconstructed from their quotations!

John <><