Friday, November 1, 2013

Motivations & Smiles for November



(gleaned from my collection of Calendar Quotes)

Like fragile ice...anger passes away in time. (Ovid)

Teamwork:  “It takes two wings for a bird to fly.”  (Jesse Jackson)   Colour illustration of an eagle coasting on broad wings through a blue sky on a  wind draft.

Innocence:  When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”  (African Saying).  Illustration of two bull elephants facing each other on the grassy savannah.

Encouragement:  When a person is down in the world...an ounce of help is better than a pound of preaching.”  (Edward G. Bulwar Lytton)  Illustration ~ a standing penguin with fins wrapped around another penguin friend.

Opportunity...may knock softly.  Be vigilant.  (Anonymous)  Illustration ~ three raccoons intently alert watching from their habitat.

By the time a woman realizes her mother was right, the daughter has a little girl who thinks she's wrong!  (Anonymous)  Illustration of this three-persons-generation enjoying a park.

From Marie's Motivational Calendar with Invitation to “Discover”
(Envision a sail boat with a tall mast and  a lone sailor
setting out into a misty sky and foggy horizon)
“The Voyage of Discovery is not in seeking new landscapes
but in having new eyes.  (Marcel Proust)

Special Event Days

November 1 (Friday) ~ In Christianity, All Saints' Day commemorates all the saints in the church, both known and  unknown.  The first general observance was ordered by Pope Gregory IV in 837.  In medieval England, the festival was called...All Hallows...and its eve is still known as Hallowe'en.

November 2 (Saturday) ~ Birthdays for Jonathan (my grandson) and Rita (long time friend).

November 3 (Sunday) ~ Daylight Saving Time ends.  Remember  FALL Back ~ SPRING Forward.

November 11 (Monday) ~ Remembrance Day.  Nothing I can write will equal or supersede Colonel John McCrae's  poem written in 1918…
                                In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
                                Between the crosses, row upon row...
                                That mark our place; and in the sky
                                The larks, still bravely singing...fly
                                Scarce heard amid guns below.

                                We're dead.  Short days ago ~
                                We lived...felt dawn...saw sunset glow...
                                Loved...and were loved...and now we lie
                                In Flanders Fields.

November 15 (Friday) ~ My son's birthday...another year younger!

November 17 (Sunday) ~ Full moon...opportune to gaze at the zillions of stars.

November 20 (Wednesday) ~ Sir Wilfrid Laurier Day (1841-1919). Born on this date, he was the 7th Prime Minister of Canada ruling  from July 11, 1896 to October 6, 1911.  He had the longest unbroken term of office of any Canadian Prime Minister...was also a member of the House of Commons for 45 years.  Considered one of the country's greatest statesman, he is renowned for his conciliation, expanding Confederation and compromise between French and English Canada.

November 21 (Thursday) ~ World Fisheries Day.   Did you know that about 80 million tonnes of fish and seafood are caught globally each year?  Fisheries make major contributions to fishing nations' economy...employing millions of people worldwide and feeding millions more.  This Day is a wake-up call to us, ensuring that fisheries are here tomorrow so that we can continue to sustain a way of life and provide a nutritional source of protein to us all.
FACT: Fish do some pretty amazing things to stay alive and prosper.  The Atlantic Blue Fin tuna (for e.g.) can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh over 1500 pounds.  This tuna has been known to cross the Atlantic Ocean in just over a month and swim at speeds comparable to some racehorses.  Salmon are also unique. They have a remarkable ability to find their way home when it is time to reproduce.  They'll battle strong currents and waterfalls to reach the exact place where they were hatched.

November 27 (Wednesday) ~ Hanakkah begins (Jewish)

November 28 (Thursday) ~  Thanksgiving Day (USA).
Consider this prayer written by Luther Cross:
                        Our Father, fill our hearts, we pray
                        With gratitude Thanksgiving Day;
                        For food and raiment, Thou dost give
                        That we in comfort here may live.

Reflection of November 30, 1962:  The 50th Grey Cup Football League Championship Game (known as the FOG BOWL) was played between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger Cats at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium near the Lake Ontario waterfront. 

Just prior to my father's November 8th birthday, Robert Nelson Clement died of a sudden massive heart attack at age 56.  My June wedding that same year was a truly happy event.  He bought a powder blue Buick Skylark ~ his pride and joy ~ to drive to the Hamilton ceremony as parents of the bride.  No one drove his car except him!.Rather than his Skylark sit in my mother’s driveway all winter, we agreed that I'd drive it from Brantford to our home on Hamilton Mountain. In the Spring, she would decide to either…take driving lessons or sell it. 

On that November 30th day, my  husband and I drove to her home to retrieve the Buick.  Very carefully I drove it along Highway 53.  At the intersection of Highway 2 (going into Ancaster), I continued on 53.  A HUGE FOG rolled in like the thickness of an eiderdown blanket!  Visibility was almost nil.  With my window down, I barely could see the center line.  The sports announcer on my car radio stated  that a thick fog had started to roll onto the playing field (cold moist, humid air from Lake Ontario.)  With 9 minutes and 29 seconds left in the 4th quarter, the game was suspended and continued the next day to its completion.  Today, it remains the only Grey Cup Game ever...to be suspended  during play.  The Blue Bombers defeated our Tiger Cats 28-27...in the “Fog Bowl”.  It was considered one of the best Grey Cup games of all time.

Did You Know?

There are a number of ways you can save on your power bill this winter.
Look for an 'Energy Star' certification when buying new appliances.
Switch to LED lights or compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Turn off lights when not in use.

    November's Nature Bird

The Blue Jay is about 30 cm in length from the tip of its bill to the tip of its tail...with a blue back, crest, wings and tail...and other distinctive black and white markings.  The crest, an elongated crown of
feathers found in many jays, can be raised or lowered according to the bird's mood.  In moments of high excitement or aggression, the crest may be fully raised forming a prominent peak.

November Musings

November comes
And November goes
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early
And dawn coming late
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing
And Earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.

(Elizabeth Coatsworth)

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr ... November 1, 2013
Comments welcome...scroll down...may sign in as “anonymous”
or e-mail...inezkate@gmail.com

No comments:

Post a Comment