Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Wannaskan Almanac. My endeavor today is to take you through time and in a whimsical way look at the events that make today unique.
There are 65 days until summer. This is the sixteenth Tuesday of 2018, so happy sweet 16th! That, unfortunately, is the high point of what today is known for. The low point is that today is tax day. In both the United States and Canada this the day that taxes are due. Have fun writing the check!
Thinking of tax day, this word seems to sum up my views. Your word of the day is impignorate. You will have to wait to later to find out if I am disparaging the IRS.
One thing that I did discover about April 17 is that it is National Haiku Poetry Day. In honor of this momentous occasion I will attempt to write an April haiku, but first let us examine the history of Haiku. Haiku was developed in Japan around 1000 years ago. At that time it was a social "requirement" to be able to recite Japanese or Chinese poetry from memory. The Haiku poem with its' three lines and 5-7-5 syllable count was easily memorized and people began to use it rather than longer poems. Read more about this here.
And now, the moment you have been waiting for...an original Haiku by John B.
Tears from heaven fall
Winter’s chains break, Spring arrives
Salt free tears bring life
Hey, give me a break! I am really not a poet. It is fun to try though. If you want to write a Haiku of your own, you can send it to me at the address below. The best one will get an autographed piece of ice sent by US Mail.
Today in History was kind of boring, so I looked up today in sports. It was also sort of boring, so I guess I will be boring. Enjoy!
*1869 The first professional baseball game was held. It was between the Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Amateurs. Cincinnati won.
*1920 The American Professional Football Association formed. A clause in their constitution reads that any future Minnesota teams must lose in the playoffs.
*1933 The Chicago Bears win their first NFL game by beating NY Giants 23-21. What kind of bear is a Chicago bear? Black bear? Grizzly? The world may never know.
*1939 Joe Louis knocked out Jack Roper in the first round and won the heavyweight boxing title. Fans were outraged because they hadn't even had time to get drunk.
*1947 Jackie Robinson gets his first major league hit...a bunt. Weird though...some places say he got a double and some places say he bunted. I guess he could have bunted for a double. Would someone clear that up for me?
*1983 Nolan Ryan strikes out his 3,500th batter. I guess I would have quit making cakes if I struck out on just a dozen or so. (I know, different kind of batter. Please don't let the batter banter make you bitter)
The suspense must be overwhelming by now, so I will let you know that impignorate means to pledge, pawn, or mortgage. If you must impignorate in order to pay your taxes, I feel your pain. My understanding is that the government always believes you have too much money. Thankfully they have a way of dealing with that terrible problem!
About this time of year we start to see a familiar flower popping up all over. This flower, of course, is the dandelion. It is usually the first flower that a mother receives from their child. Somewhere I have a picture of my baby girl offering my beautiful bride a wilted dandelion. It still warms my heart. Some people just consider the dandelion a weed, but I think differently. Beyond being a maternal gift, it is also useful in many ways. The Prairie Homestead offers many ways for you to enjoy your local dandelion harvest. I do have to confess, my first attempt at dandelion wine was unsuccessful, but I learned many lessons from the failure. I have yet to try again, but maybe this summer. Wannaska dandelions have often been considered the world's finest. I read that once...in a book!
As always, you can email me your comments at ffefreekshow@hotmail.com . I, like a dandelion farmer, am often unsure which comments are flowers and which ones are weeds. Perhaps you could put that information in the topic line of your email? Thanks
There are 65 days until summer. This is the sixteenth Tuesday of 2018, so happy sweet 16th! That, unfortunately, is the high point of what today is known for. The low point is that today is tax day. In both the United States and Canada this the day that taxes are due. Have fun writing the check!
Thinking of tax day, this word seems to sum up my views. Your word of the day is impignorate. You will have to wait to later to find out if I am disparaging the IRS.
One thing that I did discover about April 17 is that it is National Haiku Poetry Day. In honor of this momentous occasion I will attempt to write an April haiku, but first let us examine the history of Haiku. Haiku was developed in Japan around 1000 years ago. At that time it was a social "requirement" to be able to recite Japanese or Chinese poetry from memory. The Haiku poem with its' three lines and 5-7-5 syllable count was easily memorized and people began to use it rather than longer poems. Read more about this here.
And now, the moment you have been waiting for...an original Haiku by John B.
Tears from heaven fall
Winter’s chains break, Spring arrives
Salt free tears bring life
Hey, give me a break! I am really not a poet. It is fun to try though. If you want to write a Haiku of your own, you can send it to me at the address below. The best one will get an autographed piece of ice sent by US Mail.
Today in History was kind of boring, so I looked up today in sports. It was also sort of boring, so I guess I will be boring. Enjoy!
*1869 The first professional baseball game was held. It was between the Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Amateurs. Cincinnati won.
*1920 The American Professional Football Association formed. A clause in their constitution reads that any future Minnesota teams must lose in the playoffs.
*1933 The Chicago Bears win their first NFL game by beating NY Giants 23-21. What kind of bear is a Chicago bear? Black bear? Grizzly? The world may never know.
*1939 Joe Louis knocked out Jack Roper in the first round and won the heavyweight boxing title. Fans were outraged because they hadn't even had time to get drunk.
*1947 Jackie Robinson gets his first major league hit...a bunt. Weird though...some places say he got a double and some places say he bunted. I guess he could have bunted for a double. Would someone clear that up for me?
*1983 Nolan Ryan strikes out his 3,500th batter. I guess I would have quit making cakes if I struck out on just a dozen or so. (I know, different kind of batter. Please don't let the batter banter make you bitter)
The suspense must be overwhelming by now, so I will let you know that impignorate means to pledge, pawn, or mortgage. If you must impignorate in order to pay your taxes, I feel your pain. My understanding is that the government always believes you have too much money. Thankfully they have a way of dealing with that terrible problem!
About this time of year we start to see a familiar flower popping up all over. This flower, of course, is the dandelion. It is usually the first flower that a mother receives from their child. Somewhere I have a picture of my baby girl offering my beautiful bride a wilted dandelion. It still warms my heart. Some people just consider the dandelion a weed, but I think differently. Beyond being a maternal gift, it is also useful in many ways. The Prairie Homestead offers many ways for you to enjoy your local dandelion harvest. I do have to confess, my first attempt at dandelion wine was unsuccessful, but I learned many lessons from the failure. I have yet to try again, but maybe this summer. Wannaska dandelions have often been considered the world's finest. I read that once...in a book!
Your first line had five
ReplyDeleteSecond line, eight syllables
Why not seven, John?
Maybe it got lost in translation.
DeleteOr it is Metric///
Delete