Symbols of America

                                          American symbols:  Flag, Fourth of July activities

                  On the front cover of the Farmer s' Almanac, the date of the beginning of this publication was exactly 200 years ago: 1818! Looking in the index, I have an "Aha!" moment: “Symbols that immediately invoke a feeling of AMERICAN NOSTALGIA.”

                Since February owns many special days, I turn to the article by Glenn Morris, p. 100 ff. “Americana” describes materials typically associated with our civilization, our culture. Occasionally, the Super Quiz in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette poses questions under the title “Americana.” Now to the symbols.

1.       AMERICAN BALD EAGLE landed on The Great Seal of the United States in 1782 despite Benjamin Franklin’s opinion that it was a “bird of low moral character.” Secretary of Congress Thomas proposed it as the central holder on the seal.

2.       APPLE PIE. Though apples are not exclusively American––they came with the 17^th century colonists––but pies shown cooling on a windowsill during simpler times connotes American food better than any other. Next would be fried chicken, and third, the hot dog.

3.       AMERICAN BISON. Between 1913-1938, the U.S. Mint stamped the “Buffalo nickel” in an attempt to beautify coinage with American themes. In 2016, President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act, which joined the bison and the bald eagle as the two animals officially honored by Congress.

4.       THE FLAG. Known variously as “Old Glory,” the “Stars and Stripes,” and the “Star-Spangled Banner,” the flag was adopted on June 14, 1777.

5.       FOURTH OF JULY PARADE. Where cities large and small unite in pomp, circumstance, and celebration. Picnics and fireworks join parades as must-dos.

6.       WHITE PICKET FENCE. From Colonial times, such a fence was designed to keep children and chickens close. Soon, it came to represent a middle-class American Dream—owning a home in a peaceful, suburban area. It entered the pop culture lexicon with Mark Twain’s  “Tom Sawyer.”

7.       NORMAN ROCKWELL’S ILLUSTRATIONS. His paintbrush seemed to be on the pulse of America. Originally decried by the critics, his work is loved by many and hung in myriad homes.

8.       THANKSGIVING. We celebrate faith, family, and good fortune annually with those we love.

9.       UNCLE SAM. During the War of 1812, Samuel Wilson worked with a government contractor, Elbert Anderson, to ship large quantities of beef and other commodities to the soldiers overseas. The markings on the crates were E.A.U.S. Soldiers knew that the goods were handled by Samuel Wilson and began calling it “Uncle Sam’s beef.” The moniker stuck and now represents U. S. property. The iconic photo of Uncle Sam pointing his finger at us, was done by James M. Flagg using his own likeness.

10.   STATUE OF LIBERTY. Given to us by France to represent the triumph of democracy and liberty, it was placed seaward of Ellis Island to welcome new immigrants. It is a symbol of their new lives in America.

Thank you, Glenn Morris.  

c 2018 PL, dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

  

Whether and whither the weather

by Pat Laster

                “Goodness, how we’d like to know/ Why the weather alters so.” –Ford Madox Ford (1873-1939) from “Children’s Song”

               How many years has December arrived in Arkansas with temps ranging from 54 to 72? On December 2 in 1982, it was 79 degrees, a record at that time. In 1918, in February, Little Rock’s high temp was 87 degrees.

                Why is it, I wonder, that I seem to equate December with winter, though winter doesn’t actually begin until near the end of the month. But, the climatological winter season, according to the National Weather Service, begins December 1 and lasts through February. Maybe that’s why.

                Last Saturday and Sunday were warm enough to work outside and neighbors on three sides blew or raked, then burned leaves.

On Sunday afternoon, I took all the cuttings that had rooted—begonia, epesia, a lantana sprig and three African violet leaves—to the porch and potted them.

                Then I snipped off all the frozen chrysanthemum blooms, leaving a second set of buds. Don’t oak leaves in flower beds make good winter mulch? I went online and found different opinions, but most recommend shredding oak leaves.

                It was still warm on Monday, so I texted local Daughter to see if she would come over and saddle the red Troy-built Pony and ride over the yard to shred the leaves, thus helping my grass—cur and mutt grass, not like the back neighbor’s fancy stuff.

                While she did that, I blew as many leaves as I could from the foundation/flower beds. By the time Annamarie finished the front yard, there were no leaf pieces to return as mulch to the beds. Heck, I never mulch anyway.

                Lately, weather has been in the news, especially weather extremes. Here are a few items I jotted down:

                * The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season tied as being the 3^rd most-active season since 1851.

                In 2012, extremes—weather-wise—were:

*Arctic ice melt—an area larger than the US (4.57 million square miles.)

*Droughts were “devastating” to nearly two-thirds of the US, as well as Russia and Southern Europe.

* Floods swamped West Africa.

* Heat waves affected much of the Northern Hemisphere.  

* In 1917, Little Rock received 26.8 inches of snow from December – February.

* In 1918, Calico Rock (Arkansas) received 48 inches of snow through February.

* In 1983-84, Arkansas temps were below freezing for 12 straight days, December `9 – January 1.

* In 1889-90, there was NO snowfall.

* The National Weather Service (where most of this information was found and shared by K. Heard, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) records-keeping began in the early 1800s.

In the final page of “The Old Farmer’s Almanac Book of Weather Lore,” by Edward F. Dolan, is this British School Rhyme:

“Whether the weather be fine, / Whether the weather be not; / Whether the weather, / Whatever the weather, / Whether we like it or not.” #

 

c 2012 by Pat Laster dba lovepat press, Benton AR

The seasons––like Bob Dylan’s ‘times’–– are a-changin’

by Pat Laster

So the famous woodchuck Phil in Philadelphia saw his shadow. The bears at a zoo chose the “spring” bucket of food over the “winter” bucket of goodies. Nightly lows predicted for the week just past averaged 40 degrees. That spells spring to me. Besides, the spring peepers have been singing the entire month.
Oh, there’ll be more winter, but when lows stay in the 40s for a week, there’s something changing in this wonderful world.
The mini-snow of Monday, a-week-ago, in Central Arkansas, was indeed weak, even though the weather people scared some school folks into announcing on Sunday night that their institutions would be closed the next day. Even Henderson succumbed, Kid Billy said. He slept all day.
Reaching for the current Farmer’s Almanac, I found an article by Caleb Weatherbee, pseudonym for the publication’s weather forecaster, titled “Top Ten Cities Where Weather Can Shut Down Everyday Life.” Why don’t I share at least one instance of several cities shut down by a storm?
Washington D.C. – Before the … winter of 2009-2010, D.C. had seen some heavy snowfalls, but they were usually few and far between. The legendary Knickerbocker Storm of 1922 dropped 28 inches and caused the collapse of the Knickerbocker Theater, killing 98 people.
Chicago, Illinois – It is rare when snow freezes The Windy City to a standstill. On January 13-14, 1979, twenty-three inches of snow stranded thousands in offices, in schools and in buses. About 50,000 abandoned cars and 800 buses littered the streets and expressways.
Atlanta, Georgia – With usually mild winters, the storm on January 12, 1982 (6 inches coinciding with afternoon rush hour), the rare blizzard on March 13, 1993, and on January 9, 2011 (snow mixed with ice), all brought the city to a halt.
New York, New York – Despite being the “city that never sleeps,” a good snowstorm HAS shut down parts of this area. Two instances: the “Lindsay Storm” on February 9, 1969 that was forecast to be primarily rain turned into snow—an inch per hour. The sanitation department was unprepared and slow to get plows out. Mayor John Lindsay took a political hit after some sections remained unplowed for a week.
On December 26, 2010, even though blizzard warnings were given, New York City officials were again unprepared for the nearly two-feet of snow. Trains were frozen to platforms, airports were shut down, and again, many streets went unplowed for days.
Los Angeles, California – It was rain, not snow, that paralyzed L.A. on December 23, 2010. The rain that fell during this one week was equal to half the annual rainfall--nearly 8 inches—for the downtown area. Outlying communities saw homes and cars awash in mud, hillsides melting into major highways, and tens of thousands without power.
Dallas, Texas – Though usually mild, winters in this ‘humid-subtropical’ place are occasionally hit by “Blue Northers” that sweep from north to south, dropping temps rapidly, sometimes into the single digits. Then a deep blue sky follows. If a Gulf of Mexico storm develops and interacts, as it did on January 10, 2011, it can disrupt schools, businesses, power grids, and airports.
We're not looking for such a storm as shuts down our world, but a little more snow wouldn't be bad. At least for the kiddies. #