Squeezing two holidays into one post

Spirea - mid-February - PL

                  Valentine’s and President’s Day. Thanks to Arkansas Living and Parade Magazine, this column was a snap to compose, er transcribe.

                *Women purchase 85 % of Valentine’s Day cards, says the Greeting Card Association.

                *Valentine’s Day is the second most popular holiday for sending cards. About one billion cards are exchanged each February 14.

                *Esther A. Howland—the “Mother of the Valentine,” popularized mass produced valentines in America in the 1840s.

                Kenneth C. Davis, author of Don’t Know Much about the American Presidents offered this trivia feature, “Take the Oath of Office Quiz” in Parade. Answers at the end of the column.

                1. In which city did the first inauguration take place? a. Richmond, VA; b. New York City; c. Philadelphia

                2. Which president gave the longest Inaugural Address? a. B. Clinton; b. G. Washington; c. Wm. Henry Harrison

                3. Who was the only president to take the oath of office from a woman? a. L. Johnson; b. R. Reagan; c. Geo. H. W. Bush

                4. African-American soldiers first marched in whose inauguration parade? a. A. Lincoln’s; b. U. S. Grant’s; c. T. Roosevelt’s

                5. Which chief justice administered the most presidential oaths? a. John Jay; b. John Marshall; c. Earl Warren

                6. Inauguration Day was officially changed from March 4 to January 20 thanks to the passage of the 20^th Amendment in 1933. Why? a. It often rained on March 4; b. Congress did not want the inauguration to fall during Lent; c. The transition period between the election and the inauguration of the president-elect was deemed too long.

                7. Which president tossed the Super Bowl coin the same day as his swearing-in? a. R. Nixon; b. G. Ford; c. R. Reagan

                8. Which president administered the oath of office to two of his successors? a. G. Washington; b. J. Q. Adams; c. Wm. H. Taft

                9. Who was sworn in on a Bible written in a modern foreign language? a. T. Jefferson; b. F. D. Roosevelt; c. J. F. Kennedy

10. Which president was given the oath of office by his own father? a. J. Q. Adams; b. C. Coolidge; c. Geo. W. Bush

Have you picked your answers? There may not be room for all the discussion Mr. Davis supplied. You can find the rest online.

1. b. NYC was the temporary capital of the US when Washington took the oath on April 30, 1789.

2. c. Harrison’s speech in 1841 was more than 8,000 words long & took nearly 2 hours to deliver.

                3. a. After JFK’s assassination, Johnson was sworn in aboard Air Force One by Sarah T. Hughes, a US district judge.

                4. a. At Lincoln’s 2^nd inauguration (1865), four companies of African-American troops, plus lodges of Masons and Odd Fellows joined the procession to the Capitol.

                5. b. Marshall administered the oath 9 times, from Jefferson’s first inauguration (1801) to Andrew Jackson’s second (1833).

                6. c. The old March 4 inaugural date had been selected when travel and communications were much slower and when the “lame duck” period for the outgoing president rarely caused problems.

                7. c. On Jan. 20, 1985, Reagan took the oath privately in the Entrance Hall at the White House, and later went to the Map Room to flip the coin on live television via satellite. (The 49ers won the toss, and the game.)

                8. c. Taft was appointed chief justice in 1921—eight years after his presidency--and administered the oath of office to both Coolidge (1925) and Hoover (1929).

                9. b. Roosevelt used an old family Bible written in Dutch at all four of his inaugurations.

                10. b. Coolidge was sworn in by his father, a justice of the peace, at the family homestead in rural Vermont on Aug. 3, 1923.

                Happy February Holidays.

Thoughts and sayings about January

                                                          Ice in front flowerbed last year

Now that the Christmas things are put away and the snow has come and gone, I’m ready for warmer weather—at least 50 degrees warmer, please, Mother Nature. Then I can get the front door painted, the back screen door re-screened, the frozen mums cut and composted and other cosmetic stuff around here, both inside and out.

Alas, I know it’s not to be, except for an occasional warm-up, and that the coldest part of winter is still ahead. In Edward F. Dolan’s The Old Farmer’s Almanac: Book of Weather Lore (purchased at the Higdon Ferry flea market some time back) I found these older sayings about months and their weather: predictions, both optimistic and pessimistic.

“January warm,
The Lord have mercy.”

“January wet,
No wine you get.” (grapes won’t produce?)

“If you see grass in January,
Lock your grain in your granary.”

If the following proverb/belief ever works out as true, credit goes to coincidence, Dolan says: “The date of the month on which the first snow falls gives the number of storms that the winter will bring.” Oh-my-goodness! If that be so, we’re looking at six more winter storms! Let’s hope . . . . [insert your own hope in this space.]

Contradictions in much weather lore makes for a fun read, but four other factors played a part in these adages about January weather: local weather, times of the month, religious hopes for what the weather on a feast day portended, and local interpretations of what was intended by certain wordings.

“March in Janiveer (January), 

Janiveer in March, I fear.”

“Remember on St. Vincent’s Day, (January 22)

If the sun his beams display, 

Be sure to mark the transient beam, 

Which through the casement sheds a gleam; 

For ‘tis a token bright and clear

Of prosperous weather all the year.”

“If St. Paul (St. Paul’s Day January 25) be fair and clear, 

It promises then a happy year; 

But if it chance to snow or rain,

There will be dear all sorts of grain; 

Or if the winds do blow aloft, 

Great stirs will vex the world full oft; 

And if dark clouds do muff the sky, 

The fowl and cattle oft will die.” 

According to the Trivia feature in one year’s Arkansas Living, celebrating the arrival of a new year dates back 4,000 years to ancient Babylon.

The first New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square took place in 1904 and included fireworks. In 1907, because of a ban on fireworks, a 700-pound iron and wood ball that was illuminated with 199 25-watt lightbulbs was lowered in the square at midnight, marking the beginning of a celebration that continues today, albeit with a different ball.

Other years’ trivia appropriate for the new year are, “There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter. One is the January thaw. The other is the seed catalogs.” –Hal Borland, and “What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.”—Vern McLellan. Another one makes me smile in sympathy: “I need my sleep. I need ‘bout eight hours a day, and about 10 at night.” –Comedian Bill Hicks. I’ll add, ‘especially during the winter.’

Finally, a quote from Abraham Lincoln: “My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of Earth.”

Animals: trivia, oddities and information

          Someone said once to make your reading work for you. That’s what I’m doing for this post.
ALLIGATORS—even in the wild—may lay 30 to 50 eggs, but only about 2% of the hatchlings make it to adulthood. (D. Thomason, Hot Springs Sentinel Record, 9.4.’15)

BEES cannot drink while flying (unlike hummingbirds) and so must land to feed.

Three different BEETLES attack pine trees: the Southern pine beetle, the IPS engraver beetle and the turpentine beetle. (J. Carson, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

The difference between BLOODHOUNDS: one is a trailing dog who keeps his head up to sniff; one is a tracking dog which puts his nose to the ground and follows footsteps. Both can be trained (field work) for search and rescue and narcotics detections and apprehension. (A. Wallworth, AD-G, April 2, 2012)

A BREED OF CHICKEN is Sicilian Buttercup.

CANADA GEESE defecate 92 times a day. (AD-G)

“If CATS are not fed at a regular location, their instinct is to roam.”  (J. Franks, a feline rescue volunteer)
[I hoped this was true, because once, I left eight feral cats without any food for two weeks. When I returned, six were still here. But how many squirrels and birds met their deaths during that period? Another time, I left for ten days; the cats were still here. The third time, I left for a week, and only three had persevered.]

COD prey on lobsters.

DOG breeds I’ve never heard of until now: “basenji” and “Chinese hairless crested.”

DOMESTICATED animals define what it is to be a human.”  (S. Brooks, assistant professor of equine genetics, Cornell University.)

DRUM (FISH) are native to Arkansas, a gray, freshwater species. Not usually sought by fishermen. They are bottom feeders that eat other fish and insects. (R. J. Smith, AD-G)

  FEMALE LOBSTERS are hens.

Several years ago. FOUR U. S. ZOOS housed giant Pandas: Zoo Atlanta, San Diego, Memphis and Washington D. C.

A newly-discovered FROG SPECIES, paedophryne amanuensis, is the world’s smallest vertebrate … less than half the diameter of a US dime. It lives in rainforest litter. (Science Now, January 23, 2012)

On land, GEESE are a gaggle; in the air, they are a skein.

GIANT PANDAS in the wilds of China number 1600, with 300 more in captivity, 108 of those which were at a breeding center at the Chengdu Panda Base, at the time this article came out.

GORILLAS are given the same kind of birth control as women and are given the same pregnancy test. (L. L. Williams, AD-G)

GREENHEAD DUCKS are known by some as “green timber.” (from an obit)

The HALIBUT is the largest flatfish.

A 68-pound rare KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA TURTLE was released in the Gulf of Mexico after a trip---supposedly via the powerful Gulf Stream-- and was found in the Netherlands in 2008. After three years of rehab, he was flown to Miami and trucked to Sarasota, outfitted with a satellite tracking system allowing scientists the ability to monitor his travels. (December 28, 2011)

 

 

Contrary to what some folks wish, lists are here to stay

 

 

                A while back, I was drummed out (it felt like—I left the group because of it) of a writers’ group because I was submitting various chapters of lists—given names, surnames, places, cemeteries, new names for churches, unknown words and phrases and the like.

                The late Ann Talley Kinnaird of Hot Springs didn’t like lists, either, she told me once on a critique. To try to prove that lists were a common occurrence, I began keeping a folder called (what else?) “Lists.” I still have it somewhere. But Ann probably doesn’t care about lists any longer where she is now. She’s probably kibitzing with St. Peter. Maybe even God. And laughing.

                All this to say, that after the experience with the writers’ group, I began seeking—and finding—myriad volumes of lists. They included The Nostalgia Quiz Book, The Big Book of American Trivia, Presidential Trivia, The Trivia Encyclopedia and The Classical Music Quiz Book.

                I’ve used materials from most of these titles in past columns. The newest book, which I would have gladly flaunted in Mrs. Kinnaird’s face is a The Book of Lists by a brother-sister team, Wallechinsky and Wallace, children of Irving Wallace. Their first compilation was in 1977 and they “were just having fun.” This volume of three-hundred-twenty lists, they say, will “entertain, inform, challenge, stimulate, and astonish you.”

                Really, that’s all I wanted to do with my original Compendium of Journal Jottings. I caved, gave up and began inserting some of my work into my website, http://www.PatLaster.com. I still have a lot of material to add.

                So let’s see, do you want to be entertained, informed, challenged, stimulated or astonished? Hmm. Not knowing exactly what readers want these days (I don’t do movies or TV or radio), I guess I’ll have to decide for you.

                Do you want to know eleven men who cried in public? I thought so. Jeff Blatnick, wrestler; David, warrior king; Lou Gehrig, baseball player; Jesus Christ, religious leader (sic); Bill Clinton, U.S. president; Dexter Manley, football player; Edmund Muskie, U.S. senator; Richard Nixon, U.S. president; Mike Schmidt, baseball player; Jimmy Swaggart, evangelist and Patrick Swayze, actor.

                Not very entertaining, you say? Of course, in the book, each reason for tears was given, most with quotes.

                How about phobias of 15 famous people (without the term for the fear)? Augustus Caesar (Roman emperor)—fear of sitting in the dark; Howard Hughes (millionaire businessman)—fear of public places and germs; Elizabeth I (British queen)—fear of roses; Sigmund Freud (father of psychoanalysis)—fear of train travel; Richie Valens (singer)—fear of airplanes. He died in a plane crash; Marilyn Monroe (actress)—fear of public places; Sid Caesar (comedian)—fear of haircuts; John Cheever (novelist)—fear of crossing bridges; Natalie Wood (actress)—fear of water. She died by drowning. And Alan Ladd (actor)—fear of birds. [I omitted five.]

                Only one more: “Six ways Cats Talk with Their Tails.” A vertical tail? He likes you—maybe; soft curves? He’s interested; a lowered tail? He’s not taking any chances; a twitching tip? The cat is miffed; a wagging tail? He’s weighing his options, and an arched, bristled tail? He’s all set to duke it out. [Each entry has a second explanatory sentence.]

                Now don’t tell me there’s not a place in our bookstores and book shelves for tomes of trivia like that.

Trivia took too long to find. Here's a surprise essay instead

 

 

--Independence Day trivia: Name three US presidents who died on July 4. Two of them died on the same day in what year?

--What Vermont-born president was a real “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” having been born on the Fourth of July?

While “moving” stuff for the carpet layers, I discovered something I thought would be perfect for this week. It was written by someone who shall remain nameless, although I did get the author’s permission to use it. It was a high school assignment and garnered an “A/90,” which for this person who claims not to like to write, I thought was excellent.

                                                 MY DREAM FOR AMERICA

“America is such a wonderful place where people can come from all around the world to live, find work, and sometimes to just have fun. But I think that some things could improve just a little bit. We could use a little more peace. There could be more food for the starving families…, and we could stand to give just a little more money to the poor people.

“Whenever I talk about peace I don’t mean it as just not having war, I mean it as no murder, violence, burglary, and anything else like that; peace means love, harmony, happiness, caring, joy and nurturing. When America and the world has a little more peace, then it will be good for everyone. Also, if we want peace with the world, we must learn how not to fight instead of how to fight. [Here, the teacher wrote ‘good.’]

“Hunger in the world is a very important thing to fight. Did you know that when you eat, about ten children go without food? Thousands of people across America are starving because they cannot afford food for their families. I blame this on the fact that jobs [‘are’] becoming harder to find, and money is becoming harder to obtain. If I [‘were’] able to change this I would. I would help all the people find the jobs they need to make a living. That is one way to make America a better place.

“The last issue I want to bring up is the way lots of people are homeless, starving, [‘or’] without jobs, and that reason is poverty. Poverty has affected many people in America. It is causing people to starve because they don’t have enough money. It’s making people sick because they can’t afford to go to the doctor, and it is leaving people homeless. Poverty [‘my friend’] is basically a disease to America, a disease that we need to find a cure for. Please, please help us find that cure.

“So, in conclusion, [‘my friend’] America has its ups and its downs, and in my mind I think we need to fix the downs. Even though America is fun and an adventure to all, [‘please’] please help us make it an even better place than it already is today. Thank you for listening to my ideas.”

Amen and amen.  Have a happy Independence Day tomorrow.

Nothing about President Washington's wooden teeth

 

                Since this is the month of Lincoln and Washington's birthdays, plus Presidents' Day, I delved into two resources for unusual information about our first president.Arkansas Living's "trivia" feature and Eric Couch's Presidential Trivia provided the snippets that follow.

                George Washington was born at Pope's Creek Farm (now Wakefield), Westmoreland County, Virginia, February 22, 1732. He did not have a middle name. In school, his favorite subject was arithmetic.

                George was only eleven when his father, Augustine Washington, died. George was one of nine presidents who didn't attend college.

At age 17, he secured a surveyor's assistant job helping lay out the town site in Alexandria, Virginia. At 19, while on his only foreign trip, George contracted smallpox on the island of Barbados.

At age 27, George, an Episcopalian, married Martha Dandridge Custis, also 27. The name of her plantation home was White House.

                The mule owes its popularity on the farm to George Washington. While researching farming methods, he determined that mules (the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse) were better for farming because they were stronger and had more endurance than a horse. In the 1770s, he began breeding mules at Mount Vernon.

                In 1782, as leader of the Continental Army, George Washington introduced the military decoration, Order of the Purple Heart. During this time, he became close friends with marquis de Lafayette, who eventually gave his general a Maltese jackass to help in the latter's mule business.

Washington served as president from 1789-1797. Our first president is the only one who did not live in the White House, which wasn't completed until after his death. He was 57 years old when he was sworn in as president for the first time. The oath of office was administered by Robert R. Livingston of New York, and ended with President Washington saying, "So help me God!" He appointed Thomas Jefferson secretary of state.

Though never paid for his work, Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a French engineer, was hired by President Washington to lay out the physical plan for a new capitol for the new nation.

 Because of the tardiness of some states in ratifying the Constitution, only eleven states officially comprised the USA at the time he was elected. In April, 1792, the president exercised his veto power for the first time in the nation's history.

                Washington's second inauguration was held March 4, 1793 in Federal Hall, Philadelphia. That inaugural speech was 133 words in length. The next year, he raised 15,000 troops to put down a rebellion by farmers in western Pennsylvania, known as The Whiskey Rebellion. The same year, he and the Congress authorized the creation of the United States Navy as a branch of the U.S. Defense Department.

                His 6,000-word Farewell Address was published in the Philadelphia newspaper, American Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1796.

                On December 12, 1799, George Washington fell ill with a cold and sore throat. His condition worsened to the point that he had trouble breathing. He died two days later of what is now believed to be acute epiglottitis.

                In 1847, his likeness appeared on the first 10-cent stamp issued by the U.S. Post Office.

                Pat here: Like any researcher, I benefited the most. If you learned even one new fact, Yay!

Squishing two holidays into one post

"Frosty morning in Pasadena 2013, Winter"

photograph by Thurman Couch

by Pat Laster

                Valentine’s or Presidents' Day? Thanks to two publications, Arkansas Living (February) and Parade Magazine (January), this post was a snap to compose, er transcribe.

                *Women purchase 85 % of Valentine’s Day cards, says the Greeting Card Association.

                 *Valentine’s Day is the second most popular holiday for sending cards. About one billion cards are exchanged each February 14.

                *Esther A. Howland—the “Mother of the Valentine,” popularized mass produced valentines in America in the 1840s.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

                    Kenneth C. Davis, author of “Don’t Know Much About the American Presidents?” offered this trivia feature, “Take the Oath of Office Quiz” in “Parade.

                 1. In which city did the first inauguration take place? a. Richmond, VA;  b. New York City;  c. Philadelphia

                 2. Which president gave the longest Inaugural Address? a. B. Clinton;  b. G. Washington; c. Wm. Henry Harrison

                3. Who was the only president to take the oath of office from a woman? a. L. Johnson;  b. R. Reagan; c. Geo. H. W. Bush

                4. African-American soldiers first marched in whose inauguration parade? a. A. Lincoln’s; b. U. S. Grant’s;  c. T. Roosevelt’s

                5. Which chief justice administered the most presidential oaths? a. John Jay;  b. John Marshall; c. Earl Warren

                6. Inauguration Day was officially changed from March 4 to January 20 thanks to the passage of the 20^th Amendment in 1933. Why? a. It often rained on March 4;  b. Congress did not want the inauguration to fall during Lent;  c. The transition period between the election and the inauguration of the president-elect was deemed too long.

                7. Which president tossed the Super Bowl coin the same day as his swearing-in? a. R. Nixon;  b. G. Ford; c. R. Reagan

                8. Which president administered the oath of office to two of his successors? a. G. Washington;  b. J. Q. Adams; c. Wm. H.Taft

               9. Who was sworn in on a Bible written in a modern foreign language? a. T. Jefferson;  b. F. D. Roosevelt;  c. J. F. Kennedy

              10. Which president was given the oath of office by his own father? a. J. Q. Adams;  b. C. Coolidge; c. Geo. W. Bush

Have you picked your answers? I'll post them on Monday, Presidents' Day

Autumn in (and about) Arkansas

by Pat Laster

Still blooming on Couchwood Hill are Encore azaleas (spotty—I didn’t feed them), crape myrtle, dianthus, variegated wandering jew, Wave petunias (revived from a spring planter), common begonia, yellow zinnias, pink mini roses, Mandevilla (only a few), 7 yucca torches, oxalis, abelia, mums, purple monkey grass, a lone lamb’s ear and a community of yellow wildflowers.
The beautyberries are so dense and heavy that the bush umbrellaed to the ground, providing a haven for three kittens that magically appeared a few weeks ago.
It’s about time I used some of the information collected in what I’m calling a Compendium of Journal Jottings. The rest of the column includes items collected from my readings under the heading of “Around Arkansas.” Readings include the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Arkansas Times, The Saline Courier, The Amity Standard, Harper’s and New York Times Book Review.
* The position of the state poet laureate was established October 10, 1923, by concurrent resolutions of both houses of the Legislature. Charles T. Davis was the first person named to the post.
* Camp Magnolia in southern Arkansas was where religious conscientious objectors were housed during WWII.
* William Sebastian, namesake of Sebastian County, began his US Senate career in 1947 as the 30th Congress’ youngest senator at age 37.
* Ten counties (as of April 1 2011) operate with two judicial districts and dual courthouses. Carroll and Clay are two of them.
*2011 is the first time in Arkansas history that counties were split when [congressional] district lines were drawn after the 2010 census. Four are in the northwest counties of Crawford, Sebastian, Newton and Searcy.
* According to the latest census, Arkansas has a population of 2, 915, 918.
*Johnny Cash’s family moved to Dyess in 1935 when he was three.
*Dyess Colony was established in 1934 as an agricultural resettlement community under the Works Progress Administration and the Federal Emergency Relief
Administration. More than 500 homes dotted the 15,000 acres in east Mississippi County.
* Under Arkansas law, the death of someone missing for more than three years may be proved by such circumstantial evidence and a death certificate (ordered by a judge) issued.
* Lake Atlanta in Rogers was built in the mid-1930s as a Works Progress Administration project.
*Since 2008, Arkansas has received eleven disaster declarations for tornadoes, floods, snowstorms, ice storms and remnants of three hurricanes.
* For the next fiscal year (beginning in July, 2011), there will be 76,137 positions in our state government.
*An average (in 2011) of from ten-to thirteen-thousand gamblers visit Southland’s casinos on any given Saturday. The Saturday after the Mississippi casinos closed due to flooding, 20,000 visitors came.
*Interstate 40 is 284 miles long.
* Since 1885, twenty-three Little Rock police officers have died in the line of duty.
* “Mid-way clay” lying 75 feet below Interstate 540 shrinks and swells more than other types of clay. (Talk about shape-shifting!) “The earth is very self-correcting. When it needs to move to relieve pressure, it’s going to move,” said Randy Ort, AHD
* Robbie Tilley Branscum, an Arkansan, won the 1982 Edgar Allen Poe Award for the best juvenile mystery, The Murder of Hound Dog Bates.
At this writing, autumn 2011 entered our calendars in as nearly perfect a seasonal temperature as is possible.
As Elizabeth Lawrence wrote, “Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.”

c 2011 Pat Laster dba lovepat press

A do-ahead column gone awry

by Pat Laster


By now everyone who regularly reads the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette knows that Jay Grelan’s Sweet Tea column is history. Too bad. He knew how to hook the reader at the very first sentence. I often thought “I wish I could write like that.” Many letters-to-the-editor have ensued and one of them caught my notice. It said, “His column is not always about him.” She meant the thrust of the column, I’m sure, since he wrote pieces about other people. Of course, he did have a connection to the subject of each column.
Anyway, nearly every other columnist I read writes about him/herself. But since my last several pieces have been about myself, I’ll give both me and thee a break. Of sorts.
For my 75th birthday, my sis Carolyn not only gave me a gorgeous music-motifed scarf, but also a Hallmark gift book, “GREAT at any age: who did what from age 1 to 100…and beyond.”
How interesting, I thought, and after I'd finished a column listing one name/accomplishment for each year up to 21, I looked on the back of the title page. "No part of this book can be reproduced, etc. etc."
I emailed the web site requesting permission for using what I had typed. "Unfortunately, we cannot......" So you'll never know that toddler Mickey Rooney was a part of his family’s vaudeville act. Or that as a 2-year-old Judy Garland began her stage career.
Or you may already know that Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was three. Or that Andre Agassi--at age four--impressed tennis great Jimmy Connors as they rallied for a quarter of an hour. And every one of a certain age knows--or has heard--that five-year-old Charlie Chaplin performed with his mother on the vaudeville stage.
And who doesn't remember that at six, Ron Howard began his run as Opie Taylor on the TV classic The Andy Griffith Show. We don't need a book to tell us that, now do we?
I won’t go on. For one reason, I can’t access the finished column (computer woes). Instead, I’ll continue with journal jottings from the first few days of August. How about a paragraph or two of trivia, called BY THE NUMBERS?
130 million = the estimated number of books that exist worldwide.
A $1.6 million Missouri lottery win is only worth (ONLY?) a cash payout of $800,000.
96 = the age Katharine Hepburn died.
12= the number of Oscar nominations for Hepburn.
4= the number of Oscars won by her.
3,280 feet tall=the height of the planned Kingdom Tower to be built in Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea (Saudi Arabia), making it at least 563 feet taller than the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.
76=the age of Dame Judy Dench, one of my favorite British actresses.
115=degrees of temperature around parts of our (and surrounding) state(s) with more to come.
It’s awfully hard to write a column without bringing yourself in to it.
Folks, stay inside while this heat prevails. #