10 October 25

In 1792, in post-revolutionary France, the new government wanted a calendar that avoided all connections to religion. The result, called the French Republican Calendar, had twelve months of thirty days. (Five other special days were scattered among the months.) My interest in this calendar stems from its designation of each day of the year to honor a plant or crop, a farm tool, or a farm animal. Our date of 10 October was renamed Tournesol, for the sunflower, assigned to the nineteenth day in the month of Vendémiaire (grape harvest). My tie for Sunflower Day celebrates the art of VincentVan Gogh!

5 October 25

The first Peanuts cartoon was published on 2 October 1950, 75 years ago! Charles Schulz created daily cartoons for the next 50 years. My tie shows many characters in cartoon frames. I recently completed my set of 25 volumes of the complete Peanuts collection! They occupy bookshelf space near my collections of Dilbert, Calvin and Hobbes, and Far Side.

29 September 25

I have a committee meeting today for Berea Home Village, so I observe my tradition of wearing a necktie. I have chosen my hibiscus flowers tie, which comes with a hidden bonus of hula dancers (upside down) on the tie's tail!

28 September 25

The annual celebration of "Read a Child a Book You Like Day" occurs on 28 September. I chose to wear my chameleons tie and read "A Color of His Own" (by Leo Lionni) to my grandchildren!

21 September 25

Where's Waldo? This is the 38th anniversary of the publication of the first Where's Waldo book (Where's Wally? in Britain), by Martin Handford. Martin's birthday can be found soon (27 September, 1956). I'm including a amusing cartoon that arrived yesterday, and a minimally challenging fragment from a page in "Where's Waldo Now?".

21 September is the United Nations International Day of Peace. (Most of Waldo's adventures are peaceful though chaotic.) It also marks the birthday of Beth's great-grandfather Frederick George Wollenweber (1846-1928), and yesterday marked the birthday of my own great-grandfather Jeremiah Wilson Kleppinger (1854-1931).

19 September 25

Ahoy! It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Here are some popular quotes and phrases to help you talk like a pirate: "Ahoy, me hearties!" (Hello, my friends), "Shiver me timbers!" (An exclamation of surprise), "Avast ye!" (Stop and pay attention), and "Aargh!" are all great ways to celebrate the holiday. You can also use words like "landlubber" (a person unfamiliar with the sea), "grog" (rum), and phrases like "walk the plank" (to be forced into the sea) to add to your pirate persona.

Yes, I am getting my free lunch today from Long John Silver's, where dressing like a pirate (including wearing a skull-and-crossbones necktie) is rewarded with food!

16 September 25

Happy Birthday, Mom Wilma Wollenweber! To help her celebrate this 96th milestone, she asked me to wear my "library books" tie, which is one of her all-time favorites in my collection (matching one from Dad's wardrobe that now belongs to my sons!).

14 September 25

By special request of grandson B. M., I am wearing "the shirt that looks like it has a tie on it."

13 September 25

Today we are celebrating Mom Wilma Wollenweber's 96th birthday (coming up on 16 September)! She asked me to wear my bright red music tie. We will have dinner and a party with her three children, three of her grandchildren and seven of her great-grandchildren. She lives in her own condo in Richmond, and she has excellent home helpers through the occupational therapy program at EKU.

12 September 25

On 12 September 1758, early astronomer Charles Messier discovered a "new comet" which turned out to be the Crab Nebula. This observation became "M1," the first entry in the Messier Catalog of "new" non-comet celestial objects. Messier was most interested in finding comets, and he created his list to document the objects that frustrated him. The catalog eventually contained 110 nebulae, galaxies and star clusters, all quite easily visible from northern latitudes.

10 September 25

I attended a quickly-arranged online meeting today, so I had to wear a tie. I chose to show my "retired freedom" tie! The main topic for this Berea Home Village meeting was to re-delegate the responsibilities of a longtime leader who is resigning. Most of us in the organization are retired, and we all follow the rule that WE ARE FREE TO DO WHATEVER WE WANT!

8 September 25

Today our granddaughter T. R. turns three years old! On Sunday I showed her a few ties and she immediately picked out this one with bright flowers. Of special note, today is also Ampersand Day, celebrating the typographical character "&." September 8 is appropriate because so many of the letters in September and the numbers 8 and 9 can be styled like ampersands!

7 September 25

My tie honors Wild Rose Day (21 Fructidor) on the French Republican Calendar. Today is also "Grandparents Day," so I'm including a photo of my paternal grandparents, Frank and Sally Florence Kleppinger. I knew them well when I was growing up in Bethlehem, PA.

5 September 25

Tomorrow (6 September) marks the 533rd anniversary of the day Christopher Columbus sailed from the Canary Islands, his last port before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It also marks the 503rd anniversary of the return of one of Magellan's ships to Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the Earth, and the 405th anniversary of the sailing of the Pilgrim's "Mayflower" from Plymouth, England. A few great events in sailing history!

31 August 25

It's Fantasy Football Draft Day! Our family has had a league in the ESPN Fantasy Football world for maybe 10 years. I didn't have a team last year, but this time I will either have a team of my own or work with Beth's on hers. One year I had the champion team!