8 April 19

I'll take the annual Hana Matsuri flower festival in Japan as a good occasion to wear my hibiscus flowers tie. Here in Kentucky we're seeing many flowering trees and daffodils, and tulips are beginning to open. Other events connected with this date are the first patent for a fire escape (1766), the first sale of milk in glass bottles (1879), the birthday of Kentucky author Barbara Kingsolver (1955) and the death of Pablo Picasso (1973).