10 May 26

In 1893 the Supreme Court rendered a judgment in a case involving tariffs on fruits and vegetables. The central issue was the classification of tomatoes, and on 10 May, the Court decided that the tomato counted as a vegetable, not a fruit! My tie celebrates Bob the Tomato, from Veggie Tales.

19 May 24

Christian churches worldwide celebrate the "birthday of the church" on the feast day called Pentecost. Its date annually falls 49 days (7 weeks) after Easter. The traditional liturgical color for Pentecost is red, and many churches encourage worshippers to wear RED! My own choice is often Bob the Tomato, from VeggieTales.

19 October 23

 The creators of the French Republican Calendar showed appreciation for the tomato (Tomate) on the day we call 19 October. Here's Bob the Tomato's great smile to make you happy!

10 July 22

 Nine years ago (yesterday) I became a grandfather for the first time! Mallie asked me to wear a RED tie to honor her namesake great-grandmother Mallie (Sizemore) Asher (1928-2014), because Granny Mallie's favorite color was red. She chose Bob the Tomato for today! I am also sporting my special tie bar with one square cut from a medallion of Mallie's initials. Happy Birthday, Mallie!

19 October 21

And so, once again it's Tomato Day! And here's Bob the Tomato (from VeggieTales®) to smile at you. Tomate, 28 Vendémiaire, was the first date I celebrated according to the French Republican Calendar, when I uncovered that wonderful resource back in 2008. Since then I've worn either this giant smile or my "Polka Bob" tie for many Tomato Days.

19 October 20

Today is "Tomate," 28 Vendémiaire on the French Republican Calendar. Designed during the French Revolution and promoted by the French government in 1793-1805, the Calendar honored agrarian life by associating each day of the year with a plant, animal or farm tool. Bob the Tomato (of fame from Veggie Tales®) is happy to smile at you!

16 June 19

Happy Father's Day! Bob the Tomato has appeared, to celebrate the birthday (in 1966) of Phil Vischer, co-creator of Veggie Tales®. And I'm sporting small clamps, to make the point that clamps and neckties are some of the most memorable and useful presents a father can receive. I think everyone can always use more clamps. Ben gave me some yesterday, and we used one of them immediately for cutting baseboard for our master bathroom!

20 May 18

Pentecost Sunday is an excellent day for celebrating RED! So here's Bob the Tomato, from Veggie Tales®, along with a bowl of strawberries I picked this morning. (And I'm wearing a bold red hair tie, and there's even more red hidden where you can't see!)

10 May 17

124 years ago today, the U. S. Supreme Court decided that the tomato is a vegetable, not a fruit (under agricultural tariff laws).

18 August 16

Bob the Tomato is helping me celebrate National Smile Week! Maybe he and I can make you smile too!

7 October 15

It's World Smile Day! Will you cooperate?

24 May 15

Happy Pentecost! The right color to wear for Pentecost is RED. And this is also Bob Wollenweber's 90th birthday, so it's a double-special day to wear my Bob the Tomato (from Veggie Tales®) tie.

8 July 14

Birthday of Mike Nawrocki, one of the creators of Veggie Tales®. He was born in 1966.

11 February 14

Today is "Inventor's Day," honoring the birthday of Thomas Edison (1847). It is also the birthday of the "father of thermodynamics," J. Willard Gibbs (1839). My tie captures both the red-hot ideas of thermodynamics and the fact that "Big Idea Productions" owned the Veggie Tales® characters like Bob the Tomato. I am allowed to invent my own reasons for my ties!

19 May 13

Pentecost (fifty days after Easter) marks the "birthday" of the Christian church. We wore RED today to celebrate Pentecost. Bob the Tomato, from Veggie Tales®, is always happy to help me out.

8 October 12

Yesterday was World Smile Day, and "Bob the Tomato" wants you to keep on smiling today. Today is special because at a specific moment today (8 October, 2012) the time will be 02:46, 8-10-12. Time to get even?

27 May 12

Happy Pentecost 2012! This is the 1,983rd or 1,985th anniversary of the "birthday" of the Christian church, although the people at that time (ca. CE 27 or 29) were trying to reform Judaism and had no intention to form a separate "religion." Bob the Tomato thinks RED is the right color for any day of the year.

1 November 11

Happy All Saints' Day! and also Happy World Vegan Day! I'm letting Bob the Tomato, from Veggie Tales®, help me celebrate both of these holidays. Red is the proper color for honoring saints; Bob and his animated friends made many stories about great saints (like Joshua, David and Esther); and tomatoes are among the tastiest foods in vegan culture.

05 May 11

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday, celebrating a victory over French forces in 1862. Due to this outcome, Napoleon III was unable to deliver supplies to the Confederacy, benefiting the Union in the U.S. Civil War. Bob the tomate says that you should wear green, white and RED today, and visit your local taqueria! Here is a link to the Veggie Tales® song "Dance of the Cucumber" where Bob interprets Larry's Spanish.

19 October 10

It's Tomato Day, on the French Republican Calendar. See my explanation on this date in 2008.