24 October 24

Today's Jerry Garcia tie was chosen by grandson B, to help celebrate his birthday -- number 6! He is a fan of bright colors, especially green.

8 March 23

 Today (8 March) is Holi, an amazing festival of colors. "Every spring, people across India and around the world celebrate the Hindu festival Holi, throwing colored water and powders on one another in joyous celebration." (Brittanica) I chose to wear this Jerry Garcia-designed tie for its splashy colors.

People celebrating Holi in 2022 in India

 

19 August 21

 Today marks two significant birthdays in the history of clockmaking: Seth Thomas, American manufacturer and pioneer in the mass production of clocks (1785-1859), and Edward John Dent, British clockmaker to Queen Victoria who was commissioned to design Big Ben (1790-1853). It's also the birthday of airplane pioneer Orville Wright (1871-1948). I have no tie easily related to those events, so it's a great occasion to show this beautiful Jerry Garcia tie, named California Mission.

28 January 20

American artist Jackson Pollock was born on this date in 1912. The splashy colors on my Jerry Garcia "California Mission" tie remind me of Pollock's painting style, as shown in the "Mural on Indian Red Ground," although his details are generally much finer. Also born today were William Seward Burroughs (1857-1898), inventor of one of the first practical adding machines for business operations, and John Baskerville (1707-1775), printer and typeface designer for whom the Baskerville Old font is named.


Jackson Pollock, Mural on Indian Red Ground, 1950.

27 January 19

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth Anne Wollenweber Kleppinger! She chose this Jerry Garcia tie for me to wear today, partly because we both like it a lot, and partly because it is an occasion to add the "J. Garcia" guitar tie tack she found with another tie two years ago. Jerry Garcia was the lead guitarist with the Grateful Dead, but he found second fame as a graphic artist. This posting is a bit late today! We had a very nice lunch at Apollo Pizza and then a presents-and-cakes party at "Grammy" Wilma Wollenweber's home. The extra photo is from 1958, when Beth was 4 years old.

5 November 17

Today marks the birthdays of musicians Art Garfunkel (1941), Gram Parsons (1946) and Peter Noone (1947). Garfunkel's fame came primarily from his partnership with Paul Simon; Parsons was a member of The Byrds; and Noone was the "Herman" of Herman's Hermits. My tie to honor these rock/pop celebrities is based on artwork by Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist for the Grateful Dead. The guitar-shaped tie tack shows his signature, "J. Garcia."

25 October 16

For International Artists' Day, I'm wearing my Jerry Garcia "California Mission" tie that reminds me of works by Jackson Pollock and other splashy artists. I always have my print of Dali's "Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory" on view in my office.

10 June 15

Today I am living "Where the Wild Things Are"! Famous children's book author Maurice Sendak was born on this date in 1928. (He died in 2012.) I think my multicolored prehistoric (?) lizards are pretty wild. Also born on this date --  Dick Vitale (1939), Cole Porter (1881), and Peter the Great (1672).



For the record -- I wore my "California Mission" tie yesterday, for no special occasion.

28 January 14

American painter Jackson Pollock was born on this date in 1912. You should visit http://jacksonpollock.org, where you can use your mouse to paint with "splotches" right on the main page. To see a wonderful collection of his works, search for his name with Google and then click to the "Images" page. My tie is not built on a Pollock painting, but it reminds me of his splashy style.

17 October 12

For "Wear Something Gaudy Day," I chose my lavender shirt, red pants and "California Mission 38" tie. I hope it makes your eyes ache.

24 January 12

On January 24, 1848, James Marshall discovered gold in California, resulting in the "Gold Rush." The sudden influx of white settlers set the stage for the state-sponsored extermination of Native Americans in California; their population was reduced by 80% within twenty years. My tie, designed by Jerry Garcia, is labeled "California Mission" #38.

29 June 11

Only two days left to celebrate June! And so many themes to celebrate . . .

• Aquarium Month
• Candy Month
• Dairy Month
• Fight the Filthy Fly Month
• Gay Pride Month
• National Accordion Awareness Month
• National Adopt a Cat Month
• National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month
• Rose Month
• Turkey Lovers Month

This tie has many bright colors . . . blue, purple, green, aqua and orange, along with black and white, so I'm sure there's a color suitable to honor each of those ideas.

07 November 10

While I was visiting RiteAid yesterday to pick up some prescriptions, the wonderfully friendly pharmacy technician (Courtney Kleppinger) asked me what tie I would wear today. I said I had not chosen anything, and she told me it would be her mother's birthday. So we decided that I should wear something appropriately peach/orange, for her mother's favorite color. Happy Birthday, Dana Tennill! (Note: The shirt is not nearly so bright as the detail photo suggests. Not shown in the photo: my ponytail is held with a peachy orange hair tie.)

9 May 10

It's Mother's Day and I am very happy that we could share this weekend with Mom and Dad Wollenweber. She chose this Jerry Garcia tie, which I happened to wear to work a few days ago but was great to repeat!

4 May 10

Today is International Respect for Chickens Day. I am showing my support for chickens by wearing a tie that does not show them any disrespect at all. Maybe the design even looks a little like chicken scratches.

18 August 09

To celebrate "Thanks for All the Gifts Day" . . . a tie I received as a Christmas gift!

05 February 09

No known special occasion today, and so I took the opportunity to wear this new Jerry Garcia "California Mission" tie, another Christmas gift from our great family of Faith, Matthew and Jack Lang.