10 November 24

The second week in November is Young Readers' Week. I'm starting one day early!  We have eight grandchildren who are all avid young readers. Today's weather in central Kentucky is hardly suitable for a picnic, but nothing stops picnics in the Hundred Acre Wood. The idea of Pooh and Piglet sharing a picnic became real in a Disney animation, including the words on my tie -- "Piglet, you don't suppose the bees want to join our picnic, do you?" But A. A. Milne's illustrator, E. H. Shepard, left us with a sketch for what Christopher Robin and his friends might do.

8 May 22

It's Mother's Day 2022! Our Madison County families are having a "picnic" of our own at Ben and Amanda's house, with food from whichever takeout restaurants the four local mothers prefer. On my tie, Pooh and Piglet are having a picnic, with special jars of honey, and the words say "Piglet, you don't suppose the bees want to join our picnic, do you?"

5 April 21

On this day in history: in 1999, three Israeli engineers filed a patent for the USB "flash drive." Today's tie was requested by our daughter Courtney (Tennill), "for a friend who appreciates your tie whimsy.” I'm glad to bring some happy ideas about picnics -- real or imagined -- to anyone today! On my tie, Pooh and Piglet are in the Hundred Acre Wood, and Pooh is asking "Piglet, you don't suppose the bees want to join our picnic, do you?"

5 July 20

Today there's a picnic at our house! We are finally getting together to celebrate Father's Day (from 14 June) and Joel Wesley Sullivan's first birthday (from 20 June). The rules in Kentucky for group gatherings during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic now permit our local twelvesome to share the same space. And we form a single family group "household" because we have few close contacts otherwise, and so we don't need to wear the face masks we sport everywhere else. Grammy Wilma Wollenweber is especially happy to see us all together. My tie shows Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet on a picnic, and the words on the background say "Piglet, you don't suppose the bees want to join our picnic, do you?"

In other news, Happy Birthday, Jeanie Gillispie Marlow, Dylan Merida, Becca Morrison and Hannah Hughes Vaught!

18 January 19

Happy Winnie-the-Pooh Day! This day honors the birthday (in 1882) of A(lan) A(lexander) Milne, chronicler of the adventure stories in the Hundred Acre Wood and creator of poetry loved by children and their parents. With Beth's help I learned today that the silly old bear's name is truly Winnie-the-Pooh, according to Milne and Christopher Robin, while the producers at Disney Studios  always leave out the hyphens. My tie, celebrating a picnic for Pooh and Piglet (and some bees), is from the collection of Allan Durand Stevens. I know it's Friday, when I routinely do not wear a tie, but I'm going to need several Fridays this year to show off some wonderful ties that are new to me!