30 January 26

Happy Birthday (yesterday), Rachel Haskins! Rachel is our daughter-by-inclusion, whom we met through church connections in the 1990s. She has taught children's music and art, and baked and decorated wonderful cakes! A longtime fan of Vincent Van Gogh's art, she asked me to wear "Starry Night" for her today. I'm showing the starry Christmas ornament she painted for us many years ago.

18 July 25

I have no special reason to wear this wonderful Starry Night tie today, except that it's been out of sight for two and a half years! You night note today's date math, 7 plus 18 equals 25, and you might also want to know that Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918. He died in 2013.

31 January 23

Our daughter-by-inclusion Rachel Haskins celebrates her birthday on 29 January, but I've marked other occasions the last two days. And I think reversing time is OK because today is National Backwards Day (Yad Sdrawkcab Lanoitan). Rachel loves the art of Vincent Van Gogh, and asked me to wear Starry Night for her this time. Rachel is a music and arts educator who is also a homeschooling mother! My ensemble today includes my lanyard and "VIP" badge from our awesome November visit to "Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience" in Cincinnati.

1 February 22

Every January, at the very end of the month, I run into some trouble with timely celebrations for three significant family birthdays! Today I'm catching up with Saturday's birthday of our daughter-by-inclusion Rachel Haskins. Among her many talents are teaching music and drama, producing school musicals, singing with church worship teams, decorating marvelous cakes, and catering events like wedding receptions. She loves the art of Vincent Van Gogh, so I'm honoring her with my "Starry Night" tie.

30 March 21

Today I'm honoring the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890). You can enjoy the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, from your own home.

5 January 20

Today's "Starry Night" tie aligns with my solo at Richmond First United Methodist Church, "Watchman, Tell Us Of The Night." The lyrics form a dialogue between the watchman (from Isaiah 21) and "travelers" seeking any signs of hope, deliverance and peace. The watchman calls attention to a Star rising into the sky and then "bursting" its light over all the earth. This is the Twelfth Day of Christmas, and tonight is "Twelfth Night," signaling the opening of Epiphany, the Season of Light.

29 July 19

Vincent Van Gogh died on this date in 1890. Starry Night is an unforgettable, wonderful painting.

29 March 18

My Starry Night tie honors the birthday (tomorrow) of Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890. Other stars to note are baseball great Cy Young (today), 1867-1955, and German chemist Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (tomorrow), 1811-1899.

22 May 17

It's Aimee Moiso's birthday! Aimee married my nephew Nolan Huizenga last June, with a wedding and reception full of planets, stars, moons and comets. So I'm helping celebrate today with my Van Gogh Starry Night tie!

30 January 17

Today is officially Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day! But I'll celebrate that tomorrow, in order to fully appreciate the birthday (yesterday) of our daughter (by inclusion) Rachel Haskins. She is a devotee of Vincent Van Gogh's art, and deeply appreciates The Starry Night.

28-29 January 16

Tomorrow marks the birthday of two very special women in my life -- sister (-in-law) Faith Lang and daughter (by inclusion) Rachel Haskins. They both like Van Gogh's paintings, and I'm sure they both approve of my wearing "Starry Night" to honor them! Also of note -- today is the birthday of American painter Jackson Pollock (1912-1956).

4 May 15

Celebrate Star Wars Day today, you must. May the Fourth Be With You!

11 January 15

Today is the First Sunday in Epiphany, so I'm celebrating starlight with Van Gogh's "Starry Night."

17 August 14

Today's Starry Night tie honors the birthday celebration yesterday for our son-by-inclusion David Haskins!

14 April 14

Dutch astronomer/mathematician Christiaan Huygens was born on this date in 1629. He worked in early scientific developments with Baruch Spinoza, Gottfried Leibniz, Isaac Newton and John Locke. His most famous work in astronomy concerned the rings of Saturn and the discovery of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

30 January 13

It's a stormy day in Kentucky, but it's still a great chance to wear my "Starry Night" tie. It was selected for today by Rachel Haskins, our daughter-by-choice, to honor her birthday celebration yesterday!

15 February 12

Galileo Galilei would be 448 years old today. He turned telescopes toward the night sky and figured out that the only way to explain the motions of the planets and stars was to put the sun, not the earth, at the center of the "universe." This teaching contradicted the doctrines of the religious and intellectual authorities, and he was (wrongly) forced to recant his scientific conclusions. Placed in our own day, Galileo would be a champion on behalf of evolution and anthropogenic global warming, and he would still be absolutely right.

04 May 11

May The Fourth - Be With You!
Happy Star Wars Day!

30 March 11

Today marks the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh. If you own an iPhone or iPad, you can carry a large collection of his artwork with you everywhere you go; the Van Gogh HD app is regularly $2.99 but today it's on sale for 99 cents!

15 February 10

I am recognizing the birthdays of astronomers Galileo Galilei (Feb. 15, 1564) and Nicolaus Copernicus (Feb. 19, 1473). I dressed for the occasion before EKU closed for the wintry day.