12 August 25

For World Elephant Day I'm wearing my blanketed elephants tie. To celebrate with Branston and Evelyn we will be reading 3 books starring elephants: Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches the Egg, and You're Here For a Reason. Our stuffy elephant Kwabena will help us enjoy those stories.

12 August 24

Today is World Elephant Day! "The elephant is loved, revered and respected by people and cultures around the world, yet we balance on the brink of seeing the last of this magnificent creature." My grandson Joel helped me choose my blanketed elephants tie for this occasion.

22 September 23

Today (22 September) is Elephant Appreciation Day. It is also Hobbit Day, honoring the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Frodo's comrade Samwise Gamgee had a special fascination with elephants, known in Middle Earth as oliphaunts. Sam got to see a huge oliphaunt while he and Frodo were with Faramir in Ithilien, and he quoted an old poem about oliphaunts to Gollum (Smeagol) around the same time. My tie shows white elephants sporting multicolor blankets.

11 August 22

Tomorrow (12 August) is World Elephant Day. I'm celebrating a little early with my blanketed elephants tie. Take a moment to learn something new about elephants!

22 September 21

 I'm wearing blanketed elephants to celebrate Elephant Appreciation Day! And I have a pink elephant tie bar to hold them in place. Today is also Hobbit Day, honoring the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.

9 April 20

Happy Jumbo Day! On this date in 1882, "Jumbo" the elephant arrived in New York City, brought to us by P. T. Barnum. His instant popularity resulted in the use of jumbo as a synonym for "huge." My tie features shorter-eared but jumbo-sized Asian elephants decked with colorful blankets.

12 June 19

I declare today Blanketed Elephants Day.

21-22 September 17

Every year, 21 September is the International Day of Peace, sponsored by the United Nations. Elephants are fairly peaceful animals, but my tie primarily honors Elephant Appreciation Day tomorrow. And tomorrow is also Hobbit Day, celebrated on the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Frodo's friend Samwise Gamgee was very excited to see some "Oliphaunts" on their travels near Ithilien, during Middle Earth's Third Age.

11-12 August 16

August 12 is always World Elephant Day! A new elephant conservation movie, "When Elephants Were Young," including narration by William Shatner, debuts today (12 August). See http://www.whenelephantswereyoung.com. This house elephant is about 1/10 scale (by height, not by weight).

12 August 15

Today is World Elephant Day! Two items worth celebrating are (1) the decision by Ringling Bros. Circus to stop using elephants in their shows (by 2018), and (2) the decision by the city council of Austin, TX to ban the use of bullhooks (taking effect this October, timed to allow for the Ringling Bros. Circus shows before then). I recall childhood visits to circuses and zoos where elephants were chained and trained, and I now support every effort to help these animals live freely, with strong protection from humans' exploitation and hunting. Please don't go to the Ringling Bros. Circus! Tell them to stop using elephants NOW! (We'll work on exposing their abuse of other animals too.)

12 August 14

Happy World Elephant Day!

22 September 13

Happy Birthday, Bilbo Baggins, and Frodo Baggins! My tie celebrates today as Elephant Appreciation Day, but I have learned that it is also World Rhino Day.

4 February 2013

Today marks the 100th birthday of Rosa Parks (1913-2005), and also the birthday of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). But it is also my own half-birthday, so I've chosen my blanketed elephants tie for this occasion!

1 March 12

March First -- a day for marching elephants. The weather yesterday was more roaring-lion-ish than today, so maybe March is actually coming in like an elephant this time.

4 October 11

Today is WORLD ANIMALS DAY, and I have a new tie starring Indian elephants wearing beautiful blankets and headgear!