October! ~ Picture of the Day ~ Giraffes ~ Easy Spinach & Ravioli Lasagna ~ Brian's State Farm ~ 10 Codes ~ National Fire Pup Day

Good 32º ice on the barn roof morning!

OMGOSH, it's OCTOBER!!!!

Yesterday the sun came and went. Coming up my driveway I got 12 drops of rain. We topped at 57º.

Picture of the Day....

Interesting.....

The Giraffe may be well-known for its incredibly long neck and tongue, but those are hardly the longest features of this majestic animal. The giraffe has the longest tail of any land mammal. Their tail can grow to be 8 feet long. A black tuft at the end of the tail whisks away flies and other flying insects. The male giraffe has a longer tail than that of the female. The giraffe is also the tallest living animal and is instantly recognizable by its exceptionally long neck. Adult males stand between 15 – 19 feet.

Easy Spinach and Ravioli Lasagna 

1 bag (6oz) fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped

1/3 cup refrigerated basil pesto

1 jar (15oz) Alfredo pasta sauce

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 pkg (25oz) cheese filled ravioli (do not thaw)

1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Chopped fresh basil leaves

Paprika, if desired

Heat oven to 375º. Spray 2 qt glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In bowl, toss spinach with pesto. In another bowl mix Alfredo sauce with broth. Spoon one third of the sauce mixture, about 1/2 cup, into baking dish. Top with half of the spinach mixture. Arrange half of the ravioli in a single layer over spinach mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce mixture.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 more minutes until bubbly. Garnish with basil and paprika.

***

• Although this dish calls for frozen ravioli, you can let the ravioli sit on the counter top about 5 minutes before preparing the recipe to allow the frozen ravioli to separate more easily.

Today is the 11th anniversary of Brian's State Farm Office. You do a GREAT job Bri! Lots of customers and everyone likes him!

October is the month of "10 codes"... these are codes used by our LASD and many other departments/agencies. So, today is 10-1 and that is the code for "receiving poorly". Or in other words, "What did you say?"

It's widely accepted that ten-codes originated during the 1920's or 1930's, as police were beginning to use radios more and more for communications. The need for codes to keep traffic brief was recognized early on, and a series of code numbers for specific incidents was established. By most accounts, Charles Hopper, a communications director with the Illinois State Police, is credited with establishing the first set of codes. 

At first, it may seem hard to decipher - even pointless - but police jargon and the use of police codes serve a purpose. Civilians may assume that the reason for talking in codes is so the public can't easily figure out what cops are saying. A quick Internet search for police codes or police jargon, however, shows that most agencies make their codes public.

Historically this date.....

1880 – John Philip Sousa becomes leader of the United States Marine Band.

1890 – Yosemite National Park is established by the U.S. Congress.

1908 – Ford puts the Model T car on the market at a price of US $825.

1910 – Los Angeles Times bombing: A large bomb destroys the Los Angeles Times building in downtown Los Angeles, California, killing 21.

1957 – First appearance of In God We Trust on U.S. paper currency.

1979 – The United States returns sovereignty of the Panama canal to Panama.

1987 – The Whittier Narrows earthquake shakes the San Gabriel Valley, registering as magnitude 5.9.

Scary. Everything in my kitchen cupboards rattled. Kristen heading to college classes and Brian to high school felt as if their cars were hit by another vehicle. Sandy's chimney fell down.

And births this date include...

1909 – Sam Yorty, American politician (d. 1998)

... could not say Los Angeles (los an-gel-less) he said "Las Angle-lees". Sheesh!

1910 – Bonnie Parker, American outlaw (d. 1934)

1920 – Walter Matthau, American actor (d. 2000)

1924 – Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States.

1927 – Tom Bosley, American actor (d. 2010)

1928 – George Peppard, American actor (d. 1994)

.... Two pack a day smoker, died young, lung cancer!

1935 – Julie Andrews, British actress and singer

1936 – Stella Stevens, American actress

Yikes!

1945 – Spider Sabich, American skier (d. 1976)

......shot and killed by Claudine Longet.... she had been married to Andy Williams.

1950 – Randy Quaid, American actor

Yikes again!

1963 – Mark McGwire, American baseball player

All I know. Nuff said. Happy 1st Day of October. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Fire Pup Day on October 1st recognizes the canine firefighters that have long been members of fire departments across the country.

While the Dalmation’s origin is unknown, their use in firehouses began during the 1700s. Trained as a carriage dog, the Dalmatian’s agility transferred quickly to horse-drawn fire engines. Even though Dalmations weren’t the only dogs fit for carriage work, they were the ones who mostly filled the role of fire dogs. They were also easily identified by their spotted and speckled coats.

In the days of the horse-drawn fire carts, they provided a valuable service, having a natural affinity to horses. The Dalmatians duty was to run alongside the horses. They ran in front of or beneath the wagon axles clearing the way.

Long after the red engines replaced horse-drawn wagons, the Dalmatian remains a recognizable tradition in fire stations across the country.  These energetic firehouse mascots serve to educate the public about fire safety. They also represent past fire pup in honor of their heroism.