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Saturday, July 1, 2023

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Lillian Kinkella Keil ~ Two Boys Casserole ~ Pat Sandifur ~ National Postal Worker Day ~ National US Postage Stamp Day

  


Good 55º clear sunny morning.
 
Yesterday we topped at 104º.
 
 
Picture of the Day


 
 
Interesting.....This was shared by George Bachmeier (LASD ret)

 

Lillian Kinkella Keil, Flight Nurse

 
(November 17, 1916 – June 30, 2005)

She remains one of the most decorated women in American military history.

 

On June 30 in 2005, a heroine passes away. Captain Lillian Kinkella Keil served as a flight nurse in both World War II and Korea. She remains one of the most decorated women in American military history.

She wasn’t just any flight nurse. She was among the first, which made it more challenging. “She had to make it up as she went along,” retired Air Force Col. Barney Oldfield later said. “She was an airborne Florence Nightingale.”

When World War II began, Keil was a registered nurse working as a flight attendant. Her life changed forever when a passenger suggested that she join the Army Air Forces.

She could serve her country as a flight nurse.

The training was no picnic. Nurses were expected to be physically fit. They had to learn to escape a plane if it were forced down over water. They were taught to swim through a burning oil slick, and they learned techniques to survive in extreme temperatures.

 

Keil persevered, and she was among the first to graduate from the USAAF School of Air Evacuations in Kentucky. She was soon on her way to Europe, where she served in notable campaigns such as the Battle of the Bulge and the D-Day landings.

“Wherever a toehold was established and called a battle zone,” she wrote, “that would be our destination. . . . Since we carried military supplies, we couldn’t hide behind the safety of the Red Cross insignia. . . . since sleep was something we never got enough of, I learned to doze with my head resting on my oxygen tank sitting atop an oil drum.”

Flights in and out of war zones were “bumpy” and “rough,” she described. “You had to be on your feet, so you couldn’t strap in. You’d hang on with one hand and tend to the patients with the other. If there were severe head wounds, you’d have to tell the pilot to fly low to keep the pressure from making them worse.”

Later, as she served in Korea, Keil was present at the difficult Battle of Chosin Reservoir. She worked for 72 straight hours in some of the worst winter weather of the war. Those evacuation flights landed dangerously close to the enemy, but the pilots and flight nurses managed to extract nearly 4,700 wounded in nine days.

“We were fired upon and often had to land in slush,” she later described, “which was dangerous because the planes could skid. One of the nurses was killed. Somehow, the Marines came through.”

By the time she returned to the states, Keil had flown 425 combat evacuation missions, and she’d treated about 10,000 wounded. She earned 19 medals and ribbons, but she mostly loved the opportunity to serve.

“I’m a nurse. I liked flying. I like being needed. It was my work, what I was put on this earth for,” she reflected.

Maybe she was put on this earth for her empathy, too?

“She always had her makeup done—lipstick and her hair in a chignon,” her daughter explained. “The lipstick was a big thing. She felt like she represented back home to them. Here they are in a foreign place—terrified. She represented their mother, their sister, their sweetheart . . . . for them to look at her and just feel sort of like they were going to be okay—it was a comfort to them.”  

After the war, Keil was the inspiration for the 1953 film, Flight Nurse. She met and married a Navy intelligence officer. She appeared on “This is Your Life” in 1961. “Her appearance generated a record amount of mail,” the Los Angeles Times reported, “much of it from wounded veterans who remembered the tiny black-haired nurse.”

“She never questioned what she needed to do when there was a war,” her daughter concluded. “It was her calling, and she called the soldiers her ‘boys.’”

If you want to read the Wikipedia story, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Kinkella_Keil

 

From Mr. Food

 


Angela, in Texas, has two boys with big appetites for casseroles, so she came up with this recipe for Two Boys Casserole. It combines all of their favorites into one meaty and hearty dish. We bet everyone at the table will be pleased to find the creamy, beefy goodness underneath that layer of crispy potato tots!
 

 

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 (12-ounce) package frozen peas
  • 1 (10-3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese, divided
  • 1 (30-ounce) package frozen potato tots, thawed

 

  1. Preheat oven to 375º. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef, onion, salt, and pepper until meat is browned. Add peas and stir. Add soup, milk, sour cream, and 1 cup of cheese; stir to combine.
  3. Place half the potato tots in baking dish, top with meat mixture, then remaining potato tops. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  4. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until the potato tots are cooked through and golden.
 
 
 
My former neighbor here in Oregon and friend who moved to Arizona is Pat Sandifur, aka Pat the Pet Sitter, and she is celebrating her birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PJ!! xo

^a few years ago we were celebrating her special day.
 
 
Historically this date..........
1863 – American Civil War: the Battle of Gettysburg begins.


1908 – SOS is adopted as the international distress signal.


1963 – ZIP Codes are introduced for United States mail.
After having lived in Los Angeles, 32, Ca for all my young life, now it was Los Angeles 90032. For those of you who remember, this was strange!


1979 – Sony introduces the Walkman.


1981 – The Wonderland Murders occurred in the early morning hours, allegedly masterminded by businessman and drug dealer Eddie Nash.
 


2007 – Smoking in England is banned in all public indoor spaces.
... I wish it was banned here in all public outdoor spaces too!

 

And births this date include....
1906 – Estée Lauder, American entrepreneur (d. 2004)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJT_FC_lFjNGkL_AtDY4fFy-H2nl3LDWUM-Us97yAVFmVTxx8LHn2ZN6EIwUbh8BsC9ajxVht0hZDojPbiiDQhT7OMMq0FBxmk4dsi1w-jtnmE3otWfdbTKQRK0F501EXpWP8LFUt53Tg/s1600/esteeMA29028283-0012.jpg


1916 – Olivia de Havilland, British-born actress (d.2020)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLYhd-hIPsex9GWcWjvIponTOhcX1Ab9ZjUZTXNatKK1VUApvwaSjKsx0vAEjcM6uRMAw8KF9mxH925lRx12aTETeqvvOY69DOb8Z_I3R_bOwUmkButbcmq6dKPEXwVhbTubcQceXoP4/s1600/oliviaMA29028283-0013.jpghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68W2A54YqExysEkO-mRTGZwRqhYsLe-BjRQieQYbId7mVGLjMEeJ2KhBwm3I2pmIvsC46PDl3-nMyN049oQFBXWvZMSLRiR9fviRPoXGQZfb9a3FYyuURfU-JJal5wYAPMJRPFLRmUTw/s1600/olivia2MA29028283-0014.jpg


1931 – Leslie Caron, French actress
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioE9usQz6gXSAphtdX3CGWhoIwqss21rpniSpdyq8ZLdIUd_gw_uvGKt5LJknbHTMYXcCifjnXt2DtXQ0-8ROGLGpeEl5LCXJ45po-ehk-wVUKRRUWxRPj0LuMWUgWAPnAr4kyw3Hqkm4/s1600/Caron%20editMA29028283-0015.jpghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhg4PwgHUMg5MWdG7kNUL3jimdLgWPttpN6bww1oMBzA6gSCXO3i4Jh5uvEFKk2psSybQ9J_DrBF_h3XIZX1iIRvR4FD46lyNBRs-4n6DiaA2jd0nYZaGldT61di0jtnjpNaLhYkoKlE/s1600/leslie2MA29028283-0016.jpg


1952 – Dan Aykroyd, Canadian actor
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjilnkPZRMeGe3D4nz-m2GN18zRF3aTmOdFXeV2hXQ5u1_dYygOxCgpjggN42stGDLAjdeBvchA_wRZt8LjQUj7Ce2NQdS4IISgL7HyALm-cgUCkwd0sdCq0pSB1ltQV5J3veMXJ68lg/s1600/danMA29028283-0017.jpghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpTF9zbpPrdbJLXrxMI9tb4uOmJLgYNPHsTxmh1jNg2eDnmnQzJsoMiMF_a8mwnMTapEifmvbbIC5Ofokx7YwQhXUM7lIar04h8o5ZEUxe5rXAshsuOSRMspYNLiDCj206PFt5eOMajQ/s1600/dan2MA29028283-0018.jpg
 
 
1961 – Diana, Princess of Wales, first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales and mother of the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry (d. 1997)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jlXv55qcpNmRAJUAIUL1pTFn3NZLHalXSeofjZIdZxIQkx1dtuSperaghcSMQz2hMbSOqaoXQ_KkWx5tjj0ep43xt2z8k72z4oayA1xn8QuCOG1idPBHPZt-AMmCIFucD9InvyEh7V4/s1600/dianaMA29028283-0019.jpg
 
 
 
 
All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Saturday. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Postal Worker Day on July 1st recognizes postal workers all across the nation and encourages us to show our appreciation. Thank the numerous men and women who work consistently and diligently to deliver all of our mail. These employees suffer some of the harshest working conditions, yet continue to persevere six days a week.
Across the United States, postal workers walk an average of 4 to 8 miles carrying a full load of letters and packages, delivering them promptly to each of our doorsteps. Approximately 490,000 postal workers across the United States head out each day to our residences and businesses. Regardless of the weather, postal workers deliver all week long. Even when temperatures fluctuate from extreme heat and cold, the mail arrives. In the rain, sleet and blizzards, too, the mail gets delivered. 
Besides severe weather, dealing with unusual packages is also part of the job. In 1913, the postal service started delivering packages up to a maximum of 11 pounds. The most surprising package to arrive for delivery was a small child. Barely under the weight limit, James Beagle was mailed. For a cost of 15 cents, a postal worker delivered young Beagle to his grandmother just a few miles away. This practice continued for just over a year. By then, the postmaster general put regulations in place prohibiting it.

HOW TO OBSERVE

While celebrating the day, take time to thank your local postal worker. Encourage others to get the word out and to focus on making every postal worker’s day just a little bit better.
 

NATIONAL POSTAL WORKER DAY HISTORY

A Seattle-area postal carriers established National Postal Worker Day in 1997 to honor fellow employees.
 
And today is also............

On July 1st, National US Postage Stamp Day recognizes the ease and simplicity with which we can send and receive mail. A stamp represents payment for the delivery of a letter or a package.  

The United States issued its first postage stamp on July 1, 1847. At that time, stamps were not required. A letter could be mailed without a stamp and delivery paid for by the recipient. In 1855, the postage stamp became mandatory. 

Philately is the study of stamps and postal history. Stamps often have a fascinating history. Everything from the inspiration and the artist to the postal rate in a given year affects the value of a stamp. Collectors look at quality and rarity as well.  

While the digital age may have slowed the flow of snail mail, it doesn’t reduce the excitement associated with receiving a letter or a card in the mail. A handwritten note in an envelope with a postage stamp in the corner holds so much more charm than most of the emails people receive. A colorful postcard from an exotic location or missive with crayon-drawn artwork improves one’s day when it comes delivered by a familiar postal worker.

Birthday wishes that come via text message or social media are one thing, but an unexpected delivery through the mail in a bright envelope brings more smiles than all the likes in the world.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Put a stamp on it! Celebrate the day by mailing a letter or postcard to someone you know. Visit the Classroom Pages for a variety of postcards you can download and print. You can also start a stamp collection. If you’re creative, design your own stampPost your designs and collections on social media using #USPostageStampDay.

If you mail or ship packages frequently these Digital Scales can help you with more accurate shipping costs.

NATIONAL US POSTAGE STAMP DAY HISTORY

Within our research, we were unable to identify the creator of National U.S. Postage Stamp Day. 

US Postage Stamp FAQ

Q. What were the first images on the first postage stamps?
A. Two postage stamps went on sale on July 1, 1847. These first official U.S. postage stamps depicted Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.

Q. What is the cost of a single, first-class postage stamp in the United States?
A. A single, first-class stamp in the United States as of August of 2021 is 58. This stamp will mail a single piece of mail weighing one ounce or less.

Q. Do postage stamps expire?
A. No. But if the stamp’s value is less than the cost to mail the package or letter, you will need to include additional postage.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Happy Saturday!

I will be checking supplies to assure ingredients are on hand to make the delicious casserole - perfect to serve after a busy garden- work day!!!