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Thursday, January 19, 2023

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Top Hats History ~ Mushroom Rice Casserole ~ Cathy Norman ~ National Popcorn Day

  


Good 36º morning. 
 
 
Yesterday we had rain rain and rain........ we stayed in the 30ºs and topped at 37º after the rain stopped. 
 
 
Picture of the Day🤣
 

 
Interesting about top hats.........
 

A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tiemorning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or sometimes grey, the top hat emerged in Western fashion by the end of the 18th century. Although it declined by the time of the counterculture of the 1960s, it remains a formal fashion accessory. A collapsible variant of a top hat, developed in the 19th century, is known as an opera hat.

 

Perhaps inspired by the Early Modern era capotain, higher crowned dark felt hats with wide brims emerged as a country leisurewear fashion along with the Age of Revolution around the 1770s. Around the 1780s, the justaucorps was replaced by the previously casual frocks and dress coats. At the same time, the tricorne and bicorne hats were replaced by what became known as the top hat. By the 1790s, the directoire style dress coat with top hat was widely introduced as citywear for the upper and middle classes in all urban areas of the Western world. The justaucorps was replaced in all but the most formal court affairs. Around the turn of the 19th century, although for a few decades beaver hats were popular, black silk became the standard, sometimes varied by grey ones. While the dress coats were replaced by the frock coat from the 1840s as conventional formal day wear, top hats continued to be worn with frock coats as well as with what became known as formal evening wear white tie. Towards the end of the 19th century, whereas the white tie with black dress coat remained fixed, frock coats were gradually replaced by morning dress, along with top hats.

 


After World War I, the 1920s saw widespread introduction of semi-formal black tie and informal wear suits that were worn with less formal hats such as bowler hatshomburgsboaters and fedoras respectively, in established society. After World War II, white tie, morning dress and frock coats along with their counterpart, the top hat, started to become confined to high society, politics and international diplomacy. The last United States presidential inaugurations with top hat was the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961. Following the counterculture of the 1960s, its use declined further along with the disuse also of daily informal hats by men.

 

Yet, along with traditional formal wear, the top hat continues to be applicable for the most formal occasions, including weddings and funerals, in addition to certain audiences, balls and horse racing events, such as the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot and the Queen's Stand of Epsom Derby. It also remains part of the formal dress of those occupying prominent positions in certain traditional British institutions, such as the Bank of England, certain City stock exchange officials, occasionally at the Law Courts and Lincoln's Inn, judges of the Chancery Division and King's Counsel, boy-choristers of King's College Choirdressage horseback riders, and servants' or doormen's livery.

 

As part of traditional formal wear, in popular culture the top hat has sometimes been associated with the upper class, and used by satirists and social critics as a symbol of capitalism or the world of business, as with the Monopoly Man or Scrooge McDuck. The top hat also forms part of the traditional dress of Uncle Sam, a symbol of the United States, generally striped in red, white and blue. Furthermore, ever since the famous "Pulling a Rabbit out of a Hat" of Louis Comte in 1814, the top hat remains associated with hat tricks and stage magic costumes.

 

The top hat is also known as a beaver hat or silk hat, in reference to its material, as well as casually as chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat.

According to fashion historians, the top hat may have descended directly from the sugarloaf hat; otherwise it is difficult to establish provenance for its creation. Gentlemen began to replace the tricorne with the top hat at the end of the 18th century; a painting by Charles Vernet of 1796, Un Incroyable, shows a French dandy (one of the Incroyables et Merveilleuses) with such a hat. The first silk top hat in England is credited to George Dunnage, a hatter from Middlesex, in 1793. The invention of the top hat is often erroneously credited to a haberdasher named John Hetherington.

 

Within 30 years top hats had become popular with all social classes, with even workmen wearing them. At that time those worn by members of the upper classes were usually made of felted beaver fur; the generic name "stuff hat" was applied to hats made from various non-fur felts. The hats became part of the uniforms worn by policemen and postmen (to give them the appearance of authority); since these people spent most of their time outdoors, their hats were topped with black oilcloth.

 

If you want to read a lot more, go here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_hat

 

 

From Mr. Food
 

 
Mushroom Rice Casserole
 
Mushroom lovers take heart! Our Test Kitchen went all out to create a hearty and comforting casserole made with a combo of rice, mushrooms and a few basics. Our Mushroom Rice Bake will fit any of your favorite main dishes perfectly! That makes it a side dish worth remembering for dinners to come.
 
  • 1/2 cups long- or whole-grain rice, uncooked
  • 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 (10-1/2-ounce) can condensed beef broth
  • 1 (10-3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 stick (.25 cup) butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

 

  1. Preheat oven to 375º. Coat a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Spoon mixture into prepared casserole dish.
  3. Cover and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

 

****We like to garnish this mouthwatering mushroom casserole with some chopped scallions to add a touch of color!
 
Special birthday today, Cathy Norman (LASD ret) is celebrating. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATHY my friend!! xo

 
I worked with Cathy at ELA. I called her Princess Leia, as she was so small in her radio car..... It looked like she was steering the Enterprise! (taken at ELA in July 1998) HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATHY!!!!!


 
 
Historically this date.......
1883 – The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.


1915 – Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising.


1935 – Coopers Inc. sells the world's first briefs.


1937 – Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles, California to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.


1953 – 71.7% of all television sets in the United States are tuned in to I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth.


1978 – The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America continues until 2003.


1981 – Iran Hostage Crisis: United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity.


1986 – The first IBM PC computer virus is released into the wild. A boot sector virus dubbed (c)Brain, it was created by the Farooq Alvi Brothers in LahorePakistan, reportedly to deter piracy of the software they had written.


1991 – Gulf WarIraq fires a second Scud missile into Israel, causing 15 injuries.


And births this date include...
1807 – Robert E. Lee, American Confederate general (d. 1870) 
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r84GCgpM_68/UPrR_8yfuyI/AAAAAAAAkpQ/nXShYuBiNgI/s1600/roberteMA29137985-0013.jpg



1809 – Edgar Allan Poe, American writer and poet (d. 1849) 
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B1AP0S8z9do/UPrSIvji0jI/AAAAAAAAkpc/QBtnCy70vn4/s1600/poeMA29137985-0014.jpg



1839 – Paul Cézanne, French painter (d. 1906) 
 
 
 

1922 – Guy Madison, American actor (d. 1996) 
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCb27c4QwCI/UPrSkySl_zI/AAAAAAAAkp0/Klbn3Mr_2Jk/s1600/guyMA29137985-0016.jpg



1923 – Jean Stapleton, American actress (d.2013)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3GbZdJN0By0/UPrSukZ9ToI/AAAAAAAAkqA/WdycDYpSyhI/s1600/jeanMA29137985-0017.jpg



1930 – Tippi Hedren, American actress 
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f-msqmb8w2U/UPrS4Ek3WDI/AAAAAAAAkqM/Gck35LvHmGw/s1600/tippiMA29137985-0018.jpg



1939 – Phil Everly, American musician (d. 2014)
"wake up little Susie, wake up" !!
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NIYrgIpPGdk/UPrTN8uI5WI/AAAAAAAAkqY/rq0ZP4ieKbo/s1600/PhilMA29137985-0019.jpg



1943 – Janis Joplin, American singer (Big Brother and the Holding Company) (d. 1970) 
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FLxfH69ga80/UPrTb3NqlPI/AAAAAAAAkqk/WDdtq14mRWU/s1600/janisMA29137985-0020.jpg



1944 – Shelley Fabares, American actress
YIKES!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5VE15IcTRVw/UPrTmxzKofI/AAAAAAAAkqw/DahsammR05g/s1600/ShelleyFaberesMA29137985-0021.jpg



1946 – Dolly Parton, American singer and actress


http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E99ee5JS9yo/UPrTvpqH2jI/AAAAAAAAkq8/P9SjP_o1ywk/s1600/dollyMA29137985-0022.jpg





 
1953 – Desi Arnaz, Jr., American actor

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ha3EVUagP8A/UPrUC_P2d1I/AAAAAAAAkrU/8LMJsSurdE8/s1600/deziMA29137985-0024.jpg



1958 – Thomas Kinkade, American painter (d. 2012) 
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BGj7oWE7Lco/UPrUOOwiFhI/AAAAAAAAkrg/Abn9BODFG4Q/s1600/thomasMA29137985-0025.jpg
 
 
 
All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Thursday. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo

On January 19th, National Popcorn Day pops onto the scene with a crunch we all love to enjoy! The annual celebration recognizes a treat that satisfies munchies, day or night. 
This time-honored snack can be sweet or savory, caramelized, buttered or plain, molded into a candied ball, or tossed with nuts and chocolate. However it is enjoyed, enjoy it on National Popcorn Day, January 19th.
The word “corn” in Old English meant “grain” or, more specifically, the most prominent grain grown in a region. As maize was the most common grain in early America, the word “corn” was aptly applied.
As early as the 16th century, the Aztec used popcorn in headdresses worn during ceremonies honoring Tlaloc, their god of maize and fertility. Early Spanish explorers were fascinated by the corn that burst into what looked like a white flower.
Popcorn started becoming popular in the United States in the middle 1800s. It wasn’t until Charles Cretors, a candy-store owner, developed a machine for popping corn with steam that the tasty treat became more abundantly poppable. By 1900 he had horse-drawn popcorn wagons going through the streets of Chicago.
At about the same time, Louise Ruckheim added peanuts and molasses to popcorn to bring Cracker Jack to the world. Then in 1908, the national anthem of baseball was born. Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer wrote Take Me out to the Ballgame. From that point onward, popcorn, specifically Cracker Jack, became forever married to the game.
At the Movies
Another romance connected to popcorn may have had a slow start but eventually took off. Today, who can imagine going to the movies without getting a box of buttered popcorn? While popcorn was an economical choice for a snack food, the expense of installing a machine and adequately venting the building didn’t seem worth the effort. If it weren’t for Glen W. Dickson, we would be purchasing our popcorn from a vendor on the street before taking in the show. Dickson put in the effort and expense of placing machines inside his theaters. After realizing how quickly he recouped his costs, other theater owners followed suit.
The microwave oven spurred the next big advancement for popcorn. With the invention of the microwave, a whole new market opened for the snack food. Magnetrons, a technology produced by Raytheon Manufacturing Corporation for the military during World War II, were later used to develop microwave ovens. Percy Spencer was the man who made it happen. He used popcorn in his initial experiments during the microwave’s development.
Today, Americans consume 13 billion quarts of popcorn a year, more than any other country in the world. A majority of the popcorn produced in the world is grown in the United States. Nebraska leads the corn belt in popcorn production.

NATIONAL POPCORN DAY HISTORY

The a-maizing origins of this pop-ular day is mysteriously amiss. However, the day has been observed since at least 1988.