Summer Begins ~ Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Frankie Avalon ~ 30-Minute Turkey Stew ~ National American Eagle Day

  

Good 52º scattered clouds morning.

 

Summer Begins today.

 

On the longest day of the year, Summer Begins in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also known as the Summer Solstice, which happens either on June 20th, 21st, or 22nd. It all depends on the time zone in which you live.

With the Summer Solstice, the astronomical calendar marks the first day of summer as the Earth’s axis is pointed toward the sun. It’s rays more directly impact the Northern Hemisphere giving us more daylight and more warmth. It’s a time when plants grow rapidly and animals are more active. That includes humans.

Many schools are out of session during the summer which gives families the opportunity to take vacations. Even those without children take time to explore the outdoors through camping, hiking, and biking. Community pools open, inviting everyone to cool off on hot summer days. The beaches are open, too. Water adventures in the form of kayaking, canoeing, skiing, and fishing entice us to the rivers and lakes.

Gardners and farmers spend time cultivating their bounty and watching the skies for foul weather. And speaking of fouls – baseball, softball, and soccer teams take the field with cheering fans in every color of the rainbow.

There’s so much to do during the summer, we try to pack it all in over weekends and short breaks. But it never seems to be enough time. Before we know it, summer is over. Though, it’s only just begun.

HOW TO OBSERVE SUMMER BEGINS

There are so many ways to enjoy the beginning of summer! Whether you spend the day hiking, reading a good book on the beach or grilling some burgers, the important thing is that you celebrate summer. Spend some time outside in the fresh air. Take a long walk and visit a local park.

SUMMER BEGINS HISTORY

Since ancient times, the summer solstice has been marked on calendars with celebrations honoring the sun and as a way to mark the seasons.

 

Yesterday we started at 41º and topped at 94º.

 

 

Picture of the Day...What???? 😕

 

 

 

Interesting about Frankie Avalon.........

 

                                 ^1959

 

Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol.^[1][3] He had 31 charting U.S. Billboard singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" and "Why" in 1959. He is the earliest surviving singer to have scored a solo number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

 

Avalon started appearing in films in the 1960s; he is well-known for having appeared in the Beach party films of this decade and for a supporting role in the 1978 musical film Grease, in which he sings the song "Beauty School Dropout".

Early life and education

Avalon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Mary and Nicholas Avallone. His mother was originally from Sicily. His father was a butcher who was born in Philadelphia, whose father Francesco was from Salerno, in Campania, Italy. His paternal grandmother was from Sicily.

 

In December 1952, Avalon made his American network television debut playing the trumpet in the Honeymooners "Christmas Party" sketch on The Jackie Gleason Show. Two singles showcasing Avalon's trumpet playing were issued on RCA Victor's X sublabel in 1954. His trumpet playing was also featured on some of his LP songs as well. As a teenager, he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints.

 

In 1959, "Venus", which was a number one single for five consecutive weeks, and "Why" went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Why" was the last number one hit of the 1950s.

 

1960s

Rushes for Timberland were seen by John Wayne, who was looking for a young actor to play the (fictitious) role of "Smitty" in his passion project, The Alamo (1960). Avalon was cast in his second dramatic part. After making the film Wayne told the press "We're not cutting one bit of any scene in which Frankie appears. I believe he is the finest young talent I've seen in a long time." "Mr Wayne said I was natural as far as acting goes," said Avalon. He added, "My ambition when I was ten years old was to have my own band like Harry James. I never expected anything like this... I'd like to be identified as a singer, dancer, and actor. I don't want to be just one thing."

 

Personal life

Avalon married Kathryn "Kay" Diebel on January 19, 1963. She was a beauty pageant winner he met while playing cards at a friend's house.

 

The Avalons have eight children, Frankie Jr., Tony, Dina, Laura, Joseph, Nicolas, Kathryn and Carla, and 10 grandchildren. Frankie Jr. is a former actor who appeared in the original The Karate Kid.

 

                                 ^2018

^{If you want to read a lot more, go here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Avalon}

 

From Mr. Food

 

SERVES

4

COOK TIME

35 Min

Got leftover turkey? Our 30-Minute Turkey Stew will breathe new life into your leftovers and no one will ever guess how you did it. This hearty one-pot meal is sure to stick to your ribs and stretch your food budget, making it one of the best leftover turkey recipes out there.

 

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 4 cups chicken or turkey broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups leftover cooked turkey, pulled apart into 1-inch pieces

 

 

1. In a soup pot, heat oil over high heat. Add celery and onion, and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, chicken broth, sage, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 to 18 minutes, or until potatoes are almost fork-tender, stirring occasionally.
    
2. In a small bowl, combine water and flour; mix well. Pour into soup pot and stir until thickened. Add turkey and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until turkey is hot, stirring occasionally.

 

 

 

Historically this date........

1893 – Lizzie Borden is acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother. The "poem"...

 

"Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one"

1945 – The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to America.

2009 – During the Iranian election protests, the death of Neda Agha-Soltan is captured on video and spreads virally on the Internet, making it "probably the most widely witnessed death in human history".

 

And births this date include...

1924 – Audie Murphy, American soldier and actor Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1971)

... he had a very intense and short life. His second wife was an amazing woman. 

 

1928 – Martin Landau, American actor (d.2017)

 

1931 – Olympia Dukakis, American actress (d.2021)

 

1933 – Danny Aiello, American actor (d.2019)

 

1940 – John Mahoney, English actor (d.2018)

 

1942 – Brian Wilson, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer (The Beach Boys) Who I named my Brian after! I was a BIG Beach Boys fan!

 

1945 – Anne Murray, Canadian singer and guitarist

 

1952 – John Goodman, American actor

 

1967 – Nicole Kidman, Australian-American actress

 

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Thursday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Each year on June 20th, National American Eagle Day honors our national symbol, raising awareness for protecting the Bald Eagle. The day also encourages the recovery of their natural environments while providing educational outreach.

The Bald Eagle is both the national bird and the national animal of The United States of America and appears on its Seal.

In the latter 20th century, the Bald Eagle hovered on the brink of extinction in the continental United States. Eventually, populations recovered and on July 12, 1995, the species was removed from the U.S. Federal Government’s List of Endangered Species and transferred to the List of Threatened Species. In June of 2007, as the species continued to thrive, the American Eagle was withdrawn from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States.

EAGLE HABITAT AND FACTS

The Bald Eagle’s range includes most of Canada, Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. They nest near large bodies of open water where abundant food supplies and old-growth trees abound.

Opportunistic feeders, Bald Eagles survive mainly on fish, swooping down and snatching them from the water. Their nests are the largest nests of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species. The largest recorded eagle’s nest was found in St. Petersburg, Florida. It measured 9.5 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep and weighed in at nearly 3 tons. 

These majestic raptors tally up quite a list of facts. A fully grown female Bald Eagle has a wingspan of 7 feet and weighs 7 to 15 pounds. Male eagles are slightly smaller. They also mate for life and live between 20-30 years. As a power bird of prey, an eagle’s sharp sense of sight joins powerful muscles, piercing talons, and beak, making them primed for the hunt. 

Although the raptor is also known as the Bald Eagle, the name derives from an older meaning of “white-headed.” The bird isn’t bald at all. The adult eagle is mainly brown with a white head and tail.

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL AMERICAN EAGLE DAY

Join the celebration by learning more about the American Eagle. Whether you visit a nature preserve or learn about conservation, be sure to invite someone to join you. You can also learn about the American Eagle in other ways, too:

• Reading books about the Bald Eagle such as The Eagles Are Back by Jean Craighead George or Bald Eagles: Their Life and Behavior in North America by Art Wolfe.
• Watching documentaries about this majestic raptor, like National Geographic’s Bald Eagle – Nature’s Largest Raptors.
• Listening to a podcast about the American Eagle.
• • Going bird watching and bring your camera – you may be able to capture some spectacular images of the eagle soaring above you.
  • Learning about conservation efforts.

NATIONAL AMERICAN EAGLE DAY HISTORY

The American Eagle Foundation sponsors National American Eagle Day to raise awareness about the American Eagle, its habitats, and conservation efforts. For more information, visit www.eagles.org.

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Actor Henry Fonda ~ Company Chicken ~ National Martini Day

  

Good 42º clear sunny morning.

 

 

Yesterday we started with clear sky and at 37º. It stayed clear all day and we topped at 86º.

 

 

Picture of the Day....Kansas City Library😮

 

 

Interesting about actor Henry Fonda.........

 

Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters that embodied an everyman image.

 

Born and raised in Nebraska, Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor and made his Hollywood film debut in 1935. He rose to film stardom with performances in films like Jezebel (1938), Jesse James (1939) and Young Mr. Lincoln (1939). He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940).

 

In 1941, Fonda starred opposite Barbara Stanwyck in the screwball comedy classic The Lady Eve. After his service in World War II, he starred in two highly regarded Westerns: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) and My Darling Clementine (1946), the latter directed by John Ford. He also starred in Ford's Western Fort Apache (1948). During a seven-year break from films, Fonda focused on stage productions, returning to star in the war-boat ensemble movie Mister Roberts in 1955, a role he championed on Broadway. In 1956, at the age of 51, Fonda played the title role of 38-year-old Manny Balestrero in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The Wrong Man. In 1957, Fonda starred as Juror 8, the hold-out juror, in 12 Angry Men, a film he co-produced and that earned him a BAFTA award for Best Foreign Actor.

 

Later in his career, Fonda played a range of characters, including a villain in the epic Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and the lead in the romantic comedy Yours, Mine and Ours with Lucille Ball. He also portrayed military figures, such as a colonel in Battle of the Bulge (1965) and Admiral Nimitz in Midway (1976).

 

Fonda won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 54th Academy Awards for his final film role in On Golden Pond (1981), which co-starred Katharine Hepburn and his daughter Jane Fonda. He was too ill to attend the ceremony and died from heart disease five months later.

 

          ^Jane, Henry, and Peter Fonda 1950's

Fonda was the patriarch of a family of actors, including daughter Jane Fonda, son Peter Fonda, granddaughter Bridget Fonda and grandson Troy Garity. In 1999, he was named the sixth-Greatest Male Screen Legends of the Classic Hollywood Era (stars with a film debut by 1950) by the American Film Institute.

 

Family history and early life

Jane Fonda, Henry Fonda, and Peter Fonda in July 1955

Born in Grand Island, Nebraska, on May 16, 1905, Henry Jaynes Fonda was the son of printer William Brace Fonda, and his wife, Herberta (Jaynes). The family moved to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1906.

 

Fonda's patriline originates with an ancestor from Genoa, Italy, who migrated to the Netherlands in the 15th century. In 1642, a branch of the Fonda family immigrated to the Dutch colony of New Netherland on the East Coast of North America.^[3][4] They were among the first Dutch population to settle in what is now upstate New York, establishing the town of Fonda, New York. By 1888, many of their descendants had relocated to Nebraska.

 

Fonda was brought up as a Christian Scientist They were a close family and highly supportive, especially in health matters, as they avoided doctors due to their religion. Despite having a religious background, he later became an agnostic. Fonda was a bashful, short boy who tended to avoid girls, except his sisters, and was a good skater, swimmer, and runner. He worked part-time in his father's print plant and imagined a possible career as a journalist. Later, he worked after school for the phone company. He also enjoyed drawing. Fonda was active in the Boy Scouts of America; Howard Teichmann reports that he reached the rank of Eagle Scout. However, this is not supported elsewhere. When he was 14, he and his father witnessed the brutal lynching of Will Brown from a nearby building during the Omaha race riot of 1919. This enraged the young Fonda and he kept a keen awareness of prejudice for the rest of his life. Remarking on the incident in a 1975 BBC interview, he said: "It was the most horrendous sight I'd ever seen. My hands were wet, there were tears in my eyes. All I could think of was that young black man dangling at the end of a rope." By his senior year in high school, Fonda had grown to more than 6 feet tall, but remained shy. He attended the University of Minnesota, where he majored in journalism, but did not graduate. While at Minnesota he was a member of Chi Delta Xi, a local fraternity, which later became Chi Phi's Gamma Delta chapter on that campus. He took a job with the Retail Credit Company.

 

Fonda's successes led Ford to recruit him to play Tom Joad in the film version of John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath (1940). A reluctant Darryl Zanuck, who preferred Tyrone Power, insisted on Fonda's signing a seven-year contract with his studio, Twentieth Century-Fox. Fonda agreed and was ultimately nominated for an Academy Award for his work in the film, which many consider to be his finest role. Fonda starred in Fritz Lang's The Return of Frank James (1940) with Gene Tierney. He then played opposite Barbara Stanwyck in Preston Sturges's The Lady Eve (1941), and again teamed with Tierney in the successful screwball comedy Rings on Her Fingers (1942). Stanwyck was one of Fonda's favorite co-stars, and they appeared in three films together. He was acclaimed for his role in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943).

 

Fonda enlisted in the United States Navy to fight in World War II, saying, "I don't want to be in a fake war in a studio." Previously, Jimmy Stewart and Fonda had helped raise funds for the defense of Britain. Fonda served for three years, initially as a quartermaster 3rd class on the destroyer USS Satterlee. He was later commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade in Air Combat Intelligence in the Central Pacific and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Navy Presidential Unit Citation. After being discharged from active duty due to being "overage in rank", Fonda was transferred to the Naval Reserve, serving three years (1945-1948).

 

^{During the 1960s, Fonda performed in a number of war and Western epics, including 1962's The Longest Day and the Cinerama production How the West Was Won, 1965's In Harm's Way, and Battle of the Bulge. In the Cold War suspense film Fail-Safe (1964), Fonda played the President of the United States who tries to avert a nuclear holocaust through tense negotiations with the Soviets after American bombers are mistakenly ordered to attack the USSR. He also returned to more light-hearted cinema in Spencer's Mountain (1963), which was the inspiration for the 1970s TV series, The Waltons, based on the Great Depression of the 1930s memories of Earl Hamner Jr.}

 

^{Fonda was married five times and had three children, one of them adopted.}

 

Death and legacy

Fonda died at his Los Angeles home on August 12, 1982, from heart disease. Fonda's wife, Shirlee, his daughter Jane, and his son Peter were at his side that day. He suffered from prostate cancer, but this did not directly cause his death and was noted only as a concurrent ailment on his death certificate.

 

Fonda requested that no funeral be held, and his body was cremated. President Ronald Reagan, a former actor himself, hailed Fonda as "a true professional dedicated to excellence in his craft. He graced the screen with a sincerity and accuracy which made him a legend."

 

^{If you want to read a lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fonda}

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

SERVES

4

COOK TIME

25 Min

For those times when you want to make your gang feel special anytime, or if you're having a dinner party; our easy yet elegant Company Chicken recipe is one of our Test Kitchen Favorites.

 

• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, slightly flattened (about 1-1/2 pounds)
• 4 thin slices Muenster cheese
• 1/4 cup dry white wine

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
    
2. Place bread crumbs in shallow dish and add chicken, turning to coat well. Place chicken in prepared baking dish.
    
3. Bake chicken 15 minutes, then remove from oven and top each piece with slice of cheese; pour wine evenly over top.
    
4. Bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until no pink remains in chicken and cheese is bubbly and light brown.

 

 

 

Historically this date......

1910 – The first Father's Day is celebrated in Spokane, Washington.

 

 

1978 – Garfield, holder of the Guinness World Record for the world's most widely syndicated comic strip, makes its debut.

 

And births this date include...

1903 – Lou Gehrig, American baseball player (d. 1941)

Cute. Dimples~!

1921 – Louis Jourdan, French actor (d. 2015)

... this yummy man had been married to his one and only wife since 1946! until his death.

1969 – Lara Spencer, American TV personality

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Wednesday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On June 19th, shake up some gin and vermouth with ice and add a lemon twist. It’s National Martini Day!

This adult beverage has grown to become one of the best-known mixed drinks. A traditional or perfect Martini is made with equal parts gin and vermouth. For anyone who has never had a Martini, we have a list of terms to help get you started.

Martini Lingo

• Dirty – This Martini includes olive brine or juice from the olive jar.
• Dry – The vermouth is decreased significantly in the Martini, and gin becomes the primary spirit. Extra dry tips the ratio even further.
• Gibson – Instead of an olive, bartenders garnish the Martini with a pickled onion.
• Shaken vs. Stirred – Most bartenders will tell you that the better Martini is stirred. Shaken Martinis tend to be inferior due to a couple of reasons – ice chips water down the drink, and shaking the Martini adds air to the cocktail. A stirred Martini results in a smoother, fuller experience.
• Straight Up – This Martini may be either shaken or stirred, but it is strained and served without ice – the opposite of a Martini on the rocks. 
• Smoky or Burnt – Scotch whisky replaces the vermouth in this Martini. A twist of lemon garnishes the glass.
• Wet – Where the dry Martini has less vermouth, this one has more.
• With a Twist – The bartender adds a thin strip of citrus peel to the Martini as a garnish or in the drink. 

Shaken, stirred, on the rocks, that’s what you need to know to order traditional Martinis.

James Bond, the fictional spy, sometimes asked for his vodka Martinis to be “shaken, not stirred.”

When the James Bond movies debuted in the late 1960s, the popularity of the Martini increased. In the later decades, clear spirits like vodka overtook aged spirits like bourbon in market share. However, in recent decades, a balancing act seems to be taking place.

Dirty martini – Martini with a splash of olive brine or olive juice and is typically garnished with an olive.

Over the years, the traditional Martini inspired a variety of other cocktails such as the Cosmopolitan, chocolatini, or appletini.

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Order your favorite Martini or Martini-inspired cocktail. Martinis are an excellent cocktail to serve at a small gathering with hors d’oeuvres. Whether you serve a meat and cheese tray or go all out with shrimp, stuffed mushrooms and patè, make it a night to remember. (Remember always to drink responsibly and to designate a sober driver.)