Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Kangaroos ~ The Ultimate Tuna Melt ~ Spencer Norman ~ Marie Vincent ~ National Night Out Day

  

Good 67º scattered clouds morning. 

 

Yesterday we topped at 95º.

 

Picture of the Day...momma alligator and her babies crossing a street in Florida...

 

 

Interesting about Kangaroos....

 

The kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo 

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 as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo

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 and western grey kangaroo. Kangaroos are indigenous to Australia and New Guinea. The Australian government estimates that 42.8 million kangaroos lived within the commercial harvest areas of Australia in 2019, down from 53.2 million in 2013.

 

As with the terms "wallaroo" and "wallaby", "kangaroo" refers to a paraphyletic grouping of species. All three refer to members of the same taxonomic family, Macropodidae, and are distinguished according to size. The largest species in the family are called "kangaroos" and the smallest are generally called "wallabies".

 

The term "wallaroos" refers to species of an intermediate size. There are also the tree-kangaroos, another type of macropod, which inhabit the tropical rainforests of New Guinea, far northeastern Queensland and some of the islands in the region. This kind of kangaroo lives in the upper branches of trees. 

 

A general idea of the relative size of these informal terms could be:

• wallabies: head and body length of 45–105 cm and tail length of 33–75 cm; the dwarf wallaby (the smallest of all known macropod species) is 46 cm long and weighs 1.6 kg;
• tree-kangaroos: ranging from Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo: body and head length of 48–65 cm, tail of 60–74 cm, weight of 16 lb for males and 13 lb for females; to the grizzled tree-kangaroo: length of 30 to 35 in and weight of 18–33 lb;
• wallaroos: the black wallaroo 
  
  
  
• (the smallest of the two species) with a tail length of 60–70 cm and weight of 41.8–48.5 lb for males and 28.6 lb for females;
• kangaroos: a large male can be 6 ft 7 in tall and weigh 200 lb.

 

Kangaroos have large, powerful hind legs, large feet adapted for leaping, a long muscular tail for balance, and a small head. Like most marsupials, female kangaroos have a pouch called a marsupium in which joeys complete postnatal development.

 

Because of its grazing habits, the kangaroo has developed specialized teeth that are rare among mammals. Its incisors are able to crop grass close to the ground and its molars chop and grind the grass. Since the two sides of the lower jaw are not joined or fused together, the lower incisors are farther apart, giving the kangaroo a wider bite. The silica in grass is abrasive, so kangaroo molars are ground down and they actually move forward in the mouth before they eventually fall out, and are replaced by new teeth that grow in the back. This process is known as polyphyodonty and, amongst other mammals, only occurs in elephants and manatees.

 

The large kangaroos have adapted much better than the smaller macropods to land clearing for pastoral agriculture and habitat changes brought to the Australian landscape by humans. Many of the smaller species are rare and endangered, while kangaroos are relatively plentiful.

 

The kangaroo is a symbol of Australia, appears on the Australian coat of arms 

 

and on some of its currency, 

and is used as a logo for some of Australia's most well-known organisations, such as Qantas, and as the roundel of the Royal Australian Air Force. The kangaroo is important to both Australian culture and the national image, and consequently there are numerous popular culture references.

 

Wild kangaroos are shot for meat, leather hides, and to protect grazing land. Kangaroo meat has perceived health benefits for human consumption compared with traditional meats due to the low level of fat on kangaroos.

 

If you want to read a lot more about kangaroos, go here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

If you're someone who likes to order the tuna melt from diners, then you're really going to love this recipe. It doesn't get any better than The Ultimate Tuna Melt. This recipe is easy, cheesy, and oh-so-pleasing. Serve it with a bowl of your favorite soup and some chips for even more goodness!

 

• 1 (12-ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons Italian dressing
• 1 tablespoon sweet relish, drained well
• 4 slices rye bread
• 8 tomato slices
• 4 slices cheddar cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Coat a 10- x 15-inch baking sheet with cooking spray. 
2. In a medium bowl, combine tuna, mayonnaise, Italian dressing, and relish; mix well. 
3. Top each slice of rye bread with two slices of tomato. Spread tuna evenly over tomatoes, then top with cheddar cheese. Place on baking sheet and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

 

***If you're a fan of pickles, you can add a couple of slices on top of each serving as a finishing touch!

 

 

 

Special birthdays today, my late friend Erika Norman's husband Spencer is celebrating. He is also the father of Cathy (LASD ret). Happy Birthday Spencer!!

 

 

And my former Temple City neighbor Marie Vincent is celebrating. Happy Birthday Marie!!

 

 

 

Historically this date......

1776 – The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence took place.

1923 – As vice president, Calvin Coolidge becomes the 30th President of the United States after the death of Warren G. Harding

1934 – Gleichschaltung: Adolf Hitler becomes Führer of Germany.

1964 – Vietnam War: Gulf of Tonkin incident – North Vietnamese gunboats allegedly fire on the U.S. destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy.

1990 – Iraq invades Kuwait, eventually leading to the Gulf War.

 ..........and my Brian joins the Marines!

 

And births this date include...

1924 – Carroll O'Connor, American actor (d. 2001)

 

1932 – Peter O'Toole, Irish actor (d. 2013)

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

 

National Night Out Day on the first Tuesday in August promotes police-community partnerships in neighborhoods across the country. The event focuses on the community and raising awareness through camaraderie. By improving area relationships, the hope is to make our neighborhoods safer.

 

Shining a spotlight on community police programs, National Night Out increases connections between those who serve and their neighborhoods. Through a variety of programs designed to educate and improve relationships, dialogues open. Some of these programs include:

• Drug prevention
• Town watch
• Neighborhood watch
• Other anti-watch programs

One of the largest National Night Out events is on the west side of Columbus, Ohio. The Ogden Block Watch in Columbus organizes a festival that includes live music, food, and entertainment. While not all events are so large, the significant part of the occasion is community connections and safety. As these events empower the citizens, they also provide valuable information to the neighborhoods. Each year, the number of events grows, too.

In some parts of the country, the event takes place during cooler times of the year. Not only does this facilitate a better turn out, but more fun had by all.

Check with your local organizations to find out when your Night Out Day takes place.

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL NIGHT OUT DAY

Block watches, not-for-profits, businesses, and police departments usually organize events around the country. They may be as small as a backyard barbecue or as large as a full-blown festival. Whether they’re big or small, these events impact each neighborhood in positive ways.

Join a local National Night Out event near you. Another way to help is to volunteer. If you don’t find an event in your community, help to organize one. Once you have an event, register it at the website. Most importantly, be a part of improving your community.

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT DAY HISTORY

The National Association of Town Watch sponsors National Night Out in the United States and Canada. Although the origins date back to the early 1970s, the day has been celebrated since 1984. 

More recently Dog Walker Watch joined part of the program. Since dog owners, 75 million of them, walk almost daily with their dogs watching their neighborhoods, what better sets of eyes to assist law enforcement!  Their extra eyes and ears keep watching while they walk their canine companions in communities all over the country aiding law enforcement. 

 

 

 

 

Weather ~ Hello August ~ Picture of the Day ~ Donald Duck ~ Not-Stuffed Stuffed Salmon ~ National Girlfriends Day

 

 

Good 68º dashing clouds morning.

 

Yesterday, again, was cloud covered hazy gloomy day.

 

Our temperatures went up and down and stopped at 97º. We had quiet a bit of thunder, rain in some parts, but not here.

 

 

 

August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. It was originally named Sextilis in Latin because it was the sixth month in the original ten-month Roman calendar under Romulus in 753 BC, with March being the first month of the year. About 700 BC, it became the eighth month when January and February were added to the year before March by King Numa Pompilius, who also gave it 29 days. Julius Caesar added two days when he created the Julian calendar in 46 BC, giving it its modern length of 31 days. In 8 BC, it was renamed in honor of Augustus. According to a Senatus consultum quoted by Macrobius, he chose this month because it was the time of several of his great triumphs, including the conquest of Egypt.

 

In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In many European countries, August is the holiday month for most workers. Numerous religious holidays occurred during August in ancient Rome.

 

Certain meteor showers take place in August. The Kappa Cygnids take place in August, with the dates varying each year. The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower takes place as early as July 10 and ends at around August 10, and the Southern Delta Aquariids take place from mid-July to mid-August, with the peak usually around July 28–29. The Perseids, a major meteor shower, typically takes place between July 17 and August 24, with the days of the peak varying yearly. The star cluster of Messier 30 is best observed around August.

 

• August's birthstones are the peridot, sardonyx, and spinel.

 

 

• Its birth flower is the gladiolus or poppy, meaning beauty, strength of character, love, marriage and family.

 

 

 

• The Western zodiac signs for the month of August are Leo (until August 21) and Virgo (from August 22 onwards).

 

 

Picture of the Day....then and now. Sylvester Stallone 

 

 

Interesting.....

 

Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known for his semi-intelligible speech and his mischievous, temperamental, and pompous personality. Along with his friend Mickey Mouse, Donald was included in TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time in 2002, and has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has appeared in more films than any other Disney character, and is the most published comic book character in the world outside of the superhero genre.

 

Donald Duck appeared in comedic roles in animated cartoons. Donald's first theatrical appearance was in The Wise Little Hen (1934), but it was his second appearance in Orphan's Benefit that same year that introduced him as a temperamental comic foil to Mickey Mouse. Throughout the next two decades, Donald appeared in over 150 theatrical films, several of which were recognized at the Academy Awards. In the 1930s, he typically appeared as part of a comic trio with Mickey and Goofy and was given his own film series starting with Don Donald (1937). These films introduced Donald's love interest and permanent girlfriend Daisy Duck and often included his three nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. After the film Chips Ahoy (1956), Donald appeared primarily in educational films before eventually returning to theatrical animation in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983). His last appearance in a theatrical film was in Fantasia 2000 (1999). However, since then Donald has appeared in direct-to-video features such as Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004), television series such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006–2016), and video games such as QuackShot (1991).

 

In addition to animation, Donald is well known worldwide for his appearances in comics. Donald was most famously drawn by Al Taliaferro, Carl Barks, and Don Rosa. Barks, in particular, is credited for greatly expanding the "Donald Duck universe", the world in which Donald lives, and creating many additional characters such as Donald's rich uncle Scrooge McDuck. Donald has been a popular character in Europe, particularly in Nordic countries where his weekly magazine Donald Duck & Co  was the comics publication with the highest circulation from the 1950s to 2009. In Italy, Donald is a major character in many comics, including a juvenile version named Paperino Paperotto, and a superhero alter ego known as Paperinik (Duck Avenger in the US and Superduck in the UK).

 

Voice performer Clarence Nash auditioned for Walt Disney Studios when he learned that Disney was looking for people to create animal sounds for his cartoons. Disney was particularly impressed with Nash's duck imitation and chose him to voice the new character. Disney came up with Donald's iconic attributes including his short temper and his sailor suit (based on ducks and sailors both being associated with water). While Dick Huemer and Art Babbit were the first to animate Donald, Dick Lundy is credited for developing him as a character.

 

On April 29, 1934, five days before The Wise Little Hen's first theatrical release, bandleader Raymond Paige performed the score to the cartoon on his California Melodies program for the Los Angeles AM radio station KHJ. The main vocals were performed by a trio, the Three Rhythm Kings. Clarence Nash and Florence Gill performed the character voices for this radio treatment, with Nash performing both Donald Duck and Peter Pig, making it the first time the public heard Nash's duck voice.

 

Donald's first voice was performed by Clarence Nash, who voiced him for 50 years. Nash voiced Donald for the last time in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), making Donald the only character in the film to be voiced by his original voice actor. He did, however, continue to provide Donald's voice for commercials, promos, and other miscellaneous material until he died in 1985.

Since Nash died, Donald's voice has been performed by Disney animator, Tony Anselmo, who was mentored by Nash for the role. Anselmo's first performance as Donald is heard in a 1986 D-TV special, D-TV Valentine on The Disney Channel, and in his first feature film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, in 1988.

 

To read a lot more about Donald, go here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Duck

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Our Not-Stuffed Stuffed Salmon breaks from the tradition of stuffing a whole fish with a filling. Our flavorful topping adds a tasty excitement to a salmon fillet, and is sure a lot less work.

 

• 1 (2-pound) salmon fillet
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) package cornbread stuffing, prepared according to package directions
• 4 tablespoons ( stick) butter, melted

 

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
    
2. Season salmon with salt and pepper; place in prepared baking dish then cover with prepared stuffing and drizzle with butter.
    
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve whole, or slice into individual portions to serve.

 

 

Historically this date......

1876 – Colorado is admitted as the 38th U.S. state.

 

1957 – The United States and Canada form the North American Air Defense Command(NORAD).

 

1966 – Charles Whitman kills 16 people at the University of Texas at Austin before being killed by the police.

1993 – The Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993 comes to a peak.

2007 – The I-35W Mississippi River bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapses during the evening rush hour.

 

And births this date include..

1779 – Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, author, and songwriter of the U.S. National anthem (d. 1843)

 

1933 – Dom DeLuise, American actor and comedian (d. 2009)

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On August 1st, National Girlfriends Day encourages women across the U.S. to get together and celebrate their special bond of friendship. 

 

Girlfriends fall into many categories. While many grew up together, others meet through work or college. Still, others share a bond much deeper; sisters and mothers meet the definition of girlfriends, too.

Though these types of relationships cross our minds frequently, we often fail to set aside time to spend with each other. The day promotes the laughter and joys girlfriends bring. Rarely do girlfriends let another go it alone. Not only do they enjoy spending time together, they support each other, too. While laughing and sharing secrets, girlfriends offer advice, and celebrate successes. When it’s time for a glass of wine, a chat over a cup of coffee or to go for a long walk, girlfriends are there.

 

Whether we have one or many, girlfriends make life better, fuller, and complete. These are the friends that can make you laugh at life’s silliest things. A girlfriend is who you turn to when life is not so kind. In its simplest form, National Girlfriends Day celebrates the unlimited ways life is better with our girlfriends in it.

 

Today, let your gal pals know just how much they mean to you and how special they are in your life. Whether you go out for lunch or a drink, reminisce about the past or your future dreams. Give a small token of appreciation or mail a note. Maybe pick up the phone and make plans with your girlfriends. Be sure these relationships don’t become neglected.

 

The earliest formal announcement of a National Girlfriends Day that National Day Calendar® found was created by mother-daughter authors Kathleen Laing and Elizabeth Butterfield in 2002. They selected September 20th for their celebration along with the publication of their book Girlfriends Getaway.

 

However, two other claims to National Girlfriends Day on August 1st appear, too. The first is Mistress Susan at savionaire.com who started celebrating in 2003. The second is website team Allie Savarino Kline and Sally Rodgers of sisterwomen.com who started celebrating in 2006.