Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Harrison Ford ~ Mr. Food's Favorite Casserole ~ Spencer Norman ~ Marie Vincent ~ National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

  

Good 55º clear morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we topped at 101º.

 

 

Picture of the Day

 

 

 

Interesting about Harrison Ford the actor..........

 

Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. He has been a leading man in films of several genres and is regarded as an American cultural icon. His films have grossed more than $5.4 billion in North America and more than $9.3 billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient of various accolades, including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2000, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2002, an Honorary César in 2010, and an Honorary Palme d'Or in 2023, in addition to an Academy Award nomination.

 

After playing supporting roles in such films as American Graffiti (1973) and The Conversation (1974), Ford gained worldwide fame for his starring role as Han Solo in the epic space opera film Star Wars (1977), a role he reprised in four sequels over the next four decades. The multimedia franchise became a global cultural phenomenon. He is also known for his portrayal of the titular character in the popular media franchise Indiana Jones, beginning with the action-adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); he reprised that role in four sequels over the next four decades as well. He starred as Rick Deckard in the science fiction films Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and as Jack Ryan in the spy thriller films Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994), part of the Blade Runner and Jack Ryan franchises respectively.

 

Ford received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing a detective in the thriller Witness (1985). He played other heroic characters in The Fugitive (1993), The Devil's Own (1997), Air Force One (1997), and Cowboys & Aliens (2011), as well as morally complex roles in The Mosquito Coast (1986), Presumed Innocent (1990), Regarding Henry (1991), What Lies Beneath (2000), and 42 (2013). He also starred in the romantic films Working Girl (1988), Sabrina (1995), Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), Morning Glory (2010), and The Age of Adaline (2015). He has since starred in the Paramount+ western series 1923 (2022–present) and the Apple TV+ comedy series Shrinking (2023–present).

 

Outside of acting, Ford is a licensed pilot; he has often assisted the emergency services in rescue missions near his home in Wyoming, and he chaired an aviation education program for youth from 2004 to 2009. Ford is an environmental activist, having served as the inaugural Vice Chair of Conservation International since 1991.

 

Early life and education

Harrison Ford was born at the Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, on July 13, 1942, to former radio actress Dorothy (née Nidelman) and advertising executive and former actor John William "Christopher" Ford. His younger brother, Terence, was born in 1945. Their father was a Catholic of Irish descent, while their mother was an Ashkenazi Jew whose parents were emigrants from Minsk, Belarus, then in the Russian Empire. When asked in which religion he and his brother were raised, Ford jokingly responded "Democrat" and more seriously stated that they were raised to be "liberals of every stripe". When asked about what influence his Jewish and Irish Catholic ancestry may have had on him, he quipped, "As a man I've always felt Irish, as an actor I've always felt Jewish."

 

Ford was a Boy Scout, achieving the second-highest rank of Life Scout. He worked at Napowan Adventure Base Scout Camp as a counselor for the Reptile Study merit badge. Because of this, he and director Steven Spielberg later decided to depict the young Indiana Jones as a Life Scout in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Ford graduated in 1960 from Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. His voice was the first student voice broadcast on his high school's new radio station, WMTH, and he was its first sportscaster during his senior year. He attended Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, where he was a philosophy major and a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. A self-described "late bloomer", Ford took a drama class in the final quarter of his senior year to get over his shyness and became fascinated with acting.

 

^{In 1964, after a season of summer stock with the Belfry Players in Wisconsin, Ford traveled to Los Angeles to apply for a job in radio voice-overs. He did not get it, but stayed in California and eventually signed a $150-per-week contract with Columbia Pictures' new talent program, equivalent to $1,415 in 2022, playing bit roles in films. His first known role was an uncredited one as a bellhop in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966). There is little record of his non-speaking (or "extra") roles in film. Ford was at the bottom of the hiring list, having offended producer Jerry Tokofsky after he played a bellboy in the feature. He was told by Tokofsky that when actor Tony Curtis delivered a bag of groceries, he did it like a movie star; Ford felt his job was to act like a bellboy.}

Personal life

Ford has been married three times and has four biological children and one adopted child. He was first married to Mary Marquardt from 1964 until their divorce in 1979. They had two sons, chef and restaurateur Benjamin (born 1966) and clothier Willard (born 1969). Benjamin co-owns Ford's Filling Station, a gastropub located at Terminal 5 in Los Angeles International Airport. Willard is the owner of Strong Sports Gym, and was co-owner of the Kim Sing Theater and owner of the Ludwig Clothing company.

 

Ford's second marriage was to screenwriter Melissa Mathison from March 1983 until their separation in 2000 and divorce in 2004.^[ They had a son, actor and musician Malcolm (born 1987), and a daughter, actress Georgia (born 1990). Mathison died in 2015.

 

Ford began dating actress Calista Flockhart after they met at the 2002 Golden Globe Awards. He proposed to Flockhart over Valentine's Day weekend in 2009. They married on June 15, 2010, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Ford was filming Cowboys & Aliens. They are the parents of Liam (born 2001), the son she adopted before meeting Ford.

 

Ford and Flockhart live on an 800-acre ranch in Jackson, Wyoming, on which he has lived since the 1980s and approximately half of which he has donated as a nature reserve. They retain a base in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. He is one of Hollywood's most private actors, guarding much of his personal life. In her 2016 autobiography The Princess Diarist, his co-star Carrie Fisher claimed that she and Ford had a three-month affair in 1976 during the filming of Star Wars.

 

^{If you want to read more, go here:}

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Ford}

 

 

From Mr. Food...

 

His favorite casserole.....

 

• 3/4 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup sliced celery (about 2 stalks)
• 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 of a small onion)
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, broken up (undrained)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. 
    
2. In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta just until tender; drain. 
    
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown beef over medium-high heat; drain off excess liquid. 
    
4. Combine all ingredients in a 2-quart casserole dish and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. 
    
5. Uncover and bake 30 additional minutes, or until top is light golden and crunchy.

 

 

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 Wednesday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On August 2nd, National Ice Cream Sandwich Day encourages us to cool off with one of our favorite frozen treats. Whether it’s vanilla, strawberry or Neapolitan between two chocolate wafers, the dessert sure will hit the spot on a hot summer day.  

The original ice cream sandwich sold for a penny in 1900 from a pushcart in the Bowery neighborhood of New York. Newspapers never identified the name of the vendor in articles that appeared across the country. However, the ice cream sandwiched between milk biscuits became a hit. Soon, pushcarts popped up around the city and country during the summer months selling the portable treats. Early pictures show beach goers at Atlantic City getting their ice cream sandwiches for 1¢ each. 

Once ice cream sandwiches became popular, recipes for home cooks filled the papers. The sandwich layers included everything from angel food and sponge cake to shortbread cookies. Restaurants offered the ice cream sandwich as a decadent dessert for travelers. By 1940, grocers sold sandwiches made with crispy wafers.

One account claims the modern ice cream sandwich with the chocolate wafer was invented in 1945 by Jerry Newberg. The ice cream maker sold his creation at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, PA. At the time, the storied location was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers.

If the chocolate brownie wafer doesn’t appeal to you, don’t hesitate to mix it up. All variety of cookies make excellent sandwich parts. Change up the ice cream, too. Around the world, ice cream sandwiches go by a variety of names including the Monaco Bar, Giant Sandwich, Maxibon, Cream Between, Vanilla Slice, and many more.

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Enjoy an ice cream sandwich today!

Weather ~ August ~ Picture of the Day ~ Actor Spencer Tracy ~ Teriyaki Chicken Thighs ~ National Girlfriends Day

  

Good 53º clear morning. 

Be careful out there, full moon!! 

 

Yesterday we topped at 94º.

 

 

 

 

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 ..........

 

 

Interesting about Spencer Tracy..........

 

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor from nine nominations. During his career, he appeared in 75 films and developed a reputation among his peers as one of the screen's greatest actors. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Tracy as the 9th greatest male star of Classic Hollywood Cinema.

 

Tracy first discovered his talent for acting while attending Ripon College, and he later received a scholarship for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He spent seven years in the theater, working in a succession of stock companies and intermittently on Broadway. His breakthrough came in 1930, when his lead performance in The Last Mile caught the attention of Hollywood. After a successful film debut in John Ford's Up the River (in which he starred with Humphrey Bogart), he was signed to a contract with Fox Film Corporation. Tracy's five years with Fox featured one acting tour de force after another that were usually ignored at the box office, and he remained largely unknown to movie audiences after 25 films, nearly all of them starring him as the leading man. None of them were hits, although his performance in The Power and the Glory (1933) was highly praised at the time.

 

In 1935, he joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), at the time Hollywood's most prestigious studio. His career flourished from his fifth MGM film Fury (1936) on wards, and in 1937 and 1938 he won consecutive Oscars for Captains Courageous and Boys Town. He teamed with Clark Gable, the studio's most prominent leading man for three major box office successes, so that by the early 1940s Tracy was one of MGM's top stars. In 1942, he appeared with Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year, beginning a professional and personal partnership, which led to nine films over 25 years. In 1955, Tracy won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film Bad Day at Black Rock.

 

Tracy left MGM in 1955, and continued to work regularly as a freelance star, despite several health issues and an increasing weariness and irritability as he aged. His personal life was troubled, with a lifelong struggle against severe alcoholism and guilt over his son's deafness. Tracy and his wife Louise became estranged in the 1930s, but the couple never divorced; his 25-year long relationship with Katharine Hepburn was an open secret. 

Towards the end of his life, Tracy worked almost exclusively for director Stanley Kramer. It was for Kramer that he made his last film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), completed just 17 days before he died.

 

Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was born in Milwaukee on April 5, 1900, the second son of Caroline (née Brown; 1874–1942) and truck salesman John Edward Tracy (1873–1928). His mother was from a wealthy Presbyterian Midwestern family, while his father was of Irish Catholic descent. He had a brother Carroll, who was four years older.

 

Tracy was a difficult and hyperactive child  with poor school attendance. Raised Catholic, he was placed in the care of Dominican Order nuns at the age of nine in an attempt to transform his behavior. Later in life, he remarked that he "never would have gone back to school if there had been any other way of learning to read the subtitles in the movies". He became fascinated with movies, watching the same ones repeatedly and later re-enacting scenes to his friends and neighbors. He attended several Jesuit academies in his teenage years, which he claimed took the "badness" out of him and helped him improve his grades.

 

At Marquette Academy, he began attending plays with lifelong friend and fellow actor Pat O'Brien, awakening his interest in the theater. With little care for their studies and "itching for a chance to go and see some excitement", Tracy and O'Brien enlisted in the Navy together when Tracy turned 18. 

They were sent to the Naval Training Station in northern Illinois, where they were still students when World War I came to an end. Tracy achieved the rank of seaman second class, but never went to sea and was discharged in February 1919. His father's desire to see one of his sons gain a college degree drove Tracy back to high school to finish his diploma. Studies at two more institutions, plus the additional allowance of "war credits", won Tracy a place at Ripon College. He entered in February 1921, declaring his intention to major in medicine.

 

Tracy was a popular student at Ripon, where he served as president of his hall and was involved in a number of college activities. He made his stage debut in June 1921, playing the male lead in The Truth. He was very well received in the role and quickly developed a passion for the stage; he was reportedly "obsessive about acting to the degree that he talked about little else". He and some friends formed an acting company called the Campus Players, which they took on tour. As a member of the college debate team, Tracy excelled in arguing and public speaking. It was during a tour with the debate team that he auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in New York City. He was offered a scholarship to attend the school after performing a scene from one of his earlier roles.

 

Tracy left Ripon and began classes at AADA in April 1922. O'Brien was also enrolled there and the two shared a small studio apartment. Money was scarce, and the two often lived on meals of rice and pretzels and shared one decent suit between them. Tracy was deemed fit to progress to the senior class, allowing him to join the academy's stock company. He made his New York debut in a play called The Wedding Guests, which opened in October 1922. He made his debut Broadway appearance three months later, playing a wordless robot in R.U.R. He graduated from AADA in March 1923.

 

^{While making Woman of the Year in September 1941, Tracy began what was to become a lifelong relationship with Katharine Hepburn. The actress became devoted to him, and their relationship lasted until his death 26 years later. Tracy never returned to live in the family home, although he visited regularly.}

 

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

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

It's time to pinch pennies, and Howard's got exactly what you need. Pick up a pack or two of chicken thighs to make our Teriyaki Chicken Thighs. The only thing this recipe doesn't cut corners on is taste!  Our homemade teriyaki marinate is the key to a dinner your family, and your wallet, will appreciate every time it hits the table.

 

 

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 4 pounds)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, minced

 

1. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well and add to chicken. Seal bag, gently shake to coat, and marinate in refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
2. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium heat. Drain chicken, reserving marinade.
3. Place chicken on grill or grill pan and cook for 10 minutes per side, or until no pink remains, basting often with the marinade, but only up until the last five minutes of cooking (see note).

 

****Did you know that you should never baste foods with a marinade that has come in contact with raw poultry, meat, or seafood during the last 5 minutes of cooking, unless you boil it for a minimum of 3 minutes. This will prevent the potential of any cross contamination. Always better to play it safe.

 

 

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 1st day of August. 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.