Lost in Meditation
I was happy to give up computer work
using my left brain
immersed in Fortran
trying to make my programs work
had to be 100% correct
no room for error
unforgiving
stress created
I find creativity
making art
using my right brain
intuition takes over
lose all track of time
lost in meditation
introspection
self awareness
self discovery
beautiful sculptures produced
accomplishment
peacefulness
happiness
Meandering Sculpture
OCTOBER 30: NATIONAL CANDY CORN DAY
Halloween is to candy corn as Easter is to chocolate bunny. October 31 is the spooky day when we celebrate ghosts and goblins with Trick-or-Treat. So it is only right that October 30 is the day we prep for it by celebrating candy corn.
Multicolored candy corn — with its broad yellow end, tapered orange middle, and white tip — is made from sugar, corn syrup, confectioner’s wax, coloring, and binders. Originally called “Chicken Feed,” it was invented in the 1880s by George Renninger, a Wunderle Candy Company employee. Wunderle started producing the candy in 1888. The Goelitz Confectionery Company (now called Jelly Belly) picked it up in 1898. When candy corn first came to be, the US was still largely a rural society, and that’s who candy corn was marketed to: rural residents. While Jelly Belly still makes candy corn, Brach’s Confections is now the largest manufacturer of candy corn, producing approximately 7 billion pieces of candy corn per year, making up 85% of the entire candy-corn industry at Halloween.
Though the Halloween season sparked the creation, Brach’s has expanded its candy corn sales by creating different versions for different seasons: “Indian corn,” popular around Thanksgiving, has a chocolate brown rather than yellow base; Christmas has “reindeer corn” with a red end and green center is popular; “cupid corn” comes around Valentine's Day; there’s “bunny corn” at Easter; and for Independence Day, “freedom corn.” In recent times, in addition to visual variations are, new flavors have been developed: caramel apple, green apple, s’mores, pumpkin spice, and carrot cake.
As of 2016, annual production in the United States was 35 million pounds, or almost 9 billion pieces of candy. With that kind of success, no wonder the National Confectioners Association deemed October 30, “National Candy Corn Day.”
OCTOBER 31: NATONAL MAGIC DAY
Halloween’s all about illusion. We dress up as something not ourselves. So, no wonder the day has also been named National Magic Day (which is part of National Magic Week, as well).
Magic is all about the creation of illusions — spooky and otherwise. Magicians — also known as “illusionists” — use natural means for creating seemingly impossible or for supernatural feats. There are lots of categories within the overall genre. They include:
Stage illusions: a kind of large-scale performance on a stage.
Parlor magic: a performance before a medium-scale audience such as an auditorium.
Micromagic: performed close up using coins, cards, and other small items. It's also known as close-up or table magic. This type of performance occurs in an intimate setting.
Escapology: In this type of performance, the artist escapes from a dangerous situation such as being submerged underwater while handcuffed or dangling from a burning rope.
Pickpocket magic: A distraction type of performance, the artist, makes watches, jewelry, wallets, and more disappear through misdirection. The audience witnesses the entire event.
Mentalism: This type of performance stuns the audience with the artist’s powers of intuition, memory, memory, deduction, and other feats of the mind.
Many magicians take their talents and combine them. Whether they burst into the Big Time, take the show to the streets, or entertain children, they hone their skills in a variety of ways. Others travel with fairs or demonstrate their skills with corporate or trade shows. Audiences also enjoy comedy and magic together.
Throughout history, people have “done magic.” Magic shows have their origins in ancient Egypt when the first conjuring act was recorded. Magic has played a relatively large role in history, especially in Western societies — from the first magic tricks and acts to the more notorious hunting of witches in the 17th century when magic was considered demonic. In the mid-19th century, magic shows became a fun social event, culminating with masters like Harry Houdini, who ruled the magic scene until his death in 1926. One of the most reknowned magicians of his time — especially for his escapology — Houdini developed a range of stage magic tricks and made full use of the variety of conjuring techniques, including fake equipment and collusion with individuals in the audience. His show-business savvy was as exceptional as his showmanship. The Houdini Museum is located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1938, a Chicago member of the Society of American Magicians went to Mrs. Houdini to obtain official permission for an observance in honor of Harry Houdini. The result: October 31 was proclaimed National Magic Day in Harry Houdini’s memory.
NOVEMBER 1: PRIME MERIDIAN DAY
Prime Meridian Day celebrates the imaginary line that divides Earth into the East and West Hemispheres. It’s also a time to learn more about the prime meridian.
A map or globe display lines of latitude and longitude. These lines were developed to make it easier to find certain places. Lines of latitude provide a coordinate that is north or south of the equator. Lines of longitude give coordinates east or west of the prime meridian. A Greek astronomer named Hipparchus, who lived from 190 – 120 BC, first used lines of latitude and longitude to locate a specific location.
The prime meridian (which is 0 degrees longitude) could have been set anywhere. For many years, governments of different countries disagreed on its location. Mapmakers in France, for example, marked the prime meridian in Paris, while the Chinese government published maps with 0 degrees longitude going through Beijing.
In October 1884, US President Chester Arthur called for an International Meridian convention in Washington, DC, to agree upon “a meridian to be employed as a common zero of longitude and standard of time reckoning throughout the world.” There, on November 1, 41 representatives from 25 countries agreed on the official location of the prime meridian (0 degrees longitude): the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England — the site of the large Airy Transit Circle telescope. The treaty adopted at the conference also set the International Date Line at 180° longitude in the Pacific Ocean. In all, there are 24 meridians, 1 every 15°, with an hour time difference. Despite this agreement, it took several years for every country in the world to agree on the official location for the prime meridian.
NOVEMBER 2: COOKIE MONSTER DAY
Cookie Monster Day celebrates the popular Sesame Street character Cookie Monster. Cookie Monster was dreamted up by Muppet creator Jim Henson. But Cookie (as he is known by his friends) was an actor even before debuting on Sesame Street in 1969. He actually got his big break in 1966 as a “Wheel-Stealer” on an unaired General Mills commercial for a snack food. The following year the monster was featured in an IBM training film that included a self-destructing “coffee break machine.” On October 8, 1967, this skit appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The Cookie Monster prototype next appeared as Arnold in three commercials for Munchos, a potato snack from Frito-Lay. Henson could have kept making more commercials with the popular monster, but brought him to Sesame Street instead. There he found a home.
When Cookie Monster first appeared on Sesame Street, his role was undefined. He didn’t even have a name. But by the second season he came into his own, and became one of the most popular characters on the show. He is known for his blue fur, googly eyes, simple language (“Me want cookie!”), and appetite to eat everything — not just cookies. There has been some concern that Cookie Monster encourages unhealthy eating, but Cookie Monster himself has even rapped about eating healthy food. However, the song he is most known for is “C is for Cookie.”
Cookie was played by Frank Oz until 2001, when David Rudman started doing most of the puppet’s portrayals.
Cookie Monster Day is celebrated on November 2, the day in 1969 when Cookie Monster was first introduced on Sesame Street. If you would like to hear Cookie’s “C is for Cookie” song, click here And if you want to hear Cookie rap for nutrition, click here.
NOVEMBER 3: WORLD JELLLYFISH DAY
World Jellyfish Day celebrates a beautiful, mysterious, and sometimes dangerous invertebrate. The day also encourages us to learn more about these unique aquatic animals.
Jellyfish are made up of about 95% water. They’re actually not fish at all, but invertebrates (meaning: without bones). Yes, they have a nerve network, but no central nervous system or brains. Also, they are without a circulatory system or a respiratory system. A jellyfish’s umbrella-shaped, jelly-like body — known as a bell — contains its stomach. Dangling from the bell are tentacles with cnidocytes, a type of exploding cell.
Jellyfish range in size: The Irukandji jellyfish weighs less than a tenth of an ounce, with a bell two-tenths of an inch in diameter. On the other hand, the lion’s mane jellyfish can weigh over 440 pounds and have a bell diameter of more than 6 ½ feet. No matter their size, because of these stinging tentacles any jellyfish is best appreciated from a distance.
Found in all 5 oceans around the world, most jellyfish eat plankton, fish larvae, and fish eggs. Their prey are sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, and tuna and other fish. Jellyfish migrate together in blooms, moving from the bottom of the ocean to its surface. Many, but not all, bloom in the spring, reproduce in the summer, and die in the fall. Some have a lifespan of a few hours, others can live for a few years. Many are dangerous to humans, with one of the most dangerous being the sea wasp, a box jellyfish.
Jellyfish have been around for a very long time — even longer than dinosaurs. Scientists’ theory that jellyfish originated some 500 million years ago was proven right with the 2007 discovery of perfectly preserved 505-million-year-old jellyfish fossils in Utah. Jellyfish’s mostly see-through bodies, wiry tentacles, and lack of bodily organs confounded early scientists – back when categories were only plants, animals, and humans — so much they couldn’t even classify them,. They didn’t seem to fit any one of those groups, and were classified as simply “incomplete” and ignored.
However, in 1859, Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution — “all living things show a variation in physical traits over time as a process of natural selection” — and jellyfish got some recognition. In 1866, the German zoologist and naturalist Ernst Haeckel wrote a book, Generelle Morphologie der Organismen (or, in English, General Morphology of Organisms). In it, he illustrated the evolution of many organisms — jellyfish included — to show how primitive animal forms gradually came to be versions known in modern times. His theory was that jellyfish had split from the rest of the organisms at an earlier date, which was the reason they looked so different from other species. And the research continued. In that process, at least in the scientific community, Jellyfish lost their “fish” designation, since they have no bones at all, much less a backbone. Scientists now sometimes refer to them as jellies.
Today, jellyfish are looked upon, all over the world, as somewhat of an invasive species, since they need very little oxygen to live and spread. They can survive in any water, enjoy a broad diet, reproduce very quickly, and shrink when food reserves reduce, only to revive themselves when food is available again. There are over 200 species of them — and some of them are even edible. They come in an array of colors, including, but not limited to, pink, yellow, blue, and purple. Jellyfish are usually luminescent, which makes them especially beautiful. On the down side, some jellyfish stings are very painful and others can be deadly.
NOVEMBER 4: KING TUT DAY
King Tut Day celebrates the day of the 1922 discovery, by archaeologist Howard Carter, of King Tut’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Carter had first arrived in Egypt in 1891, but didn't start an in-depth search for King Tut’s tomb until after World War I. One reason the tomb hadn’t yet been found was because the steps to it had been covered and hidden with debris from the close-by tomb of Ramses VI. After discovering Tut’s tomb, Carter and another archaeologist, Lord Carnarvon, entered its interior chambers 3 weeks later, to find it remarkably intact. In the four-room tomb thousands of objects were discovered. These included a stone sarcophagus containing 3 other coffins inside of each other. Sort of a Russian doll of a coffin. Inside the final coffin — this one made of gold — was King Tut’s mummy. Most artifacts found in the excavation are now stored in the Cairo Museum. King Tut’s mummified body, still lies in his coffin.
King Tut’s full name was Tutankhamun. He was the 12th pharaoh of the 18th Egyptian dynasty, and reigned from roughly 1332 to 1323 BC, assuming power at the age of 9. His original name was Tutankhaten, which means “the living image of Aten,” but, after assuming the throne, he changed it to Tutankhamun, which means “the living image of Amun.” The difference? In Egyptian mythology “Aten” was merely the sun disk god. “Amun,” on the other hand, was a major god, sometimes called “King of the Gods.” Tut’s father was Akhenaten. He instituted a monotheistic religion where the only god that could be worshiped was Aten. During his father’s rule, focus was primarily on the religious transition, relegating foreign and other domestic affairs to the rear. After a 17-year rule, his son took over the throne. As King Tutankhaten, he worked to reverse his father’s policies and restore order, in a hope that all the gods would once again smile on Egypt.
It is not definitively known what led to Tut’s early death at 20. A long-held theory was that political rivals had killed him by striking him in the head. When found, there was damage to his skull. But a body scan in 2006 revealed the damage had happened after his death. Research suggests that he probably died from gangrene after suffering a broken leg. A 2010 study found that he had malaria and was disabled, which may have meant that he had to walk with a cane and was more susceptible to falls. Well, we at Kendal can all appreciate that.
NOVEMBER 5: ZERO TASKING DAY
Zero Tasking Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in November every year — November 5, this year — the same day that Daylight Savings Time ends. Suddenly, we have a whole extra hour. It’s temping to get a few extra tasks in. Zero Tasking Day encourages us to ditch that attitude.
Daylight savings was created to enable individuals who follow a clock-based schedule to get as many things done with the seasons’ ensuing changes (shorter days, longer nights). The clock would be changed on the same day at the same time to be an hour ahead. That way, people would have more hours during the day.
Daylight Saving Time ends on this day, when we turn our clocks back and “gain” an hour. Author Nancy Christie had the idea that instead of using the gained hour for more work and stress, we should instead be using it to “take a breath, relax, reenergize, refresh and deload.” According to Christie, we shouldn't be playing catch-up on tasks. Instead, we should do nothing — nothing except a little soul searching and reflection. She said we should stop and breathe and marvel at our own existence. We should reflect on and look at the world around us and place ourselves within it with a sense of peace. We should use the day to strengthen ourselves and be kind and nurturing to ourselves, so we are better able to help others, and so we will be more equipped to reach our own goals. Definitely sounds like a plan.
All summer long, Susan Yao has nurtured a pumpkin — from a tiny cutting to a fine example of pumpkin-hood. Last week, Susan’s pumpkin came indoors. Named, suitably, Jack O’Lantern, he weighed in at an impressive 23.5 pounds — and graced the Sip and Snack table for all to see. Now he holds Visiting Pumpkin status in the Bistro!
From the Garden of Susan Yao
And the count is in: 23 ½ pounds!
A humming bird has been visiting Carolyn Reiss all summer long. Happily, we now have a video of a brief stopover.
Workman Busy at Kendal
Beckoning Vista, by Edward Kasinec
Hudson River School, by Edward Kasinec
Shelf Fungus at Rockwood Park, by Harry Bloomfeld
Foot Massage, Please, by Edward Kasinec
A Dark Passage, by Edward Kasinec
And Further On into the Park, by Carolyn Reiss
On route 35 en route to a Ridgefield chocolate shop, Cynthia Ferguson came across a nursery with Halloween on its mind.
And a closer look . . .
Mimi and Bob Abramowitz and Birgitta Hockstader drove up to Union Church in Pocantico Hills to see the breathtaking Chagall windows.
The Good Samaritan
Once all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That’s Faith
When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That’s Trust
Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but we still set alarms to wake up. That’s Hope
We plan ahead, something weeks and months, in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That’s Confidence
We see the world suffering, but we still get married and have children. That’s Love
An old man's shirt read, "I am not 80 years old: I'm sweet 16 with 64 years of experience." That’s Attitude
Contributed by Jane Hart
This is what two hours’ worth of lightning on one picture looks like.
Contributed by Simone
Sunday, October 15, was the day of the Activity Fair, when committees, interest groups, and the like came to showcase what they do and how they do it. It was fun. It was interesting. And it had cookies. Win, win, win.
Photos by Art Brady
Residents! You can now go beyond bocce and corn-ball throwing and the activities of Game Nights. A new sport at Kendal has stimulated the competitive juices of many of our residents. It is Lanternfly Killing.
Lanternflies originated in China, but began to spread worldwide recently, first being observed in the US in 2014. They have continuously increased in number and spread throughout our country since. No organization or government agency has developed a successful method of widely limiting or decreasing their number, and many have recommended destroying individuals, when encountered. These invasive insects spread havoc on farm crops and common forest trees by sucking out essential sap and depositing a toxic substance on their leaves.
Adult lanternflies are about an inch long with black bodies. Their wings are a striking red with small black spots (like the glow of an oil lantern). This summer they have become common around Kendal. They seem to enjoy sunning themselves on our patios and paths and sidewalks. Squashing them requires certain sharp reflexes, as they are very sensitive to perturbations of the air around them. If you don't strike them by surprise, they will take a flying six-foot leap.
Most folks stomp on them; some use fly swatters.
The competition, of course, consists of comparing how many lanternflies you have destroyed in a day versus the number killed by friends and neighbors. Those who object to killing any of nature's creatures can be consoled that decreasing the numbers of these buggers is very good for the environment.
Paraprosdokian: "A figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently used in a humorous situation"
Example: "Where there's a will, I want to be in it."
1. I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
2. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut and still think they are sexy.
3. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.
4. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.
5. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
6. Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
7. I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not so sure.
8. You're never too old to learn something stupid.
9. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
10. Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.
11. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
Contributed by Barbara Bruno
Art and photos by Sheila Benedis
June's new boots passed the waterproof test
Nobody realized that Maltby had a colorful personality
Lana, a lantern fly, could only dream of joining the horticultural society
The MOULE team always showed up for practice
“He loves me, he loves me not.” Davy wished the lady could decide without tearing all his petals out
Art and photos by Jane Hart
OCTOBER 23: NATIONAL BOSTON CREAM PIE DAY
Pie lovers, move along. Cake lovers, just sit down. Time to celebrate the cake with an identity crisis: Boston Cream Pie, a chocolate frosted, custard-filled cake that is loved by millions—and, since 1996, Massachusett’s official dessert.
In 1856, at Boston’s Parker House Hotel, French chef Monsieur Augustine Francois Anezin created this pudding and cake combination. At that time, Boston Cream Pie consisted of French butter sponge cake filled with thick custard and brushed with a rum syrup. The same custard was then coated the sides, with toasted sliced almonds on top of the custard. A chocolate fondant topped it all off. While other custard cakes may have existed at that time, baking chocolate as a coating was a new process, making it unique. And it took the world by storm.
So why the confusion: Pie or Cake? In the mid-19th-century, cakes and pies were baked with the same kinds of pan. And even the words were used interchangeably. As a result, the Boston cream pie kept its old-fashioned name.
In 2010, students at Hampshire University broke the world record for the world’s largest Boston Cream Pie. It measured 1.5 feet tall and 10 feet wide!
OCTOBER 24: WORLD KANGAROO DAY
They hop, kick, and rear their offspring in small pouches. They amaze us, amuse us, and make us say “awww.” They are kangaroos.
Around 30 million years ago, the kangaroo’s ancestors arrived in the Australian rainforests. They may have developed from possum-like animals that solely lived in trees, then made their way to the ground and eventually became the first kangaroos. As the grasslands grew more prominent, so did the kangaroo species. These kangaroos evolved more and diversified more over time, finally developing into the red kangaroos we see today, 3 million years later.
Kangaroos are part of a group of marsupials known as the “macropods” which means “big foot,” a reference to their large back foot which helps them move at high speeds — up to 35 miles an hour — by hopping. A single hop can carry a kangaroo 19 feet. The faster they hop, the fewer calories they use — a highly efficient means of travel. There are species of kangaroo: red kangaroo, western grey kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo, and the antilopine wallaroo. They are closely related to wallabies, potoroos, and bettongs, which can also be found in Australia. Kangaroo is an Aboriginal word and is often used to refer to various animals of this family, not just ones we’re familiar with. A male kangaroo is called a buck, jack, or boomer. The female is known as a doe, flyer, or jill. Probably the best-known name in kangaroo-dom is the one for the young kangaroo: a joey.
Being a marsupial means the female has a pouch where a young kangaroo starts life the size of a jellybean. In the pouch, the joey feeds on milk and, over several months, grows into an adult. Before leaving the pouch for the first time they will gradually poke their head out and look around. While raising one joey in the pouch the female has another embryo waiting ready to be born once the current one has left the pouch. The mother may also still be caring for the previous joey which has left the pouch but not yet gone out on its own.
As herbivores, most species feed on a range of grasses, regurgitating their food and chewing it again to extract the most nutrition possible. They live in groups known as mobs, troops or herds. These include a number of adult females and their young. A single dominant male will be the only individual allowed to breed with any of the females.
Kangaroos don't have many enemies, but are preyed upon by dingoes and wedge-tailed eagles. Along Australia’s east coast dingo fences — built to protect sheep farms — protect them against dingos. But man is also a threat to kangaroos, which are hunted commercially. Kangaroo meat is used for both human and animal consumption.
World Kangaroo Day is celebrated each year to bring awareness of this wonderful animal, the world's largest species of marsupial. People are encouraged to honor this beautiful creature by protecting and saving as many kangaroos as possible.
OCTOBER 25: WORLD PASTA DAY
Carb lovers of the world, rejoice! It’s World Pasta Day! This celebration was established in 1995 when 40 pasta producers worldwide gathered to hold the globe’s first World Pasta Congress. Since then, the world has joined forces each October to pay tribute to one of the most delicious and versatile foods.
There are over 350 kinds of pasta. Some of the most well-known types are: spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, fettucine, linguine, orzo, ravioli, ziti, tortellini, lasagna, and macaroni. One of the great things about pasta is its versatility. There are oodles of pasta recipes from soups to salads to casseroles. It’s also great as a meal in and of itself, usually topped cheeses and sauces of all different kinds.
The word “pasta” in Italian is “paste.” Despite this fact, pasta may actually have its roots in China rather than Italy. Food historians believe modern-day pasta came from ancient Asian noodles. Some believe that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy from China in the 13th century. That, more than likely, isn’t true. It’s unclear how pasta actually reached Europe from Asia. When the early form of pasta reached the Mediterranean way back when, durum flour became the wheat of choice. Dried pasta surged in popularity during the 14th and 15th centuries mainly because of its easy storage. This allowed explorers to bring pasta along on ships when sailing to the New World. During a stay in Paris in the 18th century as US Ambassador, President Jefferson ate what he called “macaroni,” but it could have been any type of pasta. Whatever it was, he eventually returned to America with two cases of it. The man clearly liked his pasta. Commercially, Hungary boasted a pasta factory in 1859, while central Italy’s Buitoni Company began churning out pasta 8 years later. The trend moved into the present-day Czech Republic by 1884. Jefferson may have planted the seed, but during the late 19th century, when Italian immigrants reached American shores, that’s when pasta’s popularity really took off.
But what’s the difference between noodles and pasta? The National Pasta Association defines pasta as being a dough made from durum wheat and water and stamped into different shapes. Noodles on the other hand aren’t linked to one singular grain. From buckwheat noodles to rice noodles, yam noodles, and wheat flour noodles, there’s no shortage of choice. Noodles can be crafted from everything from root vegetables to tapioca flour, mung bean starch, seaweed, and rice flour. They can be stretched, pulled, rolled, cut, and twisted. They can be silky soft, thick, and chewy, and fresh or dried. Neither pasta nor noodles is better than the other — just different.
OCTOBER 26: NATIONAL MULE DAY
National Mule Day celebrates the mighty mule. October 26, 1785, was the day the first 2 Spanish donkeys landed in the US, sent as a gift from Spain’s King Charles III. They arrived in Boston harbor. From the duo, the first American mules were bred, and by none other than George Washington.
A mule is a hybrid, the offspring of a male donkey (jack) and a female horse (mare). A similar animal is a hinny, which is the offspring of a female donkey and a male horse. Because a donkey and a horse are two different species, they have a different number of chromosome — 62 for a donkey, 64 for a horse. This means that most mules have an odd number of chromosomes (63), which, sadly, means mules are almost always sterile. From a mom mule and a dad mule, you can’t count on a baby mule.
Mules usually weigh between 820 and 1,000 pounds. Their size is usually dependent on the size of their mother (a horse). All kinds of horses are used to breed mules. The height, neck length, tail appearance, coloration, and hindquarters of a mule are characteristic of those of a horse, while their limbs, hooves, and manes are characteristic of donkeys. Mules bring together the best characteristics of both their parents. Stronger than donkeys, they are smarter and more patient than both donkeys and horses. And they can survive on less nutritious food, have more endurance, are more adaptable to extreme climates, are less prone to disease, and ultimately, have longer lifespans than either mom and dad.
Mules have been celebrated for quite a while. Mule Day originated in 1840 in Columbia, Tennessee, the self-proclaimed “Mule Capital of the World.” Since then, celebrations have spread from Columbia Tennessee to global locations. The path towards the modern National Mule Day began back in the 1930s. Then, in 1985, the US House of Representatives adopted a resolution put forth by Representative Jim Cooper of Tennessee, designating October 26 as National Mule Appreciation Day, a day that had been spearheaded by the Lynchburg Mule Traders Association of Lynchburg, TN, and their president, Roger Brashears. Debated by the Senate Judiciary Committee, sadly it did not make it to the Senate floor.
Despite its failure to achieve formal US government endorsement, citizens began to mark the day anyway. Contests and ceremonies were held in Lynchburg, TN, the small mule-loving city that is also home to Jack Daniel's Distillery. The New York Times picked up the celebration as a news story, proclaiming that such a holiday did exist, which was called Mule Day USA, and that, even without the government's blessing, a holiday honoring mules and marking the anniversary of the arrival of the Spanish donkeys should be observed. Thanks to the power of the press, the holiday known as National Mule Day was born.
National Mule Day celebrations in Columbia, TN, have grown to include square dances, mule-driving contests, horse shows, crafts festivals, and flea markets. Other events include “working mule,” “best of breed,” lumberjack competitions, and the Liar's Contest, a rural-themed story-telling competition. A Grand Marshal is named each year for the parade, and floats compete, with ribbons or money for the winners in each judged category.
OCTOBER 27: FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY
National Frankenstein Friday, on the last Friday in October, recognizes author Mary Shelley, the novel Frankenstein, as well as her characters, Dr. Frankenstein and the monster. Dating back to the 1800s, Frankenstein's monster is one of the best-known horror character of all time. Shelley’s creation spawned an entire genre, countless movie adaptations, and widespread recognition of her characters, if not her actual story. Frankenstein Friday aims to celebrate and honor Shelley’s book as the spooky season takes off.
Human history has always had monsters. All cultures provide myths, folktales, and epics featuring monsters. In 1816, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, 18-year-old wife of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to visit their friend, poet Lord Byron. John Polidori, a doctor, also joined the party. While there, an Indonesian volcano erupted, causing torrents of rain and climate oddities. The group was stuck inside the house, passing the time reading ghost stories. In the mode of “Hey, kids, let’s put on a show,” Lord Byron suggested a contest to see who could write the best ghost story. Frankenstein won.
At first the book Frankenstein was published anonymously published in 1818. But in 1823, Mary Shelley republished it under her own name; in 1831, a third edition included a section on how the story came to be. The film world has created more than 60 movies or shorts on the Frankenstein theme. Edison Studios were the first, in 1910.
And it all came to a head in 1997 when Ryan MacCloskey of Westfield, NJ, founded Frankenstein Friday.
OCTOBER 28: INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION DAY
On October 28, International Animation Day is a day to celebrate everything about animation, including the artists, scientists, and technicians that develop, create, and employ it.
Animation — an art, cultural expression, and means of communication — is the manipulation of drawings to look as if they are moving. It’s been around for more than 100 years to create cartoons and other types of entertainment, and is found on television, commercial theater screens, and the Internet, but it also flourishes in feature films and shorts from independent filmmakers, authors, artists, students, and children.
International Animation Day was created in 2002 by the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA) to commemorate the day when animation was first shown to the public: October 28, 1892, at the Grévin Museum in Paris. On that day Charles-Émile Reynaud and his Théâtre Optique presented his first production, Pantomimes Lumineuses, a collection of 3 cartoons, Pauvre Pierrot, Un Bon Bock, and Le Clown Et Ses Chiens. Reynaud’s Théâtre Optique, a machine patented in 1888, produced images on a screen using 36 mirrors, two magic lanterns or supplementary lights that were the source of a stationary background, and a projector. The images were painted on a long band wound up on two spools that were rotated by hand. Working the spools demanded some skill, so it was usually Reynaud’s hand that did so. Each of the three animations consisted of 500 to 600 individually painted images and ran for about 15 minutes. Reynaud acted as the projectionist; a piano player accompanied him. Actors on the side provided the dialogue. The show ran until 1900 and was seen by half a million people.
Animation began to evolve. Next came “lumière style,” replacing hand-drawn images with photographs for a more realistic visual experience. Audiences embraced the more modern style and lost interest in the performances at the Grévin Museum.
Through the following years and decades, artists and technicians have developed different kinds of animation:
Traditional or 2D Animation: 2D Animation uses flat characters and environments. It’s one of the most recognized animation art forms. Before digital tools and advanced techniques, 2D animation required the use of meticulously hand-drawn frames, which took a long time. An example of 2D animation: Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, created in 1937
3D Animation: 3D animation got its start in the 1970s with the help of computer technology. It uses the art of motion and helps make characters look more realistic. With further development of special software in the 1990s, 3D animation became very popular. Examples 3D animation: Toy Story, The Terminator, and Jurassic Park.
Stop Motion Animation: Stop Motion Animation strings together pictures of still objects in a specific sequence, creating the illusion movement. It’s one of the oldest types of animation. Modern examples of stop motion animation: Chicken Run and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Other commonly used types of this animation include rotoscope, motion capture, mechanical, and claymation.
Typography Animation: Movies, commercials, and other forms of media often use animated text in their introductions or credits. Typography animation allows moving text to shrink, expand, or morph into something else. An example of Typolgraphy Animaton: the Star Wars introduction.
Each year, ASIFA helps coordinate and promote International Animation Day celebrations around the world. Cultural institutions screen animated films, exhibit artwork and stills, provide technical demonstrations, organize workshops, and organize other events that promote the art of animation. Today, International Animation Day celebrations include more than 1000 events in 50 countries.
OCTOBER 29: NATIONAL OATMEAL DAY
It’s hearty, healthy, and delicious. It’s oatmeal! And today’s its very own day.
One of America’s favorite breakfast foods, oatmeal comes from very humble beginnings. Oats for oatmeal came originally from weeds growing in fields where other crops were raised. Of all the cereal grains domesticated by western societies, oats were the last. That was 3,000 years ago. Ancient Romans ignored oats as human food, seeing them as only as unfortunate and diseased wheat and sluffing them off as cheap horse fare. Eat oats with meals?! Why, only low-life societies did that! Then those societies — like Germanic tribes and the Scots — either whupped the Romans and took some of their vast empire or held them at bay, never yielding to their oat-despising power. Take that, Roman Empire! Shoulda et them oats!
The US produces more oatmeal than any other country. Ninety-three percent is used for animal feed, but over 40 million bushels are produced for human consumption each year. And it serves us well. Oat fiber is more soluble than any other grain. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, a thick and viscous substance that moves slowly through the body. Eat oats and you’ll feel full for a long time. Soluble fiber also slows down the body’s process of glucose absorption and inhibits re-absorption of bile into the system, meaning you avoid sugar highs and lows while your liver gets needed cholesterol from your blood. So apparently, eating oatmeal makes you stronger — and maybe less hoity-toity — than an ancient Roman.
Oatmeal is quite versatile. It can be eaten uncooked and used in muesli, or it can be cooked with water and made into a porridge. You can add spices, fruit, nuts, or nut butters for different flavors or to add crunch. Or use it as a basic ingredient in baked goods for a delicious crumble. Make granola, cookies, and bars with it. It’s even used in soup recipes to thicker texture and add a nutty flavor.
Oatmeal is made from hulled oats called groats. The groats are heated, giving them a nutty flavor, and then they can be milled, steel-cut, or rolled. Steel-cut oats are thinly sliced with steel blades; rolled oats are steamed, then rolled flat. Quaker Oats Company, largest oatmeal producer, created Quaker Oats — the first trademarked American cereal — in 1877l.
Oatmeal is a very healthy whole grain food that lowers cholesterol and fights inflammation. It also reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer. As such a versatile food with so many benefits, we say, “All Hail, Oatmeal” — especially today, National Oatmeal Day.
Wooden Crossing at Regeneron
Photo by Edward Kasinec
A favorite tree and a favorite view from Rockwood Park
Photo by Carol Reiss
Cider and Donut Day in the Lounge
Photo by Art Brady
Cruising down America’s river
Photo by Edward Kasinec
One of the wonderful Vermont covered bridges
Trees just beginning to turn . . .
Photos (and trip) by Carol Reiss
Anne Swaim, of the Saw Mill River Audubon Society, returned to Kendal, October 13, to explain and demonstrate the art of birdwatching (definition: the hobby of studying wild birds in their natural environment). It was a glorious day and many a bird was watched in Kendal and Rockwood Park.
Anne Swaim demonstrating binocular adjustment
Photos by Hubert Herring
The Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden, in North Salem, NY, is a museum with Japanese art and a 3.5-acre Japanese stroll garden. The museum offers changing exhibits, lectures, and programs that reflect the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures.
The museum was established In 1957 by Natalie Hays Hammond who wanted to provide a place where Eastern and Western cultures could be mingle. Twenty-two years later, the Westchester Community College Foundation awarded her the Medallion Award for both creating the Hammond Museum and giving her art.
And recently Lynn and Art Brady were there! So, naturally, there are pictures.
The Hammond Museum
Photos by Art Brady
Paraprosdokian:
A figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently used in a humorous situation
Example: “Where there's a will, I want to be in it.”
Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on my list.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.
We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.
War does not determine who is right — only who is left.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Evening news is where they begin with “Good Evening,” and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t.
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.
I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks.
Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says, “In case of emergency, notify:” I put “DOCTOR.”
Contributed by Barbara Bruno
1. What was the best thing before sliced bread?
2. One nice thing about egotists: they don’t talk about other people.
3. Does the little mermaid wear an algebra?
4. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
5. How is it possible to have a civil war?
6. If one synchronised swimmer drowns, do the rest drown too?
7. If you ate both pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?
8. If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
9. Whose cruel idea was it for the word “lisp” to have “s” in it?
10. Why are hemorrhoids called “hemorrhoids” instead of “assteroids”?
11. Why is it called tourist season if we can’t shoot at them?
12. Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?
13. Can an atheist get insurance against acts of god?
Contributed by Barbara Wallach
This is what Venice looks like from above.
Contributed by Simone
Contributed by Donald Butt
Granny Horton was not thrilled when the little ones used her bifocals as a Peloton
They met at a party, danced, and now they're married. But Cinderella and the prince have nothing else in common
The Fendlemans were widely known as the new Fred and Ginger
Selkirk disliked it when staff left a radish in the toaster
Missy always packed a nice lunch for the three of them
Art and photos by Jane Hart
© Kendal on Hudson Residents Association 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 all rights reserved. Please do not reproduce without permission.
Photographs of life at Kendal on Hudson are by residents.