September 11th

 In memoriam...

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Earth Rotation Day

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Today, we think about the Earth’s movement:  rotation  means to turn, and  revolution  to go around. It wasn't always evident that these motions occurred. Ptolemy postulated that the Earth was the center of the Universe and that the Sun revolved around our planet. Copernicus performed experiments that showed the opposite was true and published his results in 1543, months before his death. The printer added disclosures regarding the validity of the statements and suggested the information only aided astronomers. His book was banned by the Catholic church as heresy in 1616. In 1632, Galileo agreed with the Heliocentric Model aided by the use of his telescope. He, too, was accused of heresy and placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life. It was not until 1758 that the Catholic Church decided it was not heretical to say the Earth rotates around the Sun. Leon Foucault proved the theory of rotation with his famous pendulum experiment. You can view the Pendulum in the Paris P
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National Puzzle Day

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Doing a jigsaw puzzle engages both sides of the brain, which improves cognitive function, problem-solving, number skills, and memory. Puzzles have existed for centuries, beginning with labyrinth drawing puzzles in Ancient Egypt. In 1767, mapmaker John Spilsbury created the first jigsaw puzzle as a tool to teach geography. There was a full-blown puzzle mania in the US in 1908. Later, during the Great Depression, puzzles reached peak popularity, with 10 million sold per week. People made puzzles to sell; libraries and drugstores would rent puzzles by the day. Another entertaining idea was the “Jig of the Week” sold on Wednesdays at newsstands: friends would challenge each other over who could solve the week’s puzzle first. A second jigsaw puzzle boom occurred in 2020 during the COVID-19 epidemic as a solo pastime during long periods of solitude. Do you enjoy putting together jigsaw puzzles? Do you assemble the pieces alone or as a group project? You can follow the Author on her  Website
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The Grandest Fir

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Following our family tradition, we traveled to a  local Christmas tree farm  the day after Thanksgiving. We arrived shortly after opening time and were able to promptly board the trolley to ride up the hill to the area of the farm being utilized for harvest this season. This particular business is an excellent caretaker of their trees, allowing harvest from only one section at a time and promptly replanting in the spring. Frosty’s system is finely organized: you choose a tree, place your tree pole green end up, and a tree cutter is at your side within minutes. The rest of the process is effortless: a ride back downhill, this time on a tractor-drawn trailer with hay bale seats, to the main building to pay, then well-marked signage to the pickup area. Meanwhile, the tree was bagged up on the hillside, delivered car-side, and secured to the roof. Unfortunately, the tree farm staff did not accompany us home to assist with unloading, carrying up a flight of entry stairs, across the great ro
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