A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark.
Woody Allen Annie Hall
Inspirational photo by Pixabay
Category: Nostalgia
History Tidbits: Rounders and Cricket make baseball?
Baseball came about in 1839 thanks to Abner Doubleday…well…no…seems a bit more complicated.
A game that resembled baseball began in the 18th century…melding together a kid’s game called rounders played by colonial children and the well-known game of cricket. Variations of this developing game with no rules could be seen everywhere…particularly in the fast growing industrial cities. In September 1845, a group of New York City men founded the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club.
Doubleday, a graduate of West Point, served during the Civil War and was second in command at Fort Sumter where he ordered the Union’s first shots of the Civil War in response to the bombardment by secessionist forces. His military service is impressive.
Doubleday still remains in the heart of many as the founder of baseball…but history quashed that story.
Brodie’s history nuggets about #5
5th President of the United States…James Monroe…born in Virginia…graduate of the College of William and Mary…was instrumental and in the room as one of the founding fathers…there are so many “the only or the first to” regarding his presidency that my golden-self had to take a treat and grab a slurp of water. Example…Monroe was the first president to wear long pants…bye bye knee breeches…his daughter was the first bride in the White House…first president to ride in a steamboat and the last to wear a wig. Man he was out there!
His contributions to the development of the United States were monumental.
Here’s the golden part. He had sheep dogs and a black spaniel that enjoyed living in the White House.
This is amazing… this little nugget tugs at my patriotic heart…three of the first five U.S. Presidents died on the 4th of July… John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died in 1826 within hours of each other, while James Monroe, #5, died five years later in 1831 as the fireworks and celebration of our independence rang through the skies and the streets. Golden amazing…Thanks be to these great men.
Brodie discovers a true dog and horse lover- #1
So…here comes President’s Day and of course, my golden retriever research has taken me to a spot in history that celebrates not just #1…but the fact that George Washington loved dogs and horses.
His favorite horse was Nelson, a chestnut with a white blaze…a steady stead…unflappable during Revolutionary War gunfire. Then there was Old Blueskin who was a high-handed gray…oh you know Blueskin…you’ve seen very famous paintings of “The Father of Our Nation” on the back of the gray.
#1, loved dogs so much… after loosing a hard fought battle to the British…his aide-to-camp, Alexander Hamilton brought him a small dog found on the battlefield. The dog wore a collar showing General Howe as the owner…the owner who had just defeated the fighting Americans. George…with haste…hand wrote a note to Howe and sent it along with the dog…safely returning the four-legged friend to the victor. What a golden guy!!!
Still more dog love…well GW raised hounds and it is thought that he perfected the breed of the American Hound.
My dog paws are celebrating President’s Day by reading on about GW and his love for our country…and his animals. Golden wishes to you.
Brodie’s golden heart melts over “trench art”
Here comes the heart day…the day we give and receive the loving cards…handmade and bought…here we give and receive flowers and jewelry…and you name it in a box wrapped with a crisp red bow…
Your passion for love and gift giving would appreciate knowing that during World War II, our brave soldiers…given where they were serving in either the European Theatre or the Pacific War often found themselves where “Lack of materials on the battlefront often forced servicemen to use wire, mother-of-pearl, wood and inexpensive metals to fashion gifts. The engraved personalized messages, military insignia, locations and dates on these specific pieces illuminate the bonds between home and abroad”. The creative hearts…the longing hearts for home…the suffering hearts for a grateful nation…think about these creative gifts and the hands that fashioned them…how they were so much more than just a present…true gifts from the heart…forever treasured.
I love history…it’s golden.
Brodie barks on the coin toss
The Super Bowl…one of the super star icons of the United States of America…a defining day where hard-fought football…played for over 4 months…teams from sea to shining sea faced off and moved up the football madness to this day…Super Bowl 51..
As a golden retriever…I can tell you that this day is a record breaker for food…human food that normally NEVER touches my dog lips…I’m talking pieces of chicken wings…a bit of a hot dog…oh don’t get me started…and then there are the many delicacies prepared with loving football lover hands…I can’t wait for the coin toss.
Speaking of the coin toss…did you know that the physics of the toss has been studied…you know the probability…of course you did..but let me put this in front of you today….you gotta look at this if you care about your team...seems though…the NFL has it down regarding fairness. Bring on the wings and things!!….and look for a possible golden retriever to show up in one of the million dollar plus commercials. I’m just saying 🙂
Here are the broad strokes of the physics of going flipping:
- If the coin is tossed and caught, it has about a 51% chance of landing on the same face it was launched. (If it starts out as heads, there’s a 51% chance it will end as heads).
- If the coin is spun, rather than tossed, it can have a much-larger-than-50% chance of ending with the heavier side down. Spun coins can exhibit “huge bias” (some spun coins will fall tails-up 80% of the time).
- If the coin is tossed and allowed to clatter to the floor, this probably adds randomness.
- If the coin is tossed and allowed to clatter to the floor where it spins, as will sometimes happen, the above spinning bias probably comes into play.
- A coin will land on its edge around 1 in 6000 throws, creating a flipistic singularity.
- The same initial coin-flipping conditions produce the same coin flip result. That is, there’s a certain amount of determinism to the coin flip.
- A more robust coin toss (more revolutions) decreases the bias.
Brodie streaks through the 2nd floor of the “House”
Well…if you wanted to… you could do the same! Being honest… I virtually ran through the living quarters of the first family on the second floor of the White House…I’m just obsessed with the transition of power…and the move-in…move-out of the “House of the People”. So, I ran through that second floor like a golden streak, sniffing every corner and checking for crumbs. Don’t miss this slice of history that I dug up for you…as we approach the 58th Presidential Inaugural.
My favorite retriever…canine moments were on the “Grand Staircase”…when I was ripping and tearing…skittering on those marvelously carpeted marble steps…I was in awe of the impressive list of folks that have taken those stairs. I took pause…ok… little golden humor :).
Brodie shares the history of the Candy Cane
I love peppermint…especially when it is in the form of a candy cane. Yeah, I learned about them my first Christmas…I golden nosed my way through the decorations on the tree and found this little red and white striped gem…now I look forward each Christmas to getting a piece of the sweet peppermint…however, now I wait for it…I’ve learned to back off the tree…having said that…did you know that small amounts peppermint are good for dogs? Well…it’s true…and by the way here’s the history of the beloved ‘J’ shape like a shepherds crook…so the back story of the candy cane is spiritual and came in celebration of the nativity.
P.S. Hope you watched this YouTube of two yellow labs cleansing a Christmas tree of candy canes…the big dude ate them all! HA! Love it! Rock on retrievers!
Golden Brodie sniffs out the Gingerbread White House History
There’s a dog bone cache of rich tidbits…history snippets… about the White House that is simply fascinating. Take for instance, the baking & construction of the gingerbread White House…it’s been a long-standing tradition since the 1970’s…and through the years the house keeps increasing in square footage. Each year White House chef’s at Christmastime, prepare a ginger model of the “people’s house” for the touring public to see and do the ooh-awh moment. It’s a grand tradition.
Now I would love to wrap my dog lips around a piece of that sweet creation, but dogs really have to be careful with the ginger intake. Dang, there are so many things from the peeps world that are limiting for dogs. I’m requesting with a golden tone…some homemade dog biscuits please…and thank you.
So…going forward…light the golden flames of joy in your heart, make some cookies and remember:
“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ”
― Washington Irving
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