Kaitlyn's Reading Salon

February 25, 2019
Dearest Readers,

Welcome aboard, friends. Today On This Date visits the last time Britain was invaded on land and the first black to serve in Congress, Top of the Charts reviews 1984 and Philosophy 101 has a quote from The Lord of the Rings for you.

Cheers!

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

THE ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1797 – The Battle of Fishguard, part of the War of the First Coalition, ends after two days, a decisive British victory over France, the last time Britain was invaded by land. The War of the First Coalition was fought between 1792-97 throughout Europe and ultimately resulted in a French victory. The losers didn’t take this very well and the Second War of the First Coalition began the following year.

In 1870 – Hiram Revels becomes the first black to serve in the United States Congress, when he is sworn in, after much debate, to the United States Senate. Revels was elected by the Mississippi legislature to complete an unexpired term of a seat that had been unfilled since the Civil War. Revels would serve until the following March 3 after being defeated for election and went on to serve as president of Alcorn A&M College, now Alcorn State University.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1984:
Hot 100 – Jump…Van Halen (1st of five weeks)
Soul Chart – Encore…Cheryl Lynn (only week)
Country Chart – Stay Young…Don Williams (only week)
Album Chart – Thriller…Michael Jackson (30th of 37 non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,657: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
22.034: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
624: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
Do not trouble your hearts with thought of the road tonight. Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them.
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings

One of the questions that has confounded us humans from time immemorial is whether our lives are predetermined, whether or not we have control of our destinies. Quotes like this don’t really help either, because some could interpret the ‘laid before your feet’ line as referring to predestination. It also doesn’t help that religions are fond of saying this diety or that one has a plan for our lives.

We don’t believe The Fates predetermine what is going to happen in our lives: we make our own fate, more than we know. When we look inside for the life we were meant to live and go and live that life, we make good things happen for ourselves. When we are off our path we feel out of sorts and out of touch with the life we should be living.

Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet…

More than anything, this line means our path is there for the taking. It does not require fretting or worrying on our part, but it does require work, work that is worth doing because it leads to the life we were meant to live, life’s great prize. All that is required is following our hearts and trusting our instincts because they will tell us where to go and how to get there. It frees us to make our time serve us and ensures what is meant to happen in our lives generally does happen.

All we have to do is let it.

J.R.R. Tolkien  (1892-1973) was an English writer and poet.   

February 24, 2019
Dearest Readers,

Good morning and thank you for joining us. We hope winter is treating you well.

The Gregorian Calendar and the US Supreme Court star on On This Date, while Roberta Flack headlines Top of the Charts and Philosophy 101 talks about doing things so people remember them for the rest of their lives.

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

THE ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1582 – Changes to the Julian calendar – in effect since 45BC – are promulgated by Pope Gregory XIII. The order was issued because the Julian calendar was out of step with seasons. It took ten days off the current calendar and, among other things, eliminated leap years in century years unless the year was divisible by 400. Though originally issued as a correction to the Julian calendar, the changes eventually became known as the Gregorian Calendar and it is now the standard for reckoning days, weeks, months and years in most of the world.

In 1803 – The United States Supreme court establishes the precedent known as judicial review in the case of Marbury v. Madison. The actual case had to do with the delivery of the judicial commission of one William Marbury, which had not been delivered by Secretary of State James Madison, who was acting under orders from new President Thomas Jefferson. Though the case itself is not particularly relevant now, the precedent of the Supreme Court passing judgment on the actions of Congress and the executive branch went a long way to establishing the roles of the branches of America government.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1973:
Hot 100 – Killing Me Softly With His Song…Roberta Flack (1st of five non-consecutive weeks)
Soul Chart – Love Train…The O’Jays (2nd of four weeks)
Country Chart – Rated X…Loretta Lynn (only week)
Album Chart – The World is a Ghetto…War (2nd of two weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,656: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
22.033: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
625: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
We are going to sing so that they will remember this for the rest of their lives. There is no other reason to do it, folks, none.
Garrison Keillor
Love Me

One of the things we talk about regularly here is that we are all born with certain talents, that each of us can do something well. We also talk a lot about maximizing those talents

It doesn’t matter what it is: singing, writing, building a chair, raising a kid, what is of no consequence. If we are going to do something there is no other reason to do it except for doing it the very best we know how. Anything less and we are wasting our time and everyone else’s because we are merely marking time while on this planet.

This isn’t always easy. We must be sufficiently in tune with ourselves so that we know what we are about, that we know the life we are meant to live. Then we must have the courage to go and live that life and have the patience to see our paths through to the very end and it should be noted courage and patience are required in no small measure.

We should try to live a life that others will remember. We do this by living our lives well, by setting an example for others about making our time serve us and putting nature and circumstance to work for us.

When we do this, we will pass a life we will find worth remembering, too.

Garrison Keillor is an American writer. 

February 23, 2019
Dearest Readers,

Thank you for indulging us in our day off yesterday.

Good wishes for a good day, and many thanks for stopping by.
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

THE ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1903 – Cuba leases land that will become the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to the United States in perpetuity. Originally a coaling station for US Navy ships, it is used as a detention facility in addition to accomdating ships. The US sends Cuba an annual check, now for $4,085, but Cuba has not deposited one since 1959, which Fidel Castro always maintained was by accident. It remains the oldest foreign US military installation and is the only one in a Communist country.

In 1945 – One of mankind’s most iconic photographs is taken when Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal photographs six United States Marines raising a flat on Mount Suribachi, on the island of Iwo Jima in the western Pacific. Rosenthal would later say he saw activity out of the corner of his eye and turned to take a picture and wasn’t sure if he got anything decent until later. The photograph first appeared in newspapers two days later, a Sunday, and later that year won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. \

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1980:
Hot 100 – Crazy Little Thing Called Love…Queen (1st of four weeks)
Soul Chart – Special Lady…Ray, Goodman & Brown (only week)
Country Chart – Years…Barbara Mandrell (only week)
Album Chart – The Wall…Pink Floyd (6th of 15 weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,655: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
22.032: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
626: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
…to live life well one must live with awareness.
Louis L’Amour
Education of a Wandering Man

Everyone on this planet lives, but not everyone actually lives. This is too bad, because unless you born with no chance, living well is within the reach of all us.

Awareness helps. We must be aware of many things: the world around us, what our government is doing to us, and, more than anything, we must be aware of what we are doing to ourselves. Are making our time serve us, or are we merely marking time while on this planet? Are putting nature and circumstance to work for us, or are fighting nature and circumstance? Are we on our path, or are we living a life we are not completely in step with?

Yes, circumstances can overcome us at times, but by and large, we get out of this life what we put into it. Those that pursue the lives they were meant to live with diligence and courage end up living the lives they were meant to live. Those who squander their time and talent may very well end up wondering where the years, decades, went and looking back at what might have been.

Nothing is worse than that. Fortunately, all of us have it within our power to make good things happen for ourselves. All we need is the wisdom to know what we are about and to recognize the talents we were born with. Then we need the courage to maximize those talents and go out and live the life we were meant to live. Then we need the patience to live this life every day. Not some days and not others, not some weeks or years and not others. We must do it every day.

When we do this, we are living with awareness and at an appropriate time will be looking back at time well spent and a life well spent.

Louis L’Amour (1908-88) was an American writer. 

February 21, 2019
Dearest Readers,

Some interesting tidbits in The Almanac, as On This Date spend some time with the Carolina parakeet and we go to the moon with the Soviets, and Top of the Charts has the #1 hits from this date in 1976.

Philosophy 101 talks about aiming high and straining nerves.

Good wishes for a good day.
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

THE ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1918 – The last Carolina parakeet dies, in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. One of only two parrots ever native to the United States, the other being the thick-billed parrot, which now flourishes in Mexico., the Carolina parakeet was done in by deforestation and hunting for its colorful feathers, though it didn’t help the bird had a tendency to flock to where others of their ilk had or were dying, allowing it to be slaughtered in large numbers.

In 1972 – The Soviet Union reaches the moon for the sixth time when the unmanned Luna 20 lands. It collects samples from the lunar surface, the second of three Luna missions to return samples to Earth, the last one being Luna 24 in 1976. The Soviet space program had its accomplishments. They were the first to put a spacecraft and a human into space, the first to reach the moon (1959) and another planet (Venus), but they were never able to pull off a manned lunar landing. Only America has done that.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1976:
Hot 100 – 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover…Paul Simon (3rd of three weeks)
Soul Chart – Sweet Thing…Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (1st of two weeks)
Country Chart – Good Hearted Woman…Waylon and Willie (1st of three weeks)
Album Chart – Desire…Bob Dylan (3rd of five weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,653: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
22.028: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
628: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
…his life seemed to prove that the valorous were the favorites of fortune. He was simply inviting the Convention to do what he had done repeatedly – to aim as high as possible and to strain every nerve to attain the goal.
John C Miller
Alexander Hamilton: Portrait in Paradox

Fortune favoring the brave is an old military saying and its true for us civilians, too: those that get on this world are those who try to accomplish things, who realize success and failure are mere imposters and neither exists without the other and make the complete utilization of their talents their life’s work.

We must aim as high as possible and strain every nerve to attain our goal. If we are not doing that we are merely marking time while on this planet and are not doing anyone – you, me, your aunt in Leadville – and good. Now, circumstantially, these goals will differ from person to person: we were all issued assorted talents and ambitions at birth. Intrinsically, however, there is only one goal: making our time serve us by living the life we were meant to live. The way we do that is by living in harmony with what our hearts are telling us to do and how our instincts are telling us how to get there because our hearts and our instincts will never fail to show us where we were meant to go. When we are doing that, the life we were meant to live will present itself.

John C Miller is an American writer. 

February 20, 2019
Dearest Readers,

The end of Prohibition and John Glenn are featured in On This Date and Top of the Charts as the top songs and album from this date in 1965. Philosophy 101 uses a quote from J.C. Watts to talk about the American dream.

Thank you for stopping by, and have a reasonably good day.

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

THE ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1933 – Realizing it didn’t really stop anyone who wanted to from having a drink or three or four, the United States Congress approves the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, known as the Blaine Act, which would repeal the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture, sale or transportation of booze in the US. The 21st Amendment was ratified by the several states in December. 

In 1962 – John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the earth, piloting the Mercury-Atlas spacecraft known as Friendship 7. Glenn spent a little less than five mostly uncomfortable hours in space and orbited the earth three times before splashing down in the North Atlantic Ocean. Friendship 7 is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.  Glenn would not return to space until a space shuttle mission in 1998, when he was 77.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1965:
Hot 100 – This Diamond Ring…Gary Lewis and the Playboys (1st of two weeks)
Soul Chart – My Girl…The Temptations (4th of six weeks)
Country Chart – I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail…Buck Owen (1st of five weeks)
Album Chart – Beatles ’65…The Beatles (7th of nine weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,652: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
22.027: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
629: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
The American dream is not about money. It is about using your abilities and being the best you can be.
J.C. Watts
Republican National Convention
August 13, 1996

It’s easy to get caught up in money’s lure. Every day we are inundated with ways to make and spend money. People on TV are rich and we are led to believe that the accumulation of wealth is the only element to a good and successful life.

In reality, though, the dreams we American’s dream are not different than the dreams anyone anywhere dreams: we want to pass a happy life. We want to be free to live our lives as we see fit. Of course, some financial stability is nice because too little money causes problems just like too much money causes problems, but those who make the wholesale accumulation of wealth the primary objective of their life usually are not all that happy because money cannot buy one necessity of the soul.

Using our abilities and being the best we can be is not only a dream but an obligation: an obligation to ourselves and to others to make our time serve us by getting the most out of the talents we were issued at birth. When we do this, when we cultivate our talents with diligence and courage, we ensure we are being the most use to ourselves and everyone else. We ensure we are living the life we are meant to live, life’s great prize.

J.C. Watts was a United States Representative from Oklahoma’s 4th District from 1999-2003. He initially gained notoriety as the quarterback for the University of Oklahoma football team. 

February 19, 2019
Dearest Readers,

Welcome aboard. We’re glad you made it. 

Today we chronicle our fellow beings in The Almanac, which visits 1913 and 1942 while Top of the Charts is hovering over 1972 and Philosophy 101 is based on a quote from Minnesota Fats talking about the greatness in each of us.

xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

THE ALMANAC
On This Date:
In  1913 – Pedro Lascurain is the president of Mexico for less than an hour. He had woken up that morning as foreign secretary but assumed the presidency when President Francisco Madero was overthrown by General Victoriano Huerta. Huerta then directed Lascurain to appoint him interior secretary and then resign so Huerta could become president. Lascurain, no fool, followed orders. It remains the shortest presidency in history. 

In 1942 – In another instance of racial enlightenment here in America, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs executive order 9066 allowing the military to set up internment camps throughout the country. Offically known as military zones, Japanese, Germans, Italians and some Jews were held. Most were Japanese, though, and about two-thirds of the Japanese interred – roughly 70,000 – were American citizens. Executive Order 9066 would be symbolically rescinded by President Ford on this date in 1976.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1972:
Hot 100 – Without You…Nilsson (1st of four weeks)
Soul Chart – Let’s Stay Together…Al Green (7th of nine weeks)
Country Chart – It’s Four in the Morning…Faron Young (1st of two weeks)
Album Chart – American Pie…Don McLean (5th of seven weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,651: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
22.024: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
630: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
Every living creature on this earth can do something great.
Minnesota Fats

We all have greatness inside. You, me, your aunt in Leadville. Every single one of us. It is of no particular consequence what you are great at, either. All that matters is it stems from something deep inside you. It may not gain you notoriety or make you rich or cause you to live down the ages or, then again, it might. It doesn’t really matter.

Whether it’s a work of art that future generations will be talking about or your very best quilt that takes top prize at the fair or a solo in the church choir that is the culmination of years of training and practice, if you are answering to something deep inside, it will be uniquely you.

Greatness is there for everyone. It isn’t easy, of course. It takes wisdom to know what you can be great at and what would merely waste your time. It is why I wrote this and am not out training for the high jump. Then it takes courage to go out and get the most out of the talents you were issued birth. And it takes patience to achieve the desired end.

But greatness is there for everyone. All we have to do is follow our hearts and trust our instincts and it will find us. We won’t have to search for it.

Minnesota Fats, born Rudolph Wonderone (1913-1996) was an American pool hustler. 

February 18, 2019
Dearest readers, greetings. We’re happy you’re here.

Today on The Almanac we visit 1885 and 1977, plus Top of the Charts checks in on 1984 and Philosophy 101 offers a quote from Einstein about the need to make changes. 

Thank you for visiting and have a good day,
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

THE ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1885 – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published. Written by Mark Twain and a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the book takes place on the Mississippi River in pre-Civil War America. Despite its anti-racist tenor, the book has long been criticized as for its use of disparaging language and racial stereotypes. Don’t let this bother you. It’s how people lived and talked back then and Huckleberry Finn remains one of the great books in American letters.

In 1977 – The space shuttle Enterprise takes to the air for the first time, flying on the back of a 747 jet. Known as a captive flight, it was unmanned and gave NASA the chance to see how assorted systems performed while in the air. Enterprise would fly on its own in August, being released from its carrier and landing under astronaut control and the first space shuttle mission, flown by Columbia, would launch in 1981. Today, America cannot send anyone into space anymore, our astronauts obliged to hitch a ride with the Russians.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1984:
Hot 100 – Karma Chameleon…Culture Club (3rd of three weeks)
Soul Chart – If Only You Knew…Patti LaBelle (4th of four weeks)
Country Chart – Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown…Ricky Skaggs (only week)
Album Chart – Thriller…Michael Jackson (29th of 37 non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,650: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
22.023: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
631: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein

One of the hardest things for us to do is change. Since it is one of the toughest things for us to do it is also one of the most beneficial. This is true both collectively as a society and as individuals. It is not easy to change our attitudes and circumstances.

Now, we don’t want to change simply for the sake of changing. But we all get into ruts, times when our life is not exactly what it should be, times when we intuitively feel a half-step off with what we should be doing with our lives. These ruts could last anywhere from a few minutes to a few months to a few decades. We should listen to this intuition. It is our instincts telling us we are not taking the path we should be taking.

When these ruts happen, what to do? The best thing to do this is to look inside ourselves? Are we listening to what our heart is telling us to do? Are we paying attention to the instincts that are telling us how to get there? When we are in a rut, when our lives feel a half-step off, we probably aren’t.

Following our hearts and trusting our instincts never fails to get us out of these ruts because when we follow our hearts and trust our instincts what is meant to happen in our lives always does. Without fail.

When we cannot be afraid to make changes to our lives when required. We must not be afraid of a life of good physical, emotional and spiritual health. There will come a time when we are going to examine our life, possibly when our time comes to die, and we are going to ask ourselves if we did well or if we squandered our time on this planet.

Following our hearts and trusting our instincts ensure the answer to this question is we did well. Old thinking gets old resutls. New thinking changes lives.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a German-born, naturalized-American scientist. 

February 17, 2019
Dearest readers, thank you for visiting today. 

We apologize for not producing this feature the past few days. We were getting some quality work in on our novel Katy and Markie: All the Things. Now, we are committed to Morning Coffee, however, nothing takes precedence over a novel. It has to be that way: if a novelist is not completely consumed by their latest project they are not writing, they are typing,

Have a good day,
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

THE ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1964 – The United States Supreme Court rules that Congressional districts have roughly the same population. The case was Wesberry v Sanders and began in Georgia when one James Wesberry sued because his Congressional district had two to three times the people of other districts in the state. The case had been dismissed at the district level. The number of people in each district is based on the census and currently each of the 435 congressional districts should represent 711,000 people.

In 1974 – Army Private First Class Robert Preston lands a stolen helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House. About 2am, Preston had stolen an army helicopter from Fort Meade, Maryland and had actually hovered for a few minutes before landing near the West Wing and then taking off again. At the time, neither President Nixon nor his wife Pat were in the White House, and Preston would serve a year in prison, including a couple of months at hard labor, before being discharged. Preston had recently washed out of helicopter training and was anxious to show the army his skills.

Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1962:
Hot 100 – Duke of Earl…Gene Chandler (1st of three weeks)
Soul Chart – Duke of Earl…Gene Chandler (1st of five weeks)
Country Chart – Walk On By…Leroy Van Dyke (11th of 13 weeks)
Album Chart (Mono) – Blue Hawaii…Elvis Presley (10th of 20 weeks)
Album Chart (Stereo) – Breakfast at Tiffany’s Soundtrack…Henry Mancini (2nd of 12 non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,649: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
22.022: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
632: days until Election Day 2020.

Philosophy 101
Progress, once started, is endless…We proceed because we must.
Gore Vidal
Empire

Progress is an interesting animal because almost by definition anything can be progress: merely waking up in the morning means we have progressed from one day to the next and we don’t even have to get out of bed to claim this progress, either. Most progress, however, takes work. Advancement at work takes education and furthering skill. A lasting, happy marriage needs progress and progressing in the life we were meant to live takes work, too. Progress is not inevitable. Merely marking off another of the long procession of days doesn’t mean we’ve advanced; it merely means we’ve survived.

True progress, the type of progress that is measurable, is not accomplished by accident: you will not climb Mount Everest while wandering around the Gobi Desert. You must have a plan to climb Mount Everest and the courage to execute that plan and the patience to put up with the inevitable reverses that attend any great effort.

Our individual lives are no different. We must have a plan to scale the mountains we have set before us. This involves looking inside to see what our hearts are calling us to do and to go and try to climb those mountains. When we climb our mountains with diligence and courage we will find ourselves living the life we were meant to live, life’s great prize.

Gore Vidal (1925-2012) was an American writer.