MONDAY MARCH 25TH, 2013

Good Monday to you.  It looks like Spring might finally be breaking at Orr Lake.  This a picture from yesterday taken by Karin along the shoreline next door and it looks like the temperatures are going to be on the plus side this week (so they say), However, we could still get a bit of snow and some rain as well. Checking our files from 2001 we had 4 or 5 inches of new snow.  On this date in 1988 the snow was melting very quickly and we had  about 50% of our lawns uncovered and we could fill-up at the pumps for around 35 Cents per Litre. Welcome to my Monday Blog this 25th of March. 



MAGICAL HISTORY TOUR:

12 years ago I saw my very first Maple Leaf hockey game "in person" in Toronto and it was the Leafs vs. the Buffalo Sabres and it was quite a thrill for me. Till then I could only see them Lose on TV.
In 1776, George Washington was given the very first "Congressional Medal of Honour" for capturing of Boston from the British.
 In 1880 Globe editor George Brown was shot in his office by George Bennett, a disgruntled ex-employee.  Brown died later of his wounds and Bennett was hanged for murder.  This is now known as "Going Postal". Back then it was called "Going Newspaper" (always try to keep your ex-employees GRUNTLED).
In 1882, the First demonstration of Pancake making took place in a department store in New York City and it caused quite a Flap (Jack).
 In 1893 a Toronto cab driver was fined $2.00 or 10 days in jail for driving on a Sunday.
  In 1905, an Anglo-American convention decided to define the Alaska-Canada border as it is today. The US President Theodore Roosevelt had threatened to send in troops if the boundary was not fixed the way the US wanted it .
 Left out of the talks, Canada ended up with no seaports in Northern BC or the Yukon and the resulting anti-British sentiment led to the founding of the Department of External Affairs in 1909.  I'd say BULLY FOR ROOSEVELT and the U.S.(BULLIES FOR SURE)  I don't remember taking this is school.
The Modern Olympics began  in Athens Greece in 1896.
In 1937, Lionel Conacher missed on the first Stanley Cup Penalty Shot which wasn't great but also on this date in 37, The Washington Daily News became the first U.S. newspaper to have a Perfumed Ad Page, which really Stunk.
In 1982, Wayne Gretzky became the first player in the NHL to score 200 points in a season. He of course still holds the record and he did it 4 times.  Mario hit 199 but no one else has hit the 200 mark. He finished with 216 points in the 85/86 season.

BIRTHDAY PEEPS

Jean de Brebeuf was born on this day in 1593 in Normandy in 1593.  He was tortured to death with Gabriel Lalemant by Iroquois invaders at St. Louis, Huronia on March 16th, 1649. He was canonized in 1930.    
In 1643 he wrote the Huron Carol which in a modified version which is certainly still used today. There are Schools named after him and the parish municipality of Brebeuf Quebec is named after him.

Elton Hercules John is 66 today (real name Reginald Kenneth Dwight) , Aretha Franklin "the Queen of Soul" is 71, Sarah Jessica Parker is 48. The very "Racey" Danica Patrick is 31, Desperate Housewife Marcia Cross is 51, Gloria Steinem is 79, Howard Cosell "Old Yeller" (1918-1995), Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky & Hutch) is 70, Katharine McPhee (of the TV show Smash) is 29.  Wow, it's a big day for birthdays, Actress Brenda Strong (the voice on Desperate Housewives) is 53, James Lovell of the Apollo 13 Space Mission is 85, Canadian actress Keri Matchett is 43 (seen here)..................................
 and the late great singer guitarist Jeff Healey was born in 1966 (till 2008). Also, Bela Bartok was born in 1881 (till 1945)  A lot of the scintillating Bar-Talk from the TV show "Cheers" was a result :).







AND FINALLY....FOUR "FONTS" walk into a bar...the bartender says, "Get Out, we don't serve your TYPE in here!"


mornin' everybody....mornin'.