Aloha. July 5th is National Hawaii Day. I have a few unusual and wonderful books about Hawaii, Are they as interesting and diverse as the Islands of Hawaii are? You will have to decide. First book begins with a beautiful cover. It is ‘Legends of Old Honolulu” by W.D. Westervelt, published 1915. Then inside, thereContinue reading “July 5 “humuhumunukunukuapua’a” (triggerfish with a snout like a pig)-official state fish of Hawaii”
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July 4, “which side of the pond?”
Today is July 4th. Should I jump down this rabbit hole? Today is a British holiday, National Alice in Wonderland Day. This is the day in 1862 that Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, first told his friend’s daughter Alice, his story about an Alice who did fall down a rabbit hole. HeContinue reading “July 4, “which side of the pond?””
July 3 “Dread of night. Dread of not-night” – Kafka
Franz Kafka was born on July 3rd, 1883. He led a short prolific writing life, but with unusual twists in his story details. Not many people have a word named after them, but he did. The word ‘Kafkaesque’ acording to Merriam Webster “especially: having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality. e.g. Kafkaesque bureaucratic delays” I haveContinue reading “July 3 “Dread of night. Dread of not-night” – Kafka”
July 2 ‘Strike anywhere’
On July 2nd, the company of Bryant and May match factory fired several whistleblowers because of an article about horrible working conditions of the factory. Bryant and May were the country’s (Great Britain) largest producer of matches. That firing lead to a strike of over 1400 employees. After three weeks, the business agreed to changesContinue reading “July 2 ‘Strike anywhere’”
July 1 “Neither Rain nor Snow nor Heat nor Gloom of Night…”
July 1st is National Postal Worker Day. I have several books to honor those men and women of the United States Postal Service. My library presentation begins with “How They Carried the Mail” by Joseph Walker, 1930. The title continues with”From the Post Runners of King Sargon to the Air Mail of today.” The bookContinue reading “July 1 “Neither Rain nor Snow nor Heat nor Gloom of Night…””
July ‘A month of heat’
July we are celebrating National Horseradish Month. This is a root vegetable that can have some insanely hot flavor. It has been used as spice and sauce for thousands of years. Acccording to legend, Delphi, the oracle, told Apollo, “The radish is worth its weight in lead, the beet its weight in silver, the horseradishContinue reading “July ‘A month of heat’”
June 30 ‘the second of four’
On June 30th 1882, Charles Julius Guiteau was hanged for the murder of James A. Garfield, president of the United States. June 30th is National Log Cabin Day. Shall we bill two stories with one book? My book is “From Log Cabin to White House: Life of Garfield” by William M Thayer, 1882. Our storyContinue reading “June 30 ‘the second of four’”
June 29 ‘fisherman’ to ‘fishers of men’
I have this great old book, “Character Calendar” by Sister Mary Fidelis, and Sister Mary Charitas, 1931. It lists a saint for every day of the year. Under June 29th, I find the names The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. It is their feast day, celebrated by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and LutheranContinue reading “June 29 ‘fisherman’ to ‘fishers of men’”
June 28 “I’m a lumberjack and I’m OK”
June 28th is National Paul Bunyan Day. It’ll be a tall order to come up with a book on a day this big. We will start with the first Paul Bunyan story I read as a kid in grade school, “Paul Bunyan and other Tales”, by Irwin Shapiro, Golden Press, 1958. This book tells ofContinue reading “June 28 “I’m a lumberjack and I’m OK””
June 27 ‘Well begun, half done’
June 27th is National Onion Day. I thought I would bring out a good book on growing onions, from my collection of farming books printed by Orange Judd. I have the book “New Onion Culture, A Complete Guide in Growing Onions for Profit” by T. Greiner, 1917. The author, was selling the program of startingContinue reading “June 27 ‘Well begun, half done’”
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