SUNDAY FUNDAY JUNE 26 2022

 SUNDAY FUNDAY

JUNE 26, 2022

Paul Bunyan's Girlfriend!!

IT IS OFFICIALLY SUMMER!!

Yes, it is officially summer, although I like the Weather Channel’s informal summer of June, July, and August.

So, what is happening with the sun?

For June 21, the Summer Solstice

Anchorage Alaska - 19 hours and 21 minutes

Grand Island, Nebraska - 15 hours and 7 minutes

Georgetown, Texas - 14 hours and 7 minutes

Panama City, Panama  - 14 hours and 5 minutes

Hobart, Tasmania, Australia - 9 hours and 6 minutes
(I have cousins visiting Australia this summer)

And, by comparison - on December 20th, the Winter Solstice

Anchorage Alaska - 5 hours and 26 minutes

Grand Island, Nebraska - 9 hours and 17 minutes

Georgetown, Texas - 10 hours and 11 minutes

Panama City, Panama  - 12 hours and 38 minutes

Hobart, Tasmania, Australia - 15 hours and 21 minutes

So, people in North America, it’s all downhill from here until December 20!!!

(I find the data for Panama City, Panama strange.  If you average the two dates you should get about 12 hours on average - but the data I found suggests that Panama City’s average is about 13 hours).

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AND, IT IS HOT

We’ve had a streak of 11 days of 100 or more (Austin).  

Another temperature measurement is “cooling degree days”.  That measures how much it takes in air conditioning to lower the household temperature.  (My research didn’t find the exact amount).

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CANOEING

I liked to canoe when I was younger.  In college, a group of us canoed out to a sandbar on the Mississippi River and stayed overnight on the sandbar.  On that trip, a friend intentionally overturned the canoe (I’m glad I didn’t have any gear in the boat) so we could scramble to upright the canoe, get the water out, and get back in.

A cousin and his neighbor made their own canoe (I was impressed).

I got involved with a Scout Troop and we did a lot of canoeing.  We went down the Skunk River (in Iowa), through some rapids, and camped along the banks.  We went to a large reservoir and canoeing and camping.  (On that trip, I remember the bluebirds.)

Kayaks are growing in popularity - harder to tip, better buoyancy, and easy to carry.  

I think of the Lewis and Clark expedition - going up the Missouri River and across the Rocky Mountains - by canoe!!  The logistics of planning for such a trip - what supplies to take, will you find food on the way, what about friendly or hostile native Americans, and endearing heat, cold, rain, snow.  Definitely heroes in our American West

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IT’S SO HOT JOKES

1. It’s so hot that my dream house is any house in Alaska.

2. It’s so hot, when the temperature drops below 95 I start to feel chilly.

3. It’s so hot I saw a funeral procession pull through a Dairy Queen.

4. It’s so hot cows are giving evaporated milk.

5. It’s so hot, that the asphalt has a liquid state.

6. It’s so hot I took off my flesh and sat on my bones.

7. It’s so hot I saw a bird pull a worm out of the ground with an oven mitt.

8. It’s so hot the Statue of Liberty was asked to lower her arm.

9. It’s so hot, that chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs.

10. It’s so hot, E.L. James titled her next book Fifty Shades of Red. 

NATIONAL TODAY EVENTS:

Appropriate for my memory:

CANOE DAY - June 26, 2022 - National Today

“ Canoeing is both a sport and a recreational activity — one that’s relaxing and good for the environment. Wherever there is water, there are canoeists. On National Canoe Day thousands visit their favorite waterways, exploring their lakes and rivers or participating in competitive aquatic events.

 

 

Monday, NATIONAL ONION DAY - June 27, 2022 - National Today

I like onions.  The link says “consuming onions also helps the body fight colorectal cancer and breast cancer, as well as heart disease and diabetes.” Are there ways to cut onions without the tears?

 

There is a variety of onions too - white, yellow, red, sweet, and more.

 

 

Tuesday, NATIONAL PAUL BUNYAN DAY - June 28, 2022 - National Today

Last week at my work at the Wesleyan Senior Living, I brought a Paul Bunyan book to read with one of my friends.  I learned that “Along the way, he also gained a companion, a giant blue-colored ox called Babe the Blue Ox, who was said to be a gift from Paul’s fellow woodsmen, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone.”  (I didn’t know that story!!!)

 

In Minnesota, there are various statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, but I like this one: Lucette Diana Hackensack - Paul Bunyan’s Girlfriend!! Standing at 17 feet and made of fiberglass, Lucette can be found in the town of Hackensack, between Brainerd and Walker, and near the Paul Bunyan Scenic Highway.  

 

Wednesday, NATIONAL WAFFLE IRON DAY - June 29, 2022 - National Today

I like waffles - and in particular, I like waffles at the various hotels that have a hot breakfast.  And, even more particularly, I like the waffle irons shaped like Texas!!!!  Yeehaw!!  And, of course, the waffles have to be loaded with syrup and butter!!!  You have to get syrup into all the little squares!!

 

 

 

Thursday, NATIONAL WORK FROM HOME DAY - June 30, 2022 - National Today

Work from home (WFH) is a growing concept.  For some technical jobs, WFH is a natural - get on your computer and analyze, design, code, and implement your software solution.  During the high inflection times of COVID, WFH became popular.  Even now, WFH can save on gas (and money), commuting time, be more flexible, and still be productive.  Some research studies show that WFH can be more productive than working from the job location.  

 

As a former professor, I was among the first at my university to teach online classes.  The concept is that students can learn at home as well as work from home.  (A group of us were given “Pioneer” seed corn hats as pioneers in the online teaching world.  Last December I team-taught a group of about 25 Chinese technology students in a four-week online class!!  There is a different kind of motivation in working from home and taking online classes as compared to working from your office

 

Friday, CANADA DAY - July 1, 2022 - National Today 

We were driving across Ontario Canada on Canada Day several years ago.  We got pulled over by a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman (but not Dudley Do-Right - and not on a horse).  Like Americans, Canadians do drive under the influence of alcohol and this was a standard safety and sobriety check.  He gave us a coupon for Tim Horton’s (Canada’s favorite coffee shop) and wished us well!!!

 

And an old joke:  Q: Do Canadians have the Fourth of July?  A:  No, their calendars go from the 3rd to the 5th!!!

 

Saturday, HOP A PARK DAY - July 2, 2022 - National Today

“Hop A Park Day is celebrated on the first Saturday of July.  It is a day to explore the parks in your area and reconnect with your neighbors and the community. Not only do you get to spend time outdoors, but it is also a great way to detox from all forms of technology. We spend a lot of time online and not much outdoors. The day celebrates the simple joys of life like a leisurely stroll, a breath of fresh air, and being completely relaxed.”

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WRAP UP

Enjoy the last week of June and get ready for July.  Time to make your plans for the Fourth of July!!  Will you be going to a fireworks show?  Have a picnic or barbecue? 

 

Stay cool, stay happy, and let LOVE WIN!!

 

Karen