The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On this date, 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force …
National Barbershop Quartet Day is observed annually on April 11. Barbershop quartets have a way making the heart flutter. Very often they transport us back to a simpler time or at the least make it …
We were in NYC April 6, 2019 for our daughter-in-law’s birthday and the Tartan Day Parade. Look who the Grand Marshall was! I am so sorry we missed 2015 when Sean Connery was Grand Marshall …
I spent many years helping the school librarian in my son’s elementary school. They do fantastic things! April 4th is National School Librarian Day. It is set aside to honor all school librarians. School …
Q: How many critics does it take to change a light bulb? A: Critics can’t change a light bulb. But they’ll watch you do it and tell you a hundred ways you could have done it …
I needed gas for my car last week. I was on my way to bell rehearsal so I didn’t have time to go to my usual place. Instead, I stopped by the station that was on my way.
I had stopped going to this particular gas station many years ago when I thought that they were adding water to the mix. My engine had sputtered whenever I’d put in gas from there.
Anyway, I was in a rush, so I went there, to the first pump I came to. The gas flowed into my car, no problem. The hose clicked off as always.
When I removed it from my tank, gas sprayed everywhere. On me, on the car. I dropped the hose on the ground until I figured out how to turn it off manually.
I looked at the meter and I wasn’t charged for the extra gas. Good thing!
I grabbed a lot of their paper towels and cleaned my car off as best I could. Used a LOT of hand sanitizer on me and headed to rehearsal.
First rehearsal went fine. At the beginning of the second, someone mentioned smelling gas and I said it was me – and related my tale. Someone else said they could smell it on my car in the parking lot. <sigh>
Got home, took a l-o-n-g shower and extra cortisone.
DH went up to the gas station to have a word with them. The person on duty said this happens “a lot”.
Wednesday, DH called the station owner who suggested it was my fault. Then he called the main company “Customer Service” who offered us back $.25 (yes, 25 cents) for spraying myself with gas and becoming a possible fire hazard.
DH explained the concept of class action suit when I did a Google search and found over 2 million hits for “gas pump sprayed me”
That was over a week ago. “Customer service” was supposed to call back. Of course, they haven’t yet.
Stay tuned!
2018 Postlude: My DH tried this pump about a month ago and the same thing happened.
We went back to the Virginia International Tattoo again and it was everything I remembered from 2016. A wonderful, but very exhausting time! There will be a journal of the rest of the weekend on my Travel Blog
This time around we went to some of the band competition, then went back to the hotel for a nap before the show. Fortunately, most of the afternoon events were live-streamed on Facebook so I didn’t miss much.
All of the 2018 Tattoo is on YouTube already.
A couple of my favorite acts:
and
And the Finale:
When they showed the videos of the Medal of Honor recipients, I thought it was amazing. There is no way I could do any part of what they had done.
Just before leaving, I bought a teeshirt which said “More Bagpipes”.
May Day is observed annually on May 1. In many ancient calendars, May 1 was the first day of summer. This was a cause for celebration. One of the more popular rituals was harvesting flowers and giving them to neighbors and strangers in cone-shaped baskets. These “May Baskets” become more commonly known as “May Day Baskets”. The current tradition is observed by hanging a cone-shaped basket full of flowers or other gifts on the outside doorknob, then knocking or ringing the doorbell and run away.
May Day has been a traditional day of celebration for centuries, with some of the earliest appearing in pre-Christian times. In English tradition, May Day is celebrated by crowning a May Queen and dancing around a maypole. The Finnish tradition is a carnival-type celebration in the streets that includes a special type of lemonade that is made with lemons, brown sugar and yeast. In France, it is correct to give people either dogwood or lily of the valley to celebrate May Day. In Italy, a seasonal feast is held to celebrate the arrival of spring.
When we were kids, we learned how to dance a Maypole dance but no one else I’ve ever asked remembers doing this. Maybe it was just my small town? This was the town that gave out cherry pies for Washington’s birthday, too.
I don’t remember much about learning how to do this, other than we always got the strands tied up, possibly on purpose.
National Bugs Bunny Day is observed each year on April 30. Bugs Bunny is the famous cartoon character best remembered for his roles in Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies produced by Warner Bros. He is known for his popular catchphrase “What’s up, doc?”
Bugs Bunny first appeared in a short film on April 30, 1938, and has since been enjoyed by millions of viewers.
I love bubble tea (aka boba tea) and I’m so glad there’s a day for it. At one point, I considered buying a machine to make my own. Amazon now sells premade boba (of course!)
In the 1980s, the Taiwanese developed a beverage combining the refreshing goodness of tea, the wholesome creaminess of milk and the fun, delicious surprise of bubbles. The bubbles, also known as boba or pearls, are made from tapioca. The tea can be created with or without milk, ice, sugar, and toppings.
National Barbershop Quartet Day is observed annually on April 11. Barbershop quartets have a way making the heart flutter. Very often they transport us back to a simpler time or at the least make it stand still.
Barbershop quartets are a style of a cappella or unaccompanied vocal music. Their music features songs with understandable lyrics and easily singable melodies.
Between 1900 and 1919 barbershop music found its popularity. In the 1920s, it began to fade into obscurity. However, the barbershop quartet saw a revival when the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America was founded. This tongue twister of a men’s organization grew quickly as did other similar organizations promoting barbershop music as an artform. Today, just under 25,000 men in the United States and Canada are members of the SPEBSQSA. SPEBSQSA often called “SPEBS” for ease is now called The Barbershop Harmony Society.
Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organization of women singers, established in 1945, committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performances. This independent, nonprofit music education association is one of the world’s largest singing organizations for women. “Harmonize the World” is the organization’s motto. It has a current membership of 24,000 and holds a yearly international singing competition.
Several years ago we were waiting for a small Windjammer Barefoot Cruises ship when we met some folks who lived relatively near us. Karen was also a music teacher and we clicked right away. She belonged to a Sweet Adelines group relatively near me and I joined up.
I loved everything about Sweet Adelines – the singing, the sequins, the wigs, the false eyelashes, the competitions, the conventions – everything but the huge time commitment.
In the early days, we made our own costumes, complete with rows of sequins. Our “sewing room” – now my mom’s room – has an outline on the floor from where I had to spray on Fray Check. Forgot to use a newspaper underneath. Oops! It looks like the crime scenes on TV where there’s a body outline.
Then, I got Cushing’s and had to take a lot of time off for surgery and such. I tried going back a time or two but I just couldn’t handle it.
I still have my collection of medals from various competitions over 10 years and some days I really miss it.
I still love to listen to Barbershop and have a large collection in Spotify.
Here’s a favorite from the men:
My old group:
Sadly, the Windjammers have gone out of business. In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch was responsible for the loss of the s/v Fantome, a four-masted schooner operated by Windjammer. All 31 crew members aboard perished; passengers and other crew members had earlier been offloaded in Belize.
The ship, which was sailing in the center of the hurricane, experienced up to 50-foot (15 m) waves and over 100 mph (160 km/h) winds, causing the Fantome to founder off the coast of Honduras.
The original image was one a couple males, a couple females and a dog walking/running. No folks in wheelchairs, no older folks and certainly no zebras. It would be nice to have everyone out there walking or running but that’s not real life, at least in the Cushie world. It’s been a long time since […]
This narrative nonfiction novel chronicles my son’s twenty-year journey to get his Cushing’s disease diagnosed—a journey that took far too long. Throughout the book, I highlight opportunities for testing that could have been done according to endocrinologist guidelines. The core message is clear: early diagnosis is crucial for people to live vibrant lives. Read Surviving […]
Adrenal Insufficiency United’s Lunch & Learn Events are one day mini-conferences located in different cities in the USA. We find great local speakers to lead sessions and give presentations about issues affecting those with adrenal insufficiency. These one day events will be packed full of opportunities giving attendees more chances to ask questions, share their […]
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The recovery rate of adrenal function after successful surgery as first-line treatment in patients with Cushing’s syndrome is high. However, it may take several months to years before recovery of adrenal function occurs. In case of early recovery of adrenal function, clinicians should be aware of a possible recurrence of Cushing’s disease.
In this case, we describe a 54-year-old man with a stage IV NET with metastatic liver and pancreatic lesions, who presented with Cushing's syndrome due to ectopic ACTH production.
Cushing’s syndrome is a rare disorder that occurs when the body is exposed to too much cortisol. Cortisol is produced by the body and is also used in corticosteroid drugs. Cushing's syndrome can occur either because cortisol is being overproduced by the body or from the use of drugs that contain cortisol (like prednisone)…
Adrenal insufficiency is a condition where the adrenal glands don't produce enough of certain hormones, primarily cortisol and sometimes aldosterone. This disorder can be categorized into primary (Addison's disease) and secondary forms.
Cushing's Disease is a rare condition caused by excessive production of cortisol, a hormone essential for various bodily functions. It is a specific form of Cushing's Syndrome, where the overproduction of cortisol is due to a tumor in the pituitary gland. The condition affects 10 to 15 people per million each year, predominantly women between […]
I’ll never know if that hit on my head contributed to my Cushing's but I have seen several people mention on the message boards that they had a traumatic head injury of some type in their earlier lives.
At our Maker Lab, you will have access to a variety of tools and equipment, including a 3D printer, sewing & embroidery machines, Cricut & Cameo cutting machines, robotics, circuits, arts & crafts and more. Fridays until June 9
Have a broken or damaged item you’ve been looking to get repaired but it’s too costly or inconvenient? We will have fixers skilled in various types of repair available to help you bring your items back to life for FREE!
Calling all knitters, crocheters, and yarn enthusiasts! Join us in our Makerspace to hang out with other fiber friends and maybe learn a technique or two.
Learn how to create a simple and personalized 3D object using TinkerCAD and then submit a 3D printing request at FCPL. Laptops are provided or bring your own. Monthly until December 28
The DC area’s un-official start to spring returns on Saturday April 26, (10AM – 6PM) and Sunday, April 27 (10AM – 5 PM). The streets of historic downtown Leesburg will be filled with incredible landscape displays along with vendors selling flowers and live plants, gardening supplies, and everything imaginable involving outdoor living.
Spring is around the corner and Earth Day Fairfax is almost underway! Mark your calendar for Fairfax County’s largest, family-friendly Earth Day extravaganza at the Sully Historic Site on Saturday, April 26. Celebrate our world with a day filled with games, entertainment, food and hands-on crafts, exhibits and activities.
The City Band takes a musical world tour, featuring the music of Valerie Coleman, Percy Grainger, Frank Ticheli, and Leonard Bernstein! Highlights include: “Havana Nights,” “Vesuvius,” “Out of Africa,” and “Candide.”
For potty-trained three year olds through ninth graders. Embark on an exciting journey with Road Trip VBS, based on Joshua 1:9 – "The LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Discover God's presence everywhere as we explore new places, make new friends, and experience God's goodness together. Join us in a fun-filled adventure […]
Enhance your mental fitness with “Train Your Brain” activities! Sudoku, crosswords, Color Me Happy, and word searches. Each activity is aimed at stimulating cognitive function and supporting memory improvement.