If you’re reading this, you made it through the week alive, though you’re 7 days closer to death. That’s the bad news; the good news (?) is that it’s National Mulled Cider day, so celebrate your sentience with a mug. I prefer a good hard cider, particularly an English cask cider served in a big mug or glass and having about 7% alcohol. It’s also the last day of September, so tomorrow I’ll be able to post Thomas Wolfe’s “ode to October.”
On this day in history, Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run of the 1927 season, a record not surpassed until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961 (I saw him play that season). On this day in 1941, the Baba Yar massacre of Jews was completed in Kiev, and, in 1955, James Dean died in a road accident, crashing his sports car. He was only 24. On this day in 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published the “Muhammad cartoons” that brought so much rancor; it was, perhaps, the beginning of Regressive Leftism in the form of those Leftists who said the cartoons shouldn’t have been printed.
Notables born on this day include Hans Geiger (1882), Buddy Rich (1917), Deborah Kerr (1921; her performance in From Here to Eternity was superb), and Elie Wiesel (1928; he died this year), Johnny Mathis (1935). Those who died on this day include James Dean (see above), Patrick White (1990), and Barry Commoner (2012). Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is doing some of her awkward philosophizing. I wonder if she thinks love of cats isn’t reasonable?
Hili: What is philosophy?A: Love of wisdom.Hili: This is highly suspect because love is not reasonable.
Hili: Co to jest filozofia?
Ja: Miłość mądrości.
Hili: Podejrzane, miłość nie jest rozsądna.
The angle of the sun is getting lower as we head into the fall, it seemed like it was almost horizontal yesterday. The first picture strikes me as a polar bear pose. In the second picture, I like the way the sun lights up the individual bits of fur sticking out his side.
I think you should look at the Writers
Almanac to add to your listing
of birthdays.
Mulled Cider Day?
Nah… It’s Friday. I’ll have a nice beer (later).
Or two. Same here.
American hard cider is often too sweet. English cider is much better, but I am rather fond of French cidre, with the earthy, funky, farmhouse flavors that give it a bit of wildness, like the best of the Belgian wild ales. That you can describe the aroma as “horse blanket” may be a bit off-putting but I’m on it like a cat rolling in the nip, and to top off an evening with a bit of Pommeau or Calvados, when finances permit…
JC (Emeritus) Sed: “I’ll be able to post Thomas Wolfe’s “ode to October.”
Phooey, it’s time for the perfect poem, Keats’s “To Autumn”:
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…
…
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.
As I’m allergic to cider I’m not getting involved!
And a pretty fine book by James Jones, I believe, From Here To Eternity. One of the few examples where a book went to the movies in good shape.
I recall watching the season when the M & M boys, Mantle and Maris went for that record of Ruth’s for 60 home runs.
Those Hawaiian waves crashing on the beach, and Burt Lancaster’s ur-Speedos, probably deserved best supporting Oscars.
I’ve never been able to find scenes like that sexy. All I can think about is salt water in the eyes, burning a bit, and sand getting everywhere…but what can I say, I’m not a hopeless romantic, I’m just hopeless.
My favorite Kerr performance is in “The Innocents”, a brilliant adaptation of “Turn of the Screw”
You forgot to mention that today is International Blasphemy Rights Day.
For me, the best ode to autumn is the song Autumn by Short Sisters (Fay Baird, Kate Seeger, Kim Wallach). It can be found on their CD A Planet Dancing Slow.
You beat me to it on blasphemy day. Thumbs up.
Shoeshoes?
So…what’s with that cat’s ears?
Must be snowshoes.
Meant to be in reply to jaxkayaker
Gus;’s ears were frozen off when he ended up in a live trap in winter (I think). Taskin will have to correct me if I’m wrong.
I think it makes the cutest adult cat I’ve seen.
Thanks. My vet has an earless cat who has badly injured in a fire as was one of my rescued cats who has his ears but also a lot of scars.
Here is Gus’s story:
https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/readers-cats-spook-rip-is-replaced-by-gus/
Thanks!
Thanks!
Hili has a point.
In a book far more cogent than his shopworn apologetics (“The Four Loves”), C.S. Lewis notes that the Greeks had four verbs for love denoting affection, friendship, erotic love, and compassion, and that philosophy specifically is having friendship towards wisdom. He would argue that cats largely evoke affection.
(However, Lewis’ book is still deeply flawed. IMO, these are really like four primary colors of love which oft get mixed together in different proportions creating dozens of combinations. He treats them as wholly separate species.)
Lewis seems to have largely like cats with reservations. He owned 2 cats and one d-g.
Perhaps you should have mentioned
International Blasphemy Rights Day, held each year on September 30, is a day to show solidarity with those who challenge oppressive laws and social prohibitions against free expression, to support the right to challenge prevailing religious beliefs without fear of violence, arrest, or persecution.
And the best cider is found in tiny cider houses in the Basque region of spain.