The 27th day of April, 2020 has arrived. I’m virus free, there’s food in the pantry and several bottles of rum to make the evening more pleasant. I am grateful for my good fortune. I’d rather be back to what we had but it’s gone. Might as well make the best of what we’ve got. Today is Babe Ruth Day, Morse Code Day, National Tell A Story Day, Devil Dog Day, National Prime Rib Day and Matanzas Mule Day. At the beginning of the Spanish American War, the US Navy fired on Matanzas (city on the North end of Cuba) and killed a mule. The mule was buried with full military honors and that’s why it gets a day. On this day in 1667 Blind and impoverished, English poet John Milton sells the copyright of “Paradise Lost” for £10. In 1865 Steamboat “SS Sultana” explodes in the Mississippi River, killing up to 1,800 of the 2,427 passengers in the greatest maritime disaster in United States history. Most were paroled Union POWs on their way home. Finally, in 1937 1st US social security payment made. This is the birthday (1820) of the British Philosopher Herbert Spencer who said, “The wise man must remember that while he is a descendant of the past, he is a parent of the future.” This is the day that Ralph Waldo Emerson died of pneumonia at 78. He said, “For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind..” That’s a good quote to end on. Be sure to Abide.
