August 4, 2023

It became August 4^th a few hours ago. Yesterday was a good one. I followed my own advice. No cable TV news, no political or religious discussions, and I was nice. It isn’t hard to have a pleasant day if have a plan and stick to it. Today we can celebrate Assistance Dog Day, Hooray for Kids Day, International Beer Day, Single Working Women’s Day, U.S. Coast Guard Day, National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, and National White Wine Day. That, my friends, is a good list! Now to history: On this day in 1693 Dom Perignon invented Champagne. On this day in 1789 the National Constituent Assembly (French Revolution), met and issued it’s first decree abolishing centuries of feudalism in France. This is the day in 1790 and the United States Revenue Cutter Service was established as an armed customs enforcement service. It would become the US Coast Guard in 1915. On this day in 1873, while protecting a railroad survey party in Montana, a unit of the 7^th Cavalry lead by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer clashes for the 1^st time with the Sioux. One man was killed on each side. On this day in 1902 the Greenwich foot tunnel under the River Thames opened in London. It’s still used by 4,000 people each day. This is the day in 1914 that Germany declared war on Belgium and Britan declared war on Germany. WWI began. On this day in 1945 American golfer Byon Nelson won the Canadian Open. This was his 11^th consecutive PGA victory. He would go on to win the next 7. Today we will hear from Hans Christian Andersen who said, “the whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.” “Enjoy life. There’s plenty of time to be dead.” “Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” I do agree with Hans. Life is good, and wonderful, and should be enjoyed. Abide.