The approach to the swimming pool where we try to squeeze in a few honorable laps each day is a zig-zag path lined with marigolds, coreopsis, and roses. Were there no pool at the end of the path, the magical walk between and beneath the cascading flowers would be glorious enough in itself. To contradict Jean de La Fontaine. Happy Labor Day, everyone!
Aucun chemin de fleurs ne conduit à la gloire. —Jean de La Fontaine
Doug & Krissy
Rob Covey
If you did not hear the news story that inspired today’s post, please see Rick Perry Suggests Global Warming is a Hoax.
(Click twice to see it full-size)
Jenny Sayre
Ida
Julia McWilliams Child (1912-2004) would probably be horrified at the departure from classic cuisine depicted herein, but I post it in a spirit of unequivocal admiration for her blend of the classic and the unconventional that made her both compelling and beloved.
Today is the birthday of the woman who probably did more than any other individual to open the eyes and broaden the palates of American cooks. I recall my mother and her best friend watching reruns of The French Chef and using their families as guinea pigs for meals drawn from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. For which we were not entirely grateful at the time—children being creatures of habit—but which inevitably expanded and uplifted our tastes. Happy Birthday Julia, and merci mille fois.
Today is also the Feast of the Assumption, one of the the many holy days which the French honor in sacred traditional fashion: that is, taking off from work and heading out of town for some R&R (if they are not already there, it being, after all, the month of August). For a comic, please see Assumption.
Jenny
Jim and Sheila
On this day in 1858, Julia Archibold Holmes became the first woman to reach the top of Pikes Peak. For a sketch and a story, please see Mountain Woman.
(Click on it twice to see this larger.)
For a view of the Teaparty folks in childhood, please see the comic Li’l Patriots.
Valerie
In honor of the birthday today of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, please see the comic Illegal Immigration.
Today is the birthday of Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), whose study of the humble pea led him to deduce the existence of what he called dominant and recessive traits, thereby perplexing and confusing his fellow scientists with a concept we all take for granted today. For his story, and pictures, please see Peas of Mind.
Today is the day on which you, with the help of good old St. Swithin, can predict the weather for the rest of the summer. Please see Rain or Shine.
Today is the birthday of Marcel Proust (1871-1922), and so I post this sketch, in remembrance of things past (his and mine).
This image is available as a high-resolution print on 8.5″ x 11″ archival paper.
