Today is Sunday, September  18 and there are only 98 days until Christmas.  Yes, we are under a hundred days and I will bet that most of you have no idea what you are getting for your family and friends yet.  You’d better start planning!  Today we remember the birthdays of George Read, Claudette Colbert and Frankie Avalon.  On this day in 1755 Fort Ticonderoga opened, in 1851 the NY Times started publishing and in 1965 “Get Smart” premiered.  In Chile today is Independence Day, in the US Constitution Week started yesterday and today is National Cheeseburger Day.

Constitution Week!  What is that?  I'm glad you asked.  Constitution Week is the commemoration of America’s most important document.  The United States Constitution stands as a testament to the tenacity of Americans throughout history to maintain their liberties, freedoms and inalienable rights.  This is from the Daughters of the American Revolution, who created this commemoration.

In 1955, the DAR petitioned Congress to set aside September 17-23 annually to be dedicated for the observance of Constitution Week.  The resolution was later adopted by the US Congress and signed into public law on August 2, 1956 by President Dwight D Eisenhower.

The aims of Constitution Week are, again according to the DAR, to emphasize citizens’ responsibilities for defending the Constitution, to inform people that the Constitution is the basis for America’s great heritage and the foundation for our way of life and to encourage the study of the historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution in September, 1787.

I know I said last week that I was going to get out and have experiences that were worthy of discussing with you.  I did not.  I wanted to and I tried to, but circumstances, a trip to the lawyer’s office and other things prevented me from doing so.  I did have one experience that I can share.  The other evening I was out at the grocery store.  When I got into my car to come home, the dashboard informed me that the pressure in my right rear tire was low.  I was unconcerned because the tire was not flat, I had a short ride home and I had a compressor in the garage so that I could bring the pressure up to the correct level.

When I got home, I got the compressor out and tried to pump the tire up.  Unfortunately, the compressor decided to make several unsettling noises and then emitted a smell that told me it was not going to be a viable tool in my garage.  Exhibiting, once again, my skill with profanity I dumped the useless machine in the garbage.  Fortunately, not too far away, is a gas station that has an air pump that is free.  Understand, I am not cheap, but I do have a problem with having to pay for air.  It is all around us!  Why should I have to … but I digress.

Anyway, I loaded up on free air and then went to one of the large DIY box stores to replace the compressor.  I went into the store and started looking around for what I wanted.  Not finding it in the areas I thought it might be, I asked one of the employees working in the general vicinity where I might find an air compressor.  He directed me to a section that had compressors that were so large I would not be able to fit one in my car.  I explained that I was looking for something much smaller.  I wanted something that could be used for car tires, bike tires, sports balls, etc.

He gave me a look that I am sure was supposed to assure me that he was thinking.  I was not confident, but waited patiently for his response.  He looked around at the large compressors and said, “I don’t think we have what you are talking about.  These are the only ones that I am aware of and I have been here for three years now.”  With that he began his backward shuffle so that he could get away before I could ask him if he was sure.  I did not believe that they didn’t have what I wanted, so I tried a few other areas that might have them and found exactly what I was looking for.

I then went looking for the veteran employee.  When I found him, I held up the box and said, “I found what I was looking for.  Not only do you have them, but you have several different brands to choose from.  And I have only been here for 10 minutes.”  He was not amused.

I promise that I will spend some time at the mall this week so that I can share my observations with you.

This week our fact tells us that the Cosmos contains approximately 50,000,000,000 galaxies.  First of all, who cares?  In the greater scheme of things, how does that make it easier for me to pay for food and property taxes and fuel for my car and other necessities?  Why did we spend the time and money to find that out.  More importantly, how do we know that is true?  For all we know, somebody decided that, based on what he could see, that was a reasonable assumption.  After all, who was going to stand outside some evening and count the galaxies to confirm that number?

Go eat a couple cheeseburgers, read the Constitution and have a good week.