Today is Sunday, September 24 and there are only 143 days until Valentine’s Day.  The candy should be out in the next month or so, once the Christmas stuff has gone on sale.  Today we remember the birthdays of Girolamo Cardano, Georges Claude and Anthony Newley.  On this day in 1493 Christopher Columbus began his second expedition to the New World, in 1852 a new invention, the dirigible, was demonstrated and in 1988 Barbara Harris of Massachusetts was elected the first woman Episcopal bishop.  Today the Pennsylvania Dutch celebrate Schwenkfelder Thanksgiving Day and in the US it is Gold Star Mother’s Day and National Cherries Jubilee Day.

The Schwenkfelders, who now live in Pennsylvania Dutch country, are the descendants of a small Protestant sect that sprang up in Germany around the time of the Reformation. They were followers of Caspar Schwenkfeld, a Silesian Reformation theologian who founded the movement called "Reformation by the Middle Way." He and his followers separated themselves from orthodox Protestant circles and formed the small societies and brotherhoods that still survive in the United States as the Schwenkfelder Church, or "Confessors of the Glory of Christ."

In 1733, a handful of Schwenkfelder's followers arrived in Philadelphia, and a second group emigrated from Germany on September 22, 1734. The next day they swore their allegiance to the British king, then they spent the following day, September 24, expressing their gratitude to God for having delivered them from persecution. In the Pennsylvania Dutch counties where Schwenkfelders still live, this day is observed as a special Thanksgiving Day.  I know you were all wondering what this day was, so now you can add it to your Useless Holiday Information folder.

I want to take a moment to discuss Gold Star Mother’s Day.  When an active-duty service member dies, his or her mother automatically becomes a Gold Star Mother.  It’s a distinction that no mother wants, but it’s one they wear proudly.  The tradition of the Gold Star began during World War II.  During the early days of the war, a blue star was used on service flags and hung in homes and businesses to represent each living active-duty member.  As men were killed in combat, the gold star was superimposed on the blue star to honor the person for his ultimate sacrifice to the country.  Eventually, the mothers of those fallen service members became known as Gold Star Mothers, and their families Gold Star Families.  Take a moment to remember the sacrifice of these families today.  Thank you.

I have noticed, recently, that I am suffering from old person hearing syndrome.  This is a problem caused by the slow decline of your hearing as you get older.  My decline started sooner, as a result of being a jet engine mechanic in the Air Force.  It manifested itself initially with what are referred to as Mondagreens, the misunderstanding of song lyrics like, “There’s a bathroom on the right” instead of “There’s a bad moon on the rise.”  I have heard things like “You’re my nubtown lubba”  when the words were actually “You’re my uptown lover.”  

It can be very entertaining at times, but also somewhat confusing.  For example I recently heard a commercial for freeze dried trainers.  When they showed the product at the end it turns out they were selling Free Stride trainers.  Another commercial was touting the benefits of natural sindore.  I wondered what a natural sindore was and what it was used for.  As it turns out it is a cat food called Naturals Indoor.  If you want to be entertained by commercials, just sort of pay attention and block one ear so you don’t hear too well.  It can be very interesting.

Speaking of commercials, I recently saw a commercial for a product that talked about how effective it was in cleaning you.  It is so great it makes you want to go commando.  I have never understood the interest in going commando.  I tried it once, out of curiosity, and found that my jeans rubbed areas that were not meant to be rubbed by denim.  But here was a commercial encouraging people to go commando.  What made it funny was that a couple commercials later they talked about people who pee when they laugh or sneeze or cough or whatever.  They have special pads and underwear for those folks.  So what happens if you get yourself very clean and decide to go commando?  You are out with friends and you start to laugh and pee.  Do you quick whip out your special underwear and slip it on, hoping no one will see you?  Or, do you sneak off to the bathroom, hoping no one will notice that you laughed too hard?  I think the smart thing to do would be to wear underwear.  Unless you announce that you are going commando, who will notice or care?

I was watching the news recently and they were discussing the hurricane damage in Puerto Rico.  The talking head said that all power on the island was knocked out and pointed out that officials were telling people to cancel any trips that they had scheduled.  Really!!?  If you have been following the news and watching the coverage of the devastation, it should have occurred to you that you don’t want to go there right now.  People who have to be told that are the reason they have to put directions on shampoo.

This week our fact tells us that in Rochester, Michigan, anyone bathing in public must have his or her bathing suit inspected by a police officer.  You have to wonder what they are looking for.  A question that comes to mind is what kind of training does a police officer get so that he or she can do a proper inspection?  Is the bather issued a sticker of some kind to show that the bathing suit has been inspected?  If not, a person could spend the entire day being checked by any cop in the area and never actually get into the water.

Go have some cherries jubilee and have a good week.