Wednesday

Jul. 15, 1998

At Greers Grocers with Mrs. Thibodeau

by James Kimbrell

WEDNESDAY 7/15

Today's Reading: "At Greers Grocery with Mrs. Thibodeau" by James Kimbrell from THE GATE HOUSE HEAVEN, published by Sarabande Books (1998).

Today is ST. SWITHIN'S DAY, with the superstition that if it rains on July 15th, it will continue to rain for 40 days as told in the old rhyme: St. Swithin's Day, if thou dost rain/For forty days it will remain/St. Swithin's Day, if thou be fair/For forty days it will rain nae mair.

In Crisfield, Maryland the annual CRAB AND CLAMBAKE takes place today at Somers Cove Marina.

THE amateur HOG CALLING CONTEST will be held today at the Broadway Market Square in Baltimore (Maryland).

And SINCLAIR LEWIS DAYS get underway today in Lewis's hometown of Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

It's the birthday of British novelist, playwright and philosopher DAME IRIS MURDOCH, born in Dublin in 1919, and raised in suburban London. Her first novel Under the Net came out in 1954 and was a big success, followed by many others including The Bell (1958), A Severed Head (1961), and her Booker Prize winning The Sea, The Sea (1978).

It's the birthday of English novelist, RALPH HAMMOND INNES, born in Sussex in 1913, and best known for his adventure stories such as The White South (1949), Campbell's Kingdom (1952), and The Mary Deare (1956).

Lyricist DOROTHY FIELDS was born in Allenhurst, New Jersey, on this day in 1905, the daughter of a vaudeville comedian. For more than 50 years, she turned out the words to over 400 songs including "On the Sunny Side of the Street," and "I'm in the Mood for Love."

The first American saint, FRANCES XAVIER (ZAY-vyer) CABRINI, MOTHER CABRINI, was born on this day in Lombardy, Italy, in 1850, the 13th child of Agostino and the 52 year-old Stella Cabrini. As a young woman, she established the religious order known as Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1880. Nine years later, (1889) she and a small group of sisters sailed to America where they worked with the poor Italian immigrants in New York City.

It's the birthday today of CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE in New York City in 1779. He was a teacher and Hebrew scholar, but is best remembered for a little ballad that begins with these lines, familiar to children everywhere: "Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house…"

Today is the birthday in 1606 of the great Dutch painter, REMBRANDT VON RIJN (fon RHINE) in Leiden (LYE-den), the Netherlands, known for his use of rich color and the use of light and shadow. In his famous painting The Night Watch, the models paid Rembrandt to be included in the painting – the people in front paying more than the ones in the back.

Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®

 

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