Italy

from husband Bill, Oct. 1, 2026

October is Italian Heritage Month. I am half Italian, all on my mother's side of my family. (I am also Austrian, Swiss, and Portuguese.)

from husband Bill, Oct. 1, 2026

Today Is ...

from husband Bill, Oct. 1, 2026

My favorite homemade cookies:

Maternal Grandmother: iced Italian cookies

Paternal Grandmother: peanut butter cookies; butter cookies

Mom: spritz cookies; cinnamon log cookies

Wife: cake mix cookies; almond cookies

Boxed: Pim's Orange; Archway Cashew Nougat cookies; Mallowmars

from husband Bill, Oct. 1, 2026

"Black Dog" is my favorite Led Zeppelin song. It was the first Led Zeppelin song I ever knowingly heard. My cousin Blair excitedly played it for me in the 1970s when we were teenagers.

https://youtu.be/yBuub4Xe1mw?si=4JZ5pVUvn8IawVMO

from husband Bill, Oct. 1, 2026

I do sometimes imbibe warm sake. I haven't in a while.

from husband Bill, Oct. 1, 2026

Does pumpkin spice flavor have any taste of pumpkin, or is it just the spice flavor? If it's just the spice flavor, why mention the pumpkin?

from husband Bill, Oct. 1, 2026

October Observances

October Observances

from husband Bill, Oct. 1, 2026

As per my personal Facebook tradition, every October 1, I post the national observances for October. My list below is from www.nationaldaycalendar.com.

(I have omitted several entries in an effort to shorten my list, but I don't think that I achieved my goal.)

I used to post a different picture from the list every day during October, but I have decided to just continue to post my usual daily observances and to not post the October monthly observances because it would produce too much clutter.

Here is my "shortened" list for October:

• National Economic Education Month

• Adopt A Shelter Dog Month

• Antidepressant Death Awareness Month

• Bat Appreciation Month

• Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month

• Celebrating The Bilingual Child Month

• Christmas Seal Campaign (10/1-12/31)

• Church Library Month

• Church Safety and Security Month

• Co-op Month

• Down Syndrome Awareness Month

• Dyslexia Awareness Month

• Eat Better, Eat Together Month

• Emotional Intelligence Awareness Month

• Emotional Wellness Month

• Employee Ownership Month

• Financial Planning Month

• German-American Heritage Month

• Global Diversity Awareness Month

• Halloween Safety Month

• Head Start Awareness Month

• Health Literacy Month

• Home Eye Safety Month

• Italian-American Heritage Month

• International Walk To School Month

• Long-Term Care Planning Month

• National ADD/ADHD Awareness Month

• National Animal Safety and Protection Month

• National Apple Month

• National Applejack Month

• National Arts & Humanities Month

• National Audiology Awareness Month

• National Bake and Decorate Month

• National Book Month

• National Bullying Prevention Month

• National Caramel Month

• National Chili Month

• National Chiropractic Month

• National Cookbook Month

• National Cookie Month

• National Crime Prevention Month

• National Critical Illness Awareness Month

• National Cyber Security Awareness Month

• National Dental Hygiene Month

• National Dessert Month

• National Disability Employment Awareness Month

• National Depression Education & Awareness Month

• National Dropout Prevention Month

• National Dwarfism Awareness Month

• National Ergonomics Month

• National Fair Trade Month

• National Fire Prevention Month

• National Go On A Field Trip Month

• National I’m Just Me Because Month

• National Kitchen & Bath Month

• National Learning and Development Month

• National Liver Awareness Month

• National Medical Librarian Month

• National Orthodontic Health Month

• National Pasta Month

• National Pet CBD Month

• National Physical Therapy Month

• National Pickled Peppers Month

• National Pizza Month

• National Popcorn Poppin’ Month

• National Pork Month

• National Pretzel Month

• National Principals Month

• National Protect Your Hearing Month

• National Reading Group Month

• National Roller Skating Month

• National RSV Awareness Month

• National Sarcastic Awareness Month

• National Sausage Month

• National Seafood Month

• National Sensory Awareness Month

• National Spina Bifida Awareness Month

• National Stamp Collecting Month

• National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month

• National Toilet Tank Repair Month

• National Window Covering Safety Month

• Organize Your Medical Information Month

• Pear and Pineapple Month

• Photographer Appreciation Month

• Polish American Heritage Month

• Positive Attitude Month

• Raptor Month

• Rhizomes and Persimmons Month

• Rhubarb Month

• Right Brainers Rule! Month

• Self-Promotion Month

• Spinach Lovers Month

• Squirrel Awareness Month (Different Than Squirrel Appreciation Day in January)

• Tackling Hunger Month

• Talk About Prescriptions Month

• Vegetarian Month

• Wishbones for Pets Month (10/15 - 11/30)

• Workplace Politics Awareness Month

• World Blindness Awareness Month

Yankees Win !!!

YANKEES WIN !!! Boston Red Sox 2, Yankees 9

Bring on the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sept. 30, 2026

Execution Permitted

The U.S. Supreme Court has voted to allow a woman on Death Row in Tennessee to be executed in a 6-3 voted, with the three liberal female justices dissenting. (There's no surprise who dissented.)

Christa Pike, the 50-year old woman, who was found guilty of killing another woman when she was 18 years old, received a stay of execution hours before she was scheduled for lethal injection yesterday in a 2-1 voted of judges in Tennessee. Her defense contended that the woman was abused when she was young and wanted that as proof of innocence.

Her execution will be rescheduled.

I am pro-life, so I am against abortion and against the death penalty. I just wanted to mention that this decision by the U.S. Supreme Court shows that the court supports equality, fairness, and justice for everyone.

Having mentioned that, I personally don't understand why the U.S. Supreme Court even voted regarding this situation. The court was asked, but it could have declined.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8r6rjdvlx6o

Sept. 30, 2026

Red Sox at Yanks

... watching the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees (on TV). ... Go Yanks !!!

Sept. 30, 2026

Today Is ...

From husband Bill, Sept. 30, 2026

I don't chew gum anymore, maybe once in a great while. My favorite chewing gum is Teaberry. I also like Doublemint, Juicy Fruit, and Fruit Stripe. When I was a teenager in the late 1970s, I liked Gatorgum, a chewing gum flavored like lemon-lime Gatorade. It was discontinued in 1989.

From husband Bill, Sept. 30, 2026

I like hot mulled cider, but I am surprised that the celebratory day is not later in the year.

From husband Bill, Sept. 30, 2026

Yanks Win, 0-9

YANKS WIN !!! Boston Red Sox 0, Yankees 9

Sept. 29, 2026

Red Sox vs. Yankees On TV

... watching the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees (on TV). ... Go Yanks !!!

Sept. 29, 2026

Today Is ...

From husband Bill, Sept. 29, 2026

PHOTO: March 10, 2022, the day after my quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery

Today (September 29, 2026) is World Heart Day, so I would like to (once again) tell you about my triple-surgical ordeal in 2022, regarding my heart. I am quite happy that I survived.

1st Surgery (March 9, 2022): I had quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery. As usual, a section of a vein in my left inner thigh was removed to be used in my open-heart surgery, which involved slicing my chest open vertically and breaking my sternum (breastbone) to gain access to my heart. I had two drains installed in my belly. When I arrived home from the hospital, I engaged in physical therapy and occupational therapy (at home), followed by cardiac rehabilitation at a nearby outpatient facility.

2nd Surgery (May 19, 2022): A second surgeon removed the sternal plates from my first surgery that were holding my broken sternum pieces together from within my chest. The screws became loose. He also cleaned out much of a staph infection also from within my chest. A wound vacuum was then attached to my chest, sucking out the remaining infection and discharge, running 24 hours per day. My chest remained open for about a week with the wound vacuum constantly sucking.

3rd Surgery (May 25, 2022): A third surgeon closed my chest by attaching seven sutures, leaving me with eight holes in my body from my lower neck to my upper belly. The wound vacuum was reattached and continued to suck on my chest 24 hours per day for many more weeks with only 20-minute-long dressing changes every two or three days. The vacuum's strong suction also served to pull my wounds together to increase the speed of my healing process.

Regarding my 2nd and 3rd surgeries, I entered the emergency room of the hospital on May 13, 2022, with severe chest pain, and I would not return home until July 21, 2022. I spent a total of seventy (70) days in the hospital and at a physical rehabilitation facility, the latter of which I entered on June 3, 2022. I requested to leave rehab because my pain was still rather intense which mostly prevented me from gaining any strength through my daily exercises there.

Between March 2022 and May 2026, I endured nine surgeries: 1 heart, 2 chest, 2 spine, 1 right ankle, 1 both legs, 1 left foot, and 1 left leg.

From husband Bill, Sept. 29, 2026

I love an espresso, but my coffee of choice is a ristretto, which is a "short shot" of a more highly concentrated espresso. It is often enjoyed in Italy as a quick pick-me-up in the middle of a busy day. I am partial to espresso, perhaps due to my half-Italian heritage. I am also of Austrian heritage. I have visited Austria seven times and have enjoyed Vienna's coffee culture (in Vienna) several times.

From husband Bill, Sept. 29, 2026

VFW = Veterans of Foreign Wars

From husband Bill, Sept. 29, 2026

*

PHOTO: March 10, 2022, the day after my quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery

Today (September 29, 2026) is World Heart Day, so I would like to (once again) tell you about my triple-surgical ordeal in 2022, regarding my heart. I am quite happy that I survived.

1st Surgery (March 9, 2022): I had quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery. As usual, a section of a vein in my left inner thigh was removed to be used in my open-heart surgery, which involved slicing my chest open vertically and breaking my sternum (breastbone) to gain access to my heart. I had two drains installed in my belly. When I arrived home from the hospital, I engaged in physical therapy and occupational therapy (at home), followed by cardiac rehabilitation at a nearby outpatient facility.

2nd Surgery (May 19, 2022): A second surgeon removed the sternal plates from my first surgery that were holding my broken sternum pieces together from within my chest. The screws became loose. He also cleaned out much of a staph infection also from within my chest. A wound vacuum was then attached to my chest, sucking out the remaining infection and discharge, running 24 hours per day. My chest remained open for about a week with the wound vacuum constantly sucking.

3rd Surgery (May 25, 2022): A third surgeon closed my chest by attaching seven sutures, leaving me with eight holes in my body from my lower neck to my upper belly. The wound vacuum was reattached and continued to suck on my chest 24 hours per day for many more weeks with only 20-minute-long dressing changes every two or three days. The vacuum's strong suction also served to pull my wounds together to increase the speed of my healing process.

Regarding my 2nd and 3rd surgeries, I entered the emergency room of the hospital on May 13, 2022, with severe chest pain, and I would not return home until July 21, 2022. I spent a total of seventy (70) days in the hospital and at a physical rehabilitation facility, the latter of which I entered on June 3, 2022. I requested to leave rehab because my pain was still rather intense which mostly prevented me from gaining any strength through my daily exercises there.

Between March 2022 and May 2026, I endured nine surgeries: 1 heart, 2 chest, 2 spine, 1 right ankle, 1 both legs, 1 left foot, and 1 left leg.

Sept. 29, 2026

Today Is ...

From husband Bill, Sept. 28, 2026

While I do not have a son, I am one. National Sons Day is celebrated on Sept. 28 AND March 4.

(As I have mentioned many times, I have been a Men's Rights Activist since the early 1990s, when I was in my early 30s. So, of course, I promote everything male.)

From husband Bill, Sept. 28, 2026

In July 1981, when I was 20 years old, I was a golf instructor / counselor-in-training at a golf school/camp for adults (one week) and for children (two weeks, ages 10 to 18) in Southern Pines, North Carolina. I attended this camp almost every summer from age 11 in 1972 to age 19 in 1980. (I was permitted to attend at age 19 even though I was technically too old.)

From husband Bill, Sept. 28, 2026

Today is National Drink Beer Day. My favorite beer is Mohrenbräu, which is a famous Austrian beer. I first drank it in my Austrian cousins' living room in Dornbirn, Austria, in the early 1980s, when I was in my early 20s. I have enjoyed it on many subsequent trips to Austria. I have never found it in the United States. Mohrenbräu is brewed in Dornbirn in the westernmost Austrian province of Vorarlberg.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohrenbrauerei

From husband Bill, Sept. 28, 2026

This is definitely NOT for me. I really dislike strawberries. I also don't particularly like whipped cream.

From husband Bill, Sept. 28, 2026

Get along.

From husband Bill, Sept. 28, 2026

Psychedelic Piano Improv

From husband Bill, Sept. 27, 2026

I took one of my older piano improvisations, reversed it, sped it up, and visually enhanced it to create a somewhat-psychedelic monstrosity in the vein of The Beatles' "Revolution 9." (length: 47 seconds)

Psychedelic Piano Improvisation (fast/backwards): original: Dec. 22, 2019 (enhanced: Sept. 27, 2026)

https://youtube.com/shorts/AwxV_70LaX0?is=kbOZc5L3Ak8sqGHU

Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

From husband Bill, Sept. 27, 2026

September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

1 in 6 men with have prostate cancer in his lifetime compared to 1 in 8 women who will have breast cancer in her lifetime. Prostate cancer is more deadly than breast cancer. Federal funding for breast cancer research is 1,000 percent HIGHER than federal funding for prostate cancer research. That's TEN TIMES HIGHER !!!

Today Is ...

From husband Bill, Sept. 27, 2026

I like chocolate milk, specifically made with Ovaltine or Bosco, because it tastes like my childhood in the 1960s and 1970s.

From husband Bill, Sept. 27, 2026

I love corned beef hash and fried eggs for breakfast. My dad did, too.

From husband Bill, Sept. 27, 2026

Forgiving someone is more for the person doing the forgiving than for the person receiving the forgiveness. Just forgive, and get on with your life.

From husband Bill, Sept. 27, 2026

Today's date seems a bit early to be celebrating scarfs. I guess it depends on where you live.

From husband Bill, Sept. 27, 2026

You can crush a can today, if you want.

From husband Bill, Sept. 27, 2026