Years Go By (Cajun Joke) and Sunday Selections

***********************************

Just because Sandee of Comedy Plus is no longer hosting a Silly Sunday blog hop, do not expect me to quit telling Cajun jokes, especially as it has now become a habit.

This past week, i was cleaning for Ms. PA and her husband, Mr. Jack, who has some dementia problems.  He came over and asked me, "Do you need  an assistant?  Maybe some help from a 74, uh, 76, uh ... wait a minute," at which point he turned to Ms. PA and asked, "How old am I again?"

"You're 94," she responded, whereupon he turned to me and said, "Well, never mind then, I'm too old!"

Boudreaux an' Clothile done be talkin' 'bout gettin' older.

Clothile say, "Age be relative.  As in, you relatives keep tellin' me how old I's getting to be."

An' Boudreaux say, "I done try growin' a beard to look like a distinguish gentleman, an' instead all I look like be someone dat need de senior discount."

Den Clothile say, "An' de beautician done say I be 'agin' gracefully.'  All dat be is de fancy way to tell me I's slowly lookin' worse."

Fin'ly Boudreaux say, "Mais, de worse be de traiteur [doctor].  He keep sayin' ever'thin' be normal fo' my age, but someday dead goin' be normal for my age!"

***********************************

Sunday Selections was started as a way for bloggers to use photos that might otherwise just languish in their files.  The rules have been relaxed, and it is now simply a showcase for your photos, new or old, good or bad, although nothing rude, please.  It is now hosted by Elephant's Child.     

Some Halloween photos:

***********************************

Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Romania

Chung Yeung Festival -- China; Hong Kong; Macau (Double Ninth Festival/Ancestors' Day; date differs in other parts of Asia)

Constitution Day -- Lithuania

Daylight Saving Time ends -- Aland Islands; Albania; Andorra; Antarctica (Troll Station); Austria; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Faroe Islands; Finland; France; Germany; Gibraltar; Greece; Greenland; Guernsey; Holy See (Vatican City); Hungary; Ireland; Isle of Man; Israel; Italy; Jersey; Kosovo; Latvia; Lebanon; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia; Malta; Mexico; Moldova; Monaco; Montenegro; Morocco; Netherlands; Norway; Palestinian Territories; Poland; Portugal; Romania; San Marino; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Ukraine; United Kingdom; Western Sahara 

     National Sleep-In Day -- begun by those who want you to spend the extra hour gained resetting your clocks catching up on your ZZZZ's

     Zero Tasking Day -- spend the extra hour gained when turning the clocks back doing nothing, just practice being

Day of the Basque Country -- Basque Country

Feast of Forty Martyrs of England and Wales -- Roman Catholic

International Artist Day -- invite an artist to lunch, buy that painting that you've wanted for so long, go to an art gallery or the symphony or a play -- celebrate how art adds to your life daily!  

Jounen Kweyol -- Dominica; Saint Lucia (Creole Day, one of the biggest and most colorful celebrations in both of these countries, celebrating the Creole language and culture)

Mother-in-Law Day -- a day to honor good Mothers-in-Law for their contributions to their families and for enduring all the bad jokes; if you have a lousy one, go listen to Ernie K-Doe's song     

Munzipan Feast -- Fairy Calendar (a fairy delicacy, and you don't want to know how it's made)

National Greasy Foods Day

Pastoral Care Week begins -- honoring all clergy who provide spiritual help and care, they need recognition and care themselves; this year's theme is "Collaborative Healthcare: Chaplains Complete the Picture"    

Punk-for-a-Day Day -- internet generated; if you've always wanted to be a punk, try it out for a day

Reformation Day/Reformation Sunday -- Protestant Christian (obs.)

Republic Day -- Kazakhstan

Respiratory Care Week begins -- recognizing the respiratory care profession and promoting awareness of lung health issues; this year's theme is "Together We Save Lives"    

Retrocession Day -- Taiwan

Sourest Day -- as a balance, because we have so many days that emphasize sweet

Sts. Crispin and Crispian's Day (Patrons of cobblers/shoemakers, glovemakers, lace makers/lace workers, leather workers, saddle makers, tanners, weavers)

Thanksgiving Day -- Grenada

Visit a Cemetery Day

World Pasta Day -- as established by the first World Pasta Congress in 1995; a related website is here 

Birthdays Today:

Katy Perry, 1984

Midori, 1971

Tracy Nelson, 1963

Brian Kerwim, 1949

Jon Anderson, 1944

Anne Tyler, 1941

Helen Reddy, 1941

Bobby Knight, 1940

Marion Ross, 1936

Billy Barty, 1924

Minnie Pearl, 1912

Leo G. Carroll, 1892

Pablo Picasso, 1881

Georges Bizet, 1838

Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1800

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Victor/Victoria"(Musical), 1995

"Newhart"(TV), 1982

"Le Repetition"(Anouilh play), 1950

"The Time of Your Life"(Play), 1939

Today in History:

Seljuk Turks defeat the German crusaders under Conrad III at the Battle of Dorylaeum, 1147

Battle of Agincourt, in which the Welsh longbow defeats armored knights, 1415

Christopher Columbus, aboard the Santa Maria, lands at the Dominican Republic, 1492

Dutch sea-captain Dirk Hartog makes second recorded landfall by a European on Australian soil, at the later-named Dirk Hartog Island off the Western Australian coast, 1616

Governor Bradford of the US colony Plymouth disallows sport on Christmas Day, 1621

Wedding of future US President John Adams and Abigail Smith (the marriage lasted 54 years), 1764

Canadians and Mohawks defeat the Americans in the Battle of Chateauguay, 1813

Opening of the Erie Canal, 1825

Battle of Balaclava, memorialized as the "Charge of the Light Brigade", results in the deaths of 409 troops, 1854

The Toronto Stock Exchange is created, 1861

Traditionally understood date of the October Revolution in Russia, which corresponds to November 7 on the Gregorian Calendar, 1917

The Archbishop of Dubuque, Francis J. L. Beckman, denounces swing  music as "a degenerated musical system... turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people", warning that it leads down a "primrose path to hell", 1938

Adlai Stevenson shows photos at the UN proving Soviet missiles are installed in Cuba, 1962

Uganda joins the United Nations, 1962

Nelson Mandela is sentenced to five years in prison, 1962

The United Nations seated the People's Republic of China and expelled the Republic of China, 1971

Proceedings on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction conclude at The Hague, 1980

Three months after the end of the Ten-Day War, the last soldier of the Yugoslav People's Army leaves the territory of the Republic of Slovenia, 1991

Fidel Castro announces that transactions using the American Dollar will be banned in Cuba, 2004

Sony removed the original cassette Walkman from the market, 2010

Scientists announce that the completion of the nuclear genome study of a 24,000 year old Siberian boy's remains shows 2/3 of today's Native Americans are of Eastern Asia origin, and the others from Western Eurasia, 2013

The artificial intelligence created artwork "Portrait of Edward de Bellamy" becomes the first AI art to be sold at auction, bringing $432,500 at Christie's in New York, 2018

Indignity.

So i was asking Grandpa, the retired Ob/Gyn, about the recently published study that says healthy women don't need routine pelvic exams.

His take on it was the same as probably most physicians who've found something at a very early stage and prevented problems because of a finding in a routine exam -- unless a woman objects, keep doing them.

This reminded me of a story he still tells, something that happened to him very early in his practice.

Back in the day, the elderly were not considered candidates for surgery most of the time.  The idea was that the anesthesia or the strain or whatever would kill them.  So when a nurse friend of his asked him to look at her mother, who was having severe abdominal pain, and he found a large mass on her ovary in the pelvic exam, he didn't want to do surgery.

"She's 81, she's lived a good life, it's most likely malignant but there's no use treating it at her age, take her home to say her good-byes," is what he told his friend.

The friend came back a week later and asked him to perform surgery to remove the mass.  "My mother is in horrible pain, I can't just watch her suffer.  Please, even if she dies in surgery it would be better than this," she told him.

Reluctantly, he did the surgery.  Back then, after any surgery, you stayed in the hospital about a week.    The mass was encapsulated, it was cancerous, they got all of it, she survived, they kept her in the hospital for a week, and then he sent her home with "I'll see you in 6 months for a check-up."  He fully expected her to be gone by then, if not from cancer, then just from age.

Ten years later, she had been coming to him every 6 months for a check-up.  This time, though, she told him, "Doc, I love you, you are the best doctor ever, but I won't be seeing you any more.  No woman who is 91 years old should have to undergo the indignity of a pelvic exam!"

He told her he disagreed but respected her decision, and she lived five more years.  Years in which she got to see her grandchildren grow and have kids of their own.  She never became an invalid and was sharp mentally until the end.

From her he learned that, if the person is all there mentally, and is mostly in good health, you can do surgery on the elderly and expect a good outcome.  Now, of course, people of all ages have good outcomes from surgery, and the thinking has changed everywhere.

From this recent study, and from what that woman said to him all those years ago, i think you should talk to your own doctor about whether or not to continue with a routine pelvic exam, until you are in your 90s.  Then you may pass at your own discretion.



Today is

Air Conditioning Appreciation Days begin -- Northern Hemisphere (around here, they last until Thanksgiving!)

Cherokee Green Corn Ceremony -- honoring maize goddess Selu with thanksgiving for the maize harvest; date approximate, as many towns set their own times to celebrate

Compliment Your Mirror Day -- remind your mirror how great it is to have an owner like you, and look at other mirrors to meet to see if they greet you with a smile

Dipolieia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of Zeus as god of the city)

Disobedience Day -- internet generated, but if you have a bone to pick, use your civil disobedience today to let it be known!

Distressed Elves' Creditors' Pets' Day -- Fairy Calendar

Dog Days of Summer begin (according to the almanac, but not in all cultures)

Eat Beans Day -- bring the humble legume up to main dish status!

Fiesta del Fuego -- Santiago, Cuba (festival of fire, through the 9th)

Freedom Days -- Farmington, NM, US (the Four Corners region celebrates freedom and The 4th in a big way; through the 6th)

Grand Teton Music Festival -- Teton Village, WY, US (a summer celebration of classical music with the world's finest artists and in the spectacular setting of Jackson Hole, Wyoming; through Aug. 16)

Independence Day -- Belarus(1944)

International Bag Free Day -- working toward a plastic bag free world

Mescalero Apache Ceremonials and Rodeo -- Mescalero Apache Reservation, NM, US (a great way to learn about Native American culture, and including Apache Maidens' Puberty Rites; through the 6th)

National Chocolate Wafer Day

Ottawa Bluesfest -- Ottawa, Canada (12 days of fabulous music)

Red White and Boom -- Columbus, OH, US (the Midwest's largest fireworks display)

Roswell UFO Days -- Roswell, NM, US (tons of stuff for the serious and those who just want to have fun with the whole concept; through Sunday)

Stay Out of the Sun Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; for health's sake, give your skin a break!

St. Thomas the Apostle's Day (Patron of architects, blind people, builders, carpenters, construction workers, geometricians, masons, people in doubt, stonecutters, surveyors, theologians; against blindness, doubt; Certaldo, Italy; Ceylon/Sri Lanka; East Indies; India; Pakistan)

Tom Sawyer Days -- Hannibal, MO, US (frog jumping, mud volleyball, Tom and Becky Contest; parade, Tomboy Sawyer Contest, fireworks, and more, with the highlight being the National Fence Painting Contest; through Sunday)

Virgin Islands Emancipation Day -- US Virgin Islands

Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival -- Greensburg, PA, US (multicultural celebration of food, fine arts, handicrafts, and music from many nations; through Sunday)


Anniversaries Today:

Prince Alois of Liechtenstein marries Duchess Sophie of Bavaria, 1993
Ted Kennedy marries Victoria Anne Reggie, 1992
Idaho becomes the 43rd US State, 1890


Birthdays Today:

Moises Alou, 1966
Thomas Gibson, 1962
Tom Cruise, 1962
Montel Williams, 1956
Alan Autry, 1952
Betty Buckley, 1947
Dave Barry, 1947
Kurtwood Smith, 1942
Tom Stoppard, 1937
Pete Fountain, 1930
Ken Russell, 1927
Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher, 1908
Franz Kafka, 1883
George M. Cohan, 1878
Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett, 1870
Samuel Huntington, 1731(O.S. date)


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"ITV News at Ten"(TV), 1967
"Mister Peepers"(TV), 1952


Today in History

Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France till the French Revolution in 1792, 987
Québec City is founded by Samuel de Champlain, 1608
Pitcairn Island is discovered by Midshipman Robert Pitcairn on an expeditionary voyage commanded by Philip Carteret, 1767
Norway's oldest newspaper still in print, Adresseavisen, is founded and the first edition is published, 1767
George Washington takes command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1775
The Bank of Savings in New York City, the first savings bank in the United States, opens, 1819
The last pair of Great Auks is killed, 1844
Slaves are freed in the Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands) by Peter von Scholten in the culmination of a year-long plot by enslaved Africans, 1848
Dow Jones and Company publishes its first stock average, 1884
Karl Benz officially unveils the Benz Patent Motorwagen – the first purpose-built automobile, 1886
The New York Tribune becomes the first newspaper to use a linotype machine, eliminating typesetting  by hand, 1886
World speed record for a steam railway locomotive is set in England, by the Mallard, which reaches a speed of 126 miles per hour (203 km/h), 1938
The biggest explosion in the history of rocketry occurs when the Soviet N1 rocket explodes and subsequently destroys its launchpad, 1969
First mention in the New York Times of a disease that would later be called AIDS, 1981
The Stone of Scone is returned to Scotland, 1996
Asteroid 2004 XP14 flies within 432,308 kilometres (268,624 mi) of Earth, 2006
New Zealand sustains a major earthquake, with minor damage reported, 2012
In El Paraiso, Peru, property developers destroy a 4,000-year old pyramid, 2013
In Belgium, King Albert II abdicates his throne to son, Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, due to health reasons, 2013

In scanning health news this morning, I've come across yet another study that gives people a good reason to lose weight.

It seems being overweight or obese damages your brain, causing what researchers called "severe brain degeneration."

Overweight people have about 4% less brain tissue than average weight peers, and their brains appear to have prematurely aged about 8 years. The figures are doubled if you are obese, with 8% less brain tissue and premature aging of the brain of about 16 years.

The areas of the brain most affected were those associated with planning, long and short term memory, attention, movement, and executive function. All of this, of course, increases likelihood of Alzheimer's and probably of other things they didn't mention as well. One I could think of is the risk of falling, getting hurt, and getting into that vicious circle of weighing more, so you don't move as much, so you gain weight, and on it goes.

Granted, they only did brain scans on 94 people in their 70's. Still, if you are 73 years old and obese, and your brain is behaving as though it is already somewhere in its 80's, do you really think you are going to make it to the average life span in this country of 80 years? It does seem less likely. If you do, how much of "you" will be left?

This was published in the online edition of the journal Human Brain Mapping.

On a lighter note (terrible pun intended), they say inside every 90 year old is an 18 year old wondering "what in the world happened?" when he/she looks in the mirror.


Today is:

Crackers Over the Keyboard Day (Are we supposed to go crackers over our keyboard, or tempt fate by eating crackers over our keyboard?)

Dream Day

Festival of Neon Revolution

Liberation Day, Hong Kong

National Cheese Sacrifice Day (Now you know why you purchased the cheese for the sacrifice! To let it age properly before the actual sacrifice. Still doesn't answer why we sacrifice it, anyway, or to whom.)

National Cherry Turnover Day

Nativity of Nephthys (Egyptian goddess of Love)

Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day

St. Augustine of Hippo's Day (Patron Saint of Brewers and Printers)

St. Hermes' Day

World Sauntering Day (So saunter somewhere.)


Birthdays Today:

LeAnn Rimes, 1982
Jack Black, 1969
Jason Priestley, 1969
Shania Twain, 1965
Scott Hamilton, 1958
Ben Gazzara, 1930
Charles Boyer, 1899
Leo Tolstoy, 1828
Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1774
Johann von Goethe, 1749


Today in History:

The Western Roman Empire is formally disbanded and its emperor, Romulus Augustus, is ousted, 476
The Third Crusade begins with the seige of Acre, 1189
St. Augustine, FL, founded, making it the oldest city in the US, 1565
The first locomotive in the US, the "Tom Thumb", runs from Baltimore to Ellicotts Mill, 1830
James E. Casey begins the United Parcel Service in Seattle, WA, 1907
WEAF in NYC airs the very first radio commercial, for Queensboro Realty, at a cost of $100 for ten minutes, 1922