What Do the Almanacs Predict for the Fall and Winter?
Yes, almanacs. Plural. There are two, you know. And both The Old Farmer’s Almanac and The Farmers’ Almanac (make sure you put those apostrophes in the right places) are out with their predictions for the fall and winter. Some places will get snow, some places will be warmer than usual, some places will be cool and dry, and some places will be wet. Click on those links to see what your region of the country will be like.
The Farmers’ Almanac says that my area, coastal Massachusetts, will get more rain than usual. I hope that isn’t the case. I don’t mind rain, but in the winter I want at least two really big storms. The kind that closes schools, the kind where you see local news anchors wearing sweaters in the studio instead of a suit and tie. That’s when you know it’s a big storm.
And the World’s Ugliest Dog Is …
I think any dog that has a tongue that always hangs out of their mouth is automatically in the running for the title. Here’s Jinny Lu, this year’s “winner.”
Pickles, Pickles, Pickles
The Wall Street Journal is wondering why everything is suddenly pickle-flavored. I’m glad they wrote about this because it’s something I noticed too! First, it was the dill pickle potato chips (well, technically pickles were the first pickle-flavored thing I noticed, but I’m talking about foods you wouldn’t think of as pickle-flavored). Then I noticed the pickle-flavored almonds, then pickle-flavored Cheetos, and then pickle-flavored beer.
I think the only food I’ve tried is the dill pickle potato chips, and they’re good!
Maybe some of these sound weird, but I’m always surprised by how much I like a food that has ingredients that seem like they’d clash. I tried blueberry beer a few years ago, and I was surprised at how much I liked it.
Headline of the Week
RIP Hayden Panettiere, Tommy John, Mark Rydell, Peggy Webber, Jason Arday, Bill Rasmussen, Dave Marsh, Frank Beard, and Martha Lillard
Hayden Panettiere starred in the TV dramas Heroes and Nashville and appeared in such films as Remember the Titans, Scream 4, Scream VI, A Bug’s Life, and the TV movie Amanda Knox. She died Sunday at the age of 36.
Tommy John was a star pitcher for the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers who had to have surgery on a ligament in his left elbow, a procedure that came to be known as “Tommy John surgery.” He died last weekend at the age of 83.
Mark Rydell started out as an actor (he was half of one of the first soap supercouples, Jeff and Penny on As the World Turns and appeared in films like The Long Goodbye and Havana), and also directed such films as On Golden Pond, The Rose, Cinderella Liberty, and The River. He died last week at the age of 97.
Peggy Webber was one of the last of the old Hollywood character actresses. She started on radio, working on The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Dragnet, Fibber McGee and Molly, and The Story of Doctor Kildare. You saw her in such movies as Macbeth, The Wrong Man, and The Screaming Skull, and on TV shows like Dragnet, Night Gallery, Adam-12, and Emergency! She also created a show very similar to a later show, Our Miss Brooks (she decided not to sue CBS). She died Saturday at the age of 100.
Here’s a fascinating multi-part interview writer Kliph Nesteroff did with Webber in 2023. She was his next-door neighbor.
Jason Arday was a Cambridge professor who recently faced accusations of plagiarism and lies about his life and career. He died last week at the age of 41.
Bill Rasmussen was the co-founder of ESPN. He died Tuesday at the age of 93.
Dave Marsh was one of the top rock music critics for several years. Besides his work for magazines such as Rolling Stone and Creem, he wrote two highly-acclaimed biographies of Bruce Springsteen. He died last week at the age of 76.
Frank Beard was the drummer for ZZ Top for 55 years. He died Monday at the age of 77.
Martha Lillard was the last U.S. polio survivor to use an iron lung. She died in June at the age of 78.
This Week in History
Davy Crockett Born (August 17, 1786)
Thanks to the popular TV series, a lot of people think that Crockett was a fictional character, but he was quite real. He was frontiersman and a member of the House of Representatives. He died at the Alamo at the age of 49.
Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue Released (August 17, 1959)
The album is considered Davis’s best album and many call it the greatest jazz album ever recorded. Here’s the first track, “So What” (and here’s the rest of the album).
Uploaded to YouTube by Miles Davis
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “All Hands on Deck” by Ben Kimberly Prins (August 20, 1960)
I like this cover, because there aren’t a lot of Post covers this dark, set at night with just one light illuminating something. With the way the water is drawn, this could have been called … “Kind of Blue.”
National Waffle Day
It’s this Monday. Waffles seem like more of a fall/winter thing to me, something to eat on a crisp fall morning, or when those local news anchors are wearing sweaters. But I don’t usually eat breakfast so what do I know?
Kylee Cooks tells you how to make Easy Blueberry Waffles from Scratch, while the Salty Marshmallow has a recipe for Perfect Chocolate Waffles. Allrecipes has Tender and Easy Buttermilk Waffles, Serious Eats has a recipe for Bacon, Cheese, and Scallion Waffles, and the Chef Out West shows you how to make a Potato Waffle.
And since I mentioned pickles above, here’s a recipe for a Crispy Cheese & Pickle Cornmeal Waffle from the California Milk Advisory Board.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
National Tooth Fairy Day (August 22)
This is actually celebrated on February 28 as well, because there are a lot of teeth in the world.
Freedom 250 Grand Prix (August 23)
To celebrate the country’s 250th, this will be the first road race to take place on the National Mall. Fox will have coverage starting at 1 p.m. ET.
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