Never Forget

The Day the Sky Went Quiet

“Never Forget” ~ September 11, 2001

            I’ll never forget, ever, standing in front of the television on that sunny Tuesday morning, watching in horror at the burning flames of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City as United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into the South Tower at 9:03 am exploding into a bright ball of fire.  I was in shock.  My brain could not accept the images my eyes were sending it, what was going on and how could this have happened?  As order started to develop from the chaos of the day’s events, four airline flights had ended in tragedy and thousands of lives had been lost and countless other lives had been changed forever.

            The timeline of events is well documented now and can be read in full on a variety of websites but here is the abbreviated version courtesy of http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-timeline

• 7:59 am – American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 with 92 people aboard, takes off from Boston’s Logan International Airport en route to Los Angeles.

• 8:14 am – United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767 with 65 people aboard, takes off from Boston; it is also headed to Los Angeles.

• 8:20 am – American Airlines Flight 77 takes off from Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, D.C. The Boeing 757 is headed to Los Angeles with 64 people aboard.

• 8:41 am – United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757 with 44 people aboard, takes off from Newark International Airport en route to San Francisco. It had been scheduled to depart at 8:00 am, around the time of the other hijacked flights.

• 8:46 am – Mohammed Atta and the other hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 11 crash the plane into floors 93-99 of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, killing everyone on board and hundreds inside the building.

• 8:47 am – Within seconds, NYPD and FDNY forces dispatch units to the World Trade Center, while Port Authority Police Department officers on site begin immediate evacuation of the North Tower.

• 9:03 am – Hijackers crash United Airlines Flight 175 into floors 75-85 of the WTC’s South Tower, killing everyone on board and hundreds inside the building

• 9:37 am – Hijackers aboard Flight 77 crash the plane into the western façade of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., killing 59 aboard the plane and 125 military and civilian personnel inside the building.

• 9:42 am – For the first time in history, the FAA grounds all flights over or bound for the continental United States. Some 3,300 commercial flights and 1,200 private planes are guided to airports in Canada and the United States over the next two-and-a-half hours.

• 9:59 am – The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses.

• 10:07 am – After passengers and crew members aboard the hijacked Flight 93 contact friends and family and learn about the attacks in New York and Washington, they mount an attempt to retake the plane. In response, hijackers deliberately crash the plane into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, killing all 40 passengers and crew aboard.

• 10:28 am – The World Trade Center’s North Tower collapses, 102 minutes after being struck by Flight 11.

            On a day filled with heartache, sadness and rage, we as a nation, were once again blindsided by acts of hate and aggression.  I can remember my grandmother talking about the attack on Pearl Harbor and how it was a day that changed America…September 11th, 2001 would be the closest thing I think our generation would have that could even come close to that day of infamy as a catalyst for national unity.  I am writing about that fateful day sixteen years ago not to point out the political division that has occurred since but because our children who have been born since 2001 struggle to understand what an impact that day has had on our country moving forward.  Never forget became the mindset of a nation but as National Public Radio reports, “America's schools — where collective memory is shaped — are now full of students who never knew because they weren't alive then. Many teachers now struggle with whether and how to teach the attacks and their aftermath,” (Westervelt, 2017).  A shortage of material, understanding, desire and curriculum have created a vacuum in which our young people don’t understand what happened on that tragic morning.  More and more educators are seeking ways to include this in their curriculum as well as answer questions that students have in order to give understanding.  We as parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, guardians, teachers, etc. need to talk to our youth and help them understand what happened that day.  It’s important to have a moment of silence to honor those who died during that moment of crisis but it is equally important that our kids know why.  As we move forward this week, I challenge you to discuss the events of 9/11 with a young person to get a point of view from their perspective and help them understand the importance of the day for all of us.  I also ask that you keep those affected by the recent hurricanes in your continued prayers and thoughts and seek to reach out as best you can…remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Hurricane Season Part II

Irma, Jose, Katia and the Next

Hurricanes: Part II

             I’m sure by now everyone is just about saturated with information in regards to Hurricane Irma which has devastated several Caribbean islands with such ferocity that it will take years to recover.  Irma will more than likely turn that ferocity towards the United States over the weekend and bring a crushing blow to Florida before it makes its dying run up the I-75 corridor.  One question I’m sure many of you have is why?  Why all these storms so closely packed one right after another?  Well, according to the National Hurricane Center, the peak time for storms to roll off the coast of North Africa into the Atlantic Ocean is early September…right now.  The conditions are at their prime right now for these storms from Africa to pick up energy from the ocean and speed across the Atlantic to disperse that energy here in the western Atlantic. 

            The current conditions as I write this stands as such.  Irma should slam into Florida in the early hours of Sunday morning and run up the middle of the state then on into Georgia then the Tennessee valley by midweek…if the course predictions hold steady.  Jose has been upgraded to a category 4 hurricane with the probability of reaching category 5 status before it slams into the same islands that Irma just destroyed a few days ago.  The silver lining of all this is that due to the energy of Irma, Jose is predicted to curl out to the Atlantic…for now.  Katia has also been upgraded and is expected to make landfall on the shore of Eastern Mexico Saturday.  It’s the first time in seven years that the Atlantic basin has had three active hurricanes at once and if one looks at the satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean, there is the next storm off the coast of North Africa working to take shape. 

            What have we learned and what will we learn from these events?  It will take months to fully evaluate the devastation from Hurricane Harvey and who knows how long it will take Florida to recover from Irma but there are always lessons to be learned.  I am part of the Emergency Preparedness Team here at Best Homes Care Services, we have a plan in place that is in coordination with state and local authorities for emergencies of types.  On paper, it seems solid, but until that event occurs, there will always be variables of an unknown nature that we can learn from for the next event.  Each emergency event is unique in its nature and can be a challenge to prepare for but with repetition, agencies become better prepared for the next event. But with such destruction predicted, how will Florida respond?   I am sure that the various agencies in Florida are drawing upon years of knowledge of dealing with storms which should mitigate loss of life and aide in the return to normalcy.  But what will the average John Doe learn from this?  I hope that one thing we all can learn from this is the importance of being prepared.  I know I’ve been harping on this topic a lot over the past several months but time and time again there have been reasons to do so.  In the case of those in the storm’s path, a person could grab their Bug-out Bag (a minimum of three-day supply of food and water) and hit the road towards safety.  As it stands now, the store shelves are empty and there is a critical shortage of gas as the residence try desperately to move out of the storm’s path.

            Irma, itself, is currently wider than the Florida peninsula from the gulf coast to the Atlantic coast with the eye of the storm somewhere between 25 to 30 miles wide.  Even though there is a clam in the middle of the eye of the storm, the sustained winds are at their strongest surrounding the eye.  Currently, as a downgraded category 4 hurricane, Irma is still packing sustained winds of at least 130 to 156 mph.  That is like a tornado that is at least 50 miles wide moving along at a slow pace for hours on end…just frightening.  I hope everyone has a good weekend and enjoy our fall like weather but please continue to keep the storm victims in your thoughts and prayers, remember, we’re all in this together.  If you have it in your means to do so, there are literally dozens of ways of reaching out to those effected by the hurricanes, I encourage you to do so and be prepared as more storms head our way.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Hurricane Season

Harvey, Irma & Possibly Jose

Part I

            The difference between a hurricane, a typhoon and a cyclone is the region of origin from which the storm originates.  What makes them alike?  They are all horrifically powerful storms that can bring incredible damage and loss of life to anyone who encounters them no matter what culture, belief structure, socio-economic structure or celebrity status…it doesn’t matter who you are, if you are in the path of one of these storms, then evacuate and hope for the best after the event is over.  Basically, “Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons are all the same weather phenomenon; we just use different names for these storms in different places. In the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, the term “hurricane” is used. The same type of disturbance in the Northwest Pacific is called a “typhoon” and “cyclones” occur in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean,” (National Ocean Services: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/cyclone.html).  Here in the United States we call these massive damaging storms hurricanes and early data on the storms started being gathered in 1851.  Then, the storms took on the names of the communities that were closest to the place where the storm made landfall or some other point of reference like a holiday.  As an example, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, which was the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history (over 8000 killed) or the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 which was the most powerful recorded storm to make landfall in the United States.  Today, storms are named using short one or two syllable names in order to make communication and warnings clear and easy to understand.  “The National Hurricane Center does not control the naming of storms, instead, a strict procedure has been established by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization.  For Atlantic hurricanes, there is a list of names for each of six years. In other words, one list is repeated every seventh year. The only time that there is a change is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for obvious reasons of sensitivity. If that occurs, then at an annual meeting by the committee…the offending name is stricken from the list and another name is selected to replace it,” (National Hurricane Center).

            The hurricane season in the United States runs from June 1st through November 30th, these dates are a general guide as this time has the greatest frequency of storm occurrences.  Hurricanes that threaten the Eastern seaboard of the United States typically form off the coast of North Africa as storm systems begin to develop.  These storms are then swept westward by the various trade winds that dictate the storm’s path.  These storm systems can blow themselves out long before they reach land or they can gather strength and wind speed as they traverse the Atlantic Ocean.  A tropical storm reaches hurricane status (typhoon or cyclone depending where you live) once the storm maintains wind speeds greater than 74 mph…currently as I type this, Hurricane Irma has wind speeds clocking at 180 mph, well above the threshold of the minimum winds for a Category 5 hurricane.  Due to the erratic nature of hurricanes, they are incredibly challenging to predict, if one were to watch a weather report and look at the predicted track of a hurricane, one would see a cone vectoring out from the point of the storm towards the numerous possible places the storm could go.  Typically, warnings for hurricanes go out to entire regions and even then, the predicted course may not always be correct.   

            As Texas tries to recover from Hurricane Harvey, Florida is now the one of the possible landfall points for Hurricane Irma which is slowly tracking across the Atlantic with incredible and dangerous power.  Behind Irma is Tropical Storm Jose which is also expected to jump to hurricane force winds within the week…I will continue to discuss hurricanes in my next post on Friday as Irma gets closer to Florida.  I hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day Weekend but please continue to keep the storm victims in your thoughts and prayers, remember, we’re all in this together.  If you have it in your means to do so, there are literally dozens of ways of reaching out to the victims of the storm to help, I encourage you to do so and be prepared as more storms head our way.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Solar Eclipse

Sol et Luna

“Three things that cannot be long hidden, the sun, the moon and the truth.” ~Buddha

            On Monday, August 21st, this region of the country will experience a near total eclipse of the sun as the moon passes between the earth and the sun.  This astrological phenomenon occurs about every 18 months or so but at different points around the earth.  Monday’s solar eclipse will span the entire United States from Oregon to the Carolinas and is the first to span the country since it happened here in North America since 1918.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a solar eclipse in person, just fabulous photos taken from exotic location somewhere else on the planet.  On Monday, I plan to take a little time and spend it with my beautiful wife and do a little skygazing as we watch one of nature’s greatest celestial events unfold before Monday afternoon.  It will be an event that my children and I can talk about for years to come and I hope they remember it as long as they live. 

            Throughout history there have been solar eclipses that each and every culture on the planet has ventured to try and explain in a contextual way that made sense to them and their culture.  Superstitions, fear and a sense of evil omens have always followed the path of solar eclipses as ancient people tried to understand why the life-giving light of the sun was being taken away from them.  Over time, as celestial science and a better understanding of mathematics has allowed us to understand the movements of heavenly bodies, we as humanity can now predict when and where such events occur with great accuracy.  I’m really excited to see such a display but that hardwired sense of foreboding is still lingering deep in my subconscious, why?  I have no idea, but I feel it there like a distant tinkling of a windchime on a light breeze far away.  I understand that the special lenses and viewing glasses to look at the solar eclipse are very hard to come by now and many places are sold out.  Please don’t despair, there are several ways of safely observing the event without injury to your eyes such as a pin hole devise, a welding helmet (if the lens is rated at least 12), or through a projection scope onto a separate surface…WARNING: NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN UNPROTECTED AS THIS COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR BLINDNESS!!! 

            Our good friends at NASA have once again provided some excellent tips and advice on how best to experience this event and I encourage you to visit their website for further reading.  Check them out at: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety and get the full feeling of how to get the most out of your viewing experience on Monday.  I hope everyone enjoys the weekend, take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Power of People

Community WOW!

“People coming together as a community can make remarkable things happen.” ~Unknown

            According to the number crunchers within the governmental offices of the State of Indiana, there are approximately 23,332 people that live in Fayette County, Indiana.  The Largest community in Fayette County is the city of Connersville with an approximate population of 12,949 people (these numbers reflect information from 2016).  Connersville is not only the county seat for Fayette County but also home to the Fayette County Free Fair that is currently underway at the fair-grounds.  Sunday, July 30th, was the opening parade for the Fayette County Fair and I consider myself fortunate to have been a part of something that was so grand a spectacle.  This was no Macy’s Day Parade from the Big Apple or Tournament of Roses Parade of New Year’s Day fame…this was much better from my humble point of view.  I have the distinct feeling that least a third of the county was involved in some way during the parade.  The parade seemed to last well over an hour as businesses, churches and other organizations who are deeply involved in the community/county filled the parade to the point it was well over a mile long.  Then there were the throngs of people who stood along the ENTIRE parade route cheering, waving and having a grand time as entrant after parade entrant passed by.  People by the thousands were out to see the parade passing by…people of all ages who lined up along the route to experience the joy of a community. 

            I think everyone loves a parade at some level.  The kids along the way were just thrilled to get a lollie-pop or a Tootsie Roll, others would wave with excitement as familiar faces would pass down the street.  There were several parade entrants who would squirt great fountains of water on the hot kids standing in the sun as they passed by and to my surprise, there was a delightful group of people who were passing out ice-cold water bottles to those in the parade as we walked by.  A cold bottle of water was never so appreciated as that one was on such a beautiful and sunny day, thank you to that exceptional group of people on behalf of myself and all the others whose thirst was abated.  I’m not from Connersville, I don’t even live in Fayette county, but for a beautiful and lovely afternoon, I felt welcome as a part of a greater community as I participated in the parade with my coworkers celebrating the opening of the fair.  I have no reason to believe that the overwhelming sense of community I felt in Connersville that day would be any different from the other communities in the surrounding area but I find myself wanting to tip my hat and give credit where credit is due.  The citizens of the city of Connersville and of the county as a whole put on a display of community support that I’ve not seen in a very long time and I would just like to say thank you.  I hope everyone has a great and safe time as they visit the fair.  Please come by and visit our tent and win a free prize or just say hello, we would love to hear from you.  While you’re visiting, you can sign up for a chance to win one of our daily door prizes and enter to win our grand prize at the end of the fair, there is no need to be present to win.  Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Summer Fun

The County Fair

“There’s nothing in the world that makes you feel like a kid again like the county fair.” ~Unknown

            For the past 113 years, the Fayette County Free Fair in Connersville, Indiana has promoted and encouraged the agricultural, horticultural, and stock raising industries, as well as the domestic and mechanical arts of Fayette County.  This weekend, the county fair comes back to Connersville for the 114th edition of this unique expression of community and celebration as the fair kicks off this Sunday (July 29th) with the opening parade at 2:00pm.  This year, the good folks here at Best Home Care Services will have a booth at the fair as well as participating in the opening parade.  I encourage you to stop on by and spin the wheel for a chance at a prize or maybe get your blood pressure checked for free.  Whatever your reason might be, we would love to say hello and share how we can help you with your home health care needs.  The fair runs from July 29th through August 5th and if you visit their website, you can see the schedule of the events planned for the week at:  http://fayettecountyfreefair.com/  I look forward to seeing you there!

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Just a Thought

Chasing the Cosmos

“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

~Astronaut Neil Armstrong, July 20, 1969

            Yesterday, July 20th, marked the 48th anniversary of the United States landing and walking on the lunar surface for the first time in the history of humanity.  Even though Mission Commander Neil A. Armstrong, Command Module pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module pilot Edwin “Buzz” E. Aldrin were the three astronauts involved on this mission of exploration, it took a cast of thousands to create the opportunity that led them there for that one historic moment.  A host of engineers, scientist, physicist, mathematicians, pilots, draftsmen, manufacturers, visionaries and the list goes on, in short, it took the labors and efforts of a nation to make that one brief moment in history happen.  The lunar landing was not only a moment of pride for the United States, but it was a moment in time were the entire world stood still in a moment of anticipation with hope for all humanity.  The Apollo lunar program saw its last mission to the moon just three years later with the successful completion of the Apollo 17 mission and since that December of 1972, the United States has yet to go back to the moon.

            Over the years, the United States has continued to develop and deploy remarkable technologies that continue to explore the outer reaches of space as well as the current world around us.  There are those who believe that the lunar landings where a great hoax designed to deceive and demoralize our cold-war adversaries but as for me, I choose to believe that the desire to explore beyond the gravitational bounds of earth were more altruistic with the goal if advancing humanity forward.  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, has worked diligently over the years to help expand our knowledge of the world and universe around us.  Many people believe that the purpose and usefulness of NASA is not worth the dollars that the government funnels into the program including many at the top levels of our current administration.  This detraction of importance to our national space agency seems a terrible dis-service to the nation considering all the positive and useful items developed from our various space programs. 

             The variety of items that have been developed for NASA which have crosses over into our daily lives are called “spinoffs.”  These spinoffs have been consistently integrated into our world for decades as concepts and uses have reached commercial applications and these spinoffs enrich the quality of our lives in ways that we never knew were possible.  The camera technology for our smart phones is possible in part due to advances made by partners working with NASA developing better capabilities in smaller packages.  Memory foam beds, cordless vacuums, medical equipment (imaging, monitors, pumps, etc.), scratch resistant lenses, enriched baby formula, clothing materials, insulation technologies, water filtration systems, solar systems, effective GPS (global positioning systems), and the list goes on and on.  In today’s society, one would be hard pressed not to have some technology spawned by NASA research touch your life in some way.  And now the science behind the innovation is under threat because some believe that NASA is a waste of time and money.  I encourage you to visit NASA’s spinoff web page to discover what the space agency has done for you and the rest of humanity…and then ask yourself if it is really all a waste?  My humble opinion is that research and innovation is never a waste, but those are my thoughts.

             The space program has given us all a thrill and sparked our imagination.  It has given us all hope of a better tomorrow and allowed us all to dream of the possibilities of the future.  Hold onto that sense of wonder and share it with those around you.  There is still hope out there beyond the clouds and it is important that we continue to explore the vastness of space in order to continue to improve our lives here on earth. As we head into the weekend, everyone be safe and find some place to stay out of the heat if you can.  Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Just a Thought

Get Outside and Play

“I see great things in baseball, it’s our game, the American game.  It will take our people out-of-doors and fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism…and be a blessing to us.”

~American Poet, Walt Whitman

            Walt Whitman is arguably one of the greatest literary figures of the United States.  He is responsible for a multitude of great works that are still relevant and being taught today a hundred and twenty-five years after his death.  One of my favorite observations by Whitman was his love of our great American past time, baseball.  We call it Americas game because of the great love affair we as a nation have had with the sport since the early days of it being played.  Whitman who was born in 1819 grew up during a time when baseball was born and grew into national importance.  What Whitman saw in the game was an opportunity for people of all ages to get out of places of work and get some fresh air and invigorate the body.  Consider that the average working hours per week in 1850 was close to 70 hours per week…and people almost never worked on Sundays so you do the math. During the 1800’s, baseball was our game…our only game.  Basketball’s first public game came in March of 1892, just 15 days before Walt Whitman passed away and American football was only in its infancy having been first played in 1869 as a hybrid of rugby and football and was considered a boorish game that many colleges disallowed.  So, baseball was the pride of American and one of our greatest writers considered it a good thing to encourage the people of our country to get up and go “out-of-doors.”

            Fast forward to the height of summer, 2017.  Today, people still love baseball but there are a plethora of other activities that engage the population of our land and takes up our free time, things that Walt Whitman never could have dreamed of.  Many children today have the comfort of an airconditioned home, a flat screen television hanging on the wall and a smart phone or tablet in their hand.  Many youths today don’t have to worry about finding a job and if they work there are very strict rules limiting the number of hours they are allowed to work each week, (child labor laws were born out of the 1800’s designed to protect children).  Today, there are snacks in the refrigerator or pantry only a few feet away and the virtual reality headsets block out the sunlight as some kids spend hours in alternate realities fighting the dreadful aliens from some other world never having seen the natural beauty right outside their own front door.  We as a nation have more free time than ever but are spending less and less time outside engaged in play, exercise or exploration.  One of the many results of this lack of play outside and the readily availability of snacks to sedentary kids is a rampant escalation of childhood obesity.  The last First Lady of the White House, Michelle Obama, made this cause her cause and through her efforts and the efforts of so many others, awareness has been raised and more and more organizations are pushing efforts to get kids outside for at least an hour a day to play. 

            As a working parent of young children, I know it is sometimes a challenge to come home from work and find the energy to go outside and play with your kids…I get it.  I also understand that I am doing them a dis-service if I just come home and collapse in my comfy chair and reach for my own tech to read the news, check email, etc.  Kids need to be taught to play just as much as they need to be taught other necessities in life…one rarely just wakes up and learns to ride a bike on their own…children thirst to learn new skills and as parents, it’s our responsibility to show our kids the way be it in the classroom, in the working world or on the field of play.  Playing with your kids will open up a whole new pathway of communication and new levels of trust between you and your children and that will pay huge dividends down the road when your kids face life and the challenges it will throw at them.  If your kids are a bit older, try and find activities they will enjoy and at least meet them halfway but get them outside…I mean, who doesn’t love to take a hike and have a picnic? 

            I hope everyone has a great week this week and if you’re looking for something new to try, a new game to wrap your head around, the Women’s World Cup for Cricket has their semi-final matches this week with the championship match being held July 23 in London…just in case you were interested.  Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Summer Highlight

National Ice Cream Day

“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” ~Unknown

            During the presidency of the late Ronald Reagan, he used his office of power to declare July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day.  As we prepare to enjoy the third Sunday of the month this weekend, I want to share a portion of the proclamation that created this special and sweet day.  It reads as such;

“The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 298, has designated July 1984 as "National Ice Cream Month," and July 15, 1984, as "National Ice Cream Day," and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of these events.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 1984 as National Ice Cream Month and July 15, 1984, as National Ice Cream Day, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth,” ~President Ronald Reagan, July 9th, 1984

            The belief that the consumption of ice cream was good for the nation was prompted by the growth of the industry and the belief that ice cream lifts the spirits of all humanity.  In short, I’ve never seen an angry person eating an ice cream cone, I think it is physically impossible…but that’s my opinion, not scientific evidence.  The history of ice cream is a bit muddled as the first frozen treats have been documented as fruit juice being poured over snow more than 2500 years ago in ancient Persia.  Mixing sweet ingredients with shaved ice or snow has been documented all over the ancient world but the beginnings of what we think of as ice cream (using milk and sugar) began between about 1200 years ago in the Middle East and was very popular in Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo.  In Europe, ice cream became popular in Italy after the famed explorer Marco Polo returned from the far east with tails and recipes of ice cream.  In 1533, with the marriage of Catherine de'Medici and Henry II of France, ice cream finally made to continental Europe and the public awareness was starting to take off.  For years it was a dessert of royalty but it finally made it to the common people and when it did it started to spread with them as they traveled around the globe.

            It is believed that the first ice cream recipe came to North America with the influx of Scottish settlers to colonial America around 1744.  Dolly Madison, wife to President James Madison, served ice cream at the at presidential Inaugural Ball of 1813…Nancy Johnson of New Jersey invented first hand cranked and portable freezer…and commercial production of ice cream started in 1851.  Needless to say, since ice cream became available to all of humanity, there has been a love affair that has only grown and flourished.  To cap this point, according to the International Dairy Food Association, Americans consumed on average a whopping 23 pounds of ice cream per person in 2015 as manufacturers produce nearly 1.5 billion gallons of the tasty frozen treat that same year.  As a matter of fact, one of my first jobs in high school was scooping out a 3-ounce scoop of deliciousness for our local Baskin & Robins 30 years ago.  The joy on a child’s face as they discover a flavor for the first time or the look of contentment of someone who remembers their own happy place while clutching their own scoop of heaven, it was a delightful place of employment as a kid.

            As you head out this weekend, be it hot or cool, sunny or stormy, I encourage you to take a moment to savor a little self-indulgence and have a little bit of ice cream.  I hope everyone has an excellent weekend and enjoy with moderation!  Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com

Just a Thought

Remember Kids, Safety First

“The day will be most memorable in the history of America, I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.  It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade…bonfires and illuminations (fireworks)…from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.”

 ~John Adams (The day before the signing of the Declaration of Independence July 3, 1776)

                As we sit on the cusp of celebrating yet another birthday for the United States, I eagerly look forward to the traditional aerial display of colors in all their sparkling splendor and their thunderous booms.  I’m talking about fireworks of course and I adore the multitudes of rockets that deliver into the air the wondrous variety of visual stimulation that continues to fill my children and I with a sense of energy and awe every year.  Despite the turbulent political times we live in, it is important to understand what our founding citizens framed almost 250 years ago for future generations like ourselves.  The experiment that is our government, though not perfect, has allowed our country to flourish over the past 241 years.  So, I encourage you to step out this Fourth of July, raise a cup, maybe set off a firecracker or two and celebrate America’s birthday.  I also encourage you to celebrate safely.

            The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that the 2015 Fourth of July was the most injury filled celebration of Independence Day since the year 2000.  2015 saw the death of eleven people and almost 12,000 emergency room visits due to accidents involving the misuse and mishandling of fireworks.  According to the report, hands and fingers were the most-injured body parts (about 4,000 people); followed by head, face and ears (about 3,000 people); eyes (nearly 2,000), followed by legs and arms.  I haven’t found the numbers for 2016 yet but they are expected to be about the same if not a little higher than 2015.  Teenagers between the age of 15 and 19 years of age had the highest rate of injury followed by children between the ages of 5-9.  Given the data, one could extrapolate that youth and pyrotechnics do not mix well.  The American Pyrotechnics Association, a fireworks-industry trade group, follows information such as the report by the CPSC.  The APA also tracks the number of injuries in a given year but they do so based per 100,000 pounds of fireworks sold in the U.S.  Their finding was that the ratio of injuries per 100,000 pounds of fireworks sold has stayed constant at about 4.1 injuries per 100,000 pounds in 2015 as well as in years past.  As more and more states relax laws surrounding fireworks, the purchase and consumption of fireworks have, if you’ll pardon the pun, skyrocketed which has contributed to the larger numbers of individuals getting hurt despite the ratio staying about the same. 

            The message that is being presented by all parties concerned is safety first.  Most non-profit groups like Prevent Blindness encourage people to forgo fireworks all together and leave the firework displays to the professionals and for the most part, that is the safest and least expensive option.  If, however, you are determined to set off your own display for family or friends, please use common sense and practice the best safety standards first and foremost.  The APA states that the most common reasons for injuries is blatant misuse of fireworks to mimic stunts as seen on social media and venues like YouTube.  The American Pyrotechnics Association strongly discourages mimicking people who misuse fireworks as just because an ill-advised usage worked once, it may very well blow up in one’s face the next time.  There is no substitution for safety.  Fireworks are dangerous and they should be given the respect that dangerous objects require and demand.  A nine-year-old should not be given a bag of fireworks and a lighter and told to go have a good time, that is a recipe for disaster and a trip to the hospital.

            I hope that everyone has an enjoyable holiday weekend celebrating all the things worth celebrating but while doing it, be safe.  I ask you to think about what your favorite part of the Fourth of July is and why.  We live in a great land, warts and all, and above all I have hope in this nation of ours just as our founders did all those years ago and I hope you do too.  Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.

Wm Reid

Best Home Care Services

325 N Eastern Ave

Connersville, IN 47331

765-827-9833

wmreid@bhcshealth.com