Thursday… oh, please be gentler, accommodating, and encouraging. I have a few days left of my break, and I’d prefer smoother sailing.

The weather, for the most part, seems cooperative with s comfortable high of 80 degrees but with rain coming mid-afternoon.

I have been listening to a great audiobook, THE REPORTER WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, about the legendary reporter and celebrity, Dorothy Kilgallen, a popular fixture on the television game show, WHAT’S MY LINE?. Her thorough, transparent reporting investigation of the Sam Shepherd murder case and the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby catapulted Dorothy to the heights of intrigue, and an avid opponent to the top investigative agencies who wanted her reporting silenced.

And she was silenced!

This morning, I have been listening to a neat documentary on YouTube about the Mayflower. Very interesting. My ancestor, William Bradford, is featured prominently in the documentary. I am the fifteenth great-grandson of William Bradford through his daughter, Patience, on my Daugherty side.

Eighty-three years ago, today, Elwood’s hometown boy, Wendell L. Willkie returned to accept the Republican candidacy for President of the United States, opposing incumbent Franklin Delano Roosevelt who was running for a third term. Into the medium-sized Elwood, the tomato capital of the world, crammed over 350.000 citizens to see the candidate and to celebrate, “Willkie Day!” I am always proud to remember that spectacular day in my hometown’s history.

It’s time to start my day – with my fingers crossed.

Make it a great day!