QUARANTINE BLOG # 486

July 29, 2021

Today is National Lipstick Day, and has been around since at least 2012.  The first traces of lipstick started with the painting of lips in ancient times.  This started near the Sumerian city of Ur in Mesopotamia, where Schub-ad, a queen, colored her lips by crushing red rocks and putting them in a paste of white lead.   Soon afterward, the coloring of lips red spread to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.  Egyptians didn’t limit their lip coloring to reds, and also came up with shades of black and purple.  Lipstick was an indicator of social rank in the Roman Empire, and both men and women wore it.

Lipstick hasn’t always been acceptable.  In Spain in the sixth century it was associated with prostitutes.  Lipstick and other makeup was condemned by the church.  Red lips were even associated with the worship of Satan, and women wearing makeup were sometimes suspected of being witches or sorcerers.  The British Parliament even tried to ban lipstick in 1650, but the bill failed to pass.

Lipstick was brought to the American continent by settlers from Western Europe, and George Washington was even known to wear it on occasion.  By the late 1890s, lipstick was being sold in the Sears Roebuck catalog.  At the time, lipstick wasn’t packaged in the same type of tubes it is today.  In 1923, James Bruce Mason Jr. of Nashville patented the first swivel-up tube, which is what is considered the modern lipstick tube.

Celebrate the day by wearing lipstick!  Wear your favorite kind or a kind you’ve never worn before.  Men, before you put some on, declaring, “Well, George Washington wore lipstick,” remember he was President of the United States.  Since you aren’t, maybe you’ll want to celebrate by kissing your favorite lipstick wearer.  Second-hand lipstick is great.

👉  I was asked to share some of the origin stories of some popular candy, so here goes.

Tootsie Roll is a chocolate-flavored taffy-like candy that has been manufactured in the United States since 1907.  The candy has qualities similar to both caramels and taffy without being exactly either confection.  It was the first penny candy to be individually wrapped in America.  According to the official company history,  founder Leo Hirchfield was an Austrian Jewish immigrant to the United States of America, son of an Austrian candy maker.  He started his own career in the candy business at a small shop or factory located in New York City during 1896.  He completed the invention of Tootsie Rolls in 1907, after patenting a technique to give them their unique texture.  He named the candy after his daughter Clara, whose nickname was “Tootsie.”  

M&M’s are multi-colored button-shaped chocolates, each of which has the letter “m” printed in lower case in white on one side, consisting of a candy shell surrounding a filling which varies depending upon the variety of M&M’s.  Forrest Mars, copied the idea for the candy in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War when he saw soldiers eating British-made Smarties, chocolate pellets with a colored shell surrounding the outside, preventing the candies from melting.  When the company was founded it was M&M Limited.  The two “M”s Mars and Bruce Murrie, son of Hershey Chocolate’s president William F. R. Murrie, who had a 20 percent share in the product.  The arrangement allowed the candies to be made with Hershey chocolate, as Hershey had control of the rationed chocolate at the time.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups consist of a chocolate cup filled with peanut butter, marketed by The Hershey Company.  They were created on November 15, 1928, by H. B. Reese, a former dairy farmer and shipping foreman for Milton S. Hershey.  Reese left his job with Hershey to start his own candy business.  Reese’s generates more than $2 billion in annual sales for The Hershey Company, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are number one on the list of top-selling candy brands, 62% larger than the next brand.

👉  Today is the 29th, so here are so interesting facts about # 29.

29 is the sum of three consecutive squares, 2² + 3² + 4².  Saturn requires over 29 years to orbit the Sun.  According to USA Today, 29% of married couples share a toothbrush.  The Human skull is made up of 29 bones.  January 29th is National Puzzle Day.  The odds of being born on February 29th are 1 in 1,461.  On March 29, 2004, The Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants.  April 29 is International Dance Day.  May 29 is National Put A Pillow On Your Fridge Day.  September 29 is National Coffee Day.  October 29 is National Cat Day.

👉  Some smiles for today:

👉  Before we close today, Quarantine Blog offers some helpful household tips.  We are not “Ask Heloise,” but we know some stuff (and we can look stuff up).

Sometimes hungry critters assume that your garden or flower bed is their personal feeding ground.  Soap provides a solution to this problem.  Shred some soap in your food processor and scatter it among your plants.  The smell of the soap will keep hungry animals away, but the soap itself won’t damage your plants. Replenish your shreddings when they wash away.

Too much water can be just as damaging as too little water for the plants in your garden.  If water settles at the bottom of your pot, it can rot your roots, causing your precious plants to die.  To maintain a healthy balance of water for your plants, put old sponges at the bottom of your pot. The sponges will soak up the excess liquid that could damage your plants, while simultaneously maintaining enough moisture to keep your plants healthy.

While your toilet bowl is one obvious area of the bathroom that needs a good clean fairly regularly, your toilet tank is often forgotten about.  Over time, dirt, grime, and water stains build-up, which can impact the overall function of your toilet if not addressed.  To keep your toilet tank clean and running smoothly, you simply have to add vinegar to the water.  Vinegar helps to clear out mineral deposits and won’t damage any of the components.

💝  Today’s close is very different, and completely personal.  Two Sislers were born on July 29.  

In 1951, Kyle William Sisler, a.k.a. The Bro, was born to Melvin and Elizabeth Sisler.  People sometimes don’t believe us when we tell them that we never fought, but we never fought.  I did – occasionally – get him into trouble.  Like the time we came home late after curfew, and Dad said, “I knew I couldn’t depend on David, but Kyle, I thought I could count on you.”  Kyle looked at Dad and said, “But I can’t even drive!”  Not my fault!  He has been, and always shall be, my best friend. 

In 2014, Thomas David Sisler, was born to Michael and Ivy Sisler.  Thomas was ours for 9 days.   He was born on July 29, and died on August 7, held in the arms of his family, and received into the loving arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We grieve, but not as those who have no hope.  Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we will see Thomas again, and we will know him, and he will know us.

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