The most wind I've ever seen was November of 1976 in Chicago at the BEQ in Great Lakes, Illinois.

I had arisen, gotten dressed, then walked out of the barracks whereby the wind struck me in the face and I could not walk forward. The problem remained through several futile attempts. It was that fierce and that cold.

It was my understanding that the 70 below wind chill factor was usual and customary for that area in November.

Lately our weather here in South Carolina has been quite windy. March didn't yield nearly as much wind as April has thus far. So much for March coming in like a lion and going out as a lamb.

There were several tornados in the immediate area over the past couple weeks and I feel fortunate to have missed that particular bullet. I cannot imagine the terror of seeing a funnel cloud bearing down on you ... much less the 770 ft wide monstrosity Pickens county saw about a week ago.

Today is National Big Wind Day. It goes down each April 12 and commemorates the record of the highest wind gust measured on the surface of the planet.

It was measured April 12, 1934 and had winds blowing at 231 miles per hour recorded at the Mount Washington Observatory. Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288 feet and is known for dramatic weather conditions.

Now I'm not one to fear the blustery weather happenings. As long is the winds aren't life threatening I'm fine with that wind blown appearance and getting out in the circulating air.
 

The best part of Los Angeles was dining at Naugles. This restaurant saw it's heyday from 1976 to 1986 and then closed down for a spate.

There is a contemporary so-called "tribute restaurant" which has taken the place of the entire chain and even talk about a "second location" but the new owner of the chain is not the man with the recipes from what I hear.

The original owner, Dick Naugle had both a menu and scads of flavor for which I ache in this day and time of nothing South Carolina Taco Bell and the nasty taquerias indigenous to the area. My last truly great burrito was eaten in what was then El Toro, California (now called "Lake Forest") back when I was there in the very early 1980s.

Then I would dine at Naugles almost exclusively, with intermittent side excursions to both Jolly Roger and IHOP which were adjacent to the location. But it was Naugles and their wonderful rojo sauce and other flavors which kept me coming back for more.

They had a giant burrito which was to die for. I would sometimes have several in a single day. My caloric load was not a consideration because I was a taut workout freak like many others there.
 

The first thursday in April brings us National Burrito Day. It celebrates an appreciation for burritos. This staple Mexican dish is popular all over the world, but it has only been offered in American restaurants since the 1930s.

Whenever I think of burritos I think of Naugles. Though fate has turned it into an anachronistic memory for me personally I keep searching for the good old burrito of my past. Nowhere has there been a better burrito than Naugles in my lifetime.

Happy National Burrito Day to you.
 

I take extra time with children at this point in my life. It wasn't always this way. I recall a time when I was rather short with children and this memory has caused me personal pain over the years.

Nowadays it is my child relatives that are short with me. Particularly the little boy child relatives. I suppose turn about is fair play.  

When I was a younger man teaching college I had a number of nieces and nephews who congregated at my mother's home. She also kept a number of foster children as was the kind nature of both my parents.

I tried to make it a point to get a good supply of reading materials for them. I would get encyclopedias and other informative tomes which I set out at my mother's home.

To this I added a custom computer built by my own hands and an inkjet printer. Though by today's standards it was pretty weak, at the time it was a state of the art machine equipped with a 2400 baud modem and all the maintenance and enhancements I could supply.

I feel that this enabled me to contribute to their upbringing in my own humble way and I feel that these books and computer programs added to the edification of my young relatives as a function of spurring interest where one may have been diminished otherwise.

International Children's Book Day is celebrated on April 2, the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen a famous children's author of whom I have read extensively. The observance was founded in 1967 and is sponsored by the International Board on Books for Young People which is an international non-profit.

See Also:

International Children's Book Day 2020
International Children's Book Day 2018
ICBD (International Children's Book Day)