22 • April 2016 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC. Upbeat Arabesques “Happy Birthday” will be an


overworked phrase in April. Given we live in magnificent Wine Country, where


“pair-


ings” are of par- amount impor- tance: four U.S. Presidents were born in April: Jefferson, Mon- roe, Buchanan, and Grant! Naturally, es- pecially now that the sudsy “Downtown


Abbey” finally


came to a kind of happy ending grind to a halt, all of the United Kingdom erupt


will into huge celebrations


for Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday on April 21st! Surely a rousing toast should ring out for Charlie Chaplin’s 127th birthday on April 16th! How about raising a glass of Chef


Skaar’s Honey Mead for the Bard, William Shakespeare’s 452nd birthday on April 23rd! Hans Christian An-


derson, the brilliant master


storyteller,


and Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the sculp- tor who designed our fabulous Statue of Liberty, were both born on April 2nd. Too few celebrate the stellar American author Washington Irving’s birthday on April 3rd, perhaps not knowing he is the author of “Te Leg- end of Sleepy Hol- low.”


Better not forget April 7 1939 is the


Happy Birthday date for Fran- cis Ford Coppola! And saving my all-time favorite for last, April 15th 1452 happens to be the genius Leonardo da Vinci’s great day. Wine Spectator is beating


... continued from page 5


their drum to attract those who wish to splurge $325+ per ticket for huge wine tastings to be held in New York City on April 26; Washington, D.C. on April 28; and Las Vegas at Te Mirage, on April 30. Te alpha- betical listings of wines to be presented slightly resemble the heſty Manhattan phone book! I would be curious about wine with the label of “Ciacci Picco- lomini D’Aragona,” or a taste of the collection from “Marquesi de’ Frescobaldi.” Anyone else wonder about “Mollydook- er?” And perhaps a sip from “Chateau Pichon-Longueville- Lalande?” Glad to see Rob- ert Mondavi Winery, Mumm Napa, and way more will share those spotlights. Before I reveal more of my


ignorance, I had better retreat to the safer harbors of litera- ture I know and love. So, with glass of milk in hand, I raise a semi-serious toast to one and all while settling in to “chill” with a beautiful book of Rilke’s poetry. He once wrote, “It is Spring again.


Te earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”


~Happy Springtime! ~Ellie Weird Facts & Fun Trivia -8


Termites eat wood twice as fast when listening to heavy metal music.


The “Grinch” singer and voice of Tony the Tiger is a man named Thurl Ravenscroft.


The “save” icon on Microsoft Word shows a floppy disk, with the shutter on backwards.


202 West 7th St. Santa Rosa, CA 95401 707-545-7528


22 • April 2016 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


The Andy Griffth Show was the first spin-off in TV history. It was spun-off from the Danny Thomas Show.


“The lesson will always repeat itself, unless you see yourself as the problem--not others.” ~ Shannon L. Alder


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24