November2008

118 Alamance Road, Burlington, NC 27215 Phone: 336-227-2328 Fax: 336-227-2329

VOL. 11 ISS. 9 The Evolution of Flight

November marks Aviation History Month and the anniversary of the world’s first human passenger flight in 1783. Experiments with flight and the invention of ingenious machines to achieve it are documented from around 400 B.C., and reports of flights with unmanned hot air balloons date back to 220 A.D. China.

However, it was not until French brothers and papermakers Joseph Michel Montgolfier and Jacques Etienne Montgolfier created their hot air balloon powered by “Montgolfier gas” (the “force” they saw making sparks rise in a fireplace) that a flight machine successfully carried a person. Though the brothers were not scientists, they were highly educated and interested in flight. They read the work of English scientist Joseph Priestly, who discovered oxygen in 1774 and wrote papers on the properties of air. In one of their first experiments, the brothers made a small bag out of silk and lit a fire under the opening at the bottom, causing it to rise. At the time, they did not realized their balloon rose because the heated air inside was lighter than the surrounding air. Hot air balloon travel later became known as “lighter-than-air” flight.

The brothers’ first giant balloon, made of a paper-lined linen bag 38 feet in diameter, launched in June 1783. It rose to 6,000 feet over Paris and traveled over a mile before landing. Their second launch in September that year carried a sheep, rooster, and duck. It crashed to the ground after 15 minutes in the air. Their third balloon carried human passengers Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis d’Arlandes. It launched over Paris on November 21, 1783 and flew five miles in its 25-minute trip. This first manned flight paved the way for the entire future of world aviation and space travel.

Sources: Aeronautics Learning Laboratory; eBalloon.org; U.S. Gov’t Printing Office

Celebrating November

Aviation History MonthNative American Heritage MonthInspirational Role Models Month

Georgia Pecan MonthFig Week November 1-7Sadie Hawkins Day November 1Daylight Savings Time ends;Zero-Tasking Day November 2Cliché Day November 3Election Day (U.S.) November 4Veterans Day (U.S.) November 11Remembrance Day November 11Thanksgiving Day November 27

www.bellseniorliving.comLicense Number—HAL-001-022

Administrative TeamBonnie Thompson—Executive DirectorTammy Conklin—Office ManagerDorothy Timmons-LPN-DHSJaime Waters—Seasons’ CoordinatorMike Thompson - Maintenance DirectorPhyllis Enoch—Dietary DirectorWallace Turner—Housekeeping Director

Visit us on the web at: www.homeplaceofburlington.com

November 2008

Speaking of Flying…Remember the Nun?

The month of November, besides being Aviation History Month, marks the birthdays of two actresses who starred in the popular sitcom The Flying Nun (1967-70). Sally Field, who played the starring role of the young, flying Sister Bertrille, was born on November 6, 1946 in Pasadena, California. Canadian actress Madeline Sherwood, who played the Reverend Mother, celebrates her 86th birthday on November 13.

The Flying Nun was about a young surfer girl named Elsie who became a nun and lived in a convent in San Juan, Puerto Rico (but all filming took place in Hollywood). Sister Bertrille, as Elsie was renamed, weighed just 90 pounds and discovered that her light weight, along with the oddly shaped head gear that was part of her nun habit, gave her the ability to fly. The flying nun got herself into many humorous mishaps and had to deal with the reaction of the convent’s strict and conservative Reverend Mother Superior Placido.

The sitcom ran for three years and was a hit among both adults and children. It was even commended by real-life Catholic nuns for its realistic portrayal of convent life. However, critics thought the show was “corny.” The show was Field’s second attempt at a lead television humor role after the cancellation of Gidget, and the two roles branded Field as a novice humorist, hampering her efforts to land subsequent dramatic roles for quite some time. Despite this and Field’s ultimate acting success, The Flying Nun is one of the roles for which Field is most remembered.

Name that “Flight” Tune!

Do you know your music? See if you can match the following songs with a “flight” theme in their titles to the popular artists who performed them. (Hint: Two songs on the list were made famous by the same singer.)

1) “Come Fly with Me”2) “Rumors are Flying”3) “Flight of the Bumblebee”4) “Straighten Up & Fly Right”5) “Jet Pilot”6) “Flying High Together”7) “Fly Me to the Moon”8) “Leaving on a Jet Plane”9) “Up, Up & Away” (In My Beautiful Balloon)10) “Flying Home”

A) The Fifth DimensionB) Lionel Hampton Jazz OrchestraC) Frank SinatraD) Smokey Robinson & The MiraclesE) The Nat King Cole TrioF) John Denver / Peter, Paul & MaryG) Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovH) Bob DylanI) The Andrews Sisters

Answers: 1) C; 2) I; 3) G; 4) E; 5) H; 6) D; 7) C; 8) F; 9) A; 10) B

Sadie Hawkins Day

Created in the 1930s by U.S. cartoonist Al Capp in his comic strip L’il Abner, Sadie Hawkins Day (celebrated the first Saturday in November) is a day when women everywhere get to be “forward” and ask the man of their choice for a date, or just intiate spending time with a male friend. So what are you waiting for, ladies? Why should a comic-strip character have all the fun?

November 2008

Happy 80th Birthday, Mickey!

Iconic Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse celebrates his 80th birthday this year on November 18, the anniversary of his animated cartoon debut. On that date in 1928, the squeaky mouse appeared on the

big screen in Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willie, which ran at the Colony Theatre in New York City. Between then and 1995, Mickey Mouse appeared in nearly 130 animated feature films.

According to the Disney web site, Mickey Mouse is arguably the most famous Disney character of all time. Despite this, he was not one of Walt Disney’s original creations. Walt’s signature character before Mickey was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit – which Walt lost the rights to and could no longer use. Walt worked with American cartoonist and animator Ub Iwerks, whom he had partnered with on the Oswald character, to create Mickey Mouse. The rest, as they say, is history.

Mickey Mouse’s comic strip debut came less than 18 months after his first film appearance, and it continued for 45 years. He was also the inspiration for the famous variety show television series The Mickey Mouse Club, which began in 1955 and ran all over the world. Through the decades, the show featured continually changing casts of children, performing comedy skits and song and dance routines. Many cast members – including Annette Funicello from the 50s and Britney Spears from the 90s – went on to have successful careers in music and acting.

With appearances all over the world – in film, television, print, and on millions of merchandise items – Mickey Mouse is happy today performing the esteemed role of Chief Greeter at the Disney theme parks worldwide.

We welcome the following new staff members to our family!

Elizabeth Wright

Homeplace extends a warm welcome to our new residents Beulah Isley and Glen Shepard.Please take the time to stop and visit. Invite them to be your guest at any upcoming activity.

SAFETY FIRST

Every month we do fire drills to make sure we are prepared should an emergency ever occur. These practice drills are primarily for the staff but they benefit residents and families too. If you are ever in our building during one of the drills, please participate and encourage all residents to also follow the evacuation plan. Remember—Don’t take alarms for granted, you never know when a true emergency is occurring. Be Prepared. Thank you.

“I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul remembering my good friends.” William Shakespeare

November 2008

Save Time and Do Nothing

It’s the end of Daylight Savings Time once again, so make sure to turn your U.S. and Canadian clocks back one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 2. What will you do with that extra hour? The proponents

of “Zero-Tasking Day” say you should do nothing this year with your free hour – since doing nothing is what recharges you to go back to that long list of “somethings” for the rest of the year. Here are some suggested “nothings” you might do this year:

1) Take a nap or meditate2) Take a quiet stroll and listen for bird calls3) Bask in a hot bath or shower4) Enjoy a porch swing with a friend

Here’s hoping your “nothing” is really something!

November BirthdaysIf you give a project to a person born in November, chances are you’ll be very pleased with his/her results. People born this month tend to be very focused and disciplined and think analytically. They can also be very emotional and have personalities with hypnotizing qualities. Famous November babies include:Aleene Abee . . . . . . . . . . . November 17Edith Anderson . . . . . . . . . November 30Mary Cauthren . . . . . . . . . November 9Effie Conally . . . . . . . . . . . November 14Earl Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 30Virginia Moore . . . . . . . . . November 13Lucille Rich . . . . . . . . . . . . November 18Charles Bronson . . . . . . . . November 3, 1921Doris Roberts . . . . . . . . . . November 4, 1930Loretta Swit . . . . . . . . . . . . November 4, 1937Burgess Meredith . . . . . . . . November 16, 1907Estelle Parsons . . . . . . . . . November 20, 1927Marlo Thomas . . . . . . . . . November 21, 1937Tina Turner . . . . . . . . . . . . November 26, 1939

Homeplace of Burlington118 Alamance RoadBurlington, NC 27215

Postage Information

November 2008

The Flu Season is Coming!! The Flu Season is Coming!!

There was a Flu Consent Form mailed with the statements last month. We will be giving the shots on November 12th from 9 am—3 pm. If you have not returned your

form please do so immediately so we can be prepared. Additional forms are available at the front desk

Could it be?? Minnie??

We had our own Minnie Pearl along with The Corn Pickers for a fun filled country night of entertainment in October. There was definitely a lot of pickin’ and grinnin’ going on.