NOV 6, 24 ( 1 / 2 ) .. MELANCHOLY.. PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON.. BASKETBALL..

MELANCHOLY..

No! I am not going to dive deeply into this serious mental health category, but on Halloween Day, a mood that can only be described as one of melancholy, came over me. 

Melancholy .. a feeling of pensive sadness..

Typically with no obvious cause.

However, I knew precisely the cause of my melancholy!

The below lyrics in Peter, Paul and Mary’s hit song, Puff The Magic Dragon, leapt into my mind.

We have one youngster in our six-unit condominium building. As I was setting out Halloween treats for her..

I thought.. “She is now a teenager! Will this be her last ever Halloween?”

A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys

One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more

Everyone of us, in growing up, pass through stages in our lives that, when ended, will never return.

Our young lady, now a teen ager, may never again experience the below joy of frolicking in a mud puddle!

Odd Huh? She still has some real spunk in her! Do you see her up on the top of the snow mountain out in our front yard?

Yes the melancholy is still lingering but it presents no real challenge to me.

Next year on October the 31st, Patti and I plan to be in Arizona. This could well be our last Halloween! Could that be the source of this melancholy?

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Don’t forget that NATIONAL TODAY / NATIONAL DAY CALENDAR.. Are the sources of most, but not 100%, of the information on our various “Days”.

BASKETBALL..

Yes Patti and I are basketball fans especially when it comes to March Madness and The NBA Playoffs.

National Basketball Day is celebrated on November 6 each year. This day celebrates one of the most popular sports in the United States. Basketball is gaining popularity around the world, it’s played indoors or outdoors and it only requires a ball and a hoop. Hoops are found in most parks and gyms. National Basketball Day is a day for all basketball fans to celebrate the impact that basketball has globally.

National Basketball Day honors the founder of basketball, James Naismith, on his birthday. Naismith was born in the Canadian city of Almonte in 1861. Naismith moved to the United States to teach physical education at the Y.M.C.A. International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. His boss challenged him to come up with a fair and non-aggressive indoor winter sport. Naismith coined the term ‘basketball’ in December 1891.

Basketball’s first rulebook was created by Naismith, who came up with 13 basic rules. Triangle, the publication of the International Training School, published it on January 15, 1892.

Following its introduction in 1891, basketball quickly became popular. The first public basketball game was played in 1892.

After the Y.M.C.A. began advertising it internationally in 1893, the game spread to Y.M.C.A.s all over the world. In 1894, the first basketball was released, which was larger than the original soccer ball that was used.

The National Basketball League, the first professional league, was founded in 1898. Basketball was first introduced in St. Louis, Missouri, as a demonstration sport during the 1904’s Summer Olympics. It was later introduced as an official men’s sport in Berlin, Germany, at the 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1976, it was designated as a female Olympic sport.

Naismith died in Lawrence, Kansas, on November 28, 1939, aged 78. “Basketball: Its Origin and Development” was published after his death. Naismith was the inaugural inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1959.

A Few Tid-Bits..

In the beginning, referees had to collect the ball from the baskets when players scored since basketball was first played using a soccer ball and a peach basket.

James Naismith is also credited with inventing the first football helmet.

Surprisingly, players were not allowed to dribble past opponents in earlier versions of the game.

Amazing! Get This! There was no restriction to the number of players on the court when basketball was established, and some teams had as many as 50 players.

The popular slam-dunk move was banned before the 1967-1968 season and was only reinstated in the 1976-1977 season.

Basketball is a terrific way to get a full-body workout.

There you have it!

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Cap and Patti

Tonight! You betcha!

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