Gloom ~ Sun ~ Dude ~ Picture of the Day ~ Lincoln Memorial ~ Blue Cheese Bacon Slaw ~ National Vanilla Pudding Day

Good 40º sun clouds morning. 

Yesterday started off dark and gloomy....

 Then the sun broke through the clouds on and off....

Dude was very happy to nap in the sun!

We topped at 67º.

Picture of the Day... LOL, perfect timing 

Interesting about the Lincoln Memorial...

Abraham Lincoln (1920) is a colossal seated figure of United States President Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) sculpted by Daniel Chester French (1850–1931) and carved by the Piccirilli Brothers. It is in the Lincoln Memorial (constructed 1914–1922), on the National Mall, Washington, D.C., United States, and was unveiled in 1922. The work follows in the Beaux Arts and American Renaissance style traditions.

The 170-ton statue is composed of 28 blocks of white Georgia marble (Georgia Marble Company) and rises 30 feet from the floor, including the 19-foot seated figure (with armchair and footrest) upon an 11-foot high pedestal. The figure of Lincoln gazes directly ahead and slightly down with an expression of gravity and solemnity. His frock coat is unbuttoned, and a large United States flag is draped over the chair back and sides. French paid special attention to Lincoln's expressive hands, which rest on the enormous arms of a circular, ceremonial chair, the fronts of which bear faces, emblems of authority from Roman antiquity. French used casts of his own fingers to achieve the correct placement.

Commission president William H. Taft – who was then Chief Justice of the United States – dedicated the Memorial on May 30, 1922, and presented it to United States President Warren G. Harding, who accepted it on behalf of the American people. Lincoln's only surviving son, 78-year-old Robert Todd Lincoln, was in attendance.

The exterior of the Memorial echoes a classic Greek temple and features Yule marble quarried from Colorado. The structure measures 189.7 by 118.5 feet  and is 99 feet  tall. It is surrounded by a peristyle of 36 fluted Doric columns, one for each of the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln's death, and two columns in-antis at the entrance behind the colonnade. The columns stand 44 feet tall with a base diameter of 7.5 feet. Each column is built from 12 drums including the capital. The columns, like the exterior walls and facades, are inclined slightly toward the building's interior. This is to compensate for perspective distortions which would otherwise make the memorial appear to bulge out at the top when compared with the bottom, a common feature of Ancient Greek architecture.

In 1955 when my parents and I went to Washington DC... this is Mom and Dad at the memorial....(taken with my Brownie camera!) 

From Mr. Food

Our Blue Cheese Bacon Slaw is a welcomed change from ordinary coleslaw and the perfect way to shake off winter and welcome the cool crisp recipes of summer. The combo of flavors makes this creamy crunchy slaw the perfect go-along with any lunch favorite. Pack a picnic or eat this at home, either way it's gonna be deli-fantastic!

 

• 1 (16-ounce) package broccoli slaw mix (If you want to change things up, you can always try different varieties of bagged slaw mixes which can be found in the produce department of your market)
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 5 bacon slices, crispy cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

 

1. In a large bowl, combine slaw mix, onion, bacon, salt, pepper, and ranch dressing; mix well.
2. Sprinkle with blue cheese and serve.

 

Historically this date...

1906 – The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine".

1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, and is the only mountain other than Mount St. Helens to erupt in the contiguous US during the 20th century.

1942 – World War II: Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox enlists in the United States Marine Corps as a flight instructor.

1960 – An earthquake measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale, now known as the Great Chilean Earthquake, hits southern Chile. It is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded.

1968 – The nuclear-powered submarine the USS Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard 400 miles southwest of the Azores.

1992 – After 30 years, 66-year-old Johnny Carson hosts The Tonight Show for the last time.

2004 – The U.S. town of Hallam, Nebraska, is wiped out by a powerful F4 tornado(part of the May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence) that broke a width record at an astounding 2.5 miles (4.0 km) wide, which kills one resident.

2008 – The Late-May 2008 tornado outbreak sequence unleashes 235 tornadoes, including an EF4 and an EF5 tornado, between May 22 and May 31, 2008. The tornadoes struck 19 states and one Canadian province.

2011 – An EF5 Tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri killing 161 people, the single deadliest tornado in the United States since modern record keeping began in 1950.

And births this date include....

1938 – Richard Benjamin, American actor

.....still married to Paula Prentis!

1940 – Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (d. 2011)

1942 – Barbara Parkins, Canadian actress

All I know. Nuff said. Happy TGIF. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

May 22nd is the day we recognize National Vanilla Pudding Day. Enjoy it with a delicious dish of cold, creamy vanilla pudding.

The puddings we enjoy as desserts today are not what was commonly known as pudding at ancient dinner tables. Most medieval puddings were meat-based and seasoned with herbs and spices. Even sweetened, they were usually served hot. Toward the end of the 18th century, puddings were more likely made from a grains or day-old bread with nuts, fruit, or meats. These puddings were used to stretch meals for a large family.

The creamy pudding we are more familiar with today is related to the custard, minus the eggs.

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but spouses who are chemists are the inventors. When you are Alfred Bird and your wife is allergic to eggs, that is very true. In 1837, Bird invented an egg-free custard powder using flavored cornstarch.

My-T-Fine produced the earliest packaged pudding in the United States in 1918. This and other puddings like them still required cooking on the stove. The instant version came along in the mid-1940s.  On its own or as an ingredient in a larger recipe, pudding can be enjoyed in a variety of flavors.

HOW TO OBSERVE

You can celebrate by enjoying vanilla pudding on its own or making another dessert. A few suggestions include:

• Layer fresh fruit and pound cake to make a trifle.
• Poke holes in a cake and pour the pudding over the top to make a poke cake.
• Use vanilla pudding to make a parfait.
• Make a pudding pie.

We even have a few recipes for you to try.

Homemade Vanilla PuddingMoms Chocolate Chip CookiesStrawberry Delight CakeDessert Pizza