Weather/Fog ~ Turkey ~ Picture of the Day ~ West Virginia Information ~ Maple Glazed Harvest Vegetables ~ Steve Geon ~ National Take A Hike Day

 

Good 44º raining morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we stayed foggy for most of the day. We did see some sun occasionally. We topped at 50º.

 

And, this turkey hopped on the fence and tried to get some of the cracked corn out of the bird feeder! 

 

 

Picture of the Day .... Wanna live on that street?

 

 

 

Interesting about West Virginia....

 

West Virginia is considered the southern most northern state and the northern most southern state.

 

Mother’s Day was first observed at Andrews Church in Grafton on May 10, 1908.

 

West Virginia has the oldest population of any state. The median age is 40.

 

Jackson’s Mill is the site of the first 4-H Camp in the United States.

 

The world’s largest sycamore tree is located on the Back Fork of the Elk River in Webster Springs.

 

The first state sales tax in the United States went into effect in West Virginia on July 1, 1921.

 

Some famous individuals from West Virginia include: Pearl Buck (author), Peter Marshall (television host), Chuck Yeager (test pilot /Air Force General), Don Knotts (actor), Mary Lou Retton (Olympic gold medallist for gymnastics), and Kathy Mattea (country music singer).

 

Nearly 75% of West Virginia is covered by forests.

 

West Virginia covers about 24,000 square miles and has a population of about 1.8 million.

 

15% of the nation’s total coal production comes from West Virginia.

West Virginia was the first state to have a sales tax. It became effective July 1, 1921.

 

The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston, West Virginia, on October 23, 1870, on Summers Street, between Kanawha and Virginia Streets.

 

 

 

From Mr. Food
Maple Glazed Harvest Vegetables 

With all the cooking we need to do around the holidays, it’s nice to know we can have a fresh-from the-farm-style side dish that starts by using a few shortcut ingredients that we can find in the freezer aisle. By simply roasting frozen veggies, it brings out their natural sweetness and adds a rich, nutty flavor. And when laced with a homemade maple butter sauce, don’t be surprised when this holiday go-along takes center stage.

 

• 1 (18-ounce) bag frozen cubed sweet potatoes
• 1 (10.8-ounce) bag frozen Brussels sprouts, thawed
• 1 (10.8-ounce) bag frozen broccoli & cauliflower
• 1/2 cup frozen chopped onions & peppers
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon butter

• Preheat oven to 400º.
•  
• In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli & cauliflower mixture, the chopped onions and pepper, oil, and salt; toss until evenly coated.
•  
• Place vegetable mixture on baking sheets.
•  
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender and begin to brown, turning halfway through cooking.
•  
• Place vegetables on a platter and sprinkle with dried cranberries.
•  
• In a small microwaveable bowl, microwave maple syrup and butter for 1 minute or until butter is melted and mixture is hot.
•  
• Drizzle syrup over vegetables and serve.

 

**Want to give this a fun tropical twist? Roast some frozen pineapple chunks along with the veggies, sprinkle on some chopped macadamia nuts, and get ready for a hula-licious addition to the holidays.

 

 

 

Special birthday today, Steve Geon (LAPD ret and Wilsonite) is celebrating. HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!!

 

 

 

 

Historically this date....

1947 – The U.S. Screen Actors Guild implements an anti-Communist loyalty oath.

1970 – Douglas Engelbart receives the patent for the first computer mouse.

 

 

2004 – Kmart Corp. announces that it is buying Sears, Roebuck and Co. for $11 billion USD and naming the newly merged company Sears Holdings Corporation.

 

And births this date include...

1925 – Rock Hudson, American actor (d. 1985)

Click on his name and read about his "personal life"...

  

1942 – Martin Scorsese, American film director

5 wives!!!

  

1943 – Lauren Hutton, American actress

I just never did get the 'tooth gap' with her. Soooo unattractive! Could have been fixed! She has the $$ ! BTW, these pictures in order of her age. Her "personal life" is interesting too.

 

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

National Take a Hike Day on November 17th encourages us to get out there and hit the trails. With over 60,000 miles of trails in the National Trail System across the 50 states, there is no lack of opportunity to take a hike.  

Some of those trails are hundreds of years old. For example, the oldest continuously used trail in the United States is Crawford Path in New Hampshire. The beginnings of the mountain path were cleared to the summit of Mt. Washington in 1819. Other trails allow us to follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark or explore even more ancient history like Effigy Mounds National Monument.

Besides experiencing majestic views and the great outdoors, we also exercise our bodies. Hiking not only gets our hearts pumping and our muscles moving, but being outdoors is good for our minds. Many of us spend too much time indoors behind a desk. Hiking can burn between 400-550 calories per hour. What better way to get a head start on all those ‘other’ holiday temptations and observe Take a Hike Day?

Events around the country celebrate Take a Hike Day. Local, state, and National Parks support hiking events encouraging us to enjoy a hike. Be sure to wear good shoes, take a snack and bring a buddy, but get out there and enjoy the fresh air, scenery and get a little exercise to boot!

HOW TO OBSERVE

Invite a friend and take a nice hike. Check out the resources below to find trails near you. 

Americantrails.org
National Parks Posters
AmericanHiking.org