Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Ford Model T ~ Better Cheddar Potato Bake ~ National Visit Your Relatives Day

 

Good 45º cloudy morning. 

 

Yesterday we topped at 84º.

 

 

Picture of the Day

 

 

Interesting about the Ford Model T......

 

                          ^1925 Model T

The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the "tin Lizzie", "leaping Lena", "jitney" or "flivver") is an automobile produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relatively low price was partly the result of Ford's efficient fabrication, including assembly line production instead of individual handcrafting.

 

The Ford Model T was named the most influential car of the 20th century in the 1999 Car of the Century competition, ahead of the BMC Mini, Citroën DS, and Volkswagen Beetle. Ford's Model T was successful not only because it provided inexpensive transportation on a massive scale, but also because the car signified innovation for the rising middle class and became a powerful symbol of the United States' age of modernization. With 15 million sold, it stood eighth on the top-ten list of most sold cars of all time, as of 2012.

 

                         ^1917 Model T

                             ^1922 Model T

Although automobiles had been produced from the 1880s, until the Model T was introduced in 1908, they were mostly scarce, expensive, and often unreliable. Positioned as reliable, easily maintained, mass-market transportation, the Model T was a great success. In a matter of days after the release, 15,000 orders had been placed. The first production Model T was built on August 12, 1908 and left the factory on September 27, 1908, at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan. On May 26, 1927, Henry Ford watched the 15 millionth Model T Ford roll off the assembly line at his factory in Highland Park, Michigan.

 

Henry Ford conceived a series of cars between the founding of the company in 1903 and the introduction of the Model T. Ford named his first car the Model A and proceeded through the alphabet up through the Model T, twenty models in all. Not all the models went into production. The production model immediately before the Model T was the Model S, an upgraded version of the company's largest success to that point, the Model N. The follow-up to the Model T was the Ford Model A, rather than the "Model U". The company publicity said this was because the new car was such a departure from the old that Ford wanted to start all over again with the letter A.

 

The Model T was Ford's first automobile mass-produced on moving assembly lines with completely interchangeable parts, marketed to the middle class. Henry Ford said of the vehicle:

"I will build a motor car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one – and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces."

 

Although credit for the development of the assembly line belongs to Ranson E Olds, with the first mass-produced automobile, the Oldsmobile Curved Dash, having begun in 1901, the tremendous advances in efficiency of the system over the life of the Model T can be credited almost entirely to Ford and his engineers. 

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

If you’re looking for side dish that will elevate any meal, this should be your go to recipe. It’s got everything we love about creamy mashed potatoes, plus it’s loaded with a layer of cheesy goodness. Think of this as your secret weapon when you really want to impress your whole family.

 

• 3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 (16-ounce) container cottage cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1/3 cup  milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 

 

• Preheat oven to 350º.
•  
• Place potatoes in a soup pot and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook 20 to 25 minutes or until tender.
•  
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and the scallions; mix well and set aside.
•  
• Drain potatoes well and return to pot. Place back on heat 1 minute to make sure all water has evaporated. Add milk, butter, salt, and black pepper and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
•  
• Spread half the potato mixture evenly in a 2-quart baking dish. Top with a layer of the cottage cheese mixture. Spoon the remaining potato mixture over the cottage cheese filling and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese.
•  
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through.

 

 

Historically this date.....

1860 – Abraham Lincoln wins the Republican Party presidential nomination over William H. Seward, who later becomes the United States Secretary of State.

1926 – Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears while visiting a Venice, California beach.

 

1944 – Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union government.

 

1980 – 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens: Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington,United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage

1995 – Shawn Nelson, 35, goes on a tank rampage in San Diego.

 

And births this date include...

1912 – Perry Como, American singer (d. 2001)

 

 

 

 

 

 

1928 – Pernell Roberts, American actor (d. 2010)

 

1934 – Dwayne Hickman, American actor and television executive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1946 – Reggie Jackson, American baseball player

 

1952 – George Strait, American country musician

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Tuesday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

National Visit Your Relatives Day on May 18th encourages family members to stay connected. Our hectic lives makes it easy to get so caught up in the busyness of today’s fast-paced lifestyle. We often lose touch with our relatives. The observance reminds us to stop for a moment, take some much-needed time and visit those relatives we care about and have not seen or spoken to for a while.

Sometimes it is hard when families do not live close. Often siblings, cousins, parents, and dear relatives are scattered across the country. A visit can be a phone call or a face-to-face live chat on the computer.  With today’s technology, we are now able to communicate with loved ones living far away, yet seeing them as if they are right beside us.

Life is much too short not to make time for family.

HOW TO OBSERVE

On this day, spend time with your family, either in person, on the phone or computer. You will be glad that you did.