Good 33º foggy morning.
We stayed cloudy and gloomy yesterday and topped at 42º.
Yesterday again the geese were on top of the barn honking and honking before they flew down and munched on the grass!!
Picture of the Day
Interesting about ostriches.....
The common ostrich or simply ostrich, is a species of large flightless bird native to certain large areas of Africa. It is one of two extant species of ostriches, the only living members of the genus Struthio in the ratite order of birds. The other is the Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes), which was recognized as a distinct species by Bird Life International in 2014 having been previously considered a very distinctive subspecies of ostrich.
The strong legs of the common ostrich are unfeathered and show bare skin, with the tarsus (the lowest upright part of the leg) being covered in scales: red in the male, black in the female. The tarsus of the common ostrich is the largest of any living bird, measuring 15 to 21 inches in length.
The bird has just two toes on each foot (most birds have four), with the nail on the larger, inner toe resembling a hoof. The outer toe has no nail. The reduced number of toes is an adaptation that appears to aid in running, useful for getting away from predators.
Common ostriches can run at a speed over 43 mph and can cover 9.8 to 16.4 feet in a single stride. The wings reach a span of about 6 ft 7 inches, and the wing chord measurement of 35 inches is around the same size as for the largest flying birds.
These home-style potatoes topped with Cheddar cheese bring back memories of a restaurant specialty. A scrumptious side dish couldn't be any easier! Our recipe calls for unpeeled potatoes, which make this dish quick. Remember, though, there are no rules. So if you want to peel your potatoes, go for it!
- 6 medium baking potatoes, unpeeled and cubed (about 2 pounds)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 (1-ounce) envelope onion soup mix
- 1 1/2 cups (6-ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
- 5 green onions, chopped
- Preheat oven to 400º. Place potatoes in a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Dot with butter, and sprinkle dry onion soup mix over the top.
- Cover and bake 25 minutes; uncover and stir. Cover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions; serve immediately.
Special birthday today, Cathy Norman (LASD ret) is celebrating. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATHY my friend!! xo
Historically this date....
And births this date include...
"wake up little Susie, wake up" !!
All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Tuesday. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo
On January 19th, National Popcorn Day pops onto the scene with a crunch we all love to enjoy! The annual celebration recognizes a treat that satisfies munchies, day or night.
This time-honored snack can be sweet or savory, caramelized, buttered or plain, molded into a candied ball, or tossed with nuts and chocolate. However it is enjoyed, enjoy it on National Popcorn Day, January 19th.
The word “corn” in Old English meant “grain” or, more specifically, the most prominent grain grown in a region. As maize was the most common grain in early America, the word “corn” was aptly applied.
As early as the 16th century, the Aztec used popcorn in headdresses worn during ceremonies honoring Tlaloc, their god of maize and fertility. Early Spanish explorers were fascinated by the corn that burst into what looked like a white flower.
Popcorn started becoming popular in the United States in the middle 1800s. It wasn’t until Charles Cretors, a candy-store owner, developed a machine for popping corn with steam that the tasty treat became more abundantly poppable. By 1900 he had horse-drawn popcorn wagons going through the streets of Chicago.
At about the same time, Louise Ruckheim added peanuts and molasses to popcorn to bring Cracker Jack to the world. Then in 1908, the national anthem of baseball was born. Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer wrote Take Me out to the Ballgame. From that point onward, popcorn, specifically Cracker Jack, became forever married to the game.
At the Movies
Another romance connected to popcorn may have had a slow start but eventually took off. Today, who can imagine going to the movies without getting a box of buttered popcorn? While popcorn was an economical choice for a snack food, the expense of installing a machine and adequately venting the building didn’t seem worth the effort. If it weren’t for Glen W. Dickson, we would be purchasing our popcorn from a vendor on the street before taking in the show. Dickson put in the effort and expense of placing machines inside his theaters. After realizing how quickly he recouped his costs, other theater owners followed suit.
The microwave oven spurred the next big advancement for popcorn. With the invention of the microwave, a whole new market opened for the snack food. Magnetrons, a technology produced by Raytheon Manufacturing Corporation for the military during World War II, were later used to develop microwave ovens. Percy Spencer was the man who made it happen. He used popcorn in his initial experiments during the microwave’s development.
Today, Americans consume 13 billion quarts of popcorn a year, more than any other country in the world. A majority of the popcorn produced in the world is grown in the United States. Nebraska leads the corn belt in popcorn production.
NATIONAL POPCORN DAY HISTORY
The a-maizing origins of this pop-ular day is mysteriously amiss. However, the day has been observed since at least 1988.
