Weather/Cold ~ First Date with Jerry ~ Picture of the Day ~ Ravens ~ New England Clam Chowder ~ Manhattan Clam Chowder ~ Arlon and JoAnne Webb ~ National Clam Chowder Day

  

Good 19º clear sky morning.

 

 

Yesterday, again, we started at 18º and the sky then got cloudy. We topped at 56º.

 

Today, February 25, 1974, 48 years ago, was my first date with Jerry. He treated me to steak and lobster dinner. We totally enjoyed the evening and each other. Instant love. From that day on we were always together. We married on June 14th the next year.

 

 

 

Picture of the Day ... Sleeping friends!

 

 

 

Interesting about ravens....

 

BASIC DESCRIPTION

The intriguing Common Raven has accompanied people around the Northern Hemisphere for centuries, following their wagons, sleds, sleighs, and hunting parties in hopes of a quick meal. Ravens are among the smartest of all birds, gaining a reputation for solving ever more complicated problems invented by ever more creative scientists. These big, sooty birds thrive among humans and in the back of beyond, stretching across the sky on easy, flowing wingbeats and filling the empty spaces with an echoing croak.

Look for ravens anywhere from the outskirts of towns (particularly landfills) to foothill forests or scrub, and out to the deep woods of mountains and national parks. If they’re around you’re likely to hear a deep gurgling croak from far overhead: look for a long-tailed black bird flying on long wings and easy, graceful wingbeats. When driving, keep an eye out for them on the roadsides, gathered at roadkill, or flying straight down the center line on the lookout.

The Common Raven is an acrobatic flier, often doing rolls and somersaults in the air. One bird was seen flying upside down for more than a half-mile. Young birds are fond of playing games with sticks, repeatedly dropping them, then diving to catch them in midair.

 

Breeding pairs of Common Ravens hold territories and try to exclude all other ravens throughout the year. In winter, young ravens finding a carcass will call other ravens to the prize. They apparently do this to overwhelm the local territory owners by force of numbers to gain access to the food.

 

Common Ravens are smart, which makes them dangerous predators. They sometimes work in pairs to raid seabird colonies, with one bird distracting an incubating adult and the other waiting to grab an egg or chick as soon as it’s uncovered. They’ve been seen waiting in trees as ewes give birth, then attacking the newborn lambs.

 

They also use their intellect to put together cause and effect. A study in Wyoming discovered that during hunting season, the sound of a gunshot draws ravens in to investigate a presumed carcass, whereas the birds ignore sounds that are just as loud but harmless, such as an airhorn or a car door slamming.

 

People the world over sense a certain kind of personality in ravens. Edgar Allan Poe clearly found them a little creepy. The captive ravens at the Tower of London are beloved and perhaps a little feared: legend has it that if they ever leave the tower, the British Empire will crumble. Native people of the Pacific Northwest regard the raven as an incurable trickster, bringing fire to people by stealing it from the sun, and stealing salmon only to drop them in rivers all over the world.

 

Increasing raven populations threaten some vulnerable species including desert tortoises, Marbled Murrelets, and Least Terns. Ravens can cause trouble for people too. They’ve been implicated in causing power outages by contaminating insulators on power lines, fouling satellite dishes at the Goldstone Deep Space Site, peeling radar absorbent material off buildings at the Chinal Lake Naval Weapons center, pecking holes in airplane wings, stealing golf balls, opening campers’ tents, and raiding cars left open at parks.

 

Common Ravens can mimic the calls of other bird species. When raised in captivity, they can even imitate human words; one Common Raven raised from birth was taught to mimic the word “nevermore.”

 

The oldest known wild Common Raven was at least 22 years, 7 months old. It was banded and found in Nova Scotia.

 

 

 

 

Since it's National Clam Chowder Day, here's two recipes of chowder.....

From Mr. Food

 

Can't make it to New England for a bowl of cream-style "chowda" this week? No problem! Our New England Clam Chowder tastes like it came straight from a small seaside shack. Top each bowl with some oyster crackers and you're all set!

 

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 ounces salt pork, diced
• 2 (6.5-ounce) cans chopped clams
• 1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

 

1. In a soup pot over medium heat, sauté onion and salt pork 5 to 7 minutes, or until they begin to brown.
    
2. Add clams, clam juice, chicken broth, potato, salt, and pepper; cover and bring to a boil. Cook, covered, 12 to 15 minutes, or until potato is tender.
    
3. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 cup heavy cream; add to soup. Add remaining 1-1/2 cups cream and the parsley, if desired; cook 5 minutes, or until thickened, stirring frequently.

 

And....

 

From Mr. Food

When it comes to clam chowder, you either like it Manhattan-style or creamy like they make it in New England. Well, for those of you who never had Authentic Manhattan Clam Chowder, like this one, just wait until you take your first spoon full. With its tangy tomato base, combined with lots of chopped clams, what's not to love? What's even better? It whips up in just 20 minutes! The authentic flavor will leave your taste buds happy and your belly full!

 

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 (6-1/2 ounces) cans chopped clams, undrained
• 2 (8 ounce) bottles clam juice
• 1 cup diced potatoes, uncooked (about 1 medium potato)
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf

1. In a soup pot over medium heat, cook onion, celery, and carrot in butter 5 minutes, or until tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
    
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

 

 

Yesterday was a special anniversary for friends Arlon and his bride JoAnne Webb. They celebrated their 60th!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KIDS!!

Arlon was a graduate from Woodrow Wilson High in El Sereno.

 Wedding picture:

 

 

Historically this date....

1919 – Oregon places a 1 cent per U.S. gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.

 

1932 – Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, which allows him to run in the 1932 election for Reichspräsident.

 

1964 – Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston, Ali took the title.

 

1991 – Gulf War: An Iraqi scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 U.S. Army Reservists from Pennsylvania.

.........Rest in peace soldiers. God Bless you.

 

And births this date include...

1913 – Jim Backus, American actor (d. 1989)

 

1929 – Christopher George, American actor (d. 1983)

 

1938 – Diane Baker, American actress

 

1943 – George Harrison, English singer and guitarist, member of The Beatles (d. 2001)

 

1971 – Sean Astin, American actor

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

Each year on February 25th people across the nation have a bowl and spoon ready to be filled with clam chowder as they prepare to participate in National Clam Chowder Day.

A clam chowder in its simplest form is a soup or stew containing clams or fish. The most common type of chowder includes milk or cream as well as potatoes, though the Manhattan clam chowder has tomatoes.

The origin of the word “chowder” is up for a little bit of debate.  The French word for cauldron is “chaudiere.”  The English word “jowter” means fish peddler.  Both are on the hook for possible origins.

 In chowder, along with the clams, it is common to find diced potatoes, onions (often sautéed with pork or bacon drippings) and celery.

Following is a list of the basic clam chowder variants:

• New England clam chowder
• Manhattan clam chowder
• Rhode Island clam chowder
• Delaware clam chowder
• New Jersey clam chowder
• Hatteras clam chowder
• Minorcan clam chowder
• Long Island clam chowder
• Puget Sound clam chowder