Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Blue Jays ~ Creamy Mushroom Risotto ~ May Day ~ Mother Goose Day

  

Good 47º cloudy morning. Rain predicted.

 

 

Yesterday we started clear and sunny...........

Later we got cloudy and topped at 69º.

 

 

Picture of the Day

 

Union Station, Los Angeles, opening 1939

 

Interesting about blue jays...............

 

The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America. It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; some eastern populations may be migratory. Resident populations are also in Newfoundland, Canada; breeding populations are found across southern Canada. It breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests, and is common in residential areas. Its coloration is predominantly blue, with a white chest and underparts, and a blue crest; it has a black, U-shaped collar around its neck and a black border behind the crest. Males and females are similar in size and plumage, and plumage does not vary throughout the year. Four subspecies have been recognized.

 

The blue jay feeds mainly on seeds and nuts, such as acorns, which it may hide to eat later; soft fruits; arthropods; and occasionally small vertebrates. It typically gleans food from trees, shrubs, and the ground, and sometimes hawks insects from the air. Blue jays can be very aggressive to other birds; they sometimes raid nests and have even been found to have decapitated other birds.

 

It builds an open cup nest in the branches of a tree; both sexes participate. The clutch may be two to seven eggs, which are blueish or light brown with darker brown spots. Young are altricial, and are brooded by the female for 8–12 days after hatching. They may stay with their parents for one to two months.

 

The name jay derives from the bird's noisy, garrulous nature and has been applied to other birds of the same family, which are also mostly gregarious. Jays are also called jaybirds.

 

The blue jay measures 9–12 in. from bill to tail and weighs 2.5–3.5 oz, with a wingspan of 13–17 in. Consistent with Bergmann's rule, jays from Connecticut averaged 3.26 oz. in mass, while jays from warmer southern Florida averaged 2.60 oz. There is a pronounced crest on the head, a crown of feathers, which may be raised or lowered according to the bird's mood. When excited or aggressive, the crest will be fully raised. When frightened, the crest bristles outwards, brush like. When the bird is feeding among other jays or resting, the crest is flattened on the head.

 

Its plumage is lavender-blue to mid-blue in the crest, back, wings, and tail, and its face is white. The underside is off-white and the neck is collared with black which extends to the sides of the head. The wing primaries and tail are strongly barred with black, sky-blue, and white. The bill, legs, and eyes are all black. Males and females are almost identical, but the male is slightly larger. The black plumage on its nape, face, and throat varies extensively between individuals; it is believed to assist in recognition between individuals.

 

As with most other blue-hued birds, the blue jay's coloration is not derived from pigments but is the result of light interference due to the internal structure of the feathers; if a blue feather is crushed, the blue disappears because the structure is destroyed. The actual pigment in its feathers is melanin. This is referred to as structural coloration.

 

To read a lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_jay

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Our Creamy Mushroom Risotto recipe is so easy to make, you're going to wonder why you didn't do it sooner! This oh-so-creamy and versatile dish originated in Northern Italy, and it's become super popular in the United States. Probably, because once you make this, and you take that first bite, you'll feel like you've been transported to a little bistro in Northern Italy! This is a recipe you're going to want to make again and again!

 

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

1. In a saucepan, bring chicken broth to a simmer, but do not boil. Keep warm over low heat.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add mushrooms and onion and sauté 4 to 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in rice, garlic, and wine; cook until wine is absorbed. Add 1 cup hot broth, stirring constantly until liquid is nearly absorbed. Repeat process, adding remaining broth 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding next portion (about 15 minutes total).
3. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper. Serve immediately.

 

***If you're looking for a yummy way to change up this Creamy Mushroom Risotto recipe, you can add some shrimp or cooked chicken into the mix, keeping the risotto fresh every time you make it!

 

 

Historically this date...........

1328 – Wars of Scottish Independence end: Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton – the Kingdom of England recognizes the Kingdom of Scotland as an independent state.

1707 – The Act of Union joins the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.

1785 – Kamehameha I, the king of Hawaii, defeats Kalanikupule and establishes the Kingdom of Hawaii.

1884 – Proclamation of the demand for eight-hour workday in the United States.

1915 – The RMS Lusitania departs from New York City on her two hundred and second, and final, crossing of the North Atlantic. Six days later, the ship is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives, including 128 Americans, rousing American sentiment against Germany.

1930 – The dwarf planet Pluto is officially named. 

1931 – The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City 

1945 – World War II: Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda commit suicide in the Reich Garden outside the Führerbunker. Their children are murdered by Magda by having cyanide pills inserted into their mouths.

1948 – The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is established, with Kim Il-sung as leader.

1956 – The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.

1960 – Cold War: U-2 incident – Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spy plane, is shot down over the Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis.

1961 – The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections.

1991 – Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics steals his 939th base, making him the all-time leader in this category. However, his accomplishment is overshadowed later that evening by Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers, when he pitches his seventh career no-hitter, breaking his own record.

2007 – The Los Angeles May Day mêlée occurs, in which the Los Angeles Police Department's response to a May Day pro-immigration rally become a matter of controversy.

2011 – Barack Obama announces that Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks is killed by United States special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Due to the time difference between the United States and Pakistan, bin Laden was actually killed on May 2.

 

And births this date include...

1852 – Calamity Jane, American frontierswoman (d. 1903)

 

1916 – Glenn Ford, Canadian actor (d. 2006)

 

1925 – Scott Carpenter, American astronaut (d.2013)

   

 

 

1967 – Tim McGraw, American singer and actor

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On May 1st, May Day ushers in a traditional celebration of flowers and spring. In many ancient calendars, May 1st welcomed the first day of summer. This was truly a cause for celebration.

One of the more popular rituals was harvesting flowers and giving them to neighbors and strangers in cone-shaped baskets. These May Baskets become more commonly known as May Day Baskets. The current tradition is observed by hanging a cone-shaped basket full of flowers or other gifts on the outside doorknob, then knocking or ringing the doorbell and running away.

May Day has been a traditional day of celebration for centuries, with some of the earliest appearing in pre-Christian times. In English tradition, the observance is celebrated by crowning a May Queen and dancing around a maypole. The Finnish recognize a carnival-type celebration in the streets that includes a special type of lemonade made with lemons, brown sugar, and yeast.  In France, it is correct to give people either dogwood or lily of the valley while Italians celebrate with a seasonal feast in honor of the arrival of spring.

HOW TO OBSERVE

While there are several ways to celebrate the day, don’t limit yourself to just one! Choose several of these spring options:

• Dance! Either dance around a May Pole or just dance with someone near to you.
• Plant flowers. Make a point of planting wildflowers and you will attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

And, today is also............

 

National Mother Goose Day on May 1st each year honors Mother Goose and the imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes we loved as children.  Mother Goose is often illustrated as an elderly countrywoman in a tall hat and shawl, but she is also sometimes depicted as a goose wearing a bonnet.

Enjoy two different versions of Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater:

(Originally dated in Mother Goose’s Quarto c1825)

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,
Had another, and didn’t love her;
Peter learned to read and spell,
And then he loved her very well.

(Most well-known version)

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,
Had a wife and couldn’t keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell

And there he keeps her very well.

 

NATIONAL MOTHER GOOSE DAY HISTORY

Charles Perrault is believed to be the initiator of the fairy tale genre when he published his fairy tale collection in 1695. His publication marks the first authenticated starting-point for the Mother Goose stories.  An English version of Perrault’s collection appeared in 1729:  Robert Samber’s Histories or Tales of Past Times, Told by Mother Goose. These fairy tales introduced Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, and others. Mother Goose’s Melody – A book of poems for children was published in 1781 and has been enjoyed by billions since then.

In 1987, Gloria T. Delamar in tandem with the publication of her book, Mother Goose; From Nursery to Literature founded Mother Goose Day. For more information on National Mother Goose Day visit The Official Home of the Mother Goose Society.