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Thursday, April 4, 2024

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Texas History ~ Potato-Crusted Salmon ~ National School Librarian Day

  


Good 28º super frozen morning!
 
 
Yesterday we were cloudy and had light rain on and off and topped at 56º.
 
 
Picture of the Day...best friends. 😊
 

 
Interesting about Texas........
 

 

Texas (/ˈtɛksəs/ TEK-səsslocally also /ˈtɛksɪz/ TEK-siz; SpanishTexas or Tejas, pronounced [ˈtexas]) is the most populous state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of ChihuahuaCoahuilaNuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and southwest. Texas has a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Covering 268,596 square miles, and with over 30 million residents as of 2023, it is the second-largest U.S. state by both area and population.

 


Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State for its former status as an independent republic. The Lone Star can be found on the Texas state flag and the Texas state seal. Spain was the first European country to claim and control the area of Texas. Following a short-lived colony controlled by France, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming the Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state.[14] The state's annexation set off a chain of events that led to the Mexican–American War in 1846. Following victory by the United States, Texas remained a slave state until the American Civil War, when it declared its secession from the Union in early 1861 before officially joining the Confederate States of America on March 2. After the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.

 

Historically, four major industries shaped the Texas economy prior to World War II: cattle and bison, cotton, timber, and oil. Before and after the Civil War, the cattle industry—which Texas came to dominate—was a major economic driver and created the traditional image of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber grew to be major industries as the cattle industry became less lucrative. Ultimately, the discovery of major petroleum deposits (Spindletop in particular) initiated an economic boom that became the driving force behind the economy for much of the 20th century. Texas developed a diversified economy and high tech industry during the mid-20th century. As of 2022, it has the most Fortune 500 company headquarters (53) in the United States. With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many industries, including tourismagriculturepetrochemicalsenergycomputers and electronicsaerospace, and biomedical sciences. Texas has led the U.S. in state export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product.

 


The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and Greater Houston areas are the nation's fourth and fifth-most populous urban regions respectively. Its capital city is Austin. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas contains diverse landscapes common to both the U.S. Southern and the Southwestern regions. Most population centers are in areas of former prairiesgrasslands, forests, and the coastline. Traveling from east to west, terrain ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, to the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.

 

Etymology

The name Texas, based on the Caddo word táy:shaʼ (/tə́jːʃaʔ/) 'friend', was applied, in the spelling Tejas or Texas, by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, specifically the Hasinai Confederacy.

Statehood

Texas was finally annexed when the expansionist James K. Polk won the election of 1844. On December 29, 1845, the U.S. Congress admitted Texas to the U.S. After Texas's annexation, Mexico broke diplomatic relations with the United States. While the United States claimed Texas's border stretched to the Rio Grande, Mexico claimed it was the Nueces River leaving the Rio Grande Valley under contested Texan sovereignty. While the former Republic of Texas could not enforce its border claims, the United States had the military strength and the political will to do so. President Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor south to the Rio Grande on January 13, 1846. A few months later Mexican troops routed an American cavalry patrol in the disputed area in the Thornton Affair starting the Mexican–American War. The first battles of the war were fought in Texas: the Siege of Fort TexasBattle of Palo Alto and Battle of Resaca de la Palma. After these decisive victories, the United States invaded Mexican territory, ending the fighting in Texas.

 

Wildlife

Texas is the home to 65 species of mammals, 213 species of reptiles and amphibians, including the American green tree frog, and the greatest diversity of bird life in the United States—590 native species in all. At least 12 species have been introduced and now reproduce freely in Texas.

 

Texas plays host to several species of wasps, including an abundance of Polistes exclamans, and is an important ground for the study of Polistes annularis.

 

During the spring Texas wildflowers such as the state flower, the bluebonnet, line highways throughout Texas. During the Johnson Administration the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, worked to draw attention to Texas wildflowers.

 

If you want to read a whole lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas

 
 
From Mr. Food

SERVES
2
COOK TIME
20 Min

We dip salmon in butter and then coat it with seasoned potato flakes to make our delicious Potato-Crusted Salmon. It's so easy to do, and the crunchy coating really makes this salmon taste extra-special.

 

  • 1/3 cup instant mashed potato flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 (6-ounce) frozen salmon fillets, thawed, skin removed
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 7- x 11-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
     
  2. In a shallow dish, combine potato flakes, onion powder, salt, and pepper; mix well. Dip fillets in melted butter then coat with potato mixture; place in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle any remaining potato mixture evenly over the top. Drizzle remaining butter over the fillets.
     
  3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork and potato crust is golden. Serve immediately.
     

 

 
Historically this date......
1147 – First historical record of Moscow.


1581 – Francis Drake is knighted for completing a circumnavigation of the world.

1818 – The United States Congress adopts the flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (then 20).

1850 – Los Angeles, California is incorporated as a city.

1964 – The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.

1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

1975 – Microsoft is founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico

1991 – Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania and six others are killed when a helicopter collides with their plane over an elementary school in Merion, Pennsylvania.


And births this date include....
1895 – Arthur Murray, American dance teacher (d. 1991)

1932 – Anthony Perkins, American actor (d. 1992)
.... Died from AIDS, but was married to Berry, a female, who died in one of the 9-11 plane crashes. He had two children.

1942 – Jim Fregosi, American baseball player and manager (d.2014)

1944 – Craig T. Nelson, American actor

1950 – Christine Lahti, American actress

 
 
1965 – Robert Downey, Jr., American actor
Dude............comb thy locks!
 
 
 
All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Thursday. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo

On April 4th each year, National School Librarian Day recognizes the professionals who keep the school library in working order. School librarians spend long hours keeping the library organized. They are also dedicated to helping our children find the resources they need to keep learning. School librarians are the people who create an environment where students can learn every day of the year. Their work is an impressive accomplishment.
 
The school librarians provide guidance and expose our youth not only to texts, print media, and literature but to digital resources and technology, too. These resources also connect them to libraries around the world. A school librarian’s ability to manage scores of media and a school full of students with numerous projects and schedules astounds us.

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