Weather ~ Sami ~ Picture of the Day ~ American Flag ~ Chicken Ranch Mac and Cheese ~ National Joe Day

  

Good 28º morning.

 

Yesterday we had some blue sky and clouds and topped at 55º....

 

This past Saturday my granddaughter Sami, Brian and Jen's daughter, was in an Oregon state gymnastics competition in Portland. Sami did good and got second place in the vault. She got eight over all. Good job Sami!!! xoxo

 This was Sami 6 years ago...

 

Picture of the Day....super tall!

 

 

Interesting about our flag........

 

 

The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union") bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from Great Britain, and became the first states in the U.S. Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and the Star-Spangled Banner.

 

The current design of the U.S. flag is its 27th; the design of the flag has been modified officially 26 times since 1777. The 48-star flag was in effect for 47 years until the 49-star version became official on July 4, 1959. The 50-star flag was ordered by then president Eisenhower on August 21, 1959, and was adopted in July 1960. It is the longest-used version of the U.S. flag and has been in use for over 62 years.

 

On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. While scholars still argue about this, tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted in June 1777 by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment.

 

Both the stripes (barry) and the stars (mullets) have precedents in classical heraldry. Mullets were comparatively rare in early modern heraldry. However, an example of mullets representing territorial divisions predating the U.S. flag is the Valais 1618 coat of arms, where seven mullets stood for seven districts.

 

The flag of the United States is the nation's most widely recognized symbol. Within the United States, flags are frequently displayed not only on public buildings but on private residences. The flag is a common motif on decals for car windows, and on clothing ornamentation such as badges and lapel pins. Owing to the United States's emergence as a superpower in the 20th century, the flag is among the most widely recognized symbols in the world, and is used to represent the United States.

 

The flag has become a powerful symbol of Americanism, and is flown on many occasions, with giant outdoor flags used by retail outlets to draw customers. Reverence for the flag has at times reached religion-like fervor: in 1919 William Norman Guthrie's book The Religion of Old Glory discussed "the cult of the flag"^[76] and formally proposed vexillolatry.

 

^{If you want to read a lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_States}

 

 

 

Chicken Ranch Mac & Cheese

 

3 cups elbow macaroni

3 T. butter

2 T. all purpose flour

½ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

1 cup milk (regular or 2%)

1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

¾ cup ranch salad dressing

1 cup coarsely chopped cooked chicken

(get a rotisserie chicken at the market!)

Topping:

1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 T. butter melted

10 bacon strips cooked and crumbled (or use the crumbled bacon from the meat department at the market!)

1 T. minced fresh parsley (optional)

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. In large pot cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente, drain and return to pot.

2. Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to boil, stirring constantly, cook and stir 1-2 minutes until thickened. Stir in cheeses until blended. Stir in dressing.

3. Add chicken and sauce to macaroni, tossing to combine. Transfer to greased 13x9 baking dish.

4. Toss bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle over macaroni. Top with bacon. Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes until topping is golden and sprinkle with parsley.

 

 

 

 

Historically this date........

1886 – Famous Apache warrior, Geronimo, surrenders to the U.S. Army, ending the main phase of the Apache Wars.

1915 – Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of disease ever identified in the United States, is put in quarantine, where she would remain for the rest of her life. (Interesting read)

1958 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union.

1964 – The Good Friday Earthquake, the most powerful earthquake in U.S. history at a magnitude of 9.2 strikes South Central Alaska, killing 125 people and inflicting massive damage to the city of Anchorage.

 

And births this date include....

1899 – Gloria Swanson, American actress (d. 1983)

 

1931 – David Janssen, American actor (d. 1980)

 

1940 – Austin Pendleton, American actor

 

1942 – Michael York, English actor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1969 – Pauley Perrette, American actress, photographer, poet, writer  ..NCIS......... (Interesting read)

 

1975 – Fergie, American pop singer (The Black Eyed Peas)

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

National Joe Day on March 27th encourages everyone to enjoy a cup of joe with all your friends named Joe, Jo, Joey, Joseph, and Josephine. While you’re at it, don’t forget Joette, Jody, Johanna, Jodie or any other variant of the name Joe. If you didn’t know it, quite a few nicknames can be created from this one name.

According to the Social Security Administration, the name Joseph was ranked No. 6 from 1893 to 1899 behind John, William, James, George, and Charles.  In 1910, it moved to No. 5.  From 1911 to 2005 it was ranked No. 12 or lower. Famous Joes, Jos and Jo Anns populate the world. They fill many roles, too. So their name does not define them. Just check out the variety of hats they wear!

Famous Joes:

• American football player and coach – Joe Montana 
• Politician – Jo Ann Emerson
• Comedian, musician, and actor – Joe Pesci  
• Musician, singer, dancer -Josephine Baker
• Theatrical producer, entrepreneur, film producer – Joseph Gordon
• American football player – Joe Namath 
• Opera singer – Dame Josephine Barstow
• Formula one endurance driver – Jo Gartner
• Politician, soldier – Joseph Stalin 
• Songwriter, musician, singer – Joey Ramone 
• Journalist – Jo Coburn
• Baseball player – Shoeless Joe Jackson
• Olympic medalist, swimmer – Josephine McKim
• American football player – Joe Green
• Actress – Jodie Foster
• Musician – Joe Jonas
• Businesswoman, politician – Jo Ann Davis
• Baseball player, actor – Joe DiMaggio
• Author – Josephine Cox
• Musician – Joe Cocker
• Boxer – Joe Frazier
• Athlete, sprinter – Joanne Cuddihy
• Baseball player – Joe Mauer
• Journalist, author – Josephine Lawrence
• Press Secretary – Jody Powell
• Musician – Joe Walsh

HOW TO OBSERVE

During our research, we found this day has a few different versions as to how it is celebrated.

1.  Honor all people with the name “Joe.”
2.  For the day, change your name to a name of your choice.
3.  Everyone changes their name to a version of “Joe” or “Jo” of your choice.

Another way to celebrate the day is by telling familiar stories about friends and family named Joe. We all know someone from our past or present who have made our lives just a little bit better just by being the Joe or Jo that they are.

Weather/Snow ~ Picture of the Day ~ Dachshund Racing ~ Pizza Potatoes ~ National Spinach Day

 

 

Good 32º morning.

 

 

Yesterday morning the snow.......

 

There was a goose on the barn roof honking!

 

Then we got sun and the snow started melting.... it was all gone before noon.

 

 

We topped at 47º.

 

 

Picture of the Day.....too tall!

 

 

Interesting about Dachshund racing.............

 

Dachshund racing, or wiener dog racing, is a popular, yet controversial sporting event, primarily found in North America. Typical Dachshund races are either 25 or 50 yards in length, and are run on various surfaces. Many race tracks across America host these events as fundraising or publicity events, and routinely draw the venues' largest attendance numbers of the year.

 

In the less formal events, most entrants are not career racers, nor bred for racing. Often, dogs will choose not to run the length of the course and instead visit with other dogs or the owner that released them. Otherwise, dogs will run swiftly to their owner at the finish line, coaxed by food or toys.

 

The de facto national championship of wiener dog racing is the Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals, held in San Diego, California, every December as part of the Holiday Bowl; however, there are many other venues that claim title to the true "national" champion.

History

Dachshund racing was first held in Australia in the 1970s. The early meets featured Whippet, Afghan Hound, and Dachshund racing, purely for fun. The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in California holds an annual Doxie Derby as part of the university's Picnic Day event. For over 30 years the races have been a fundraiser for veterinary students.

 

The sport rose in popularity in North America after a 1993 Miller Lite television commercial that listed odd sports, and continued to grow after the release of Wiener Takes All, a documentary film that chronicles two years of the Wiener Nationals circuit. In 2009, the Wiener Dog Nationals in Fort Wayne, Indiana, held its 16th annual Dachshund race. Zeus, the Germanfest champ from 2006-2009, is generally recognized as the greatest racing dachshund of all time.^[4] Germantown, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis, also hosts its own 'Running of the Wienies' for charity.

 

In 2016, the town of Bungendore in New South Wales, Australia held the inaugural Werriwa Wiener Dash to raise funds for Dachshund Rescue Australia. On 29 January 2017, the second Werriwa Wiener Dash was held which set the record for the most number of dachshunds in one place outside of a dog show with 154 dachshunds in attendance.

 

The sport was introduced to Canada in 2018 with the launch of an annual race at Fort Erie Race Track, which proved a major success for the track.

Criticism

While some compare the sport to English and later American Greyhound racing, others see it as cruel and risky. The Dachshund Club of America opposes dachshund races, because the breed has a genetic predisposition to back injuries.

 

 

Pizza Potatoes..

 

4 medium baking potatoes

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1 tomato chopped

½ to ¾ cup pizza sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Fresh oregano, basil, or parsley (optional)

 

1. Bake potatoes in microwave or oven.

2. In large skillet cook beef, green pepper, with onion, until meat is no longer pink, drain. Stir in tomato and pizza sauce, heat through.

3. Split baked potatoes lengthwise, flake potato center with fork. Spoon in meat mixture, top with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with oregano, basil, or parsley.

4 or 8 servings...

 

 

 

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

1942 – World War II: The first female prisoners arrive at Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

 

1978 – Four days before the scheduled opening of Japan's Narita International Airport, a group of protestors destroys much of the equipment in the control tower with Molotov cocktails.

 

1982 – A groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is held in Washington, D.C..

 

 

1997 – Thirty-nine bodies are found in the Heaven's Gate cult suicides.

 

1999 – A jury in Michigan finds Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man.

 

 

 

And births this date include....

1934 – Alan Arkin, American actor

 

1940 – James Caan, American actor (d.2022)

 

 

 

 

1944 – Diana Ross, American singer (The Supremes)

 

 

 

1946 – Johnny Crawford, American actor (d.2021)

 

 

1948 – Steven Tyler, American singer (Aerosmith)

 

1949 – Vicki Lawrence, American actress and singer

 

 

1950 – Martin Short, Canadian comedian

 

 

1960 – Jennifer Grey, American actress

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Spinach Day is observed annually on March 26th.  Not only are there so many delicious ways that you can enjoy spinach, but it is also incredibly good for you!

An annual plant,  spinach is native to central and southwestern Asia. Thought to have originated in ancient Persia, Arab traders carried spinach into India, and then it was introduced into ancient China where it was known as “Persian vegetable   The earliest available record of the spinach plant was found in Chinese, saying that the spinach plant was introduced into China via Nepal.

During her reign as queen of France, Catherine de Medici was well known to have enjoyed spinach so much that it was served at every meal.  To this day, dishes made with spinach are known as “Florentine” reflecting Catherine’s birth in Florence.

• Spinach is:
• Eaten raw or cooked and is available fresh, frozen or canned.
• One of the best sources of iron.
• An excellent source of calcium, folic acid, fiber, protein, calcium and vitamins A, C and K.
• Is loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants
• Believed to help improve cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health.

Types of spinach:

Savoy:  dark green color with curly leaves; usually sold in fresh bunches.
Flat or Smooth Leaf:  broad, smooth leaves;  mostly grown for canned and frozen spinach as well as soups, baby food and processed foods.
Semi-savoy:  a hybrid variety with crinkly leaves:  is sold fresh and processed.

• Following China, the United States is the world’s second-largest producer of spinach.
• California, Arizona and New Jersey are the top spinach producing states in the United States.

HOW TO OBSERVE

You might want to have a fresh spinach salad or a spinach pizza or maybe a warm, delicious spinach dip.  If one of those is not your choice, perhaps it would be a dish of creamed spinach or spinach lasagna. There are many ways to add spinach to your daily diet and partake in its health benefits.