USELESS INFO TUESDAY

~ Wisconsin produces more than half of the U.S.'s cranberry crop.  Massachusetts is second, followed by New Jersey and then Oregon.  The rest of the nation's crop is grown in Washington, Maine, Michigan and Minnesota.

~  Korea was once known as the Hermit Kingdom because of its strict isolationism in the late 19th century, before it signed trade agreements with the U.S. and other Western nations.

~  Before the collapsible metal tube was invented, artists commonly used small pouches made from a pig's bladder to hold their oil paints.  The metal tube was invented in 1841 by South Carolina portrait artist John G. Rand. (I was tempted to find a picture of a pig's bladder)

~  The width of a cut made by a saw is called the kerf.

~  When computer scientist Scott Fahlman introduced the smiley face emoticon in 1982 it was called the joke marker.  Fahlman, who is known as the father of the emoticon, created the :-) symbol so people would know when an e-mail was not intended to be taken seriously.

TURKEY TRIVIA!

OOPS!  This was supposed to post on Thanksgiving!  Sorry!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Quiz courtesy of Aristotle, Inc.

1. When was the first Thanksgiving celebration?

a.  1492
b.  1567
c.  1621
d.  1777

2. Where was the turkey first domesticated?
a.  Canada
b.  Mexico and Central America
c.  New Zealand
d.  India

3. What is a female turkey called?
a.  a rooster
b.  a cuckoo
c.  a chick
d.  a hen

4. What is a male turkey called?
a.  a larry
b.  a clark
c.  a harry
d.  a tom

5. What great American statesman lobbied to make the turkey the national symbol?
a.  Benjamin Franklin
b.  Thomas Jefferson
c.  John Adams
d.  Andrew Jackson

6. What sound does a female turkey make?
a.  gobble
b.  cluck
c.  chirp
d.  peep

7. What sound does a male turkey make?
a.  gobble
b.  click
c.  chirp
d.  peep

8. About how many feathers does a mature turkey have?
a.  1,500
b.  2,000
c.  3,500
d.  5,000

9. Which state produces the most turkeys annually?
a.  Kansas
b.  Ohio
c.  Arkansas
d.  Minnesota

10. How fast can wild turkeys run?
a.  5 mph
b.  15 mph
c.  25 mph
d.  45 mph

11. How does Arkansas rank among the other states in turkey production?
a.  first
b.  third
c.  eighth
d.  fourteenth

12. What Native American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the colonists?
a.  the Wampanoag tribe
b.  the Sioux tribe
c.  the Choctaw tribe
d.  the Arapaho tribe

13. Can wild turkeys fly? If so, how fast?
a.  No.
b.  Yes, up to 25 mph
c.  Yes, up to 40 mph
d.  Yes, up to 55 mph

14. Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Thanksgiving?
a.  49%
b.  67%
c.  82%
d.  90%

15. Approximately what percentage of American homes eats turkey on Christmas?
a.  34%
b.  50%
c.  67%
d.  89%

16. What is the name of the skin that hangs from a turkey's neck?
a.  snark
b.  wattle
c.  garble
d.  swag

17. Which U.S. president specified that Thanksgiving would fall on the last Thursday of November?
a.  Martin Van Buren
b.  Andrew Jackson
c.  William H. Taft
d.  Abraham Lincoln

18. Which president attempted to move the Thanksgiving holiday to the fourth Thursday in November to create a longer Christmas shopping season?
a.  Franklin D. Roosevelt
b.  Dwight D. Eisenhower
c.  Harry S. Truman
d.  Gerald R. Ford

19. Which country consumes the most turkey per year per capita?
a.  The United States
b.  Israel
c.  Spain
d.  The United Kingdom

20. What is the best way to defrost a turkey?
a.  with a hair dryer
b.  in the refrigerator
c.  in cold water
d.  in the microwave oven

 
ANSWERS:
1.  1621
2.  Mexico and Central America
3.  a hen
4.  a tom
5.  Benjamin Franklin
6.  cluck
7.  gobble
8.  3,500
9.  Minnesota
10.  25 mph
11.  third
12.  the Wampanoag trive
13.  yes, up to 55 mph
14.  90%
15.  50%
16.  wattle
17.  Abraham Lincoln
18.  Franklin D. Roosevelt
19.  Isreal
20.  in the refrigerator

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

~  An African elephant's ear can weigh up the 110 pounds.  Each of their ears measures as much as 6 feet high and 4 feet wide.

~  James Dean was the only performer to be nominated twice posthumously for a Best Actor Oscar.  he was nominated for East of Eden (1955) and Giant (1956), but didn't win either.  He died September 1955.

~  In Greek mythology, the river Styx circles Hades nine times.

~  During WW II Operation Sauerkraut was the code name of a successful Office of Strategic Services project in which disaffected Germans (aka sour krauts) were recruited in prisoner-of-war camps to slip behind enemy lines to spread rumors and distribute Allied propaganda.

~  The town of Snowflake, Arizona got its name, not from precipitation, but for its two founders, Mormon pioneers Erastus Snow and William Flake in 1878.

NO DOUBLE CHINS HERE!

SOMEDAYS I WISH I WERE SALLY....

...no worries, no expenses, no crisis in her life.  All she has to worry about is eating and sleeping, and occasionally Tay, the neighbor's cat.  Yes, I could live her life, soaking up the sun on a warm day....

...but I probably wouldn't do it on the hood of a car.

Love you Salad, Evil Zlid, Wombat, Sally Jefferson Jackson Johnson Washington Campbell.

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

~  A cross between a camel and a llama is called a cama.  Because of the great size difference between the camel and the llama, artificial insemination was used to produce the first cama, a male named Rama, in 1998.

~  In the famous Mary Shelley horror story, Frankenstein's first name was Victor.

~  625 square feet of lawn is needed to provide a day's oxygen needs for one person.

~  The only crime that can disqualify a prisoner in Vermont from voting is election fraud.  Vermont and Maine are the only two states that permit prisoners to vote (by absentee ballot).

~  King Uther was the name of King Arthur's father.  His full name was Uther Pendragon.

BAMA GAME LAST SATURDAY

Had a wonderful time at the BigDawes last Saturday for the Game.

Btut was worm and snuggly decked out in PLS...

...Wino Bill, Dr. Sweephay and J enjoying the fire....

 ...Khef and WB...looking ominous...

...great picture of Btut and L BigDawes....

But, all of a sudden...it was time for the group to head to the kitchen where...

...the Reverend R AndyRandy lead us in service..."Can I get an Amen?"

                              



"AMEN!"                      (I love the fact that Clickity Clack participated!)
                                     

Guest Blogger

LBD (L Big Dawes) got caught up on my blog this morning.  We have been emailing back and forth about it, and I thought I would use one string of her emails as a guest blog...

Ok, now I’m all caught up. I also noticed in your cumpkin parving blog, an orb in one of your photos.

An orb captured in a photo can mean it was a spirit captured in the photograph. If it is a spirit, perhaps it was telling us who would be the winner of the contest?

Spooky, eh?

Thanks,
Lois Dawes


Then she sent another...saying this photo had 4 orbs.  I could only see two so she resent the photo with a key and then an even better key!  (Rayray is sitting at the table in the white jacket with one right over her head!)

Wait, this answer key is better:


The one marked out on the far right is actually the neighbors satellite dish.  Not really sure if the one directly behind TCW's leg is one or not.

Thanks LBD for making me laugh and guest blogging!

ALL HALLOWS EVE

As Btut graciously pointed out to me in an email this morning, I am grossly behind on my blogging. I do have so much to blog about, but have been extremely busy and stressed. I will try to do better. I have enjoyed letting my inner social butterfly bloom lately and have been busy having fun on the weekends with my friends. Do not be discouraged....I will get caught up on the blog before the weekend...

So, in order to do just that, let's go back to where I left off...the day after Cumpkin Parving and two days after Walk your paws for the cause with the Dawes...was Halloween! We spent it at the BigDawes and had a wonderful time.

Btut honed in on her inner Feline or her inner Jan dressed as a Feline.  (I know this is crazy, but every time I talked to her I thought I was talking to Jan - TCW's step Mom)

Here is the Black Swan as portrayed by L BigDawes...

...getting her "ballet" on!

Princess Jasmine was there...or Slum Dog Millionaire...I am not sure which.

And what Halloween would be complete without flaming pumpkins.  Thanks the Conductor BigDawes the flaming pumpkins were a huge hit! (and they were warm)

We had so much fun!  A guest fiddler even made his way over and put on an impromptu performance.

Quote of the night:  "I might be cold on the outside, but I am warm on the inside."
Food of the night:  Candy - lots of it
Color of the night:  Black
Into the night
Night of the living dead
Saturday night fever
In the heat of the night
A nightmare on elm street
After mid night, were gonna let it all hang out...

...Wait, I believe I lost my train of thought...

RECONCILING ITEM

I got a refund check from my car finance company...

...are you kidding me?  Six whole cents?  Does that mean that I have been overpaying 1/2 cent every month for a year?

Can any of you guess how long this will be an outstanding check on their bank reconciliation?

WALK FOR THE CAUSE USE YOUR PAWS WITH THE DAWES

Last Saturday I "volunteered" at the Walk Your Paws event in Decatur.  (Many of you will understand why volunteered is in quotations!)  We had a great time.  I especially liked the demonstrations by the search and rescue dogs and the police K-9 unit. 

We had a chance to visit with the BigDawes the night before.  Miss Chiquita (blog name) was looking so forward to the big day!  She was riding high in her new chariot getting ready for her big debut on Saturday!

Clickity-Clack (blog name) was in there too, but he was not so much up for being on exhibition...

...he really just wanted to sack out in the back seat and enjoy the ride!

But Miss Chiquita - that is another story.  She rode up front with her head held high!  She was ready to be a show off at the Paws event.

However, it was not meant to be. 

It seems that Miss Chiquita did not realize she would have to share the lime light with other canines.  (Clickity Clack misbehaved shortly after these pictures were taken and did not even arrive at the event.)  When TCW and I arrived at the park L BigDawes was putting Miss Chiquita in the car.  Such a shame because she was rocking her little pink and black outfit.  Seems Miss Chiquita was trying to insight a riot.  As L BigDawes informed us "This is a pet friendly event, and my pet is not friendly."

Other memorable quotes:

*  Awe, he doesn't like the fuzzy in his mouth.
*  They sure win the "owner-pet" look alike contest.
*  I hope that cop signed a waiver.

Any way, it has been almost a week, and we can't remember anymore quotes.  Need to keep a pen and paper handy...I normally do when alcoholic beverages are involved!

Have a good weekend!

USELESS INFO THIS WEEK

~  In the comics, Casper the Friendly Ghost's galloping horse was named Nightmare.

~  Tenzin Gyatso is number 14 in the line of Dalai Lamas that began in 1391.  He was recognized as Dalai Lama in 1937 at the age of 2.  All successors to the first Dalai Lama are regarded by followers of the Tibetan Buddhist order as reincarnations of their predecessors and the manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion.

~  There are 17 decks on the Queen Mary 2 - of which 13 are dedicated to passengers.

~  In thoroughbred racing a shadow roll is a large sheepskin band that is fastened over a horse's nose to prevent it from seeing its own shadow and possibly shying or jumping away from it.

~  According to a U.S. government study, snowboarding is the most dangerous outdoor sport.  In a survey of hospital emergency room admissions conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was published in 2008, snowboarding accounted for 25.5 percent of all outdoor sports injuries reported.

2011 CUMPKIN PARVING

Well, hooray for another wonderfully successful Pumpkin Carving!  What a day!  We had a record crowd, and everyone had a great time.  Beautiful weather, creative people, good food, chillin' with good friends - what more could you ask for?

Shout out to the two best pumpkin gutters EVER!  Thanks Jenfer and Lisa TutB!  That's baby Wyatt and his parents sitting in the back ground in the sun.  His first pumpkin carving!

All of us having a great time...

...there are the RightWrights and Wino Bill sitting by the fire.

Triple T and Big D, L BigDawes hard at it trying to win that prized trophy! Big D was runner up.

There were 36 pumpkins to be judged.  Thanks to S&M for judging...I know it was hard.

I love this picture.  I stole it from Blacy's facebook page.

Got to have the pyrotechnics!  There's Washaway - Rachel's boyfriend - with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

And the winner is....Jacob!  KrisT's boyfriend - and first time attendee!

I love this pic of TCW and KrisT.  Thanks TCW for having a great get together!  Love!

Favorite Quotes:

*  "I can't see it."  "See it?"  "No, I can't see it." (trying to figure out what the carving was)

*  Laura Leigh's pumpkin is just "eh".

*  We won too.  We gutted every damn pumpkin here.

*  I hope they signed a waiver.

*  Johnny Cash broke the house.

*  The back yard looks like a field trip for the mentally challenged.

*  TIM!  THE GATE IS OPEN!

*  Where's my jacket? - I'm wearing it.

*  Ain't there no Americans here?  Where the Color Guard is?