 If you’re opening this post before you’ve gotten pranked – this is a reminder that today is April Fool’s Day! How did this “holiday” come about? I was curious, so I did some research and this is what I found out.
The history of April Fool’s Day or All Fool’s Day is uncertain, but the current thinking is that it began around 1582 in France with the reform of the calendar under Charles IX. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year’s Day was moved from March 25 – April 1 (new year’s week) to January 1. Communication traveled slowly in those days and some people were only informed of the change several years later. Still others, who were more rebellious, refused to acknowledge the change and continued to celebrate on the last day of the former celebration, April 1. These people were labeled “fools” by the general populace, were subject to ridicule and sent on “fool errands,” sent invitations to nonexistent parties and had other practical jokes played upon them. The butts of these pranks became known as a “poisson d’avril” or “April fish” because a young naive fish is easily caught. In addition, one common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke. This harassment evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continue on the first day of April. This tradition eventually spread elsewhere like to Britain and Scotland in the 18th century and was introduced to the American colonies by the English and the French. Because of this spread to other countries, April Fool’s Day has taken on an international flavor with each country celebrating the holiday in its own way. In Scotland April Fool’s Day is devoted to spoofs involving the buttocks and as such is called Taily Day. The butts of these jokes are known as April ‘Gowk’, another name for cuckoo bird. The origins of the “Kick Me” sign can be traced back to the Scottish observance. In Ireland, a popular traditional joke is to entrust the victim with an “important letter” to be given to a named person. That person would then ask the victim to take it to someone else, and so on. The letter when finally opened contains the words “send the fool further.” In England, jokes are played only in the morning. Fools are called ‘gobs’ or ‘gobby’ and the victim of a joke is called a ‘noodle.’ It was considered back luck to play a practical joke on someone after noon. Norwegians, Danes and Swedes celebrate April Fools’ Day (aprilsnar in Danish) as well. Most news media outlets will publish exactly one false story on 1 April; for newspapers this will typically be a first-page article but not the top headline. In Rome, the holiday is known as Festival of Hilaria, celebrating the resurrection of the god Attis, is on March 25 and is also referred to as “Roman Laughing Day.” In Portugal, April Fool’s Day falls on the Sunday and Monday before lent. In this celebration, many people throw flour at their friends. The Holi Festival is celebrated on March 31 in India. People play jokes on one another and smear colors on one another celebrating the arrival of Spring. ———————- The Perfect Balance Diet Club is now the Ayurvedic Balance Diet Club! We have so much great information for you – exclusive recipes, meditations, articles and videos. Check it out HERE.
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Category: Educational
Team-building Through Facebook
I use Facebook to help the dogs we foster find their forever homes. Or at least that’s my hope. But sometimes I wonder if the effort I put into them is well spent or wasted.
I’ve tried building a separate page for each dog. That has the advantage of making it easy for interested parties to find a whole collection of pictures, videos, and descriptions that help them learn about that dog’s personality and temperament. The drawback is that each time I launch a new page I start from scratch in trying to build traffic to that page. That can take time.
I also have a Facebook account for Cochise: our 95 pound American Bulldog who was our very first foster dog. We adopted him and he has become a mentor to the other fosters. I’ve also hired him to be the spokesdog for Piney Mountain Foster Care. The advantage of posting doggie adventures on Cochise’s page is that he has a steadily growing audience to which all new dogs are easily introduced. The drawback is that someone going to Cochise’s page may have to scroll through many screens of posts to find all the posts about one particular dog.
The question must be asked occasionally, “Does any of this do any good?” Continue reading “Team-building Through Facebook”
Setting Up the Garden for Spring
March is here. My buddy, Mike, who lives in Alabama, is already planting in his garden. Here in Tennessee, I’ve been spending time (now that the snow has melted off) digging out weeds and inventorying my supplies in preparation of setting up the garden for another summer.
Normally, at this time of year, I’d be closing down last year’s winter garden so I’d have space to get the early crops in for spring. But the last couple of years have been particularly cold and snowy and little has survived in my winter gardens.
This year I have a row of spinach that went dormant but is now perking up, and I see a few spikes of garlic leaves poking up through the straw at long last. My rosemary, oregano and thyme look to have survived as well. Everything else was killed. I’ll look to the bright side and say, “Setting up for spring will be easier.”
Let me tell you about the things I do in setting up the garden, as far as soil preparation, seed and equipment inventory, and lay-out planning. Read more…
Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
We often enjoy having breakfast for dinner. Not cold cereal, but eggs or biscuits and gravy, or sometimes even pancakes. During a particularly cold week I wanted something warming and comforting for the family dinner, but not the usual fare. I decided on a biscuits and gravy casserole. It turned out to be a great choice: a satisfying meal that warmed us up after a session of recovering a stuck truck from a long, icy driveway.
Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- 1 pound ground pork sausage.
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions divided in half
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 jumbo refrigerator biscuits
Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease an 11-by-7-inch baking dish and place it on a baking tray larger than the dish (in case any casserole spills over during baking).
You may want to make your own biscuits instead of using the store-bought. That’s fine, just cook your sausage before you make the biscuits and roll the biscuits out to 1/4-inch thickness. Read more…
Cast Iron Cookware: Part 2
Last time we looked at the history and development of cast iron cookware, this week we look at some more practical applications of the topic.
Where to Find Cast-Iron Pots and Pans
If you are looking for high quality cookware, you will be seeking Griswold and Wagner Ware items. As these companies went out of business half a century ago, antique shops and cooking specialty stores will be the best place to look. On occasion we read about someone who bought a box full of disused cast-iron cookware at a farm auction or yard sale for just a few dollars and hidden among them were a few treasures worth hundreds of times what he paid for the whole lot, but this is rare. More likely you will be finding Lodge cast-iron goods. They are still manufacturing in America and their products are available in many stores selling housewares as well as online. Lodge enjoys a good reputation for new-school cast iron. Finex Premium Cast Iron Cookware is an Oregon based company that was established to provide hand crafted high-end cookware for the specialty cooking market and is also an option if price is no object.
There are several French companies such as Le Creuset and Staub that are making cast-iron cookware, but these are mostly enamel coated. There were many European manufacturers, but most have gone out of business. Their products will be floating around out there, but not so much here in America as Griswold and Wagner, which were manufactured here and considered top brands. You may also find Vollrath, Favorite, Atlanta Stove Works, and Wapak brands, which were made in America but have since gone out of business or changed to other products.
Old-World vs New-World
The main difference in old world and new world cast-iron cookware is the means of casting the products. The old school way was to pour the molten iron compound into molds made of ceramic, then grind away the flash flanges after the molds were opened. Read More…
Cast Iron Cookware
Cast-iron cookware has fallen in and out of favor with the masses over the course of settling and developing the North American continent. Early on, cast iron was one of the few materials practical for cooking implements because of its non-toxicity and durability. But as steel and aluminum were developed the dance began. Today, it seems, cast iron is again enjoying a resurgence of popularity.
History of Cast Iron Cookware
Cast iron was developed during the 5th century B.C. in China. It was originally used to make ploughshares, pots and pagoda parts. Steel was more desirable for some of these uses, but was much more expensive so only the wealthy could afford it. In Europe, cast iron was not in use until the 15th century and its earliest uses were for cannon and shot.
Cast-iron cookware was developed in China during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.). First used for salt evaporation, cast iron cauldrons and cooking pots became favored for their durability and ability to retain heat, which improved the quality of meals cooked in them.
Europeans favored the material as well because they tended to cook in pots hung in a hearth or fireplace. Once wood or coal fired stoves took over, the cookware began to change, but then the stoves were cast iron. These trends were reflected in early American homes as well. Cast-iron pots and pans were durable, easy to use, and heated well. Cooking pots and pans with legless, flat bottoms were designed when cooking stoves became popular; this period of the late 19th century saw the introduction of the flat cast iron skillet.
Cast-iron cookware was especially popular among homemakers and housekeepers during the first half of the 20th century. Most American households had at least one cast-iron cooking pan, and such brands as Griswold and Wagner Ware were especially popular. Although both of these companies folded in the late 1950s and the brands are now owned by the American Culinary Corp., Wagner and Griswold cast-iron pots and pans from this era continue to see daily use among many households in the present day; they are also highly sought after by antique collectors and dealers. The Lodge Manufacturing is currently the only major manufacturer of cast-iron cookware in the United States, as most other cookware suppliers use pots and pans made in Asia or Europe.
Cast iron fell out of favor in the 1960s and 1970s, as teflon-coated aluminum non-stick cookware was introduced and quickly became the item of choice in many kitchens. Today, a large selection of cookware can be purchased from kitchen suppliers, of which cast iron comprises only a small fraction. However, the durability and reliability of cast iron as a cooking tool has ensured its survival, and cast iron cookware is still recommended by most cooks and chefs as an essential part of any kitchen.[1]
Strengths of Cast-Iron CookwareCast iron’s durability and ability to withstand high temperatures without warping made it popular with cooks throughout history. It is long lasting: some cast iron pans have been circulating for a hundred years. Even rusty models found in thrift stores or garage sales can be restored and made usable again – as long as they aren’t cracked or very badly pitted by rust. Read More…
QSL?
In the days of old, when listening to AM radio was a major part of American home entertainment, the sensitivity of your radio receiver was a source of great pride. Some people made a hobby of cruising the dial, especially at night, seeking out new, distant stations. When they found a new one they would listen for the station’s address, send a post card to that station with the day and time they were listening and something about the program content they heard. Upon receipt and verification, the station would send back a QSL Card. Each station had their own unique design. Some young folks collected these QSL cards like others collected baseball cards. I guess the QSL collectors were the geeks of the days of old. Any broadcasting station likes to know how far their signal reaches, so they like to get confirmation from distant listeners. Continue reading “QSL?”
E-Cigarettes Can Give PCs Cancer
My twin brother by another mother, Mike, sent me the following update about e-cigarettes.
“Oh, I just read that the new e-cigarette can give a PC a virus. They need to be charged up to make the vapor stuff, and they charge via USB. And most are made in China, so the charger has a built-in virus. Nice of them, no extra charge. No pun intended. Anyway, now smoking fake cigarettes can be harmful to your PC.”
Mike knows this stuff: he’s a certified network engineer and a security specialist. He keeps up with all the current threats. I went looking for details.
A story on social news site Reddit says that at least one “vaper” has reported the downside of trusting their e-cigarette manufacturer. An executive discovered a malware infection on his office computer. The source could not be determined. After all traditional sources of infection were investigated the I.T. department started looking into other possibilities. Continue reading “E-Cigarettes Can Give PCs Cancer”
All About Nails
Hand-forged nails were the first manufactured fasteners and they date back to Biblical times. As people first used hewn beams, timbers, planks, and whole logs to build with, the early hand-made versions were spikes. With the development of the split wood shingle, nails of about 1″ long came into use. When sawyers, and then sawmills, began cutting dimension lumber, the sizes and varieties greatly expanded. Thus, over time, nails developed in different sizes, shapes, and used different heads to fasten lumber and wood.
These fasteners have always been in demand. Some blacksmiths made only nails and they were called “Nailers.” Nails were so scarce (and expensive) in pre-1850 America that people would burn dilapidated buildings just to sift the ashes for nails.[1] They did so because pulling the fasteners would have damaged most of them. After the nails were recovered, a blacksmith could easily straighten any nails that had been bent during construction. Continue reading “All About Nails”
I and Me, When to Use, How to See
Do you have a hard time getting the usage of I and me right in your writings? I did too until I learned one simple trick that can be applied on the fly to get your prose in line proper grammar.
But first, I need to point out that this does not apply to dialog spoken by your characters. Not all your characters will (or should) speak with perfect grammar and sentence structure. Let their personality show through when they speak.
For non-fiction and expository text in fiction, getting I and me right will promote a professional appearance.
First, it is never proper to place the speaker’s pronoun first:
Me and Sally went to the movies and watched The Blob. Continue reading “I and Me, When to Use, How to See”