It was 7 years ago today, that Tasha came to us to play !!!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
March 17th, 1934
Today is my Mom's 77th Birthday ! Happy Birthday Mom !
Her are 6 things you may not know about St. Patrick's Day...
1. St. Patrick's Day is an American holiday--the first St Patrick's Day parade took place in the United States on March 17,1762. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through--where else? New York City.
2. The NYC parade became the "granddaddy" of what it is today in 1848 when several New York Irish Aid societies decided to unite their smaller parades to become one. Today the parade is the world's oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States.
3. In the mid-19th century, the Irish who lived in America were Protestant and most were middle class and respected. After the Irish Potato Famine (starting in 1845) close to a million Irish people, many of them poor and uneducated Catholics, emigrated to the United States. It was at this time that the disdain for the Irish began, and signs like "No Irish Need Apply" began to proliferate.
4. As the 20th century got underway, the Irish began to realize there was strength in numbers and that politicians needed to care how the Irish felt about various matters. Over time, political hopefuls began appearing at the annual parade festivities. President Truman attended in 1948, and this meant a great deal to the Irish who had for so long felt the pain of racial prejudice.
5. Today there are 36.5 million U.S. residents with Irish roots--this is almost nine times the population of Ireland itself. (U.S. Census Bureau)
6. And finally, why do we wear green if we want to show allegiance to Ireland? Some say the wearing of the green relates to the Celtic practice of wearing green during the vernal equinox. Others say the tradition was begun by school children. Certainly, we can all agree that green is the perfect color for the day. Ireland itself is often called the "Emerald Isle" because of the lushness of its greenery. Green is the color of the shamrock, and it does remind people of the coming of springtime, promising the hope that we will pull out of the gray of winter.
Her are 6 things you may not know about St. Patrick's Day...
1. St. Patrick's Day is an American holiday--the first St Patrick's Day parade took place in the United States on March 17,1762. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through--where else? New York City.
2. The NYC parade became the "granddaddy" of what it is today in 1848 when several New York Irish Aid societies decided to unite their smaller parades to become one. Today the parade is the world's oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States.
3. In the mid-19th century, the Irish who lived in America were Protestant and most were middle class and respected. After the Irish Potato Famine (starting in 1845) close to a million Irish people, many of them poor and uneducated Catholics, emigrated to the United States. It was at this time that the disdain for the Irish began, and signs like "No Irish Need Apply" began to proliferate.
4. As the 20th century got underway, the Irish began to realize there was strength in numbers and that politicians needed to care how the Irish felt about various matters. Over time, political hopefuls began appearing at the annual parade festivities. President Truman attended in 1948, and this meant a great deal to the Irish who had for so long felt the pain of racial prejudice.
5. Today there are 36.5 million U.S. residents with Irish roots--this is almost nine times the population of Ireland itself. (U.S. Census Bureau)
6. And finally, why do we wear green if we want to show allegiance to Ireland? Some say the wearing of the green relates to the Celtic practice of wearing green during the vernal equinox. Others say the tradition was begun by school children. Certainly, we can all agree that green is the perfect color for the day. Ireland itself is often called the "Emerald Isle" because of the lushness of its greenery. Green is the color of the shamrock, and it does remind people of the coming of springtime, promising the hope that we will pull out of the gray of winter.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Bob Uecker...AKA Harry Doyle
The Value of the Onion
In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people, there was a Doctor who visited many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it, and many died.
The doctor came upon one farmer, and to his surprise, everyone in the household was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one, and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.
Now, I heard this story from a hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work... (And no, she is not in the onion business.)
The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year, and we never got the flu.
If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better. If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case....Whatever, what have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!!!
Now there is a P.S.. to this, for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions:
Thanks for the reminder. I don't know about the farmer's story...but I do know that I contracted pneumonia, and needless to say I was very ill. I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion. Put one end on a fork, and then place the forked end into an empty jar...placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs. Sure enough, it happened just like that...the onion was a mess, and I began to feel better.
Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.
This is the other note: LEFTOVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS! I have used an onion which has been left in the fridge. Sometimes I don't use a whole one at one time, so I save the other half for later. Now with this info, I have changed my mind. I will buy smaller onions in the future.
I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, makers of mayonnaise. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and sisters in the Mullins family. My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO. Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist. The guy who gave us our tour is named Ed.. He's one of the brothers. Ed is a chemistry expert and is involved in developing most of the sauce formula. He's even developed sauce formula for McDonald's. Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz.
During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed's answer will surprise you. Ed said that all commercially-made mayo is completely safe. "It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really necessary." He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the quintessential picnic, with the bowl ofpotato salad sitting on the table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.
Ed says that when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as it's not homemade mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the onions, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES.
He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions.. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion. He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.
It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put on your hotdogs at the baseball park!)
Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put it on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.
So, how's that for news? Take it for what you will. I (the author) am going to be very careful about my onions from now on. For some reason, I see a lot of credibility coming from a chemist and a company that produces millions of pounds of mayonnaise every year.
Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.
Please remember it is dangerous to cut onions and try to use it to cook the next day. It becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.
The doctor came upon one farmer, and to his surprise, everyone in the household was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one, and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.
Now, I heard this story from a hairdresser in AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work... (And no, she is not in the onion business.)
The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year, and we never got the flu.
If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better. If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case....Whatever, what have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!!!
Now there is a P.S.. to this, for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions:
Thanks for the reminder. I don't know about the farmer's story...but I do know that I contracted pneumonia, and needless to say I was very ill. I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion. Put one end on a fork, and then place the forked end into an empty jar...placing the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs. Sure enough, it happened just like that...the onion was a mess, and I began to feel better.
Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.
This is the other note: LEFTOVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS! I have used an onion which has been left in the fridge. Sometimes I don't use a whole one at one time, so I save the other half for later. Now with this info, I have changed my mind. I will buy smaller onions in the future.
I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, makers of mayonnaise. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and sisters in the Mullins family. My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO. Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist. The guy who gave us our tour is named Ed.. He's one of the brothers. Ed is a chemistry expert and is involved in developing most of the sauce formula. He's even developed sauce formula for McDonald's. Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz.
During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed's answer will surprise you. Ed said that all commercially-made mayo is completely safe. "It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really necessary." He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the quintessential picnic, with the bowl ofpotato salad sitting on the table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.
Ed says that when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as it's not homemade mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the onions, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES.
He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions.. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion. He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.
It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put on your hotdogs at the baseball park!)
Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put it on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.
So, how's that for news? Take it for what you will. I (the author) am going to be very careful about my onions from now on. For some reason, I see a lot of credibility coming from a chemist and a company that produces millions of pounds of mayonnaise every year.
Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.
Please remember it is dangerous to cut onions and try to use it to cook the next day. It becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
It Finally Happened...
March is the month that we have to register our 1996 Nissan Sentra. Because it is so old, we never renew it for more than one year at a time, because it would be a bad omen to renew it for two. This year, it required the emissions test. No worries, it passed with flying colors. I am not sure how they measure the emissions, they never even started the engine. Anyway, it passed. But, here is the funny part:
Emissions Test: $27.75
Renewal Fee: $27.64
Yes, that's right. the so called emissions test was more expensive that the renewal fee !
Gotta love it !
Emissions Test: $27.75
Renewal Fee: $27.64
Yes, that's right. the so called emissions test was more expensive that the renewal fee !
Gotta love it !
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