Go For A Ride Day encourages you to get out into the world – hop on your bike, into your car, or simply get your walking boots out of storage and go on a trip. Don’t worry too much about where you’re going, just enjoy the journey. What with all of the cell phones and emails constantly intruding on our lives, we can all agree that everyone needs some time to just get away from it all and feel free every now and then. And what better way to do that then to just go for a ride!
November 22nd has seen various developments of the transportation industry since as early as 1904, making Go For a Ride Day a celebration of not only cars, but any mode of transportation that strikes your fancy. In 1904, a man named Mathias Pfatischer living in Philadephia, was the first American to patent the pioneer direct electricity and and interpole motor. In 1927, another American inventor named Carl J. Eliason from Saynor, Wisconsin, acquired the patent for the snowmobile, which definitely drastically changed the lives of many of the inhabitants of Wisconsin for the better. In 1977, the the regular mass service had their trial run on the famed supersonic Concorde. As you can see, November 22nd has been an important day for various areas of the transportation industry.
thanks, patty and judith for all the pics, "knitting gone wrong," in today's issue
Word of the Day
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| Definition: | (noun) Either of two small leather boxes, each containing strips of parchment inscribed with quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures, one of which is strapped to the forehead and the other to the left arm; traditionally worn by Jewish men during morning worship, except on the Sabbath and holidays. | ||
| Synonyms: | tefillin | ||
| Usage: | Just before his bar mitzvah, David got a brand new set of phylacteries. | ||
History
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 | De Gaulle was a French general and statesman. He left France after it fell to the Germans in WWII and started the Free French movement in England. He returned to France after the liberation of Paris and headed two provisional governments before resigning in 1946. When an insurrection in Algeria threatened to bring civil war to France, he returned to government, helped establish the Fifth Republic, and became its first president in 1958. | ||
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 | According to her apocryphal acts, which date from the fifth century, St. Ceciliawas a Roman from a noble family who was put to death for her Christian beliefs; how she became the patron saint of music and musicians is not exactly known. In 1683, a musical society was formed in London especially for the celebration of St. Cecilia's Day. It held a festival each year at which a special ode was sung. The poet John Dryden composed his "A Song for St. Cecilia's Day" in 1687 for this purpose. There are still many choirs and musical societies that bear her name today. | ||
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| Many animals are covered in protective armor—shells, scales, plates, and frills that protect their soft bodies. But one group of little-known sea creatures called chitons have evolved armor that's unlike anything else in nature. Because it contains eyes. | |||
1906 - The International Radio Telegraphic Convention in Berlin adopted the SOS distress signal.
1909 - Helen Hayes appeared on stage for the first time. She was a member of the cast of "In Old Dutch."
1910 - Arthur F. Knight patented a steel shaft to replace wood shafts in golf clubs.
1928 - In Paris, "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel was first performed publicly. (when i went to see it as a young girl, this was the first performance where the audience didn't even clap at the end as everyone was so moved by the piece. minutes later the place erupted!)
1963 - U.S. President Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, TX. Texas Governor John B. Connally was also seriously wounded. Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson was inaugurated as the 36th U.S. President. (going into a restaurant after a night at the theater, we wondered why all the waiters were crying. we then burst into tears!)
1977 - Regular passenger service on the Concorde began between New York and Europe.
1984 - Fred Rogers of PBS' "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" presented a sweater to the Smithsonian Institution.
1986 - Mike Tyson became the youngest to wear the world heavyweight-boxing crown. He was only 20 years and 4 months old.
2013 - The discovery of Siats meekerorum was announced. The dinosaur skeleton, more than 30 feet long, was found in eastern Utah.
DAILY SQU-EEK
| Picture of the day | |
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Grant Park is an urban park in the Loop community area of Chicago. Covering 319 acres or 1.29 km², it includes Millennium Park, Maggie Daley Park, Buckingham Fountain, Petrillo Music Shell, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum Campus, as well as gardens, art work, sports, and harbor facilities.
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All Fall Down
Photograph by Steve Brockett, National Geographic
“Autumnal flying at its best,” writes Steve Brockett, who photographed this golf course in Wales from a powered paraglider. Though autumn hadn’t yet come into full swing, Brockett still found his sunset flight over the Monmouthshire valley rewarding. “Isolated points of color draw you to them like sentinels,” he writes. Initially attracted to the near perfect circle of leaves beneath the tree at center, he found that the shadows and light lent the image additional form—and a dose of magic.
knit, THANKSGIVING
knit
thanks, helen
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Knitting socks for soldiers | Wartime Canada
Wartime Canada is a window into the Canadian experience during the First and Second World Wars. Take a step back in time.
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knit
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Royal Baby Dress pattern by Patons
This free pattern may also be found at the Deramores website.
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knit
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knit
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CUDDLY SCORPION
US 5 dpns First, make the body. If you don’t like doing short rows (rows 7, 11, 15, etc), you can skip them, but they add a bit of extra curve to the finished s...
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crochet, THANKSGIVING
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Crochet Pumpkin Coasters pattern by Ira Rott
FORMAT: PDF, 5 pages, US crochet terms. File size is 1.3 MB (mobile devices friendly). Pattern includes written row-by-row instructions, crochet diagra...
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Lightweight No Seam Shrug Free Crochet Pattern
Super easy and lightweight no seam shrug free crochet pattern! And the best part of all is there are no seams to sew together! Perfect for warmer weather!
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crochet, 18 mths - 2 yrs
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Iris Toddler Top pattern by Myhobbyiscrochet
A pretty and cheerful toddler top that can be worn as a summer top or over a long sleeved top in the colder days.
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crochet
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Loopy Love Blanket pattern by Tamara Kelly
The Loopy Love Blanket is so fun to make! The pattern is easy to memorize, the stitches just fly by, and the end result looks way more complicated than it sh...
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crochet
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Annasimplecrochet: Cintre
Petit cintre pour habits d'enfant à offrir lors d'une naissance, d'un baptême ou anniversaire. Tout simple, en blanc avec fleurs et perles. Une bonne semaine à...
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RECIPES
- Bisquick substitute:
- 1 C flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 Tblsp shortening. Mix well with a fork.
thanks, heide
CROCKPOT RECIPES, THANKSGIVING
stephanie o'dea
CrockPot Turkey and Wild Rice Soup Recipe
Today I am thankful that I met Kalyn Denny at BlogHer, and I am so happy to have found her Turkey and Wild Rice Soup. Adam proclaimed it the best turkey soup he's ever had, and the kids each ate two bowls. I may have wept. I'm not sure.The Ingredients.
adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen
--turkey carcass (if you don't have one, you can use 2 cups of cooked turkey)
--8 cups water (to make broth. if you don't have a carcass, use 8 cups chicken broth)
--1 chicken bouillon cube (only if you are using the carcass to make broth. Don't use if you're using broth.)
--2/3 cup uncooked wild rice
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--1 cup chopped celery
--1 cup chopped carrots
--1 tsp sage
--2 T balsamic vinegar
--2 cups spinach leaves (Kalyn used cabbage, but cabbage reminds me either of engorgement or the cabbage soup diet)
The Directions.
I used a 6.5 quart crockpot.
This is a 1 1/2 day project. We're going to use the turkey bones to make broth for the soup. If you are using chicken broth and 2 cups of turkey, bypass this step.
Put your turkey carcass into a crockpot, and cover with 8 cups of water. My carcass was only from a tiny turkey, so if you need to break the bones down to fit in your crock, do so.
My turkey was still stuffed with a quartered onion and some apple, so I didn't bother to add any vegetables to season the water. You may certainly add some onion, celery, or anything else you'd like to season the broth. The more meat and skin left on the bones, the more flavorful the broth.
Cover and cook on low overnight. I cooked the broth for 10 hours. In the morning, put on an apron to strain the broth with a colander. Since I have a bunch of crockpots, I strained the broth into a new one. You might need to strain the broth into a big bowl, then dump it back into the crockpot.
Pick off the meat, and add it to the broth.
Chop up the vegetables (not the spinach), and add to the pot. Dump in the wild rice. Add the sage, bouillon cube, and balsamic vinegar. Stir.
Add two heaping handfuls of baby spinach to the pot. It will look like a lot, but will shrivel down nicely while cooking.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6. The soup is done when the vegetables have reached desired tenderness. There is a lot of volume here; this is a good candidate for a day when you are out of the house for a long time. No need to worry about it over-cooking.
The Verdict.
This is my new favorite soup. I love, love, love the hint of tartness from the balsamic vinegar, and how it darkened the broth. The wild rice exploded a bit, and actually resembled barley by the time we ate it. The kids ate a bunch, and I had at least 3 bowls throughout the day yesterday. We have a quart left, which I will happily serve for lunch.
CRAFTS, THANKSGIVING
HOW TO MAKE A BOOK PAGE PUMPKIN
ATTHEPICKETFENCE
I am just loving all of the ways people out in blogland that people are using Dollar Tree pumpkins!
I have a confession as well, I had a hard time even choosing a book knowing I was going to tear it apart. In fact my favorite style of pages (because of the typography and page color) was Al Gore’s Nobel Peace Prize Speech. First I had to think about the fact that someone’s Nobel Peace Prize Speech was now residing in an aisle at the Dollar Tree among plastic toy guns and Lady Guadalupe incense. Then I had to decide if I could bear to tear apart the pages of said person’s Nobel Peace Prize speech…regardless of how I felt on a personal level about said person. 
I was having a real mental and ethical crisis right there among the crossword puzzles and the cheap coloring books with those weird princesses on the covers. So I chose a different book…and I’m hoping the author of that book doesn’t read this blog, or I’ll feel guilty all over again.
Here’s a quick step by step tutorial on how to make a Book Page Pumpkin
Supplies:
Inexpensive foam pumpkins (I get mine from Dollar Tree)
Modge Podge
Foam Brush
A book you don’t mind tearing apart that has a font and page color you like
Inexpensive foam pumpkins (I get mine from Dollar Tree)
Modge Podge
Foam Brush
A book you don’t mind tearing apart that has a font and page color you like
(Again, got mine at Dollar Tree)
A branch (I got mine from yard)
Some type of decorative Spanish moss or grass
A branch (I got mine from yard)
Some type of decorative Spanish moss or grass
Step 2. Working in sections, so that your glue does not dry to quickly, spread mod podge onto your pumpkin and apply book page strips overlapping to avoid orange showing through. Glue all the way up the pumpkin but not onto the stem.
Step 3. As you are applying strips of paper smooth out the strips as you work making sure to avoid as many wrinkles as possible for a nice smooth finish. Run your finger down through the ridges of the pumpkin to make sure they are still defined.
Step 4. Apply plenty of glue to the bottom of the pumpkin and smooth down ends of strips for a nice finish. Apply a thin layer of mod podge over entire pumpkin and allow to dry completely.
Step 5. Cut off excess paper around top of stem. Find a nice stick or twig that you like and cut or break to size. Poke stick down into stem of pumpkin. Apply mod podge or glue around base of twig and add Spanish moss or decorative grass around base of twig.
And that’s all there is to it! Easy-pumpkin-Peasy!
CHILDREN'S CORNER ... mazes
PUZZLE
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QUOTE
thanks, susan b.
"Welcome" in Indonesian (Indonesia) - Selamat datang
CLEVER
EYE OPENER
thanks, heide
Photos of Animals you have probably never seen before1 – Frilled shark
This is a frilled shark. Frilled sharks are found throughout deep waters in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is often described as a “living fossil” because of its resemblance to extinct, Paleozoic sharks. They’re rarely seen alive because of their preference for deep water. A dying one was captured near the surface in Japan in 20072 – Red cap goldfish
A red cap goldfish, or “oranda”. These are characterized by a prominent hood that covers the head – which let’s face it, look like their brains are on show. Originally from China, they are popular aquarium pets today.3 – Promachoteuthis sulcus
Meet Promachoteuthis sulcus, a bizarre creature straight out of your nightmares. As you can see, this thing looks like it has freakishly human looking teeth. They’re actually just flaps of skin, but they’re still pretty unnerving! It’s a species of promachoteuthid squid and only one specimen has been found to date. It was captured in the Southern Atlantic Ocean at a depth of 2,000m in 2007.4 – Crocodile Fish
This is a white-blooded ice fish, or “crocodile fish” (Chaenocephalus aceratus). They lack both red blood cells and hemoglobin, and so have white blood. They have translucent bodies, and absorb oxygen directly from the water around them.5 – Amber phantom butterflyThe amber phantom butterfly (Haetera piera), found in the Guianas, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela.6 – The Pistol ShrimpThe pistol shrimp is the NOISIEST creature in the ocean. Colonies of them make a distinct snapping noise that overshadows nearly all other sounds throughout the world’s oceans, including the calls of some whales. In fact, they are so loud, their snapping sounds interfere with military and scientific sonar (so much so, that hostile submarines have used large colonies of pistol shrimps to hide!).7 – Lion’s Mane JellyfishThe Lions Mane Jellyfish is the largest jellyfish in the world. They have been swimming in arctic waters since before the dinosaurs (over 650 million years ago) and are among some of the oldest surviving species in the world.The bell can grow up to 8 feet in diameter with hundreds of tentacles up to 120 feet long. Remarkably, only 6% of the jellyfish is solid matter; the rest is water.8 – Blue footed boobyMeet the blue footed booby, found from the Gulf of California down along the western coasts of Central and South America to Peru. Their bright blue feet are a sexually selected trait. The brighter a males feet, the more attractive he is to a female. To attract a female, they have an elaborate dancing ritual to display their feet, first lifting one foot and then the other.9 – The Cardinal GynandromorphNo, this isn’t photoshopped. This is a cardinal “gynandromorph” – an animal that exhibits both female and male sexual characteristics. As different sexes are differently colored, each half of the bird is a different shade.
10 – The Mexican walking fish.
“Walking fish” is a pretty general term used to describe any fish that is able to travel over land. Ironically, the Mexican walking fish isn’t a fish at all, but an amphibian. It’s official name is axolotl and as the name suggests, it’s found in Mexico.11 – Amazon milk frog
The Amazon milk frog, a large species of arboreal frog native to the Amazon Rainforest in South America.12 – Glass frogsGlass frogs, a group of South and Central American frogs with translucent skin. Their internal viscera, including the heart, liver, and gastrointestinal tract are all completely visible.13 – Yeti crab
This is the yeti crab (Kiwa hirsuta). Only discovered in 2005, the yeti crab lives in the South Pacific Ocean and grows to around 15cm long. Discovered at a depth of 2,200 metres (7,200 ft), it lives on hydrothermal vents. Based on both morphology and molecular data, the organism was deemed to form a new biological family, which was named Kiwaidae. A second species in the family was described in 2011. The “hairy” claws of the yeti crab contain filamentous bacteria, which the creature may use to convert carbon molecules emitted by the hydrothermal vents into nutrients. This is a process known as chemosynthesis. It may also consume bacteria.14 – Alarm jellyfish
This is the alarm jellyfish (Atolla Wyvillei) – and it has a rather unique defense mechanism. When the alarm jellyfish is attacked, it flashes brightly using bioluminescence in an attempt to attract other animals. The idea is to encourage confusion and fights between predators, while the jellyfish can swim away.
15 – Nembrotha cristataThis is Nembrotha cristata, a colorful sea-slug found in the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean. They grow to about 50mm in length and have black bodies with a strange luminous green “trim”. Like most nudibranchs, they deliver a painful sting. They do not produce the stinging cells themselves but incorporate them into their own tissues from their prey, stinging jellyfish.
16 – Leatherback Sea TurtleThe Leatherback Sea Turtle is the largest turtle in the world, weighing approximately 900kg. Contrary to appearance, the leatherback doesn’t actually have a shell. What looks like a shell is in fact a leathery skin supported by small bones. This gives it a flexibility that a solid shell would not provide, allowing it to dive to astonishing depths.17 -Pink Bottlenose Dolphin
18 – Hermit Crab19 – Purple frogs20 – Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko21 – Rare Albino Alligator22 – One of the few albino whales on earth23 – Stunning Albino Bengal Tiger24 – Incredibly rare albino giraffe25 – Pink fairy armadillo!26 – Tube-nosed fruit batThis creature was found just a few years ago, and doesn’t even have an official name yet. Supposedly well-known for being the animal that most looks like Yoda…27 – King of Saxony bird of paradise28 – Indian Bull FrogFound in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan and of course India.The Indian bullfrog is renowned for its large size (some can be up to 15cm in length!) and dramatic coloring.29 – Albino Lion30 – Friendly Albino Gorilla31 – Theridion grallator – the happy faced spider.32 – Red-Lipped Batfish!
Definitely not enough bridges--Robert Frost told us but no one listened.
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