DIANE'S CORNER: National Pet Day

DIANE'S CORNER ..

Celebrate Nat'l Pet Day

People love pets. They’re some of the most excellent companions’ people can have and make a living each day just a little bit better.

However, for the animals who don’t have homes, many people don’t realize the benefits of adopting a pet. Even those animals who are old can become some of the greatest gifts in life.

National Pet Day celebrates the joy that pets bring into peoples lives and encourages people to help reduce the number of animals in shelters. Bringing humans and animals together helps make the world a better place.

National Pet Day may as well take place every day for most pet owners. After all, we all recognize the love and joy that animals bring to our lives, and we make sure to let our pets know how much they mean to use. From cats and bunnies to chickens and dogs; no matter what pets you have in your home, National Pet Day gives you the perfect opportunity to hug your pet more and let him or her know how much they brighten up your life. For most people, a pet is the best friend they will ever have! At the end of the day, you’re never going to find someone more loyal than a pet, right?

Have you ever wondered what the world’s most popular pets are? We are sure that it does not come as a surprise that dogs are the most popular, followed by cats! But, what comes next? Well, you have fish, and then birds. After this, hamsters, gerbils, mouses, horses, and snakes complete the list of the most popular pets.

thanks, Frances

JOKE OF THE DAY

thanks, Bev

TODAY'S ARTIST thanks, Natalie

Reynolds Beal (October 11, 1866 – December 18, 1951)

was an American Impressionist and Modernist artist.

IDIOM OF THE DAY

What does the saying 'Big picture' mean?

Meaning: The big picture of something is the overall perspective or objective, not the fine detail.

thanks, Patsy

(Not So) TOTALLY USELESS FACTS OF THE DAY

A rhinoceros' horn is made of compacted hair.

The famous split-fingered Vulcan salute is actually intended to represent the first letter ("shin," pronounced "sheen") of the word "shalom." As a small boy, Leonard Nimoy observed his rabbi using it in a benediction and never forgot it; eventually he was able to add it to "Star Trek" lore.

The slogan on New Hampshire license plates is 'Live Free or Die'. These license plates are manufactured by prisoners in the state prison in Concord.

READERS INFO
Coronavirus Style by Sylvia, CAN DO Correspondent
It's A Gender Thing
You may not know this but many non-living things have a gender.

1) Ziploc Bags are Male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.

2) Copiers are Female, because once turned off; it takes a while to warm them up again. It's an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can wreak havoc if the wrong buttons are pushed.

3) A Tire is Male, because it goes bald and it's often over-inflated.

4) A Hot Air Balloon is Male, because, to get it to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under it, and of course, there's the hot air part.

5) Sponges are Female, because they're soft, squeezable and retain water.

6) A Web Page is Female, because it's always getting hit on.

7) A Subway is Male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people up.

8) An Hourglass is Female, because over time, the weight shifts to the bottom.

9) A Hammer is Male, because it hasn't changed much over the last 5,000 years, but it's handy to have around.

10) A Remote Control is Female. Ha! You thought it'd be male, didn't you? But consider this - it gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know the right buttons to push, he keeps trying!

COFFEE thanks, Ella

PICTURES OF THE DAY

THE STELVIO PASS, ITALY

The Passo dello Stelvio, located in Italy, at 2757 m (9045 feet) is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps.

Into the mouth of the caiman (Brazil)

Motionless but alert, a yacare caiman waits, like a small tyrannosaurus for fish to come within snapping reach. Caimans are usually seen floating passively on the surface. Under the water, it's another story.

knit .. Easter
thanks, Dawn

Fluffy the Bunny

knit

Bright and Breezy Kimono pattern by Marlaine DesChamps

knit

Roosimine pattern by Caoua Coffee

knit

Tanzanite

knit

thanks, Helen

Instructions:

Cast on 43 sts using Stretchy method, then work as follows:

Collar:

Seed Pattern Row: k 1, p 1, repeat to last st, k 1.

Repeat seed pattern row sixteen more times.

Yoke:

Note: to get a neat side edge, always slip first st purl-wise.

Row 1 (dividing row): p 1, yo, k2tog, p 1, k 2, kyokrb, k 8, kyokrb, k 11, kyokrb, k 8, kyokrb, k 2, p 1, ssk, yo, p 1.

Row 2: k 1, p 2, k 1, p to last 4 sts, k 1, p 2, k 1.

Row 3: p 1, switch the next 2 sts placing the second in front and k them alternately, p 1, *k to middle st of next porthole eyelet, kyokrb, repeat from * three more times, k to last 4 sts, p 1, switch the next 2 sts placing the second to back and k them alternately, p 1.

Row 4: repeat row 2.

Repeat rows 3 and 4 nine more times, then work last rows as follows:

Edge band:

Row 1: p 1, switch the next 2 sts placing the second in front and k them alternately, *p 1, k 1, repeat from * to last 4 sts, p 1, switch the next 2 sts placing the second to back and k them alternately, p 1.

Row 2: k 1, p 2, k 1, *k 1, p 1, repeat from * to last 5 sts, k 2, p 2, k 1.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 once more, bind off all sts, weave in loose ends. Insert the ribbon through (yo, eyelets and yo) of first row under the collar. Trim the ribbon's edges to get a neat look.

CROCHET PATTERNS OF THE DAY .. Easter

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Gnome Bunny Egg Cozy

Filet Chick Baby Blanket

thanks, Ella

crochet .. Easter
thanks, Karen

Eggs in a Nest

crochet
thanks, Alexa

Prayer Wrap Cardigan

crochet

Modern Storage Basket

crochet

Fit for A Princess

crochet

African Flower Hexagon Crochet Tutorial

RECIPE

thanks, Shelley, New York Food Correspondent

Chickpea Salad With Fresh Herbs and Scallions Recipe

PANTRY RECIPE

thanks, Debbie

"Pantry Find" Pasta for Two

CROCKPOT RECIPE

thanks, Lesley

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

VEGAN/ VEGETARIAN RECIPE

Both vegetarian and vegan diets may provide health benefits, including reduced body weight, lower cholesterol levels, and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it is important for vegetarians and vegans to ensure that they are meeting all of their nutritional requirements.

thanks, Alice

Pickled Asparagus

COPYCAT RECIPE

thanks, Jenny

Spicy Beef & Pepper Stir-Fry

RETRO RECIPE

thanks, Ann

Crispy thyme and garlic potatoes

thanks, Heide

SWEETS RECIPE .. Easter

thanks, Sara

Festive Easter Dessert

ADULT COLORING .. Easter

FUN

answer:

plate

CRAFTS .. Easter

thanks, Mary

Confetti Painted Easter Eggs

CHILDREN'S CORNER .. Easter

thanks, Jill

Rainbow Easter Egg Decorating for Kids

PUZZLE

Marmalade Jars Jigsaw Puzzle

WORD SEARCH

athlete

basis
boxer
bureau
dictator

feline
first
fiscal
funds

group

happy
heron
highway

laugh
lode

manage
mere
memory
moment
motive
music

ornery

policy
pugilist

raise
rave
remind

safe
series
severe
shrewish
stale
stooge
string

teas
temple
tush

vermin

wend
willow
worthless

SUDOKU .. hard

solution:

ICE BREAKER

thanks, Kris

You can use 'ice breaker questions' to build a rapport, enabling strangers to engage in back and forth conversion. With a little practice and possibly a beer or two, you’ll be breaking more ice than the Titanic.

Why Do We Hit Our Hands Together When We Like Something? (Clapping)

QUOTE

thanks, Helen

CLEVER

thanks, Michele

In Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis describes an encounter between his principal character and an old man busily at work planting a tree. “What is it you are doing?” Zorba asks. The old man replies: “You can see very well what I’m doing, my son, I’m planting a tree.” “But why plant a tree,” Zorba asks, “if you won’t be able to see it bear fruit?” And the old man answers: “I, my son, live as though I were never going to die.” The response brings a faint smile to Zorba’s lips and, as he walks away, he exclaims with a note of irony: “How strange—I live as though I were going to die tomorrow!”