Thursday, October 1, 2015

Poetry Day OCTOBER 1, 2015

DIANE'S CORNER .. Celebrate Poetry Day

Poetry Day is a celebration of poetry for everyone, everywhere: from assemblies, bus queues to hospitals and zoos. It’s a day when poetry takes to the streets. It’s a chance for you to use poetry to say things that can’t be said in prose.

thanks, patty



Word of the Day

villein 


Definition:(noun) A person who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord.
Synonyms:helot, serf
Usage:The novel told the story of a young villein who fell in love with the daughter of his feudal lord.



History

Annie Besant (1847)


Besant was an English social reformer who, in 1889, embraced theosophy, a religious philosophy with mystical concerns. She served as international president of the Theosophical Society from 1907 until her death. After moving to India in 1893, she became an independence leader and established the Indian Home Rule League. She was president of the Indian National Congress in 1917 but later split with Gandh

Mountain State Forest Festival


This festival is an eight-day celebration of the timber industry in the small town ofElkins, West Virginia. A highlight of the festival is the crowning of Queen Silvia, who wears an elaborate embroidered velvet gown. Events today salute the timber industry but also include non-timber events. Hence, there are forestry and wood-products exhibits and lumberjack contests along with a horseshoe tournament, live musical entertainment, a motorcycle race, arts and crafts exhibits, and a mammoth buckwheat cake and sausage feed.

Tiniest Snail Ever Found Could Fit Through a Needle's Eye 10 Times


How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Who knows? But 10 Angustopila dominikae snails can fit within the eye of a needle. The newly discovered snail species, found in China, may be the world's smallest land snail. The height of its shell is ...
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1885 - Special delivery mail service began in the United States. The first routes were in West Virginia. 

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 1903 - Pianist Vladmir Horowitz was born in Berdichev, Russia. 

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 1908 - The Model T automobile was introduced by Henry Ford. The purchase price of the car was $850. 

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 1933 - Babe Ruth made his final pitching appearance. He pitched all nine innings and hit a home run in the 5th inning.

 Image result for 1940 - The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened as the first toll superhighway in the United States.

 1940 - The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened as the first toll superhighway in the United States. 

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 1952 - "This is Your Life" began airing on NBC-TV.

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 1962 - Johnny Carson began hosting the "Tonight" show on NBC-TV. He stayed with the show for 29 years. Jack Paar was the previous host.

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1968 - "Night of the Living Dead" premiered in Pittsburgh, PA.



1980 - Robert Redford became the first male to appear alone on the cover of "Ladies' Home Journal." He was the only male to achieve this in 97 years. 

1982 - EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) Center opened in Florida. The concept was planned by Walt Disney. 



DAILY SQU-EEK




If You Were Born Today, October 1

You are a success-oriented, charming, and personally powerful individual. You are at your best when you are in control, your own boss, or working on your own. However, you get along with others and have the necessary "people skills" to do so, although occasionally your impatience comes through! You are proud and not always willing to ask for help. You are willing to work hard for what you want, and you generally appear to be confident. You have a good head for business, and you are also quick to respond to changes. Famous people born today: Annie Besant, Walter Matthau, Jimmy Carter, Julie Andrews, Mark McGwire, Vladimir Horowitz.





Picture of the day
Tomb of Bibi Jawindi
The Tomb of Bibi Jawindi is a mausoleum built in 1493 by an Iranian prince, Dilshad, for Bibi Jawindi, who was the great-granddaughter of the Sufi saint Jahaniyan Jahangasht. It is located in Uch, Pakistan, and is one of the five monuments in the city that are on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.


Picture of the Calbuco volcano erupting in Chile

The Awakening

Photograph by Francisco Negroni, National Geographic 
After nearly five decades of inactivity, the Calbuco volcano in southern Chile spews a violent blast of ash and smoke, the energy generating a tangle of volcanic lightning. Situated along the Ring of Fire, Chile has a chain of about 2,000 volcanoes, most of which are dormant or extinct.

knock_knock_2

knit
 
 
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Free Universal Yarn Pattern : Pathways Vest
Free Universal Yarn Pattern : Pathways Vest : part of the Universal Yarn online store and catalog.
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knit, 2 - 8 yrs
 
 
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Snuffle Sweater pattern by Lorna Miser
This sweater is fun because the sleeve is also the elephant’s trunk.
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knit
 
 
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Lauren Hat pattern by Margaret Santino
Gauge 20 stitches = 4 inches in Stockinette Stitch
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knit
 
 
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504 King West
Thank you all TTC Knitalongers! It was so nice to see faces filled with such knit-enthusiasm last Saturday.  What a great way to launch our summer yarn sale! ...
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knit
 
 
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Basel Throw pattern by Betty Monroe
Construction schematic for modular edges is provided.
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crochet
 
 
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Pretty Pumpkins pattern by Kris Moore
These pumpkins are so cute, and can be embellished or left plain. I hot glue the stem and the trimmings on, and they do not move. They are for decorative p...
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crochet (i come from park slope, brooklyn!)
 
 
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crochet
 
 
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Spikes Strike pattern by Sanhita Kar
I am no designer, I can just follow and reproduce the lovely patterns the talented designer put up. This is not a very original thing either. Spike stitch is a v...
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crochet
 
 
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Karen Wiederhold: Free Crochet Pattern: Sunflower Motif
Round 1      3.5mm Hook and brown DK yarn, Ch6, join with SS to form ring. Round 2      Ch3, DC11 into ring, join with SS into first space.
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crochet
 
 
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RECIPE
oven baked onion rings
instructables
Picture of oven baked onion rings

ingredients:
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups+ Panko style breadcrumbs
  • cooking spray
tools:
  • baking sheet
  • Ziploc or paper bag for flour
  • small bowls
  • aluminum foil
  • an oven preheated to 450 F / 230 C
The cooking spray and Panko are really the keys to getting nice onion rings.

Cut the ends off the onion and then slice into thick rings. I can normally get 4-5 slices. You want the slices to be about a half inch thick.
Separate the rings gently so you don't break them. I use everything but the smallest inner ring. :)
Place the onion rings in a bowl of water as you finish them. You can also use buttermilk, but it doesn't make much difference, honestly. You just want the onion rings to be wet so that you can dredge them in the seasoned flour.

Preheat the oven to 450 F / 230 C.
Combine the flour and seasoned salt. I know a tablespoon seems like a lot, but this is our only chance to get the onion rings seasoned. I tried it with much less a couple times and they were never good enough!
Beat two eggs well in another bowl.
Pour two cups of Panko breadcrumbs into a medium sized bowl.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray the aluminum foil well with cooking spray.

I may be using glass bowls for the photos to make it look nice, but I actually recommend using a Ziploc or paper bag to dredge the onions rings in the seasoned flour. It is so much faster and easier and coats the onion rings better.
Steps for breading:
  1. Remove an onion ring from the water and place it in the bag with the seasoned flour. Shake well to coat.
  2. Shake the onion ring lightly to remove excess flour and then dip it into the beaten eggs. I use a fork to move it around and make sure both sides are coated.
  3. Allow some of the excess egg to drip off and then place the onion ring into the panko. Scoop some Panko on the top of it and press down. Coat it well all over!
  4. As you finish with each ring, lay them on the aluminum foil/cooking spray coated baking sheet.

Once all your onion rings are on the sheet, give them a light coating with your cooking spray.
Then pop them in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. I like to turn mine halfway, but you don't have to!
You just want the onions to soften and for the Panko to get nice and golden. If you're not sure after 15 minutes, take out the fattest onion ring and taste test it. That'll let you know if you're done. 
And now you can eat awesome onion rings whenever you want without burning yourself or smelling like cooking oil the rest of the day!! 
Though be warned, you will end up with Panko crumbs everywhere. ;)



CROCKPOT RECIPE
stephanie o'dea

CrockPot Boston Baked Beans Recipe

These are very good beans. Our family always has an 8-pack of Bush's Baked Beans on the shelf in the garage. We buy them in bulk at Costco, and they are a go-to for an easy snack or lunch for the kids (and me!). Because I like them so much, I never really played around with making a Baked Bean anything of my own.

Until Friday. We brought these beans to a PTA potluck, and everyone who tried them commented on how good they were.

I'm going to make another batch today for lunch, because we weren't able to eat as much as we would have liked.

The Ingredients.

This is enough food to feed 8-10 as a side dish. Next time I will make more.

--3 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
--2 medium onions, chopped finely, or 2 T dried minced onion (I used dried, because I didn't want to get to the store. I wish I had been able to get fresh)
--1/2 cup brown sugar
--1/4 cup molasses
--1/3 cup ketchup
--1 tsp salt
--1 1/2 tsp dried mustard
--1/4 tsp black pepper
--1/2 pound of bacon, or equivalent. I used chicken and apple sausage.

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart crockpot, but this will fit in as small as a 1.5 quart.

Drain and rinse your beans, and add them to the crockpot. Add onion and brown sugar. Pour in the molasses and ketchup. Add spices. Stir to combine.

Lay slices of uncooked bacon over the top of the beans, or slice chicken and apple sausage and lay it over the top.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or high for about 4. I think you would discard the bacon after cooking, but I kept the chicken and apple sausage and mixed it in.

Our beans ended up being cooked on low for 6 hours, and then were on warm for another 3. They tasted great, but got a bit more dried out than I would have liked. I think if I had used bacon, they wouldn't have---the bacon would have created more juice. Using fresh onion would have helped, too.

The Verdict.

Very tasty. This is a keeper. We'll make this often. The flavors were much richer than canned beans. If I was going to use dried beans, I'd probably use pinto or a white bean, after learning about that freaky kidney bean toxin.





CRAFT
 
 
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I Dig Pinterest: DIY Tin Can Desk Supply Organizer
This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Office Depot, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #...
View on www.idigpinterest.com
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CHILDREN'S CORNER .... halloween craft

Teru Teru Bozu's Here to Play

With Halloween just around the corner, and a weather forecast showing a bit of a drizzly week, we knew just the crafty DIY to share with you this week.  Introducing teru teru bozu:


Sure sure, you might think that these are just cute little ghosties, but in Japan they are so much more than that.  You see, teru teru bozu - which roughly translates to shiny shiny monk or sunny sunny boy or something along those lines - is a traditional Japanese doll used to ward off rain.


Common in the rainy season, teru teru bozu are hung in windows to stop or even prevent rain.  They are often made by school children before big field trips or sports days to ensure fine weather for their upcoming event.


Now, should you find yourself in need of rain, simply hang your teru teru bozu upside down and he will invite the rain to come.


The best part about teru teru bozu, is that there really aren't any rules for how to make them.  Sometimes made using tissue or paper towel in Japan, you can use any materials at hand.  For ours, we wanted dolls which would last... at least a little while.  Want a teru teru bozu, Omiyage-style?

1. Cut a 8 1/2" square of white fabric.  You can use pinking shears or finish the edges or even use a circle - it's up to you!

2. Grab a small handful of fibrefill (or other filling of your choice.  Work with the fibrefill to form it into a ball.

3. Place fibrefill into the center of the fabric.  Gather fabric under ball of filling to form head.  At this point, you can simply secure with string or ribbon - or you can take the more difficult route like us and stitch around the neck to secure.

4. If you haven't done so already, tie a ribbon around the neck or make your teru teru bozu a jaunty bow tie or scarf from felt or fabric scraps.

5. Give your teru teru bozu a face.  We went with a simple embroidered face but feel free to draw it on - most people do!

6. If desired, attach a piece of ribbon or string to the top of your doll's head for easy hanging.

And there you have it - your very own Japanese rain amulet - who would make a pretty great Halloween decoration too... and c'mon, who wants rain on Halloween?


And just so you know - ever since we made these teru teru bozu, the rain hasn't dared to show its face!





PUZZLE





QUOTE
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. - George S. Patton








BOTTLE CAP DOLPHIN

Dolphin from painted beer caps. Dolphin from painted beer caps.





"Welcome" in Croatian (Croatia, Bosnia) [to group] - Dobro došli







CLEVER


Why punctuation matters. It makes a huge difference in the meaning of your writing!:


EYE OPENER

7 Homophone Mistakes to Avoid

grammarly
When you’re speaking out loud, homophones sound alike, but when you’re writing them out, it’s a different story. Though they have the same pronunciation, homophones have slightly different spellings and totally different definitions. Since using the wrong one can completely change the meaning of your statement, it’s important to make sure you have the right word in mind. Here are several homophone mistakes to avoid.
Than vs. Then
store, homophone, Grammarly
Despite their single letter of difference, misusing “than” and “then” can change a statement completely. “Than” is the word to use in a comparative statement, like “You’re a better writer today than you were yesterday.” Use “then” when describing a sequence of events, like “Write a good sentence, and then compose a great paragraph.”
To vs. Too
While “to” and “too” sound the same, remember that the former is a preposition, while the latter is an adverb. “To” typically means “toward,” while “too” can either mean “excessively” or “also.” For example, you could say, “When you go to the beach, take me too.”
Your vs. You’re 
Though it’s a common mistake, using the wrong version of this word can make your writing look sloppy. “Your” is always a possessive pronoun, so when you use this word, be sure you’re declaring ownership. For instance, you could say, “your book” or “your professional writing sample.” “You’re,” on the other hand, is a contraction of the words “you” and “are.” When using this word, check yourself by reading it with the words “you are” in place of the contraction to make sure it makes sense.
Threw vs. Through
“Threw” and “through” may be different parts of speech, but they can be tough to keep straight. The first work in this homophone pair is the past tense of the verb “throw,” or the act of tossing something in the air. “Through,” however, is an adverb that implies movement through space or time. You could say, for instance, “The pitcher threw the baseball through the air like a pro.”
Stationary vs. Stationery
Many writers confuse these homophones, since the only spelling difference is a single vowel towards the end of the word. “Stationary” and “stationery,” however, have very different meanings. “Stationary” refers to standing still, while “stationery” refers to cards, paper, or other writing materials. Your stationery may be stationary, but never the other way around.
Seas vs. Sees vs. Seize
As if two homophones weren’t enough, you will find three spellings of this sound-alike. “Seas” is a noun that describes oceans and other large bodies of water, while the verb “sees” refers to looking or observing. Finally, “seize” means to take control. “She sees the opposing forces seize the seas” demonstrates the unique meaning of all three.
There vs. Their vs. They’re
You’ll also find three of these tricky homophones. “There” refers to a general location or distance. When describing where you parked your car, for instance, you might say, “My car is in the parking lot over there.” “Their” serves as a possessive form for more than one person. When referring to the vehicles belonging to a group of people, for example, you would say, “their cars.”
Finally, “they’re” is a contraction of the words “they” and “are.” Whenever you use this term, make sure that what you really mean is “they are.” For instance, you could say, “They’re parking.” If you’re really ready to show off your knowledge of homophones, try out the statement, “They’re parking their car in that lot over there.”
Homophones may sound the same, but their meanings are very different when you use them in writing. Study up on which words you need to use, and when, as many spelling and grammar checkers cannot correct for words that are spelled correctly but used wrong. 
bear vs bare
This weekend, I'm doing the bear minimum.
grate vs great
weather vs whether

principle vs principal
formerly vs formally

every day vs everyday
desert vs dessert
conscious vs conscience
affect vs effect
Inline image
awhile vs a while

What’s your biggest homophone mistake?







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1 comment:

  1. PattyOctober 1, 2015 at 11:13 AM

    There is soooooooo much that can't be said in prose! We really need a poetry year. And someone to make us onion rings while we're bathing in those poems.

    ReplyDelete

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