DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Carrot Day

Ahhh the ubiquitous carrot, favorite food of rabbits, amazing for your eyesight, and the foundation of what is easily one of the greatest cakes ever conceived. When you think of a carrot, it’s doubtless that you immediately bring to mind the bright orange root with the green foliage that is often found sticking out of the face of snowmen. What if we told you that orange is just one of the colors that carrots come in? In fact, it isn’t even the most common color outside of the Americas. Carrot Day is your opportunity to learn more about all the various cultivars of carrot, and what they can bring to your meals!

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History of Carrot Day

The history of Carrot Day is really the history of the carrot, and research of this incredibly popular root has revealed that it likely finds its origins in Central Asia. Through thousands of years of careful cultivation, we have ultimately arrived at the bright orange, slightly sweet, not at all bitter variety of carrot we have today! http://www.carrotday.com established Carrot Day in 2003, and it’s spread throughout the world to all the places the carrot is known.

As we’ve mentioned, there are multiple varieties of this carrot, otherwise known as cultivars, that range away from the traditional orange color we all think of. There’s the purple dragon carrot, a lovely form of carrot that has a deliciously complex flavor, slightly spicy with a kid-friendly sweetness. There’s also a lovely yellow carrot that’s as brightly yellow as a banana but has a wonderful flavor all its own.

Carrots are the foundation of so many meals, from rich savory stews to sweet cakes and candies. They can serve as almost any part of a meal as well, including a sweet candied carrot or as the color to a tray of richly roasted vegetables. Carrot Day celebrates this root in all its uses!

Word of the Day

thew

MEANING:

noun:
1. Muscle or tendon.
2. Power; strength; vitality.

ETYMOLOGY:

From thew (muscle, strength), from Old English theaw (custom, usage). Earliest documented use: 888.

USAGE:

“Alabama-born pro-slavery apologist Daniel Hundley noted: ‘... With hearts of oak and thews of steel, crouching to no man and fearing no danger ...’.”
Tommy Brown; “Of All the Hardy Sons of Toil”: Class and Race in Antebellum Southcentral and Southeastern Alabama; Alabama Review (Montgomery); Jul 2015.

“When I was in junior high, there was a television series with thirtysomethings playing adolescents. The channels crossing one character’s forehead became iconic and, in imitation, I took the habit of raising my eyebrows. Many a shameful night preceding my high school years was spent working the thews of strained visages, gesturing furrows during imagined dialogues and reactions, anything to intensify the indentures athwart my forehead.”
Matthew Lancit; Diary; National Post (Canada); Sep 20, 2007.

A Dog Walks Into a Bar...

Thinkstock

and asks the bartender, “Do you have any jobs?” The bartender says, “Why don’t you try the circus?” The dog replies, “Why would the circus need a bartender?”

Idiom of the Day

Get the show on the road -

Meaning - Putting up a plan or idea into action.

Example - Now that we have completed all the legal formalities, let's get the show on the road.

This Day in History

1581 - Francis Drake was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. A few months earlier he became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world.

1812 - The territory of Orleans became the 18th U.S. state and will become known as Louisiana.

1818 - A plan was passed by the U.S. Congress that the U.S. flag would have 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars and that a new star would be added for the each new state.

1841 - U.S. President William Henry Harrison, at the age of 68, became the first president to die in office. He had been sworn in only a month before he died of pneumonia.

1848 - Thomas Douglas became the first San Francisco public teacher.

1859 - Daniel Emmett introduced "I Wish I was in Dixie’s Land." About two years later the song became the Civil War song of the Confederacy.

1887 - Susanna M. Salter became mayor of Argonia, KS, making her the first woman mayor in the U.S.

1914 - The first known serialized moving picture opened in New York City, NY. It was "The Perils of Pauline".

1932 - After five years of research, professor C.G. King, of the University of Pittsburgh, isolated vitamin C.

1954 - Maestro Arturo Toscanini conducted his last concert with the NBC Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York City ending a 17-year association with the orchestra.

1964 - The Beatles made music history by holding the top five places in the singles charts with: "Can't Buy Me Love," "Twist and Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Please Please Me."

1967 - Johnny Carson quit "The Tonight Show." He returned three weeks later after getting a raise of $30,000 a week.

1968 - Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the age of 39.

Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, left, Dr. Denton A. Cooley
1969 - Dr. Denton Cooley implanted the first temporary artificial heart.

1971 - Veterans stadium in Philadelphia, PA, was dedicated this day.

1973 - In New York, the original World Trade Center twin towers opened. At the time they were the tallest building in the world.

1981 - Henry Cisneros became the first Mexican-American elected mayor of a major U.S. city, which was San Antonio, TX.

1983 - At Cape Canaveral, the space shuttle Challenger took off on its first flight. It was the sixth flight overall for the shuttle program.

1986 - Wayne Gretzky set an NHL record with his 213th point of the season.

1998 - In Glasgow, Scotland, the Spice Girls performed their first show in the U.K.

1999 - The Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres played the first major league season opener to be held in Mexico. The Rockies beat the Padres 8-2.

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, April 4

You expect to work for what you want in life, and you are always aware of your responsibilities. Nevertheless, you are playful and sometimes mischievous. You are straightforward in your dealings with others, and sometimes quite blunt! You value honesty and integrity in others as well. A confident and friendly manner sometimes hides a tendency to worry a lot about your future. You are an independent thinker. Famous people born today:

1913 Muddy Waters [McKinley Morganfield], American blues guitarist (Hoochie Coochie Man), born in Jug's Corner (Issaquena County) or Rolling Fork, Mississippi (d. 1983)

1924 Gil Hodges, American MLB 1st baseman, manager (8-time All Star), born in Princeton, Indiana (d. 1972)

1928 Maya Angelou [Marguerite Johnson], American author ("I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"), poet and actress (Nyo-Roots), born in St Louis, Missouri

1932 Anthony Perkins, American actor and singer (Psycho, Friendly Persuasion, Fear Strikes Out, Pretty Poison), born in NYC, New York (d. 1992)

1963 Graham Norton [Graham Walker], Irish comedian and TV presenter, born in Dublin

1965 Robert Downey Jr, American actor (Charlie Chaplin, Iron Man, Avengers), born in NYC, New York

1979 Heath Ledger, Australian-American Actor(Brokeback Mountain, The Dark Knight), born in Perth, Western Australia (d. 2008)

READERS INFO

1.

The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire 2019

Apr 6 - 7, 2019 | Irwindale, CA

Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area|15501 Arrow Hwy

Image result for The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire 2019 Apr 2019 Dates Unconfirmed | Irwindale, CA

The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale, California, is an expansive showcase and celebration of Renaissance times and traditions. Some of the highlighted attractions include jousting performances, lute-lead traditional folk music, wizard shows, Celtic dancing, court-jester comedy shows, a fire circus show, knife throwing demos and a kids kingdom.

further information: The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire

2.

Spring Tonic Maple Syrup Festival 2019

Apr 6 - 7, 2019 | Utopia, ON

Tiffin Centre for Conservation|8195 8th Line

Image result for Spring Tonic Maple Syrup Festival 2019 Apr 2019 Dates Unconfirmed | Utopia, ON

Boiling at the Tiffin Centre is the tastiest maple syrup that has yet to smother your breakfast. The Spring Tonic Festival welcomes hungry minds and hungry stomachs to take a tour of the sugar shack, watch syrup-making demonstrations and scarf down a stack of pancakes. Your stomach will need a moment to settle, so go for a spin in the horse-drawn wagon and work up that appetite again.

further information: Spring Tonic Maple Syrup Festival

3.

Julian Gold Rush Days 2019

Apr 6 - 7, 2019 | Julian, CA

Julian Mining Company|4444 Highway 78

Julian Gold Rush Days is a festival that celebrates the history of Julian, California. Guests can watch historical demonstrations, which feature reenactments of gunfights and gold panning, or interact with historical reenactors. This family-friendly event offers something for the whole family, with attractions like train rides, scavenger hunts, a variety of games and numerous food and beverage options.

further information: Julian Gold Rush Days

Pictures of the day

An oil platform in Mittelplate, the largest oil field in Germany. The field is located in the North Sea, around 7 km (4.3 mi) from the shore, in the tidal flats of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. It was discovered in 1980 and 1981 when test borings in the Mittelplate vicinity found oil in several sandstone layers. Due to the location of the field in an ecologically sensitive area it was subjected to hydrographic, hydrodynamic and meteorological studies to model storm, wave, and ice-flow conditions. The results led to the construction of an artificial island in 1985, which holds a drilling and production facility. By the 20th anniversary of the start of production, 20 million tonnes of crude had been produced from the field.

Counting cattle at an organic farm