Last month’s blog on Iced Tea got me thinking about other thirst quenching drinks for hot summer days, and Lemonade is every bit as common as Iced Tea as a summer beverage. Lemons and sugarcane, two prime ingredients for lemonade, are native to India where people mix a beverage called
Who remembers the original “smiley” or “happy” face? Before anyone thought of emojis, Harvey Ross Ball, a graphic designer, was asked to make an icon that could lift employee morale. Within 10 minutes Ball came up with a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes, and an arc for a
Summertime and the reading is easy. Many people imagine a summer vacation that includes lying on a beach reading a book, while the sound of waves serenades our ears. People select all kinds of books for beach reads. A few of them are historical fiction. Historical fiction is a broad
Summer is here —Time to SLIP-SLOP-SLAP-WRAP SLIP on a shirt before you slide into the shade; SLOP on sunscreen; SLAP on a hat; and WRAP Sunglasses around your eyes. Eye protection is important, not just to reduce glare and shade your view, but to prevent photokeratitis, or sunburn on your
I’m a big fan of gardenias. The plant requires little attention, and the white flowers with their heady fragrance are pure joy. Less joyful are the tiny thrips that feast on the flowers. There are various cures for this. I put the blossoms in soapy water for a bit, and
Iced beverages of any kind, but especially iced tea, have been a staple of hot summer days for generations. By definition, any form of cold tea is an iced tea, which implies, I can simply brew some hot tea, let it cool, and put the container into the refrigerator for
Thursday, June 4 is Hug-A-Cat Day — which, according to Koa Kat, makes it the perfect time to tell two charming stories about cats. The Owl & the Pussy-Cat The Owl and the Pussy-Cat is a nonsense poem written by Edward Lear (1812-1888) and first published in 1871. The Owl
Ketchup is the go-to of all American condiments. In fact, the average American consumes 71 pounds of ketchup each year. [Incidentally, this 1953 advertisement by Alcoa Aluminum uses the Del Monte catsup bottle as a prop to demonstrate how easy it is to open aluminum screw tops.] It’s easy to
Most vegetable gardens, whether in the back yard or in pots on the balcony, feature tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash [usually the prolific zucchini]. All are easy to grow and attractive with their lush leaves and yellow flowers. I enjoy the lacy effect of these tomato blossoms in my garden. Americans
While spending time sheltering-in-place at home, I, like many other people, considered previous pandemics. Many media stories compare COVID-19 to the 1918 H1N1 virus pandemic. But that event is one of many throughout history, including small pox, also known as the speckled monster, a virulent viral disease once endemic in
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