Useless stuff You Just Have to Know

Kind of interesting and definitely something different...
all have been verified to be essentially true.

- A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

- A snail can sleep for three years.

- A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

- Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

- Almonds are members of the peach family.

- An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.

- "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

- Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

- The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

- There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

- There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous and hazardous.

- Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks; otherwise it will digest itself.

- There are more chickens than people in the world.

- Bill Gates' first business was Traff-O-Data, a company that created machines which recorded the number of cars
passing a given point on a road.

- Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

- Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

- The name for Oz in the "Wizard of Oz" was thought up when the creator, Frank Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N, and O-Z, hence "Oz."

Homeless brothers in line to inherit billions

Hungarian cave-dwellers could split grandmother's $6.6 billion fortune
BUDAPEST, Hungary - Talk about a reversal of fortunes.

Two brothers who are so poor they live in a cave on the outskirts of Budapest and get by selling scavenged junk are in line to receive a $6.6 billion inheritance from a long-lost grandmother, the U.K. Daily Telegraph reports.

Zsolt and Geza Peladi have been informed that they are entitled to the fortune, along with a sister who lives in the United States, the newspaper reported Wednesday.

Charity workers in Hungary passed on the good news to the brothers after being contacted by lawyers handling the estate of their maternal grandmother, who died recently in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, the Telegraph said.

“We knew our mother came from a wealthy family but she was a difficult person and severed ties with them, and then later abandoned us and we lost touch with her and our father until she eventually died,” Geza Peladi, 43, was quoted as saying by ATV television in Hungary.

“If this all works out it will certainly make up for the life we have had until now — all we really had was each other — no women would look at us living in a cave,” said Geza Peladi.

“But with money, maybe we can find a partner and finally have a normal life. We don’t know yet if she even told our grandmother about us. I understand it was only while they were carrying out genealogical research that lawyers found we existed.”

Under German law, direct descendants are automatically entitled to a share of any estate. As the grandmother’s daughter is dead, the money goes to her grandchildren.

The brothers said they are trying to track down their mother's death certificate to prove relation to their grandmother before traveling to Germany to claim the fortune.

The newspaper report didn’t say how the grandmother, whose name was not made public, amassed the fortune.

5 foods that help you sleep:

By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com


Here are five foods that can actually help you drift off:

Cherries
Fresh and dried cherries are one of the only natural food sources of melatonin, the chemical that controls the body's internal clock to regulate sleep.

Bananas
Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are a good source of both. They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain. The 5-HTP in turn is converted to serotonin (a relaxing neurotransmitter) and melatonin.

Toast
Carbohydrate-rich foods trigger insulin production, which induces sleep. Bring on sleepiness by speeding up the release of tryptophan and serotonin, two brain chemicals that relax you and send you to sleep.

Oatmeal
Like toast, a bowl of oatmeal will trigger insulin production, raising blood sugar naturally and making you feel sleepy. Oats are also rich in melatonin, which many people take as a sleep aid.

Warm milk
Like bananas, milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin. It's also high in calcium, which promotes sleep.

Have a good night…( yawn )

This ain't no poodle...

A 3-year-old Landseer Newfoundland in CASSELTON, N.D.,that measures 3 feet tall at the shoulders and 7 feet long from nose to destructive wagging tail, might be the world's tallest living dog. The owner says her 3-year-old Landseer Newfoundland keeps all four paws on the floor when he drinks from the kitchen faucet in her family's eastern North Dakota farm house.
His name is " Boomer" ( I can see why)
He stares into car windows eye to eye with drivers. A 20-pound bag of dry dog food lasts the 180-pound canine a couple of weeks. Owner Carlyn Weber says her furry black and white dog "comes into the house and his tail is so high everything gets knocked around."
Weber plans to send Boomer's measurements to Guinness World Records. The previous record holder was a nearly 4-foot-tall Great Dane that died this summer.

~ Odds and ends ~

Test for Mental Acuity

It doesn't hurt to take a hard look at yourself from time to time, and this should help get you started.

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized. "Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub." "Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup. "No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug.

Do you want a bed near the window?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally......

a new family has taken up residence in one of the birdhouses that Alex and Jack made for me last Spring ! I had a hard time getting a photo so that I could determine what kind of bird it is. I believe it’s a Tufted Titmouse. Look at the two photos below and see if you agree:

computer search photo

My photo

Now let's see if she tells a friend about the other available birdhouse...
You would think that a nice apartment, located in a treed area, would go quickly. And did I mention that there is no rental fee ?

Household Cleaner Recipes:

Homemade Febreze
4 tablespoons Ultra Downy Clean Breeze fabric softener
25 oz. water
Mix and dispense from a 32 oz. spray bottle.

Homemade Soft Scrub
1/4 cup borax
Vegetable-oil based liquid soap
1/2 teaspoon lemon oil
In a small bowl, mix the borax with enough soap to form a creamy paste.
Add the lemon oil and blend well. Scoop a small amount of the mixture
onto a sponge, wash the surface, and rinse well.

Drain Cleaner
To unclog a drain, mix a cup of salt with a cup of baking soda.
Pour the dry solution into the drain, and then add a pot of boiling water.

Glass Cleaner
Try cleaning glass or mirrors with club soda. The sodium citrite is the key ingredient.
**************************
Cleaning Stove Drip Pans and Rings
Take a large kettle, pot or roasting pan and fill with water. Bring to a boil.
Add a cup of Cascade dishwasher detergent, stir until powder dissolves.
Using tongs place the drip pans and rings in the pot of hot water.
Boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off heat, cover with lid and let sit overnight.
In the morning remove the drip pans and element rings
and scrub in a sink full of hot, soapy water.
The caked on crud should remove easily.

~ Words for Life's Journey ~

The 23rd Psalm for Working People

(Author Unknown)

The Lord is my real boss and I shall not want.

He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me.

He gently reminds me to pray before I speak,

And to do all things without murmuring and complaining.

He reminds me that He is my Source and not my job.

He restores my sanity everyday and guides my decisions

That I might honor Him in everything I do.

Even though I face absurd amounts of emails,

System crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks,

gossiping co-workers, discriminating supervisors

And an aging body that doesn't cooperate every morning,

I will not stop-for He is with me!

His presence, His peace, and His power

Will see me through.

He raises me up,

Even when they fail to promote me.

He claims me as His own,

Even when the company threatens to let me go.

His faithfulness and love

Are better than any bonus check.

His retirement plan beats every 401K there is!

When it's all said and done,

I'll be working for Him a whole lot longer

And for that, I bless His Name

~ Odds and Ends ~

Well, today is the first day of my new CNA  job.

I completed the training class and spent the last week, hands on.

Tell me, "Needled Mom", at 60, am I crazy for taking this on or what!

I've enjoyed every minute of my time off!

I've cleaned everything top to bottom, even closets and drawers, cleaned out the file cabinet in our computer room, made new curtains for the spare bedroom using the fabric below:

sewed scrubs for the new job, helped my Mom make her Strawberry-rhubarb jelly (yummm), took four day trips for photography, put all my photos on CD's, downloaded lots of music, watched numerous movies, started exercising every other day...slept in and stayed up late!

For the first time in my life, I didn’t have to be anywhere !

~ ODDS AND ENDS ~

A minister was making a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine. As he was pounding away, he noticed that a little boy was watching him. The youngster didn't say a word, so the preacher kept on working, thinking the lad would leave. But he didn't. Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the pastor finally said, "Well, son, trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?" "No," he replied. "I'm just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer."

Crazy squirrel....

We've got this crazy squirrel in our back yard...

He loves to eat the berries that grow on a tree near the flowerbed,

Look how he stands on his back legs to reach them,

Then he takes off, like lightning, jumping from tree to tree as fast as he can go!

One of these days he's gonna miss a branch when he leaps......
I think he's nuts.

~ Odds and Ends ~

Taco Casserole

1lb ground beef
1 medium onion,chopped
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
16 oz tomato sauce
16 oz whole kernel corn
2 cups shredded Cheddar
2 cups Original Bisquick®
1 cup milk
2 eggs
Sour cream, chopped tomato and shredded lettuce, if desired.

Heat oven to 325ºF.
Grease rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches.
Cook ground beef and onion in 10-inch skillet, stirring frequently,
until beef is brown; drain.
Stir in dry seasoning mix, tomato sauce and corn.
Spoon into pan; sprinkle with cheese.
Mix Bisquick, milk and eggs
until smooth. Pour over beef mixture.
Bake about 35 minutes or until
knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes before cutting.
Serve with remaining ingredients and salsa on the side!

"The love of God is like the Amazon river flowing down to water one daisy." ~~Unknown

Take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.
***

Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.

On the funny side...

**************************************

When the power mower was broken and wouldn't run, a lady kept hinting to her husband that he should get it fixed. But, somehow the message never sank in. Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point. When her husband arrived home one day, he found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. He watched silently for a short time and then went into the house.

He was gone only a few moments. When he came out again. He handed her a toothbrush. "When you finish cutting the grass," he said, "you might as well sweep the sidewalks."

The doctors say he will probably walk again, but he will always have a limp.

Hope you find some humor in your day!!!!!

Well, I took a copy of my Wordless Wednesday photo to work with me today and ask a co-worker (he's a hunter) what he thought it was...and he said it's a woodchuck. I had so many guesses:

1. groundhog
2. beaver
3. porcupine
4. rat (yuck!)
5. gopher
6. bunny with a long tail???
7. exotic guinea pig that escaped
8. vole
9. otter

I really was just curious to know what it was and it kinda became a game. Thanks to everyone that commented !

~ The Preacher and the Farmer ~

A very zealous soul-winning young preacher recently came upon a farmer working in his field.

Being concerned about the farmer's soul the preacher asked the man, "Are you laboring in the vineyard of the Lord my good man?" Not even looking at the preacher and continuing his work the farmer replied, "Naw, these are soybeans."

"You don't understand," said the preacher. "Are you a Christian?" With the same amount of interest as his previous answer the farmer said, "Nope my name is Jones. You must be lookin for Henry Christian. He lives a mile south of here."

The young determined preacher tried again asking the farmer, "Are you lost?" "Naw! I've lived here all my life," answered the farmer.

"Are you prepared for the resurrection?" the frustrated preacher asked. This caught the farmer's attention and he asked, "When's it gonna be?" Thinking he had accomplished something the young preacher replied, "It could be today, tomorrow, or the next day."

Taking a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiping his brow, the farmer remarked, "Well, don't mention it to my wife. She don't get out much and she'll wanna go all three days."

Enjoy you day!!

Not what I hoped for...

I've been trying to attract more birds to the back yard, so that I can get some pictures.

I know that the red birds like fruit and berries, so I took an orange that had been in the fruit basket for a while and cut it into sections.
I wired one half to a tree branch by the feeder and sliced the other half and put it under the feeder on the ground. The red birds seem to gather there.
Instead of red birds, I attracted this guy...

He took all the pieces and hid them somewhere for later....

~ It's that time again ~

At the end of the season last year when I was emptying the flower containers on the patio, this is what I found...

I couldn't believe how large the tubulars from the sweet potato vine had grown! The large one was about 6 or 7 inches long. It was about an inch when I planted it.

Time to decide what I want to put in the patio containers this year. Zinnias and Geraniums for sure, they did well last year. I had some African Daisies that were different.. more sweet potato vine...green... and I saw some purple, almost black that I really liked.

It's that time again !!

Exercise for people over 50...

(or who feel like it)

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks, Then try 50-lb potato sacks and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I'm at this level.)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each sack.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

How many people in the U.S. share your name?

Click here to find out!

~ Living Statue of Liberty ~

I received an interesting e-mail a few days ago...and when you realize how this photo is made, it's mind boggling:

WWI Camp Dodge - Living Statue of Liberty
"On a stifling July day in 1918, 18,000 officers and soldiers posed as Lady Liberty on the parade grounds at Camp Dodge. According to a July 3, 1986, story in the Fort Dodge Messenger, many men fainted-they were dressed in woolen uniforms-as the temperature neared 105 degrees. The photo, taken from the top of a specially constructed tower by a Chicago photography studio, Mole & Thomas. The photo was intended to help promote the sale of war bonds but was never used." (Grover 1987) There are twice as many men in the flame of the torch as in the rest of the design.

25,000 Officers and men at Camp Dix in New Jersey.

9,000 Marines at U.S. Marines, Paris Island, South Carolina.