Monday Morning Brain Teasers 11 30 09

To get everyone in the spirit of the season, here are a few Monday morning brain teasers to get you thinking about horticulture and the holidays. As always, it is a true and false format with the answers in tomorrow’s blog. The inspirational thought for the day is by Garrison Keillor. "A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together." Have a great Monday.

1.) The most commonly used species of evergreen used for Christmas trees in North America is the pine.

2.) Mistletoe is a parasitic plant.

3.) The Poinsettia was named after an American ambassador.

4.) The Christmas tree tradition began in Scandinavia.

5.) Sugar Plums are the dried candied fruit from the plum tree.

Practice the Obvious

From a gardening and holiday perspective, Thanksgiving is the celebration of harvest and family. But for many people, there is an ‘empty chair’ at their holiday table. They may put on a game face but the very essence of celebration make the holidays extremely difficult.

The shortness of today’s blog is because the title says it all – practice the obvious. Just the other day, I was speaking to a friend; he tragically lost his son ten years ago this December. “You’d think that the space in between would make it easier,” he said. “It doesn’t.”

To end the blog on a lighter note, here is a short poem found on the internet, which substitutes for our inspirational thought of the day. No vaccine necessary.

“Smiling is infectious,
You can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too.”

Fill someone’s space, that empty chair with a simple flower, a smile and a kind word. I’ll see you next Monday and we’ll get back to gardening. Happy Thanksgiving.

Your smile still lights a room.
Today's blog is in memory of 1st Lieutenant Ryan Patrick Jones

Tuesdays with Annie 11 24 09

Only two more days left and all are eagerly waiting for the turkey to go in the oven. A short circuit blew on the stove yesterday. When you hear a pop and the fan won’t shut off, it’s not usually a good sign. Hopefully the part ships in time. There is still so much to be thankful for – relatives who might end up doing the cooking! Here are the answers from yesterday’s brain teasers.

The largest producer of cranberries in the United States is Massachusetts.
False. Wisconsin is the largest producer of cranberries. Massachusetts was the first state where cranberries were cultivated so we can take pride in something.

The cranberry is a native fruit to North America.
True. Other native fruits to North America include Blueberries and Concord Grapes.

The first settlers (Pilgrims) learned from Native Americans to fertilize corn by planting the seeds over dead fish.
True. Old tale from history class so we hope it is true. We use seaweed and fish emulsion in our garden all the time. The dogs love it.

Squash is a fruit.
True. As mentioned in last week’s blog, squash is officially a fruit. In the culinary world, we often refer to squash as a vegetable. Either way, we should have plenty of it in our diet because it is loaded with beta-carotene. It’s also tasty and if you use last week’s recipe, everyone should enjoy squash.

The first national Thanksgiving football broadcast was between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears.
True. In 1934, the Detroit Lions hosted the Chicago Bears in front of thousands of fans. The Lions lost to the Bears, 19 to 16. It was broadcast on 94 radio stations across the country. In 1956, fans viewed the game for the first time on television.

The inspirational thought for the day is by Erma Bombeck. “Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.” Thank goodness for Erma Bombeck. If it was Martha Stewart, eighteen hours would suddenly become two weeks.

Photo of Martha Stewart and the Thanksgiving Turkey
Internet Photo – New York Daily News