Hat Trick

 The fashion conscious orcas of the Pacific Northwest are once again wearing salmon hats. The hats first began trending with the orca community in 1987 when a female donned a fish hat, the rest of the pod followed suit and the style remained in vogue for about a year. Researchers think that it's possible that a veteran of the trend from 1987 may have started it again, though there is really no way to know for certain. The good news is researchers think it may be because of an abundance of food so the orcas are saving the salmon for a snack later on which is seriously good news since they have been starving the last several years. 

Toilet Talk

 Have you ever wondered why public bathrooms don't have full doors? It's really kind of clever or at least parts of the reasons are. The lack of privacy makes people hurry through their business knowing that anyone can listen. Then there's the odor factor, the abbreviated doors allow the smell to dissipate more quickly. It also makes it easier to determine if a stall is in use though discretion is still in order. Another plus is being able to tell if there is an emergency situation so the needed help can be summoned. It makes cleaning easier and according to lore the doors are also cheaper though I question that since they would need to be custom made. Now you know more about public restrooms than you probably ever wanted too! 

Some Light Reading

 Today's post is just for laughs so everyone can relax after a big meal or after cooking a big meal. 

Love It or Hate It

 Green Bean Casserole is often part of the holiday meals but how did that happen? Though it's not as old as some of the holiday offerings it does go back to the cold war era. In 1955 Campbell's Soup Co. tasked the supervisor of research and development to come up with a recipe using Cream of Mushroom Soup and Green Bean Casserole was the result, though it didn't become a holiday staple until 1960 when Campbell's stared printing the recipe on the soup's label. Another example of the food industry/marketing bending American culture to their will. Either enjoy it tomorrow or not depending on your tastes! 

Ingredients

• 1 can (10.5 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Unsalted Cream of Mushroom Soup or Cream of Celery Soup
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 4 cups cooked cut green beans
• 1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions (amount divided in recipe steps below)

• Step 1

  Heat the oven to 350°F.  Fold in the soup, milk, soy sauce, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart oven safe casserole until all ingredients are combined.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

• Step 2

  Bake for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling.  Stir the bean mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining 2/3 cup onions.

• Step 3

  Bake for another 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.  Let green beans rest a few minutes before serving to help the flavors meld and the casserole settle.  Store leftovers in an oven safe dish for easy reheating. 

Pardon Me

 It's the time of year for the presidential pardon for two lucky turkeys, the chosen ones this year are Peach and Blossom. President Biden pronounced the pair free birds. The exact start of the annual turkey pardon is sketchy,  going all the way back to Lincoln though that could be folklore rather than fact. Then in 1947 Truman declared poultry-less Thursdays which didn't go over well with the National Turkey Federation or the Poultry and Egg National Board though they ended the dispute by gifting Truman with a bird that did become a holiday meal. It was Kennedy who started the trend of sparing a bird shortly before his assassination though the first official pardon was done by George H. W. Bush in 1989. 

That's a Sandwich?

 A California man is eating his way through history. He is resurrecting recipes from the past and some he finds delicious and others not so much. A recent rescue was called the New York Sandwich with the following ingredients: 24 minced oysters mixed with mayonnaise, seasoned with lemon juice and pepper spread on buttered day old French bread, he took one bite and tossed it. Some other concoctions are the Gene Kelly consisting of mashed potatoes on bread which he found delicious, peanut and sardine, parmesan radish, and a sophisticated club sandwich. He has also authored a cookbook, "Sandwiches of History" and presents a traveling stage show by the same name. 

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The Sophisticated Club Sandwich
Adapted from "Good Housekeeping's Book of Bread and Sandwiches" (1958)

Ingredients:

4 slices white sandwich bread
Unsalted butter, softened
1 slice American cheese from the deli
1 thin slice baked ham
1 large, canned pineapple slice, drained
2 Tablespoons (32 g) smooth peanut butter
2 Tablespoons (8 g) flaked, unsweetened coconut
3 slices crisp bacon
1 thin slice tomato
Salt and pepper
1½-inch (3-cm) thick slice avocado

Longevity Key

 An Australia woman was asked what she thought was the secret to living to be 110. She said a beer every day and be nice to people who will then be nice to you. The woman's daughter said she thinks it's her mom's sense of humor that contributed to her long life. The beer cited for her longevity and youthful looks is Emu Export which is ten years older than she is and contains 4.2% alcohol. With those details in mind she is not the oldest Aussie in the world, that honor goes to a woman five months older than her. 

At age 21

Crawlies

If you have arachnophobia you might want to skip today's post. A South Korean man was stopped trying to leave Peru with 320 tarantulas strapped to his body. At a security checkpoint one of the agents noticed his stomach was bulging and when they lifted up his shirt they found the spiders along with 110 centipedes and 9 bullet ants in Ziplock bags and plastic containers strapped to his stomach with two belts. The endangered animals were thought to be taken from the Peruvian Amazon and were destined for illegal wildlife trafficking that is worth millions worldwide. I can't help but wonder if the baggies and containers had airholes. 

Free Beer?

 The best things in life are free? The truth will set you free? There's no such thing as a free lunch? The free sayings go on and on but how do they apply to free beer? At the United Nations climate talks among all the big flashy signs sits small cans of New Brew at the Singapore display and those cans of beer are free. The people who stop to sample New Brew are mostly surprised to find it is made with treated wastewater which is the point of the climate talks in the first place, learning how to stretch the Earth's limited resources, one of which is water. Some of the conference attendees refer to the beverage as sewage beer but not many people are turning down the free beer even after they know how it's made. 

 

You Don't Say

 Are you one of the many who talk out loud to themselves, and if so do you admit to talking to yourself? Even though we've been told people will think you're crazy or strange for talking to yourself there are actually several benefits. Not only does it keep people who live alone engaged it is also helpful in times of stress when you can talk yourself through a situation or when you feel anxious, plus it helps to solve problems when you talk it out. Children talk to themselves both for the company and to learn social skills and it's perfectly normal in adults too. It has been discussed that talking to yourself may even indicate a high IQ, so go ahead and have a nice talk! 

Pizza Wine

 For the holidays Pizza Hut is offering tomato wine, they describe the flavor as "capturing the essence of your favorite slice in every sip." The ingredients are ripe, juicy tomatoes infused with basil an aromatic blend of herbs and spices with a hint of toasted oak, reminiscent of a perfectly baked pizza crust. They certainly can't be accused of giving it away as they are selling it for $25 per bottle with a minimum purchase of two bottles or a gift set containing one wine, two glasses, and a bottle opener for $60. 

Don't Be Alarmed

Nothing beats a good night's sleep in fact sleep pretty much makes everything else better which is why it's important. One thing that is often overlooked is how a person wakes up. It's best to establish your sleep routine with a consistent bedtime and wake up time so an alarm clock or needing someone else to wake you isn't necessary as using either of those methods can interrupt your REM patterns which fluctuate during the night through four stages and if the deep REM is when an alarm goes off it causes a person to feel drowsy all day. Of course there are other factors to good sleep but they're pretty much common sense like no caffeine before bed and several others but the most important is keeping to a schedule. 

Freeze Frame

 A spa in Whitehorse in Canada's Yukon territory has been holding a hair freezing contest since 2012, though last year they canceled the event since it didn't get cold enough. The temperature needs to get to at least -4 degrees F for an extended period and with global warming the temps have risen over 5.4 F in the last 30 years, so if you are counting on winning the $2,000 prize money for the best frozen do, your time may be limited. A list of the rules follo

1. Dip your head in the hot springs and wet your hair completely. Don’t worry- freezing your hair won’t damage it.
2. Allow the cold air to slowly freeze your hair. Keep your ears warm by periodically dipping them into the hot water. Be patient–all wet hair will eventually freeze, this includes eyebrows and even eyelashes.
3. Once your hair has become pure white with lots of frost and ice buildup, ring the bell near the pool entrance and have our staff come out to take your photo!

Better or Worse

 This seems like an extremely creepy development in robotics but maybe that's just me?  A study in Japan is making robots more lifelike so they can smile and have expressions. It is literally a layered process where they have to build up lab produced skin to allow for wrinkles and other natural "lifelike" details. Oh, did I mention that they can also heal themselves?? It sounds like the plot of a movie, " The Day the Bots Ruled." The good news is the lab produced skin may be used in the future in reconstructive plastic surgery.

Teasers

 Time to engage your brain again and see how observant you are not to mention testing your eyes. This first image is difficult. There is a cat hidden for you to find, hints will be found at the bottom of the post. The second image is one where you need to spot  10 differences. Good luck! 

The cat in the first picture can be found between the woman's head and arm holding the mop, it is somewhat outlined by the bottom of the curtains.

Flying High

 We're nearly there! Where you ask? Flying cars are already taking flight in China on a testing basis. A company called Xpeng has been fine tuning the Land Aircraft Carrier which comprises two modules, the ground module, aka the "Mothership", and the air module. The Mothership is a six wheel, three axle hybrid that accommodates the air module in its trunk. The modules separate with the push of a button allowing the dronelike aircraft with  room for two occupants to take to the sky. Not exactly like the flying car in the J.D. Robb novels but it's a start!