river green for st. paddy's day

The Chicago River is dyed green each year for the St. Patrick's Day celebration, shown here in 2008. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by the those of Irish descent and increasingly by non-Irish people (usually in New Zealand and North America). Celebrations are generally themed around all things Irish and, by association, the color green and the three-leaved shamrock. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

good eats - right price

Advertising for the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in 1939. (From the postcard collection of Katheryn Ayres.) (courtesy: blog.wanderingspoon.com/.../)

standoff

Good example of effective postcard advertising.

(www.replypostcard.com/postcards.asp)

chicken fried bacon

Chicken fried bacon consists of bacon strips dredged in batter and deep fried, like chicken fried steak. It is an American dish that was introduced in Texas in the early 1990s. Frank Sodolak of Sodolak's Original Country Inn in Snook, Texas, is credited as having invented the food. It is usually served as an appetizer with a white "country" or cream gravy for dipping and sauce.

Food experts note the dish's low nutritional benefits: "They've taken fat, they've double-coated it in fat, they've fried it in more fat, and then they've served it with a side order of fat."

However, lovers of the food (including me) note: "That stuff clogs arteries just to hear it, but it's to die for . . . It just melts in your mouth."

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

februarie

February was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 in the old Roman calendar. February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the shortest month and the only month with fewer than 30 days. The month has 29 days in leap years, when the year number is divisible by four (except for years that are divisible by 100 and not by 400 in the Gregorian calendar). Having only 28 days in common years, it is the only month of the year that can pass without a single full moon. (all you wanted to know.) Another point of trivia: February starts on the same day of the week as both March and November in common years, and August in leap years. (Courtesy: www.fromoldbooks.org & Wikipedia)

the official-unofficial word

Phil Says "Six More Weeks of Winter!" Phil's official forecast as of February 2nd, 2009 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

Ben Hughes, handler of the weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, holds Phil after removing him from his stump at Gobbler's Knob on Groundhog Day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, in Punxsutawney, Pa. The Groundhog Club said Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (www.groundhog.org)

phil's prediction???

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated in United States and Canada on February 2. In weather lore, if a groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, or marmot emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for 6 more weeks. Of course, this legend has little to do with reality. The fact is that, whether or not the groundhog sees its shadow, there are another six weeks of winter. Look at your calendar, count 6 1/2 weeks into the future, and you'll see the first day of spring. Now count backward 6 1/2 weeks, and you'll see the first day of winter. Groundhog Day is halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. And that is not coincidence!

(courtesy: www.groundhog.org)

januarye

January is named for Janus (Ianuarius), the god of the doorway; the name has its beginnings in Roman mythology, coming from the Latin word for door (ianua) - January is the door to the year. Traditionally, the original Roman calendar consisted of 10 months, totalling 304 days, winter being considered a monthless period. Around 713 BC, the semi-mythical successor of Romulus, King Numa Pompilius, is supposed to have added the months of January and February. January is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere and the warmest month of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere. (Probably more than you wanted to know.) (Courtesy: www.fromoldbooks.org & Wikipedia)

new year - 2009

~ ~~~~~~Welcome to "2009" ~~~~~~~