With a name like watermelon, one would expect it to be juicy, scrumptious and amazing. The watermelon meets, and in every case, exceeds that very exclamation. The presence of so much water makes this melon an impressive addition to the fruit family. Here it comes, the carefully procured but wonderfully amazing, Watermelon Day!
Whether it is the more than 90% water in the fruit, or the sweet flavor that explodes in your mouth with every bite, this fruit lives up to a crowned ‘favorite fruit’ of children the world over. That hard rind around the edge gives a smooth texture, easy to hold by even the youngest of hands, the soft inner red fruit easy to eat by young and old alike, and with a juicy burst of flavor, it is liked by most that do eat it. Even the seeds are an enjoyment, spitting them has become contests between family, friends and neighbors. But even the seeds do not detract from this wondrous fruit, merely giving us a reason to open our mouths for yet another bite of the succulent melon.
That sweet taste of watermelon on the rind may just be one of the best ways to share it this Watermelon Day. Cut up the melon, plate it up, add a little salt or sugar if that is your preference, and enjoy the delight of sweetness this summer.
VERMONT FARMER'S MARKET, part 1
thanks, patty
Word of the Day
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| Definition: | (noun) A sum total of many heterogeneous things taken together. | ||
| Synonyms: | conglomeration, aggregate | ||
| Usage: | The top floor is devoted to the servants-a congeries of little kitchens and cubicles, used by many as lumber-rooms. | ||
Idiom of the Day
happy as a lark— Very happy; contented. |
History
Leon Uris (1924)
Uris was an American novelist known for his many popular novels, especially the 1958 bestseller Exodus, a fictional account of Israel's early history that was eventually translated into dozens of languages. Meticulously researched, much of his fiction is set in historical periods of the 20th century. Uris also wrote screenplays, notably for the classic Western Gunfight at the OK Corral, and many of his novels were made into films.
Nebuta Matsuri
Nebuta Matsuri, the main festival of Aomori Prefecture in Japan, features processions of huge, elaborately painted papier-mâché figures called nebuta. In the capital city of Aomori, the nebuta figures, up to 49 feet wide and 26 feet high, depict ferociously scowling samurai warriors. Illuminated from within by candles, they glow as they are carried through the streets at nightfall. Spectators wear hats made of flowers and dance in the streets. |
How Dental Floss Became a Thing in the First Place
Those regularly chided by their dentists got good news on Tuesday, as the U.S. government acknowledged something to which TIME had brought attention last year: there is little scientific evidence that flossing your teeth really makes a difference when it comes to cavities and gum disease.
READ MORE:
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How Dental Floss Became a Thing in the First Place
Get the history behind flossing
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1750 - Christopher Dock completed the first book of teaching methods. It was titled "A Simple and Thoroughly Prepared School Management."
1777 - During the Siege of Fort Stanwix the first U.S. flag was officially flown during battle.
1922 - WGY radio in Schenectady, NY, presented the first full-length melodrama on radio. The work was "The Wolf", written by Eugene Walter.
1933 - The Mickey Mouse Watch was introduced for the price of $2.75.
1936 - Jesse Owens won the first of his four Olympic gold medals.
1949 - The National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed. The league was formed by the merger between the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League.
1956 - Bedloe's Island had its name changed to Liberty Island.
1984 - Mary Lou Retton won a gold medal at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
2004 - NASA launched the spacecraft Messenger. The 6 1/2 year journey was planned to arrive at the planet Mercury in March 2011. On April 30, 2015, Messenger crashed into the surface of Mercury after sending back more than 270,000 pictures.
DAILY SQU-EEK
AN INTERESTING BLOG
A pioneer of the Symbolist art movement in France, Paul Gauguin is renowned for his “savage” art depicting sumptuous Tahitian women, nude bathers and haystacks in the Breton landscape, and decorative door panels around his hut on the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.
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Paul Gauguin - 188 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy
Find the latest shows, biography, and artworks for sale by Paul Gauguin. A pioneer of the [Symbolist](/gene/symbolism) art movement in France, Paul Gauguin is reno...
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Pictures of the day
The 2014 edition of the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field, a composite image of separate exposures taken from 2003 to 2012 with the Hubble Space Telescope, and showing the full range of ultraviolet to near-infrared light. Made from 841 orbits of telescope viewing time, the image contains approximately 10,000 galaxies, extending back in time to within a few hundred million years of the Big Bang.
Lifting the Veil
Photograph by Jonathan Nyik Fui Tai, National Geographic
A lacy veil of cigarette smoke encircles a man in Sarawak, one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. “I embarked on photography trips to inland Sarawak to seek out the native people [who] preserve their way of life,” Jonathan Nyik Fui Tai says. ”Many of the tribes have slowly [been] assimilated into modern society.”
knit
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sweet heart pattern by The Knit Cafe Toronto
This is a mini heart: finished measurements aprox. 5cm/ 6cm. It could be made into jewelry or given to your sweetie!
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knit
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knit
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Justjen-knits&stitches: Flower Pot Tea Cosy
Tea Cosy, free pattern, knitting, crochet, flower pot tea cosy, pink, white, daisies, Mother's Day
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knit
knit
crochet
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crochet
crochet
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Coastal Coasters pattern by Fiber Flux / Jennifer Dicker...
The Coastal Coasters are a fun way to celebrate the easy, breezy days of summer! A super simple granny circle is quick to work up…just in time for a tall, cool drin...
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crochet
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14 Row Easy Tote pattern by Kristi Simpson
Do you need a quick bag? or gift? Well, grab your bulky yarn and this pattern….. and get busy! This is made from 2 panels and it’s so fast! Seriously, each panel is...
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crochet
RECIPE
Deep-Fried Deviled Eggs
Here’s what you will need:
- 12 peeled hard-boiled eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- Oil for frying
- 4 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. pickle relish
- 2 Tbsp. mustard
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Optional:
* Paprika, or seasoning of choice to top
* Paprika, or seasoning of choice to top
Directions:
Heat cooking oil for deep-frying in a medium-size pan over medium heat.
Cut the hard-boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Gently separate the cooked egg white from the yolk and remove to a medium bowl.
Coat the cooked egg white in flour, eggs, and panko bread crumbs. Carefully place eggs into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from pan and drain excess oil on a paper towel.
Add mayonnaise, relish, mustard, hot sauce, salt, and pepper to the yolks and mash until smooth. Fill a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag with yolk mixture. Pipe mixture back into the fried egg white, dust with paprika, and serve!
CROCKPOT RECIPE
thanks, shelley
SWEETS
Easiest Ever Fudge Recipe
Step 1: Ingredients and tools
ingredients:
- 3 cups chocolate chips - I mixed milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons good vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup chopped nuts or dried fruit - optional
You can mix whatever chocolate chips you like here. I've even seen folks use peanut butter or butterscotch chips in this fudge and it's amazing. :D
I highly recommend these with 3/4 cup of walnuts - that's my favorite! The walnuts are a little bitter so they balance out the sweetness of the milk chocolate.
tools:
- wax paper
- pan for forming and cooling the fudge - 8x8 inches or smaller
Step 2: Pick a pan and line it with the wax paper
As long as the pan is smaller than 8x8 inches, it should be totally fine! I chose a slightly smaller roasting pan.
Press a piece of wax paper down into the pan and cut off any crazy excess.
A note about the wax paper: if you're using a deep rounded pan like I am, you may have problems getting the fudge out, even with the wax paper in the bottom! However, it is easy to cut it and pry out a piece - the wax paper will peel right off!
Step 3: Melt the chocolate with the condensed milk
Take a saucepan and set it over low heat.
Pour in the condensed milk and add the three cups of chocolate chips along with a pinch of salt. Stir this frequently until it all melts together. The milk chocolate chips melt nearly instantly, but anything darker will take a little longer.
As soon as it's smooth, take it off the heat. Add in the vanilla and mix it well.
Step 4: Pour into the pan and cool in the fridge
Once the fudge is all melted together, you'll want to pour it into the pan lined with wax paper. Use a spatula to spread it out. :)
The one downside to this fudge: it takes about two hours in the fridge to cool down.
The fudge will look super glossy when you pop it in the fridge, but after the two hours are up it will have lightened and look pretty matte.
Step 5: Cut into pieces and enjoy!
Once it's cool, use a large sharp knife to cut it into pieces.
This fudge is great cold OR at room temperature. Right from the fridge, this fudge is fairly creamy and dense. If you leave it out at room temperature, it stays solid and creamy, but the texture is more similar to traditionally made fudge.
I'd store it in the fridge for the longest shelf life, though!
CRAFTS
CHILDREN'S CORNER ... salt painting
PUZZLE
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Roof Tile Bundle Jigsaw Puzzle
Roof Tile Bundle Jigsaw Puzzle, 67 Piece Classic. Stack of terracotta roof tiles tied in a bundle with green
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QUOTE
CLEVER .. odd and interesting products
EYE OPENER
I’m still not as good at knitting as those Victorians
rovingcrafters
I love it. Its my super beaded coin purse and I had fun adding every (tedious) bead). But then I love beads. I don’t exactly love the way adding beads to knitting slows you down, but the payoff is worth it. So much sparkle! And heavily beaded little bags are just vintage-chic.
To make mine I took a basic coin purse pattern, called Pixie Purse,
Coin purse made from the Pixie Purse pattern
and added beads. I added a lot of beads, using dental floss threader and a technique I demonstrated in an old post, and I’m very pleased with the result.
But then I knew I would be. Purses and bags are great projects to extravagantly bead out. I’m not the first crafter think that. A look back at vintage bags and purses will prove that hand-stitchers were adding tons of bling to their bags long before any of us were born.
Knitted reticule from 1810 (image from the Met Museum image gallery)
Yeah check that baby out. Its a knitted reticule. The reticule was a must-have accessory in Regency Europe. All the upper crust ladies had one of these dangling from their wrist. Why? Because they had no pockets. None. Zip. Nada. The fashion of that day dictated that women wear simple gowns with very high waists.
1823 – Ackermann’s Repository Series 3 Vol 2 – August Issue
Where are you going to put a pocket in a dress like that? Nowhere. So every woman had to have a bag to carry their stuff in. (This style is also responsible for muffs being popular in the winter time. Again, they had no pockets so it was muffs or frostbitten fingers.) In the daytime they had reticules, draw string purses that dangled from your wrist. Some reticules were big but most were small. After all if you were wealthy enough to spend your days out and about in a pretty dress, you probably had servants to carry all your big stuff. You, the high society lady only needed a cute beaded reticule, to carry a few coins, a calling card to leave with other wealthy ladies, and maybe a perfumed handkerchief.
“19th century examples of a popular pattern that continued in use for over 100 years. Finely knitted beadwork. Pinchbeck frames and tassels. ”
But what about when you changed into your evening wear? You can’t have a dangly reticule flopping around when you are sipping lemonade in a stuffy ballroom and waiting for the right gentleman from the right family to come pay you the compliment of asking for a dance. Nope. You need a sovereign purse.
Sovereign purses were flat, stitched to a metal frame, and small enough to fit into the palm of your hand. You might attach a small chain a wear it over a wrist while clutching it in your hand. And they were all blinged out with steel cut beads.
“Georgian Beadwork Purse Cut Steel Frame Circa 1815”
Now compared to these fine examples of Victorian needlework, my little coin purse is down right tame. Maybe I should have used more beads in there…
Feeling inspired to make a vintage-Chic purse of your own? I thought you might be. Here is a few patterns you just might have to add to that impossible list of things you’re totally going to make someday:
Ann’s Beaded Crochet Amulet Bags
This is a basic bag pattern for size #10 thread (yikes) with beading variations. Beware that thread crochet. Once it sucks you in, you may never be the same!
Remember that old post I wrote about pineapples and how they became a symbol of wealth and power? Probably not. But I did and the focus was on crocheted pineapples, which are many and varied and vast. But there are knitted pineapples… in the form of handbags from the middle 1800’s. Yes, back in the day the ult was a wrist bag that looked like a pineapple.
The 1840 Pine Apple Bag
There was the “Pine Apple Bag” published in 1840 by Mrs. Jane Gaugain in her book “The Lady’s Assistant, for executing useful and fancy designs in knitting, netting, and crochetwork” which has been reproduced and converted into a modern pattern and you can find it right here.
Big D-nm Pineapple Bag
The Big D-nm Pineapple Bag by Franklin Habit
Franklin Habit, that vintage-addicted knitted with razor-sharp wit has also worked up a modern version of that same original pattern. Notice that his is sans beads. How sad. But you can always (always always always) add beads in if you like.
Please note that Franklin does include this warning in his version of the pattern:
“do not attempt to knit this purse in public if you are a shy person and/or desire privacy. I worked a large part of my pineapple sitting in a city sidewalk café, and otherwise blasé urbanites crossed the street to ask me what the hell I was making.”
In spite of having now shown you many examples of bags that are all far more elaborate than my own just-finished beaded coin purse, I’m still quite happy with my newest FO. The beaded version took approximately 7000 times longer to make than the un-beaded, but beads are worth it. And I betcha every high society lady from those Victorian days would agree with me! (Then they would shake their heads over my paltry efforts and ask if I had any silk thread to make my next purse with.)
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