Pies Aren’t Square
A fifth generation farmer is determined that his son will be the first in their family to go to college. So, he and the wife saved every penny for years. When the big day came for Junior to leave for school, the old man is the proudest he’s ever been.
After the first semester, Junior came home and the old man sat him down for a talk. “Well boy, you’ve been at school for three months now, I want you to tell me some of that fancy book learnin’.” Junior says, “My favorite class is math. We just learned a new formula…Pi r squared.” At hearing this, the old man rolls his eyes and smacks his forehead, “Dog gone it! I spent all that money on schooling and all you can tell me is Pi r squared? Why everybody knows that pie are round; cornbread are squared!”
Attention Genealogy Buffs
The Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation has launched a web site that
will allow searches of the old passenger manifests from the ships that brought immigrants through the
New York Harbor. The site,
www.ellisislandrecords. org allows you to view electronic images of the actual documents dated 1892 to 1924.
Quote Of The Month
A person should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day in order that worldly cares do not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.
-Goethe
No weather man? No problem
Before technology came around, man had to rely upon observations of the world around them. Here are some things you can notice to do a little weather predicting of your own.
- Remember the rhyme: “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky at night, sailors take warning.” Look for a sign of red in the sky (not a red sun) – if it’s red during sunset, there is a high pressure system with dry air stirring dust particles. Since prevailing fronts move from west to east, the dry air is heading towards you. If it’s red in the morning, the dry air is past you and following behind it is a low pressure system carring moisture.
- Look for a rainbow in the west. Check out the sky in the morning sun. If you see a rainbow in the west, that would indicate moisture coming towards you. A rainbow in the east around sunset indicates the moisture is on its way out. “Rainbow in the morning, need for warning.”
- Look at the moon during the night. If the moon is bright and sharpley focused, it’s probably because the low pressure has cleared out the dust – and low pressure means rain. A ring around the moon indicates moisture within the next 3 days. “Circle around the moon, rain or snow soon.”
- Watch animals. They know.If birds are flying high in the sky, there will probably be fair weather.
- Animals, especially birds, get quiet right before it rains.
- Cows will typically lie down before a thunderstorm. They also tend to stay close to each other if bad weather’s on the way.
- Ants build their hills with very steep sides just before a rain.
- Cats tend to clean their ears before a rain.
- Look at the pine cones. Pine trees are an excellent indicator of the overall harshness of the coming winter. In fall, look at the pines and notice the cones. Low hanging cones could indicate a mild winter.
And of course, this is just the beginning. Noticing the clouds in the sky – the type and position therewith - can be great indicators of potential weather.
In a nutshell – these methods are based on a few key (and general) principles: low pressure brings rain (snow) and major weather systems move from west to east. Predicting the weather is noticing the signs of pressure change in your area. Note that there may be storms that may not follow the rule – but there are always those exceptions. (kinda like the English language)
For more tips, see http://www.wikihow.com/Predict-the-Weather-Without-a-Forecast
My apologies to any weather experts out there if the above info is not correct (you know who you are...)
Word of The Month…
Studies have shown that your income and wealth are directly related to the size and depth of your vocabulary. Here is this month’s word, so you can impress your friends. You may even be able to fatten your wallet!
Gustatory \gus ta to ry\ (adjective)
Meaning: of taste or tasting: relating to the sense of taste or to the action or experience of tasting something
Sample Sentence: The lasagna was a
gustatory delight.
