MRS. S. NEWSLETTER OCTOBER, NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER OF 2014
http://www.sunnyskyz...m4x6yi3rqfyS.01 ***************************************** 5. Nature's Prescriptions: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showforum=22 http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50396 Foot Soak by: mommato3boys Posted 19 September 2014 - 07:15 AM I need a good recipe for a foot soak. Our son just got back from his last 2 week vacation thanks to Uncle Sam and our DIL called needed advice and yucky feet. He has a fungal infection in his toenails and athlete foot. So anyone have any suggestions. Right now they are just using tea tree oil in regular water. **************************************** 6. Preserving the Harvest: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showforum=30 http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=45910 Preserving Purslane by: Ghost of City Life Posted 05 June 2012 - 02:14 PM Howdy Y'all! It's been a long time since I've been here, but I figured that this would be the best place for advice. I have been researching the benefits of Purslane and since discovering that it is highly nutritious i have stopped treating it as a weed and allowing it to grow. I have a bunch that is ready to harvest, more that we can eat now, so I have begun researching preserving it. I found this recipe and wanted to run it by you all. It seems like a basic refrigerator pickle, but the fact that it says to store it in a cool dark place not necessarily the refrigerator has me wondering if that would be safe. Any feedback would be appreciated. Instructions " 1 Harvest your purslane stalks and leaves and wash them under running water in a colander " 2 Cut the purslane into 2-inch pieces and put them into your canning jars until there is only about ½ inch space left at the top\. " 3 Add to the jar any herbs, peppers or garlic cloves you would like to flavor your purslane. " 4 Pour the apple cider vinegar into the jar so that the herbs and purslane are covered completely. Screw the lid on your jar tightly. " 5 Label your jar with the date and contents, and store it in a dark, cool place or the refrigerator for 1 month before opening it. Your purslane will remain good for up to 1 year. Store in the refrigerator once you have opened your jar to prevent spoiling. ************************************** 7. Nature's Bounty: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showforum=6 http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49978 Non-toxic weed killer by: Midnightmom Posted 17 June 2014 - 04:10 AM ..................uses Dawn dish soap, vinegar, and Epsom salt. ************************************** 8. The Spa: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showforum=5 http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29912 Dealing with Diabetes by: Stephanie Posted 16 September 2008 - 10:30 AM Hi Friends, I've noticed many of you are diabetic or have a loved one who is diabetic. I'd like to hear from you concerning what you're doing to control it now and what you'll do THEN in a crisis. I am Diabetic 2, diagnosed about 3 years ago? I'm on a variety of medications and trying hard to reduce my weight (25 lbs lost). I know there are a number of herbs that work as well. Are you taking something in particular now? Stocking up on it? Thanks ************************************* 9. Are You Really Ready: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?act=idx http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50329 How adaptable are you-Food/Drink by: Mt_Rider Posted 07 September 2014 - 12:37 PM I have one DD who, after a careful study, has chosen very specific brands of food and drink as her #1 favored. She sees no reason to consume anything else. Some folks might even label her....PICKY! But, since she's been on her own (financially and otherwise) for the past couple decades and can obviously afford to make her own choices....it would be illogical to not purchase her favorites. I'm sure we all do that.... EXAMPLE A: When the hurricane was bearing down on the Hawaiian islands, this DD was not prompt about getting her supplies. Her sister worried cuz water supply low with frantic shoppers and said "But she will only drink ONE BRAND of bottled water!" My response was "Buy some Chrystal Lite and she'll have to drink what's available if worst comes to worst." [As it turned out she DID go to shop and DID find her brand....and the hurricane didn't ravage Maui] EXAMPLE B: DH and I have slightly less income each year AND significantly less buying power as prices have been rising. We also have had brands of things that we prefer. He's always sneered at "plastic cheese"....those gooey types that come in long cardboard boxes or in individually wrapped plastic. We've avoided peanut butter with all the hydrol------ oils, and other things that can't be pronounced nor spelled. WE have always bought NATURAL peanut butter. Ingredients: peanuts and salt. ......HOWEVER, if you'd look into the fridge or cupboards at our house recently, one will find the results of less buying power. Have our tastes changed? Our opinion of what is healthy changed? Nope! Both examples -- availability and power to purchase -- can affect what we'd end up eating in Post-Hooey situations. And I'm obviously not even talking about TEOTWAWKI. Merely a very localized disaster or personal financial 'recession' can make adaption [at least temporarily] necessary. How adaptable are you and yours? Have you experienced this in the past? Currently? MtRider What's your story or plan for adaption? ************************************* 10. Country Homesteading: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showforum=16 http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2703 Back Yard Fish Farming to raise food at home by: Dee *** This is a long post, but good. **** Posted February 2003 - 11:32 AM The Back Yard Fish Farm, A Revolutionary New Way To Raise Foods at Home Dr. William 0. McLarney and I are working together to organize the Back Yard Fish Farm research. The project involves a totally revolutionary concept in agriculture. If it should prove successful, fish farming, on a small scale at least, could become a common practice throughout the country. We are proposing that you raise fish in a small pool inside a geodesic dome using intensive culture methods. You will create tiny fish farms which are organic and capable of producing foods of excellent quality. If you have ever enjoyed keeping an aquarium of tropical fishes, then I think you will receive the same pleasure as well as a food crop from the Back Yard Fish Farm. In the November issue of OGF, I described some of the thinking and theoretical concepts which went into our Back Yard Fish Farm prototype. I also outlined the reasons for choosing herbivorous fishes from the tropics and using the dome to create a suitable climate. I think it would be wise to reread that article, as space limitations prevent my repeating it. This research project will use the same methods and fish (tilapia) as we did in our prototype. What I didn't point out in the November article is the necessity for developing organic methods in aquaculfure. It has become clear to us that organic fish products are desperately needed in this country. The area of Cape Cod in which Bill McLamey and I live is dotted by tiny lakes, many of which provide good fishing. Bill, an ardent fisherman, can be seen often casting for pickerel, perch or bluegills. His harvest is an important source of food for a number of us. Since fish are one of the most complete, health-giving foods, we usually jump at the chance to eat them - or at least did, until a pesticide-chemist friend examined our fish. The little pond in the woods, far away from industry and agriculture, is contaminated. The perch we were eating had up to 40 parts per million of DDT in their fatty tissues. This is far above the allowable limit for foods. We already knew that many marine fishes are contaminated with a variety of harmful substances, but the pond was the last straw. We had to start figuring out ways to grow fish organically and cheaply and we had to do it soon. Philosophically, we were committed to small-scale intensive systems, based upon ecological and organic principles. If the fish were to be relatively poison-free, their diet would have to consist of aquatic plants and algae; this would shorten the food chain and make the system more productive while less prone to accumulating harmful substances in the fish. The prototype we developed will act as a model for the initial OGF research project. How To Do It The first task of the experimenters in the Back Yard Fish Farm research will be to build an inexpensive geodesic dome which will house the pool for raising the tilapia. Tilapia are excellent and much revered tropical fish which will primarily eat the algae you grow right inside the pool. In order for the tilapia to grow to an edible size, which is about one-half pound, a growing season that's at least six-months long in water that is normally well above 70 degrees F. will be required. The dome provides these high temperatures by trapping the heat from the sun, which is stored in the pool and transformed into algae growth. The fish will die if the temperature drops much below 60 degrees F. Their vulnerability to cold is one of the reasons we chose this Organic Gardening and Farming - January, 1972 - Page 101 fish. If some careless person ever takes them out of the dome and puts them in a local stream or lake they will not survive the winter to upset the natural ecosystems. This is not true for the Imperial Valley in California, parts of southern Florida and southern Texas. Although tilapia are now found wild in these areas, we do not plan to aggravate the problem of exotics by conducting experiments in these regions where they can survive outside the dome. The dome is a very effective heat trap and the pool is quite an efficient heat retainer. At the time of this writing, which is late October, the water temperature in our prototype Tilapia-Dome is still in the 60s even though the outside temperatures have been dropping near freezing at night. With the addition of a little bit of heat, we have been able to push the temperatures up into the 70s during the cool days of fall. With design improve ments in the dome, we think that even in our climate, the addition of heat will not be necessary in the future. Building the Dome Building a geodesic dome is relatively easy and inexpensive. You should plan on two or three days to complete the task. Some of you living in the more southerly regions of the country will be able to build them for less than $50. More sophisticated structures, incorporating a double skin of clear greenhouse vinyl with an air layer in between to prevent heat loss, will last for a number of years but could run as high as $200 for materials to Feeding time in the tilapia dome. Their main diet will be the algae which grow in the pool, but it should be enhanced with small amounts of insect larvae. complete the task. Some of you living in the more southerly regions of the country will be able to build them for less than $50. More sophisticated structures, incorporating a double skin of clear greenhouse vinyl with an air layer in between to prevent heat loss, will last for a number of years but could run as high as $200 for materials. Our prototype was a dome 18 feet in diameter, although we wished that it had been larger. One problem was that we couldn't move around the 15-by-10-foot pool inside. This was annoying as I had wanted to start some plants growing inside, and to do more insect-culturing research to provide new kinds of supplemental foods for the fish. The optimal size for domes to be used in the Back Yard Fish Farm would be 25 feet in diameter. This size should provide freedom to work inside while allowing a greenhouse area. All of our future research domes will be of the larger size. Costs begin to shoot up drastically when the diameter exceeds 25 feet. Our dome was built by Multi Fassett and Marsha Zilles of Earth House in Cambridge. The plans they used and strongly recommend for the Back Yard Fish Farm research can be obtained from Popular Science magazine, 355 Lexington Organic Gardening and Farming - January, 1972 - Page 104 Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017. (Ask for the Sun-Dome Plans.) The plans and instructions cost $5 and include a license to build it from the inventor, Buckminster Fuller. You should also read Knight Starr's OGF article in the September 1971 issue on the geodesic greenhouse. Although this dome is too small for the fish experiments, he does provide a lot of valuable information. If any of you have access to a cheap supply of window glass, you may be able to build an experimental dome which will last for many years. The Pool The pool can be any type of children's swimming pool, which varies in price from about $40 to $100. We used a 15-by-10-by-4-foot-deep, almost rectangular pool with a 3,400-gallon capacity. We assumed that this shape would be more conducive to breeding fish, but this original supposition was not correct. A 12-to-14-foot-diameter pool, 3 feet deep would do just as well and cost much less. The volume of this pool would be close to that of the prototype since we only filled ours to a depth of three feet. There is an alternative way of constructing a pool which would be less expensive: digging a pond in the ground, about three or four feet deep and 12 to 15 feet in diameter. Since we haven't tried this method, we don't know how well it will work. If your soil is heavy and contains clay, lining the pool to prevent water seepage will not be needed. One problem that we can foresee with the pond-pool is the loss of heat from the water into the surrounding soils. This might be minimized by the use of an inexpensive liner combined with a good insulating material. Fish for the Back Yard Fish Farm Tilapia, a tropical fish native to Africa and the Near East, will be used in the experiment. They eat algae, the microscopic plants that color lakes green. This coloration is especially prevalent in the summer months. Because it is possible to grow algae in huge amounts and at almost no cost, algae-eating fish can be raised quite cheaply. Each of the experimenters participating in the project will receive one pair of tilapia parents from us. The only cost to you will be shipping and handling fees, which might run as high as $25, depending on where you live. However, if they survive and breed, this will be the only investment in tilapia you will ever have to make. Once established, the parents will be capable of producing thousands of young per year. This will supply you with plenty of offspring and you will be able to pass them on to any friends who may be interested in starting their own Back Yard Fish Farm. Place the adults you receive in the dome pond. As soon as the temperature climbs to the low 80s they will start to breed and lay eggs which they care for in their mouths. Don't panic at this stage; they are not eating their young. Tilapia are members of a group of fishes known as mouth-breeders. After the brood is hatched and swimming freely about the pool, the parents will breed again if conditions are right. This process should continue until an optimal population density for your experimental pool is reached. If, after sampling the population, you find that there are more than 500 fish in the pool, you should pull the parents out to prevent overpopulation and stunting of the residents. After the first year's growing season is over, if the conditions have been favorable, you will have an excellent crop of edible fish. These can be frozen or stored live in aerated tanks for eating fresh as needed. The Malayan peoples in the Orient often store their live fish in rain barrels just outside the back door. Fish that are not of edible size can be held over the winter in warm tanks exposed to sunlight, or they can be fed to the chickens or Organic Gardening and Farming - January, 1972 - Page 105 pigs as an excellent high-protein organic feed. The idea of feeding livestock herbivorous fishes is not as crazy as it sounds. At present, we are experimenting with growing tiny herbivorous fish, to be cropped at a small size, as a future source of organic food for poultry - but more about that in a later issue. A small number of fish should be held over the winter. That way you will have brood stock the following spring. Food for the Fish The main diet of the tilapia will be the algae which will grow within the pool. After the pool is filled in the spring, one-gallon samples of water from a number of local ponds should be added. This makes it possible to seed your pool with a variety of algae species. You will also have to provide fertilization. In our prototype we suspended a small burlap bag filled with horse manure. We estimated the algae growth by scooping the water into a tall glass and examining the color. If the water looked green enough, we shook the bag every few days. When the "bloom" began to wane, we replaced the used manure with fresh. Many of you will have cow, chicken or rabbit manure which can be used instead of horse manure. The weight and source of all fertilizer used must be recorded. It is very important not to overfertilize, as too many nutrients could deprive the water of its oxygen. Be careful! Supplemental Feeds Thousands of years ago the Chinese found that the growth and health of plant-eating fishes is enhanced by feeding them small amounts of animal matter in the form of insect larvae. This past season we raised our fish on a variety of insect larvae including mosquitos, midges, rat-tailed maggots and house fly larvae. Each experimenter should culture one or two types of insects or earthworms. The goal should be to produce one-half pound per day of these animals. Two productive and easy insects to culture are the ordinary house fly and the midge. If you have ever opened a garbage can that has rotten meat in it and seen the thousands of larvae or maggots crawling around, you have discovered how easy it is to raise fly larvae! Small garbage cans and a little waste meat might produce the supplemental food your fish need. Midges are cultured on trays in water fertilized with manure. The production of one pound of midges per day on a three-foot-square rearing tray has been achieved by fisheries scientists in Israel and Florida. Apart from the algae and the insect larvae, your system should require few other food inputs. We have tied bunches of carrot tops and grasses to rafts as additional feed in the prototype Tilapia-Dome. Collecting of Scientific Information Intuition and common sense have played a large role in fish farming in the past. Science has hardly penetrated the domain of aquaculture. But scientific data is needed if we are to discover the best possible methods of fish farming. It is essential that the participants in the Readers' Research Program collect basic scientific information. At least half an hour per day should be spent caring for the Tilapia-Dome and collecting information. The first year's data will not be very difficult to collect. We need: 1) Temperature profiles taken twice daily, including air temperature, temperature within the dome and in the water; also, a log of weather conditions. 2) Estimates of the population in the pool made at least twice; once at the end of the month following the first appearance of young fish and once at the end of the season. 3) Measurements of fish growth taken each month from a selected sample of individuals. 4) Production calculations made at the end of the growing season by counting and weighing the total crop. Organic Gardening and Farming - January, 1972 - Page 108 Building the geodexic dome is comparatively simple and inexpensive. It should take two or three days to complete the job. Costs can run from $50 to about $200. (Remember the bucks this article refers to are 1972 dollars!) 5) A description of the food used (worms, insect larvae, etc.) must be given with the amount listed in pounds. 6) A description of the amount of fertilizer and the source must be given, including the length of time between changes. Hopefully we will be able to design a simple colorimetric test for you to estimate algae production on a weekly basis. We do not know how successful the Back Yard Fish Farm idea will be. We have indications from the prototype that it will work. In fact, some of you may produce edible organic fish at less than 20 cents per pound (exclusive of your labor), some may even set still-water fish culture records for this country. All of you will have fun and learn a lot. The experiment is risky . . . you could also end up with fish only large enough to feed to the chickens. This may not make you happy, but your scientific data will tell us what went wrong. Your Tilapia-Dome can be used as a greenhouse the following winter, or if you aie excited by aquaculture, you may decide to trap native fishes and fatten them in the dome in the winter. Thus, the experiment cannot really fail. Bill McLarney wants to start a research project to find out if the dome can be used for two fish crops a year. During the winter he would like to try fattening bluegills, perch, crayfish and clams to be harvested before the tilapia experiments begin again in the spring. The majority of us here want to use the prototype dome for growing kale, spinach, Chinese cabbage and lettuce this winter. I suspect the cooks rather than the fisherman will win the first round. I hope many of you will become involved in the OGF Reader's Research Program. It could become a potent force for a saner agriculture in this country. Organic Gardening and Farming - January, 1972 - Page 109 ************************************* 11. Pinching Pennies: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showforum=17 http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50053 Eye opener by: Momo Posted 03 July 2014 - 04:51 PM I admit I don't even go down certain aisles in the grocery store. I have no idea what the candy, snacks and frozen dinner aisles look like. Yesterday I was with a friend in WalMart and killing some time while I waited on her. I was trying to avoid looking at anything I might be tempted to buy. Since it was so hot I went to the frozen food section and had an eye opening experience. There was one entire row just of frozen pizzas! I'm not saying it's good or bad but the selection was unbelievable. Which means that they probably sell alot of them or they wouldn't have thousands of them for sale! The frozen dinners was another eyeopener. There had to be about 10 brands of frozen chicken in every imaginable shape/flavor. One could spend a long time just deciding what variety to buy. It makes me wonder if anyone cooks from scratch anymore. *** You need to read all of this thread, it is really an eye opener too. Snowmom ************************************ 12. The Homeschooling Haven: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showforum=26 http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50251 economy effecting homeschool publishers by: windmorn Posted 19 August 2014 - 03:22 PM I was talking to my friend that uses Switched on School House and she said the prices have gone up about $100 over the last couple of years. I had bought some workbooks from Hayes Publishing for ds when I homeschooled him for 8th grade and wanted to use them for dd this year. I went online to order and all the workbooks they had listed were for learning French and Spanish. I called the 800 number and was told they quit publishing their workbooks because when they went to do a reprint the publishing cost had tripled and they decided to just not sell them anymore. I was told if I could find any at Amazon or other stores that might have stock that I could copy them for educational use. The really sad thing is they went from about a 40 page catalog of inventory to nothing. I wonder how many other companies will face the same issues in the near future and will either stop publishing or raise the cost so much that not many can afford it? ************************************ 13. DIY: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showforum=15 http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49860 Homemade Air Conditioner by: Jeepers Posted 17 May 2014 - 10:40 PM I had to watch the entire video before I got it. I thought it was water coming out of the bucket. http://lazysurvivalist.com/ *********************************** 14. Holiday and Gift Central: http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showforum=21 http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=38100 Personalized gift baskets by: ROSARYCHAPLET Posted 14 December 2009 - 01:53 PM I went to the 99cents only store i bought the makings for two gift baskets . in them i put in coffee, creamer, wafer rolls, tea, powder mixes and christmas chocolate! as i was getting everything at the store i would simply place it in the basket i was buying there to see how it would look. then i bought from them cello wrap which included the bow. when i went home i showed my family what i did. then i proceeded to wrap up the baskets...and wouldn't you know it!!!! one of them still has the shopping reciept in it!!! omg! fortunately it's going to my b-i-l. i'll tell my sis to give me back the reciept upon removing the cello wrap! *********************************************** DID YOU KNOW????
This about Hawaii?? 1. The state of Hawaii consists of eight main islands: Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii. 2. Hawaii is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. Hawaii is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines. 3. Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee. 4. More than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii. 5. There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet. o Vowels: A, E, I, O, U o Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W 6. From east to west Hawaii is the widest state in the United States. 7. The Hawaiian Islands are the projecting tops of the biggest mountain range in the world. 8. Honolulu's zenith star, (the star that rises directly above it) is Arcturus. The Hawaiians called it Hokule'a. (Hoe koo lay uh.) 9. Under-sea volcanoes that erupted thousands of years ago formed the islands of Hawaii. 10. The Hawaiian Archipelago consists of over 130 scattered points of land stretching some 1,600 miles in length from the Kure Atoll in the north to the Island of Hawaii in the south. 11. The first Asian American in the United States Senate was Hawaii's Hiram Fong. Descended from Chinese immigrants, Fong was elected to the Senate in 1959. 12. Hawaii was the 50th state admitted to the union on August 20th, 1959. 13. Island flowers and colors used to represent each island. o Niihau - Pupu Shell - White o Kauai - Mokihana (Green Berry) - Purple o Oahu - Ilima -Yellow o Maui - Lokelani (Pink Cottage Rose) - Pink o Molokai - White Kukui Blossom - Green o Lanai - Kaunaoa (Yellow and Orange Air Plant) - Orange o Kahoolawe - Hinahina (Beach Heliotrope) - Grey o Big Island of Hawaii - Lehua Ohia - Red 14. Hawaii has its own time zone (Hawaiian Standard Time.) There is no daylight savings time.) The time runs two hours behind Pacific Standard Time and five hours behind Eastern Standard Time. 15. There are four counties in Hawaii (Kauai; city and county of Honolulu; Maui; and Hawaii). Each city has a mayor and council in charge. 16. All subterranean minerals belong to the state. Except for state owned water, some lava stone, and minor granites and semi-precious minerals, there are few underground minerals. 17. The wind blows east to west in Hawaii. The highest recorded temperature is 96' F (Honolulu Airport), but temperatures over 92' F generally occur only once or twice a year. The lowest temperature (under 3000 feet altitude) is 56' F. Temperatures under 60' F may occur but rarely more than once a year. Average daytime temp. (July) is 82' F. Average daytime temperature in January is 72' F. 18. There are no racial or ethnic majorities in Hawaii. Everyone is a minority. Caucasians (Haoles) constitute about 34%; Japanese-American about 32%; Filipino-American about 16% and Chinese-American about 5%. It is very difficult to determine racial identification as most of the population has some mixture of ethnicities. ISLAND OF NIIHAU 19. A privately owned island, with livestock raising as its principal industry. There is highly limited access by general public through helicopter landings at uninhabited sites. Legend says Niihau was the original home of the goddess Pele. The island has a population of 230, and is 69 square miles. ISLAND OF KAUAI 20. The fourth largest of the Hawaiian Islands. 21. The Waialua River is one of five navigable river in Hawaii. It drains off Waialeale Mountain, which averages 488 inches of rain per year and is considered the wettest spot on earth. 22. The Waimea, the Hanape'pe, the Lumahai and the Hanalei River are almost as big and quite navigable. The Hanalei River was dedicated a "national treasure" recently and is under government protection from use as a "place of business". ISLAND OF OAHU 23. Honolulu is the largest city in the world -- at least it has the longest borders. According to the state constitution any island (or islet) not named as belonging to a county belongs to Honolulu. This makes all islands within the Hawaiian Archipelago, that stretch to Midway Island (1,500 miles northwest of Hawaii) part of Honolulu. Honolulu is about 1,500 miles long or more distance than halfway across the 48 contiguous states. 24. Wai Golf Course is Hawaii's first municipal course. 25. Honolulu is the nation's 11th largest metropolitan area. 26. More than 100 world-renowned beaches ring Honolulu. 27. Iolani Palace is the only royal palace in the United States. 28. The world's largest wind generator is on the island of Oahu. The windmill has two blades 400 feet long on the top of a tower twenty stories high. 29. The island of Oahu draws more visitors than any other to Hawaii. One-third of the state's best surfing beaches are on Oahu. ISLAND OF MAUI 30. The island is home to many famous attractions including Haleakala Crater, the old whaling town of Lahaina, the road to Hana, and Kaanapali Beach. 31. Haleakala Crater (Ha-lay-ah-ja-lah), is the world's largest dormant volcano. ISLAND OF MOLOKAI 32. Molokai is known as the most Hawaiian Isle. 33. Molokai's east end is a tropical rain forest and part of the island receives 240 inches of rainfall a year. 34. Molokai Ranch Wildlife Park is home to rare African and Indian animals. 35. Kalaaupapa was once a leper colony administered by Father Damien. 36. The island contains the world's highest sea cliffs, Hawaii's longest waterfall, and the largest white sand beach in the state. ISLAND OF LANAI 37. The island of Lanai is considered Hawaii's most secluded. 38. The island was once the home of the world's largest pineapple plantations. 39. Hulope Bay is a marine preserve and considered one of the best diving spots in the world. ISLAND OF KAHOOLAWE 40. Once used as a target by the U.S. Navy and Air Force the services are cleaning up unexploded shells. No one is allowed to go ashore without permission. The island consists of an uninhabited area of 45 square miles. THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII 41. The Big Island is Hawaii's largest at 4,038 square miles. It is twice the size of all other Hawaiian Islands combined. 42. The largest contiguous ranch, in the United States, is in Hawaii. The Parker Ranch near Kamuela has about 480,000 acres of land. 43. At 800,000 years the Big Island is the youngest of the island chain. However, it was the first island discovered by voyaging Polynesians. 44. Kilauea volcano is the world's most active. 45. Ka Lae is the southernmost point in the United States. It is located at 18:54:49 N 155:41:00 W. There is a constant 27 knots per hour wind blowing east to west, 24 hours per day and 365 days per year. 46. Two of the tallest mountains in the Pacific - Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa - dominate the center of the island. Most of the world's macadamia nuts are grown on the island. 47. Kilauea Iki is the world's most active and largest volcano. 48. Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world (measured from its base at the ocean floor). 49. The island houses the world's biggest telescope and more scientific observatories in one place than anywhere else in the world. 50. The island is the worldwide leader in harvesting macadamia nuts and orchids. ***************** Did you know this about Idaho??? 1. The Cataldo mission is the oldest building in the state. 2. American Falls is unique from most communities because the entire town was moved in the mid-1920s when the original American Falls Dam was constructed. 3. Rexburg is home to Ricks College, the largest private two-year college in the nation. 4. Elk River is the home of the Idaho Champion Western Red Cedar Tree, the largest tree in the state. Estimated to be over 3000 years old this giant is more than 18 feet in diameter and stands 177 feet tall. 5. Albertson College of Idaho in Caldwell was founded as the College of Idaho in 1891 and is the state's oldest four-year institution of higher learning. 6. Perched at 9,500 feet on Trinity Mountain is the highest fire lookout in the Boise National Forest. 7. In Idaho law forbids a citizen to give another citizen a box of candy that weighs more than 50 pounds. 8. The city of Grace in the Gem Valley is most famous for their certified seed potatoes. 9. Blackfoot is home of the Eastern Idaho State Fair. 10. The Dworshak Reservoir is over 50 miles long. The Dworshak Dam is in Orofino. 11. Grangeville is located in north central Idaho. The community is considered the getaway to five wilderness areas and four national forests totaling 5 1/2 million acres. The total is second only to Alaska in designated wilderness area. 12. In 1896 Council Valley shortened its name to Council. 13. The Lewis & Clark Highway (United State Highway 12) is the shortest route from the midwest to the Pacific Coast and the longest highway within a national forest in the nation. 14. The elevation of Cambridge is 2,650 feet above sea level with the surrounding mountains reaching elevations around 8000 feet and plummeting to around 1500 feet in Hells Canyon. 15. The economy of Idaho City originally developed around gold mining in the 1860s. 16. Heyburn, originally named Riverton, is the fourth oldest community in the Mini-Cassia area and the second frontier town to be settled in what is now the county of Minidoka. 17. Bruneau Dunes State Park contains North America's tallest single structured sand dune. It stands 470 feet high. 18. Bruneau Canyon Overlook offers a view into a 1,200 foot-deep, 800-foot-wide river canyon. 19. Downey's first mercantile store, the W. A. Hyde Co., was built in 1894. 20. The Kamiah Valley is rich in the heritage and legends of the Nez Perce. It was here, among the ancestors of the present day Nez Perce, the Appaloosa horse was first bred, primarily for use as a war animal. 21. In 1973, the Sawtooth Recreation Area opened its doors north of Ketchum, making the community the gateway to the Sawtooths. 22. On August 8, 1905, Kimberly auctioned city lots for prices ranging from $100 to $750. 23. Idaho's world famous hot springs are located in Lava Hot Springs. 24. Hell's Canyon is the deepest gorge in America. 25. Shoshone Falls, The Niagara of the West, spills over a 212-foot drop near Twin Falls. 26. Kuna is known as the Gateway City to the Birds of Prey Natural Area. 27. Birds of Prey Wildlife Area is home to the world's most dense population of nesting eagles, hawks, and falcons. 28. At 5897 feet elevation, Mackay calls itself the Top of Idaho because it is the nearest city to Mt. Borah, the highest mountain in Idaho. 29. Soda Springs boasts the largest man-made geyser in the world. 30. Lewiston is located at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. The elevation is 738 feet above sea level. 31. The Treasure Valley area around Nampa is known as Idaho's Banana Belt. 32. During the 1860s an Oregon Shoreline Railroad base camp called Boomerang was constructed in Payette. 33. Pocatello is home to Idaho State University. 34. Post Falls is known as Idaho's River City. 35. Saint Stanislaus Church, in Rathdrum, is the oldest brick church in the state of Idaho. 36. Rigby is known as the birthplace of television since it is Philo T. Farnsworth's hometown. Farnsworth pioneered television technology. 37. Under Idaho law only two forms of city government are allowed: a mayor/councilor or a council/manager form. 38. Shelley has been the home of the Idaho Annual Spud Day since 1927. 39. Sun Valley is recognized as the home of America's first destination ski resort. 40. Weiser is Home of the National Old Time Fiddlers Contest. 41. The "Idaho Enterprise" published its first issue on June 6, 1879 and is one of the oldest weekly publications in Idaho. 42. President Theodore Roosevelt established the Caribou National Forest in 1907. The area now covers more than 1 million acres in southeast Idaho. 43. In 1924 local McCall resident and Olympic ski champion, Cory Engen, started the celebration known as the Winter Carnival to help curb the boredom of the long McCall winters. 44. Meridian is named for the Boise Meridian, the Idaho land surveyor's north-south line running through Initial Point, located 16 miles due south of the city. 45. Annually Mountain Home Air Force Appreciation Day boasts presenting the largest parade in Idaho. 46. Idaho ghost towns include Silver City, Yankee Fork, Gold Dredge, and the Sierra Silver Mine. 47. Sawtooth Mountain/Sawtooth National Recreational Area was named for its jagged profile. 48. Anderson Dam is known for its blue-ribbon fly-fishing. 49. Idaho's first territorial prison was opened in 1872. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was converted into a public facility after the last prisoners were removed in 1974. 50. Seven Devils' Peaks, one of the highest mountain ranges in Idaho, Includes Heaven's Gate Lookout, where sightseers can look into four states. ***********
Did you know this about Illinois??? 1. Ottawa, Freeport, Jonesboro, Charleston, Galesburg, Quincy and Alton hosted the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates that stirred interest all over the country in the slavery issue. 2. The first Aquarium opened in Chicago, 1893. 3. The world's first Skyscraper was built in Chicago, 1885. 4. Home to the Chicago Bears Football Team, Chicago Blackhawks hockey team, Chicago Bulls basketball team, Chicago Cubs and Chicago Whitesox baseball teams, Chicago Fire soccer team. 5. The first Mormon Temple in Illinois was constructed in Nauvoo. 6. Peoria is the oldest community in Illinois. 7. The Sears Tower, Chicago is the tallest building on the North American continent. 8. Metropolis the home of Superman really exists in Southern Illinois. 9. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site--most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico 10. Illinois had two capital cities, Kaskaskia, and Vandalia before Springfield. 11. The NFL's Chicago Bears were first known as the "Staley Bears". They were organized in 1920, in Decatur. 12. Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery. 1865 13. On December 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi and a small band of scientists and engineers demonstrated that a simple construction of graphite bricks and uranium lumps could produce controlled heat. The space chosen for the first nuclear fission reactor was a squash court under the football stadium at the University of Chicago. 14. Des Plaines is home to the first McDonald's. 15. Dixon is the boyhood home of President Ronald Reagan. 16. Springfield is the state capital and the home of the National Historic Site of the home of President and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. 17. Chicago is home to the Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station, the only buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire. 18. Before Abraham Lincoln was elected president he served in the Illinois legislature and practiced law in Springfield. Abraham Lincoln is buried just outside Springfield at Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site. 19. Carlyle is the home of the largest man-made lake in Illinois. 20. Illinois has 102 counties. 21. Ronald Wilson Regan from Tampico became the 40th president of the United States in 1980. 22. The highest point in Illinois is Charles Mound at 1235 feet above sea level. 23. The state motto is: State Sovereignty, National Union 24. The ice cream "sundae" was named in Evanston. The piety of the town resented the dissipating influences of the soda fountain on Sunday and the good town fathers, yielding to this churchly influence, passed an ordinance prohibiting the retailing of ice cream sodas on Sunday. Ingenious confectioners and drug store operators obeying the law, served ice cream with the syrup of your choice without the soda. Objections then was made to christening a dish after the Sabbath. So the spelling of "sunday" was changed. It became an established dish and an established word and finally the "sundae". 25. The round Silo for farm storage of silage was first constructed on a farm in Spring Grove. 26. The Illinois state dance is square dancing. 27. Illinois has more units of government than any other state (i.e., city, county, township, etc.). Over six thousand. One contributing reason may be the township governments, which are generally six miles square. 28. The worst prison camp during the Civil War in terms of percentages of death was at Rock Island. 29. Illinois boasts the highest number of personalized license plates, more than any other state. 30. The University of Illinois Conservatory is 37 feet high at its apex. 31. In 1905, president of the Chicago Cubs filed charges against a fan in the bleachers for catching a fly ball and keeping it. 32. Chicago's Mercantile Exchange building was built entirely without an internal steel skeleton, as most skyscrapers; it depends on its thick walls to keep itself up 33. The abbreviation "ORD" for Chicago's O'Hare airport comes from the original name Orchard Field. O'Hare Airport was named in honor of Lieutenant Commander Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare. 34. The trains that pass through Chicago's underground freight tunnels daily would extend over ten miles total in length. 35. The slogan of 105.9, the classic rock radio station in Chicago: 'Of all the radio stations in Chicago...we're one of them.' 36. In Mount Pulaski, Illinois, it is illegal for boys (and only boys) to hurl snowballs at trees. Girls are allowed to do that however. 37. In Illinois Michael is the top name chosen for boys. Emily is the most chosen name for girls. 38. Illinois is known for its wide variety of weather. Major winter storms, deadly tornadoes and spectacular heat and cold waves. 39. The first birth on record in Chicago was of Eulalia Pointe du Sable, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable and his Potawatomi Indian wife in 1796. 40. Chicago's Mercy Hospital was the first hospital opened in Illinois. 41. The first animal purchased for the Lincoln Park Zoo was a bear cub, bought for $10 on June 1st, 1874 42. The University of Chicago opened on October 1, 1892 with an enrollment of 594 and a faculty of 103. 43. New York Sun editor Charles Dana, tired of hearing Chicagoans boast of the world's Columbian Exposition, dubbed Chicago the "Windy City." 44. Comedy showcase "Second City" was founded on North Wells Street in a former Chinese laundry in 1959 45. Chicago's first African American mayor, Harold Washington, took office in 1983 46. The 4 stars on the Chicago flag represent Fort Dearborn, the Chicago Fire, the World's Columbian Exposition, and the Century of Progress Exposition. 47. The Chicago Public Library is the world's largest public library with a collection of more than 2 million books. 48. The Chicago Post Office at 433 West Van Buren is the only postal facility in the world you can drive a car through. 49. The Chicago River is dyed green on Saint Patrick's Day. 50. The world's largest cookie and cracker factory, where Nabisco made 16 billion Oreo cookies in 1995, is located in Chicago. ****************************************************** Remember to set your clocks back one hour on the 2nd of November.
I hope you all have a great Fall, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas everyone,
AND
I want to say to everyone who reads the News Letters.
