SILENT NIGHT
Jeff Bjorck












FUNNY FOOD NAMES
SPOTTED DICK -- Though spotted dick is a simple English dessert made from pudding and dried fruit, it induces giggles in preteens around the world. The name, which may have originated in the mid 19th century, describes the dish: the dried fruits, which are usually currants, look like spots, and "dick" is a version of the word dough, pudding or thick (which describes the dish's consistency).
STINKING BISHOP -- Anyone who's been within smelling distance of this particular cheese understands the first part of its name: The wheels are said to have an odor that brings to mind dirty socks and wet towels. But the second half is purely coincidental. It's actually derived from Stinking Bishop pears, whose juice the cheese is immersed in. The pears got their name from their farmer, Mr. Bishop.
HEAD CHEESE -- Oddly enough, headcheese isn't cheese at all. But you're going to wish it were. The gelatinous meat is made from chopped-up bits of the head of a pig, calf or cow—including the tongue—and sometimes the feet and heart. The origins of its name are unclear, but it's been suggested the source of the name could be either because the recipe used to contain cheese or because of the connected etymology of the words cheese and molded (molds are used to make headcheese).
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK -- Though it may sound more like a bath toy than a hearty meal, bubble and squeak is actually a traditional English dish made with leftovers from a holiday dinner or Sunday roast. The name comes from the sounds the food—often pork, ham, sweet potatoes and root vegetables––makes when it's frying in the pan.
BANGERS AND MASH -- To us it sounds more like a rock band, but this dish consisting of sausage and mashed potatoes is popular pub fare in England. Across the pond, sausages are known as bangers, which can be traced back to World War I, when food shortages required people to pack sausages with a variety of fillings, causing them to pop and hiss—or make a "bang"—when cooked.
BURGOO -- Anyone from Kentucky can tell you that burgoo is a stew made from multiple meats simmered with veggies. As for the name, it's a toss-up as to its origins. It could be a variation on the French word for meat stew, ragout, a mispronunciation of barbecue or an interpretation of bulgur, from which burgoo was originally made.
DEVILS ON HORSEBACK -- A tasty treat with an ominous-sounding name, devils on horseback are prunes or dates stuffed with chutney and wrapped in bacon. The name is thought to have been inspired by its contrast to angels on horseback, which are oysters—whose curled edges resemble wings––wrapped in bacon.
PRIEST CHOKER -- Bearing no relation to the Stinking Bishop, strozzapreti (which means "priest choker" in Italian) is an elongated form of cavatelli pasta. Centuries ago in Italy it was common practice to let priests eat for free. So it is said that some restaurant owners wished the priests would choke on this thick pasta before they could get to their next (more expensive) course.
LIMPING SUSAN -- Hoppin' John, a Southern dish made from rice and black-eyed peas, has a less able-bodied cousin: Limping Susan, which is made with okra instead of peas. While Hoppin' John's name is credited to a variety of sources (the jumping around of the peas in the pan or the legendary servant John who invented the dish), it's anyone's guess as to where the slow-footed okra dish's name derived from.
WHOOPIE PIE -- These tasty cake-like confections have been making people happy for years. In fact, their name is believed to have come from the gleeful "Whoopie!" that Amish farmers would shout when they found one in their lunchbox. Hey, without electricity, it's the little things in life.















ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO)

NUMBER EIGHTY-TWO
Moon-Viewing Point (Tsuki no Misaki)
Through the open windows appears a view so perfect that it seems unreal.  The harvest moon rises serenely through the autumn sky; a flock of geese return at the day's end; cargo ships lie quietly at anchor; small boats set out for night fishing.

The perfectly executed gradations of sea, sky and horizon provide balance and elegance.  Nowhere in sight is the disfiguring reality of the Odaiba (low fortresses constructed to defend Edo), visible in both the previous and the following views.  The artist has even eliminated any sign of the distant Chiba coast to achieve this transcendent view of a moonlit night.


















Take some fish and dehydrate it. Then soak it in water for 8 days. Then soak it in lye for 2 days. Then soak it in water for another 2 days. Finally poach it for 15 minutes. What is this?

???


PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER!












D IS FOR DUCK STAMPS

Duck stamps are issued annually by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as proof of payment of the fee for a Migratory Bird Hunting License. Proceeds from sale of the stamps are used to preserve wetlands. Technically a form of Revenue stamp (hence a Cinderella), these have been issued every year since 1934, and are a popular collecting sideline among stamp collectors, though they have no postal validity. Many consider them exemplary of the best work from the BEP, and the most handsome stamps produced in the US, since they are printed in relatively small quantities, so the quality remains high. Once applied to a license, these stamps must be signed to validate them! Each year's design is chosen through an open competition, an approach that has been used only a few times for US postage stamps - most notably for "The Prexies", our definitive series (of U.S. Presidents) from 1938 to 1954, whose initial design was chosen from designs submitted in a competition suggested by then-President FDR.



Below is a selection of the Duck stamps issued since 1934. Part of their appeal is that a complete collection, while not cheap, is within the reach of most collectors, especially if one is willing to settle for used copies of the older issues. Note that the year printed on the stamp is when it expires, and is always the year following that in which it was issued.


PART ONE















GUARDING HER STICK AND HER STONE
(Autumn 1997)






The storms of the great Dust Bowl had barely settled when Steinbeck published The Grapes of Wrath, which follows a family of impoverished "Okies," the Joads, as they chase the mirage of a good life westward from their devastated midwestern farm to California.

The Joads find only bitterness, squalor and oppression as migrant agricultural workers living in "Hoovervilles," but their indomitable strength in the face of an entire continent's worth of adversity makes Steinbeck's epic far more than a history of unfortunate events: It's both a record of its time and a permanent monument to human perseverance.












Awabi and Sayori (Abalone and Halfbeak)
Ando Hiroshige






Codfish live to an average of 15 years or so, with a record of 27 years old from the 1960s. You can tell a cod's age from the two white earstones in the skull (otoliths), which have annual growth rings. You really can not tell the age from their weight, as the rate of growth will vary, depending on the water temperature, population size, food, etc.






Typical Calico
Calico and tortoiseshell (or tortie) refer to a pattern of markings, not to a breed.  The link between them is orange fur, which can run from a very pale tan to a bright, rich rust.  The two marking patterns are genetically similar, but differ in the way they are expressed on the cat.  On calico cats, the orange, black and white colors are distinct patches; on tortoiseshells, the colors are swirled together (see below).
TORTOISESHELL
Tortoiseshell cats (also called tri-color or tortie) are often confused with calico cats.  The confusion is understandable.  Calico cats are mostly white with black and bright orange spots.  Tortie cats have the same colors, but very little or no white on them at all.  The white fur on torties is usually seen on their paws, belly, and chest.  Their brown, black, and orange colorings also blend together more than those of calicoes, giving torties a mottled appearance.

It's also important to note that torties and calicoes are not breeds; they are just special colorings found in a number of breeds.


  
TORTOISESHELLS


Tortoiseshell Superstitions

The Celts believed that a tortoiseshell cat was good luck in a home. The English believed that torties could remove warts if you rubbed their tail on the wart during the month of May.

In Scotland and Ireland, a stray tortoiseshell cat settling in one's home is a good omen.

To dream of a tortoiseshell cat means luck in love.

In Normandy, seeing a tortoiseshell cat foretold death by accident.

Edgar Allen Poe was devoted to his tortoiseshell Catarina. She inspired his story "The Black Cat."  She sat with his wife during her illness and frequently sat on his shoulder when he wrote.


  
CALICO CATS






MY OWN LITTLE TORTIE
We adopted Kitty from the Lewis and Clark Humane Society shelter in Helena.  It took her very little time to adjust to her new home.  She is now a member of the household.

Ann Telling Photos
December 14, 2011
She has her own footstool for looking out the window.
Waiting for her turn to use the computer.
Tortoiseshell cats are almost exclusively female.  Tortoiseshell and calico coats are the result of the interaction between genetic and developmental factors.  The occasional and very rare male tortoiseshell cat is the result of a genetic mutation.

In addition to their distinctive coloring, torties also have a reputation for unique personalities, sometimes referred to as "tortitude."  They tend to be strong-willed, a bit hot-tempered, and they can be very possessive of their human.

Other words used to describe torties are fiercely independent, feisty and unpredictable.  They're usually very talkative and make their presence and needs known with anything from a hiss to a meow to a strong purr.  These traits are stronger in tortoiseshell cats than in calicos; it seems as though these traits are somewhat diluted with the addition of more white to the color scheme.








INDIANA

The flag's dimensions shall be three feet fly by two feet hoist; or five feet fly by three feet hoist; or any size proportionate to either of those dimensions. The field of the flag shall be blue with nineteen stars and a flaming torch in gold or buff. Thirteen stars shall be arranged in an outer circle, representing the original thirteen states; five stars shall be arranged in a half circle below the torch and inside the outer circle of stars, representing the states admitted prior to Indiana; and the nineteenth star, appreciably larger than the others and representing Indiana shall be placed above the flame of the torch. The outer circle of stars shall be so arranged that one star shall appear directly in the middle at the top of the circle, and the word "Indiana" shall be placed in a half circle over and above the star representing Indiana and midway between it and the star in the center above it. Rays shall be shown radiating from the torch to the three stars on each side of the star in the upper center of the circle.


















Pencil sketching is an interesting and powerful element of design. To put it correctly, pencil sketching can be termed as "the mother of graphic arts."

The general perception about drawing pencil sketches is that it is either a part of initial training given to Fine Arts students or it's a good hobby for anyone who can draw well. What most of us don't know is that making pencil sketches is almost an inevitable part of design and a unique branch of art in itself.