Month: August 2018

Fun Fact Friday

 

 

You have made it to Friday ya’ll, good for you!  Here comes the weekend.

Today’s facts are brought to you by the letter, D for darts.  I have always enjoyed throwing “real” darts at a board.  They feel good in your hand.  Make no noise when entering the board.  And man there is just something about hitting a bullseye that feels Awesome!!!

 Darts

 

 

  • Darts were historically used in warfare in ancient history; skirmishers used darts of varying sizes, similar to miniature javelins. It was the practice of this skill that developed into a game of skill.
  • There is a speculation that the game originated among soldiers throwing short arrows at the bottom of a cask or at the bottom of trunks of trees. As the wood dried, cracks would develop, creating “sections”.
  • Before the First World War, pubs in the United Kingdom had dartboards made from solid blocks of wood, usually elm.  They had to be soaked overnight to heal the holes made by the darts, and it was a messy business for the pub owner.
  • Quality dartboards were first made of sisal fibers from the century plant or American Aloe plant.  agave-americana.jpgThe bundles of fibers were compressed into a disk an bound with a metal ring.  The darts part the fibers but do not damage them.
  • Darts are popular in Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the Scandinavian countries and the United States.
  • A regulation board is 17 3/4″ in diameter and divided into 20 radial sections.
  •  Darts were initially cut down arrows or crossbow bolts!!
  •  The first purpose-made darts were manufactured in one piece from wood; wrapped with a strip of lead for weight and fitted with flights made from split turkey feathers. These darts were mainly imported from France and became known as French darts.
  • Modern darts have four parts: the points, the barrels, the shafts and the flights. parts-of-a-dart
  • Barrels come in 3 basic shapes: cylindrical, torpedo, or ton.
  • For competitive purposes, a dart cannot weigh more than 50g including the shaft and flight and cannot exceed a total length of 300mm.
  • Playing Dimensions
    • Height– The dart board is hung so that the center of the bullseye is 5 ft 8 inches (1.73 m) from the floor. This is considered eye-level for a six-foot man.
    • Distance – The oche (line behind which the thrower must stand) should be 7 ft 9¼ inches (2.37 m) from the face of the board.
  • Scoring darts depends on what game you are playing, and there are a lot of games!
  • Regulation play dart board and possible scores:
    Dartboard_heatmap.svg.png

 

Remember, you are NOT alone!  Until next time — Jenn

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Picture by Jenn Freese

 

 

The Hump Day Scoop

Welcome to Hump-Day ya’ll!  You are halfway there, you can do it!!

August was named after the first Roman Emperor, Augustus.  He brought two centuries worth of peace to Rome, developed networks of roads, and rebuilt huge swaths of the city. 

  • Today is the 241st day of the year.
  • August 29th, 2018 in Roman Numerals is: VIII – XXIX – MMXVIII
  • There are 124 days left in 2018.
  • Today is the 35th Wednesday of 2018.
  • Tonight’s moon is a Waning Gibbous.  It is visible 92%  
  • Here in PA, the sunrise is 6:19 a.m. and the sunset is 7:35 p.m.
  • The birth stone is Peridot and the Zodiac sign is Virgo. 

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Check out some of my favorite helpful, informative and fun sites!!

Astrology.com

RefDesk your daily dose of EVERYTHING!

The Free Dictionary awesome for learning 5 new daily words and grammar!!

Khan Academy for anything Education related.  Free help for parents and students.

Bored Panda Just for stupid fun.

  • Today is:
    • According to Hoyle Day
    • Chop Suey Day
    • International Day Against Nuclear Tests
    • Lemon Juice Day
    • More Herbs, Less Salt Day
    • Willing-To-Lend-A-Hand Wednesday
    • National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day
    • National Swiss Winegrowers Day
    • Tug-of-War Day
    • Individual Rights Day

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Famous August 29th birthdays include:

  • Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel, composer – 1725
  • Oliver Wendel Holmes, Sr., American Physican/author – 1809
  • Henry Bergy, Founder of the ASPCA – 1811
  • Dinah Washington, singer – 1924
  • Senator John McCain, American war hero/Republican – 1936
  • Temple Grandin, American animal welfare/autism expert – 1947 
  • Michael Jackson, American singer – 1958
  • Noah Syndegaard, New York Mets Pitcher – 1992

Here are some fun facts for around the water cooler:

  1. The average person spends 6 months of their lifetime waiting on a red light to turn green.
  2. Southern sea otters have flaps of skin under their forelegs that act as pockets. When diving, they use these pouches to store rocks and food.
  3. A single cloud can weight more than 1 million pounds.
  4. A human will eat on average 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders while sleeping.
  5. In 1386 a pig in France was executed by public hanging for the murder of a child.

Remember, you are NOT alone.  Until next time — Jenn

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Tuesday’s Trilogy of Inspiration

 

Photo by Public Domain Pictures on Pexels.com
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

Helping Others

Once there was a small boy named Shankar. He belonged to a poor family.  One day, he was crossing through the forest carrying some woods. He saw an old man who was very hungry.  Shankar wanted to give him some food, but he did not have food for his own.

 So he continued on his way.  

On his way, he saw a deer who was very thirsty.  He wanted to give him some water, but he did not have water for himself.

 So he went on his way ahead.

Then he saw a man who wanted to make a camp, but he did not have wood.  Shankar asked his problem and gave some wood to him.  In return, the man gave him some food and water.  

Now he went back to the old man and gave him some food and gave some water to the deer. The old man and the deer were pleased.   Shankar then happily went on his way.

However, one day Shankar fell down the hill.  He was in pain, but he couldn’t move, and no one was there to help him.  But, the old man, he had helped, saw him and quickly pulled him up the hill.  He had many wounds on his legs.  The deer whom Shankar had given water saw his wounds and quickly went to the forest and brought some herbs.  After some time his wounds were covered.   

All were very happy that they were able to help each other.

Moral: If you help others, then they will also help you.

 

Creation: A Sioux Story

The Creator gathered all of Creation and said, “I want to hide something from the humans until they are ready for it. It is the realization that they create their own reality.”

The eagle said, “Give it to me, I will take it to the moon.”

The Creator said, “No. One day they will go there and find it.”

The salmon said, “I will bury it on the bottom of the ocean.”

“No. They will go there too.”

The buffalo said, “I will bury it on the Great Plains.”

The Creator said, “They will cut into the skin of the Earth and find it even there.”

Grandmother Mole, who lives in the breast of Mother Earth, and who has no physical eyes but sees with spiritual eyes, said, “Put it inside of them.”

And the Creator said, “It is done.”

 

How Can We Be Happy?

Once a group of 50 people was attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each one a balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

Now, these delegates were let in that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written, within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.

At the end of 5 minutes, no one could find their own balloon.

Now each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker began— This is what is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is. Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness, you will get your own happiness. And this is the purpose of human life.

Is this not what you are looking for?

Remember, you are NOT alone!  Until next time–Jenn

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Sometimes Sunday is all you need.

In the past, I would always dismiss the day of Sunday.  To me, it was little more than the day before the work week or the day to do household chores.  Shame on me!  Sunday is a great day!  It starts with S, like the word super, smile, and seashore!  And it ends in a Y, like all the other days including the fabulous Friday.  

Why do so many of us abuse our poor Sunday this way?  Every day, regardless of the day of the week, should be wonderful!  Or at least as wonderful as Karma will allow.  😉  

Sunday’s should be for sleeping in late, making breakfast with your family and finding an adventure somewhere in nature.  Or going to church with your family and maybe a lunch, meeting up with family members for a weekly dinner.  Grabbing some friends for an unplanned road trip.  Sunday = Funday for a reason!!  🙂 

Sundays are so much more than the day before the workweek.  They are a day of holiness.  A day to pause, reflect and chill!!!  But now, they are starting to blend into all the other days.  Years ago, most stores/businesses were not open at all on Sundays.  Can you even imagine?  I can, it was actually awesome.  Do not let your Sunday’s become unspecial.  They are meant to be the Funday, week starters for a reason!!!

Maybe your Sunday’s are for working and all things not fun.  Well, I cannot offer a solution but I can tell you to look at the good the day can bring you and those around you.  Remember this:download-25

Take some time on this Sunday and every day to slow down and see the beauty around you.  Slowing down and getting into nature can do wonders for your stress and health.  Try something new.  Go for a hike.  Take pictures of flowers, sunsets, and birds.  Go find a corn maze and get lost like when you were a kid.  Find a sunflower field.  Go to a baseball game.  Go outside and revel in the beauty this Sunday and every day offers you!!

Remember, you are NOT alone!  Until next time–Jenn

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Fun Fact Friday

You have made it to Friday ya’ll, good for you!  Here comes the weekend. 

Today’s Facts are brought to you by the letter W for..Wine:

  1. The world’s biggest red wine consumers are the Chinese but a really small country is rocking first place per capita basis.  But which country drinks the most wine per capita? The Vatican with 74 liters per capita per year which is about 99 bottles of 75cl per year!
  2. We have monks to thank for our wine.  Monastic orders such as the Cistercians and Benedictines preserved and innovated the art of winemaking during the Middle Ages.
  3. Women get drunk faster from wine because of their water to fat ratio.  Women have a higher fat content than men and fat does not absorb any alcohol. 
  4. Wine was discovered about 6,000 years ago in the Middle East.  The earliest remnants of wine were discovered in Iran, dating back to the Neolithic period (8500-4000 B.C.). 
  5. Folks that are afraid of wine are called Oenophobics.
  6. Though you’ll commonly hear grapes referred to as “fruit,” botanists technically classify grapes as berries since each fruit forms from a single flower.
    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
    Photo by Luiz M. Santos on Pexels.com
  7. Red wines are made of purple and blue grapes while white wines are made from greener grapes.
  8. Vineyards cover roughly 7.5 million hectares (almost 18 million acres) across the globe, with Spain, China, France, Italy, Turkey, and the United States being the top grape-growing countries.
  9. The largest wine producers, however, are France, Italy, Spain, the U.S., and Argentina. France produced 1.2 billion gallons of wine in 2014.  The U.S. produced only 830 million gallons.
  10. White wines are usually lighter, crisper and fruitier compared to reds.
  11. White wine has less alcohol and fewer calories.
  12. Grapes grown in sandy soil usually produce less acidic, “softer” wine. Soils with a lot of clay produce wines with deep, bold flavors.
  13. While sparkling wine, meaning a wine with carbon dioxide bubbles, can be grown anywhere, only sparkling wine grown in the Champagne region of northeast France can be called Champagne.
Photo by Timur Saglambilek on Pexels.com
Photo by andres chaparro on Pexels.com
  1. How to Taste Wine Properly:
    1. Look over the appearance of the wine. Noting the color and viscosity with your eyes can give an idea of how the wine may taste. For reds, give the glass a quick swirl and hold it up to the light: bolder varieties, like Cabernet and Zinfandel, will leave telltale ‘legs’ that stream down the inside of the glass.
    2. “In-glass,” meaning that the aroma is noted. Don’t be shy— wine experts stick their nose deep into the glass in order to pick up the complex nuances.  The first aromas to hit the nose are associated with aspects of the grapes, while later aromas are connected to the winemaking process and how the wine aged.
    3. Take a small sip of wine in order to get a good taste. Don’t glug, at least not yet. Roll the wine around your mouth with your tongue and note the different flavors. Purse your lips and inhale some air while the wine is still on your palate is also a nice way to spread the more complex flavors through your sinuses.
    4. After swallowing, note the aftertaste, which is likely different from how the wine tasted when it first hit your tongue.
    5. If you want to be fancy like a true wine connoisseur, write down notes about the wine and the vineyard.

Remember, you are NOT alone!  Until next time–Jenn.

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Thursday’s Thoughts…

Thursday's Thoughts...

Isn’t it funny how when we get older we get wiser and more open-minded?  I do not know what it is but, I do know that turning 40 has made me feel like a genuine Grown-Up.  There is a calm, confidence that has overcome me.  Now, you all probably think I am crazy but…if you have had this happen you just might get what I’m spouting!!   

Why does it take time and experience to tame us?  Could you have used your current wisdom years ago to help you with your life?  Is knowledge imparted to us when we are ready to accept it or at a certain age, as a sort of right?  

I could have used more patience and better stress management years ago.  But we are all human and things come to us in our own time.  It must be that as we experience things we learn to see through different eyes and are able to agree to disagree in a better way.  Now, if you are repeating patterns, making bad decisions, or even wishing away your time they are something altogether different. 

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When I sit back and watch how the world works, even in my little corner, it is quite funny!! 🙂  Some Humans learn from their mistakes most keep repeating unhealthy, unworking patterns.  But for those who do learn, why does it take us so damn long??

It should not take us so long to see patterns, fix problems and make things better but it does we are human after all.  We need to take time to work on ourselves.  It is not selfish, it is helpful.  On the note of helpful, we should not wish away our valuable time.  We should not hope it is Friday night instead of Tuesday night.  But we are human and will all do this at some point.  Why though do we wish away time that is oh so precious?  And why is it that time seems more precious as you get older or when someone is ill?  Ponder that!  🙂

I know I have fallen into the trap.  Wishing it was the weekend because I had something fun I wanted to do instead of my “obligations.”  But every minute we have is precious.  So many people would look at your obligations as their weekend of fun!!!  So suck it up buttercup and treat every minute like your favorite day.  Maybe that is Friday Night or Saturday Morning but you can turn a crappy Monday into a wonderful day with just positive thoughts.  

“The trick is to enjoy life.  Do not wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead. –Marjorie Pay Hinckley”

So concludes our first Thursday’s Thoughts.

Remember, you are NOT alone.  Until next time–Jenn

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The Hump Day Scoop

Welcome to Hump-Day ya’ll!  You are halfway there, you can do it!!

Here are some facts for Hump Day August 22, 2018:

  • Today is the 234th day of the year.
  • August 22, 2018, in Roman Numerals, is: VIII • XXII • MMXVIII
  • There are 131 days left in 2018.
  • Today is the 34th Wednesday of the year.
  • There are only 31 days until Fall!! 🙂
  • Tonight’s moon is a Waxing Gibbous.  It is visible 87%
  • Here in PA, the sunrise is 6:13 a.m. and the sunset is 7:43 p.m.
  • Today is:
    • National Bao Day
    • Never Bean Better Day
    • National Tooth Fairy Day
    • National Pecan Torte Day
    • Nation Be An Angel Day
    • National Eat A Peach Day
    • Southern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day
    • National Spumoni Day
    • National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day
  • Famous People Born Today include:
    • Connie B. Gay -1914, American Businessman, co-founder of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
    • Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., -1934, US Army 4-Star General
    • Valerie Harper -1939, American actress/singer
    • Bill McCartney -1940, American football player, coach and founder of the Promis Keepers men’s ministry
    • Cindy Williams -1947, American actress/singer
    • Tori Amos -1963, American singer/songwriter
    • Kristen Wiig -1973, American comedian/actress/producer/screenwriter

 

  • 565 – St. Colomba reports seeing a monster in Loch Ness, Scotlandimages-21
  • 1642 – The English Civil War begins after Charles I calls the English Parliament traitors.
  • 1654 – Jacob Barsimson arrives in New Amsterdam(Manhattan) as the 1st Jewish immigrant to America.
  • 1848 – The US annexes New Mexico.
  • 1849 – 1st air raid in history, Austria launches pilotless balloons against the city of Venice.
  • 1864 – The 1st Geneva Convention is signed by 12 nations.
  • 1902 – US President Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 1st President of the US to ride in an automobile.
  • 1964 – Alvin & the Chipmunks cover album of Beatles songs sells 25,000 copies a day!
  • 1989 – Nolan Ryan becomes 1st Major League Baseball pitcher to record 5,000 strikeouts.
  • 2006 – Grigori Perelman is awarded the Fields Medal for his proof of the Poincaré conjecture in mathematics but refuses to accept the medal.
  • 2007 – The Texas Rangers defeat the Baltimore Orioles 30–3, the most runs scored by a team in modern Major League Baseball history.

Here are a few random facts for around the water cooler:

  1. 1. German chocolate cake is named after a guy named Sam German, not the country.
  2. The Sun City Poms is a cheerleading squad in Arizona that only people 55 or older can join.
  3. Until the 1980s, it was illegal for a woman to drive a car down Main Street in Waynesboro, Virginia unless her husband was walking in front of the car waving a red flag.
  4. Iceland has an elf whisperer who inspects construction sites before anything gets built to make sure no elves are hanging around.
  5. Wombat poop is cube-shaped.

Remember, you are NOT alone!!  Until next time–Jenn

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Photo by Jenn Freese

 

Tuesday’s Trilogy of Inspiration

 

The Jay and the Peacock

A Jay venturing into a yard where Peacocks used to walk, found there a number of feathers which had fallen from the Peacocks when they were molting.

He tied them all to his tail and strutted down towards the Peacocks.

When he came near them they soon discovered the cheat, and striding up to him pecked at him and plucked away his borrowed plumes.

So the Jay could do no better than go back to the other Jays, who had watched his behavior from a distance; but they were equally annoyed with him, and told him:

“It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds”

 

Belling the Cat

Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat.

Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case.

“You will all agree,” said he, “that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighborhood.”

This proposal met with general applause until an old mouse got up and said: 

“That is all very well, but who is to bell the Cat?”

The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the old mouse said:

“It is easy to propose impossible remedies.”

 

The Mischevious Dog

A Dog used to run up quietly to the heels of those he met and to bite them without notice.

His master sometimes suspended a bell about his neck, that he might give notice of his presence wherever he went, and sometimes he fastened a chain about his neck, to which was attached a heavy clog, so that he could not be so quick at biting people’s heels.

The Dog grew proud of his bell and clog, and went with them all over the market-place.

An old hound said to him: “Why do you make such an exhibition of yourself? That bell and clog that you carry are not, believe me, orders of merit, but, on the contrary, marks of disgrace, a public notice to all men to avoid you as an ill-mannered dog.”

Remember, you are NOT alone!!  Until next time–Jenn

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Mallory Square Key West, FL