The Times They Are A Changing

April 11

Eight-Track Tape Day
Barber Shop Quartet Day
Jackie Robinson Day (first African-American in major-league baseball)

April 12

Easter
Look Up At The Sky Day
Big Wind Day

April 13

Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday (1743)
Blame Somebody Else Day
Scrabble Day

April 14

Titanic (collided with iceberg)
National Pecan Day
Ex-Spouse Day
Reach as High as You Can Day

April 15

Income Tax Day
Rubber Eraser Day
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Birthday (1452)

April 16

National Eggs Benedict Day
National High Five Day
Slavery Abolished (1862)

April 17

National Cheese Ball Day
Daffy Duck’s Birthday (1937)

April 18

Great San Francisco Earthquake (1906)
Paul Revere Day (“the British are coming.” 1775)
Pet Owner’s Day
International Juggler’s Day

April 19

Humorous Day
Garlic Day

April 20

Cuckoo Day
Look Alike Day
National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day
Patriot’s Day
Volunteer Recognition Day

This is a celebration of April holidays, day-by-day.

April 1

April Fools Day
One Cent Day
International Tatting Day
Laugh at the Office (week long)
Debbie Reynolds Birthday (1932)
Ali McGraw’s Birthday (1938)

April 2

International Children’s Book Day
National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
Reconciliation Day

April 3

Find a Rainbow Day
Tweed Day
Don’t Go To Work Unless It’s Fun Day
National Walk to Work Day
Marlon Brando’s Birthday (1924)

April 4

Tell A Lie Day
Hug a Newsman Day
Walk Around Things Day
School Librarian Day
Post It Day
Robert Downey Jr. Birthday (1965)

April 5

National Read a Road Map Day
Go For Broke Day

April 6

Sorry Charlie Day

April 7

No Housework Day
World Health Day
Caramel Popcorn Day
Billie Holiday’s Birthday (1915)
James Garner’s Birthday (1928)

April 8

Passover (at sundown)
Ponce de Leon Day
Draw a Picture of a Bird Day
Betty Ford’s Birthday (1918)

April 9

Name Yourself Day
Winston Churchill Day
W.C. Field’s Birthday (1879)

April 10

Encourage a Young Writer Day
National Sibling Day
Golfer’s Day

April’s birthstone is diamond and it’s flower is daisy or sweet pea. Although spring begins in March, it isn’t until April that we start to yearn for bright flowers in the yard and birds singing as they form their nests.

April is:

* Stress Awareness Month
* Jazz Appreciation Month
* Autism Awareness Month
* International Guitar Month
* Keep America Beautiful Month
* Uh-Huh Month
* National Child Abuse Prevention Month
* National Flag Month
* National Garden Month
* National Humor Month
* National Mathematics Education Month
* National Poetry Month
* National Welding Month
* Week of the Young Child (3rd week of April)

Tomorrow we will go through celebrations for the days of the month.

Sowing your seeds according to the moon’s phases, apparently, is not all poppycock. With increased interest in organic gardening, every year more people are going a step further and are planting and harvesting according to the phases of the moon. Increased sales in the Farmer’s Almanac prove this point.

According to a National Geographic article, the moon has a gravitational effect on the earth’s moisture. Of course, we already know that to be true as science has confirmed the oceans tides conform to the moon’s movements. We describe the moons phases in quarters. Phase one and two are considered waxing (moon increasing), where the latter two phases are considered waning (moon decreasing).

Waxing Moon: As the moon becomes more visible, the water table rises. At this time plants take up more moisture and nutrients. This makes it a great time to put seeds or new plants into the soil.

Waning Moon: When the moon’s visibility turns away from us, the water table recedes. This is a better time for weeding and pruning. The tree’s moisture (sap) runs more slowly during this period.

A Northwest University researcher, Dr. Frank Brown, studied and kept records over a ten year period in regards to planting according to the moon’s phases. He found that, in fact, plants did absorb more moisture during a waxing moon, especially during a full moon. The uniqueness of this study is that all the plants were grown within a laboratory, not in an open garden area. Yet, his plants were affected, nevertheless, by the moon’s phases.

Is the word “green” becoming like other words of the past that meant something at first, but then because of certain lax government wording, companies found loopholes. They could use the word nutritious, healthy, whole wheat and even sometimes organic without complying to certain assumptions of the general population? Many manufacturers have figured out that people will pay more for a “green” product. So, true to the “American way” they have found their way around the system. And it doesn’t help that the word “green” has an ever changing definition.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, “green” means:

* concerned with or supporting environmentalism
* tending to preserve environmental quality
* being recyclable, biodegradable or nonpolluting

It can be difficult to discern which products are actually earth-friendly. It’s important to read the label. Finding out that the product is organic, recycled and/or local is a good start in knowing you are doing your part to help the environment. Don’t fall for terms like clean, natural or earth-friendly without further researching the product.

The best way to discern a “green” product is through third-party certification. This means that an agency (organization), outside of the industry has checked out the product and given it their stamp of approval. If a product has one of these certifications, you know that a third party has checked the company and product out. Here are some examples:

* Earth Advantage
* Leadership in Energy
* Energy Star
* Green Seal
* Certified Organic

Our country has become so diet conscious, but mostly where weight is concerned. Although, there those of us who are more concerned with what is in the food they eat and how it can benefit their health or not. The baked potato has been given a bad rap as being starchy and therefore fattening. However, it does not contain as many calories as you might think and it offers a whole bunch of good things for our body.

In one regular sized baked potato you can expect to get:

* 110 calories (not bad when you think how filling it is and with some additions would make a great lunch.

* Protein - 3 grams
* Fat - 0 grams
* Fiber - 2710 mg
* Sodium - (only) 10 mg
* Potassium - 750 mg
* It is also a good source of vitamin C, iron, essential trace elements, minerals, chromium, selenium, manganese and B6, which is difficult to get in the diet without supplementation.

Toppings

It’s true that the baked potato can put on the pounds if you add sour cream, butter, gravy or other calorie ridden toppings. Here are some ideas for low or no calorie toppings.

* 2 tablespoons pasta sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
* Steamed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini) and a sprinkle of grated low fat mozzarella cheese.
* 1 pat of butter thinned with the juice of one lemmon
* Dried herb mix (parsley, rosemary, chives, basil)
* Fresh chives and cottage cheese
* Plain yogurt and black pepper
* Salsa
* Stir fry with onions, celery and other vegetables
* Red onions and mushrooms

Have you ever tried to cook in someone else’s kitchen? Okay, now consider that they weren’t people who cooked more than to stick something in the microwave to heat it up. That’s right, no measuring utensils. You’ve purchased all the ingredients for something really yummy to show your appreciation of their hospitality and you feel lucky to have found a bowl that’s large enough to act as a mixing bowl. Here are some measurements that will help you to cook without the measuring utensils.

DRY INGREDIENTS

* 1 tablespoon - 1 chestnut size
* 2 tablespoons - 1 ping-pong ball
* ¼ cup - 1 large egg
* 1/3 cup - 1 billiard ball
* ½ cup - 1 tennis ball
* ¾ cup - 1 baseball

* 1 tablespoon liquid - 1 ice cube

* 1 teaspoon grated zest - 1 quarter

* 1½ cups chopped tomatoes - 3 medium tomatoes

* 1 teaspoon minced garlic - 2 medium garlic cloves

Do you pick up those “baby carrots” that come in bags at the grocery store. I do. They are convenient and can just rinse them off and stick them in lunches. They are also great for a low calorie, nutritious snack. After all, carrots are full of vitamin A and beta carotene, as well as other nutrients that keep us healthy. However, have you ever tasted a carrot grown from an heirloom seed? An heirloom seed is one that is a non-hybrid. In other words, it hasn’t been fooled around with. It’s the original.

The seeds from vegetables grown from heirloom seeds can be extracted and saved. Then, you can plant them again next year. Hybrid seeds can be planted, but sometimes do not grow and other times grow with defects. See this site on how to save heirloom seeds. To get seeds from an heirloom carrot plant you would need to let some of the carrots “go to seed.” Which means, do not pull up the carrot until the green (above ground) has formed seeds.

Heirloom carrots, as well as other heirloom vegetables, have a fuller, richer flavor. If you don’t garden, this summer stop by a farmer’s market to try this “real” type of carrot. You’ll be surprised with the difference in flavor.
GARDENING WITH HEIRLOOM SEEDS

It’s true, the black or dark colored animals in the shelters are last to be adopted. There are no studies that attest to this fact, just animal shelter employees from around the country. Within the industry, it is called “black dog syndrome.” It relates to the misconception humans hold towards the black dogs, believing that they are more aggressive. It may not be a conscious choice, when people looking for a pet, move past the black ones and onto the multi-color or light colored ones.

A shelter employee from Central Oregon Humane Society says, “I think the black color makes it harder for people to read an animal’s facial expressions and body language. People focus on the animal’s eyes, which stand out against the neutral background and miss all the other signals the animal is giving.” Shelter employees agree that the same holds true for cats and horses, the black or grey colored ones are the last to go.

I urge anyone thinking about adding a pet to their family, to first check out their local shelter before purchasing a purebred from a newspaper ad. Save a life instead. And today, I ask you to save a life of a black colored pet. You know the color does not make the pet.

I’m a big fan of breakfast cookies. You might be thinking getting kids to eat something healthy in the morning, but we adults who generally can’t stomach food too early in the morning need a healthy start as well. Okay, so this cookie recipe isn’t as healthy as say a bowl of oatmeal with fruit and a glass of orange juice, but they are as healthy as can be made for the purpose in mind.

Happy Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients

1 ripe banana, mashed
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup freshly ground peanut butter
¼ cup water
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour (pastry)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats (quick or regular)
½ cup pecans
¼ cup dark chocolate chips or (raisins - dried cranberries)

Directions

Preheat oven - 350 degrees
In a mixing bowl, mash the banana.
Pour in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, water and egg. Mix until creamy.
Add to the creamed mixture, the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Pour in the oats, pecans and chocolate chips. Mix.
On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop by heaping tablespoon.
Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown.