GEESE, GRANOLA RECIPE, AND ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM
Greetings wonderful Readers (!)
Presenting 1st Wednesday in October’s fun-for-all read.
The Quick Question – Big fish in a little pond or little fish in a big pond? Me? I think I prefer big fish in a little pond. Kinda makes me think of country versus city sort of scenario.
I enjoy visiting big cities – the lights – the fast paced moving and shaking – hustle and bustle vibe – but at the end of the day, just want to go back to my little pond. You?
I LOVE the Goose story — have seen different writings of it in my emails from friends numerous times over the years.
Who knows of its validity? I wanna believe it because it’s so darn cool — so I do.
When I see a “V” formation flying overhead in the autumn time of year sky, I can’t help but loudly call out, “Honk-Honk!!”
The Big Sky Country Granola recipe is simply outstanding. The recipe is based on what I think is as close as it gets to the original product we purchased from markets in Montana by Jewel’s Flour Shop.
I’m not exactly a Granola fanatic – but this recipe – I’m totally all about! In a bowl with milk, or just by the handful (think trail mix). Try it — you’ll love it!
Leslie Elman’s Fascinating facts/trivia is intriguing – always.
And Tracy Beckerman’s column is so much slice-of-life FUN!
Thanks all for popping by and giving us a piece of your Wednesday to read and comment. Grateful.
Catch ya Friday.
Same time – same place.
POP QUIZ
- WHAT IS THE MAIN INGREDIENT OF BABA GHANOUSH?
a) Chickpeas
b) Chocolate
c) Eggplant
d) Lamb - WHY DOES THE PLANET NEPTUNE APPEAR TO BE BLUE?
a) It’s surrounded by methane gas.
b) It’s covered with algae-filled water.
c) The rocks on its surface are blue.
d) The color is determined by its distance from the sun. - WHICH COUNTRY’S NATIONAL RUGBY UNION IS KNOWN AS THE SPRINGBOKS?
a) Australia
b) France
c) Scotland
d) South Africa
QUICK QUESTION
WHAT’S BETTER: BEING A BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND OR A SMALL FISH IN A BIG POND?
POP QUIZ ANSWERS
- Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern dip made from eggplant.
- Methane gas surrounding Neptune absorbs red light and reflects blue light, which makes the planet appear blue.
- South Africa’s national rugby union tram is known as the Springboks.
~ Leslsie Elman is the author of “Weird But True: 200 Astounding, Outrageous and Totally Off the Wall Facts.”
COPYRIGHT 2023 LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
THE GOOSE STORY
So the story goes like this:
[This] Fall when you see Geese heading south for the winter, flying along in a “V” formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way: as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V formation the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.
When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.
When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.
Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Finally, and this is important, if a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshots and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or ultimately until it dies. Only then do they launch out on their own, or join another formation of geese.
I DON’T NEED IT TO BE EASY. I NEED IT TO BE WORTH IT.
(( Remember make believe? ))
RIDDLE ME THIS
I’M LIGHT AS A FEATHER, YET THE STRONGEST OF MEN CAN’T HOLD ME.
What am I?
BIG SKY COUNTRY GRANOLA
Of all the hundreds of granola recipes out there – I totally believe this one is the waayyyy best!
9 cups uncooked old fashion oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup whole almonds
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup bran
1 cup sunflower seed kernels
1 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
3 TBSP ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cup water
3/4 cup real maple syrup
1 cup safflower oil
3/4 cup good quality honey
Preheat oven to 325*. Mix all ingredients in a giant bowl.
Carefully pour mixture in a single layer on a large baking sheet or 2 medium baking sheets.
Bake about 1 hour.
(Keep an eye on it as it bakes, stir it around from time to time with a wooden spoon while baking so granola toasts and doesn’t burn.)
After baking for an hour, remove from oven, cool, and then stir in:
2 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 cup raisins or craisins
Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bags.
(( PRO-TIP )) Amazing gift for friends!
~ Hippie Cowboy recipe box
RIDDLE ANSWER
YOUR BREATH
LOST IN SUBURBIA
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
BY TRACY BECKERMAN
“I think we should talk about the elephant in the room,” said my husband.
“What are you talking about?” I asked innocently.
“The elephant … on the couch,” he said.
I glanced over at the couch. Propped up in the corner was our new throw pillow. It was taupe and white and complemented the couch beautifully. It also happened to have elephants all over it.
“What about it?”
“Why do we have a pillow with elephants all over it?” he said.
I walked over to the couch and fluffed the pillow. All the elephants perked up nicely, as linen elephants are apt to do when you fluff them.
“I thought it was cute and the room needed a little touch of something interesting.”
“And we think elephants are interesting?” he said.
“Yes, we do,” I said.
When I saw this pillow show up in my Pinterest feed, it was love at first elephant. It’s not that I have an elephant obsession or anything, but this particular pillow called to me. It was the perfect color for the room, and I though the elephants added a nice whimsical touch. Apparently though, my husband felt otherwise, and it was possible we were headed for an elephant-sized shut down.
“It’s not this one elephant pillow that concerns me,” he said. “I’m afraid this could be the beginning of a trend. Today elephant pillows in the living room. Tomorrow penguin quilts in the bedroom. Soon we’ll have zebra print wallpaper covering the bathroom and a llama in the backyard. Then it’s just a matter of time before the town comes after us because we’re not zoned for a drive-thru safari in our neighborhood.”
“I didn’t think one elephant pillow was a big deal.” I replied.
“I just don’t see what you like about it so much,” he said. “Maybe it’s a guy thing, but I just don’t get the elephants.”
“They’re gentle-looking and aesthetic,” I said. “And, also, they make me feel skinny.”
“What?”
“Well, you know, if I’m having a bad day, I can look over at the elephant pillow and think, ‘At least I’m not s big as an elephant.'”
He looked at me blankly.
I realized I needed to find a way to convince my husband it was in our best interest to keep the elephant pillow. Clearly, trying to convince him that the pillow was an appealing addition to our living room was not the answer. Nor would he buy into the fact that having an elephant pillow would help raise awareness for the plight of elephants with an abundance of chin hair (yes, that is a thing, and something I can personally relate to). I also didn’t think it would help to point out that the pillow was just the right size to smother someone who didn’t like the pillow as much as I did.
Not that I would ever think that.
Then I had a jolt of inspiration.
“You know,” I said. “This elephant pillow is the perfect size and just the right amount of support for a really good couch nap.”
My husband eyed the elephant pillow suspiciously. He looked at me. He looked back at the pillow. Then he slid across the couch, fluffed the pillow, swung his legs up on the couch and lay his head down on the pillow.
“You know what? You’re right,” he said. “This is a great nap pillow!”
“Great!” I said, “Now let’s talk about the emu salt and pepper shakers I just got.”
~Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life Love and Kibble.”
COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS
Fascinating Stuff
FASCINATING STUFF
- The world’s smallest antelope is the royal antelope or Neotragus pygmaeus, found in western Africa. Full-grown adults stand about 10 to 12 inches tall, and a newborn will fit in the palm of your hand. These nocturnal relatives of gazelles live in forests and feed on vegetation. In some places, they’re hunted for food. Other cultures consider it bad luck to kill them and let them live in peace.
- People with synesthesia perceive sensory stimuli with more than one sense. Music may conjure physical sensations such as tingling in the feet (different from chills you feel when you hear a monumental symphony). Words have flavors. Numbers on a page have colors. Music producer/songwriter Pharrell Williams, composer Franz Liszt, artist David Hockney, physicist Richard Feynman and actress Marilyn Monroe are among the better-known creative-thinking “synesthetes.”
- At approximately 92 feet below sea level, Baku, Azerbaijan, is the capital with the elevation and the world’s largest city below sea level. A trading port on the Caspian Sea since ancient time, Baku has some extraordinary modern architecture including a carpet museum that resembles a rolled-up carpet, and the Heydar Aliyev Center library, museum and concert hall designed by Zaha Hadid. Since 2017 its venue on the Formula 1 championship circuit, with drivers speeding through the historic city streets.
- The Cristal Baschet, a musical instrument invented by Bernard and Francois Baschet in 1952, consists of horizontal glass rods attached to vertical metal rods of various lengths and thicknesses. To play it, one draw his or her moistened fingers along the glass rods to create vibrations that travel through the metal and produce a distinctive sound. (It’s the same principle as running your finger around the rim of a wine glass to make it hum.)
- Completed in 1695, the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine, Florida, is the oldest military structure in the Unites States. It’s built of a pinkish limestone called coquina, formed from the amalgamation of seashells over thousands of years. The porous stone looks like it would crumble to dust in a high wind, what appears to be weakness is, in fact, coquina’s strength. When British forces attacked the Spanish fort with cannon fire in 1702, the coquina walls didn’t shatter; they absorbed the onslaught.
COPYRIGHT 2023 LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
Love the elephant pillow story!
Me, too, Stacy. I don’t have an elephant pillow – but should I see one on the super clearance table at a retail store – I’m gonna snag it and bring it home and put it … somewhere … just for fun!
Thanks for reading and commenting. Grateful! Catch ya on Friday.
Years ago I heard that geese mate for life but I wasn’t aware of how loyal they are to other members of their flock. Inspiring story.
Hi Carol – I know, right?
Peter and I worked on a 2 week commercial in Lubbock back in the day – fall time. Geese were everywhere in the city parks where we were shooting the commercial. Cool, for sure!
And then when we did 2 seasons of Breaking Bad – in ABQ area – geese were everywhere!
I’ll always remember and never forget both of those experiences.
I have a fondness for geese now.
Like I wrote in my Greetings to Readers today — when I see the geese flying overhead — can’t help but call out to them “HONK HONK!”
Thanks so much, Carol, for reading today’s episode and taking the time to share your thoughts. Gratitude.
Re: “WHAT’S BETTER: BEING A BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND OR A SMALL FISH IN A BIG POND?” That’s an easy question as the thought of a big fish in a small pond registers too tight for a fish and too tight for me! I don’t like “TIGHT” like tight clothes, tight seat belts, or airplanes now cramming more seats into the same tight little space. It feels like my air supply is being squelched. However, to have plenty of space in a “big pond” is freedom to me and the “fishes in the deep blue sea.”
Hi Marty – great comment. Thanks for taking the time to share with us!