Nature XXVII, Autumn - Emily Dickinson

The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown;

The berry's cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,

The field a scarlet gown.

Lest I should be old-fashioned,

I'll put a trinket on.

Why Turkey on Thanksgiving?

Okay, I've been negligent in letting my random brain "out" to exercise (well okay, I've been involved in the final "throws" of getting White Christmas onstage -- but that production is up and running .... so fair warning - let the randomness continue!)

So, just sitting here at the office during a break and wondering (all of the sudden) why is turkey traditionally served for Thanksgiving -- I mean our Founding Fathers (and the Native Americans, that came and shared) living close to the ocean would they not more in likely have had cod, seal, lobster or even vension?

Research Time - Google here I come (disclaimer: only transferring what I find of interest -- definitely not my own thoughts) -- then you can decide!  Here is some of what I found:

1.  There are lots of interesting stories behind the turkey being Thanksgivings most important dish. One is that Queen Elizabeth was celebrating a Fall Harvest and celebrated with a baked goose as this was considered a delicacy and a celebration indeed. Upon hearing that the Spanish Armada had sunk as it was on its way to attack England the Queen was so pleased with the news that she ordered an additional roast goose. Englanders were so accustomed to roast goose being associated to celebrations and that was what they would have celebrated with had the New Colony been full of wild geese. But, this was not the case and wild turkeys were much more plentiful. So, as they started a new life they also started a new tradition of serving turkey on days of celebration and giving thanks.

2.  It is tradition that says the Native Americans brought turkey to the the Pilgrims providing them food for their first Thanksgiving. Turkeys are native to the Americas. There is evidence that it was domesticated by the Native Americans.

3.  The tradition of serving Turkey comes from a letter written 22yrs after the first celebration by William Bradford "History of Plymouth Plantation". This letter sent to Edward Winslow, a known as a Pilgrim. The letter described how the governor sent "four men out Fowling". They returned not only with Turkeys, they also brought back ducks and geese.

Branford’s letter was lost during the War of Independence when the British took it way. Thankfully, was rediscovered in 1854 and the Turkey turned out to be a popular symbol of Thanksgiving Day.

Benjamin Franklin was in favor of changing the National Bird from the Bald Eagle to the Turkey.  (Ben, Ben, Ben ..... what were you thinking?!!)

4.  AND for added interest:  "Asked to write a composition entitled, 'What I'm thankful for on Thanksgiving,' one student wrote, 'I am grateful that I'm not a turkey.'"

5.  AND for yet more added interest (or amusement) - here's a blog of a :-) veggan Thanksgiving Is Tainted

6.  AND my personal favorite:  "Because it's delicious?"

Have a great Thanksgiving my Buddies!

AND because I have a sick sense of humor and found this one amusing!

Yawning

Okay, when I awoke this morning and looked down at my also awakening cat and she let out a HUGE yawn.  I thought you know how odd that we share the oddity of yawning with animals, I've read that cats, dogs and even fish yawn.  It is said that even 11 week-old fetuses yawn ... now I haven't seen any personally yawn, so I'll take the word of experts.

The chain reaction that is yawning - as I was reading up on the subject, one article said you will probably yawn before the end of this article, I thought "yeah right" ... by the end of the article I yawned ... "WOW"

It is said that even a blind person just hearing yawn will more in likely yawn within the next five minutes - yet what does a yawn do for us - no one really knows - lots of theory:  Yawning is an involuntary action that
causes us to open our mouths wide and breathe in deeply. BUT why the heck does the body do it?

• Physiological Theory -- Our bodies induce yawning to drawn in more oxygen or remove a build-up of carbon dioxide. This theory helps explain why we yawn in groups. Larger groups produce more carbon dioxide, which means our bodies would act to draw in more oxygen and get rid of the excess carbon dioxide.  However, Giving people additional oxygen didn't decrease yawning and decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in a subject's environment also didn't prevent yawning.
• Evolution Theory -- Some think that yawning is something that began with our ancestors, who used yawning to show their teeth and intimidate others
• Boredom Theory -- In the dictionary, yawning is said to be caused by boredom, fatigue or drowsiness. Although we do tend to yawn when bored or tired, this theory doesn't explain why Olympic athletes yawn right before they compete in their event.

Interesting Yawning Facts:

• The average yawn lasts about six seconds.
• Your heart rate can rise as much as 30 percent during a yawn.
• 55 percent of people will yawn within five minutes of seeing someone else yawn.
• Blind people yawn more after hearing an audio tape of people yawning.
• Reading about yawning will make you yawn.
• Olympic athletes often yawn before competition.

So what up with that?!  Not really an original blog, but it was an eye-opening question .. this morning :-) most of my "stuff" isn't original and I looked it up from Discovery Health but what'ev I was in the mood to blog regardless of the two glasses of wine I've had to rest my brain from rehearsals ... so does it make sense or not - I'll go with not ... hopefully you will be amused AND YES, I myself have yawned typing this blog about the wonders of yawning ... so you decide boring blog or contagious yawn??

Great Day to You Buddies!

PS .. not my cat:



Austin Wrap Up

I know it has been a couple of weeks since the Austin Livestrong Challenge BUT there were a few thoughts I wanted to wrap up - but I'll keep my thoughts short on this one!  No really :-) !!

1.  At Mellow Johnny's for the Team RadioShack signings:  It was good to see the boys and as always they were personable and smiling (even the "new" boys) ... also, all the sudden (down by Popo) I was standing in front of JMac (hiddy JMac) .. I'd not read he was going to be there too - so that was a pleasant surprise.  My sweet niece gave me the poster she had signed, as I had my "retro" t-shirt from Gila signed - so I got two wonderful items (you could only have one item signed) ... anyway, she settled for an unsigned poster -- HOWEVER, at the end of the line -- she would have settled for Popo!  He is such a sweet man (and cute) "hey" I'd adopt him - hands down!

2.  At Mellow Johnny's standing in line for the signing we met a wonderful couple from Canada and had such a lovely chat with them - and much like the lady from Norway we met the day before in the line at Livestrong HQ ... it brought it home as to how global that Livestrong has become - wonderful.

3.  Back at Mellow Johnny's the last day we were there and it wasn't as crowded :-) all the staff are simply wonderful, helpful and happy people.  MJ's is a typical (yet so non-typical, as most of you know) bike shop and the people of Austin are lucky to have them downtown!

4.  JUAN PELOTA MAKES THE ABSOLUTE BEST AMERICANO I HAVE EVER HAD ... ooops, sorry but it really did make me want to scream it from the top of the nearest 50 story building :-)  Good Grief they make good coffee ... Starbucks, sorry babes - you'll only "do" because JP isn't "here"!  TIP:  If you go to Austin and are not interested in MJ's for any reason ... GO anyway for JP's coffee (my niece said it was the best mocha latte she's ever had.)

5.  Downtown Austin --- in love with - it is also to be experienced, such a culture AND you may want to stick around for the bat flight ... we didn't, but I heard from alot of folks who did -- so it is on my list for next time!

6.  Last, but not the least - as they say: Chuys -- a small chain of Tex-Mex restaurants:  Oh My Freak'in GOODNESS!!!  The first day we ate at the one out by my nieces house and the last day we ate at the "original" in downtown Austin ... the location matters not -- eat there, if you go to Austin!

AND ... they have the absolute best, I say again ... the absolute best Jalapeno Ranch Dip - I'd never tasted anything like it, I could have asked for a straw (um, as a matter of fact - I think I did!)   We asked after the receipe and then I Googled, once I got home and my niece just texted me and said "That's It" ... sharing the receipe but you may want to start smaller ... but I'll guarantee - you'll want more of it for whatever you decide to dip into it  .... or a straw is also good! :-) (This is one item of food I am just going to accept is probably "bad" - I'm not going to overanalyze its contents and breakout the fat content etc. - I'll make a smaller batch for meeeeeeeeeee only (hands off Neal!) and enjoy it on special occasions!)

Chuy's Jalapeno Dip - yield 7 cups; prep time 10 mins:

1 quart sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped jalapeno
1 cup green tomatillo sauce
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 (1 ounce) packets dry ranch dressing mix

1 Mix first 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth. 2 Stir in ranch mix with a whisk. 3 Chill and serve.

Nothing Gold Can Stay - Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

For nothing gold can stay.