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St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair.
Many cities have a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, has a huge St. Patrick’s Day festival from March 15-19, that features a parade, family carnivals, treasure hunt, dance, theatre and more. In North American, parades are often held on the Sunday before March 17. Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day! In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours. There has been a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts since 1737. Montreal is home to Canada’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade, which began in 1824.
34 million Americans have Irish ancestry, according to the 2003 US Census. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people.
Some American towns have “Irish” names. You could visit: Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia; Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; Shamrock, Oklahoma; Shamrock, Texas; Dublin, California and Dublin, Ohio.
The harp is the symbol of Ireland. The color green is also commonly associated with Ireland, also known as “the Emerald Isle.”
The Irish flag is green, white and orange. The green symbolizes the people of the south, and orange, the people of the north. White represents the peace that brings them together as a nation.
The name “lephrechaun” has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word “leipreachan,” which means “a kind of aqueous sprite.” Or, it could be from “leath bhrogan,” which means “shoemaker.”
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14!
One estimate suggests that there are about 10 000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.
Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.
Small Scale Gardens-Libby Deege
Thursday, March 10, 2011
A four foot square may still be too big for your yard if you live in a townhouse or an apartment but don’t give up. Even in a tiny space like a balcony or a patio, you can still grow your own vegetables.
The variety of vegetables that can be grown in a container is growing yearly. Some of the vegetables listed below you may have never eaten or you may have had the canned variety and not liked them. Fresh vegetables have a whole different taste than canned especially when you have grown them yourself. Keep an open mind and try a few new ones every year.
Beets - I hated beets for years until a friend convinced me to try fresh ones last year. Fresh beets have a whole different taste than pickled ones. These can be grown in as little space as a cake pan and are better picked small and tender, about the size of a silver dollar.
Spinach – Fresh spinach is good both cooked and raw and it is another vegetable that can be grown in a small container. The leaves are best picked young and tender. One of the best things about spinach is that it doesn’t have to grow fruit so it doesn’t need a large container to support it. This is a cool weather plant and does not like hot summer days.
Leaf Lettuce - Like spinach, leaf lettuce can be grown in a small container and doesn’t need hot summer days to mature. Pick when leaves are young and tender. Start pots at different times so you have a continuous supply. There is also a variety of miniature head lettuce that can be container grown.
Patio Tomatoes – They are coming up with more and more types of tomatoes that are suited to container growing. Traditional tomatoes take a huge amount of dirt and grow to be 3 or 4 feet tall and wide if not supported. Patio tomatoes are more compact and were bred to retain a small size and be grown in a pot. Here is a variety of cherry tomatoes that can be grown in a container.
Radishes – Like beets, radishes don’t need a huge pot to grow and mature fairly quickly. These are fun to grow and make a great addition to any salad.
Green Peppers – These take a fairly good size pot and are definitely warm weather plants but they are not difficult to grow. They can be used in a variety of dishes and freeze well. If you are feeling a bit experimental, there is a new variety of mini peppers that you can buy. They are small and colorful.
Green Beans – While I would normally not recommend growing green beans in a container, they have come up with several varieties of dwarf green beans that are recommended and actually as you can plant 16 green bean plants in a square foot I would imagine these would do fairly well in a container.
Squash – Again, while squash is not something you would normally consider a container plant, new varieties are very compatible. This mild summer Patty Pan squash is only 2 ft high and 2 ft wide. It may be too big for an apartment but then maybe not.
Eggplant – Eggplant is a mainstay in Mediterranean cooking. It’s compact size makes it an ideal choice for container growing.
Garlic Chives – This is one of my favorites. It’s a beautiful flower and every part of the plant is edible.
Swiss Chard – This link is to a rainbow variety that will perk up any spot. Fresh Swiss Chard has a sweet buttery flavor that is delicious. The grocery store variety loses SO much of the flavor that it barely resembles the garden variety. Try it fresh and sauted in a bit of olive oil with a hint of garlic.
Herbs - You can mix and match herbs in a container. Basil, thyme, sage, tarragon, rosemary will all grow fine. My choices to put together would be basil, thyme and sage. Basil is an upright annual plant while sage is kind of sprawly. Thyme is a low grower so the three together make an interesting potted arrangement. All but basil are perennial.
The variety of vegetables that can be grown in a container is growing yearly. Some of the vegetables listed below you may have never eaten or you may have had the canned variety and not liked them. Fresh vegetables have a whole different taste than canned especially when you have grown them yourself. Keep an open mind and try a few new ones every year.
Vegetables for Containers
Beets - I hated beets for years until a friend convinced me to try fresh ones last year. Fresh beets have a whole different taste than pickled ones. These can be grown in as little space as a cake pan and are better picked small and tender, about the size of a silver dollar.
Spinach – Fresh spinach is good both cooked and raw and it is another vegetable that can be grown in a small container. The leaves are best picked young and tender. One of the best things about spinach is that it doesn’t have to grow fruit so it doesn’t need a large container to support it. This is a cool weather plant and does not like hot summer days.
Leaf Lettuce - Like spinach, leaf lettuce can be grown in a small container and doesn’t need hot summer days to mature. Pick when leaves are young and tender. Start pots at different times so you have a continuous supply. There is also a variety of miniature head lettuce that can be container grown.
Patio Tomatoes – They are coming up with more and more types of tomatoes that are suited to container growing. Traditional tomatoes take a huge amount of dirt and grow to be 3 or 4 feet tall and wide if not supported. Patio tomatoes are more compact and were bred to retain a small size and be grown in a pot. Here is a variety of cherry tomatoes that can be grown in a container.
Radishes – Like beets, radishes don’t need a huge pot to grow and mature fairly quickly. These are fun to grow and make a great addition to any salad.
Green Peppers – These take a fairly good size pot and are definitely warm weather plants but they are not difficult to grow. They can be used in a variety of dishes and freeze well. If you are feeling a bit experimental, there is a new variety of mini peppers that you can buy. They are small and colorful.
Green Beans – While I would normally not recommend growing green beans in a container, they have come up with several varieties of dwarf green beans that are recommended and actually as you can plant 16 green bean plants in a square foot I would imagine these would do fairly well in a container.
Squash – Again, while squash is not something you would normally consider a container plant, new varieties are very compatible. This mild summer Patty Pan squash is only 2 ft high and 2 ft wide. It may be too big for an apartment but then maybe not.
Eggplant – Eggplant is a mainstay in Mediterranean cooking. It’s compact size makes it an ideal choice for container growing.
Garlic Chives – This is one of my favorites. It’s a beautiful flower and every part of the plant is edible.
Swiss Chard – This link is to a rainbow variety that will perk up any spot. Fresh Swiss Chard has a sweet buttery flavor that is delicious. The grocery store variety loses SO much of the flavor that it barely resembles the garden variety. Try it fresh and sauted in a bit of olive oil with a hint of garlic.
Herbs - You can mix and match herbs in a container. Basil, thyme, sage, tarragon, rosemary will all grow fine. My choices to put together would be basil, thyme and sage. Basil is an upright annual plant while sage is kind of sprawly. Thyme is a low grower so the three together make an interesting potted arrangement. All but basil are perennial.
Keep Your Brain Alive-Libby Deege
Friday, March 4, 2011
Switching things up can be fun and it can also be good for your brain. Here are a few suggestions to incorporate into your meal time routine!! Enjoy!
Try Musical Chairs!
Have everyone switch seats. In most families, everyone has his or her "own" seat. Switching seats changes whose "position" you occupy. who you relate to, and your view of the room! It even changes how you reach for the salt and pepper!
Plan a Democratic Meal.
Let each person in the family (even the youngest) decide one item on the menu. Peanut butter and steak may not sound appetizing, but is it not going to hurt you, and it may provide material for some bizarre associations.
Introduce Novelty.
Eat Waffles or cereal for dinner. The Norwegians eat their man meal for breakfast. You could try that too. Change the order in which you eat your food. Try starting with the dessert and ending with the chips. this may seem frivolous but your brain won't think so. it's primed to handle this unexpected strategy. Change where you eat your meal- a different room, outside, on the porch on the floor, BE creative.
Try eating your food using your "wrong" hand. Small changes like this makes even the most routine acts of eating challenging!!
Get Cooking!
Cook something from scratch. It doesn't have to be a five course gourmet meal. making a simple Italian pasta sauce give all your senses a good workout. As you chop and saute onions, herbs and spices, aromas permeate the kitchen and flood you with memories. You're engaging your tactile senses when chopping and peeling, and then in testing the consistency and texture of the sauce as it reduces. A good cook constantly tastes for flavor, adding and adjusting spices a little at a time.
Just remember changing things up and doing things a little differently is great for your brain and also your spirit. Try one tonight!!
Try Musical Chairs!
Have everyone switch seats. In most families, everyone has his or her "own" seat. Switching seats changes whose "position" you occupy. who you relate to, and your view of the room! It even changes how you reach for the salt and pepper!
Plan a Democratic Meal.
Let each person in the family (even the youngest) decide one item on the menu. Peanut butter and steak may not sound appetizing, but is it not going to hurt you, and it may provide material for some bizarre associations.
Introduce Novelty.
Eat Waffles or cereal for dinner. The Norwegians eat their man meal for breakfast. You could try that too. Change the order in which you eat your food. Try starting with the dessert and ending with the chips. this may seem frivolous but your brain won't think so. it's primed to handle this unexpected strategy. Change where you eat your meal- a different room, outside, on the porch on the floor, BE creative.
Try eating your food using your "wrong" hand. Small changes like this makes even the most routine acts of eating challenging!!
Get Cooking!
Cook something from scratch. It doesn't have to be a five course gourmet meal. making a simple Italian pasta sauce give all your senses a good workout. As you chop and saute onions, herbs and spices, aromas permeate the kitchen and flood you with memories. You're engaging your tactile senses when chopping and peeling, and then in testing the consistency and texture of the sauce as it reduces. A good cook constantly tastes for flavor, adding and adjusting spices a little at a time.
Just remember changing things up and doing things a little differently is great for your brain and also your spirit. Try one tonight!!
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