★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
July 16, 2013

★~Today’s Quote:  “Took the restrictor plate off to give the Red Dragon a little more juice. But it’s not exactly street legal, so keep it on the down low.” Will Ferrell

 ★~ Corn Fritter Day: 

Traditional corn fritters are savory bites of fried or baked corn batter—a mixture made with corn, egg, flour, milk, and melted butter. These treats can be eaten alone, served as a side, or enjoyed with a topping like syrup, powdered sugar, or jam.

Although corn fritters originated in the South, many other cultures have come up with similar dishes. For example, in Asia “pakoras” are a popular snack. This dish is made with vegetables dipped in batter that are then deep-fried.

Classic Corn Fritters  

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1935 –  The first automatic parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City, OK. You could drive up and park for only a nickel, in places where parking used to be free.

♥~ 1941 – Joe di Maggio reached the last game of his 56-game hitting streak with the Yankees.

♥~ 1950 – The largest crowd in sporting history — 199,854 — watched the World Cup soccer finals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Uruguay defeated Brazil.

♥~ 1956 – The last performance of the Ringling Brothers Circus under an actual “big top” tent happened in Pittsburgh.

♥~ 1973 – Roger English stopped dancing the Twist in La Jolla, California, after a record 102 hours 29 minutes.

♥~ 2003 – A drink sold at the Ritz Hotel in Paris was recognized as the most expensive commercially available cocktail in the world. Guinness World Records said “The Sidecar” cost $440.88 a glass. It contained Champagne Cognac that survived the 1870 siege of Paris and two World Wars and had been inside the hotel for over a hundred years. In the 1920s, the Sidecar sold for $1.73.

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1907 – Orville Redenbacher popcorn gourmet & tycoon; died Sep 19, 1995

♥~ 1907 – Barbara Stanwyck (Ruby Stevens): Nominated for Best Actress by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences four times out of her 82 films. Her Oscar nominations were for her roles as Stella Dallas in Stella Dallas (1937), Sugarpuss O’Shea in Ball of Fire (1941), Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity (1944), and Leona Stevenson in Sorry Wrong Number (1948). Her first Emmy was in 1960-61 for her lead role in The Barbara Stanwyck Show. She received another Emmy for her Big Valley performances in 1965-66 and one for The Thorn Birds in 1983. Her popularity increased over the years as did her pay check. In 1944, Ms. Stanwyck was listed by the government as the highest paid woman in the U.S., at $400,000 per year.

♥~ 1911 – Ginger Rogers (Virginia Katherine McMath) Academy Award-winning actress: Kitty Foyle [1940]; dancer with Fred Astaire in many musicals; appeared in over 70 films in 60 years; died Apr 25, 1995

♥~ 1968 – Will Ferrell comedian, actor: Saturday Night Live, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Suburbans, The Ladies Man, The Andy Dick Show, The Ladies Man, Zoolander, Elf, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

★~ Good to Know: Lifehacks for 100 years ago

In the late 1880s, cigarette manufacturers began inserting stiffening cards into their paper packs of cigarettes to strengthen the containers. It wasn’t long before they got the idea to put artwork, trivia, famous people, and pretty girls onto those cards, grouped into collectible series. The cards, which continued into the 1940s, are valuable now, with the most expensive (bearing the face of stringent anti-smoking baseball player Honus Wagner) selling for $2.8 million in 2007.

In the 1910s, Gallaher Ltd of Belfast & London and Ogden’s Branch of the Imperial Tobacco Co printed “How-To” series, with clever hints for both everyday and emergency situations.

(Please note these cards were published a hundred years ago, when safety was not as popular a pursuit as it is now.)

♥~ HOW TO MAKE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER

“Dissolve one pound of salt and half a pound of sal-ammoniac in two quarts of water and bottle the liquor in thin glass bottles holding about a quart each. Should a fire break out, dash one or more of the bottles into the flames, and any serious outbreak will probably be averted.”

♥~  HOW TO EXTRACT A SPLINTER:

“Fill a wide mouthed bottle with hot water nearly to the brim, and press affected part of hand tightly against mouth of bottle. The suction will pull down the flesh, and steam will soon draw out the splinter.”

♥~ HOW TO PRESERVE EGGS:

“Eggs for preserving must be newly laid, and by simply putting these into a box or tin of dry salt-burying the eggs right in the salt and keeping it in a cool dry place — it is possible to preserve them for a very long period. No air whatever should be allowed to get to the shell.”

♥~ HOW TO STOP A MAD DOG:

“A scout’s staff, a walking-stick, or even a handkerchief or hat may be held before you as shown. The dog invariably endeavors to paw down your defense before biting, thus giving you the opportunity of disabling him by a kick.”

♥~ HOW TO KEEP PLANTS WATERED WHILE AWAY ON HOLIDAY

“Fill a large pail with water, and stand it a little above the level of the plants and group round or near as many plants as practical. Loosely plait two or three strands of wool together, immerse completely in water, and place one end in the pail, weighted, and touching the bottom. Rest the other end on the soil: a separate plait of wool is advisable for each pot.”

♥~  HOW TO LIGHT A MATCH IN THE WIND:

“The familiar difficulty of lighting a match in a wind can be to a great extent overcome if thin shavings are first cut on the match towards its striking end, as shown in the picture. On lighting the match the curled strips catch fire at once; the flame is stronger and has a better chance.”

Images:. New York Public Library 

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Did someone say parking meter? Have I mentioned how much I loathe parking meters in Chicago or how much I would pay to be able to pick up a bat and send one to its just reward?

In 2000, parking meters cost $.25 an hour in the downtown area of Chicago called the “Loop.” Up until 2009, the rate was the same. As of January 1, 2013, thanks to the privatization of Chicago parking meters, the rate has soared to $6.50 an hour, payable 8 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week, including holidays. In the Central Business District just outside the Loop, the rate is $4.00, and everywhere else in the city street parking is $2.00 an hour. Chicago downtown parking rates are now the highest in the nation.

Back in the not to far past, it used to be that you parked, got out of your car, and fed the meter with the loose change in your pocket. Now, 34,000 of Chicago’s 36,000 meters have been replaced by 4,700 “pay and display boxes.” It works like this: You park and walk to one of the complicated looking “pay boxes” who some in the city have dubbed “Martian toilets.” After walking half a block and possibly waiting in line while freezing your butt off, you feed the box with a huge pile of change or use your credit/debit card, (they don’t take dollar bills). You get a receipt, then you walk back to your car and place it inside on the dashboard. The only way to maneuver close enough to the meters, in the winter, when ice (which is never removed)  surrounds it, is by latching on to the meters frozen head and pulling yourself forward with your ungloved hand, because gloves and loose change are not a good mix, and you really don’t want to crawl around on the ground searching for your only quarter.  Think about doing this with a cane? I can’t tell you the number of senior citizens that are rescued from the grips of Chicago parking meters every year. Shame it never makes the news.  In the summer, the meters go on vacation and often refuse to work. The phone number you MUST call to report a broken meter rings endlessly and is seldom answered.

In true Chicago style, some Chicagoans have take to defacing and vandalizing the hated boxes. In 2010, 20 of the 200 pound boxes were stolen. Go Chicago.

Ok, I have so much more to say on this subject, but instead I’ll take a cleansing breath and use my vivid imagination to plot my revenge.

Wishing you all a terrific Tuesday!

Odd Loves Company!