DEAR TABBY

Dear Tabby:  I am a 10-year-old girl who lives in Florida, and my mother always makes me wear sunscreen when I go outside.  I thought getting outside in the sun and fresh air was good for you.  Can you help clear up the issue, Tabby, and shed some "light" on the subject?  SUNNY DAVIS, (yes, they call me Sunny D), BRANDON, FLORIDA.

Dear Sunny:  I am honored to welcome a reader from the "sunshine state."  I think I could really "take a shine" to you!  We always see commercials saying we need sunscreen to prevent harming our skin (which is true), but we also need a little sunshine every day - just 10-15 minutes a day of sunlight is enough to get the benefits of vitamin D!  Vitamin D is produced naturally in the body through exposure to sunlight.  Vitamin D is also called the “sunshine vitamin.”  Vitamin D is found in milk, orange juice, fish (salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, tuna), egg yolks, and cereals, and is very important for strong bones.  So "bone up" on your intake of vitamin D and don't get burned by the sun.  Besides sunscreen (SPF 15, preferably SPF 30, reapplying every two hours or after swimming), you can also wear hats and sunglasses to protect your skin and eyes from the harsh rays! and still look cool (like this Rottweiller)!

Thanks for the great question, and I hope our readers feel "enlightened" by my answer.  The Beatles, one of the “hottest” bands in history, loved writing songs about the sun.  These included “Here Comes the Sun,” “Good Day Sunshine,” and “I’ll Follow the Sun.”  These are great songs, but I also have a great song and video of “Walking on Sunshine” from the Bee Movie: http://youtu.be/ckifB-TM6lk

 

HERE COMES THE SUN by Blog Dog Dan

Photo taken by SOHO spacecraft

Who had the "bright" idea to talk about the sun today - yep, that would be me!  Our sun is a star that is 4.5 billion years old!  The distance between the Earth and sun is about 93 million miles.  At present, the sun is about 70% hydrogen with 28% helium and 2% metals.  Our sun is about 100 times wider than the Earth and is the largest object of our solar system  In fact, it contains more than 99.8% of the total mass of the solar system.  If you weighed 50 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 1400 pounds on the sun!  

The first successful picture taken of the sun on April 2, 1845.

The earth spins in a counterclockwise direction on its axis every day (rotation).  This accounts for the fact that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.  It takes the earth 365.26 days to orbit the sun (that's about 67,000 miles per hour!), or what we call a year.  The reason for our seasons is the tilt of the Earth on its axis and its position as it goes around the sun.    


Custer II

The Wilcox Solar Observatory in California has studied the sun since 1975.  A lot of satellites have been launched over the years to study the sun.  Yohkoh, a Japanese satellite, was launched in 1992 to take pictures of the sun.  Some satellites like Wind and Ulysses (launched in 1994 and 1995) study the solar wind.  SOHO was launched in 1995 and studies the sun 24 hours a day!  Cluster II is four identical satellites launched in 2000 that will give us the first detailed three-dimensional study of Earth's magnetic field and the solar wind. You can go to nasa.gov to see all the missions - check out the NASA Kids' Club, too.  Also, kidsgeo.com is a great site! 

South Pole

I hope that after you read my post and see the sun rising in the east, you'll appreciate the day a little more.  You'll really appreciate it when I tell you this:  The North and South Poles have dramatic seasonal swings in the amount of sunlight they receive - for six months of the year, the sun never rises over one pole and never sets over the other.      

I hope you have a very sunny day and I will leave you with an Irish blessing:

May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.
And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.

Enjoy the video Mr. Sun:  http://youtu.be/J4EJrweqv50

COOKING IN THE DARK WITH COCHRAN & CHRISTIE

Christie and I had a very special Memorial Day.  We were invited to a parade and a picnic afterwards.  We were real excited when we heard the family say, "We need to get the bugs out of the house before we have company over tonight."  So we took the hint and jumped into the car with them!  Now, we don't have any pictures as proof like Fiamma, but we're pretty sure that our relatives were in the Civil War, since we've been around a long, long time! 

We're going to whet your appetite (or not) and tell you about feeding the troops.  This important and complex job went to the quartermasters.  Vast amounts of food and supplies not only had be constantly acquired, but had to delivered under chaotic conditions.  General Ulysses S. Grant (who ultimately led the Union forces to victory) spent much of his earlier military career as a quartermaster rather than an infantry or cavalry leader! 

Are you "hungry" for more information?  The most common staples were beans, rice, corn meal, salt pork, salt beef, and hardtack because they were easy to ship and easy to carry on a march or into battle.  Fruits and vegetables were either dried or canned.  Hardtack was the most common and most hated food of the soldiers, but they all carried it in their haversack.  It was a cracker-like biscuit made from plain flour and water.  It was described by the men as, "indestructible, imperishable, practically inedible, too hard to chew, too small for shoeing mules, and too big to use as bullets."  Hardtack was also called "tooth dullers" or "sheet iron crackers."  They were also called "worm castles," and I think you can guess why.  On the softer side, hard-boiled eggs were often carried in their pockets on marches!  

Idiot's Delight

The four items that caused the most food-related fights in the camps were bread, meat, apples, and pickles.  Coffee was a great luxury, with the Union forces usually having a steady supply of coffee beans, but Confederate forces were not so lucky and had to roast acorns, chickory, and burnt corn to brew their coffee.  One of the best liked dishes was "Idiots Delight," known as such because it was so simple to put together than "even an idiot" could make it.  It was a dessert with biscuit-like drops with raisins and brown sugar in a thick cinnamon-raisin sauce.  Gingerbread was given as a "comfort food" when available to the wounded soldiers in field hospitals.  

While you "digest" all of that, we'll tell you what we're making tonight.  It's barbecued chicken cooked in a slow cooker, but tastes like it was cooked outside on the grill.  It is easy and delicious, and could be called "Idiot's Delight" because it's so simple to cook - and that's no crock! 

SLOW COOKER BARBECUED CHICKEN

6-8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (depending on size)

1 17-oz. bottle barbecue sauce (we used K. C. Masterpiece Southern Recipe)

1/2 cup Italian dressing (we used Wish Bone Mediterranean Italian)

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
(you could add some liquid smoke, if desired)

In crock pot, pour in barbecue sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce; mix until blended.  Add chicken pieces and cover with sauce.  Cook on low heat overnight, or until chicken is fully cooked.  Take chicken out of sauce and shred or cut into pieces.  Add enough sauce to coat chicken as desired, or place chicken back in sauce in crock pot.  Serve on rolls.

ENJOY

This video doesn't have anything to do with Memorial Day or barbecuing, but the animals are really cool singing: http://youtu.be/nVM5xXbUOtY

FIAMMA'S FUN FACTS FRIDAY

Well, here I am again at the END OF THE WEEK, bringing up the rear, I guess you could say.  I guess I’m feeling a little “uncivil” today, but I really did like Major Tom’s and Hairy Trotter’s posts about the courageous and loved animals of the Civil War.  I guess I’ve been “champing at the bit” to tell you about my family history and my great, great grandfather Captain Franklin T. Iguana.  As you can see from the photo, Captain Frank and his “Little Pony” were eating before another long ride.  I really wish I had a picture of him in his uniform.  Knowing him, he just jumped on his horse bareback without any armor, except for his wickedly long tail and toes!  My GGG Frank served his country well, and I wanted to share some interesting facts about the Civil War:

• More than three million men fought in the Civil War; about 900,000 for the Confederacy and 2.1 million for the Union. 
• An estimated 300 women disguised themselves as men and fought in the ranks.
• There were over 2,000 boys who were 14 years old or younger in the Union ranks, 300 were 13 years or less, 200,000 no older than 16 years.
• Not fond of ceremonies or military music, Ulysses S. Grant said he could only recognize two tunes: "One was Yankee Doodle, the other one wasn’t."
• In 1862, the U.S. Congress authorized the first paper currency, called "greenbacks."
• Surgeons never washed their hands after an operation, because all blood was assumed to be the same, nor did they wash their instruments.
• Not surprisingly, disease killed twice as many men during the war than did battle wounds.

Now it's time for some fun facts about barbecuing (I may "grill" you on these later!)  

• Henry Ford invented the briquette in 1920 from wood scraps and sawdust from his car factory (he thought he could use the charcoal for a clean smoke-free source of heat), then E.G. Kingsford bought the invention and put the charcoal briquette into production.  The initial purpose was for heat in stoves, heaters, etc., but then people started to use it for outdoor cooking!
• Thomas Jefferson (our 3rd president), began the tradition of holding barbecues at the White House when he served from 1801-1809.  Lyndon B. Johnson (our 36th president) introduced Texas-style barbecued ribs.  Jimmy Carter (our 39th president) hosted a pig pickin' for about 500 guests.  Ronald Reagan (our 40th president) and his wife Nancy often entertained with barbecues at their ranch.  George H. Bush, our 41st president, held a barbecue for Members of Congress annually on the South Lawn of the White House, a tradition continued by his son,  George W. Bush (our 43rd president).  However, that tradition was interrupted on September 12, 2001, the day after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Secret Service agents, who had evacuated the White House a day earlier, cancelled the barbecue and the White House kitchen released 700 pounds of beef tenderloin to feed the hundreds of rescue workers who had traveled to Washington.

Check out this grill - it has all the bells and whistles, for sure!

WHAT'S MAJOR TOM THINKING ABOUT TODAY?

I surrender, I surrender...and "Grant" you permission to rub my belly!!!

General Robert E. Lee had a great love for all animals.  He was quite fond of his white cat, "Polar Bear," who would often land on Lee's chess board while in play, but didn't seem to bother him in the least!  Do you remember my post last week when I played chess with Caesar?  Let's look at that picture again before I tipped over the pieces and had to "defend" my catnip-filled strawberry:

Since then, Caesar has been hanging around and gloating, as you will see:

Seriously, in both the Union and Confederate camps, a lot of animals were used as mascots to relieve boredom between battles and for companionship.  One such mascot was "Tom Cat", a large black cat that was adored by the Confederate men at Fort McAllister in Georgia.  The fort's walls were made from earth, mud, and sod from the nearby Ogeechee River, which successfuly absorbed the cannonballs fired by the Union army.  It was reported that Tom Cat would run back and forth along these walls during battle, dodging the musket fire and cannonballs that flew overhead.  On March 3, 1863, the fort was under intensive fire for seven hours and a stray bullet struck Tom Cat and killed him.  He was the only casualty that day and his loss was felt deeply by the men.  The official report of his death was reported to General Beauregard, and Tom Cat was buried with full military honors.  Isn't that an incredible story?  Below you can see the walls where Tom Cat used to run back and forth, and below that is his plaque.

Rest in "peace," Tom Cat, from all the Blog Dog Dan bloggers

TROTTIN' ABOUT TOWN WITH HAIRY TROTTER

Thank you, Dan, for such a wonderful and reflective post.  Here is the link to view President Obama's Memorial Day proclamation entitled Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2011:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/27/prayer-peace-memorial-day-2011.


It is my personal pleasure to tell you about the famous war horses of the Civil War!  Check out civilwarhome.com for more detail on the horses - it is absolutely fascinating!  The horse of the commanding officer was as well known to the troops as the general himself, and the soldiers were as affectionately attached to the animal as was the master.  Here's a list of some of the Confederates and the horses they owned and rode into battle:

• Gen. Robert E. Lee: Traveller (above) - this was the best-known horse of the war and was Lee's favorite.  Earlier he owned and rode Richmond, Brown-Roan, Lucy Long, and Ajax.
• Nathan Bedford Forrest: King Philip - possibly the favorite horse of Forrest.  He also owned and rode Roderick and Highlander.
• Maj. Gen. Jeb Stuart: Virginia - credited with preventing capture by jumping an enormous ditch. In addition to Virginia, Stuart frequently rode Highfly.
• Stonewall Jackson: Old Sorrel - formerly a Union officer's horse.  Because the mare was so small that Jackson's feet nearly dragged the ground, she was often known as Little Sorrel.

The same is true of the horses owned and ridden by Union officers.  Both sides relied heavily on their horses, and it's been said that had neither side been provided with mounts, the war may have ended in about 90 days.   

• Lt. Gen. U. S. Grant: Cincinnati (above) - presented to Grant in 1864 and was his favorite horse.  Grant first rode into battle on the back of Rondy and during the war also rode Fox, Jack, Jeff Davis, and Kangaroo (very interesting story about this horse and how he got his name).
• Maj. Gen. John A. Logan: Slasher - ridden into battle by Logan and depicted by an artist as dashing along a line of battle with all four feet off the ground.
• Col. John McArthur: Boomerang - named for his tendency to move backward!
• William T. Sherman: Lexington - possibly the favorite of Sherman, who also rode Dolly and Sam.
• Col. Philip Sheridan: Aldebaron (an early mount of Sheridan) gave way to a gelding named Rienzi.  Rienzi's name was changed to Winchester after his famous ride to the town of that name.  Rienzi/Winchester was so revered that when he died, his stuffed body was presented to the Smithsonian Institution.
• Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker: Lookout - stood 17 hands high and was cherished by Hooker.  He was acquired at Chattanooga and named for a battle of that campaign.   

Just a note on how important the horses were to men, in and out of war:  As part of the surrender terms at Appomattox in 1865, General Lee insisted that every Confederate cavalryman was entitled to take his horse home with him.  This was accepted by Grant when he was told that once they returned to civilian life, former soldiers wouldn't be able to plant spring crops without their war horses.  (The officers were also allowed to keep their side arms, which spared Lee from the humiliation of a classic surrender of his sword.)

HAMMIN' IT UP WITH BLOG HOG HAMILTON

Can you believe that people kept asking me if I had any ribs to spare this weekend?  That really burns my bacon, but you know I still have my funny bone!!!  I went around the yard and asked my "real friends" what they had to eat on Memorial Day and this is what they said:


We grilled our acorns this year

I had smoked acorns - I'm still stuffed!

We ran out of propane, so Martha cooked our acorns in the oven
 

I sauteed acorns in a lemon butter sauce - what did Stan and Martha have?

There you have it - now that's a rib tickler!

Porky Pig was a funny fellow, too, and his first appearance was in the 1935 film I Haven't Got a Hat (the 100th Looney Toons Short), along with several other new Warner Brothers characters (see the list below).  Daffy Duck was introduced two years later in 1937, and Bugs Bunny in 1940.

• Beans the Cat, a mischievous young cat
• Little Kitty, a nervous girl cat
• Porky Pig, a stuttering pig
• Oliver Owl, a haughty owlet who taunts Beans
• Ham and Ex, twin singing puppies

http://youtu.be/YTnf78EQ7nw

Th-th-th-th-th...That's all folks!!