Tuesday, April 22 is Earth Day 2008!

Most of us have been infected by the eco bug by now. Perhaps we have had to replace an appliance and have made the choice for a model with a better energy rating. Or maybe you’ve purchased a new vehicle and shunned that gas guzzling Sports Ute for something more practical and fuel-efficient.

Well good for you. You have made a difference already and are becoming a more energy-responsible citizen of your community.

But don’t stop there! Tell the kids, too!

By sharing the reasoning you apply when making a purchase, and letting our children see how we have become more aware of energy consumption in general, we not only ensure our children will do likewise and adopt a lifestyle that will be respectful of the environment, but we also improve their lives by improving their surroundings.

Children will copy our habits – good and bad. So be energy-wise. And pass it on.

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.

But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March.

~ Robert Frost

Potatoes are second in human consumption only to rice when it comes to global consumption. But they are number one in popularity in North America when prepared as a snack food; thin, salty, crispy potato chips. But it wasn’t a stroke of genius that invented the ‘chip’. Quite the opposite…

Potato chips originated in New England as one man's variation on the French-fried potato, and their production was the result not of a sudden stroke of culinary invention but of a fit of pique.

In the summer of 1853, American Native George Crum was working as a chef at the Moon Lake Lodge, an elegant resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. Thick-cut French-fries were a popular item on the menu, but when Crum made some for one particularly picky diner, he twice sent them back complaining they were too thick. Frustrated, Crum decided to go to the other extreme and make them as thin as possible as a way of exaggerating the guest’s request.

The result was something no one expected. They were an instant hit! Other diners requested Crum's potato chips, and they appeared on the menu as Saratoga Chips, a house specialty.

Soon potato chips were packaged and sold locally and throughout the New England area. Crum eventually opened his own restaurant, featuring chips. But at that time, potatoes had to be peeled and sliced by hand, a tedious and time-consuming chore. It was the invention of the mechanical potato peeler in the 1920’s that paved the way for potato chips to become the top-selling snack food.

1. Among all golfers with 25 or more rounds played in The Masters, who holds the tournament record for best career scoring average?
a) Nick Faldo, b) Phil Mickelson, c) Greg Norman, d) Tiger Woods

2. Which holes make up Amen Corner?
a) 10/11/12, b) 11/12/13, c) 12/13/14, d) 13/14/15

3. The record for most consecutive birdies during The Masters is 7, shared by Tiger Woods and this golfer who never won the tournament.
a) Johnny Miller, b) Hale Irwin, c) Greg Norman, d) Steve Pate

4. Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and this golfer share the record for most second place finishes (4).
a) Johnny Miller, b) Greg Norman, c) Tom Weiskopf, d) Tom Watson

5. Three players have won back-to-back Masters; Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and this golfer?
a) Jimmy Demaret,  b) Nick Faldo, c) Arnold Palmer, d) Horton Smith

6. Which two golfers share the course record of 63 at Augusta National?
a) Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, b) Phil Mickelson and Johnny Miller, c) Nick Price and Greg Norman, d) Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus

7. The first golf balls were filled with what substance?
a) feathers, b) saw dust, c) pebbles, d) moss

8. Which player had the lowest final round (64) to win the Masters?
a) Gary Player, b) Raymond Floyd, c) Jack Nicklaus, d) Gene Sarazen

9. Tiger Woods set the tournament record in 1997 at 18-under 270. What was his score after the first nine holes?
a) 29, b) 33, c) 37, d) 40

Feel free to share this quiz with your golfing buddies - and compare scores.

VanEats’ Recipes – This site has some unusual recipes that will appeal to a wide range of people. I’ve tried a few an I’m always rewarded with requests for the recipe from guests. You have to try their recipe for White Chocolate Raspberry Brownies in the Baking section.

Plus Size Fashion Tips - These are the tips that should be posted all over the net, not those ones that only apply to one tenth of the population. There are some simple suggestions on this site that apply to plus sized ladies and for all shapes and sizes.

Cleaning with Food – I try to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and one area where I know lot’s of us need to watch what we use is cleaning products. Lots of the ones we buy in the store are no good for nature. This site has some interesting ways to use food itself to clean.

Google SketchUp – This is a fun free download that I know I enjoy using. It has some great features and quite a library of textures and surface coverings. I hope it allows me to get my thoughts on a backyard redo into a form my hubby can relate to – so he can do the grunt work.

No one wants to see the infamous ‘Blue Screen of Death’ - Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy. Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications.

Why? It could be a hardware conflict, the number one reason for a computer crash.
 
Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an Interrupt Request Channel or IRQ. These channels are supposed to be unique for each device. But if there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen.

To check if your computer has a hardware conflict, take the following route: Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often, if a device has a problem, a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

"I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature's rebirth?"

~ Edward Giobbi

Everyone has their own list of solutions to life’s everyday problems in the home and kitchen – tips and tricks that come in handy. Did J’a Know about these little gems:

• Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.
• To ripen bananas, place an apple next to them. Otherwise, don’t store apples and bananas next to each other as the apple speeds up the ripening process of the banana.
• To prevent ice cream drips, stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone.
• Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle to get perfectly shaped pancakes every time.
• To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
• Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it up again. 
• Don't throw out leftover wine. Freeze it into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
• Get the grip you need to open jars by using latex dishwashing gloves.

My Planet Earth Craft
Ginnie, age 8, says, “My Aunt Jean thinks I am a real artist after she saw the My Planet Earth that I made. It looks a lot like the real earth, but Europe’s a little be too small and Africa is too skinny. But it still looks great. It was really fun to make, too.”

Frog Songs
Allan, age 6, says, “This place is a lot of fun. I can hear at least three that are in our yard by the stream. You can even make up songs with four different frogs singing at the same time.”

Wild Egypt On-Line Safari
Bryn, age 13, says, “I’m doing a project on ancient cultures and found this site about Egypt. It’s amazing! The animal photography is unbelievable. I’m thinking about visiting there when I get older.”

Baseball Quiz
Murphy, age 12, “It’s baseball time again! I love baseball! I found this quiz on the internet about baseball. It has really good questions. I couldn’t get them all, but I did pretty good. Try it.”

Wood isn’t the only thing Hank gets to work with. Come spring, I get to top-dress the lawn, too. (Lucky me!) Lucky for you, I have some tips for that, too.

A proper top-dressing is mixed well, more or less dry, and not lumpy. It should also consist of some of each of these ingredients; peat, loam and sand. Whether buying completed top-dressing or mixing your own, be sure to get a mixture that is right for your soil type:

• For lawns on heavy soil - 1 part Peat, 2 parts Loam, & 4 parts Sand
• For lawns on loamy soil - 1 part Peat, 4 parts Loam, & 2 parts Sand
• For lawns on sandy soil - 2 parts Peat, 4 parts Loam, & 1 part Sand

Now for the Hank Top-Dressing Tip – to smooth out top-dressing, or even sand or gravel over a wide area, get an old piece of chain link fencing and drag it over the area until smooth. The weight and mesh will help break up and distribute the material evenly. If you can’t find a piece the right length, just fold it to the desired length.

"I have met a lot of hardboiled eggs in my time, but you're twenty minutes." ~ Oscar Wilde

"Adam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn't have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn't have to hear about the way his mother cooked." ~ Kimberly Broyles

"It is good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling." ~ Unknown

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all." ~ Sam Ewing