Month: January 2020

Americans Will Eat 1.4 BILLION of These During the Super Bowl

Close up view of hands taking snacks from plates during party; Shutterstock ID 552645409

Africa Studio/Shutterstock

 

The Super Bowl is the perfect excuse to gather around the TV and eat an endless buffet of snacks.

For sports fans, Super Bowl Sunday is one of the best times of the year, and it’s not just because of the game. Even if you don’t care for football, at least there are plenty of tasty treats waiting for you at the Super Bowl party you’ll be attending.

It doesn’t matter which team you’re rooting for this year. Chiefs and 49ers fans alike have already chosen the victor of Super Bowl LIV, and we’ll be eating 1.4 billion servings of it.

Ain’t no thing but a chicken wing

Chips and salsa, football-themed desserts, and pulled pork sandwiches make the Super Bowl one of the best food holidays around. But there’s one reigning finger food that we all can’t get enough of. This year, Americans are expected to down 1.4 BILLION of them: chicken wings! If you’re making your own, try this secret technique for the best chicken wings ever.

A hot (wing) commodity

Chicken wings are great in all flavors, and there’s no arguing it’s a Super Bowl Sunday favorite. In fact, we have proof. The National Chicken Council (aka NCC) has announced the official chicken wing consumption estimate for 2020. Nearly one and a half billion wings is a lot of chicken for one day! It’s also a two percent increase from 2019, meaning Americans will eat 27 million more wings during this year’s game. That’s enough wings to circle the Earth three times. Holy cow! Or, uh, chicken.

Chicken wings deserve their own holiday…

…and they might just get it. Because Super Bowl Sunday draws such a wing-loving crowd, the NCC has formed a petition to dub the Monday following the game “National Chicken Wing Appreciation Day.” Now that’s a cause we can get behind.  Fun fact: Buffalo, New York (and beyond) already celebrates National Chicken Wing Day on July 29th. But, considering these statistics, the day after the Super Bowl does seem like it would make more sense.

Article by Laurie Dixon and The Readers Journal

https://www.rd.com/food/fun/americans-super-bowl-chicken-wings/

Super Bowl Sunday in America

Image result for super bowl sunday 2020 halftime show

http://www.nflshop.com

 

What is this truly American phenomenon ?  Well, its a game of football of course.  Not really a game using the foot, like soccer, this is a running, throwing, catching, blocking, tackling, scoring game completely different than soccer where the object is to not catch the ball or touch it unless you’re the goalkeeper.  The foot comes into play when the ball needs to be punted, kicked off, or used to kick a point after a touchdown.  Got it ?  Simple really.  The object: Who can score the most points via touchdowns (6), field goals (3) or points after (1 or sometimes 2).  That determines the winner and bragging rights.

Careers, no legends, are made or destroyed depending on the play of the players, coaches,  and the outcome of the game.  There are winners and losers depending on which team scores the most points.  However, the real winners are the sports betting houses or bookies if on the right side of the bet.

This year, #54, the Super Bowl will be held on Sunday, February 2. Kick-off time is at 5:30 PM CST and will be played in Miami, Florida.  If you have about $3000, you might still pick up a ticket to attend the game, but that price could soar as we get closer to game time.

CBS Sports describes the 2 teams competing this way:

“We’re just two days away from finding out which team is going to walk away from Super Bowl LIV as champions. Will it be the Kansas City Chiefs, featuring Patrick Mahomes leading the charge on offense and Tyrann Mathieu spearheading an opportunistic defense, getting Andy Reid his first Super Bowl title? Or will the fierce San Francisco 49ers defense rise to the challenge as Jimmy Garoppolo leads the offense to a win, giving Kyle Shanahan his first Super Bowl title?

The game also has major historical significance. San Francisco hasn’t won a Super Bowl in 25 years, while you can double that number for the Chiefs. We’ll have the league’s hottest offense going against what could be the best defense over the course of the entire season. But is it really a battle between new school (the Chiefs, pass first) and old school (the Niners, run first)? The truth is, it’s really a battle between two great teams that are dominant on one side of the ball and very close to it on the other side. Now, there’s one more question: Who wants it more?”

That’s what it is and where we’re at right now.  Who wants it more, who will get the lucky bounce, the most yards run or passed, the most touchdowns, the fewest yards allowed, etc.  The answer will come between 9-10:00 PM CST barring overtime.

To prepare to watch, stock the fridge with alcoholic beverages, appetizers that can be zapped quickly in a microwave, various munchies, and buy the biggest tv you can afford. As this is the biggest and last game of the 2019-20 football year, you don’t want to miss this one.  It should prove to be one of the best.  Even if not a football fan,  don’t forget the commercials.  That’s right.  Some people just watch because of the commercials that appear on screen.  Some take on a life of their own.

The half-time show generates some interest depending on whose performing.  Jennifer Lopez, and Shakira are headlining this years entertainment.  That duo should provide viewers with a real treat of music and dance.

So, let the game begin.  Are you a 49er’s fan or a Chief’s fan.  In a few days we’ll know who the best is this football year.  Stay tuned, my friend.  Stay tuned.

Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses

Spring is just around the corner here in the Midwest.  If your garden interests lie in ornamental grasses, then here is an article just for you and me.  I love them too !

“Ornamental grasses come in a wide variety of sizes, varieties, and colours. They mix perfectly with shrubs like hydrangeas in a cottage style garden; or blended with lavender or Russian Sage in a seaside garden. Today I’ve collected some stunning ideas for ways to incorporate ornamental grasses into your garden design…”

 A mix of Feather Reed Grass and Russian Sage

You can use smaller grasses as accents in a rock garden; they provide beautiful contrast to mounded plantings.

A mass planting of miscanthus and hydrangea makes a beautiful edging bed

 

Smaller Ornamental grass contrast beautifully in this fun landscaped sidewalk garden bed.

You can even put large grasses in pots as a patio screen

Or use them massed together in a lawn as a striking feature (Miscanthus Grass variety) Via Garden World Images

I love this informal hedge with a mix of tall grasses (miscanthus variety) and Hydrangea (I believe it is Limelight Hydrangea)

Tall grasses are also a brilliant way to disguise a bare or sparse cedar hedge

Ditch the regular grass altogether, and create a pretty and unique entry garden full of river rock and ornamental grasses  Via Debra Prinzing

Tall Pampas Grasses are easily massed and used as an informal hedge or screen

Feather Reed grass works beautifully in this Mediterranean style garden Via Gardenista

A mix of grasses create an interesting border to the lawn and a full bloom Pampas Grass definitely creates a dramatic showing in the yard Via BHGRE

Beautiful ornamental grasses mixed in a garden bed and in bloom Via

A cute little pathway lined with small river rock, modern lanterns, and landscape grasses

Such a breezy and relaxed look, Mexican feather grass looks amazing mass planted

Article written by Krista from: https://thehappyhousie.porch.com/landscaping-with-ornamental-grasses/

Powerful Linking Words

 

Chain - Linking WordsLinking Words are words or phrases that show the relationship between paragraphs or sections of a text or speech.

Transitions provide greater cohesion by making it more explicit or signaling how ideas relate to one another.

https://englishpost.org/teaching-grammar-linking-words/

 

Here is a list of transitional words used to link paragraphs together.

englishgrammar.org

Destination Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles (Photo: Slices of Light via Flickr)

Article from Travelmag

Translating to The City of Angels and also known as The City of Dreams, Los Angeles is a beautiful landscape of both inspiration and aspirations. A winning combination for visitors, the second largest US city has a lot to offer indeed. Cruise the coastline on The Pacific Coast Highway Route 1, or the PCH as it’s known locally, for stunning views of beaches from Long Beach all the way to the rugged hills of Malibu. Stop at Venice Beach to sunbathe and watch the surfers—and the human circus parading down the boardwalk: artists and performers, skateboarders with snakes, chainsaw jugglers, tattooed bikini babes and bodybuilders. See firsthand the lifestyles of the rich and famous by driving through Beverly hills and splurging at the shops on Rodeo Drive. Take advantage of LA’s rich history in the entertainment and music industry, and tour one of the major film and television studios before bar hopping along Sunset Strip. To experience art in a serene setting, don’t miss the Getty Museum with its lush surroundings, modern architecture and incredible landscaping. You, too, will be inspired and invigorated in a city pulsing with creative energy and ambition.

https://www.travelmag.com/destinations/los-angeles/

 

Groundhog Day Lesson

groundhog-day-banner

 

by http://www.elcivics.com  & Wikipedia

February 2 is Groundhog Day. Groundhogs are small brown furry animals. They live in burrows in the ground, and they eat grass, berries, and other vegetation. Groundhog Day is based on folklore. The folklore is that if the groundhog comes out of its hole and sees its shadow then there will be six more weeks of winter weather. But if the groundhog comes out of its hole and doesn’t see its shadow, then there will be an early spring

The Groundhog Day ceremony is held at Punxsutawney in western Pennsylvania, centering around a semi-mythical groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, has become the most attended.  Grundsow Lodges in Pennsylvania Dutch Country in the southeastern part of the state celebrate them as well. Other cities in the United States and Canada have also adopted the event.

How much do you know about groundhogs ?  Try this matching quiz to test your knowledge.

 

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