A Texas city girl in a small New England town …
The new year began with fog, rain, and temperatures in the mid-50s (12℃) here in the Naugatuck River Valley. Since there was no wind, it felt warm outside. This allowed me to capture photos of some raindrops, seedpods, and small mushrooms. We’d better enjoy these temperatures. Tomorrow, it is supposed to freeze at night. And there might also be some snow in the forecast for this upcoming week.
– 01/01/2022 –
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National Skating Month is mainly sponsored by U.S Figure Skating and Learn to Skate U.S.A. The holiday was created to encourage families and individuals to brave their fears and learn ice skating for the first time. Both organizations offer various programs and ideas for celebrating the month.
In 2021, U.S Figure Skating introduced kits to other organizations. For instance, a $40 kit included four Skating Month posters, a bulletin board kit, a photo booth kit, lip balms, Frisbees, gloves, stickers, sticky notes, zipper pulls, printable activities, online marketing materials, resources, giveaways, and a Q.R. code sign.
As far back as the years before the Christian era, Scandinavian people attached bones to the bottom of their boots to make for easy movement during the winter period. In fact, ‘skate’ is derived from the word ‘schaats,’ which means ‘shank bone’ or ‘leg bone’ in Dutch. During the 13th and 14th centuries, wood was used in place of animal bones.
Ice skating moved from being just a means of transportation to an organized sport sometime around 1763 when the first official skating competition was held in England. The first official skating club had been founded before that, in Edinburgh in 1742.
Thanks to an American ballet dancer called Jackson Haines, skating went to the next level. He introduced new skating moves and a graceful style of skating. Though at first, his style wasn’t accepted by his fellow countrymen, he succeeded in transforming figure skating into what it is today.
:https://nationaltoday.com/national-skating-month/
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Did you know that bread is one of the most ancient prepared foods? Starch residue on rocks used for pounding plants was discovered 30,000 years ago in Europe and Australia. Quite possibly, during this time, starch extract from plant roots like cattails and ferns was spread on a flat rock, cooked over a fire, and shaped into a primitive form of flatbread.
Furthermore, the world’s oldest evidence of bread-making has been discovered in Jordan’s northeastern desert at a 14,500-year-old Natufian site. Ever since the people of Jordan possibly invented bread, the staple food has undergone many different changes and interpretations by various cultures, nations, and bakers. One such example is wheat bread, which is made from a combination of white and whole wheat flour, distinguishing it from bread made entirely from white or whole wheat flour.
Diets high in whole-wheat bread products help to prevent diabetes, cancer, heart disease, aging, and obesity. According to research, ground whole wheat has more nutritional value than refined flour. This is due to the presence of bran in whole grain, a good source of dietary fiber and other micronutrients such as vitamins B and E, magnesium, and zinc, as well as possibly antioxidants such as flavonoids. In 2011, January was officially designated as Wheat Bread Month, and as the “Hometown Journal” stated, “It recognizes both the economic and dietary importance of wheat production.”
In the deep chill of January, National Soup Month warms us up with piping-hot bowls of comfort! We all have our favorites; Mom’s chicken noodles don’t compare to anyone else’s, and Grandma’s borscht can’t be beat. A savory broth filled with vegetables and seasonings envelops the home with a delicious aroma. National Soup Month calls for family gatherings and enjoying a hearty meal together!
Soups not only warm us up on cold winter days, but they also fulfill our need for nutrients lost by working hard in the elements. If you’ve been out shoveling snow, chopping wood, or caring for animals, a soup full of vegetables, minerals, and oils replenishes the energy lost. Chicken noodle soup is known for its healing properties, as well. What better way to stay healthy than to eat a bountiful bowl of chicken tortilla or tomato soup?
And when we make a large kettle of soup, there’s plenty to share, making the soup a social meal. If there is soup left over, it stores and reheats easily.
Did you know tea is the second most-consumed beverage in the world? There are over 1,000 flavors. Hot Tea has influenced different countries’ cuisine for hundreds of years. Tea even plays a part in many countries’ culture and their representation of how to serve tea. Whether you follow the brewing traditions of the English or Chinese Customs, or you only microwave your tea, National Hot Tea Month is best celebrated with a cup.
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In the United States and many other countries around the world, January 1, the first day of the Gregorian calendar, ushers in a new year replete with New Year’s resolutions and promises to do better than in the year before. The day begins with hangover concoctions for some and, for others, prayers of gratitude for surviving to see a new year filled with promise. But how did this holiday begin? It’s an ancient story.
Most civilizations aligned their calendars with the moon. The ancient Mesopotamians and Babylonians observed the new year over 4,000 years ago. For them, a new year followed the phases of the moon and the vernal equinox — when sunlight and darkness were equally balanced. The Babylonians ritualized the vernal equinox with Akitu, a religious observance spanning 11 days. The Egyptians marked the new year with the flooded waters of the Nile and the star Sirius. To this very day, the Chinese New Year arrives with the second new moon after the winter solstice.
The evolution from the lunar calendar to today’s Gregorian calendar commences with the early Roman calendar devised by Romulus, allegedly suckled by wolves who, along with his brother, Remus, founded Rome. The original Roman calendar was introduced in the 8th century at the start of the vernal equinox (when the light and the darkness are equal) with 10 months and 304 days. Another Roman king, Numa Pompilius, added Januarius and Februarius.
Most historians credit the Roman emperor Julius Caesar with developing the Julian calendar, designating January 1 as the start of a new year. The Gregorian calendar, which many nations around the world use today, arrived in 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII aligned the calendar, not with the moon, but with the Earth’s rotation around the Sun, marking 365 days (366 days).
:https://nationaltoday.com/new-years-day/
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Under The Harvest Moon 