Wacky Wednesday, December 16, 2009

It's Wednesday. All Day.
It's a cold morning here in Greenview land. There was scrapable frost on the windows this morning and right now it's 12 degrees. That's cold! I really can see why those of you former Greenviewanites, who moved to milder climates, did so....it's mornings like this that tell the story. Thank goodness there is no wind today or it really would be cold.


Here in Greenview-land, we put on another blanket, use a warmer hat and scarf and put on our mittens and long johns. Layering is the key.....and when it warms up, take off a layer. Keep warm today. And make sure the kiddies have their hat and mittens/gloves.

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History Of Poinsettia.

This month's issue of the Sangamon-Menard Extension News had a very interesting article about the history of Poinsettias. I thought I might paraphrase some of the article so that we all know how these pretty plants came about.

The plant was discovered near Taxco, Mexico in southern Mexico. In Mexico poinsettias grow to be large woody shrubs often reaching 10 feet tall. The ancient Aztecs Indians considered this plant as a symbol of purity before Christianity came to their land. Poinsettias were introduced to the US by Joel Robert Poinsett, the first appointed US ambassador to Mexico around 1825. He was a botanist so he cultivated it and presented them to many of his friends and botanical gardens. The plant was named Poinsettia after this ambassador in 1833.

The Poinsettia industry was pioneered and developed by the Ecke family around Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Current day the Ecke ranch is the major producer of poinsettia motherplants used for cuttings by commercial growers. Poinsettias are reproduced by taking a cutting from a stock plant, then rooted, thus a new plant is grown from the rooting. I saw a show the other day about how local area Buckley's Nursery is growing thousands of Poinsettias in a building in Taylorville. Buckley's uses the hot water produced as a by-product from the neighboring methane powered electricity generation operated by Waste Management, Inc. The hot water is channeled along hanging basket lines and in lines in the floor. The article about Buckley's is very interesting so I am including it as a link at the bottom of this post.

Poinsettias of today come in many colors but red poinsettias account for more than 70 percent of sales. It's also interesting to know that the poinsettia is the number one potted plant sold in the USA. December 12 was national poinsettia day. Brighten your home this Christmas .... in Greenview land, the one you purchase, might be from the Buckley operation.

http://www.greenhousegrower.com/magazine/?storyid=56

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Heavy Lifting.

With Christmas coming, you might be faced with lifting heavy items. The key to safe lifting is preventing back strain. From the American Acedemy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

~~ Plan ahead what you want to do and do not rush.

~~Position yourself close to the object you want to lift.

~~Position your feet at a distance of shoulder-width apart to give yourself a solid base of support.

~~Bend at the knees, tighten your stomach muscles and lift with your leg muscles as you stand.

~~Don't try to lift an object that is too heavy or an awkward shape by yourself. Don't be afraid to ask for help!!

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Did You Know Christmas Has Superstitions?

Here's a few superstitions I found related to Christmas.

** A child born on Christmas Day will have a special fortune.

** Snow on Christmas means Easter will be green.

** To have good health through out the year, eat an apple on Christmas Eve.

** The gates of heaven open at midnight on Christmas Eve. Anyone who dies will go straight to heaven. (An Irish belief)

** In Greece, some people burn their shoes during the Christmas season to prevent misfortunes during the coming year.

After reading these superstitions carefully, here is how some of these will affect me and my family:

My husband was born on Christmas Day so I just know we are going to be rich because it says he will have a special fortune. With all of this money we're going to get, I can buy about a ton of apples. I'm going to eat at least 20 apples on Christmas Eve so that I can have good health during the coming year. But, because I will be eating all of these apples, I might have to burn my shoes because I might be afflicted with a chronic condition that requires the bathroom a lot. And if I don't make it to the bathroom, my shoes will need to be burned. But if I burn my shoes, I surely will get rid of all of the misfortune that might have been headed my way during the next year. I also know that if the snows come on Christmas Day, the shoe burning fires will be put out and I also will be sure to have green grass next year in my yard around Easter. So if all of you Greenviewanites see lots of smoke coming from the Sweetwater area, you will know the apples worked and my shoes are burning. Come by next year and see the grass if it snows on Christmas Day. You may want to buy some apples too, especially if you want a reason to get some new shoes. And pray for snow if you want green grass. The End.

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Dinner With the Shephard Tonight.

Be sure to check out the dinner tonight at the First Baptist Church.

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School Calendar.

The school calendar shows the winter break begins on December 23 and school resumes January 5. What a nice long holiday break. School dismisses at 1:57 on both December 21 and December 22 because of semester exams.

Anyone interested in the school daily bulletin, here's the website link (although I think it doesn't get updated early enough):

http://menard.k12.il.us/greenviewhs/dailybulletin.htm

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Merry Christmas Around The World

Galacian

Bo Nada

Icelandic

Gledileg Jol

Seasons Greetings

Feel free to leave your holiday wishes to friends or former classmates in the comments section below.