Walmart Free Drive-in Theaters

Walmart is transforming some of its store parking lots into a free drive-in movie experience from now through October as a way to let customers still have a movie-going experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The campaign will span across 160 supercenter store parking lots in states like Texas, Utah, Florida, Nevada, and many Midwestern and Southern states. The pop up events are completely free, but you must claim tickets in advance at TheWalmartDrivein.com since there are no tickets available upon entry. Gates open at 6:00 pm and the film begins at 7:30 pm. No late entry is allowed.

Walmart will show classic films like Wonder Woman (2017), Spy Kids (2001), Space Jam (1996), Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018), Ghostbusters (1984), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Black Panther (2018), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Friday Night Lights (2004). Bring your own popcorn.

Why Barns Are Red

 According to The Farmers’ Almanac and LiveScience, there is a very practical reason why farmers have traditionally painted their barns red, simple economics.

Most of America’s early farmers did not have money they could spend on paint to cover their barns. In fact, many of them could not even afford to paint their houses. Still, they needed to protect their barns from the elements so they experimented with various concoctions until they found one that worked.

Once it was developed and proven to work, word quickly spread that a proper mixture of skimmed milk, lime, and ferrous oxide (rust) to kill fungi and as an extra sealant, and linseed oil would protect barn wood from rotting due to moisture. Luckily, those ingredients were in abundant supply on most farms of the day so they were available even to the poorest farmers. Incidentally, many houses in Sweden are red for the same reason.

Happy Friday

 If you are happy, it is not just for you. It is what you exude to others.

Always exude your happiness, especially on a Happy Friday!

National Senior Citizens Day

National Senior Citizens Day, August 21. Today we celebrate the people who are part of the fastest-growing demographic in the world. According to the traditional definition, a senior citizen is anyone older than 60 years of age, but this seems relatively young in today’s society. 

When it comes to new technologies, adults above the age of 55 represent 65% of all “early adopters.” This demographic is also the most politically engaged segment of the population. Almost 80% of all senior citizens vote in a presidential election, while the overall voter turnout is usually about 50%.

President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Senior Citizens Day in 1988. In his explanation he wrote that, “Older citizens are reinforcing their historical roles as leaders and as links with our patrimony and sense of purpose as individuals and as a Nation.”

In honor of National Senior Citizens Day, spend time with your favorite relatives or make a commitment to volunteer at a retirement home. If you are a senior citizen yourself, share a few drinks and snacks with friends. Also, check for special promotions and giveaways at your favorite restaurants and shops.

Happy National Waffle Day Aug 24

 National Waffle Day commemorates the anniversary of the first waffle iron patent issued. On August 24, 1869, Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York received his patent for the waffle iron. Celebrate by savoring your favorite kind of waffle.

For longer than anyone can remember, waffles have been a sweet, toasty breakfast treat and a staple inside America’s freezers, restaurants, and recipe books. Maybe you enjoy waffles the old-fashioned way, with butter and maple syrup, or perhaps you like them decked out with chocolate chips, whipped cream, strawberries, and other decadent toppings. Or perhaps you have moved on to concepts like waffle sandwiches, waffle crepes, waffle pizzas, or chicken and waffles.

Food historians trace the waffle’s DNA back to ancient Greece, when cooks roasted flat cakes between two metal plates attached to a long wooden handle. Obelios, as the cakes were called, were not particularly sweet or decadent, but their design evolved over time as people began customizing the plates. In Medieval Europe, the Catholic Church made a large, unleavened wafer as a sort of companion to the communion wafer. These oublies (or “wafers,” derived from the Greek term) were typically made using grain flour and water, and would depict Biblical scenes, crosses, and other religious icons. They were often served after meals as a symbolic final blessing.

In the early 18th century, the English added a second "f" to form the word we know today: waffles. It wasn’t until waffles came to America, courtesy of the Dutch, that they were finally paired with maple syrup, a popular liquid sweetener that was cheaper and more widely available than granulated sugar, which had to be imported. As early as the 1740s, colonists in New Jersey and New York were having parties known as "wafel frolics." Thomas Jefferson, who loved waffles so much that he brought four waffle irons that he bought in Amsterdam, regularly served waffles at Monticello along with other shockingly modern foods like ice cream, French fries, and macaroni and cheese.

A few decades later, three brothers from California would revolutionize the waffle industry and breakfasts everywhere. In 1932, Frank, Anthony, and Samuel Dorsa started a food manufacturing company in their parents’ basement in San Jose. Their first breakthrough, Eggo Mayonnaise, so named because it used "100 percent fresh ranch eggs," became a local success, as did a waffle batter they sold to consumers and restaurants. The brothers also developed one of the first dry waffle mixes, which required just milk to create a rich, thick batter. The Dorsas were so successful that after just a few years they moved out of their parents’ basement and into an old potato chip factory, where they expanded into other categories like chips, noodles, and pretzel sticks.

Banana Facts

A banana plant only produces one bunch of bananas in its lifetime. Banana plants take about nine months to grow up and produce banana berry, and once the bananas have been harvested, the plant dies.

Bananas reproduce by suckers, which are small plants that grow at the root of the parent plant. Each stem grows 9 to 12 hands, which means that a single banana plant can produce up to 240 bananas.

Bananas are berries. Berry is actually a botanical term, not a common English one. Blackberries, mulberries, and raspberries are not berries, but bananas, pumpkins, avocados, and cucumbers are. 

Upload vs. Download Speed

 Internet speed tests let you find out how fast your connection is. These numbers are used in pricing your internet monthly fees. There are two numbers, “upload speed” and “download speed.” The download speed is how fast information comes to your connected device from the internet. Upload speed is how fast information goes from your connected device to the internet. Your download speed will always be higher. 

The speeds are shared by all your devices, so if you have two computers and three TVs that share, things could slow down. If you are streaming video, it is recommended to have at least 8 mbps for multiple devices watching HD content. If you are watching 4K content, you will need 25 mbps for one device or 40 mbps for multiple devices.

WD-40 For Bugs

For insect spray, it works equally well on roaches and squeaky hinges. Yellow jackets and other wasp's favorite places to build nests is under eaves. Spray some WD-40 under all the eaves of your house. It will block the wasps from building their nests there. 

Grapefruit Origin

The grapefruit first appeared after 1693 when Captain Shaddock transported some pomelo (non-hybrid, citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia) seeds to the West Indies and planted them close to some orange trees. The pomelo and orange later cross-pollinated to create the grapefruit.

Europeans learned of this citrus fruit in 1750 when Reverend Griffith Hughes encountered one. Hughes was so surprised with the discovery that he named the grapefruit “the forbidden fruit.” That was the name until 1814 when John Lunan called it the grapefruit, because grapefruits resembled the smaller and unrelated grapes when they were still growing.

The grapefruit reached the United States in 1823, but was mistaken for the pomelo. It was only determined to be a distinct fruit in 1837. However, botanists were still confused about its origin. It wasn’t until 1948 that they discovered it was a hybrid of the pomelo and the orange. 

Happy Friday

“Unhappy is he who depends on success to be happy,” ~Alex Dias Ribeiro

If you are happy, you are already a success, especially on a Happy Friday! 

August 8: National Happiness Happens Day

 Created by the Secret Society of Happy People in 1999 as Admit You’re Happy Day, this unofficial holiday encourages people to be open about their happiness and to share it with others. The holiday is based on the premise that happiness is unlimited and contagious and that sharing one's happiness and can bring a lot of joy in other people's lives. In 2000, the Society expanded the celebration of happiness and declared August as Happiness Happens Month.

Do something nice for yourself - after all, happiness starts at home. Make someone else happy by doing something nice for them. It can be something as simple as giving up your seat on the bus to someone else or a more elaborate gesture like volunteering your time and money to a charity of your choice. Studies have found that volunteering doesn't only help people bring joy in their lives, but can also help them live longer.

Participate in a HappyThon - a social media campaign run by the Secret Society of Happy People that encourages people to send happy, joyful, and uplifting messages to people around the world.

Incidentally, In 2012, the United Nations (UN) declared March 20 to be observed as the International Day of Happiness

August 9: National Book Lovers Day

 For most book lovers, every day is a day to celebrate reading. Many of my books will make you happy and you can extend Happiness day. Today is the day to exalt book lovers of all shapes, sizes, covers, and word counts. Diphthongs are not allowed while social distancing is observed.

Top 5 Reasons to Laugh

Having a good laugh makes your brain release endorphins and really does change your mood for the better.

By gently exercising the body, through the laughter and the breathing and the gentle movements one performs while going through the routine.

It helps to prevent you from getting sick as well as helping to improve a number of conditions, like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, depression, arthritis, allergies, asthma, bronchitis, back ache, fibromyalgia, headaches, cancer, and many more.

Laughter creates a positive energy which helps you to connect with people and attract friends.

It creates a positive mental state which is beneficial when times are rough.

Research is ongoing regarding the potential health benefits of laughter. Still to be proven is if the sense of humor and positive attitude behind laughter are also helpful.

When we laugh, we increase our pulse rate and blood pressure, and the effects may be similar to exercise. Researchers have estimated that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes burns 50 calories. Other studies suggest laughter improves blood flow, immune responses, and blood sugar levels.

Research looking at the connection between mind and body suggests that repeated doses of laughter, and even anticipation of laughter, can lead to positive physical changes.

In a paper presented at the American Physiological Society, they found that the hormones beta-endorphins (which elevate mood) and human growth hormone (which builds immunity) increased by 27% and 87 % respectively in patients exposed to "mirthful laughter."

Another study found that laughter reduced three key stress hormones; cortisol, epinephrine, and dopac -- by 38 percent to 70 percent. Significantly high levels of those three hormones have long been linked to compromised immune systems.

Laughter promotes all kinds of good endorphins, which helps reduce pain and promotes deep breathing.

In another study, they found that the same anticipation of mirthful laughter reduced the levels of three detrimental stress hormones. Cortisol, adrenaline, and dopac, were reduced 39, 70, and 38%, respectively.

A group of 20 high-risk diabetic patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia were divided into two groups: Group C (control) and Group L (laughter). Both groups were started on standard medications for diabetes and Group L viewed self-selected humor for 30 minutes in addition to the standard therapies.

The patients in the laughter group had lower epinephrine and norepinephrine levels by the second month, suggesting lower stress levels. They also increased HDL (good) cholesterol and had lower levels of inflammation.

At the end of one year, the laughter group HDL cholesterol had risen by 26 percent, and only 3 percent in the Group Control. Harmful C-reactive proteins decreased 66% in the laughter group vs. 26% for the control group.

The study suggests that the addition of an adjunct therapeutic laughter prescription to standard diabetes care may lower stress and inflammatory response and increase "good" cholesterol levels. The authors conclude that laughter may thus lower the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. 

Salty Milk

Add a pinch of salt to a gallon of milk  and it will make it last a bit longer. Store bought or fresh, it does not matter. Something about the salt preserves the milk and keeps it from spoiling as quickly.