USA facts and information

 USA facts and information

With the lockdown, and the slower lifestyle imposed on us from these circumstances, I decided to work on a project.  I missed homeschooling my kids for several reasons but one was the joy of learning new things for me.  One of my favorite years and projects in our homeschool year was a year of geography, or travel without going anywhere.  We designed our own passports, picked a country and figured out how long of a flight it would take to get there.  We read history, culture, natural history and drew out maps of each country, ending the study with a meal and art project. It was one of the most enjoyable activities for all of us.  

 

I like to draw with colored pencils, and a couple of times I have purchased those adult coloring books, but I quickly become bored with them.  Coloring in maps is so much more fun.  So, I decided to home school myself, and color maps and study and travel all on my own.  First I started with our 50 states.  I printed off an outline of a map and filled it in with the capital city, interesting points, rivers and smaller towns.  Then I researched interesting facts for each state.  I finished the last state today.  Now my journey will move to the other countries on our continent, and if I still keep my interest, all over the globe.  

 

My first two states were Alaska and Alabama.  The first state I want to visit but never have, and the second state is now my home, and has been for almost 4 years.  I learned that Alaska is the largest in size of all our states, but the smallest population.  It contains 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the USA.  Juneau is the only state capital of the US that has no road access and dog mushing is the state sport.  The largest National Forest in the USA is in Alaska, the Tongass.  My new home state couldn’t be more different.  Alabama is called the Yellowhammer state for a bird called the common flicker, or Yellowhammer bird, as well as during the Civil War soldiers wore uniforms decorated with yellow cloth.  The soldiers were called yellowhammers, and long after the war veterans from Alabama wore yellow feathers in their hats.  

 

Arizona has 22 National Parks and monuments, and 22 Native American tribes living in the state.  It includes the Grand Canyon and the Sonoran Desert.  Arkansas is the only state where diamonds are actively mined in the US and this state produces ½ of the nations rice.  California has the lowest place as well as the hottest place in the US, Death Valley, the largest tree, and the oldest tree, and is the avocado capital of the world.  Colorado claims 75% of all land over 10,000 feet above elevation. The 13^th step of the capital building in Denver is exactly one mile above sea level. All the Beulah Red Marble in the world is in the state capital building. Connecticut has the oldest public funded library in the USA, the Scoville Memorial Library founded in 1771, and Delaware is too small to have any National Park system Units.  Delaware is only 35 miles wide at its widest point.

 

Florida is the southernmost state, and the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live together, in the Everglades.  Georgia is the next state I have lived in, and the first state to charter a college for awarding degrees to women, Wesleyan College. Hawaii is our only state formed from a series of islands.  It’s only native animal is the Hawaiian Hoary Bat. Idaho has the only capital building in the union powered with geothermal energy.  Shoshone falls drops 52 feet further than Niagara Falls and the state has more miles of rivers than any other state.  Illinois is over 80% farmland and is the state where the term Jazz was first used.  Indiana produces 25% of the nations popcorn.  And Wabash was the first city in the USA to use electric streetlights, in 1880.

 

Iowa has more hogs than humans in the state with 92 % of the land as farmland.  It also has the highest literacy rate in the US at 99%.  The first female lawyer allowed to practice was in Iowa, and they desegregated their schools 85 years before Brown vs. BOE.  Kansas is home to a grasshopper church. The First United Methodist Church is located in Hutchinson. Because it was constructed during the grasshopper plague, there are a number of them mixed into the foundation.  Kentucky has the Mammoth Cave system and Fort Knox.  

 

Louisiana is home of the Mardi Gras, and one of the largest alligator populations in the USA, as well as home to the Frog Festival.  Maine produces 90% of US lobster, 99% of our blueberries and 90% of our toothpicks. Maryland has the oldest continuously published newspaper, founded in 1727.  The first school in the US opened there in 1696.  Massachusetts was the first state to write and adopt a constitution.  Michigan is the only state divided into two peninsulas and Detroit became the first city in the US to have phone numbers. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes and has the most recreational boats and the most bike trails than any other state. Mississippi is the home of Blues Music and Root Beer.  More residents go to church than in any other state. Missouri was the start of the pony express and has the tallest man made monument in the US, the St. Louis Arch.

 

Montana is the state my parents moved to for retirement, and I claim it even though I never lived there, just visited. It has the largest grizzly population in the US and the largest migratory Elk population.  It is also beautiful and wild. Nebraska is the corn husker state and home to Carhenge.  Nevada is famous for deserts and casinos. Most of the US gold comes from here. New Hampshire was the first of the 13 colonies to declare independence from England. The first free public library was opened here, and the first alarm clock was invented in this state. New Jersey has the highest population density in the US and is the car theft capital of the world.  New Mexico has three UNESCO World Heritage sites and they built their state capital in the design of a “Round House.”  New York has the statue of liberty, is and was the entry point for millions of immigrants and has the city that is most populated in the USA.

 

North Carolina is my home state. I was born and raised there.  It has beaches, mountains, plains, universities and farmland.  The Wright Brothers first flew in NC, and the University of North Carolina is the oldest state university in the USA. Go Heels!  North Dakota is mostly covered by the great plains and is our nations number one producer of honey.  The first hot dog, stop light and ambulance service came from Ohio.  Oklahoma has 30 Native American tribes, and was the end point of the trail of tears. The people of Oregon love mushroom hunting.  Pennsylvania had the first baseball stadium, first gas station and first daily newspaper, the first zoo garden, first presidential mansion, and the first American flag.  The With the lockdown, and the slower lifestyle imposed on us from these circumstances, I decided to work on a project.  I missed homeschooling my kids for several reasons but one was the joy of learning new things for me.  One of my favorite years and projects in our homeschool year was a year of geography, or travel without going anywhere.  We designed our own passports, picked a country and figured out how long of a flight it would take to get there.  We read history, culture, natural history and drew out maps of each country, ending the study with a meal and art project. It was one of the most enjoyable activities for all of us.  

 

I like to draw with colored pencils, and a couple of times I have purchased those adult coloring books, but I quickly become bored with them.  Coloring in maps is so much more fun.  So, I decided to home school myself, and color maps and study and travel all on my own.  First I started with our 50 states.  I printed off an outline of a map and filled it in with the capital city, interesting points, rivers and smaller towns.  Then I researched interesting facts for each state.  I finished the last state today.  Now my journey will move to the other countries on our continent, and if I still keep my interest, all over the globe.  

 

The states we have lived in

My first two states were Alaska and Alabama.  The first state I want to visit but never have, and the second state is now my home, and has been for almost 4 years.  I learned that Alaska is the largest in size of all our states, but the smallest population.  It contains 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the USA.  Juneau is the only state capital of the US that has no road access and dog mushing is the state sport.  The largest National Forest in the USA is in Alaska, the Tongass.  My new home state couldn’t be more different.  Alabama is called the Yellowhammer state for a bird called the common flicker, or Yellowhammer bird, as well as during the Civil War soldiers wore uniforms decorated with yellow cloth.  The soldiers were called yellowhammers, and long after the war veterans from Alabama wore yellow feathers in their hats.  

 

Arizona has 22 National Parks and monuments, and 22 Native American tribes living in the state.  It includes the Grand Canyon and the Sonoran Desert.  Arkansas is the only state where diamonds are actively mined in the US and this state produces ½ of the nations rice.  California has the lowest place as well as the hottest place in the US, Death Valley, the largest tree, and the oldest tree, and is the avocado capital of the world.  Colorado claims 75% of all land over 10,000 feet above elevation. The 13^th step of the capital building in Denver is exactly one mile above sea level. All the Beulah Red Marble in the world is in the state capital building. Connecticut has the oldest public funded library in the USA, the Scoville Memorial Library founded in 1771, and Delaware is too small to have any National Park system Units.  Delaware is only 35 miles wide at its widest point.

 

Florida is the southernmost state, and the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live together, in the Everglades.  Georgia is the next state I have lived in, and the first state to charter a college for awarding degrees to women, Wesleyan College. Hawaii is our only state formed from a series of islands.  It’s only native animal is the Hawaiian Hoary Bat. Idaho has the only capital building in the union powered with geothermal energy.  Shoshone falls drops 52 feet further than Niagara Falls and the state has more miles of rivers than any other state.  Illinois is over 80% farmland and is the state where the term Jazz was first used.  Indiana produces 25% of the nations popcorn.  And Wabash was the first city in the USA to use electric streetlights, in 1880.

 

Iowa has more hogs than humans in the state with 92 % of the land as farmland.  It also has the highest literacy rate in the US at 99%.  The first female lawyer allowed to practice was in Iowa, and they desegregated their schools 85 years before Brown vs. BOE.  Kansas is home to a grasshopper church. The First United Methodist Church is located in Hutchinson. Because it was constructed during the grasshopper plague, there are a number of them mixed into the foundation.  Kentucky has the Mammoth Cave system and Fort Knox.  

 

Louisiana is home of the Mardi Gras, and one of the largest alligator populations in the USA, as well as home to the Frog Festival.  Maine produces 90% of US lobster, 99% of our blueberries and 90% of our toothpicks. Maryland has the oldest continuously published newspaper, founded in 1727.  The first school in the US opened there in 1696.  Massachusetts was the first state to write and adopt a constitution.  Michigan is the only state divided into two peninsulas and Detroit became the first city in the US to have phone numbers. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes and has the most recreational boats and the most bike trails than any other state. Mississippi is the home of Blues Music and Root Beer.  More residents go to church than in any other state. Missouri was the start of the pony express and has the tallest man made monument in the US, the St. Louis Arch.

 

Montana is the state my parents moved to for retirement, and I claim it even though I never lived there, just visited. It has the largest grizzly population in the US and the largest migratory Elk population.  It is also beautiful and wild. Nebraska is the corn husker state and home to Carhenge.  Nevada is famous for deserts and casinos. Most of the US gold comes from here. New Hampshire was the first of the 13 colonies to declare independence from England. The first free public library was opened here, and the first alarm clock was invented in this state. New Jersey has the highest population density in the US and is the car theft capital of the world.  New Mexico has three UNESCO World Heritage sites and they built their state capital in the design of a “Round House.”  New York has the statue of liberty, is and was the entry point for millions of immigrants and has the city that is most populated in the USA.

 

North Carolina is my home state. I was born and raised there.  It has beaches, mountains, plains, universities and farmland.  The Wright Brothers first flew in NC, and the University of North Carolina is the oldest state university in the USA. Go Heels!  North Dakota is mostly covered by the great plains and is our nations number one producer of honey.  The first hot dog, stop light and ambulance service came from Ohio.  Oklahoma has 30 Native American tribes, and was the end point of the trail of tears. The people of Oregon love mushroom hunting.  Pennsylvania had the first baseball stadium, first gas station and first daily newspaper, the first zoo garden, first presidential mansion, and the first American flag.  The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. Every person who lives in Rhode Island lives within a ½ hour drive to the beach.  Anne Hutchinson founded one of the cities in this state in 1640.

 

South Carolina is another state we lived in.  It had more Revolutionary battles than any other colony, and was the start of the Civil War, with the firing on Fort Sumter.  Tennessee has a life size replica of the Parthenon, and a smaller replica of the Eiffel Tower.  Texas had over it’s history six different flags flying over the state, and has more birds than any other state.  Utah also claims the highest literacy rate, and has the least religious diversity with 60% of the population as Mormon. Vermont is the number one producer of maple syrup.  Virginia was the birthplace of eight US presidents. It is the Internet capital of the world. Washington is the only state named after a president and is home to Mt. St. Helens. 

 

We also lived in West Virginia It is completely covered in mountains and became a state after seceding from Virginia.  It is not Western Virginia.  Wisconsin has more than 15,000 lakes and has one of the oldest mammoth bones with marks made by human tools, dated from 14,500 years ago.  Wyoming is the equality state, and was the first state to allow women the right to vote, serve on juries and to hold public office.  I ended up learning quite a lot about the Women’s Suffragist movement from after reading my facts on Wyoming. The first National Park, Yellowstone, and the first National Monument, Devil’s Tower, are found in Wyoming.

 

I learned that several states claim to have the highest literacy rate, or to be the first at different things.  These facts are the ones I found, and they may be wrong.  All the same, reading the histories of the states, and descriptions of the wildlife, plants and landforms was quite fun.  I feel like more of an American by reading and learning about my country.  So, where do I go next?  We will see.

 

Beef Stew and cooking with allergies

 Cooking through cookbook with allergies

When my husband discovered he had developed an allergy for tomatoes I was heartbroken.  I am one of those Southern women that knows it is summer only after I have eaten a home grown garden tomato sandwich with Duke’s Mayonnaise.  The first thing I do when we move to a new home is to decide where the tomato plants will go.  Spaghetti, home made pizza, tacos and salads, baked ziti, all my favorite meals are made with tomatoes in them.  

 

First I argued with him.  How was it possible to develop an allergy as an adult?  He was the father of three kids, too old to start new things like this. As it turns out adults developing new allergies is fairly common.  A study published in JAMA, (Journal of American Medical Association) said nearly half of adults who have food allergies get them later in life. 

 

 Kevin, my husband, would eat something with a tomato in it, and a rash would show up around his mouth.  He would develop ulcers in his mouth, and down his throat.  During one outbreak he visited a doctor and they counted over 100 ulcers running down his throat and along his gums and mouth.  We cut out tomatoes and the reactions stopped.   We tested with fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes and even with baked beans that only had a dash of ketchup in them.  He always reacted the same.  Once he ordered a hamburger in a restaurant.  It came with a tomato slice, and since he had asked for there to be no tomatoes he sent it back.  A few minutes later he had a new burger, and after three bites he started getting the ulcers.  It was pretty obvious the cook had just pulled the tomato slice off.  Now in restaurants we make sure the word allergy is used clearly and loudly.

 

I read an article recently about the singer Ariana Grande. She had to cancel two concerts because of a suddenly developed tomato allergy.  She told her fans she was doing better but “still felt like she was swallowing a cactus.”  I’m not sure if she had the same reaction as Kevin, but it sounds like she did.  She also said, “Nothing is more unfair than an Italian woman developing an allergy to tomatoes in her mid 20’s.”  Yes, I understand.  

 

For several years our entire family ate no meals that included tomatoes.  We had to throw out all condiments and barbeque sauces that included tomatoes.  I would be scanning a cookbook for meal plans and had to avoid over half of them.  Finally I decided to get creative.  My daughter has a friend from the Philippines, and once when we were visiting we were introduced to banana ketchup.  This is a red sauce that looks somewhat like ketchup, if you aren’t paying close attention.  It is made from bananas and has a gloopy, thick texture.  But, if you put this weird red sauce on hot dogs or hamburgers and if you have had to avoid ketchup for over five years, it tastes pretty good.  Or so I am told.  

 

Now when I want to cook a chili or sloppy Joe I use the banana ketchup in the place of tomato ketchup.  Since it is thick I can substitute it for tomato paste as well.   We have had other people tell us that yellow tomatoes are less acidic and that we should try them.  He seemed to have no problems with them, so one year I planted rows and rows of only yellow tomatoes.  I canned them, froze them and made all sorts of meals with them.  In our house pizza came on a yellow sauce.  Spaghetti also had been turned yellow.  Unfortunately we moved, and now have no room for planting on that scale.  Farmers markets are our friends now, and we have discovered certain heritage brands are also safe for him to eat.   I will bring home a tomato, cut a slice and have Kevin put it to his mouth.  If there is no tingling, we are good.

This week I cooked a beef stew from my Cooking for Two Test kitchen cookbook.  This recipe calls for a can of tomato paste, but I used one farmer’s market tomato simply cut up in the mix.  The cookbook wanted the stew to taste like it had been simmering all day, even though the recipe takes only 20 minutes, so the secret ingredient is an anchovy fillet chopped up into the mixture.  This was a very good meal.  If I don’t have a safe tomato to use next time I will just add my banana ketchup, and with the fishy anchovy in there, no one will know.

 

This is not the year to be signing up for cooking classes, so I have decided to cook my way through one of my underused cookbooks.  Ever since I read the story of a blogger cooking her way through Julia Child’s French Cookbook I had imagined me doing the same thing.  I like the idea of just having a list to cook from.  For me it is more tiring to plan what to eat than to do the work of preparing the meal, so following a cookbook gives me a structure and a sort of rule book to follow.  My only problem is my husband has so many food allergies that rigidly following a path like this can be hard.  But I will adapt.  Recipes can be adapted, most of the time, and that is the plan.

I am going to use The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen.  I don't think I can share the recipes, but I will explain when I make changes.  When I tried to find a link for these recipes I found one that had to be paid for.  So, either buy or go to the library and check out this book. I believe it is worth buying if you get the chance, especially if you are cooking for a smaller group.  I still tend to think I am feeding five people, and we get tired of leftovers at times. 

 

I started with the first soup recipe, Chicken Noodle Soup.  I cooked chicken soup so often when my kids were growing up, they all now claim to hate soups in general and that one in particular.  When we were raising our three kids, I wanted to be frugal and healthy when it came to foods.  I loved the idea of homemade everything, and even more I loved getting several meals from one chicken.  First was the soup, made from boiling the bird with celery, onions and carrots.  Next I cooked chicken potpie, and then with any extra meat I made chicken salad.   I varied the casseroles and dishes for the meat, but the soup was nearly always the same.

 

But that is okay, they all have their own homes, and they will see how hard it is to find new things to cook.   But, how different can chicken noodle soup be, really?  All I have to say is if I had had this recipe when I cooked for the entire family, they would all still love soup.  It was that good.   All the recipes in this book have been adapted for only two people, and also for quicker cooking than if I were roasting or boiling an entire chicken.  Instead this soup is made from a bone in chicken breast.  

 

I didn’t have to make any substitutions for diet on this meal, and that made me happy.   We finished eating before I could take a picture, but the next meal I talk about will be photographed.  Happy Eating!

 

 

My Hope is in We the People

 

Diary entry for Tuesday, September 29

 

We watched about half of the Presidential debate. Kevin walked away and I turned it off.  Awful.  I am playing jazz to reduce the stress and discord from watching two grown men insult and belittle each other, talking over each other and over the moderator.  It was useless.  Biden proved he has a sound mind but that he is as rude as Trump.  Neither man showed any respect.  I am done.

 

I think there must be decent people willing to lead this country, they just can’t make it past the primaries.  I told Kevin it was all in God’s hands, and I am done.  Even if I’m not sure there is a God involved in our affairs, I still trust those hands more than ours.

 

I finished a book, drank a glass of wine and enjoyed the music and my candle.  Then outside I noticed it was a full moon.  It was a chilly, clear night with a full moon right above the porch to the left of the cottonwood tree, and I realized no matter how dingy, how dirty those politicians were, the world would keep on turning, functioning as nature intended and we humans would keep on living and dying, loving and hating in much the same way as always.  Nature is clear, beautiful and cold, it does what it was designed to do and nothing changes unless it is part of the pattern of nature, science, design.  The world will continue spinning the same as always and we can hold onto our integrity and virtue no matter what, no matter who becomes president.  We still have to be who we are.

 

I wrote this an hour after the debate, and except for the boring section listing my activities of the day, tennis, cleaning etc, this is word for word what I wrote.  Why am I sharing this?  I have no idea, except that I felt so much better after writing it, so maybe others might feel better too.  I will still vote, making the best decision I can make, but my hope is not in one of these angry old men, but in you, me, my family and your families.  We, the people, have to be the ones with integrity, virtue, respect of others no matter which side of this crazy political divide we are on.  It is up to us.  Hasn’t it always been that way?