Woolly Bear caterpillars - weather predictors ?

The woolly bear caterpillar—with its 13 distinct segments of black and reddish-brown—has the reputation of being able to forecast the coming winter weather.

How the Woolly Bear Became "Famous"

• In the fall of 1948, Dr. C. H. Curran, curator of insects at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, took his wife 40 miles north of the city to Bear Mountain State Park to look at woolly bear caterpillars.
• Dr. Curran collected as many caterpillars as he could in a day, determined the average number of reddish-brown segments, and forecast the coming winter weather through a reporter friend at The New York Herald Tribune.
• Dr. Curran's experiment, which he continued over the next eight years, attempted to prove scientifically a weather rule of thumb that was as old as the hills around Bear Mountain. The resulting publicity made the woolly bear the most recognizable caterpillar in North America.

Do Woolly Bear Caterpillars Forecast Winter Weather?

According to legend, the wider that middle brown section is (i.e., the more brown segments there are), the milder the coming winter will be. Conversely, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter. But is it true?

Most scientists discount the folklore of woolly bear predictions as just that, folklore. Mike Peters, an entomologist at the University of Massachusetts, doesn't disagree, but he says there could, in fact, be a link between winter severity and the brown band of a woolly bear caterpillar. "There's evidence," he says, "that the number of brown hairs has to do with the age of the caterpillar—in other words, how late it got going in the spring. The [band] does say something about a heavy winter or an early spring. The only thing is . . . it's telling you about the previous year."

info above from the Farmers Almanac

     What do you think? I knew a farmer who also predicted the winter weather by how up a tree trunk a certain insect built its winter home. I will have to do some research and get back to you on that one!

Stop Stressing Over Dinner

 This morning,  as I was thinking about my day,  the thought occurred to me that many of you may struggle with the same daily issues that I do. 

  One of the biggest issues that I face everyday is "what to do about dinner"? I sometimes cringe when a my kids ask me that question and I just love when there is silence after I give an answer. So I have decided to put my struggle out here for all the world to see and share what I have learned as I work through this daily issue. Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated as we go on this journey together. 

  For me,  the goal is to have a basic plan for the week,  so that I eat a home cooked meal that is healthy,and easy to prepare. In the long run, this will save money, time and alleviate the stress of dinner. I won't post daily because that might be way too stressful, so posting twice a week is what I am shooting for. Today I will look at how last week went, what did my family eat and how does this week compare between schedules and activities to last week. Why don't you do the same and we can compare notes!

   

Meatless Monday - veggie pizza

A recipe to start your week on a healthy note!

It's also very easy to prepare, delicious and filling!

From my Tastefully Simple website....................flattened and baked crescent rolls are the base, Vidalia Onion dressing with cream cheese spread on top, chopped veggies tossed with Bacon Bacon and Spinach and Herb, then some mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for a few minutes until the cheese melts and your ready to eat!

Hat Ideas

Ok, so hats are my latest project, they've been on my mind for a few months, and I have been inspired by classic film and the  very showy hats worn by Carmen Miranda.

I would not wear anything quite like this, but I can get some color and design ideas.

So a toned down version might look like this

I found this on Pinterest
So what would a cute hat look like today?

I like this one found on revelry! and this one too and some headbands, all from revelry.com

© Drops Design

So I will start making a few and see how I like them....................................

Oil and Fat info you need to know

I subscribe to Saving Dinner, an email newsletter about meal planning, cooking, recipes and healthy eating. I thought I would share this info since it's stuff I have wondered about and most of this news to me! The skinny on fats and oils by Leanne Ely Olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, flaxseed oil, rice bran oil, coconut oil, grape seed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil . . . there are so many different types of oils staring back at you from the grocery store shelf that you almost need a degree in food science to figure out which one to choose. And then there's bacon fat and butter. Ghee and margarine. It's enough to make your head spin. Which ones do you use? Which ones do you avoid? Which ones do you cook and which do you eat raw? I'm going to attempt to make all of this oil business a bit less confusing for you the next time you're trying to decide which fats to buy. Let's talk about which fats to eat and which to avoid. Good Fats * Coconut oil * Olive oil * Avocado oil * Fish oils * Grass-fed meat fat * Walnut oil * Grain-fed butter * Ghee * Flax Fats to avoid * Margarine and other artificial trans fats * Vegetable oils * Oils made from GMO grains * Lard * Grape seed oil (it's very high in Omega 6 fatty acids which we need to be consuming less of) The only oils I personally use are olive oil and coconut oil for cooking, and extra virgin olive oil for salads. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) should never be heated up because doing so not only destroys the benefits of the olive oil, but it can also turn that healthy oil into a damaging trans fat that will actually harm your health. For many of you this might be the first you've heard of there being a significant difference between olive oil and extra virgin olive oil. EVOO is what you get after the first press. The result is a rich, pungent oil, best for drizzling over salads or breads. When the oil is pressed multiple times, you have a lighter oil that is best for cooking. The more it's pressed, the lighter the oil. Avocado and walnut oils are both recommended for cooking, but they're so expensive that they aren't reasonable options for most folks. Flax is excellent for you, but I don't recommend buying it in a liquid oil form because of how unstable it is. It goes rancid very quickly. Purchase whole flax seeds and grind them into flax meal yourself to be added to baked goods or smoothies. (We'll be doing a dedicated post in the near future about flax and all of its wonders, so stay tuned!) Smoking points of oils When oil starts to smoke it a) stinks b) makes your food taste bad and c) turns good fat into trans fat that will harm your health! Here are the smoking points for the cooking oils I recommend. Keep in mind, however, that a smoking point can depend on a variety of factors including the age of your oil, the quality of the oil and even the thickness of the cooking vessel. * Unrefined olive oil smokes at 320 F * Coconut oil smokes at 350 F * Avocado oil has an extremely high smoking point of 520 F So, there you have it. Any of this news to you? Does this clear up any questions you've had about fats and oils? If there's anything else you'd like to know, please leave a comment and we'll chat about it! http://www.facebook.com/savingdinner

Hat Inspirations from Carmen Miranda

Yesterday it felt like Spring, a little rain and a few peaks of sun and a mild temperature. This morning I woke to 3 or 4 inches of wet snow. The rest of the house is still asleep and I needed some colorful craft inspiration so I turn to my favorite source of inspiration, Turner Classic Movies! And who should I see singing and dancing across the screen, but Carmen Miranda in one of her fabulous costumes; now that was inspiration, especially at 6:00 am.

Ever since I can remember I have always loved watching Carmen in movies, I have always loved hats and hers were quite something! I think my favorite time of year for  hats was Easter, I would always have a cute hat to match my Easter outfit. I still love watching classic movies and one thing I always pay attention to are the clothes, especially the hats. It was almost unheard of back in the 19430's and 1940's to be seen without a hat, especially in film. So when did the hat go "out of style" ? 

I will admit that I am not a big hat wearer these days unless my head is cold or it's raining. I admire those who wear a hat just for fun. I am knitting and crocheting almost everyday lately and I made a few hats as gifts this year so now it's my turn. I am on a mission to create some hats for myself that I will wear all year, just for fun. Hopefully they wont mess up my hair too much.........or else I guess I will leave it on!

Check out this website for some great pictures of Carmen Miranda hats:

www.imdb.com/name/nm0000544/

Carmen Miranda was a young hatmaker before she was invited to display her singing... It was during this time that she developed the costume with the distinctive fruit hat