Did You Know?

Did you know that Alabama was settled in 1702, entered the union on Dec. 14, 1819, Montgomery is the capital, it covers 51,609 sq. miles and ranks 29th in size of the 50 United States of America?

Alabama also is first alphabetically.

Know how to cut cake easily? Use dental floss. Hold it tightly and move slowly.

And I just found out that for easier threading of needles, spray the end of the thread with hair spray to make it stiff. (Perhaps soaking your thread in a dissolved Viagra pill would also work).

Anyway pholks, I just got my new 2003 calendar from Bill Kalar, the tractor sales guy who provided me my 2002 calendar which I shared with you last year. The calendars which Bill's company, Farmers Tractor and Equipment Company headquartered in Porterville, hands out each year are much more useful than your run-of-mill ones. Granted, the one picture of a top notch red barn surrounded by a freshly painted white fence is nice. Instead of photos of bikini clad buxom young lasses, or vintage autos, classic war birds, flowers, cats, trains or Elvis, these calendars have tons of useful information. Not just eye candy. Candy for the brain...well, sorta.

I haven't taken the time to check whether all the facts on back of each page of the 2003 calendar are exactly the same as the 2002 monthly and daily schedule. Truth is I kinda got out of the habit of checking out the back side of the calendar pages early on in 2002. Somewhere around Jan. 12 or 15th. Before then I did a lot of checking things out, finding some new fact or helpful hint to discuss with the coffee guys I talk with almost every morning.

You'll have to excuse me if some of the fascinating tidbits I spew forth are repeats from last time I reviewed the calendar. Here are a few of the items I find interesting. Remember, these are just a drop in the bucket of knowledge, trivia, recipes, definitions, first aid info, helpful math notes and assorted other facts which can help each and every one of us.

Here goes:

--It takes 4-6 days for a radish to germinate while an eggplant takes 10 to 15 days.

--When dusting televisions, computer monitors and other electronic screens, use a new dryer sheet to pick up the dust.

--On a monthly basis, use a half-gallon of white vinegar in your toilet bowl and let it soak overnight. Then flush. This should help keep the bowl ring-free.

--Keep your car windows frost free in the winter by wiping the windows with a mixture of 3 parts vinegar to one part water in the evening.

--To find the volume of a rectangular prism multiple the length by the width by the height.

--Keep your bathroom chrome shining with a little toothpaste.

--When spills occur in the oven, sprinkle salt on them right away and then wipe the spill and salt away once the oven has cooled.

--Did you know that one wedge of raw watermelon has 115 calories, one cup of canned asparagus has 45 calories or that one cup of barbecue sauce has 230?

--To make it easier to insert a nail or screw into wood walls, rub candle wax on the end of the nail or screw.

--Did you know that Montana is the fourth largest state with an area of 147,138 square miles?

I hope that question comes up on Final Jeopardy some time.

Any how, I gotta thank good old Tractor Bill for providing me the calendar with all the information to digest. Since I refuse to watch all the Clapper, Chia Pet and Salad Shooter TV ads which infest the airwaves in December I will flip through the calendar pages and enrich my mind, something I hope to do more in the coming new year.

I will be prepared to tell whomever asks me how to soften glue that has thickened that they should add a few drops of vinegar on it.

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The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.