All things GREEN

Loren Greene..........Green leaves.............Emerald green

Green is just what it should be. Things that are green.

Green is a wonderful, many sided color....the color of the earth, the color of clothing, the color of trees and even someone's last name. Spend some time with me and have a look at some things that proudly bear the name GREEN.

Kermit the frog

Have you met my friend Kermit?

Kermit the Frog is a cute little Muppet who was first introduced in 1955 and is one of puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous and beloved creations. Kermit was performed by Henson until his death in 1990.

An early version of Kermit appeared in 1955, in a 5-minute puppet show for WRC-TV's Sam and Friends. The prototype Kermit was created from a green ladies' coat that Henson's mother had thrown in the trash can, and two ping-pong balls for eyes.

The early Kermit was a sort of lizard-like creature; Kermit's first appearance as a frog was in the television special "Hey Cinderella" in 1969, and he's been a frog ever since.

Kermit had his big break later in 1969 with frequent appearances on Sesame Street often as a news reporter interviewing nursery rhyme characters. One of his most memorable works was the song "Bein' Green" from this series. Closely identified with the show Sesame Street, Kermit appeared frequently enough on the show to be considered a member of the regular cast along with Big Bird.

Kermit's song "The Rainbow Connection" was also a big hit from The Muppet Movie (it is also the only movie song sung by a "frog" to be nominated for an Academy Award)

Kermit published "One Frog Can Make A Difference, Kermit's Guide to Life" in 1993. In 1996, he gave a commencement speech at Southampton College in which he emphasized his environmentalist side.

SOURCE: "The Sesame Street Book and Record".
'Green' is (c)1970 Jonico Music, Inc.



"Bein' Green"

It's not that easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves.
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold...
Or something much more colorful like that.

It's not easy being green.
It seems you blend in with so many other ord'nary things.
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
or stars in the sky.

But green's the color of Spring.
And green can be cool and friendly-like.
And green can be big like an ocean,
or important like a mountain,
or tall like a tree.

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why?
Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful!
And I think it's what I want to be.

Green Eggs and Ham

Theodor Seuss Geisel born March 2, 1904 and died September 24, 1991 was an American writer and cartoonist.

GREEN EGGS AND HAM is a best-selling book by Dr. Seuss, first published in 1960. It is one of Seuss’s “Beginner Books” written in a very simple vocabulary for beginning readers. The vocabulary consists of just fifty different words of which 49 consist of a single syllable (cat, hat, etc.). The lone exception being “anywhere”. So, when a beginning reader masters these 50 words, he or she is able to read a book. A great accomplishment and source of pride for the beginning reader.

The book has two main characters, Sam and his friend who is never named.
Sam is filled with energy and enthusiasm; the other character is moody and irritable. The plot of the story revolves around Sam’s efforts to get his friend to try “green eggs and ham”. The friend refuses to taste the dish and only wants to be left alone. But, Sam is insistent, and goes through an assortment of locations, a house, a car, a tree and with several dining partners, trying to persuade his friend to eat. But the friend still won’t try the green eggs and ham.

The conclusion of Seuss’s tale occurs when Sam’s friend, standing in shallow water after a train crash, finally agrees to try green eggs and ham, and pronounces it to be quite good.

The story is written in the form of a cumulative tale, with a list of circumstances which gradually increase as the story progresses. One of Sam’s friend’s refusals goes:

I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I do not like them in a boat.
I do not like them with a goat.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

The fifty words used in GREEN EGGS AND HAM are: a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you.

Sam-I-Am and his friend are ambiguous creatures; they are capable of being interpreted in more than one way. They are furry with large snouts, but stand upright, can speak and have human facial expressions.

Sam-I-Am’s friend wears a tall black hat that imitates his body language; it startles, cringes, rises up indignantly, etc. when it’s owner does.

The book includes many of Dr. Seuss’s amazing elaborate machines; a complex platter-presenting device, large artificial hands on poles to illustrate Here and There, a vehicle with a mysteriously-appearing door from which a goat emerges, and a really rickety railroad viaduct.

Imagine the sense of accomplishment that a child has when he or she runs to Mom or Dad and proudly says "I can read this!"

The Jolly Green Giant

"From the Valley of the Jolly (ho, ho, ho) Green Giant "

How many times have you heard that commercial? So just where did this great giant come from....since he's green, maybe he's related to the Incredible Hulk who was also green.

But no, this Green Giant appearing as a smiling green-skinned giant wearing a tunic, wreath and boots made of leaves and his friend, a young green giant named Little Green Sprout are representatives of a food company owned by General Mills.

The company is one of the largest sellers of frozen and canned vegetables both under the Green Giant and LeSueur brands. The name Green Giant was introduced in 1925 to help market the company's canned peas....since it was well received, it was decided to adopt the Green Giant name.

The original commercial featuring the Jolly Green Giant first aired in 1953. It featured a green puppet stalking through the valley. He stopped near a small farm and displayed two cans of Green Giant vegetables, the famous Niblets and a can of peas. He walked towards the camera holding them as the camera slowly backed away.

Whoa Nellie! This commercial was deemed way too scary for younger viewers and was quickly pulled off the air. (remember, this was in 1953, children were not as worldly as they are now. Instead of being scared, they would think it was really dumb!)

It also featured a somewhat scary jingle...sung by a group of singers providing "Fe fum fi fe" as the backing rhythm. It also got the deep six because it could frighten little children....."potential nightmare-causing song could alienate mothers and cause them to boycott the Green Giant line".

In addition to having a scary jingle, it was found that when the Green Giant walked, he looked even more menacing and scary. The poor guy couldn't do anything right.

As a result, the second commercial, aired in 1960, featured a friendly and smiling Green Giant standing in the distance, hands on hips, supervising Keebler-like elves working to produce green beans on an assembly line. (And you wonder why your kids think vegetables grow in cans!)

Several 1970s commercials used "From the valley of the Jolly (ho, ho, ho) Green Giant!" as the their jingle and starting in the 1980s the "Ho, ho, ho, Green Giant!" has been a part of all GG commecials.

I doubt that the Ho, ho, ho's or the Green Giant walking through the valley would faze children now-a-days.

After all, they practically grew up with Shrek!

Green Thumb - NOT

In plain ole every day terms, a person who has a “green thumb” is a skilled gardener. The seedlings that they plant with loving care…grow! They don’t wilt down two days after being planted, never to raise their heads again. Mr/Mrs.Green Thumb can buy (or be given) the worst looking plant in the nursery, the one that was on the "dead and dying" pile, and nurse it back to life. There’s magic in those fingers!

On the other hand, there are people who were born with a “brown thumb” and are not good at all at handling (or growing) plants. This person should NEVER buy or be given any living greenery; flowers, trees, or shrubs. They won’t grow! They will wilt, turn brown, mold, and end up where no plant wants to be….in the garbage can.

Well, meet Mrs. Brown Thumb!

I will sadly admit that when I bring a plant into my house, the first thing I do is make the “sign of the cross” over it and wish it good luck.

When I was first married, my dear, sweet mother-in-law would bring me tiny African violets, no bigger than my thumb, that she had carefully raised from a seedling or however they multiply. I would cringe when I saw her coming, little decorated flower pot in hand, smiling like I was about to get the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

SHE had the magical green thumb….she raised African violets by the dozen…pink ones, blue ones, double ones, single ones and they were all beautiful and healthy. They were in her front window, in the kitchen window, the bathroom window and on the porch…all blooming like crazy. Oh yes, she also grew Christmas cactus that actually bloomed every year. Another one of my disappointments.

My failure with the African Violets, I was told, was that I watered them too much and dripped water on their leaves. Well, excuse me! If the forebearers of those African violets lived outdoors anytime in their history, they would have gotten water on their leaves. It rains almost everywhere at one time or another. Unless Africa was one big dry greenhouse.

But no matter how many poor little defenseless violets I managed to either drown or caused to shrivel up, she always kept trying to turn me into a "green thumb by proxy".....never worked!

As for the Christmas cactus, I followed the instructions that I was given…."keep them in a dark place for several weeks and they would start to put on blooms."

Wrong again….I think I had the male variety because once it had bloomed, it decided that motherhood was not for it …"no more blooms for me honey....look for a lady cactus"

The American Greenback

"Always try to rub against money, for if you rub against money long enough, some of it may rub off on you." (from Damon Runyon's story, A Very Honorable Guy).

Greenbacks, dough, moolah, rhino, jack, buck, bread, c-note, dead presidents just a few names for our American dollar. No matter what you call it, money is necessary and money is wanted. But the question is, “how do I get it”.

Lets see, you could have inherited it, i.e. Kennedy, Romney, Bush, and other billionaires in the United States. Or, you could have won the national Lottery (as opposed to that one that you keep getting emails from in Nigeria), hit the jackpot at a casino or, like Jed Clampett, be “shootin’ at some food” and strike oil.

Although we personally don’t have debt problems, we did find it necessary to refinance our home last month. Our ARM loan was growing like weeds in a garden...every month the payment was a little higher.

We thought about a home equity line of credit, but since this house has little equity in it, that wasn’t an option. Our credit is outstanding, so credit counseling wouldn’t have helped. We just needed to make some extra money!

Our first attempt, several years ago, was to join the Amway group. Unfortunately, although they have great products, most people didn’t want to pay the prices for quality products. They could "get it cheaper" at Wal-mart or Target. We didn’t make any money.

Next, I started selling Tiara glassware, another great company. I was doing pretty well, taking the glassware to home parties, a la Tupperware, until the company went out of business. I had high hopes that I would be one of their greatest salespersons, and would win one of the wonderful trips that were sales incentatives. Maybe they gave away too many trips causing the company to go "belly up".

Our last and current endeavor is selling on EBAY….we sell some things, but aren’t getting rich that way either. Ebay’s charges and fees are killing any profit that we could make. And, people are looking for bargains and unless you are offering items that are really special, unique or outrageously cheap, things don't sell.

That leads me to this blog.....I enjoy doing it, it doesn’t cost me anything, so I’ll keep on writing! Maybe someone will enjoy it enough to keep coming back.....and using some of the products offered.

Envy??? - Everyone's got a Little

I am not a perfect person.......I know that and I regret it. (well sometimes)

When provoked, I have a temper, I do not clean my house on a regular basis, I do not follow all of my doctor's instructions, I do not enjoy children who have been raised with "time outs", I do not love holidays (I tolerate them but not love them), and I have a healthy dose of ENVY!

I am envious of people who have tons of money but didn't work to get it.

Do they deserve it just because they were lucky enough to be born to rich parents? Are their genes better than mine? Why should they drive expensive cars, buy shoes that cost more than I make in a month, and spend their time at luxury resorts!

*

I am envious of pop and rap singers who have little or no talent and yell out words to the beat of loud guitars and drums. It's a good day for them if they are actually on key and the words they yell are not too obnoxious for children to hear. I am envious of the smirks on their faces because they know they have no talent and are fooling those who buy their photos, disks and tickets to concerts.

*

I could do that....just give me a chance! I can't sing either.

*

I am envious of people who can write a blog about doing home repairs, dredging up old recipes or tell you how to make a million dollars by blogging.....and make a million dollars by blogging. How do they get the hundreds of people to visit their blogs every day?

*

This is a fairly decent blog...maybe not too exciting but better than a lot of them. Where are the visitors?

*

Hello folks, come'on over and read a few articles. You may learn something!

*
This is not the end of my envy complex.....more will come!

Loren Greene - aka Ben Cartwright

Loren Greene, born Lyon Chaim Green, was born in Ottawa, Ontario Canada on February 12, 1915 to Russian Jewish immigrants, Daniel and Dora Green. He began acting while attending Canada’s Queen’s University. After graduation, he worked in radio broadcasting and soon became Canada’s top newscaster.

He left Canada in the early 1950’s for a film career in Hollywood and began appearing regularly in television, films and on radio. His greatest successes came in two television series, the long-running western Bonanza and in the science fiction film and television series Battlestar Galactica.

Set in Nevada in the 1860s, Bonanza followed the adventures of the Cartwright family. Ben Cartwright (Greene) was the wealthy owner of a large ranch called the Ponderosa. Widowed three times, Ben had a son by each of his wives; the eldest being Adam, played by Pernell Roberts, the middle son Hoss, played by Dan Blocker and the youngest son, Little Joe, played by Michael Landon.

The show was an hour long western drama based on Pa Cartwright’s love for his sons and the Ponderosa ranch. Bonanza ran for almost 14 years before being cancelled abruptly midway into the 1972-73 season.

Greene’s next role was that of Commander Adama in the television series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) and Galactica 1980 (1980). Again, he played a father figure.

In the 1960s, Greene capitalized on his Pa Cartwright image by recording several albums of country-western/folk songs, which Greene performed in a mixture of spoken word and singing. In 1964, he had a #1 single on the music charts with his ballad, “Ringo”.

Loren Green died of pneumonia on September 11, 1987 in Santa Monica, California at the age of 72. He was interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, Culver City, California.

Pistachios - green nuts

Pistachio trees were first cultivated in Western Asia. Also known as the green almond, the pistachio is related to the cashew. The 20-foot tall trees thrive in stony, poor soil under high heat and with little or no rainfall, but cannot tolerate humidity or excessive moisture conditions. These trees live for centuries with no care necessary. In fact, Iran boasts of a 700-year-old tree still living.

Pistachios were brought to the United States in the late 1890's by a Syrian immigrant. Pistachios are currently cultivated as a commercial crop in California, Italy, Turkey, and Iran, with the United States being the second largest producer in the world.

One of the most popular uses of pistachios is in pistachio ice cream and desserts. The kernels are often eaten whole, either fresh or roasted and salted and are also used in ice cream and confections such as baklava. The shell of the pistachio is naturally a beige color, but it is sometimes dyed red or green in commercial pistachios.

Originally the dye was applied by importers to hide stains on the shells caused when the nuts were picked by hand. However most pistachios are now picked by machine and the shells remain unstained, making dyeing unnecessary (except that some consumers have been led to expect coloured pistachios.)

The trees are planted in orchards and take approximately seven to ten years to reach significant production. Trees are usually pruned to size to make the harvest easier Pistachio nuts are highly flammable when stored in large quantities, and are prone to self heating and spontaneous combustion.

PISTACHIO DESSERT submitted by H. Ahrens Avon, Ohio

Both creamy and crunchy, this fabulous frozen dessert is a favorite at our house. You'll love the pistachio flavor and toffee candy topping.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers

1/4 cup melted butter

3/4 cup cold milk

1 package (3.4 ounces) instant pistachio pudding mix

1 quart vanilla ice cream , softened

1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (1.4 ounces each) Heath candy bars, crushed

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 325° for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Stir in ice cream; pour over crust. Cover and freeze for 2 hours or until firm. Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with crushed candy bars.
Cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm.

Yield: 9 servings.

Ireland, the Emerald Isle

Ireland, the Emerald Isle.

Even the sound of it is romantic and makes me think of those Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne movies. I'm sure that the movies made extra money just by having red-haired Maureen and her wonderful Irish brogue in them. She was born Maureen Fitzsimons in RanelaghRanelagh, County Dublin, Ireland - a true Irish lassie.

*

Ireland is the 3rd largest island in Europe. It's surrounded by hundred of islands and islets. The two most populated cities in Ireland are Dublin in the Republic of Ireland and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

*

Ireland may be a small country, but with over 200,000 Scots Irish settlers

leaving the North of Ireland during the 18th Century, and mass emigration following the Great Famine of 1845, the Irish have put down roots all over the world. Over 60 million people worldwide now claim Irish ancestry.

*

Hosting visitors in their homes is common in Ireland......the Irish are wonderful, friendly people and this is one way to make extra money.

*

If you are lucky enough to spend time at an Irish Bed and Breakfast, you get to know the people. What could be better than spending a week in a cottage surrounded by a beautiful, fragrant flower garden and having a cup of tea before going out to explore the countryside.