Monday, March 24, 2008

Helen Keller Life Events


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Here are a few important dates from Helen Keller's life:

  • June 27, 1880 Helen Keller is born in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Her father, Captain Arthur Henley Keller was an officer in the Confederate Army. Her mother is Kate Adams Keller. (See photos from her birth place called Ivy Green)
  • February 1882 After being struck by illness, at less than two years of age, Helen loses both her sight and hearing, possibly from scarlet fever.
  • March 3, 1887 Anne Sullivan begins teaching Helen letters by signing into her hand ("manual sign language").
  • April 5, 1887 Anne makes the "miracle" breakthrough, teaching Helen that everything has a name by spelling W-A-T-E-R into Helen's hand as water flows over her palm.
  • Fall 1889 Helen goes to Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston, her first formal education.
  • September 1900 Helen becomes a member of the freshmen class of 1904 at Radcliffe College.
  • 1902 During her Junior Year at college, Helen writes The Story of My Life.
  • June 28, 1904 Helen becomes the first deaf-blind individual to earn a college degree, graduating with honors from Radcliffe.
  • April 1930 Helen, Anne, and Polly Thompson travel abroad for the first time, visiting Scotland, Ireland, and England for over six months. This trip is only the beginning of Helen's travels overseas -- she would eventually visit 39 countries!
  • October 20, 1936 Helen's teacher Anne Sullivan Macy dies.
  • 1961 Helen suffers a series of strokes.
  • 1962 The movie The Miracle Worker is released in theaters depicting Helen's Life.
  • September 1964 President Lyndon Johnson gives Helen the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
  • June 1, 1968 Helen Keller dies in her sleep just shy of her 88th birthday in her home at Arcan Ridge.
  • 2003 Helen Keller was featured on the Alabama State quarter.
  • 2008 A rare unpublished photo of Helen taken at the age of eight is discovered.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Favorite Movies

As we were watching The Sound of Music today, we had the chance to hear the song "these are a few of my favorite things". This song sung by Maria talks about "Rain drops on roses" and "Whiskers on Kittens". It got us to thinking about some of our favorite things and the discussion turned to movies. It became apparent to us that you can tell a lot about a person by the movies which have had an impact on their lives. We decided to make a list to share with you. It is interesting to note not only which favorite movies we picked, but also the time period in which the favorite movies were released. These are movies which touched us or made an impact on our lives in some way. Here are the picks from the Pohicks. We would love to hear what your three favorite movies are as well.

Molly
  • Ground Hog Day 1993 A weather man is reluctantly sent to cover a story about a weather forecasting "rat" (as he calls it). This is his fourth year on the story, and he makes no effort to hide his frustration. On awaking the 'following' day he discovers that it's Groundhog Day again, and again, and again. First he uses this to his advantage, then comes the realisation that he is doomed to spend the rest of eternity in the same place, seeing the same people do the same thing EVERY day
  • Sleepless in Seattle 1993 Sam is a recent widower who is seeking someone new. Sam's son Jonah, is also looking for a new mother, so when Jonah puts his father on national radio, hundreds of women write to him. One of the women is Annie. She's engaged to Walter, but he's a bit strange. Annie goes to great lengths to meet Sam.
  • Saving Private Ryan 1998 Opening with the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion under Cpt. Miller fight ashore to secure a beachhead. Amidst the fighting, two brothers are killed in action. Earlier in New Guinea, a third brother is KIA. Their mother, Mrs. Ryan, is to receive all three of the grave telegrams on the same day. The United States Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall, is given an opportunity to alleviate some of her grief when he learns of a fourth brother, Private James Ryan, and decides to send out 8 men (Cpt. Miller and select members from 2nd Rangers) to find him and bring him back home to his mother.

Sarah
  • The Game Plan 2007 Top Boston Rebels football star, Quarterback Joe Kingman, has an unknown 8-year old daughter from a former marriage show up on his doorstep. This precocious youth, Madison Pettis, transforms his life from a egotistical, promiscuous bachelor to a loving father. Instead of decreasing his popularity, his daughter makes the athlete even more popular among fans and teammates. Joe Kingman admires Elvis Presley (The King) and fills his life with Elvis memorabilia and actions. Little Madison steers her Dad away from his exotic, blonde Russian girlfriend, Tatianna, towards her wholesome ballet teacher, Monique Vasquez. A turn of events ends with a happy ending for both the football and romance sides of this Disney family big-budget film.
  • Big Daddy 1999 Sonny Koufax is 32 years old. He's a law school graduate. He's got a nice apartment in Manhattan. There's just one problem. He does nothing, except sit on his butt and live off an investment that was the result of a meager lawsuit he won a year ago. But after his fed up girlfriend leaves him, he comes up with the ingenious idea to adopt a five year old boy to showcase his newfound maturity. But things don't go as planned, and Sonny finds himself the unlikely foster father that will change his perspective on just looking out for himself.
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts is about to start and he is enjoying the summer vacation with his friends. They get the tickets to The Quidditch World Cup Final but after the match is over, people dressed like Lord Voldemort's 'Death Eaters' set a fire to all the visitors' tents, coupled with the appearance of Voldemort's symbol, the 'Dark Mark' in the sky, which causes a frenzy across the magical community. That same year, Hogwarts is hosting 'The Triwizard Tournament', a magical tournament between three well-known schools of magic : Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The contestants have to be above the age of 17, and are chosen by a magical object called Goblet of Fire. On the night of selection, however, the Goblet spews out four names instead of the usual three, with Harry unwittingly being selected as the Fourth Champion. Since the magic cannot be reversed, Harry is forced to go with it and brave three exceedingly difficult tasks.

Scribbles
  • Phantom of the Opera 2004 Begins when an opera ghost terrorizes the cast and crew of the French Opera House while tutoring a chorus girl. He finally drives the lead soprano crazy so she and her friend leave. The girl is able to sing lead one night but the soprano doesn't want her show stolen so she comes back. The ghost demands they keep giving his protégé lead roles. Meanwhile, His pupil falls in love with the Vicomte de Chagny, but the Phantom is in love with Christine, his student. The Phantom is outraged by their love and kidnaps Christine to be his eternal bride. Will Raoul, the Vicomte, be able to stop this dastardly plan?
  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1984 Set in 1935, a professor, archaeologist, and legendary hero by the name of Indiana Jones is back in action in his newest adventure. But this time he teams up with a night club singer named Wilhelmina "Willie" Scott and a twelve-year-old boy named Short Round. They end up in an Indian small distressed village, where the people believe that evil spirits have taken all their children away after a sacred precious stone was stolen! They also discovered the great mysterious terror surrounding a booby-trapped temple known as the Temple of Doom! Thuggee is beginning to attempt to rise once more, believing that with the power of all five Sankara stones they can rule the world! Now, it's all up to Indiana to put an end to the Thuggee campaign, rescue the lost children, win the girl and conquer the Temple of Doom.
  • Beauty and the Beast 1991 Belle is a girl who is dissatisfied with life in a small provincial French town, constantly trying to fend off the misplaced "affections" of conceited Gaston. The Beast is a prince who was placed under a spell because he could not love. A wrong turn taken by Maurice, Belle's father, causes the two to meet.

Jake
  • Revenge of the Nerds 1984 When lovable nerds Gilbert and Lewis embark on their freshman year at Adams College, little do they realize the perils that await them. They're beset with taunting by the jocks of Alpha Beta fraternity, which only worsens when the jocks accidentally burn down their house and are forced toss the freshmen out of the freshmen dorm. To make matters more problematic, Lewis develops a crush on pretty Betty Childs, popular sorority sister and quarterback's girlfriend. Joined by the aptly named Booger and the violin-playing Pointdexter, the nerds soon realize they must form their own fraternity in self-defense. Soon the tables are turned as the nerds employ high-tech warfare against the jocks.... but can they really win and make a difference?
  • Star Wars IV(Original)1977 Part IV in a George Lucas epic, Star Wars: A New Hope opens with a rebel ship being boarded by the tyrannical Darth Vader. The plot then follows the life of a simple farmboy, Luke Skywalker, as he and his newly met allies (Han Solo, Chewbacca, Ben Kenobi, C-3PO, R2-D2) attempt to rescue a rebel leader, Princess Leia, from the clutches of the Empire. The conclusion is culminated as the Rebels, including Skywalker and flying ace Wedge Antilles make an attack on the Empires most powerful and ominous weapon, the Death Star.
  • Animal House 1978 Faber College has one frat house so disreputable it will take anyone. It has a second one full of white, anglo-saxon, rich young men who are so sanctimonious no one can stand them except Dean Wormer. The dean enlists the help of the second frat to get the boys of Delta House off campus. This film gives high-jinks and fooling around a bad name. P The dean's plan comes into play just before the homecoming parade to end all parades for all time.
So there you are. Those are our favorite movies. What are your favorites? If you can't think of three, list at least one!

Here are a few of the responses we received:
DJ - Amelie 2001, The Departed 2006, About a Boy 2002

Frost Protection For Your Plants And Flowers

Spring is a tough time of year to be a gardener. It can be 80 degrees one day and drop below freezing the next.

When planting in the Spring it is important not invest time and money on plants and flowers only to have them destroyed by a late frost. You can protect your investment by selecting plants that have a high tolerance for frost, or by waiting to plant until after the last frost date for your area. There are a number of websites on the internet that will provide you with the last frost date for your area. One of these sites is Victory Seeds.

Even by taking these prudent precautions though, you may still get caught by a late spring frost. If you have some advance warning that a frost is coming, here are some steps you can take to protect your plants and flowers:
  • Move potted plants indoors. Potted plants are the most susceptible to frost since their roots are above ground.
  • Water the garden thoroughly before nightfall. The soil will release moisture into the air around your plants during the night, keep the air somewhat warmer.
  • Cover up your plants and flowers before dark! There are a number of commercially available plant frost protection products, but anything you can do to keep the cold air off of your plants will help protect them. Make a tent and cover your plants with some type of lightweight material. Materials that you can use include: newspaper, cardboard, plastic tarps, or bed sheeting.
  • Cover small plants with some type of container such as upside down flower pot, can, bucket, cup or garbage can.
Good Luck and keep an eye on the weather!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Potato Peanut Butter Candy Recipe

Here is a great recipe from the old country. We aren't sure which old country, but it was passed down from Molly's Mother who grew up in the Reading, Pennsylvania area.

This candy is easy to make and will really hit the spot if you have a sweet tooth.

Ingredients
  • 1 sm. potato, boiled & peeled
  • 1-2 lb. pkg. confectioners' sugar
  • Peanut butter
Directions
  • Mash potato and start adding the confectioners' sugar.
  • The potato will become almost liquid.
  • Keep adding confectioners' sugar until firm enough to make a large ball.
  • Roll mixture on a pastry sheet.
  • Spread with peanut butter.
  • More confectioners' sugar may be added to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin.
  • Then, roll up as a jelly roll.
  • Refrigerate for 1 hour and slice in thin pieces.
Credit: This recipe was provided by Mrs. Boyardee.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Red Indian Summer Raspberry

The whole Pohick family has the gardening bug now. We had so much fun planting our Belle of Georgia Peach Tree, that we decided to plant some other fruit bearing plants. Today, Scribbles and Sarah helped Jake plant two Red Indian Summer Raspberry bushes. Here are some characteristics of the Red Indian Summer Raspberry:
  • Everbearing - This means that it produces two crops per year. First in the spring and then a second crop in the fall. Common raspberry bushes only produce one crop in mid-summer.
  • Scientific Name: Rubus idaeus
  • Wikipedia Article: Raspberry
  • Large, sweet, bright red berries
  • Ideal for cooking or fresh eating
  • Light - 6+ hours of direct sun
  • Water Usage - Semi-Moist
  • Spacing: 5' between plants
  • Growth Rate: Fast
  • Average Size: 5' x 5'
  • Cold Hardiness: -20 to -30
  • Pruning: Cut back in late winter
  • Fertilization: Early Spring
  • The ever bearing raspberry produces an early-summer crop on the previous season's growth and a fall crop on the current season's growth.
  • Raspberries are valuable in home gardens because of the fruits fragile and perishable nature which prohibits the shipping of fresh berries.
  • Health Benefits: Raspberries contain significant amounts of polyphenol antioxidants such as anthocyanin pigments linked to potential health protection against several human diseases. The aggregate fruit structure contributes to its nutritional value, as it increases the proportion of dietary fiber, placing it among plant foods with the highest fiber contents known, up to 20% fiber per total weight. Raspberries are a rich source of vitamin C, with 30 mg per serving of 1 cup (about 50% daily value), manganese (about 60% daily value) and dietary fiber (30% daily value). Contents of B vitamins 1-3, folic acid, magnesium, copper and iron are considerable in raspberries. Raspberries rank near the top of all fruits for antioxidant strength, particularly due to their dense contents of ellagic acid (from ellagotannins), quercetin, gallic acid, anthocyanins, cyanidins, pelargonidins, catechins, kaempferol and salicylic acid.
Planting Raspberries:
  • Raspberries grow best in climates where the spring is lingering and slow to warm, but may succeed in warmer climates if the are grown in light shade.
  • A row or hill of raspberries will ordinarily produce good crops of fruit for 10 years or more, before they need replacement.
  • Raspberries grow best in rich,well-drained soil with a pH 6.0 to 6.5. They benefit from supplemental compost and manure. They should NOT be planted in an area where eggplants, peppers, potatoes or tomatoes have been grown within three years, because they are susceptible to verticicillium wilt which is associated with those plants.
  • New plants should be set in the soil about 2 inches deeper than they were originally growing. They should be planted in late fall or early spring about 2 to 2 1/2 feet apart in rows which are spaced about 7 to 8 feet apart. After planting, cut the canes back to 4 inches, leaving the stubs to mark the rows until new sprouts appear. Newly planted summer bearing raspberries should be left alone for the first year to establish themselves, and then cut back to 3-5 canes per plant when the buds begin to show in the following spring.
Care and Cultivation:
  • Raspberry plants should be fed in early spring by scattering all purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer around them at the rate of 1 pound per 10 feet of row.
  • They must not be allowed to dry out during flowering and fruiting. In spring, shorten the canes to 3 feet, forcing the growth into lateral side branches which are trained along support wires.
  • After they produce fruit, the spent canes are cut back to the ground. With ever bearing varieties the second crop is produced on canes which sprout in the spring, these canes shouldn't be cut back until they produce fruit the following spring.
  • Never cut off the new canes which haven't produced yet, they will produce the next years crop.
  • Raspberries are easily propagated by tip layering (pin the tip of the cane to the ground, where it will root, then once rooted you may sever the new start from the parent plant), or from sucker growths which spring up around the parent plant.
Raspberry bushes are available at many local nurseries or even from Amazon.com.

Raspberry Journal
  • 20 March 2008: We planted two raspberry bushes today. Each bush is approximately 1 foot tall and has a few small green leaves.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who

Today, Jake, Scribbles and Sarah went to see Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who. This movie is based on the Dr. Seuss book, Horton Hears a Who.

Plot: One day, Horton the elephant hears a cry from help coming from a speck of dust. Even though he can't see anyone on the speck, he decides to help it. As it turns out, the speck of dust is home to the Whos, who live in their city of Whoville. Horton agrees to help protect the Whos and their home, but this gives him nothing but torment from his neighbors, who refuse to believe that anything could survive on the speck.

Favorite Quotes:
  • "After all, a person is a person, no matter how small."
  • "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent!"
  • "WE ARE HERE!"
  • "Sweetheart, you need to go to bed. Daddie's having a breakdown."
  • In my world, everyone is a pony, and they eat rainbows and poop butterflies.
  • Horton: They have a mayor who has 96 daughters and one son named JoJo who all share a bathroom!
    Crowd: *Gasp!*
    Horton: Whatever that is.
Review: Our staff gave "Horton Hears a Who" an average score of 8.9 out of 10. Overall, the animation was great and some of the scenes that included water were breathtaking. In a few instances however, there were what one of our reviewers described as random throwbacks to Japanese style animation. Though these instances were probably intended for comedic effect, they were none the less a distraction from an otherwise strong animation effort.

Voices: Horton Hears A Who features the voice talents of the following actors:

Belle of Georgia Semi-Dwarf Peach Tree

Click here for care instructions for the Belle of Georgia Semi-Dwarf Peach Tree.

The Pohick's have planted an orchard. Well, it is currently a decidedly small orchard since it has only one tree. You have to start somewhere though.

When we lived in Oklahoma, we had a peach tree in the back yard which produced some very lovely fruit. The girls loved being able to pick a peach right off of the tree and eat it. Everyone enjoyed all of the fresh peach products that Molly prepared including peach pies, peach cobbler, peach preserves and old fashioned peaches and cream. Since we have moved so many times over the last couple of years, there never was a good occasion to plant any fruit trees. But since we are planning to stay in place for a few years at least, we decided that it would be great to have a peach tree again and planted one today. It will probably be a couple of years before the tree bears much fruit, but it will give us something to look forward to. The tree that we purchased is a Belle of Georgia Semi-Dwarf Peach Tree. Here are a few facts and characteristics of the Belle of Georgia Peach tree:
  • Wikipedia Article: Peach
  • Scientific Name: Prunus persica
  • Light: 6+ hours of direct sun
  • Self fertile - No other pollinator required
  • Spacing: 20'
  • Bloom Time: Spring
  • Water Usage: Semi-Moist
  • Growth Rate: Medium
  • Average Mature Size: 15-20' x 20'
  • Cold Hardiness: -10 to -20F
  • Hardiness Zones: 5-8
  • Pruning: Prune while dormant
  • Fertilization: Annually
  • The Belle of Georgia peach tree in Georgia history was named after Mrs. Belle Hall of Ft. Valley, Georgia, following the Civil War, after it was developed from a peach seedling of Chinese cling-peach seed origin. The legendary Belle of Georgia peach has also been called the Georgia Belle peach and is classified as a white pulp peach, pleasantly fragrant and of intense sweetness and spicy flavor. Very few other white peach cultivars compare with the well known superior characteristics of the Belle of Georgia peach tree. Large trees of Belle of Georgia are recommended to buy, plant, and grow—often bearing a few peaches the first year after planting. The freestone characteristic of the Belle of Georgia white peach makes it easy to eat freshly picked from any home orchard. You can buy Belle of Georgia peach trees from many internet nursery sites. Belle of Georgia is a reliable producer of large, aromatic fruit unsurpassed in sweetness. Pink-blushed freestones with deliciously pale and juicy flesh ripen in August. Resists disease.
Peach Tree Journal:
19 March 2008
- Tree planted today. Currently our tree is 7'10" tall and has some buds and a few pink flowers.
30 March 2008 - So far so good. 11 days after being planted, the tree looks like it has survived the trauma of being planted. All of the tree's branches are covered with small green leaves.
7 June 2008 - Our peach tree continues to thrive and is now 8.5 feet tall. See updated picture and additional information.
20 June 2008 - Japanese Beatles are eating my peach tree
7 June 2009 - Growing strong and lots of fruit

Check in periodically and we will provide an update on the tree.

Click here for care instructions for the Belle of Georgia Semi-Dwarf Peach Tree.

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Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Potato Casserole Recipe

Sarah decided that she would prepare dinner for us this evening and she came up with a lovely little dish. She calls her creation Potato Casserole a la Sarah. We all gave it a thumbs up. In case you would like to try it yourself, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
  • 32 ounce bag of tator tots
  • 4 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 pound diced ham
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 cups milk
  • 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Bake tots for 1/2 hour until golden brown then remove dish from oven.
  • Reduce oven to 375 degrees F.
  • In sauce pan, melt butter.
  • Add onion, salt and pepper and cook until soft. (4 minutes)
  • Add ham.
  • Add flour.
  • Add milk and bring to boil.
  • Remove sauce pan from heat.
  • Add 2 cups cheese and stir.
  • Pour the milk mixture over the tots and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  • Bake in oven until bubbly and golden brown. (About 35 minutes)
  • Enjoy!
Credit: This recipe is from Chef Emeril Lagasse's There's a Chef In My Soup: Recipes for the Kid in Everyone. This is a great cook book with easy to make but tasty recipes that your child can make with minimal supervision. Thanks Emeril!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Cooking for Dummies

OK, for the record, Scribbles is a very smart young woman. She is intelligent, a straight A student, a talented musician, nice to old people and small children, etc. But to be just a bit candid, she is a menace in the kitchen.

Oh yes, I can hear the responses from my loyal readers now. Probably some accusation that this is just another embellished yarn from the old Jakester. But lest you doubt me, let me tell you of tonight's ordeal. Jake, Sarah and Scribbles being left to their own devices decided to prepare a small repast. Nothing too elaborate mind you. Just some hot dogs and mashed potatoes. (Yes, I know that is an odd combination, but it is Saint Patrick's Day after all.) As Jake and Sarah set about preparing the frankfurters, Scribbles was assigned the task of preparing the mashed potatoes. Did I mention that they were instant mashed potatoes? Jake figured that there was no way that an honor student could possibly mess up cooking instant mashed potatoes. But alas gentle readers, it is indeed possible. Apparently if you add the mashed potatoes prior to bringing the water to a boil, the potatoes can actually explode in volcano-like fashion out of the pot. Who knew? Well, that is one lesson we chalked up to the school of hard knocks as we began to wash mashed potatoes off of the stove, walls, floor, counters, windows, and ceiling.

Now, Scribbles' lack of culinary competence wouldn't ordinarily be cause for concern, but she is starting to receive applications for college. Jake is actually a little afraid that the poor girl will either starve to death or will in some fit of hunger induced desperation burn down her apartment building. Jake figures that there are three options: 1) teach Scribbles to cook, 2) send her armed with the book Cooking For Dummies, or 3) Just get her a meal plan at the school's dining facility. Hmmmmm.... Yep, it does indeed seem prudent to get her the meal plan. In the mean time however, we will continue to work with her on the cooking basics. Wish us luck! And keep the fire extinguisher handy!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Space Humor

Molly needs a few space related jokes for her new job at the US space and rocket center. Here are a few that Jake came up with. If you have any good ones that are suitable for a young audience, please post them.
  • Two astronauts went to a restaurant on the moon, but they left after a few minutes. You see, the food was OK, but it had no atmosphere !
  • What do you call a spaceship with a faulty air-conditioning unit? A frying saucer
  • What holds the moon up ?Moon beams !
  • Why don't aliens celebrate Christmas?
    Because they don't like to give away their presence.
  • How do we know that Saturn was married more than once? Because it has a lot of rings.
  • What do moon people do when they get married? They go off on their honeyearth!
  • What did the astronaut cook for lunch? An unidentified frying object!
  • If athletes suffer from athlete's foot, what do astronauts suffer from? Missile-toe!
OK, so some of those were pretty bad. If you can do better please let us know.

Space Camp

This week, Sarah's school class attended Space Camp at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. During the week long event, Sarah and her classmates were organized into teams of approximately 15 team members each. The teams conducted various activities, attended classes and participated in simulated space missions. Sarah's team was called Team Pollux. Pollux is the brightest star in the constellation Gemini and one of the brightest in the nighttime sky. Team Pollux won the award for the best performance during a simulated space mission.

Jake who was at the graduation ceremony was very jealous, because he has wanted to attend Space Camp every since he saw the movie Space Camp. At least while he was at the graduation ceremony, he got the chance to explore the facilities at the US Space and Rocket Center and even got to ride several of the simulators. If you would like to see a few more pictures of Sarah at the US Space and Rocket Center, Click Here. You may even recognize one of the Rocket Center employees.