Everything You Know is Wrong - Well, not EVERYTHING

Here we go - the Arctic Express. Just to toot my own horn "I TOLD YOU SO"!! Yea - SURPRISE - the weatherheads are NOW talking -20F. Where was that LAST week when they were whining about -15F and I was saying "what are you talking about".

However - even I was conservative. I bet we hit -20F tonight AND tomorrow night and I doubt we will be UP to -6 as a high tomorrow. This air mass was the same one over Alaska and here are the daily HIGHS this month in McGrath:

-22F
-41F
-45F
-37F
-15F
-30F
-39F
-41F
-37F
-21F
-2F
+9F

on the bright side the daily LOWS were only 10 to 15 degrees colder. I figure once you hit -30F it's all pretty much the same.

McGrath Alaska sounds like a WONDERFUL place to live. "McGrath families rely upon subsistence, salmon, moose, caribou, bear, and rabbits." "There are no road connections to McGrath, but local roads are used by ATVs and trucks". "McGrath offers a variety of unemployment opportunities, but subsistence remains an important part of the local culture."

Well - when I talk DJ into making McGrath our vacation destination I hope they have a good movie at the IMax.

Speaking of weather - The Columbia County Emergency Management contacted our Mayor, Nancy Osterhaus, who told them to contact ME! It seems Columbia County lost a few million in Fed money last year when we did not qualify, not enough snow. Columbus had plenty of snow but Portage did not.

I report all weather observations to CoCoRaHS and even though many organizations use the data - "IT'S NOT OFFICIAL" enough for the Fed. That is where I come in. I was asked to become an OFFICIAL NOAA WEATHER OBSERVING STATION or a ONOAAWOS. (pronounced "Oh No a Woos").

Problem #1 - My current weather station has been down for a more then a month do to lack of hard drive, and #2. it is a 365 day a year task with no retirement benefits or pay. I can volunteer to save Columbia County millions of dollars a year . . . and get nothing in return. SWEET!!!!

At the moment I will have to say thanks but no thanks. I must decline my life long dream of being an OFFICIAL WEATHER GEEK and will have to continue to be a HOBBY WEATHER GEEK.
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Which brings us to Pistachios!

I LOVE Pistachios and I believe they love me. How do I know that? Because they are so so good for me. Especially my cholesterol. I have low BAD cholesterol(LDL) but I lack GOOD cholesterol (HDL). Well Pistachios are one of the best things to put in your mouth when it comes to cholesterol. PLUS, Pistachios are rich in nutrients that reduce hardening of the arteries.

Did you know that pistachios are one of the oldest flowering nut trees. Can you name the OLDEST flowering nut tree? I can't.

Did you know that the Queen of Sheba decreed pistachios an exclusively royal food, going so far as to forbid commoners from using their nuts for personal use.

Court Artist drawing used without permission as he has been dead for many years.

The #1 area in the world for pistachios is Iran. California #2.

How many nuts are mentioned in the Bible. . . . . let me rephrase that. Pistachios are one of only two nuts mention in the Bible (Genesis 43:11),

GRINDERS'S WORD® Translation (©2009)

"Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man who wears dark glasses as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts, almonds and a case of Leinies."

In Iran pistachios are know as "the smiling nut" (move over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) and in China it's the "happy nut". BTW - the shell splits open on it's own and tells you it is ripe.

And what about your red nuts? It's all about mishandling them, you must be more gentile. It seems they used to dye pistachios red to hide imperfections that would occur when hand picked. However now they are all machine picked and there is no need for the dye. Yet, people still seem to think pistachio's are red for a reason. NOPE. They are wrong.

Which brings me to the title of this blog.

Everything You Know is Wrong .

Along with the red pistachio problem there are lots of other things we have been taught that are just wrong. For instance. You must put on a cap because most of your heat loss is through your head. NOPE! WRONG. You cover your head BECAUSE YOUR HEAD WILL GET COLD! There is no scientific proof that you lose EXTRA heat through your head.

Remember the dire warnings years ago about joggers? How there knees would turn to mush from jogging? There has now been 25 years of data on joggers and oddly, THEIR knees are in BETTER shape then non-joggers.

Then there is the DDT mosquito foggers that all of us kids use to run behind. My mom always warned me that it was bad for my health but so far I have noticed that BECAUSE I ran behind thee fogger I still have a full head of hair.!! Yea - but the Bald Eagle, brown pelican and peregrine falcon took the brunt of that storm. When was the last time you saw a brown pelican in Columbus.!!

ummmmmmm - I guess that's not EVERYTHING but my brain is still sparking on pistachio's. I could list 1001 uses for a pistachio but knowing that most of you only got to 50 on yesterdays list I will not . . . list them.

Did you know you could a pistachio as a missing game piece in Monopoly? Yea - that is just ONE use!!!!

ENOUGH!

Make sure you buy The Columbus Pioneer (insert echo) tomorrow at all the regular news stands (where ever they might be).

Also - for all of you in other country's - contact the editor for a subscription. Who can get one sent the farthest for the with the most postage.

Rod