Welcome to a potpourri of fun! On this page you’ll find the latest comics by Jari Thymian, a motivational quote, a crossword puzzle contest, and whatever else we decide to throw in here. Be sure to check back for the latest!

• Earth Corner – With Pat Walsh
• Riding the Santa Fe Trail – by Laura Brewer
• Every Day Should be Earth Day – Editorial by Laura Brewer
• Frank Mahannah – Gallery
• Exploring Climax Canyon by Mauricio Meneses
• Madi’s Kitchen
• Quotes & Riddles

Quotes & Riddles

Riddle Answer

Earth Corner – With Pat Walsh

Warming Up Vehicles in the Cold Weather

Posted November 3, 2024

Have you ever known something was true, then discovered you were wrong? In my park ranger days, I told kids on coal camp field trips that the diamond in my mom’s old ring was made from coal. Oops.

While diamonds and coal are both made of carbon, coal comes from ancient plants that died and were buried. Diamonds are much older than coal and come from deeper in the Earth.

Now I have a question for you: How long does it take to warm up your gas car? If your car was made within the last 30 years or so, here’s the answer: 30 seconds.

“Even in cold weather, most modern cars are safe to drive after about 30 seconds of idling,” says AutoZone online. How Long Should You Let Your Car Warm Up in the Winter Cold? – AutoZone Cars.com adds. “Idling reduces your vehicle’s fuel economy, costs you money, and creates pollution.” Should You Warm Up Your Car in Winter? | Cars.com

I often see empty cars idling. On my Facebook page, I did a quick informal survey to see why. One thought was that warming up a car was needed to lubricate and protect the engine with oil.

Here’s what J.D. Power says online: Do You Need to Warm Your Car Up?

“Before the mid-1990s, most vehicles used a carburetor, a mechanism that blends air and fuel…” But newer cars have fuel-injected engines. “Since modern vehicles do not have carburetors, internal combustion engine vehicles only need about 20-30 seconds to lubricate the engine.”

When we idle more than that, “Researchers estimate that idling from heavy-duty and light duty vehicles combined wastes about 6 billion gallons of fuel annually,” says the U.S. Department of Energy. Idling Reduction for Personal Vehicles

Aside from the cost of gasoline, there’s an important health cost.

“It’s especially important for caregivers waiting to pick up schoolchildren to minimize idling, because vehicle emissions are more concentrated near the ground, where children breathe,” the U.S. Department of Energy says. “Poor air quality can contribute to asthma and other ailments, and children’s lungs are more susceptible to damage than adults’ lungs …”

But turning the car on and off repeatedly hurts the engine, right? Like at a drive-through restaurant? Nope.

“…today’s gasoline and diesel vehicles do not suffer damage by being turned on and off,” the Department of Energy says. “Starters and batteries are much more durable now…”

What about windshield ice? Or you want the car to be warm inside?

“If your windshield or windows are foggy, you may want to wait a minute for the defroster to heat up before driving off,” AutoZone recommends. “Keeping a good ice scraper and snow brush handy can help get your windows clear quickly.”

Consumer Reports Should You Warm Up Your Car Before Driving? – Consumer Reports adds: “In terms of comfort, when you drive the car it’s going to warm up in just a few minutes vs. idling for 15 or 20 minutes. Extended idling just wastes gas.”

Help our Earth – Editorial by Laura Brewer

Every day should be Earth Day, but officially we celebrate in the U.S. on Monday, April 22, 2024. Below is a graphic of some of the things one can do to help our Earth.

Posted November 17, 2024 – Provided by Laura Brewer

Madi’s Kitchen

Ambrosia Salad and Fruit Turkey

Two of my favorite things to make for Thanksgiving are a fruit turkey and ambrosia salad, both of which are delicious and full to the brim the with fruit! And not much is better than fresh fruit—other than fresh fruit, and whipped cream! You can make ambrosia salad with canned pineapples and mandarin oranges, but it’s way better with fresh, plus then the fruit isn’t slimy (I can’t stand slimy fruit!)

In Greek mythology, ambrosia was the name for the food of the gods, believed to grant immortality. While the ambrosia salad of today won’t make you immortal, it does feel a bit divine with its dreamy blend of fruit and cream. Called many things, including Waltenberg Salad, this dish first appeared in print in 1867 in the cookbook Dixie Cookery: The Practical Cookbook for Southern Housekeepers. The original recipe was simple, just three lines long, and had only a few ingredients: pulped oranges, grated coconut, and sugar.

Over time, it evolved, adding in ingredients considered exciting and new that came along with the newly built railroads connecting to Florida—the orange growing capital of the United States! The Iron Horses also brought coconuts all across the US, giant fruits that originally came from South America. While these ingredients aren’t as unique or adventurous nowadays—we can find them at Super Save–in post-Civil War America these were exotic foods. And in the 1880s, the introduction of pineapple to the dish made the dish even more exotic and interesting. This was around the same time that cream was added to the recipe, probably to balance out the tanginess of the pineapple! By the early 20th century, ambrosia had become a hit, boosted further by the invention of marshmallow whip in the 1920s. Not long after perfecting it, Philadelphia-based confectionery Stephen F. Whitman & Son paid food columnists to subtly advertise their new marshmallow whip! The company received rave reviews from trusted sources and soon, recipes that included this new marshmallow whip ingredient started appearing in the newspapers.

Home cooks enthusiastically added this fluffy sweetener to their recipes, and later innovations like Cool Whip in 1966 cemented ambrosia salad, almost 100 years after its origin, as the quintessential American sweet salad. Cool Whip, an alternative to homemade whipped cream, had a flavor all of its own and quickly became a foundation for the super sweet “salads” of the time. It was the perfect ingredient for ambrosia salad, and through the 1980s and 1990s could be found as a staple in many southern and midwestern households.  Despite its heyday in the mid-20th century, ambrosia salad has since fallen out of favor—perhaps because its once-exotic ingredients now seem every-day ordinary, and its humble, creamy appearance doesn’t shine in the Instagram age.

Honestly, it’s not the best for photos; it’s a blobby little bowl of fruit and whip cream. Very yummy, but not an up-vote-worthy photograph. However, I truly believe ambrosia will get its own comeback story one day—considering, after all, that it is a VERY delicious bowl of fruit and cream. And for those of us who cherish traditional tastes over trends, this 150 year old living recipe for ambrosia salad is a delicious way to connect with culinary history. 

If you like to buck trends, however—this recipe is also perfect! You can use it to fill the base of a “fruit turkey,” a vegetarian-friendly turkey-themed centerpiece complete with fruit skewer “tail feathers” that I make every year for Thanksgiving. It’s charming for kids and adults alike, and a good way to lighten up a table that can otherwise get sort of heavy! 

Ambrosia Salad Recipe Ingredients

1 cup frozen whipped topping (thawed) or freshly made whipped cream
½ cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 1/3 cups (11 oz can) mandarin orange segments, drained
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
1 cup maraschino cherries, drained
1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
½ cup chopped pecans (optional) 

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix the whipped topping and yogurt until smooth.
2. Gently fold in the coconut, oranges, pineapple, cherries, marshmallows, and pecans, if using.
3. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Fruit Turkey Recipe

This edible centerpiece is as fun to make as it is to eat! Use the suggested fruits or customize the recipe with your favorites.

Ingredients

•1 honeydew melon
•1 apple
•1 large strawberry
•2 blueberries
•Assorted fruits for skewers (e.g., strawberries, pineapple chunks, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)

Instructions

1. Prepare the Base: Slice a small piece off the bottom of the honeydew so it sits flat. Cut a circle at the top, as you would for a pumpkin, and set the “lid” aside. Scoop out the flesh with a melon baller, reserving the fruit for later.
2. Make the Tail Feathers: Thread assorted fruits onto skewers, alternating colors for a festive look.
3. Assemble the Head: Use a toothpick to attach the strawberry (as the turkey’s beak) and two blueberries (as eyes) to the apple. Secure the apple to the front of the honeydew with another toothpick.
4. Fill and Decorate: Fill the hollow honeydew with the reserved fruit and any extra fruits—or the ambrosia salad recipe, above! Replace the lid and insert the fruit skewers into the back to form the turkey’s tail feathers.
5. Serve: Scoop fruit salad from the center or grab a skewer for easy snacking.

Exploring Climax Canyon by Mauricio Meneses

Artist Mauricio Meneses (D’MAU) is creating videos highlighting sights in and around New Mexico. Visit his YouTube channel to see more. Click on the image below to go to the YouTube video.

Riddle Answer – The letter e