Signs of Spring

There are many signs of spring - the most common one we hear about is seeing robins again. However, some robins do stick around all year. I have seen some in our yard in December and January. But when I see a chipmunk up and running around, awake from the long winter hibernation, then I know spring is just around the corner. Any morning now I will wake up, much too early, to his constant chip chip chip chip chip chip.

Happy Birthday Captain Kirk

On March 22, 2228, James Tiberius Kirk will be born in Riverside, Iowa.

The City Council there needed a theme for the town festival and came up with the idea of claiming to be the future birthplace of Kirk. They got permission from Gene Roddenberry to do so and have been having fun ever since.

I would like to be there on his actual birth date, but I may not make it to Iowa then. Hopefully it will be a grand and bold celebration.

Pi Day Update

Woohoo!

I got this posted on 3/14 at 1:59 p.m.

That's 3.14159.

Happy Pi Day

Today is 3-14, or in other words, Pi Day. Larry Shaw is the founder of Pi Day, which was celebrated for the first time in 1988 at the San Francisco Exploratorium.

Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. The value of pi is approximately equal to 3.14 or 3.14159. I could keep adding more decimal places, but I would not be able to stop since the value of pi keeps going on and on.

According to newscientist.com blog, House Resolution 224, supporting the designation of a Pi Day, passed 391-10. Congressman Jason Chaffetz was not willing to support Pi Day because he felt it should go on forever.

Rice is Nice

I finally made some rice in my Rice Cooker. I bought it a while ago, but just never was in the mood for rice, so yesterday I read the instructions and had a go at it. It turned out great. The rice I like the best is a sushi rice. It is a short grain rice and has great flavor and nice texture. We decided to buy a rice cooker because my new counter-top electric range did not do as good of a job of cooking rice as the old gas stove did.

When I looked at all the different brands of rice cookers to choose from, I decided to buy the one that had an endorsement by Martin Yan. Some years back I would watch his cooking show once in a while. He sure knew how to make a lot of different dishes and if he couldn't get a job cooking, he probably could have made it as a stand-up comedian.

Happy National Square Root Day

Today is 3-3-09. (Hopefully I'll get this uploaded today yet.) You know, 3 times 3 equals 9, a square root! Last one was on 2-2-04 and next one will be on 4-4-16. In honor of the day, I made some square roots, i.e. carrot (root vegetable) squares. Well, no, they aren't perfectly square, but how many of you even made an attempt to celebrate? Hah, gotcha!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

I searched for some information on Google today and was reminded that March 2 is the birthday of Dr. Seuss. There is a fitting logo for Google today, so be sure to check out Google while the logo is still there. Also, take this chance to read to a child today. Whether it is your own child, a younger brother or sister, a niece or nephew, a grandchild or someone that you take care of while a parent is working, find a good book and start reading. If you need more information, just Google "Read Across America."

First Robin

I saw robins in the back yard on Sunday, the first I have seen since last fall. As soon as some people see a robin, they get all excited that there will be no more snow, that warm temperatures will return, and that they should start raking the lawn. Wrong, we still have snow on the ground and it never made it above 32 degrees today. If you expect that we will have eight more weeks of winter, then if we get a spring warm-up sooner, it will be a pleasant surprise.

Deer Alert: Of course, as I write this, there are at least five deer in the back yards. Reminder to Self: Check the local nurseries for Liquid Fence and stock up now.