Monday, March 18, 2019


Hell on Earth is actually a small town in Michigan where anyone can be mayor for a day.  Located near the college town of Ann Arbor in southeast Michigan, Hell is a fairly average township with an odd name, a name it has held since 1841.  There are a number of theories as to how the town received its name.  The most likely (but least fun) explanation is that it came from a pair of visiting Germans who described the town as “so schön hell,” (“so beautifully bright”) in the 1830’s.  Other theories concern town founder George Reeves, who, when asked for an opinion on naming the new town, supposedly replied “I don’t know, you can name it Hell for all I care.”  Another theory states that Reeves, who owned a general store and grist mill, was known to pay farmhands in whiskey, prompting their wives complain that their husbands had “gone to Hell again,” when they failed to turn up for supper.  Finally, some believe that the town was simply named for the swampy, mosquito-ridden conditions that early settlers in the area first encountered prior to the town’s founding.  Visit during winter to see “Hell freeze over,” or you may have the chance to jocularly tell someone to “go to Hell” in the course of giving directions.  For the price of $100, a visitor can become the “Mayor of Hell” for one day, receiving a key to the city and the opportunity to be ignominiously impeached at the end of the day.  See the town’s official website for details.  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hell-michigan  See also https://www.gotohellmi.com/

In the 1950's and 1980's, Saturday morning were spent watching programs on your black and white television, and that would be your earliest memory of Jimmy Nelson.  He and his puppets, Danny O'Day and Farfel the dog, made the jingle--"N-E-S-T-L-E-S, NESTLES MAKES THE VERY BEST" . . .  and Farfel would sing . . . "Chawwclate!"  Read more and see pictures at http://www.leejaynelson.com/tributepage.html  See also http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_662701

"The Dog" is the twenty-first episode of Seinfeld.  The episode was the fourth episode of the show's third season.  It aired on October 9, 1991.  Jerry is on a plane back home when the drunk man next to him falls sick and asks Jerry to take care of his dog while he recovers.  He promises to call him and take the dog back when he comes to New York.  The dog "Farfel" (although it can frequently be heard barking loudly, the dog is never seen) turns out to be very disobedient and Jerry can't go out anywhere.  https://worldhistoryproject.org/1991/10/9/the-dog-season-3-episode-4-of-seinfeld-premiers

Farfel is a tiny, pellet-shaped egg noodle with ingredients similar to German spaetzle or Hungarian nokedli.  Farfel was once a popular side dish in Jewish Ashkenazi cuisine and was served simply seasoned alongside meat or poultry.  The word farfel is Yiddish.  Farfel is sometimes called egg barley, though it contains no barley, and doesn't much look like it, either.  You can find commercially prepared, ready to cook farfel in the kosher section of many supermarkets.  You will see the toasted egg barley available as well.  Look for Manischewitz Premium Enriched Egg Noodles Barley Shape and for Manischewitz Toasted Barley Shape Egg Noodles.  To further confuse matters, most folks nowadays are more familiar with matzo farfel, small bits of broken matzo used in Passover recipes.  Matzo farfel likely gets its name more from its size and shape, rather than its culinary qualities, for while it's small (though not as small as "real" farfel), it in no way behaves like an egg noodle in recipes.  https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-farfel-2121591

Peak Bloom April 3-6, 2019 for cherry blossoms in Washington, DC  The peak bloom date is defined as the day when 70% of the Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) blossoms are open.  Peak bloom varies annually depending on weather conditions.  The most likely time to reach peak bloom is between the last week of March and the first week of April.  Extraordinary warm or cool temperatures have resulted in peak bloom as early as March 15 (1990) and as late as April 18 (1958).  The Yoshino trees typically bloom for a period of several days.  The length of the blooming period depends on weather conditions.  Cool, calm weather can extend the length of the bloom, and a rainy, windy day can bring an abrupt end to the ephemeral blossoms.  A late frost can prevent the trees from blooming at all.  Read more and see graphics at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/bloom-watch.htm

The Strait of Sicily (also known as Sicilian StraitSicilian ChannelChannel of SicilySicilian Narrows and Pantelleria Channel is the strait between Sicily and Tunisia.  The strait is about 145 kilometres (90 mi) wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea and the western Mediterranean Sea, from the eastern Mediterranean Sea.  The maximum depth is 316 meters (1,037 ft).  Deep currents in the strait flow from east to west, and the current nearer the surface travels from west to east.  This unusual water flow is of interest to oceanographers.  There are regular ferries between Sicily and Tunis across the Strait of Sicily.  The island of Pantelleria lies in the middle of the strait.  See map at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Sicily

While people generally consider the island of Sicily, just off the coast of the Italian Peninsula, to be European, it is in fact a part of the African plate.  The African plate itself contains large pieces of the Mediterranean Sea as well as the Atlantic Ocean, and Sicily forms the boundary of Africa’s Mediterranean sea plate.  The African plate is a large tectonic plate, one of the many that cover the surface of the Earth.  Tectonic plates float on top of the hot liquid magma of the Earth’s mantle like chunks of ice on a lake.  The African plate makes up a large part of the Earth’s crust, and includes not only the continent of Africa, but also large amounts of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.  The African plate itself seems to be splitting apart.  The East African Rift valley runs from Ethiopia southward, creating some of Africa’s largest lakes, such as Lake Tanganyika.  This rift is a result of the eastern area of Africa diverging from the western area.  Geologists debate whether this means that Africa is in fact composed of two plates, or if the African plate itself is splitting into two pieces.  Chris Burke   https://sciencing.com/african-plate-8667337.html

One of America's most respected and enduring poets, W.S. Merwin, has died.  Merwin's poetry is known for its mystery and wonder, and he was twice named the U.S. poet laureate.  He also won a National Book Award and two Pulitzer Prizes.  Merwin died March 15, 2019 at his home in Hawaii.  He was 91 years old.  Merwin wrote a lot and for a long time.  As a 5-year-old in New Jersey, he wrote hymns for the Presbyterian church where his father was a minister.  Merwin found inspiration in his conservation work and in his Maui home.  He wrote the poem "Place" about his time there:  "On the last day of the world  I would want to plant a tree  what for  not for the fruit  the tree that bears the fruit  is not the one that was planted  I want the tree that stands  in the earth for the first time  with the sun already  going down  and the water  touching its roots  in the earth full of the dead  and the clouds passing  one by one  over its leaves"   Merwin's Maui home, where he raised more than 2,000 trees, will all be set aside as part of the Merwin Conservancy.  Noah Adams  https://www.npr.org/2019/03/15/509122300/poet-w-s-merwin-who-was-inspired-by-conservation-dies-at-91

Vessel (alternately called Hudson Yards Staircase) is a public structure and landmark that was built as part of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project in ManhattanNew York City.  Construction started in April 2017.  The structure topped out in December 2017 and opened on March 15, 2019.  The elaborate honeycomb-like structure rises 16 stories and consists of 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings that visitors would be able to climb.  Designed by the British designer Thomas HeatherwickVessel is the main feature of the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Hudson Yards Public Square.  The structure also has ramps and elevators to make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.  Stephen Ross, the CEO of Hudson Yards' developer Related Companies, said that The Staircase's unusual shape was intended to make the structure stand out like a "12-month Christmas tree."  The copper-clad steps, arranged like a jungle gym and modeled after Indian stepwells, would be able to hold up to 1,000 people at a time.  Heatherwick said that he intends for visitors to climb and explore the structure as if it were an actual jungle gym.  At the top of the structure, visitors could have views of the Hudson River coastline.   See graphics and technical details at

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (November 12, 1928–March 12, 2019) was an American children's writer.  She has written more than 130 books for children and teens and her books have been translated into several languages.  They have won awards including Book of the Year by the Library of Congress or have become selections by the Literary Guild.  Perhaps Sharmat's most popular work features the child detective Nate the Great.  He was inspired by and named after her father, who lived to see the first Nate book published.  Sharmat's husband Mitchell Sharmat expanded Nate's storyline by creating Olivia Sharp, his cousin and fellow detective.  Husband and wife wrote four Olivia Sharp books published 1989 to 1991.  During the 1990s, their son Craig Sharmat (then in his thirties) wrote three Nate books with his mother.  In the mid-1980s Sharmat wrote three books published in 1984 and 1985 under the pseudonym Wendy Andrews.  Sharmat also wrote the Sorority Sisters series, eight short novels published in 1986 and 1987, romantic fiction with a sense of humor.  They are set in a California public high school.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_W._Sharmat

Irish Soda Bread   Easy to make   Shaggy to look at   Good to eat 

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY  Smaller than a breadbox, bigger than a TV remote, the average book fits into the human hand with a seductive nestling, a kiss of texture, whether of cover cloth, glazed jacket, or flexible paperback. - John Updike, writer (18 Mar 1932-2009)

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2064  March 18, 2019 

No comments: