Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a North American tree steeped in Indigenous culture throughout its range within deciduous woodlands of the northeast and southeast United States.  Indigenous names for the tree include kvfi, pauame, and winauk.  The origin of the name sassafras is difficult to pinpoint but date to a mispronunciation by 16th century European explorers of the botanical family Saxifrage.  The root bark has long been enjoyed as a flavorful hot or cold tea and also used as a traditional remedy for treating a variety of illnesses, including common head colds and fevers, and as a digestive aid and general restorative tonic for overall health.  Indigenous people have long known that Sassafras leaves are edible.  Above ground, Sassafras has many admirable features, but its most noteworthy characteristic lies beneath the soil.  Cinnamon-colored bark that contains safrole, an aromatic oil cherished for its spicy scent covers the tree’s roots.  Its scent is a combination of star anise, cinnamon, citrus, and vanilla. The bark has imparted its flavor to fragrant tea, soft drinks, and its extracted oil has been used to scent candles, soaps, and perfumes.  However, safrole is considered a carcinogen and has been banned for human consumption by the Food and Drug Administration since the 1960s.  In the late 19th century, sassafras tea evolved into a refreshing soft drink, thanks to Philadelphia-based pharmacist, Charles Hires. Aromatic sassafras root bark was one of many botanical ingredients in Hires original root beer recipe, which was promoted as a healthy alternative to hard liquor and other alcohol-based drinks.  Fall is the ideal time to look for the characteristic mitten-shaped leaves of the sassafras tree while the leaves are their most colorful.  See pictures at https://cornellbotanicgardens.org/sassafras-native-gem-of-north-america/  The Muser has two sassafras trees in her backyard.     

Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn.  The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, and the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway or the East River on the west.   Adjacent neighborhoods are Dumbo to the north, Downtown Brooklyn to the east, and Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill to the south.  Originally referred to as Brooklyn Village, it has been a prominent area of Brooklyn since 1834.  The neighborhood is noted for its low-rise architecture and its many brownstone rowhouses, most of them built prior to the Civil War.  It also has an abundance of notable churches and other religious institutions.  Brooklyn's first art gallery, the Brooklyn Arts Gallery, was opened in Brooklyn Heights in 1958.  In 1965, a large part of Brooklyn Heights was protected from unchecked development by the creation of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, the first such district in New York City.  The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Heights   

The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to South Korean poet and novelist Han Kang.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is divided, with half awarded to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper for their work on protein structure prediction and the other half to David Baker for his work on computational protein design.  Wikipedia  October 12, 2024  

The second Friday of October, 11 October in 2024, was established as International Egg Day by the International Egg Commission to raise awareness about the benefit of eggs as an inexpensive and nutritious food source. 

overegg verb (third-person singular simple present overeggs, present participle overegging, simple past and past participle overegged)

(transitive, idiomatic, originally UK, regional) to overdo. 

over-egg

overegged, over-egged (adjective)

overegg the pudding, over-egg the pudding

See also

gild the lily

go overboard

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/overegg#English    

George Bernard Shaw once quipped, "I often quote myself; it adds spice to my conversation." A.Word.a Day with Anu Garg  October 14, 2024   

October 14:  Indigenous Peoples' Day in the United States (2024); Thanksgiving in Canada (2024)  Wikipedia   

The first Columbus Day celebration took place on October 12, 1792, when the Columbian Order of New York, better known as Tammany Hall, held an event to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the historic landing.  The Columbus Obelisk in Baltimore was erected in 1792.  Many Italian Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage and not of Columbus himself, and the day was celebrated in New York City on October 12, 1866.  The day was first enshrined as a legal holiday in the United States through the lobbying of Angelo Noce, a first-generation American, in Denver.   The first statewide holiday was proclaimed by Colorado governor Jesse F. McDonald in 1905, and it was made a statutory holiday in 1907.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Day   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2864  October 14, 2024