There are six places around the country that make up the U.S. Mint.  To learn about a facility, click on a city:  Denver, Colorado  Fort Knox, Kentucky  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  San Francisco, California  Washington, DC  West Point, New York   https://www.usmint.gov/learn/kids/about-the-mint/locations  

What Does Bone to Pick Mean?  Pick has several meanings.  One of these is to repeatedly pull at something.  This is the sense the word has in this idiom.  Most sources state that this expression comes from a dog trying to pick off the meat from a bone, and one connotation of this idiom is trying to solve a difficult time-consuming problem.  This is likely related to the fact that dogs often gnaw on a bone for very long periods of time, even when most of the meat is gone.  This type of usage dates back to the 1500s.  https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/bone-to-pick   

Pizzelle recipe  https://theaugurbit.com/2024/09/29/pizzelle-recipe/ 

Pizzelle are Italian waffle cookies made with flour, eggs, sugar, butter or vegetable oil, and flavoring (usually anise or anisette, less commonly vanilla or lemon zest).  Pizzelle can be molded into various shapes, including in the tubular shape of cannoli.  Pizzelle were originally made in the comune (municipality) of Ortona, in the Abruzzo region of Italy.  Many other cultures have developed a pizzelle-type cookie as part of their culture (for example, the Norwegian krumkake).  It is known to be one of the oldest cookies and is probably to have developed from the ancient Roman crustulum.  Pizzelle are popular during Christmas and Easter.  They are often found at Italian weddings, alongside other traditional pastries such as cannoli and traditional Italian cookies.  It is also common to sandwich two pizzelle with cannoli cream (ricotta blended with sugar) or hazelnut spread.  Pizzelle, while still warm, can also be rolled into a tubular shape using a wooden dowel to create cannoli shells.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzelle  

The phoenix is an immortal bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again.  While it is part of Greek mythology, it has analogs in many cultures, such as Egyptian and Persian mythology.  Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor.  See graphics at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(mythology)  

The phrase  “pigs might fly” is used to indicate incredulity or impossibility, or to mock credulity in others.  This notion is found in the obsolete proverb pigs fly with their tails forward, which redoubles the absurdity.  It is first attested in Against Ierome Osorius Byshopp of Siluane in Portingall and against his slaunderous inuectiues An aunswere apologeticall: for the necessary defence of the euangelicall doctrine and veritie.  First taken in hand by M. Walter Haddon, then undertaken and continued by M. Iohn Foxe, and now Englished by Iames Bell (1581), by Walter Haddon (1516-72), John Foxe (1516-87) and James Bell (floruit 1551-96).  https://wordhistories.net/2017/05/25/pigs-might-fly/  You can find “pigs might fly” designs in fabric and wallpaper.   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2871  October 30, 2024