February Ski Tips

Valentine’s Day first appeared in England. Valentines then were called “Penny Dreadfuls” and “Rude and Crudes.” Their messages were so insulting that in the early 1800s, the Chicago Post Office refused to deliver 20,000 of these cards because they were “vicious and obscene.”

Most houseplants require less water in winter months because growth is stopped or slowed.

Prune fruit trees now.

The Band-Aid was introduced in 1920 after a Johnson&Johnson employee, Earle Dickson, fabricated a bandage that his wife could apply by herself on cuts and burns from her cooking.

Start seeds indoors for cool-season vegetables so they will be ready for transplanting to the garden. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage seeds should be started 5-7 weeks prior to transplanting.

Most spices will last 6-12 months if they are stored in glass jar.

Tomatoes contain a nutrient called lycopene, which makes them turn red. It is lycopene that gives tomatoes their cancer-fighting abilities.

The limestone of Indiana became famous after the great fire of Chicago in 1871. After the fire destroyed over 17,000 buildings in 24 hours, the people of Chicago decided they should rebuild using a building material that wouldn’t burn and they chose limestone.

Hot chicken soup has a beneficial decongestant effect that helps relieve cold symptoms.
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A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”