Beech Tree News Network

I’ve been collecting bits of information from my recent reading. These bits and pieces are not related to one another, but simply things that caught my interest. I hope you see a snippet that interests you, too.

First, from The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2022 desk calendar, I found the following information:

-Honeybees and wasps are different. While the worker honeybee can sting only once then dies, the wasp can sting repeatedly. Honeybees make honey, but wasps don’t. Honeybees are vegetarians; wasps eat spiders, flies, and caterpillars.

-Rainbow at night, shepherd’s delight; rainbow in morning, shepherds take warning.

-Fruit Fly Trap: Pour apple cider vinegar into a small jar to a depth of ½ inch. Add two drops of dishwashing detergent liquid and then mix. Fruit flies that land on the solution to drink will fall in and drown because the detergent breaks up the surface tension of the liquid.

-For minor cuts and scrapes, apply the inside coating, or skin, of the shell of a raw egg. Its moist surface will adhere to the wound and ease the pain. It may also reduce the risk of scarring.

-Facts about four First Ladies: Martha Washington donated some personal silverware for the minting of the first coins. Grace Coolidge, wife of Calvin Coolidge, was nicknamed “Sunshine” by the White House staff. Edith Galt Wilson, second wife of Woodrow Wilson, pre-screened all matters of state following her husband’s severe stroke, functionally running the Executive branch of government for the remainder of Wilson’s second term. Lou Henry Hoover, wife of Herbert Hoover, helped to create the American Women’s War Relief Fund and Hospital.

-Irish blessing: May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and the road downhill all the way to your door.

-Do you doodle? Square and rectangular doodling indicates an organized and efficient mind. Flower doodling suggests a good-natured person who puts family first. Doodles of stars represents ambition and optimism.

-Place straw, bark, pine needles, or leaf mulch around your plants to help slow evaporation of water from the soil.

-Easy Pink Lemonade: Juice 2 lemons; strain. Mash 1 pint strawberries; press through a sieve. Combine lemon and berry juice; stir in ½ cup sugar, more or less to taste. Pour into pitcher with 5 cups cold water. Add ice. Makes 6 servings.

Second, in Better Homes & Gardens magazine article “Better – Your Guide to a Happy, Healthy Life” (March-June 2022), I noticed the following:

-More than one in three Americans are sleep-deprived. Aim for seven hours of sleep per night, even on weekends.

-21% of Americans say their home is cluttered. One study found that people who live with clutter have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day. Create a tidying up routine, like playing soothing music for ten minutes while picking up a few nights a week.

-46% of Americans are expected to retire with debt – a mortgage, car payments, credit card bills or other types. Payments shouldn’t exceed 36 percent of all your pretax income (Social Security, pension, retirement savings).

-Coffee and tea drinkers are 28% less likely to develop dementia. Scientists found that the protective benefits kicked in at two to three cups a day of coffee, tea, or a combination of the two. People who had four to six cups daily were nearly a third less likely to have a stroke or develop dementia.

-Do a monthly skin self-check, and if you notice any new or changing spots, have a dermatologist check them out.

-Research shows that running just 5-10 minutes a day may slash your risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke by as much as 45%. Try a free running app such as Nike+ Run Club or MapMyWalk.

-Pets Warning: Sidewalks and pavement can burn the pads of your pet’s paws. If you can’t comfortably hold your hand on the pavement, it’s too hot for your pet. Grass and soil stay cooler.

Winston Churchill said, “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught,” and Carl Friedrich Gauss said, “It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment.” Learning is indeed a process. And I enjoy sharing information that catches my attention.