Dürer's Rhino

126 posts
Gregarious misanthrope. Optimistic cynic. I live by the code of 'Beer on! Pants off!'

This Mid-19th Century Fort Can Be Yours

This is some unreal real estate. An American fort built in 1844 to deter British invasion from the north, Fort Montgomery lies abandoned and unwanted at the US-Canada border on Lake Champlain. An earlier plan was halted when a surveyors’ error was discovered and the builders realized that the 45th parallel, the US-Canada border, was almost a mile south, placing the fort squarely in enemy territory. An 1842 treaty adjusted the border and the site of ‘Fort Blunder’ became the legitimate property of the United States. Continue reading →

QOTD: Home Remedies

I had a sinus headache for several days and it got me thinking about what we do to avoid going to the doctor. For my headache I’ve run my Neti pot twice a day, applied a warm buckwheat and lavender spa wrap to my head, and, lest you think I’m a hippie, took two ibuprofen every few hours. I’ve been known to sip flat cola for nausea and knock back a half-teaspoon of baking soda for agida. I’ve also reduced my seasonal allergies by eating a little raw local honey every day. Okay, maybe I am a bit of hippie.

Today’s Question of the Day: What are some of your tried and true home remedies?

Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or its comments is intended as medical advice. If it hurts, itches, bleeds, oozes, or stays erect for more than four hours, please see your doctor.

Diet Soda Can Make You Fat

Yes, diet soda is probably as bad, if not worse, for your waistline as regular soda with high-fructose corn syrup or sugar.

Two separate studies released at a recent meeting of the American Diabetes Association have similar findings. One study followed humans drinking two or more diet sodas a day who developed larger waistlines than a control group. The second study followed mice that maintained significantly higher blood sugar levels than the control group. Continue reading →

QOTD: Beat The Heat

Yeah, it is that hot. All over North America, and summer has only just started. How do you survive the heat? Do you make a swamp cooler, hang out at the community pool, or just go to the movies where the air conditioning is always set at 67° F?

On a Sunday afternoon you can probably find me floating in Falls Lake with a cold beer in my hand. Today’s QOTD:

What is your favorite hot weather recreation?

(photo: Flickr )

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QOTD: Time Machine

If it weren’t for the lack of hygiene, I’d love to travel to past eras. I’d wander Venetian canals during the Italian Renaissance, walk in the gardens of Babylonia, drink champagne with the 18th century French court, or sit in the front row of the Globe Theater on opening night. Today’s QOTD:

If you had a time machine, where would you be off to?

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QOTD: School Is Out!

I don’t know about y’all, but I lived for summer vacation when I was a wee rhino living in northern and central NY. I had endless options; fishing, swimming, exploring the forests, reading under a tree, the possibilities seemed as endless as the summer. Today’s QOTD:

How did you while away your summers as a kid?

As soon as I finished my chicken coop duties, I threw a pair of shorts on over my bathing suit, strapped a fishing pole to my back, grabbed some sandwiches, and took off on my bicycle. I had to be home by dusk. At night I caught fireflies or played Ghost In The Graveyard and Kick the Can until I got called in or couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore, whichever came first.

(photo: Flickr)

QOTD: The Fridge Is Empty

You need dinner and the only things in the refrigerator are a jar of pickles the neighbor made, a range of completely inoffensive condiments, and something that might have been protein once and now can only be described as chickenporkfish. Today’s QOTD:

What is your emergency supper plan?

Do you go out? Order in? Cook the three-year-old box of Rice-a-Roni in the back of the pantry?
Just drink?

Continue reading →