Wondering about wild grapes

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Did You Know?

Did you know that the wild Tea Berry plant was once harvested for the wintergreen oil they made from it?  Have you ever seen wild Teaberry?  When I lived in Pennsylvania as a boy, I spent a lot of time at our family's camp in the Tionesta area and would take long hikes.  There was a lot of Teaberry growing there and I chewed on the leaves to freshen up my mouth and to help satisfy my thirst.  I was always told not to eat the berries, however.  Here is picture I got off of the website "emergencyoutdoors.com":



Also, when I was in school, we took a trip to Pittsburgh and toured the Wrigley's Chewing Gum plant.  Quite interesting, for sure.  Yes, one of their gum flavors was teaberry, which I do not believe they make anymore.  By the way, did you know that first product to have a bar code was Wrigleys gum?  Now that is a little bit of history that I didn't know unil now.

I will finish up this blog in a jiffy, but first I have a few other interesting facts.  By the way, did you know that a jiffy is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.  OK then, it will take a few jiffies. . .

Now, I bet you didn't know that porcupines float in water.  I have seen a lot them but none have been in the water, so I can't say that I have seen one floating.  I wonder if they float on their back to keep huge fish from grabbing them??

I have always heard that donkeys are sure footed, but never knew why until now.  I just found out that the placement of their eyes enables them to see all four feet at all times.

OK, just one more.  A quarter has 119 grooves on its edge and a dime has only one less groove even though it is quite a bit smaller in diameter.  OK, I learned a few things putting this posting together and I hope you learned something from it, too, or just enjoyed reading it.  Now you all have a great day, you hear?

17 comments:

  1. I sure didn't think there was an actual "jiffy". I learned something new this evening.

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    1. It is amazing what I learn by researching for blog postings, writing blogs, and by reading other's blogs

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  2. Replies
    1. How much is a "smidgen"? I believe it is defined as a "small amount". Now for the next question, how much is a "small amount"?

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    2. OK, now I understand. . . I think.

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  3. I'll comment in a mo! I expect that was short for moment. So how much is a tiddly-bit, or a tad?

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    1. Just slightly more than a smidgen. . . (grin) Heck, I don't know.

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  4. I finally bought a set of five measuring spoons just for fun. It's a big joke . . . I think. The largest is tad, then dash, pinch, smidgen and drop. I wonder who thought this up. Here is the "conversation" chart.

    UNUSUAL CONVERSIONS

    a Hint = 1/2 drop
    a Drop = 1/64 tsp (1/2 smidgen)
    a Smidgen = 1/32 tsp (1/2 pinch)
    a Pinch = 1/16 tsp (1/2 dash)
    a Dash = 1/8 tsp (1/2 tad)
    a Tad = 1/4 tsp

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    1. Thanks Janet. Everybody needs to know that list. Wouldn't want anyone to mess up a recipe.

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    2. Haha Maybe this is what's wrong with my cooking!

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  5. Very interesting blog. Most of the facts I did not know. Except for the donkey. That one I new because I have visited the Grand Canyon and learned that from a Park Ranger.

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    1. Oh yes, thanks for reminding me that they use donkeys on those dangerous trails.

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  6. Good stuff, Dizzy. I didn't know any of those factoids. I especially enjoyed the "jiffy", which I expect is slightly longer than "lickety-split", right? (grin)
    Thanks for a fun post.

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    1. Dang Baby Sis, I don't know which is faster. They are both pretty fast. . .

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