Karen’s Opinion

Good Golly Miss Molly! It is Friday! With Friday come Four Foods on Friday. Thanks to Val at Fun Crafts and Recipes.

Here are this Friday’s questions:

#1. What’s the oddest thing you’ve ever made with bread? My husband and I made a candy cane with bread. It was yummy.

#2. What’s the oddest thing you’ve ever done with mac and cheese or pasta? I remember making a candle holder and decorating it with pasta.

#3. Is there a food you eat other then it is intended? I really can’t think of anything. Of course, when I read other responses I will think Oh yeah! why didn’t I think of that! LOL

#4. What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever seen? I saw them eating chicken feet on a television show. Yucko.

Two years ago, during a horrible storm, the siding on our house was damaged by golf ball sized hail. It made holes all over the siding. Since we had to have the siding on our house replaced, we decided it would be a good time to add that room we always wanted on the back of our house. We call it “the lodge room.” It has cedar siding, a vaulted ceiling with beams and rustic decorations. We love our room.

The only problem with our room was the electric bill that came with it. Our electric bill was very high because the sun beats into our room through 10 windows. We had to do something to keep the sun out but not detract from our beautiful view. We have deer, squirrels and birds of many kinds visiting our back yard. We love being able to watch for them out our windows.

We solved the problem with a unique window treatment, the Eco-Solar Shade. These shades don’t distract from our view at all. The folks at The Shade Store can help you figure out the size you need and are so anxious to help you that they are offering a special code ,IZEA01, which will allow you to save 15% on your purchase from them! Oh, and another thing, shipping is free on all orders during this promotion. Wow! Be sure to use the code: IZEA01.

Features of the Eco-Solar Shade include:

*heat absorbent
*protection from harmful UV Rays
*reduces glare
*materials are 100% recyclable (GreenGuard Certified)

These shades are so energy efficient that we were able to reduce the amount of time we ran our air conditioner. That saves us a lot of money. We are so glad to have found Eco-Solar Shades for our room. My mother in-law liked our shades so much that she had us order one for her kitchen window.

Thank you Hawg! I enjoyed making my own newspaper article and also am appreciative of knowing how it is done. It would be easy to be duped wouldn’t it?

Our associate pastor at church was so wound up this morning. He welcomed us all by proclaiming that it was a balmy day. I suppose since the temperature had gone up from -2 that he felt it was more springlike type weather. I do not agree! I know he was kidding but 22 degrees is still too cold for me!

It is downright dangerous to be working outdoors. I feel so sorry for our utility employees who are on call during the winter months. We ate lunch with friends of whom the husband works for our local utility company. He was on call last week when it was so horribly cold. He talked about fixing a water main that had broken. I suggested he have on hand icebreaker merino gear to avoid getting frostbite. I don’t know how they keep from being injured. It would only take a bit of skin being uncovered to find yourself in trouble of frostbite.

Our schools were closed on Thursday and Friday this past week. We live in a rural area where kids have to stand out in the cold waiting for their bus to arrive. The roads are icy and that makes it hazardous enough to drive without having inexperienced teens on the streets. The joy of teens and driving. That brings me to another subject.

I have heard that different states are thinking of raising the age to 18 before a person can apply for a drivers license. What do you think of that? It was nice when my kids were able to drive themselves to school and to after school projects though I did worry about them being on the road. I have mixed emotions about the age they are allowed to drive. Heck, there are 60 year old people that shouldn’t have a driver’s license.

The national news had a story this evening about coins being made to commemorate the inauguration. The US presidential inauguration will be held on Tuesday, January 20th. A special coin is being made to commemorate the special date. Coins have long held a position in our country’s traditions. Coins are often minted with special pictures and lettering to identify the occasion being honored. These coins are often referred to as challenge coins.

My daughter has received a few challenge coins during her military stint. These coins hold a special meaning to the receiver and are usually saved with other important mementos. Commanders and units give out coins as awards and as mementos for services rendered or special occasions. Challenge coins are often given for a job well done which often improves morale. It also is given to signify joining a unit or division.

The history of the challenge coin varies. During my investigation of how the coin became called the challenge coin, I found the following information;

From Wikipedia:
As the legend goes, a wealthy lieutenant, ordered small, solid-bronze medallions (or coins) struck, which he then presented to the other pilots in his squadron as mementos of their service together. The coin was gold-plated, bore the squadron’s insignia, and was quite valuable. One of the pilots in the squadron, who had never owned anything like the coin, placed it in a leather pouch he wore around his neck for safekeeping. A short while later, this pilot’s aircraft was heavily damaged by ground fire (other sources claim it was an aerial dogfight), forcing him to land behind enemy lines and allowing him to be captured by the Germans. The Germans confiscated the personal belongings from his pockets, but they didn’t catch the leather pouch around his neck. On his way to a permanent prisoner of war facility, he was held overnight in a small German-held French village near the front. During the night, the town was bombarded by the British, creating enough confusion to allow the pilot to escape.

The pilot avoided German patrols by donning civilian attire, but all of his identification had been confiscated so he had no way to prove his identity. With great difficulty, he sneaked across no-man’s land and made contact with a French patrol. Unfortunately for him, the French had been on the lookout for German saboteurs dressed as civilians. The French mistook the American pilot for a German saboteur and immediately prepared to execute him.

Desperate to prove his allegiance and without any identification, the pilot pulled out the coin from his leather pouch and showed it to his French captors. One of the Frenchmen recognized the unit insignia on the coin and delayed the execution long enough to confirm the pilot’s identity.

Once the pilot safely returned to his squadron, it became a tradition for all members to carry their coin at all times. To ensure compliance, the pilots would challenge each other to produce the coin. If the challenged couldn’t produce the coin, he was required to buy a drink of choice for the challenger; if the challenged could produce the coin, the challenger would purchase the drink.

The rules of how challenge coins are used vary.
It usually begins with the challenger drawing his/her coin, and slapping or placing the coin on the table or bar. Everyone being challenged must immediately produce the coin for their organization and anyone failing to do so must buy a round of drinks for the challenger and everyone else who has their challenge coin. However, should everyone challenged be able to produce their coin, the challenger must buy a round of drinks for the group.

While most holders of challenge coins usually carry them in their pockets or in some other readily accessible place on their persons, most versions of the rules permit a challenged person “a step and a reach” (particularly useful if one is challenged in the shower).