Lilies and Microwaves

September 5th is  the anniversary of the microwave oven  and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.  Its history is outlined here.  It was called the "radarange" and the person who made the discovery was Percy Spencer, an engineer with Raytheon.  He was using a magnetron, and melted the candy bar in his front pocket.  Then he pointed it at a raw egg and exploded it.  Then he went for popcorn kernels and popped them up.  Microwaves heat up the water molecules in food.  The article concludes: "But you can't call yourself a real cook unless you've ruined a meal or two in the microwave. As they saying goes, there's no such thing as a mistake in the kitchen, just a new recipe waiting to be born. Think of it as your chance to add a page to the now 50-year-old history of the little electromagnetic box that could." We look at a lovely combination - a Ranunculus and Water Lily at the Denver Botanical Gardens.

Fun Facts

WHAT ARE THE FUN FACTS TODAY? This comes from thefactsite.com:  "If you’re bored and have ten minutes to kill, then why not check out this awesome list of the top one hundred most random and fun facts.   Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour. In the UK, it is illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day! Pteronophobia is the fear of being tickled by feathers! When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red. A flock of crows is known as a murder. “Facebook Addiction Disorder” is a mental disorder identified by Psychologists. The average woman uses her height in lipstick every 5 years. 29th May is officially “Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day“. Cherophobia is the fear of fun. Human saliva has a boiling point three times that of regular water." I admit that I found the first fact a little bizarre as something fun.

Monet's Water Lilies

Water Lilies

Water Lilies One of the blue flowers, tropical water lilies have complex interiors with little match stick stamens.When one looks up Water Lilies, the first retrieval is about Claude Monet's water lilies paintings.  He did a series of 250 oil paintings and they are on display in museums all over the world.  These paintings are considered influential to many of the following generations of artists, and they are widely recognized and appreciated by the public.