tidbitsofnorthcentralarkansas.com

OVER 4 MILLION Readers Weekly Nationwide!

of North Central Arkansas

March 15 2016 Ozark Life Publishing, LLC

The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read® for Ad Quotes call: (870) 421-7898

Vol 2 Issue 11

jacklb@tidbitsofnorthcentralarkansas.com

TIDBITS® VISITS

THE RAINFOREST

Your

world.

Alive with sound.

Imagine your life with a clearer, closer connection to the people and experiences you love. Ear, Nose & Throat Associates of Mountain Home can help you get there with a custom-fit hearing solution created to suit your individual needs. We are our area’s exclusive providers of AGX® Hearing technology.

Call today to schedule your consultation

888.708.0219

Deborah Baker, Au.D. Julee Hodges, Au.D. Doctors of Audiology

Mountain Home 626 Burnett Dr

entamh.com

by Janet Spencer As our thoughts start turning to spring, come along with Tidbits as we explore a place where there is no spring, no autumn, no winter— only perpetual summer: the jungle rainforest.

JUNGLE FACTS • Why is the jungle so diverse? 30 million years ago, the area that is now the Amazon jungle entered a long dry period. The tropical rain forests growing there at the time were wiped out, and only isolated pockets of jungle surrounded by vast grasslands remained. Each pocket of jungle followed its own evolutionary course over thousands of years.

• When the climate once again became warm and wet following the last ice age 10,000 years ago, the different types of jungle grew together again, with each forest contributing many different species of plant and animal.

• As a result, the South American forests are the most diverse in the world. Whereas many temperate forests are composed largely of just a few species of tree, in the Amazon you may have to travel a mile or more to find two trees of the same species.

BUSINESS OWNERS! What’s your 2016 strategy?

Tidbits of North Central Arkansas is read

by OVER 14,800* PEOPLE EVERY WEEK!

MARCH

New Client Special “New” Local Stories coming!

• In any North American forest it is rare to find more than 15 species of tree in the entire ecosytem. In the Amazon, a five-acre plot may contain between 100 and 250 different species.

• In the northern deciduous forests of the temperate climates, every tree drops its leaves at the same time, triggered by the change of seasons. Thus, each year the forest floor receives a huge boon of nutritious new dead material all at one time. This stuff gradually turns into rich soil.

• But in the tropical rainforest, no change of season occurs so no massive leaf drop ever happens.

Tropical trees drop their leaves gradually over the entire year. The unending heat and moisture of the climate spur the growth of bacteria, insects, and fungi, which consume the material and cause it to decompose quickly, converting it into nutrient building blocks.

• The process of decomposition which takes between one and seven years in North American forests (depending on climate) takes only six weeks in the Amazon. Nutrients are immediately used again by the many growing plants. The deep rich soil that accumulates in temperate forests never has a chance to collect in the Amazon. The forest floor in the Amazon is like a huge living stomach.

UNENDING RAIN • In temperate forests, it usually rains only sporadically, but in the Amazon, it rains daily.

Millions of years of daily rainfall combined with constant heat leached the nutrients from the soil, leaving it high in aluminum and iron oxides which are responsible for the soil’s characteristic red color.

The soil is highly acidic and unable to support much plant life. Without the constant fall of dead material from above, the dirt is worthless.

• So the ecosystem of the rainforest is up-sidedown in comparison to other forests: the nutrients are stored not in the soil, but in the living canopy.

“Tidbits Facebook Page” coming! ”Flying Around the Mountain”

Ozarks... Folks... Vittles... Adventure Contact me for more information on how your business can profit

by Partnering with Tidbits!

Kent Jones

Sales and Marketing Specialist

iliketidbits@gmail.com

(870) 404-5757

OVER 4 MILLION

ON-LINE WEEKLY

Readers Weekly Nationwide!

Recording Life’s Memories!

Professional Video Services

35 Years Experience Infomercials -Video Cards Instructional-Web Videos Studio Editing Your Vodeo

Awesome Outdoor

Productions 870.404.5757

Jaimon’s Lawn Care 18 Years in Business

(Continued next page)

Lawn Mowing ~ Tree Trimming ~ Landscaping Spring Clean-up ~ Fertilizing ~ Aeriation Clean & Refurbish Bark & Lava Beds Leaf Removal ~ Gutter Cleaning ~ Tree Removal Specialized Hedge & Bush Trimming ~ Snow Removal

Dependable Quality Service Reasonable Rates

(870) 492-5464 Free Spring Estimates!

Page 2

Tidbits® of North Central Arkansas (Front page continued)

When the forest is cut and burned, the only nutrients left are in the ashes.

• After the trees are cut down in a tropical rainforest, nutrients in the soil disappear after only a few harvests of crops, and the soil is soon lost entirely to erosion, never to be replaced. Once the forest is cleared, it is extraordinarily difficult to reverse the damage.

1. Is the book of 2 Chronicles in the Old or New Testament or neither?

2. From Acts 9, what dressmaker was restored to life by Peter’s prayers? Dorcas, Leah, Jezebel, Miriam 3. For how many pieces of silver did Joseph’s brothers sell him to Midianite traders? 3, 7, 12, 20 4. From Exodus 28, what fruit was used as a design on priestly garments? Grapes, Pomegranates, Pears, Figs 5. Pharaoh gave what burnt city to his daughter for a gift? Cana, Gezer, Joppa, Bethel 6. From 1 Kings, which prophet was fed by birds? Paul, David, Elisha, Elijah

THE DESTRUCTION • A forested landscape acts as a living reservoir by trapping rainfall and releasing it slowly. In the dense jungle, the canopy is so heavy that the water from a driving rainstorm may take 10 minutes to reach the ground. Rain is caught by leaves and trapped in hollows where it evaporates gradually. It’s sucked up by roots and it soaks into soil that acts like a sponge.

Rain feeds underground springs.

• But when the land is cleared, rainfall is no longer absorbed. There are no leaves and branches to protect the ground from the pounding rain. Water runs off immediately, taking the soil with it. Exposed to the sun, the ground becomes an unproductive hardpacked cement. The small amounts of nutrients in the soil are quickly leached away.

• A 2.5 acre tract of healthy growing rainforest will lose an average of three pounds (1.3 kg) of soil through erosion annually. Cut the forest, however, and the same area can lose up to 34 tons of dirt in a year.

• Half of the rain that falls comes from water evaporating from the forest below. With no forest, the land dries quickly and offers no moisture to be turned into more rain. When the forest is gone, the rain is gone too. Drought, erosion, and flooding result.

• It’s been estimated that the Amazon produces half of all the oxygen generated by land plants on Earth.

Without the climate-moderating effects of the forest, temperatures would rise. Rainfall would plummet.

Loss of the Amazon could cause a change in the global environment.

THE INCREDIBLE AMAZON • Covering about 2.1 million square miles of land, the Amazon rainforest is about two-thirds the size of the U.S. The Amazon covers approximately 40% of the South American continent. If the Amazon were a country, it would rank 9th in size • Around 60% of the Amazon is in Brazil; 13% in Peru; 10% in Columbia; and six other countries split the rest.

• The Amazon comprises a little more than half of the world’s rainforest, and a third of the world’s forests overall.

• The Amazon harbors the densest variety of life on the planet, hosting over 40,000 plant species including 16,000 kinds of trees alone, as well as 1,300 types of bird, 3,000 kinds of fish, about 430 mammal species, and an incredible 2.5 million kinds of insects.

• Researchers estimate that they have discovered and cataloged only one-sixth of the species that live in the Amazon.

• A plot of rainforest 100 acres in size may contain as many frog species as can be found in all of North America.

• More species of fish live in the Amazon River than in the entire Atlantic Ocean.

• Over 100 types of plants can be found growing in the branches of a single mature tropical tree, along with 1,700 kinds of bugs. Fifty different types of ants may inhabit a single square yard of jungle floor.

• The Amazon River is the world’s largest river by volume. It originally ran westward into the Pacific Ocean, but as the Andes Mountains rose, it shifted course and now runs eastward, draining into the Atlantic Ocean.

• The Amazon River is 4,000 miles long (6,400 km) and only the Nile River is longer. It has over 1,100 tributaries

1. In 2009, the Los Angeles Dodgers set a record by winning their first 13 home games of the season. Who had held the modern-day mark of 12?

2. In 2015, Eduardo Rodriguez (22) became the youngest Red Sox starting pitcher since 1967 to win his major-league debut on the road. Who was it in ‘67?

3. Name the last NFL defensive lineman before Houston’s J.J. Watt in 2014 to have at least five touchdowns in a season.

4. When was the last time before 2015 that the Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team won an NCAA Tournament game?

5. Name the last NHL goalie before Montreal’s Carey Price (2014-15) to win the Hart (MVP) and Vezina (top goaltender) trophies in the same year.

6. When was the last time a CONCACAF Gold Cup men’s soccer final did not have either Mexico or the U.S. as one of the teams?

7. In 1976, the U.S. Olympic team featured Michael and Leon Spinks and Sugar Ray Leonard, but another American won the award for top boxer. Who was it?

“Be known before you’re needed” Advertise with Tidbits (870) 421-7898

Page 3

Sleep Mart

“NAME BRAND FURNITURE” DISCOUNTED PRICES 701 Hwy. 62 E., Mountain Home, AR (870) 424-6278 Monday-Saturday 9-6

EARLY TAX SEASON SALE

TWIN MATTRESSES QUEEN MATTRESSES $

STARTING AT

129

$

STARTING AT

298

Lowest Prices of the Year

by Samantha Weaver * It was President Franklin Roosevelt who made the following sage observation: “Government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob.” * Are you a ceraunophiliac? If so, Central Florida, is the place to live. The area between Tampa Bay on the peninsula’s west coast and Cape Canaveral on the east coast is known as Lightning Alley, and Florida is the lightning capital of the United States -- an excellent home for anyone who has an extreme love of thunder and lightning. * Singer Katy Perry reportedly has a cat named Kitty Purry. * If you’re an animal lover who’s fond of Corgis -the Welsh dog known for its extremely short legs -you might want to take a look at the Munchkin cat.

Only recognized as a separate breed in 1995, this cat is characterized by the shortness of its legs. * When Edgar Allan Poe first started writing his most famous poem, “The Raven,” he intended it to be short. Over the next decade, though, he kept adding to it, until it finally reached a length of 18 verses. The poem’s publication in 1845 had a mixed critical reception; William Butler Yeats called it “insincere and vulgar” and said “its execution [is] a rhythmical trick,” and Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I see nothing in it.” “The Raven” was wildly popular with the public, though, and Poe became -- for a brief time -- the most famous writer in America. * Worried about snooping? You may be surprised by the results of a recent survey: It seems that 82 percent of men claim that they have never peeked into a date’s medicine cabinet. *** Thought for the Day: “He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers.” -- Charles Peguy (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

EASTMAN HOUSE, ECLIPSE & ARTISAN HOUSE MATTRESS SETS FOR THE HOME OF THE ALL 6 PC. KIDS SHEET SETS BUNK, CAPTAIN, TRUNDLE, & LOFT BEDS

ASSORTED COLORS

38

$

While Supply Lasts SLEEP SYSTEMS HOME OF 365 DAYS A YEAR MILITARY DISCOUNT

SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNTS ACCEPT: VISA • MASTERCARD DISCOVER • AMERICAN EXPRESS

FREE LAYAWAYS

NOW AVAILABLE 4 YEAR FINANCING SAC-WAC

Page 4

Tidbits® of North Central Arkansas

* On March 20, 1823, Ned Buntline, the “dime millionaire” and discoverer of Buffalo Bill, is born in New York. More than any single writer, Buntline was responsible for creating a romanticized and misleading image of the American West. He once said, “I found that to make a living I must write ‘trash’ for the masses.” * On March 18, 1834, in England, six English agricultural laborers are sentenced to seven years of banishment to Australia’s penal colony for their union activities. Their crime: They agreed that they would not accept work for less than 10 shillings a week. * On March 17, 1901, paintings by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh are shown in Paris, causing a sensation across the art world. Van Gogh had committed suicide 11 years earlier after selling only one painting. * On March 14, 1922, John “Jack” Mack, cofounder of one of North America’s largest heavyduty truck makers, is killed when his car collides with a trolley in Pennsylvania. The expression “it hit me like a Mack truck” (meaning something that creates a powerful impact) is part of the American lexicon. * On March 19, 1957, Elvis Presley puts a $1,000 down payment on a new home for his parents, a southern Colonial mansion on a 13.8-acre wooded estate. Presley agreed to purchase the Tennessee home called Graceland for $102,500. * On March 15, 1968, construction begins on the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnel in Colorado. Cutting through the Continental Divide at an average elevation of 11,112 feet, it is America’s highest vehicle tunnel. * On March 16, 1978, the oil tanker Amoco Cadiz wrecks off the coast of France. Although the French navy dropped bombs to open the hull immediately, releasing the oil where it was, much of the 68 million gallons of oil drifted to the coast. (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

PAW’S CORNER

By Sam Mazzotta

Don’t Leave Pets Outdoors in Winter

--DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I routinely see people’s cats wandering the icy streets and snowy backyards here in upstate New York. Recently I noticed a neighbor’s dog chained up outside in the snow-covered backyard on a day that was near freezing. I contacted animal control the instant I saw that, and the neighbor had to go pick up his dog from the shelter and pay a fine.

He’s not happy, but his dog stays inside now! To me, a fine for leaving pets out in the cold isn’t enough. I wish cruel owners would be treated exactly as they have treated these beautiful animals! Cold, lonely, often without food or water, they cannot survive on their own, especially in these brutal New York winters. Tell your readers that people need to think before they put their pets outside. Would they treat their children this way?

-- Spitting Mad DEAR SPITTING: You told them! Common sense can go a long way when it comes to properly caring for pets in winter. Step outside for just a moment wearing regular clothes, no coat and no shoes. Now imagine having to do that for much longer than a minute or two. Despite having fur, domesticated pets don’t do too well in the cold for extended periods.

If you have cats, keep them indoors. If they insist on going out, keep them in a fenced area like the backyard, and only for a short time. For dogs, only let them out in an area where you can supervise them at all times. Or, take them for walks on a leash, using cleared sidewalks only, with a warm vest and booties in freezing temperatures.

Send your comments or questions to ask@ pawscorner.com. (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

Fishing Report, White/Norfork River Hi Gang, We are getting some significant rain but so far we have missed the monster amounts that had been predicted. Let’s hope that trend continues. The rivers are in ideal condition with mid-level generation at Bull Shoals Dam. Norfork has been running two generators for a couple of hours each day and then backing down to zero for most of the day.

The wade fishermen a happy to finally get out and enjoy themselves doing it their way. Fishing has been very good when you find the fish which are still a bit scattered after all of the high water in the preceding months.

I had two nice days of fly fishing with Mike Latta and his Grandson Wesley from Texas. This was Wesley’s first time Trout fishing and he caught the biggest fish of the trip as you can see photo, that is a nice Rainbow for sure. He really looks happy and Grandpa is happy and proud to boot.

We had to cover a lot of water to find cooperative fish but when we did the catching was steady. They were able to catch a about 45 fish on the second day and that is a pretty good total considering the wind was blowing up to 35 mph.

The smiles on their faces tell the story, they will have some

By Nick Kopcha wonderful memories for many years to come.

The Redbud trees are beginning to bud and the Dogwoods will not be far behind. I heard some turkeys gobble on two mornings this week so we are entering a glorious season here in the Ozarks. Grab your jacket and rain gear and get out and enjoy our wonderful fishing.

See Y’all next week.

Tite-Lines, Nick Kopcha 314-609-5507 nkopcha@centurytel.net For all of your fishing needs, Lodging, Guides, Boats, Tackle etc. just call: Rose’s Resort and Full Service Trout Dock http://www.rosestroutdock.com 870-499-5311

Page 5

“Be known before you’re needed” Advertise with Tidbits (870) 421-7898 Amazing Animals

ANTS • In terms of sheer numbers of individuals, ants are among the dominant species on earth.

• Ants, which evolved from wasps, are perhaps the most highly developed social insects. There are about 400 different species of ant in the U.S. alone, and about 15,000 species worldwide.

• To find food, a typical harvester ant will go straight out from the nest for up to 50 feet (15 m), and then start wandering. When it finds food, instead of following the round-about trail back to the nest, it will head for home in a beeline, thus refuting speculation that all ants follow a scent trail home. If the soil in front of an ant is scraped away or covered, the ant will continue its direct course. However, if the ant is placed inside an enclosure from which it is unable to see surrounding landmarks, it will lose its way until the enclosure is removed. Furthermore, if the ant is picked up and transferred to a new location, it will re-orient itself without hesitation, unless it is put down outside the area in which the ants of that colony forage, in which case it will wander about, lost.

• Ants may use large landmarks to find their way home, as well as the position of the sun. If an ant is entrapped in a box in the dark for an hour, when it is released it will strike out again in a direction different from the original direction by an angle equal to the number of degrees the sun has moved during the hour.

• Some species of ants do leave a scent trail to mark the way back to the food. When a forager makes a discovery, it becomes excited and secretes an odorous substance from the abdomen as it returns to the nest.

Other ants follow the trail to find the food.

• One researcher was able to prove conclusively that ants will follow a scent trail to food. The scientist placed food near an anthill and covered the distance between with sheets of paper. After the first ant discovered the food and rushed back to the nest, he replaced the original paper with fresh sheets. When the ants swarmed out to get the food, they were unable to find it.

• Another naturalist devised a test that proved that ants can measure, estimate, and communicate. He chopped a grasshopper into three parts: a small section, a medium section, and a large section. He then gave each section to a different ant scout from the same nest.

All of the pieces were too big for a single ant to carry.

Each ant measured its section with its antennae and then returned to the nest. Would each ant call out the same size crew? Would too many show up to do the work, or too few? The naturalist was surprised to see that 28 ants returned to fetch the small piece; 44 went for the medium piece; and 89 for the large piece. The second crew was twice as big as the first, just as the medium piece was twice as big as the small; and the large crew was twice as big as the medium crew to move a piece that was twice as big.

• When ants find a puddle of fruit juices or a dollop of jelly, they will chew a leaf into a spongy mass and then place it in the middle of the food. When they return later, the leaf has absorbed the juices and the ants carry it home.

• Queen ants can live for 20 years. Female worker ants can live as long as ten years. Male ants, however, live only a few weeks. They die immediately after mating.

• One typical Maryland woodland was estimated to contain 1.3 million ants per acre.

• Ant blood is colorless.

A Word from the Publisher:

by Jack Baker

I need to pick a word. It’s not writers block. Merely a careful weighing of words. Because words is what I have had with significant others in the home garden (not recently). You would think the garden would be a peaceful pastoral place. Nothing is further from reality.

Plans have to be made. Small dreams called seeds are placed in the Ozarks soil in hopes of what was pictured on the very wrapper the seeds came in. The garden is planted for a family unit. It will reflect the dreams to which to we seek to arise. Here in the Ozarks we marry not only into families but into traditions and dreams as small as seeds. As a boy who considered his summer job hoeing in the garden and picking vegetables, I heard numerous disagreements about the garden. When the City of Mountain Home passed an ordinance one year, limiting agriculture within the city limits it was understood the two acre plot behind my grandfathers house was only the family garden.

This early spring morning I planted onion sets and bush green beans in a raised bed off my deck. I tried to identify the peaceful pastoral moment and I found the word I was looking for. I realized the word was solitude.

Peace of Mind...

MOVE IN SPECIAL

Is knowing you or your loved one is safe, secure and h�p��

No Contracts Accept Medicaid Waiver VA Aide & Attendance Long Term Insurance Private Pay Exercise Spa Area * Salon Movie Theatre Pets Welcome!

Laundry Services Daily Activities & Outings 3 Delicious Home Cooked Meals

$500 OFF monthly rent for 3 months!

Our all inclusive facility has everything to fit your lifestyle

www.riverlodgeal.com

117 RiverLodge Dr. * Mountain Home, Ar. * 870.607.0902

Page 6

Tidbits® of North Central Arkansas

Apple Rose Dessert 1. Name the group that released “Love You Inside Out.” 2. Petula Clark, Dee Sharp and Amy Grant all released a cover of which 10cc original?

3. Who were Gary Troxel, Gretchen Christopher and Barbara Ellis?

4. What duo released “If I Loved You” in 1965?

5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “Though it’s been a while now, I can still feel so much pain, Like a knife that cuts you, the wound heals, but the scar, that scar remains.”

Answers 1. The Bee Gees, in 1979. It was the group’s sixth consecutive chart-topping single, bumping Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” from the No. 1 spot.

2. “I’m Not in Love.” The song has been widely covered, most recently by Canadian singer Diana Krall.

3. They were the original members of The Fleetwoods, first recording in 1959. Their hits included “Come Softly to Me,” “Mr. Blue” and “Tragedy.”

4. Chad & Jeremy. The song was from the 1945 musical “Carousel.”

5. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” a No. 1 hit

by Poison in 1988. Songwriter Bret Michaels said he wrote it in response to overhearing a male voice when he called his girlfriend. He wrote the song in a laundromat. (c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.

Apple roses have been in bloom all over Pinterest and cooking sites. The techniques creatively transform apples, puff pastry, spices and preserves into a whimsical rose-shaped dessert.

I’ve come up with a fun step-by-step version that you and your kids can use to make six roses together. A highlight during the prep is sharing the moment of surprise when you roll up the lined apple slices on a strip of dough and transform it into a rose shape. “Wow, look at this!” your kids might exclaim, as they set it in the muffin tin. “It really looks like a rose!”

APPLE ROSE DESSERT 1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed and cold, such as Pepperidge Farm brand 2 medium apples with reddish skin 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon apricot or peach preserves, mixed with 1 teaspoon water Cinnamon and sugar (optional) Powdered sugar 1. Heat oven to 375 F. 2. Grease a six-cup muffin pan. (Or, for easier removal of roses, grease sides and cut parchment paper to fit the bases of the pan.)

3. Slice apples in half from top to bottom. Core.

Place halves cut side down on cutting board sideways, in front of you. Slice each apple half thinly to make about 15 equal length slices resembling a half moon shape.

4. Toss slices in a bowl of lemon juice mixed with 1/4 cup water. Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes until pliable but not too soft. If you don’t have a microwave, add water and simmer briefly in a pan. Remove apples and pat dry.

5. On a lightly floured board, roll out one puff pastry to form a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. Let your child measure with a ruler and cut six 10-by-2inch strips with a pizza cutter. Use a pastry brush to spread a thin layer of the jam mixture on the upper half of each pastry strip.

6. To form each rose, arrange about 10 apple slices across the top half of the pastry strip, overlapping them as you go. The top rounded edge with skin should extend about a 1/4 inch above the dough. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and sugar, if you wish.

7. Gently lift the bottom half of the dough over the top. Roll up the strip, keeping apple slices tucked in; pinch the edge into the dough, and set in a muffin cup.

8. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature. Set roses on small plates and dust with powdered sugar. For an extra treat, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce.

TIP: This recipe works equally well with firm pears. Cut the slices from the plump portion of the fruit. Instead of apricot jam, you might try fig spread. *** Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide.

To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donna’s Day Facebook fan page.

Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.” (c) 2016 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Synd.

“Be known before you’re needed” Advertise with Tidbits (870) 421-7898 INVENTING THE DISHWASHER • Josephine Cochrane was a wealthy woman who lived in Illinois. She gave a lot of dinner parties and was very proud of her china. She collected rare and expensive dishes. However, her servants weren’t particularly careful with the priceless dishes when they washed them after each party. Pieces were broken; pieces were cracked; pieces were chipped.

Josephine took to washing the dishes herself by hand while wondering why there wasn’t there a machine that would wash the dishes for her.

• She decided to invent one, setting up a workshop in her woodshed. Dishes fit into a rack; the rack fit into a wheel; the wheel fit inside a tub; the wheel turned while hot soapy water squirted up from the bottom of the tub. Shortly after she perfected the design, her husband died. She was left with little money and a lot of debt. She needed to turn her idea into a way to make a living.

• She patented her design in 1886 and her wealthy friends immediately starting ordering the Cochrane Dishwasher for their own luxurious kitchens. A Chicago machine firm began to manufacture them while Josephine managed the company and marketed the product. She later said that designing the dishwasher was far easier than marketing it.

• The home model did not sell well. Few homes had electricity. Water heaters were rare. Most municiple water systems offered only hard water which did not make soap suds. The price tag of $150 would be equivalent to about $4,500 today.

• Housewives often felt that soaking their hardworking hands by washing the dishes in hot soapy water was a relaxing way to end the day. Cochrane changed her sales pitch to point out that water in dishwashing machines was far hotter than human hands could stand and therefore resulted in germ-free dishes.

• The strongest market for the dishwasher lay not in private homes, but in industries. Hotels, restaurants, boarding houses, and hospitals saw the advantage of being able to wash, scald, rinse, and dry up to 20 dozen dishes of all shapes and sizes in two minutes.

• She got her big break when she not only exhibited her dishwasher at the Columbian Expo in 1892 in Chicago, but also sold her dishwashers to many of the restaurants and other establishments with vast kitchens catering to the large crowds coming to see the Expo. Against heavy competition from around the world, her dishwasher received the first prize for “the best mechanical construction for durability and adaptation to a particular line of work.” One of the concessionaires using her product sent her this glowing tribute: “Your machine washed without delay soiled dishes left by eight relays of a thousand soldiers each, completing each lot within 30 minutes.”

• Cochrane continued to improve the product, producing models with revolving washing systems, a centrifugal pump, and a hose for draining into the sink. She ignored the clergy who claimed the dishwasher was immoral because it denied women the labor to which God had called them. She ignored the outcry of the servants who claimed it would put them out of business. The company kept growing, pushed by Josephine Cochrane’s energy and ambition until her death at age 74 in 1913.

• Late in her life she said, “If I knew all I know today I never would have had the courage to start.”

• The company was sold and eventually evolved into the Kitchenaid division of the Whirlpool Corporation.

Still, dishwashers did not become commonplace in ordinary homes until the 1950s.

BIBLE TRIVIA ANSWERS:

1) Old; 2) Dorcas; 3) 20; 4) Pomegranates; 5) Gezer; 6) Elijah

1. The Detroit Tigers, in 1911.

2. Billy Rohr, at 21 years old.

3. Chicago’s Connie Mack Berry, in 1944.

4. It was 2001.

5. Montreal’s Jose Theodore, in the 2001-02 season.

6. It was 2000.

7. Lightweight boxer Howard Davis.

Page 7

Tidbits® of North Central Arkansas

Page 8

Carpenters’ Tools ---

Q: My grandpa and dad were both carpenters and they accumulated an entire outbuilding of tools.

Most seem to be at least a century old. Can you put me in touch with someone who can appraise them for me and perhaps give me an idea of where and how I can liquidate this collection? -Beverly, Brooklyn, New York A: William Gustafson is the owner of William Gustafson Antiques, a company that deals, specializes and appraises older tools. He conducts several tool auctions each year, and he might be able to help you. Contact is P.O. Box 104, 11643 Rte. 22, Austerlitz, NY 12017.

A second source is Martin J. Donnelly antique tools. Donnelly is considered the foremost American auctioneer of older tools. His address is P.O. Box 281, Bath, NY 14810; mjd@mjdtools.com; and www.mjdtools.com. In addition to auctions, Donnelly publishes a catalog of antique tools for sale, fully indexed, and so comprehensive that dealers use it as a guide. *** Q: I have some old coins from the 1950s and ‘60s, an assortment of Avon bottles and about a dozen Beanie Babies. I am interested in selling them, and wonder whom I can contact. -- Sue, Tulsa, Oklahoma A: Unfortunately, you seem to have the trifecta of difficult-to-sell collectibles. Your coins probably aren’t old or rare enough to be of much interest to a dealer or serious collector. The market for Avon bottles is sluggish at best, and I suggest you monitor eBay to see what they are selling for in Internet auctions. Beanie Babies were a fad and in great demand a number of years ago, but as interest waned, prices plunged. They will be extremely difficult to sell. *** Q: I have a Wilcox and Gibbs treadle sewing machine in a nice cabinet and with original instruction book and attachments. Where can I sell it?

-- Jim, Chillicothe, Ohio A: According to Antique American Sewing Machines by James W. Slaten, most Willcox and Gibbs treadle machines manufactured after 1880 are worth between $400 and $500, depending on condition. I recommend you contact antique shops in your area to see if there is any interest.

Sewing machines are plentiful and not in great demand with collectors.

Write to Larry Cox in care of KFWS, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or send e-mail to questionsforcox@aol.com. Due to the large volume of mail he receives, Mr. Cox cannot personally answer all reader questions, nor does he do appraisals. Do not send any materials requiring return mail. (c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

g

Flyin

e nd th Aroouuntain M

Always good to hear from you!

ILikeTidbits@Gmail.com

oZARKS... Folks... Vittles... Adventures!

with Clark Kent

Looking back about a year ago here in northern Arkansas it was about 25 degrees at night and lucky if it climbed above freezing for days!

In the picture: NWS Doppler Weather Radar showed widespread mixed precipitation north of a front at 408 pm CST on 03/04/2015. At this time, it was snowing toward the Missouri border in places like Harrison (Boone County) and Mountain Home (Baxter County). A wintry mix (mostly sleet) was occurring at Fort Smith (Sebastian County), Jonesboro (Craighead County) and Little Rock (Pulaski County).

Meanwhile, it was 80 degrees at Jackson, MS!

So why am I digging up such a cold memory with shivering thoughts of ice, sleet and snow?

Because it made for so much fun while the toils of daily life were on an extended hold we call, SNOW DAYS! I hope you enjoy the action packed snowy images that are now a part of my “Clark Kents Life” in a box for tomorrow... By the way, last weeks rain could have been a record NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE - LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS - March 4th, 2015 snow fall so count your lucky stars if your a fair weather friend! Personally, my fingers were crossed!

The flexible flyer was patented by Samuel Leeds Allen in 1889. Allen was a prolific inventor who held almost 300 patents: he developed the sleds to keep the workers at his farm equipment factory busy in the off-season.