Literature Fact

Charlotte Bronte may have been the author of the romantic classic Jane Eyre, but she was not well served by love herself. In fact, it more or less killed her. 

 

In June of 1854, a starry-eyed Bronte married her father's curate and soon became pregnant. During her pregnancy, she fell ill, and according to her earliest biographer, Elizabeth Gaskell, she was attacked by "sensations of perpetual nausea and ever-recurring faintness." 

 

The elder Bronte sister's nausea was so overwhelming, in fact, that the author couldn't eat or even smell food without becoming violently ill. On March 31, 1855, a dehydrated, malnourished and severely exhausted Charlotte Bronte died at the age of 38.

She died today -  31 March 1855

trying to use some chopsticks!

Artist fact

Vincent Van Gogh: During his lifetime, Van Gogh sold only one painting, and this was to a friend and only for a very small amount of money. While Van Gogh was never a success during his life, he plugged on with painting, sometimes starving to complete his over 800 known works. Today, they bring in hundreds of millions.

He was born today -  30th of  March,  1853

I love a little girl who loves to get dirty!

Did you know???

A hippopotamus can run faster than a man can.

 

Did you know???

The flea can jump 350 times its body length, that is like a 6 foot-tall human jumping the length of 7 football fields
 

Dandelion Sandwiches... a taste of spring

Since I was a little girl, I enjoyed welcoming spring in with a unique Appalachian tradition - frying up some dandelions.

And not the stems (which are medicinal) or the leaves (which are bitter but good cooked or in salads)... but eating the flower itself.

It just doesn't feel like spring has sprung until I have a panful frying in the kitchen.

How do you cook them? Well... it's VERY simple.

1. Go a'huntin'. Pick only the tops of the flowers - eliminating the stems.
2. After you have a bunch in a bucket, soak them in cold salt water for a few hours to kill the bugs.
3. Rinse twice with just cold water.
4. Roll them in flour and fry in hot butter. Lots of hot butter... until crispy and brown on the outside.
5. Salt and pepper to taste. Eat plain or on bread.

Enjoy!

My kids eat them but so far my grandkids don't fancy them all that well.

Oh well.... maybe someday they'll appreciate the tasty yellow treats as much as I do!!

Coloring Spring Eggs with the young'ins...

Two days of springtime fun!

Si's bubby and sissy....

Did you know???

It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

catching the sunshine

playing in the warm sun