As I have said several times in the past, my mother and I spent many Sundays playing rousing games of Scrabble. Because of this, I found this story to be of particular interest: SCRABBLE HAS A NEW DR. SEUSS VERSION _ A new edition of the classic word game Scrabble is here. Called Scrabble: Dr. Seuss Edition, this game puts a Dr. Seuss twist on the traditional Scrabble format. Based on Dr. Seuss’ children’s book collection, the game allows fans to test their knowledge of Dr. Seuss titles and the whimsical words associated with them. Designed for ages 8 and up, Scrabble: Dr. Seuss Edition joins a line of unique Dr. Seuss products, including Monopoly and Clue editions. • LINK Neither my mother or I were followers of Dr. Seuss, so we would not have picked up that edition, but it is still a pretty cool item to poses.
WOMAN BREAKS INTO HOUSE, MAKES BREAKFAST, MAKES FRIENDS _ In Poland, a woman entered her neighbor’s home and started making breakfast for herself. The homeowners, who had been sleeping, called police. But by the time cops arrived they had forgiven their neighbor — probably because she had prepared what they described as a “gourmet meal even royalty would love.” The woman wasn’t arrested and has agreed to visit her neighbors more often to make them breakfast.
Today, we celebrate “Johnny Appleseed Day”. In honor of his birth on this date in 1774, here are 5 random facts for you to enjoy !
He Was a Real Dude
Unlike a lot of other legendary figures of the American Midwest, Johnny Appleseed was a real person. Born in Massachusetts in 1774, John Chapman was a professional orchardist and nurseryman who began his travels to plant apple trees sometime in the early 19th century. Although a well-known figure in his day due to his constant travels, his legend only grew during the years after his death.
Everywhere that Chapman traveled, he did more than just plant trees. And despite popular lore, he didn’t just scatter apple seeds randomly wherever he traveled. Instead, he established entire apple nurseries by claiming land in the frontier where no one else had settled (apple orchards established legal land ownership in many settlement regions). He would plant these orchards, leave, let them grow for a while, wait for people to settle in the region, and then return years later to sell the trees off for a high profit.
Johnny Appleseed’s Apples Weren’t for Eating
If you tried to eat one of John Chapman’s apples, it wouldn’t be a tasty experience. The trees he planted yielded small, tart apples that were destined for distilleries, where they were used to produce hard cider and applejack (a kind of brandy), two of the primary alcoholic beverages of the day. (This part got edited out of the legend pretty quickly.)
He Didn’t Really Wear a Tin Pot on His Head
Most depictions of Johnny Appleseed depict him with a tin cooking pot on his head. In reality, Chapman favored a tin hat. (He did eat out his hat, though, which is where the legend probably originated.) As for the threadbare clothes and shoeless feet we see in popular culture? Those were real.
He Died Rich, but His Fortune Didn’t Last
Chapman owned an astonishing 1,200 acres of tree nurseries along with several other plots of land at the time of his death. Since he never married and had no children, these holdings went to his sister. His estate might have been much larger if not for two things: He didn’t always record where he established some of his orchards and he had to sell some of his land during the financial panic of 1837. Unfortunately, most of what remained was sold off to pay his back taxes after he died.
