Veterans Day History

VA Administration History of Veterans Day
Thank you to all Veterans.
I am against misuse and overuse of the military, but believe the United States should take care of Veterans and their families.

Jitterbug Cafe portion of Pitter Patter Clang for November 12 will feature Hector Berlioz's Requiem Mass. This dynamic piece was commissioned to honor fallen heros of the French Revolution of 1830.

I had the great pleasure of being part of the Eugene Concert Choir's production of the requiem in 2002. It was an amazing experience.

P is for Pumpkin

Pumpkins are for more than carving.
The beautiful orange color means it is full of health promoting phytochemicals and antioxidants.
Here is a super easy way to start using pumpkin in your cooking- given to me by my friend Connie.
Pumpkin Cream Cupcakes
1 package of spice cake mix
1 package of Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 8 ounce cream cheese softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg


To make:
Heat oven to 350.
Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Add dry pudding mix and pumpkin.
Mix well.
Spoon into 24 paper lined muffin cups.
 Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Blend in sugar and egg. 
Spoon over batter.
Bake 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks. Cool completely.


It is super easy to cook pumpkins. First select a pumpkin good for baking or cooking not carving.
Pumpkins for cooking have thick sides while pumpkins for carving have thin sides.

Cut the pumpkin in half. Place in a baking dish cut side down. Add some water. Bake in an oven set to 300-350 until it is soft. Warning do not try the lazy way of not cutting the squash or pumpkin..the shell will just get really really hard.

Here are pictures of some pumpkins and squash we grew and cooking pumpkins.

October 29 2010 show

I found a fun podcast on ITunes called Kids Planet Podcast Halloween Songs from 2008
Halloween/Samhain (sow-an)/ Dios de los Muertos playlist

All Soul's Night by Lorena McKennitt
Spiderwick Chronicles- dark armies from the forest attack
In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg from Peer Gynt Suites
Shivery Stomp by Frankie Trumburer and Orchestra
Batman/Robin Hood by Danny Elfman
The Witch Queen of New Orleans by Redbone
I put a spell on you by S.J. Hawkins
Monster Boogie by Laurie Berkner
Scooby Do by Kidz Bop
Legend of Sleepy Hollow in Spanish
El zopilote ( the buzzard) by Sones Tradicionales Xantolo
Haunted House by Jumpin Gene Simmons
The Addams Family by Kidz Bop
Thriller by Michael Jackson
Ocho mambo by Gypsy Kings

October 23 Pitter Patter Clang and Clatter Show

I'm starting to get into the Halloween mood.
It is a beautiful day with all the fall colors shining brightly.

October by Ellis Parker Butler
The forest holds high carnival today,
And every hillside glows with gold and fire;
Ivy and sumac dress in colors gay,
and oak and maple mask in bright attire.

The hoarded wealth of sober autumn days
In lavish mood for motley grab is spent
And nature for the while at folly plays
Knowing the morrow brings a snowy lent.

Today's show featured some fun Halloween music.
Here's the playlist:
Purple People Eater, Kidz Bop
Wooly Bully by Los Lobos with Lalo Guerrero
We're Grubby Goblins, Jack Prelutsky
Headless Horseman by Kay Star and Billy Butterfield
On Top of Spaghetti by Jane Baxter Miller
It's all about how you look at it by Brady Rymer
The Bagel Song by Jawbone
Uninvited Parade from Blue Moo album
Ice Cream by Laurie Berkner
The Transylvania Polka from Sesame Street Silly Songs album
Dry Bones By Tommy Dorsey and Orchestra
Monster in the Mirror Sesame Street Silly Songs Album
Love Potion Number 9 by The Clovers

Autumn Show- October 16, 2010

Autumn " Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness"
Here is the playlist and some beautiful kids books about autumn/fall and getting into the Halloween mood.

Monster Mash by Bobby "Borris" Pickett
Monster Boogie by Laurie Berkner
                         Sippin' Cider Through a straw by Pat Schiller from book & CD
                         "Fabulous Food"
                        The Ghost with One Black Eye- story from Library Fairy
                        I'm gonna catch you! Laurie Berkner
                        Doin' the Zoombie. by Chubby Checkers
                        Pumpkin Hair by Gunnar Madsen
                        The Black Cat by Ozzie Nelson and Orchestra
                         When the Frost is on the Punkin by Ted Jacobs
                         Monsters I've Met by Shel Silverstein
                         Little Bird Little Bird by Peggy Seegar
                         Once upon a rhyme by Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
                         Five Little Pumpkins by Raffi
                         Beans and Cornbread from Shakin a Tail Feather
                         Brand New Key by Maria Maldaur
                         The Princess who saved herself by Jonathan Coulton
                         Autumn Leaves by Bill Evans Trio

   Books:

                        Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper
                          ( wanted to play the audio version of the book but it says on the  
                             CD broadcast is prohibited by law)

Punkin Poem inspired song by Ted Jacobs

"When the Frost is on the Punkin" by James Whitcomb Riley 1853-1916

WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best,	5
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here—	10
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock—	15
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries—kindo' lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;	20
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!—
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps	25
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!...
I don't know how to tell it—but ef such a thing could be
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me—	30
I'd want to 'commodate 'em—all the whole-indurin' flock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock. On the Friday October 16 I played the song inspired by this poem on Pitter Patter Clang & Clatter by Ted Jacobs from his album "Days Gone By: Songs of the American Poets." Kyouck = sound a turkey makes, say it loud it is as much fun to say as gobble gobble

Cinderella Show October 8, 2010

Festival Dance is bringing the ballet Cinderella performed by the Eugene Ballet Company to the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum in Pullman WA October 24 at 3:00pm

In anticipation of this event the theme for today's show is Cinderella.
There seems to be a version of the Cinderella story from nearly every continent and many cultures.
It is thought the first time the story was printed was in "The Miscellaneous Record of Yu Yang" a book dating from the T'ang dynasty (618-907 A.D.) in China. The oldest European version is an Italian tale from 1634 called Cenerentola.

Great links for Cinderella from the Serving History website:

1. egyptianmyths.net/mythslippers.htm : Aesop fable of Rhodopis and her rose-red slippers
2. library.campbellhall.org/secondary%20pag : Ahmanson Library page about Cinderella
3. disneyshorts.org : Disney version of Cinderella at The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts
4. public.iastate.edu/~lhagge/cenerent.htm : Cenerentola by Giambattista Basile (English translation)
5. folkstory.com/articles/cinderella.html : Insights from a Cinderella Story
6. gutenberg.org/dirs/etext00/pntmn10.txt : Cenerentola in Pentamerone by Giambattista Basile (English translation)
7. disneypicture.net/k-disney-princess-61-c : Disney Princess Cinderella
8. imdb.com/title/tt0099826 : If the Shoe Fits (1990 film)
9. surlalunefairytales.com/cinderella/index : SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com: The Annotated Cinderella including variations from around the world, illustrations, and more
10. ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/461904 : The Egyptian Cinderella
11. paroledautore.net/fiabe/classiche/basile : Zezzolla, La Gatta Cenerentola "Cinderella" by Giambattista Basile - (original, Italian version)
12. tonightsbedtimestory.com/cinderella-or-t : Full text of Cinderella Or, The Little Glass Slipper from "The Fairy Book"
13. disneywallpaper.net/k-cinderella-52.htm : Cinderella Wallpapers
14. dbskeptic.com/2008/11/17/more-original-v : Original version and psychological analysis of Cinderella
15. authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-35.html : Ashputtel by the Brothers Grimm
16. lib.rochester.edu/CAMELOT/CINDER/cin14.h : Bibliography of Cinderella films

A few super fun and interesting versions of the Cinderella story for kids
Yeh-Shen: A cinderella story from China retold by Ai-Ling Louie Illustrated by Ed Young
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
The Turkey Girl : A Zuni Cinderella Story retold by Penny Pollock Illustrated by Ed Young
Chickerella by Mary Jane and Herm Auch
The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story by Rebecca Hickox Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
Cinderella and other tales from Perrault Illustrated by Michael Hague
Music:
I was trying to find music from the musical "Cindy" a version of Cinderella set in Harlem. I remember watching it when I was a kid. I found out it was aired on ABC in 1978 or 1979 ( I was born in 79 so I must have been watching a copy ).
Modern preteen music about Cinderella: Selena Gomez's Tell me Something I don't know from Another Cinderella Story
Cinderella by The Cheetah Girls
Cinderela by Fantacha from Cape Verde
Cinderella by Soulima Stravinsky
Impossible/It's Possible from Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella
So this is love by Dave Brubeck Quartet
Work Song from Disney's Cinderella
In my own little Corner from R&H musical
Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman
Ten Minutes Ago by Dana Bauer
Cinderella the ballet by Sergey Prokofiev

Trains show October 1 2010

America's first locomotive was built in 1830 by Peter Cooper. It was so small it was called Tom Thumb. It  carried people and goods outside of Baltimore. One day it was in a race with a horse drawn wagon. It started off faster then had some mechanical difficulties and the horse passed it.

PBS's American Experience program created a movie, book for older kids, and companion website. Here is the link to the time line of America's railroads http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/timeline/index.html

John Henry

American Legend who got in a railroad spike driving competition with a steam drill. 

John Henry was a very small boy,
Fell on his mammy's knee;
Picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
"Lord, a hammer'll be the death of me,
Lord, a hammer'll be the death of me."

John Henry went upon the mountain,
Come down on the side;
The mountain so tall, John Henry was so small,
Lord, he lay down his hammer and he cried, "Oh, Lord,"
He lay down his hammer and he cried.

John Henry was on the right hand,
But that steam drill was on the left;
"Before your steam drill beats me down,
Hammer my fool self to death,
Lord, I'll hammer my fool self to death."

The captain says to John Henry,
"Believe my tunnel's fallin' in."
"Captain, you needn't not to worry,
Just my hammer hawsing in the wind,
Just my hammer hawsing in the wind."

"Look away over yonder, captain,
You can't see like me."
He hollered out in a low, lonesome cry,
"This hammer'll be the death of me,
Lord, this hammer'll be the death of me."

John Henry told his captain,
"Captain, you go to town,
Bring John back a twelve-pound hammer,
And he'll whup your steam drill down,
[And] he'll whup your steam drill down."

For the man that invented that steam drill
Thought he was mighty fine;
John Henry sunk a fo'teen foot,
The steam drill only made nine,
The steam drill only made nine.

John Henry told his shaker,
"Shaker, you better pray;
For if I miss this six-foot steel,
Tomorrow'll be your buryin' day,
An' tomorrow'll be your buryin' day."

John Henry told his lovin' little woman,
"Sick and I want to go to bed;
Fix me a place to lay down, child,
Got a rollin' in my head,
Got a rollin' in my head."

John Henry had a lovely little woman,
Called her Polly Ann;
John Henry got sick and he had to go home,
But Polly broke steel like a man,
Polly broke steel like a man.

John Henry had another little woman,
The dress she wore was blue;
She went down the track and she never looked back,
"John Henry, I've been true to you."

"John Henry Blues," performed by Fiddlin' John Carson
Transcribed by Norm Cohen in
Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong
(Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000)

Some fun train books:

Engine Engine Number Nine by Stephanie Calmenson
Freight Train by Donald Crews
Railroad Fever: building the transcontinental railroad, 1830-1870 by Monica Halpern
Hear that Whistle Blow!: How the railroad changed the world by Milton Meltzer

Parts of a steam locomotive, Wikimedia Commons

Train related songs ( there are a ton I'll have to do more train shows!):

Choo Choo Ch'Boogie by Clifton Chenier
I've Been Working on the railroad by Laurie Berkner
Catch that Train by Dan Zanes
John Henry by Taj Mahal
Freight Train Blues by Bob Dylan
Freight Train by David Grisman and Jerry Garcia
Chatanooga Choo Choo
City of New Orleans by Willie Nelson
John Henry from album "Train Songs"
Ghost Train by Peter Maxwell Davies
John Henry by Aaron Copland
Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight and the Pips

Harvest Moon Show 9.24.10

The full moon of September happened the same night as the Autumnal Equinox ( Sept 23).
The last t ime that happened was September 23, 1991. It won't happen again until 2029.

Mid-Autumn Festival takes place the 15th moonday of the 8th lunar month.

Music:

Shine on Harvest Moon by Coleman Hawkins
The Fox went out on a chilly night by Tom Chapin
Hello, Harvest Moon by Ronno
Shine on Harvest Moon by Leon Redbone
Shine on Harvest Moon by The Kings of Dixieland
Harvest Moon by Bedlam
Harvest Moon by Neil Young

Moon Princess by Marc Cheekly from Pod Stories for Everyone
Clear Moon Quiet Winds by Bejing Angelic Choir
The Moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival from album Music China Guangdong Music

Books
The Fox Went out on a Chilly Night: An Old Song Illustrated by Peter Spier
Hello, Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher Illustrated by Kate Kiesler
Possum's Harvest Moon by Anne Hunter
Moon Magic: Stories from Asia by Katherine Davidson

Moonbeams, Dumplings, & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz & The Children's Museum, Boston

Beet It!

Meet the Beets.

 Here is a brief introduction to beets.
If you have a favorite beet recipe you would like to share, please do.

Beets scientific name is Beta vulgaris 

General types of beets:
Tuberous beets- taproot of the plant * most have a brilliant scarlet color thanks to pigments betacyanin(purple)  and betaxanthin (yellow)

Garden beets- 

if you don't have the gene to break down the pigment betacyanin you will have red or purple urine after eating beets

Sugar beets- 

high in  sucrose and account for 30% of world's sugar

 Fodder beets

( mangelwurzel)

Spinach beets- grown for greens- Chard is a form of beta vulgaris

Beets are believed to be derived from the sea beet from the shores of the Mediterrean and Atlantic coasts of Europe and North Africa. ( The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson).
Check out the chemical structures of galactose and sucrose:
http://www.3dchem.com/molecules.asp?ID=419#
http://www.3dchem.com/molecules.asp?ID=59

How to eat?
To preserve the phytochemical pigments eat your beets raw or cook them as quickly as possible.

Recipe from15-Minute Beets

Prep and Cook Time: 5 minute prep; 15 minute cooking Ingredients: 3 medium beets, about 3" in diameter 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or chopped 2 tsp fresh lemon juice 1 TBS balsamic vinegar 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste Optional: 1 TBS balsamic vinegar 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped 1 TBS chopped dill 1 TBS chopped chives 2 TBS Feta cheese

Directions:

1. Fill the bottom of a steamer with 2 inches of water.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, wash beets, leaving 2 inches of tap root and 1 inch of the stem on the beets. Cut beets into quarters. Do not peel.
3. Steam covered for 15 minutes. Beets are cooked when you can easily insert a fork on the tip of a knife into the beet. Although some of their colorful phytonutrients are lost to the steaming water, there is plenty of color and nutrients left in the beets.
4. Press or chop garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting properties.
5. Peel beets using a paper towel.
6. Transfer beets to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients while they are still hot.
   Serves 2

Source: www.WHFoods.com

Pitter Patter Clang and Clatter- September 10, 2010- Apples

September is Apple Month
Did you know there are 7500 varieties of apples grown worldwide?
2500 varieties are grown in the United States.
How many can you name?
Fun Facts
Apples are members of the rose family. Crabapples are the only apple native to the United States.
Apple seeds grow different kinds of apple trees from the parent plants. So if a gardener wants to grow a favorite type of apple he or she must use a technique called grafting. Grafting in a nutshell is fusing two plants together. For apples, a gardener inserts a stem with leaf buds into another tree.
Here is a detailed guide with pictures from Washington State University
http://www.ncw.wsu.edu/treefruit/graft/

Nutrition

AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY!
Diets high in fruits and vegetables decrease a person's risk of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, asthma. Remember it is no guarantee but the closest thing we have to a silver bullet.

Apples are full of antioxidants and phyto-chemicals that support health in a variety of ways. 
Find out more on antioxidants and phyto-chemicals on separate posts.

High in fiber- a medium apple has 4 grams of fiber! Fiber supports heart and digestive health.

Source of vitamin C

Eat apples whole to get the most of what they can offer. Cloudy apple juice has more flavonoids then clear filtered juice.

Apple related music

An apple a day Patty Biscoe
Johnny Appleseed Gene Autry
Johnny Appleseed Joe Strummer
The Old Apple Tree Molly and Jack Tuttle
Don't sit under the apple tree The Andrews Sisters
 
Stories/Characters

Johnny Appleseed
William Tell
Magic Apple
 
Links of interest

www.allaboutapples.com

www.bestapples.com

www.healthychoices.org

www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org