VirusHead

Today in history is brought to you via my emails from Centrum.  On February 22:

1630: A Native American named Quadequina brings popcorn to the first Thanksgiving celebration, introducing the English colonists to the popping kernels that had been grown for more than 1,000 years on the North American continent.

Hey, Centrum, how about letting us know the name of the tribe? Googled it – it’s the Wampanoag tribe. Ok, the leadership of Quadequina and his brother Massasoit was what allowed for the umbrella of friendship and protection afforded the Pilgrims.

They had popcorn??? Why isn’t that part of the Thanksgiving tradition?

Isn’t it about think we reexamine America’s Thanksgiving holiday?

There are so many questions about this odd holiday, and so little that is actually taught or celebrated – or acknowledged – about the truths of it.

1879: Frank Winfield Woolworth opens his Great 5 Cents Store in Utica, New York. He pledges to sell everything for a nickel or less. Woolworth went on to open "five and ten" stores across the nation.

I always heard it as "five and dime" – although that doesn’t make sense.

Instead of the wonderful Woolworths stores I remember with great fondness, we now have junky "dollar stores."

I much preferred the five and dime.

Opposum – Originally uploaded by mountainpath2001.

I was just outside and heard something rustling in the leaves in the back yard. Grabbed a flashlight, and went to investigate. It was an opposum, bigger than the one above.

Every once in a while, I find an opposum out on the deck eating cat food. Normally there is a mutual I’m-eating-leave-me-alone policy between the ‘possum and the cats.

Usually it scurries off into the fig tree and pretends I don’t see it. It will hang around for a while if I talk to it (quit yer laughing). You have to respect the only North American marsupial; its ancestors were stealing food from dinosaur backyards millions of years ago. It has thumb-like structures on its back feet, and a decent prehensile tail. The white face is striking against the gray fur. And, get this – not only does the female have two uteri, but the male has a double-pronger to match. Humans, dogs and big owl are its only real predators, and it will eat practically anything. I’m always fascinated by the froglike webby hands. Even with few real defenses, it is a true survivor. Still – it’s a very strange creature.

Tonight this one looked right at me with bared teeth, moving its head from side to side like a cow, and growled at me in a very odd and menacing manner. I wondered for a moment if it might be rabid – but rabies is extremely rare in ‘possums. I didn’t get too close. Little One and Zoom (the cats) didn’t seem at all perturbed. The possum held its ground. I wonder whether it might have stashed some food under the leaves or something like that.

It wasn’t quite frightened enough to "play possum" by feigning death.

After watching it for five minutes or so while with the flashlight lowered, I came back inside. A bit later, it was gone.