CSANews 108

Answers to Outside the Box Puzzles from page 58 1. Lie detector 2. Crossword puzzle 3. Over and done with 4. Sea otter 5. Black-eyed peas 6. Egg rolls Fast Facts The Great PUMPKIN There’s much more to the humble pumpkin than pumpkin pie and jack-o’-lanterns. ▶▶ Pumpkins are indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. ▶▶ They have grown in North America for 5,000 years. ▶▶ While exploring the St. Lawrence River region in 1584, Jacques Cartier reported finding “gros melons” which, of course, were pumpkins. ▶▶ They are low in calories, fat, sodium and high in fibre. ▶▶ Pumpkins are 90% water. ▶▶ The original jack-o’-lanterns were crafted from turnips and potatoes by the Irish, and from large beets by the English. ▶▶ Pumpkins are grown on every continent except Antarctica. ▶▶ Each of them has about 500 seeds. ▶▶ There are more than 45 different varieties. ▶▶ Pumpkins are technically a fruit. ▶▶ Every part of a pumpkin is edible. ▶▶ People once believed that they had the ability to remove freckles and cure snake bites. Let’s Talk Turkey Thanksgiving or Christmas, the star of the show on dining tables across the country is the turkey. Here are a few tidbits which you may not know about our favourite holiday bird. ▶▶ Every wonder why turkeys gobble? Only males (toms) do it and they gobble mostly in the spring to attract hens. ▶▶ The wobbly red skin attached to the underside of the turkey’s beak is called a “wattle” which turns an even brighter red during mating season. ▶▶ The fleshy flap of skin hanging over the turkey’s beak is called a “snood.” ▶▶ The wild turkey can fly for short bursts, but prefers to walk or run. However, domestic birds are typically too fat to fly. ▶▶ The average lifespan of a domestic gobbler from birth to freezer is about 26 weeks. During that time, it will eat about 75 pounds of feed. A wild turkey will live for two or three years eating a diet of seeds, nuts, insects and berries. ▶▶ A ballroom dance known as the Turkey Trot was named for the short, jerky steps which a turkey takes. ▶▶ It’s estimated that a mature turkey has about 3,500 feathers. ▶▶ In 2016, Canadian households consumed 7.3 million whole turkeys. ▶▶ While the Native American name for turkey is “firkee,” opinions vary as to how the bird got its name, with some crediting it to Christopher Columbus. Thinking that his discovery of the Americas was actually land attached to India, and that the bird he saw was a type of peacock, he therefore called it “tuka” – which is “peacock” in the Tamil Indian language. Hence, the evolution of the name to turkey. The jury remains out on this one. Dream On! Here are some facts about dreaming which you might not have heard. ▶▶ There are some astounding cases in which people dreamt about things that actually happened to them later. Abraham Lincoln dreamt of his assassination. Many victims of Sept. 11 had dreams warning them about the catastrophe. Mark Twain dreamt of his brother’s demise. There were 19 verified dreams of the Titanic disaster. ▶▶ Dreams are responsible for many of the greatest inventions of mankind. Here are some of the most famous inventions and the creator who dreamt them. The idea for Google/Larry Page. The sewing machine/Elias Howe. Periodic table/Dmitri Mendeleev. DNA’s double helix spiral form/James Watson. Alternating current generator/Tesla. ▶▶ Brains are more active during sleep than while awake. ▶▶ Many people claim that they don’t dream, but it’s not true. Everybody dreams, but up to 60% of people don’t remember them. ▶▶ It is proven that in dreams, we only see people whom we have seen in real life. ▶▶ Dreams are more often negative than positive. The three most widely reported emotions during dreaming are anger, sadness and fear. ▶▶ People can have up to seven dreams per night, depending on the number of REM cycles that they have. We only dream during the REM period of sleep and the average person dreams one to two hours per night. ▶▶ As many as 12% of people only dream in black and white. CSA PRESIDENT’S AWARD HONOUREES Instituted in 2003, the association has created an annual president’s award – to be presented at the annual general meeting or other suitable event – to recognize members who have served the association in an outstanding volunteer capacity, thereby making a significant contribution to the success of the association. Paul and Brenda Aime Saskatchewan/Arizona Kevin and Bev Benson Ontario/Florida Cathy Cameron British Columbia/California Jo Fornari British Columbia/California 62 | www.snowbirds.org

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