The Toaster turns 100 today

 

The cleverest little kitchen ­gadget since – well, long before sliced bread surprisingly – celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

When Frank Shailor, a technician with General Electric, dreamed up his D12 toaster in 1909, it was 20 years before there was such a thing as a sliced loaf.

He invented it so people could still eat bread that was going stale and it was an overnight success. Bits of bread were simply wedged inside the exposed “wire fence”.

Unfortunately, this would prove quite hazardous because the bread had to be turned by hand to make sure both sides were toasted.

After a decade of people getting their fingers burnt came the first covered, pop-up toaster in 1919.

This led to the world’s first ­automatic electric toaster, the Toastmaster, in 1926.

When Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented a machine to slice bread in 1928, no home could be without a toaster.

The gadget has been through so many incarnations, there is a ­museum in Kettwig, Germany, with almost every toaster ever made, ­including the willow-patterned Pan Electric Toastrite and the modernist 1930s Saluta revolving toaster in nickel-plated steel and red Bakelite.

A spokesman for breadmakers Kings­mill said: “Bread has been a staple part of our diet for 6,000 years, but toasting is relatively new and it’s interesting that the process hasn’t changed that much in 100 years.

(Daily Express)   (image found at Jitterbuzz)

The Lazy Way

What do you do when you wake up with a headache and don’t feel like getting out of bed?  You just roll over, grab the laptop and stay in bed?  Who wants to get up anyway …. it is dark, gloomy and raining (probably the reason for the headache).  I would love to be able to stay right where I am all day long … do nothing but play on the laptop …… ain’t gonna happen though.  I have never been the type of person that could sleep late or stay in bed all day … no, not even when I was young.  I had friends in High School that could sleep until the afternoon  ……. never understood why anyone would want to sleep the day away.  Sunrise is the best part of the day.  Robins swear by the old saying “the early bird catches the worm”

Linux … always the winner!

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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

I saw this woodpecker when I was driving down the road … not a very good shot but at least I got him

 

ALL ABOUT BIRDS

 “Although most non-birders believe that the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a fictitious bird created just for the humorous name, in fact it is a widespread species of small woodpecker. Its habit of making shallow holes in trees to get sap is exploited by other bird species, and the sapsucker can be considered a "keystone" species, one whose existence is vital for the maintenance of a community.”

Seagull and Greylag

I think he was conducting the “River Orchestra”

 

Actually, we had two maestro’s that afternoon.  The Greylag Goose decided he would join in too

 

Common Merganser Duck (Mergus merganser)

I saw these two ducks at the river yesterday morning.  I think most people around here call them “diver ducks”.  They were fun to watch and what wicked looking hair … LOL

 

 

 

 

 

Eastern Bluebird

I went to the river today in hopes of finding the Bald Eagles.  I found them but they were across the river and high up in the trees.  I got some shots of them but the quality is not too good ... I may post some of them later.

 

The little Bluebirds were all over the place and I did get some decent shots of them.  They are just the cutest little bird and their coloring is beautiful.

 

 

 

 

  

Seems like this little guy is "flipping me the wing" ha.  He was having a grooming session .... he put on quite a show.

  

 

 

 

 

Here is another male sitting a bit farther away from me.  I was shooting out of the car window.

 

 

 

 

 

This one was sitting in the tree behind a branch peeking at me.  He decided to move to the sign so I could get a better shot of him.  Sometimes I think they know what us humans are doing so they sit and pose for us. ha

 

 

The females seemed rather shy today and didn't come as close as the males.  Finally managed to get a shot of this sweet little lady.

First Look: Burger King’s New ‘Whopper Bar’

Next time you have a rough day at the office, Burger King hopes you’ll cozy up to one of its new Whopper Bars set to open around America. Just don’t stay for too many rounds, or you might regret it the next day.

The Whopper Bar: All Beef

To be clear, the Whopper Bar won’t actually be serving alcohol — but it will be serving plenty of beef. The Burger King venture will offer Whoppers, Double Whoppers, and Steakhouse XT burgers, along with new Bourbon Whoppers, Three-Cheese Steakhouse XT burgers, and Pepper Bacon Steakhouse XT burgers. Each will come with options for 22 different toppings. Among the choices: guacamole, smoked bacon, or steak sauce.

found at Inquisitr.com

 

At this bar, it's all about the Whopper

Burger King Corp. opens its first Whopper Bar on Tuesday. The Universal CityWalk location will share dining space with Panda Express and Moe's Southwest Grill. (RICARDO RAMIREZ BUXEDA, ORLANDO SENTINEL / March 10, 2009)

 

The second Whopper Bar is scheduled to open this spring in Munich, Germany. The company plans to have six to 10 outlets operating by the end of June, Klein said. It has selected locations on the West Coast as well as in Hong Kong and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

OrlandoSentinel.com

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

 

I was looking out across the field yesterday and saw two of  these gorgeous Hawks sitting up in the trees.

Today I saw one them sitting in a small tree by the creek.  I was in the car ... grabbed the cam and started shooting.  Quality is not very good  .... cloudy and overcast day.

 

Only got one shot of him in the tree and then he took off.

 

 

 

 

 

He was soaring high in the sky .... looking down.  I'm sure he had his eye on a squirrel as there are quite a few that play around the creek all day.

 

 

I've always thought the Red-tailed Hawks are so beautiful.  They always amaze me with their beauty and grace  .... those big wings and that lovely red tail.

Blue Heron

 

 

 

 

Old Blue was fishing for his lunch and stayed in the same spot for hours.

Took this shot the last time I was at Jan’s  …… we made our usual numerous trips to Burdette Park.

 

 

 

 

He has his eye on a fish but he missed!

He tried several times to stab one but he was never successful.  I grew tired of watching him and moved on to taking photos of all the ducks and geese.