Homemade Chocolate/Toffee treats—try some today

We just enjoyed some of these homemade Heath®-like treats, and you should, too.

Saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
6 oz. chocolate chips (or better/darker chocolate, if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 350°F
Lay saltines flat on cookie sheet until it’s completely covered. Set aside.
Boil the butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan for 3 minutes.
Quickly pour the butter mixture over, and spread to cover, the crackers.
Bake in 350°F oven for 5 minutes.
Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Wait a couple minutes for chips to soften, then spread evenly over bars.
After they’re completely cooled, break apart and serve.

We used a combination of semi-sweet chips and Trader Joe’s 72% chocolate.

Anxiety and Lies!

Two items from The Daily Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, Monday April 12, 1886:

THE STRIKERS AND RIOTERS.
April 12. — It is requiring a strong force of militia to maintain order at East St. Louis. The incendiary fires are under control. The anxiety does not abate.

***

The Globe, in staring headline, says, “Somebody has lied.!” After residing nearly six years in Dakota, watching its statesmen, legislators, land agents, politicians, and newspaper men, we are reluctantly led to admit a strong probability that the Globe is right.

Edisonblog!

Woodside Villa July 16 1885

I find on waking up this morning that I went to bed last night with the curtains up in my room — glad the family next door retire early — I blushed retroactively to think of it — Slept well — weather clear — warm. Thermometer prolongatweln [?] progressive — day so fine that barometer anaethized [?] — breakfasted — Diaried a lot of nonsense — Read some of Longfellows Hyperon, read to where he tells about a statue of a saint what was attacked with somnambulism and went around nights with a lantern repairing roofs, especially that of a widow woman who neglected her family to pray all day in the church
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Library Saints

The traditional patron saints of librarians: Saint Jerome (was a translator, which sort of relates to books) Saint Catherine (associated with wisdom and learning), Saint Lawrence of Rome (was the keeper of the treasures of the church, so a sort of archivist). Saint Lawrence of Rome is the only one of traditional three I really like, was librarianlike in several ways: sold church treasures to serve the poor (budgeting for service), when asked to turn over the church’s wealth to the government, he presented the poor (patrons as the treasure of the library), when martyred on a gridiron, he let his tormentors know when he was done on one side, so they could turn him over (gallows humor).

Saints who were actually librarians or did librarian tasks:
Aldhelm of Sherborne: stood on the town’s bridge and told stories and sang songs to attract people, then added religious lessons at the end (like school visits and storytime), wrote clever and obscure verse (word nerd), “his reading was extensive–so extensive that he has been described as the first English librarian” (bibliophile)
Gregory II: Helped St Nothelm in the archives (researcher)
Bruno of Segni: was librarian of the Holy See
Notker Balbulus: Librarian of St. Gall’s Abbey, anthologist, “Notker’s emblem in art is a rod. He can be recognized as a Benedictine with a book in one hand and a broken rod in the other with which he strikes the devil.” (like managing library behavior?)
Cyril (monk): librarian at the church of Santa Sophia, invented an alphabet called glagolitic (word nerd), language geek and translator

Are you actually a lady?

From a 1950s Readers Digest:

What’s Your M – F Rating?

The quiz below was prepared by the author along the lines of the scientific 500 item Terman-Miles tests. Give yourself one point for every “A” answer, two for every “B.”

1. Would you rather — (A) work for a pleasant boss; (B) work for yourself?
2. Which do you consider holds the greatest hope for the world — (A) religion, (B) science?
3. Which do you like better — (A) music; (B) sports?
4. When buying a new car, which is more important to you — (A) design; (B) engine?
5. Do you prefer — (A) having decisions made for you; (B) to make your own?
6. Men are more successful because of their — (A) appearance; (B) capability?
7. Are your feelings often easily hurt — (A) yes; (B) no?
8. Which do you enjoy more — (A) poetry; (B) detective stories?
9. Have you a great fear of fire — (A) yes; (B) no?
10. Which interests you more — (A) art; (B) politics?
11. Does impolite language annoy you — (A) yes; (b) no?
12. Would you rather be — (A) conventional; (B) startling?
13. Which of these dogs would you rather own — (A) poodle; (B) boxer?
14. Do you like to go to parties and dances — (A) yes; (B) no?
15. Have you ever cried at the movies — (A) yes; (B) no?
16. Do practical jokes annoy you — (A) yes; (B) no?
17. Which does a woman need more — (A) clothes; (B) intelligence?
18. Do you resent persons using nicknames — (A) yes; (B) no?
19. Would you rather — (A) sell in a store; (B) sell outside?
20. If your lights went out, would you — (A) call the electric company; (B) try to fix them yourself?
21. Do you like to buy antique furniture — (A) yes; (B) no?
22. Do you prefer mingling with people more intelligent than yourself — (A) yes; (B) no?
23. Is it hard for your to get up as soon as you awake — (A) yes; (B) no?
24. Does soiled table linen disgust you — (A) yes; (B) no?
25. Do you feel pity for a drowning bee — (A) yes; (B) no?

Score chart:
25-31 Very feminine
32-36 Feminine
37-43 Good feminine-masculine mixture
44-47 Masculine
48-50 Very masculine

Newsflash!

(note: everything before the dateline is a headline in different fonts separated with a horizontal line. That’s how dramatic this story is.)

MAD TO COMMIT SELF-MURDER

Frenzied by Insomnia, Wertheim Exclaimed:

“GUS, I AM GOING MAD!”

HE TRIED TO BEAT OUT HIS OWN BRAINS.

DASHED HIS HEAD THROUGH A WINDOW

And Finally Tore Open His Throat and Let Out His Life on the Jagged Edges of the Glass Left in the Frame

Charleston, S.C., April 1. –Samuel Wertheim, an oil merchant of Veasey street, New York, killed himself in a most shocking manner in the offices of G. M. Politzer here this afternoon.
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Edisonblog!

Woodside Villa, July 14 1885.

Dot introduced me to a new day at 5.30 am. Arose — toileted quickly — breakfasted — then went from boat to street car — asked colored gentleman, how long before car left — worked his articulating apparatus so weakly I didn’t hear word he said. — it’s nice to be a little deaf when travelling you can ask everybody directions then pump your imagination for the answer, it strengthens this faculty. —
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