Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - 65

Weather Notes
In winter, when pigs rub up against
their pens, expect a thaw.
Keep a plow under your dining table
until the end of the holidays to
ensure good crops in the year ahead.
If Christmas Day be fair and clear,
two winters will you have this year.
EVENTS
2, Christmas on Main, Martinsburg, WV, travelwv.
com
Early Dec, A Small Town Christmas, Banner Elk,
NC, bannerelk.com
Early Dec, Christmas at Chilhowee, Knoxville, TN,
visitknoxville.com
Early Dec, Night of Lights, Greenville, SC, visitgreenvillesc.
com
First 3 Fridays, Dickens of a Christmas, Downtown
Roanoke, VA, downtownroanoke.org
1-31, Archer Park Lights, Prestonsburg, KY, prestonsburgky.
org
31, Dropping of the Edelweiss, Helen, GA, helenga.org
Regional Notes
If you are feeling Scrooge-ish and
need a big dose of Christmas joy, be
sure to visit Spartanburg, SC on the
first Tuesday of December for their
Dickens of a Christmas celebration.
The decorated store windows, tree
lighting, carolers, horse drawn
buggy, train ride and live nativity are
sure to work their magic. W3XC+XP
Spartanburg, South Carolina
VISITGREENVILLESC.COM
Early December, Night of Lights,
Greenville, South Carolina.
Factoids
Americans spend an average of
$886 on Christmas gifts each
year.
Benton MacKaye was inspired
to create The Appalachian
Trail in July of 1900 at the
end of a hike to the peak
of Stratton Mountain in
Vermont.
In the United States, an
additional one trillion
pounds of waste is
generated over Christmas.
Shopping bags and wrapping paper make
up 80 billion pounds of that.
DEC MONTH AT A GLANCE
Day of
Mo
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
skywatch
 New moon - 12th
) First quarter - 19th
 Full moon - 26th
( Last quarter - 5th
December's full moon is the Cold Moon.
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
sunrise sunset
Dec. 3 - sun rises 7:15; sun sets 17:04; length of day 9h 48m
Dec. 10 - sun rises 7:21; sun sets 17:04; length of day 9h 42m
Dec. 17 - sun rises 7:26; sun sets 17:05; length of day 9h 39m
Dec. 24 - sun rises 7:30; sun sets 17:09; length of day 9h 39m
Dec. 31 - sun rises 7:32; sun sets 17:13; length of day 9h 41m
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Day of
Year
335
336
337
Day of
Week
F
Sa
Su

Age
18
19
20
338 M 21
339 Tu
22
340 W 23
341 Th
342
343
344
F
Sa
Su
24
25
26
27
345 M 28
346 Tu
347 W 1
348 Th
349
350
351
F
Sa
Su
2
3
4
5
352 M 6
353 Tu
7
354 W 8
355 Th
356
9
F
357
358
Sa
Su
10
11
12
359 M 13
360 Tu
14
361 W 15
362 Th
363
F
364
365
Sa
Su
16
17
18
19
SIGNIFICA
Rosa Parks keeps her seat, 1955
First permanent artificial heart implant, 1982
First successful heart transplant, 1967
Walt Disney born, 1901
13th Amendment ratified, 1865
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Beatle John Lennon assassinated, 1980
Poet Emily Dickinson born, 1830
Germany declares war on US, 1941
First radio transmission sent across Atlantic
Ocean, 1901
George Washington dies, 1799
Bill of Rights enacted, 1791
" Gone with the Wind " world premiere, 1939
Boston Tea Party, 1773
Wright Brothers first flight, 1903
" Poor Richard's Almanac " published, 1732
Winter begins
Winter Solstice
Federal Reserve Act passed, 1913
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
First day of Kwanzaa
Woodrow Wilson born, 1856
Andrew Johnson born, 1808
Minus 37 degrees F, Lewisburg, WV, 1917
Minus 32 degrees F, Mountain City, TN, 1917
New Year's Eve
Old Saws
There are two ways to get to the top
of an oak tree. One is to get busy
with a saw. The other is to plant an
acorn and sit down to wait.
If someone invented instant water,
what would they mix it with?
It's the start of a brand new day, and
I'm off like a herd of turtles.
Kitchen Notes
LEMON SUGAR TEA COOKIES
Ingredients:
1 ½ c. butter, softened
1 ½ c. sugar
2 eggs
4 TBS corn syrup
2 tsp. lemon extract
4 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
Sugar to roll dough in
Directions:
Cream first 5 ingredients. Stir in
everything else except additional
sugar. Cover and chill for one hour,
then roll out pieces the size of a
walnut, roll in sugar and place on
ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at
350⁰ for 11-12 minutes.
Garden Notes
Some chores you should put on your
list as you put your garden to bed
this month include pruning dead
wood out of fruit trees and roses,
cleaning your gutters, mulching
gardens with straw to prevent
repeated freeze/thaw cycles, and
inventorying and sharpening garden
tools.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 65
DEC
DEC
http://www.travelwv.com http://www.bannerelk.com http://www.visitknoxville.com http://www.visitgreenvillesc.com http://www.downtownroanoke.org http://www.prestonsburgky.org http://www.helenga.org http://www.VISITGREENVILLESC.COM
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023
