Sandwich Glass...And You Can Eat Off It, Too!

Photo courtesy Sandwich Glass Museum; click here to see this Sandwich Glass Reproduction for sale

I'm an admirer of artisan glass, and have seen it made in Seattle, Washington; Williamsburg, Virginia; and on the island of Murano in Venice, Italy.  I've admired Sandwich glass, but didn't know it was a product of the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts here in the U.S.A.  For more information click here.

What did you learn today?

Ida Lupino

Photo courtesy FanPix.net

One of my favorite actresses is Ida Lupino (1918-1995).  She was very talented and active in her field.  In the mid-1940's she formed her own independent film company and became a producer, director, and screenwriter for the company.  She was given two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, acted in 59 films, directed 7 films, appeared in 58 serial television episodes (I didn't know this), and directed 50 serial television episodes (I didn't know this).  I also didn't know that she directed an episode (episode 37 of season 4 in 1965 titled "Arthur") of one of my favorite television shows, Alfred Hitchocock Presents.

For more information, see her website, IdaLupino.com.

Christmas Trees in the United States

In the 19th century, cultivated trees from tree farms became popular and preferred as they had a more symmetrical shape than those grown in the wild.  Today, the Christmas tree farm industry is made up of 15,000 growers, employing 100,000 people, and producing 33 to 36 million trees per year.  Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii!  Each year, 77 million trees are planted, because it takes 6 to 12 years, depending on the species, for an evergreen tree to mature.  For more information, click here to go to the National Christmas Tree Association's website.

Thanks to Deborah Mitek's article, "O Tannenbaum", in the November 2011 edition of Needle Pointers magazine, a publication of the American Needlepoint Guild, for this information.