ODDS, ENDS & INSPIRATION

z It was way back in the 19th century that American author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau made the following sage observation: “Men have become the tools of their tools.”

z If you were asked to name the U.S. state that is geographically closest to the continent of Africa, you might be tempted to say Florida. You’d be wrong, though; the closest state is actually Maine.

z In 1938, Time magazine featured Adolph Hitler on the cover as its Man of the Year.

z If you’re like most parents, at some point you’ve been shocked by how quickly your kids outgrow things – especially shoes. What may be an annoyance in a developed country is a major problem in undeveloped areas of the world; Kenton Lee is working on changing that. As a volunteer in an orphanage in Kenya, he noticed that many children had the toes cut out of their shoes just so they could fit in their growing feet. After returning home, Lee developed an adjustable sandal that can grow with a child, increasing up to five sizes using a system of snaps. Although the shoe is only available to nonprofits that send them to organisations in need, domestic demand is increasing. If you’re a parent sick of buying seemingly endless pairs of new shoes, you’ll be glad to hear that Lee and his team are working on a commercial version. z It was beloved British author (and, of course, creator of Sherlock Holmes) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who introduced the sport of skiing to Switzerland, thereby transforming that snowy country into a premier tourist destination.

NOW HERE’S A TIP

z “We have a biscuit-making party every year, and we serve a nice lunch before launching into the biscuits. This year, we decided to be very festive and used cookie cutters for serviette/napkin rings. They were raved about!” – B.L. z “Keep a stack of blank notecards and a pen wherever you like to sit around, like the kitchen table or the end table in the living room. This will make it really easy for you and your kids to write notes to relatives or thank you notes for gifts. A text message or Facebook post is okay, but everyone likes a handwritten note.” – T.R. z Jazz up your cookie game with these add-ins: butterscotch morsels, coconut flakes, toasted pine nuts, sea salt, malted milk balls, caramel chunks, salted or honeyroasted peanuts, sour candies, hot chocolate mix, instant coffee granules, crushed cookies or graham crackers.

z Bring back the life of a washable marker that’s been dried out. Run the tip under a slow stream of tap water for 60 seconds, then wrap the tip in plastic and cap it. Let sit for an hour.

z Freeze juice boxes to use as ice packs in a lunch box or cooler. No mess, and it makes a lovely slushy treat on hotter days.

z According the Yates gardening company, the best time of day for watering established plants and lawns is in the early morning or late afternoon, when plants will obtain maximum benefit from the water. With seedlings and seed beds however, it is better to water earlier in the day to enable the soil surface to dry a little by evening.