Friday, April 17, 2020

Toilet Paper 101 fun facts and a short history.

                            

With all the hording and freaking out about TP, I thought it might be fun to learn a little about this prized possession now worth its weight in gold.                                   

               Here's a nice video on how it's made. 
                          How toilet paper is made

There's plenty of toilet paper – so why are people hoarding it?     
     And remember, no job is done 
                 until the paperwork is complete. 

               Design Toscano A Knight to Remember Gothic Bath Tissue Holder ...
           Here are some historical and fun facts. 
1. The first recorded use of toilet paper was in 6th Century China. (Now it's their fault we're hording it.) 

2. By the 14th Century, the Chinese government was mass-producing it.

3. Packaged toilet paper wasn't sold in the United States until 1857. Known as Medicated Papers.
                        Sweethearts Of The West: Toilet Paper 4. Joseph Gayety, the man who introduced packaged TP to the U.S. had his name printed on every sheet.

5. Global toilet paper demand uses nearly 30,000 trees every day.

6. That's 10 million trees a year. 
                  (Sad to hear about that statistic)
            Best Way to Remove TP from Trees | Davey Blog        
7. It wasn't until 1935 that a manufacturer was able to promise Splinter-Free Toilet Paper.

8. Seven percent of Americans admit to stealing rolls of toilet paper in hotels.

9. Americans use an average of 8.6 sheets of toilet paper per trip to the bathroom.

10. The average roll has 333 sheets.

11. Historically, what you use to wipe depended on your income level.

12. In the middle ages they used something called a gompf stick which was just an actual stick. The Romans used a sponge on a stick.
                           10 Gross Things People Used to Wipe Before Toilet Paper
13. Wealthy Romans used wool soaked in rose water and French royalty used lace.

14. Other things that were used before toilet paper include: Hay, corn cobs, sticks, stones, sand, moss, hemp, wool, husks, fruit peels, ferns, sponges, seashells, knotted ropes, and broken pottery (ouch!).

15. 70-75% of the world still doesn't use toilet paper because it is too expensive or there is not sufficient plumbing.

16. In many Western European countries, bidets are seen as more effective and preferable to toilet paper.

17. Colored toilet paper was popular in the U.S. until the 1940s.
                      colored toilet paper
18. The reason toilet paper disintegrates so quickly when wet is that the fibers used to make it are very short.

19. On the International Space Station, they still use regular toilet paper but it has to be sealed in special containers and Compressed.

20. During Desert Storm, the U.S. Army used toilet paper to camouflage their tanks.
                      
21. In 1973 Johnny Carson caused a toilet paper shortage. He said as a joke that there was a shortage, which there wasn't, until everyone believed him and ran out to buy up the supply. It took three weeks for some stores to get more stock.

22. There is a contest sponsored by Charmin to design and make wedding dresses out of toilet paper. The winner gets $2,000.
                        wedding dress made of toilet paper
23.. There was a toilet paper museum in Wisconsin, The Madison Museum of Bathroom Tissue, but it closed in 2000.

24. The museum once had over 3,000 rolls of TP from places all over the world, including The Guggenheim, Ellis Island, and Graceland.

25. There is still a virtual toilet paper museum called Nobody's Perfect.

26. In 1996, President Clinton passed a Toilet Paper Tax of 6 cents per roll, which is still in effect today. Obama tried to triple that but the House wouldn't pass it.

27. The Pentagon uses, on average, 666 rolls of toilet paper per day.

28. The most expensive toilet paper in the world is from Portuguese brand Renova.
                  
29. Renova is three-ply, perfumed, costs $3 per roll and comes in several colors including black, red, blue and green.

30. The CEO of Renova came up with the idea for black toilet paper while he was at a Cirque du Soleil show.
                   Toilet paper: Retracing the history from corn cobs to quilted ...
31. Beyonce uses only red Renova toilet paper.

32. Kris Jenner uses only the black Renova toilet paper.
                   Toilet paper 'over or under' debate resolved via 1891 patent
33.  If you hang your toilet paper so you can pull it from the top, you're considered more intelligent than someone who pulls it from the bottom. How rude. (Wonder how this was determined?)

34. Koji Suzuki, a Japanese horror novelist best known for writing The Ring, had an entire novel printed on a single roll of toilet paper.
                tpbook1
            Called Drop, it's a nine chapter Novella 
35. The novel takes place in a public bathroom and the entire story runs approximately three feet long.

36. When asked what necessity they would bring to a desert island, 49% of people said toilet paper before food.

37. Rumor has it Queen Elizabeth II wipes her royal bottom with silk handkerchiefs! 
              
                         Toilet paper: Retracing the history from corn cobs to quilted ...
                Remember Mr. Whipple? 
             Please don't squeeze the Charmin.
          
                               THE END!
             What to Do When You Run Out of Toilet Paper - What Can You Flush?
                      this information has not been fact checked!

Monday, April 13, 2020

Who remembers The Bremen Town Musicians ?

                          
     As a child, this was one of my favorite stories. I mean what's not to like. Talking animals, off on an adventure.  I still love it! They all ran away because their owners no longer wanted them. And now I've spent the last twenty years rescuing farm animals!
Who knew?

The story, first published in Grimms' Fairy Tales in 1819,  tells the story of four aging domestic animals, who after a lifetime of hard work are neglected and mistreated by their former masters. Eventually, they decide to run away and become town musicians in the city of Bremen. Contrary to the story's title the characters never arrive in Bremen, as they succeed in tricking and scaring off a band of robbers, capturing their spoils, and moving into their house. 

  I guess the moral of the story is supposed to be that separately they were old and weak and their future looked Grimm (tee hee). But together, as a team, they were unbeatable and happy. We all need our friends and family, and we all need to take care of one another. 
               
Now my donkey, Rosie, wants music lessons!

  The Medieval town of Bremen in Germany goes back before 787 and the rule of Charlemagne. Many beautiful buildings still stand as well as a statue commemorating the Bremen Town Musicians. 

             Bremen Cathedral   Ludwig Roselius Museum
                          Bremen.band.500pix.jpg
             A bronze statue by Gerhard Marcks. 
                            Erected in 1953.
                     
            The animals are also memorialized 
                in statues, stamps, pictures and toys
       Hutschenreuther Bremen Town Musicians Figurine Germany Dog Donkey ...Vintage Hutschenreuther Bremen Town Musicians, Donkey, Dog, Cat ...
                                           The Bremen Town MusiciansCollectible Dolls Art image 0
                             Bremen Town Musicians Multi-Color
                                   The Bremen Town Musicians | Literawiki | Fandom
                                     












Friday, March 13, 2020

Bliss: Fae Warriors Book Two receives 5+ STARS

THANK YOU N.N. LIGHT BOOK HEAVEN
                                      Read Review Here

     Fae Warrior, Bliss Goodeve, fires up her empath skills to help Mother Nature battle the Reptiles invading Earth. But when it comes to her new human partner, Nathaniel Winston Calhoun, Bliss would rather make love than wage war. A man of mystery, he even makes horn-rimmed glasses and a white lab coat look sexy. 
    Nate admits to being a brainiac, at least that’s the persona he shows the outside world. If his boss discovered his checkered past, life could get complicated. The bad boy in Nate wants Bliss in the worst way. The scientist in him calculates high odds of being left brokenhearted.    
   After one Reptile goes rogue, it’s up to Bliss, Nate, and an alien critter named Noodge to bring him down. But time is running out, and things are heating up—especially romantically. Bliss is all for living in the moment. But will that be enough for Nate? 

       Noodge, such a sweet otherwordly protector...


     Until someone threatens the Fae sisters.  
Then even the Reptile invaders run for their lives
excerpt:
     He wasn’t a muscled-bound jock who looked like he lived at the gym, but rather he was tall and lanky, with the broad shoulders and narrow hips of a Soccer Pro. Or on her planet, a three dimensional air jockey. She could watch those bad boys for hours.   
   “Does this mean you’ve come to terms regarding where I come from.” 
   “I’m not sure what you mean by terms. And I really don’t know where you come from other than out there.” He waved his hand around in the air. “I’ve had sufficient time to digest the concept, of course, but there’s still too much undiscovered data to come to a conclusion. But then we all have secrets.”
   “Do we now.” Her favorite superhero, Bruce Wayne, he had secrets. Did Dr. Calhoun have an alter ego? Was there a bat-cave nearby, and someone equivalent to Alfred waiting for him?   “Have you been briefed on why I’m here, and what we’re up against.” 
   “Again yes. And again, still working on it. I try to keep an open mind. After all, I’m a big supporter of SETI. Did a “tour of duty” at the Lick Observatory for my postgraduate work.”  
   Lick, such a nice four letter word. And in her mind, one that did not conjure telescopes and long boring hours of record keeping with hopes of alien contact. 

   “So you see,” he continued, leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed over his chest. “I certainly believe in the potential for you to exist.”

  

Monday, March 9, 2020

Trapper's Moon Best Historical/Western Reader's Choice Award

                    Thank you Still Moment Magazine 


Blurb:
    As a free trapper, mountain man Kade McCauley is wary of the Hudson Bay Company. Their form of vengeance against those who are not part of the company can be deadly. When he and his partner are attacked, he fights back, only to discover one of his shots struck an innocent. A woman who touches his soul, and he will do anything to keep her safe. 
     While searching for her Native American tribe, Blind Deer crosses paths with Kade—with near fatal results. Once she is patched up, she decides it is safer to travel with him than alone Their uneasy alliance turns to genuine caring, but Blind Deer's past gets in the way, and she must choose between love or old obligations. 
     But nothing in life is carved in stone except the mountains, and those formidable peaks have been known to change the course of a man's life—or a woman's.
Where was Blind Deer? The water bucket and rifle were missing. Probably gone down to the stream. 



 Excerpt:
She had been at his side since the accident. He remembered hearing her voice and the stories she had told. He remembered fighting to come back to her. She had been his warmth and light. Her spirit his only sanctuary in the fearful world he’d roamed alone. 

Opening the cabin door, he stood in the sun, soaking up the healing rays as he awaited her return, a vision to fill his eyes and heart. Instead, an Indian brave materialized before him.

The solitary man stood several yards away, clothed only in leggings, a loin cloth, and moccasins. The man stared back, formidable and unafraid. The white talons of his bear claw necklace glinted in the sun, reminding Kade of another brave and the eagle claw that had ripped his leg open those many years ago. The man’s face was slashed with red and black paint, adding a terrifying bit of decoration to the already threatening spectacle.

Armed with a Missouri war axe, bow, and knife, the solitary figure stood stock still, a painted bag at his feet. The feeling he thought himself invincible radiated from his stance and demeanor, although he made no move to attack.

Holy mother of God, what a way to start his first day out of bed. Kade didn’t feel fit to take on a lame rabbit let alone an unexpected Indian. As nonchalantly as possible, he glanced around for Blind Deer. Had this man already found her? Did she lie injured or dead nearby? If she were unharmed, he hoped she had the sense to stay hidden.

“Easy, friend.” Kade straightened to his full height and tried not to weave about. “We weren’t expecting company.” He fought to keep the man in focus. “But you’re welcome. We’ve always lived in peace, wishing no harm to anyone, and expecting none to ourselves.”

The stranger’s reply came first in Indian, and then in French. Unfamiliar with either language, Kade didn’t understand the man’s intent. The silence hanging in the air became increasingly uncomfortable, and Kade’s strength began to dwindle.Just as passing out seemed a possibility, he sighted Blind Deer approaching from behind their uninvited guest.

Rifle at her shoulder, she moved silently through the grass. When she was a few paces behind the man, she cocked the gun, and call out. The intruder appeared to recognize the language she spoke. From his topknot to his beaded moccasins, the warrior tensed for action and slowly turned around.

Sweat broke out on Kade’s forehead. Blind Deer only had one shot, and he had none. If she missed, they would both be dead before either could make a second move. 



Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Leap into Reading with N.N. Light Book Heaven Give Away

                                            Drawing on March 6th 
The lucky winner receives 22 e-books!
Including Trapper's Moon 
                                         




   To enter via Rafflecopter go here









Thursday, February 13, 2020

"Girl Power" 5 star review for Solace Fae Warriors Book 1




Thank you N.N. Light Book Heaven
 for the great review. 
    You walk into a (book) bar and order a fantasy romance and when you taste the shot you go WOW! That is what happens to the reader who takes a chance with Solace.  The fantasy world created is very approachable for every reader.  This author has the gift to make a fantasy very readable and the reader is never bogged down trying to figure out terms.

   The plot is well crafted, and the action is intense.      The romance? Muy Caliente!

   This book could be described as a sort of Charmed meets Andromeda meets Basic Instinct - The three sisters are incredible.  To quote Tanner, 'The Warrior woman I always dreamed of,”' is an apt description.

The romance of Solace and Tanner was touching and enjoyable to read.  Two totally different beings, drawn together and able to overcome A LOT.  The book was very well written and crafted and leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next.  A recommended book to any action or romance fan, especially those who worship girl power.
My Rating: 5 stars

Available paperback or e-book
Amazon 
Nook
Tunes

Blurb:

Solace Goodeve, one of Mother Nature’s favorite Fae Warriors, is assigned to Earth to help save the planet.     Reptile invaders, disguising themselves as humans, are waging a takeover—and Mother is mad enough to eat asteroids. Solace is ready to prove herself as a warrior, but having a human for a partner is not in her battle plan—even if the man is rugged, ripped, and ready for action.
   Ex-Army Ranger, Tanner Jackson, has seen his share of black op missions. The last one took a toll on both body and soul. Tanner isn’t looking for love, even though his new partner is six-foot-tall and drop dead gorgeous. However, after Solace shows him a new meaning to working undercover, he may have to reconsider that possibility.
   As the Reps plan to sabotage NOAA, Tanner and Solace must learn to trust one another. But as they're trying to save the world, Solace and Tanner might just lose their hearts—and that takes the most courage of all.

Amazon 
Nook
Tunes

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

KHOW Denver podcast interview for Show Australia Some Love.


My publisher, The Wild Rose Press, just released the 
Australia Burns Anthology. This project of three volumes features 50 authors with all proceeds going to Australian charities and relief agencies. 


Here is a podcast interview with Ross Kaminsky of I-Hearts KHOW in Denver. 

The Wild Rose Press interview with Rhonda Penders.

Rochester publishing and printer interview

Australia Burns paperback and e-book