Random musings to make you smile or say, huh?

FROM MY FRONT PORCH

Random musings to make you smile or say, huh?

SAM HOUSTON

Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.

Winter is now officially in the books and spring has arrived! The coming of spring brings the fear of tornadoes, hail, damaging winds and the like, but spring also brings us bluebonnets, green grass, warmer temperatures, and the inspiration that the world is coming alive after a long winter.

Every now and then, folks need to stop thinking about local politics, traffic issues, rising housing costs and the price of food. With the coming of spring, I thought it would be fun to review some unusual or little-known facts that I hope will make you smile. Nothing wrong with having a little fun, is there?

Here they are:

n “Selfies” now cause more deaths per year than shark attacks.

n There are more stars in space than there are grains of sand on every beach on the planet.

n Without saliva, humans are unable to taste food.

n It snowed in the Sahara Desert for 30 minutes on Feb. 18, 1979.

n Humans have been performing dentistry since 7000 B.C., which makes dentistry one of the oldest professions.

n Hawaii is the only state with one school district.

n No “only child” has ever grown up to become U.S. president.

n The king of England reportedly owns all of the country’s swans.

n Actress Betty White was technically “older than sliced bread.” Sliced breads emerged in 1928 while Betty White was born in 1922.

n You cannot sneeze with your eyes open.

n Fruit Loops, though having individual colors, all taste the same. There are no individual flavors.

n Play-Doh wasn’t always a children’s plaything. It was first developed as a wallpaper cleaner.

n A banana is a berry, and a strawberry is not.

n The nose and ears are the only two body parts that never stop growing.

n Three presidents, all founding fathers or our nation, died on July 4^th — John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe.

n Part of Canada is south of Detroit.

n Bats are the only mammal that can fly.

n Elephants can’t jump.

n Mosquitos are the deadliest creatures on Earth because of the diseases they carry.

n German chocolate cake does not come from Germany. It is named for its creator, Sam German.

n There is enough concrete in the Hoover dam to build a two-lane highway from San Francisco to New York City.

n Americans eat more than 150 million hot dogs each year on July 4^th.

I hope everyone gets outside in the days to come and enjoys the mild temperatures, sunshine, and the emergence of all things spring! Spring makes me feel replenished, renewed, and looking forward to the future. I hope it does the same for you.

Thought for the day; The promise of spring’s arrival is enough to get us all through the dreariest of winters.

Until next time … smile, laugh and keep ridin’ the storm out.

sam@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 260