Raggedy Ann is 100!

Raggedy Ann Turns 100; 2015

The beloved doll that has become an American icon has a special birthday this year.  This is the first of several posts devoted to Raggedy Ann.  Please email me with your memories to share of this wonderful doll.

Ellen Tsagaris Doll Collecting Expert Raggedy Ann Turns 100; 2015 Raggedy Ann, one of the most beloved dolls of all times, turns 100 this year! READ NOW » Share   February 23d Rendezvous by Theriault's You can view the R. John Wright dolls that will be featured Feb. 23d now! READ NOW » Share   Building a General Doll Collection A general doll collection, based on the ideas of doll author Helen Young, contains dolls of many types and categories. READ NOW » Share   Tonner, Alexander and American Girl Updates Feb. 2015 Here are some news bytes from three beloved and popular American doll makers. READ NOW » Share   MORE FROM ABOUT.COM • Blog • Madame Alexander Doll Types • Social Media and Doll Collectors • Review: My Size Disney Frozen Elsa • Elementary, My Dear Bella • Doll Collector's Calendar

Scented Flowers To Order; Think Spring!!

Sweetly Fragrant Plants - on Sale Now

The sale below is from Logees.com; the photos did not come through, and the sale is up.  But, they have great information on plants and more sales.  It is free to signup, and I've had good luck with them. So, FYI: Floral scents trigger good memories and relieve stress that's why we like to surround ourselves with fragrant plants.  All of these can be grown successfully in your home or garden. Hurry! Sale ends February 18, 2015.  Note: To receive these special prices you must put the first item into your shopping cart, then enter "EMAIL" as the promotional code and click "Apply Key Code". Big Sale At Logee's Plants For Home & Garden Jasmine 'Grand Duke of Tuscany'  (Jasminum sambac) With a rich, heavenly fragrance, the thick 1" fully double white blooms emerge on the tips of the upright stems.  The carnation-like flowers are much revered throughout Asia where a perfumed drink is made by soaking the flowers in water overnight.  2.5" pot. R1389-2 Reg. $11.95     Sale: $9.95 Order Now Orange Jasmine  (Murraya paniculata) Transport yourself to the tropics with the sweet scent of Orange Jasmine. Plants bloom at an early age, and the waxy white flowers have an intense orange blossom fragrance. This murraya stays compact making it one of the finest fragrant flowering plants for container growing.   2.5" pot. R1444-2 Reg. $13.95    Sale: $11.95 Order Now Angel of the Night Randia (Randia ruiziana) One of the sweetest, most intoxicatingly fragrant flowers we have ever found, the long 8" white tubular blooms have a 5-pointed star petal shape. Even when the flowers are dried, the fragrance remains.  2.5" pot. R2334-2 Reg. $16.95   Sale: $12.95 Order Now Angel's Trumpet  'Charles Grimaldi' (Brugmansia hybrid)  The luminous orange flowers have an intense nighttime fragrance.  'Charles Grimaldi' blooms in profusion during the warm summer months and can be planted in a large container or directly in the garden.  4" pot. R1107-4 Reg. $14.95    Sale: $12.95 Order Now Oleander  'Mrs Isadore Dyer' (Nerium oleander hybrid)  One of the best and most fragrant oleanders, 'Mrs Isadore Dyer' has large, fully double blooms of rosy-pink with white striping on the petals.  As the season progresses, the flowers become a darker pink. Oleander is an easy-to-grow, free-blooming plant.  2.5" pot. R2491-2  Reg. $9.95    Sale: $7.95 Order Now Corkscrew Flower  (Vigna caracalla) Walking through our greenhouses in late summer and early fall, you'll smell the intense, highly fragrant Corkscrew Flower.  Its snail-shell-shaped blooms are white and purple and they form in tight clusters along the vine.  This is a "must have" for fragrant flower lovers.  4" pot. R1604-4 Reg. $18.95    Sale: $14.95 Order Now Osmanthus 'Apricot Echo'  (Osmanthus fragrans aurantiacus)  Intensely fragrant, this new Sweet Olive cultivar has orange flowers that bloom repeatedly from fall through spring. It starts to bloom when the plant is only a couple of inches tall and adds color and fragrance to your indoor garden. 2.5" pot. R2849-2 Reg. $14.95   Sale: $12.95 Order Now Camellia 'High Fragrance'  (Camellia lutchuensis hybrid)   It doesn't get much better than this! 'High Fragrance' has large, light pink, semi-double flowers and an alluring fragrance. An upright grower with an open habit, its flowers can reach up to 4" across. Blooms in the late winter and early spring. 4" pot. R1948-4  Reg. $24.95   Sale: $19.95 Order Now Sweet Olive 'Fudingzhu'  (Osmanthus fragrans)  Sweet Olive 'Fudingzhu' is remarkable for its large, fragrant bloom clusters. The blossoms totally encircle the branches and the plant reaches flowering size at only 6" tall. Blooming continues from September through April.  2.5" pot. R1908-2  Reg. $14.95    Sale: $12.95 Order Now Jasmine 'Flore Plena'  (Jasminum sambac)  Unique double flowers have the intoxicating fragrance of the Jasmine sambac cultivars so a pleasing, heady aroma fills the air wherever this plant is grown. The double flowers almost appear to be a flower within a flower.  Unusual! 2.5" pot. R1727-2 Reg. $11.95    Sale: $9.95 Order Now Desert Rose  'Yellow Fragrance'  (Adenium hybrid)  This highly sought after adenium has beautiful double yellow flowers with bright red striping throughout each petal.  It's the first lightly fragrant Desert Rose, making it very special indeed.  4" pot. S7838-4G  Reg. $34.95   Sale: $29.95 Order Now Night Blooming Jasmine  (Cestrum nocturnum) This upright container plant from the West Indies is one of the most fragrant plants we grow.  The greenish-white flowers emit an intoxicating fragrance at night.  Grow in a sunny location.  4" pot.  R1160-4 Reg. $14.95   Sale: $12.95 Order Now Madagascar Jasmine  (Stephanotis floribunda)  Clusters of white flowers emerge in summer and have a delicious scent. This is a great plant for indoor growing since it tolerates dry air and neglectful watering.  Train on a hoop or a ring. 2.5" pot. R1567-2  Reg. $11.95   Sale: $9.95 Order Now Yellow Gardenia  (Gardenia jasminoides 'Aurea') The highly fragrant flowers of 'Aurea' turn a deep golden-yellow several days sooner than regular varieties giving the effect of a yellow gardenia.  The growth habit is vigorous and upright with a blooming season that stretches from late winter to fall.  2.5" pot. R2306-2 Reg. $9.95    Sale: $7.95 Order Now Banana Shrub  (Michelia figo)  This member of the magnolia family blooms all year and the flowers have a delightfully sweet banana-like fragrance.  The heaviest bloom of 2" creamy white and purple flowers comes in late winter and early spring. 2.5" pot. R1436-2  Reg. $12.95   Sale: $10.95 Order Now Oxford Plant Stand Tall and dramatic, this filigreed metal plant stand has 3 hinged panels (52" tall, 48" tall and 42" tall) that provide 6 tiers of plants spaced in a graceful flowing pattern. Each panel holds 2 large pot holders for 6" pots. The Oxford Plant Stand has a powder-coated antique finish and metal feet for stability.  KS7387 Reg. $149.95  Sale: $139.95 Order Now Lady of the Night  (Brunfelsia gigantea) This South American shrub has pure white 2" flowers that emit an intoxicating fragrance that intensifies at night.  Lady of the Night is an excellent potted plant with a low mounding habit and it's a continual bloomer when grown in good light.  2.5" pot. R2273-2 Reg. $12.95   Sale: $9.95 Order Now Candle Tree  (Rothmannia capensis)  The fragrance is sweet and reminiscent of gardenia.  The large, 3" wide flowers stand upright on the branches. Although this plant is a slow grower, the gorgeous blooms make the wait worthwhile.  2.5" pot. R1651-2 Reg. $24.95    Sale: $16.95 Order Now

Interested in fragrant flowers?  See Logee's complete list

Astronomy News: Maria Mitchell and The Solar Eclipse for March

The Solar Eclipse and Maria Mitchell

By Ellen Tsagaris

Popular Astronomy Club

This article will also appear in a local newspaper.

On March 20, 2015, the next solar eclipse will be visible.  NASA’s Solar Eclipse Page provides tables of past and future solar eclipses, along with graphics and other pertinent information. 

A solar eclipse takes place, of course, when the moon passes between the sun and the earth.  Once this occurs, the moon partially or totally hides the sun.  Then, the moon casts a shadow on the earth.

For a solar eclipse to occur there must be a new moon because the eclipse can only take place during the phase of the new moon, which makes it possible for the moon to cast its shadow on the earth.

Such an event has been billions of years in the making, truly awesome when one considers that since its formation almost 4.5 billion years ago, the moon has been steadily pulling away from the earth. According to Space.com, the moon has been moving away from the earth by about 1.6 inches each year.  Furthermore, the writers at Space.com point out that “right now the moon is at the perfect distance to appear in our sky exactly the same size as the sun, and therefore block it out. “

The Bible mentions a solar eclipse in Amos 8: 9, “I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the Earth in the clear day.”  Other references from Ancient China and Nineveh have also been documented. 

Most solar eclipses are very short, with some of the longest recorded at 7 minutes 31 seconds. During this time, the corona, the outer atmosphere of the sun, is visible.

The March eclipse will not be visible in the Quad City area, unfortunately. A total solar eclipse will be visible in Svalbard, Norway and the Faroe Islands, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible in Europe, northern and eastern Asia and northern and western Africa

The last solar eclipse was only a partial eclipse and occurred on October 23, 2014.

Celebrated astronomer Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) made the study of solar eclipses her specialty.  Mitchell was born to Quaker parents who believed in educating equally their sons and daughters.  She learned to love astronomy through helping her father, and one evening, she helped him calculate their home’s position by observing a solar eclipse. Mitchell became famous after she discovered a comet in 1847.  The King of Denmark awarded her a gold medal for her discovery of the comet.  In 1856, Mitchell became a professor of astronomy at Vassar College.

Maria Mitchell was an admired and beloved teacher who inspired her students and believed woman could achieve the same accomplishments that men did, if they could only be given a chance.  She believed creativity and science worked well together, and one quote attributed to her reads: “We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry.”

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Excerpt from a book of doll poems, also at collectdolls.about.com.  What is more "green" than a homespun rag doll?