Hey, you Squirrely Camp Fans!

Coinciding with the underlying moral of Tolkien stories like ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ evolution has shown us that big things can come in small packages. Though you won’t find them carrying magical rings through Middle-Earth, squirrels are definitely small packages and may earn more of your respect than you might expect.

See, despite the fact that squirrels are typically garden-ruining, birdseed-eating, car accident-causing rodents, we likely owe our entire existence to these little guys. That’s why today we’re celebrating Squirrel Appreciation Day.

There’s a lot to appreciate about squirrels, but their diversity alone is impressive enough. They come in all different colors like grey, red, brown, and sand. Albino squirrels have white fur as a result of their albinism while other squirrels are jet black as a result of melanism (the opposite of albinism). Some are black with white spots and others are a reddish-brown with black spots. There are all kinds.

Did you know there are over 200 different species of squirrels the world over? From tree squirrels to ground squirrels, fox squirrels, grey squirrels, FLYING squirrels (which don’t actually FLY), and many, many more, squirrels have obviously been around for quite some time in order to have developed so many differences.

Squirrels have been around for a very long time, indeed, and longer than we had ever guessed! A recent fossil-discovery, however, proves that squirrel-like animals lived in China 200 million years ago which dates mammals about 50 million years older than what scientists had previously thought!

These ancient creatures found in China are likely the ancestors of the squirrels that we know and love today! But what’s even more thought-provoking than that is the likelihood that if it wasn’t for these little guys surviving the brutal elements of prehistoric nature better than the dinosaurs were able to, you and I wouldn’t even be here!

You can learn more about these ancient squirrel ancestors here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Readers!

Since you have the day off from school, I’m sure most of you already know what today is: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. So much more than just a day off, though, today is a perfect day to educate one another about the powerful teachings and philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr.

King was born in 1929 to a teacher and Baptist minister. Born and raised, King attended school from grade school to high school to college, all in his hometown of Atlanta. He entered into his freshmen year at Morehouse College around 1945. This is when he was introduced to the writings of Henry David Thoreau—namely his ‘Essay on Civil Disobedience’.

King became very captivated with an idea presented in Thoreau’s essay—that idea: fighting back by not fighting at all. Thoreau’s essay discusses one’s refusal to follow along with an evil system as being resistance enough. Finding this idea so strong, King branded violent confrontation as “both impractical and immoral.”

At this point, King was still unsure that ‘turning the other cheek’ would deliver the lasting effect that he wanted. Was nonviolence a powerful-enough approach to making social change? Seeking to further his knowledge and understanding of nonviolent resistance, King looked into the life and writings of Mohandas Gandhi. After his reading, King was reassured that his nonviolent approach would create results.

At 25, King became a minister. It was around this time that he started making changes to things he didn’t like. His first focus became the segregated Montgomery buses. These buses said that African Americans could not sit with Caucasians. So King boycotted these buses and got lots of others to boycott the buses along with him.

This only sparked the beginning of the changes King would come to make. Learn more about the man’s life on our MLK Blog post from last year. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

We’ve talked about the history of a lot of different things on this Blog, but my favorite subjects are the histories behind camping gear. That’s why today, I’m talking about the history behind the magnetic compass. Nobody really knows just how old the compass is, but that’s not to say that we don’t know much about its history. Check it out:

Before the compass was truly invented, the discovery of magnetism was already a popular fascination. It was William Gilbert (physician to Queen Elizabeth I in the early 1600’s) who first began to form the basic laws of magnetism. It was he who first speculated that the earth itself generates magnetism. 

Not to take credit away from Mr. Gilbert, but his theory of earth’s magnetism was written all over the place. After all, it was already common knowledge that magnets were made from magnetic rock called magnetite which occurs NATURALLY. The ancient Chinese were well aware of magnetite.

Chinese fortune tellers used the natural magnet, magnetite, to build their fortune-telling boards; they would use a piece of magnetite stone that would mysteriously shift, supposedly offering predictions for someone’s future. For a long time there was nothing but mysticism attached to magnetite’s behavior, but, eventually, it was seen for what it truly is: magnetism.

Linking this magnetism to a practical means of navigation, the invention of the compass was realized in China and made popular by the 3rd Century. Now perfected, the compass is a simple, lightweight device featuring a magnetized needle that sits on a free-rotating pivot to always show you which direction you’re facing.

Pick out your own magnetic compass from Everything Summer Camp and never lose your way again! As always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Fruitcakers!

Like building snowmen, sipping hot chocolate, and warming up by the fireplace, mailing fruitcakes has become a pretty standard tradition in the winter season. It’s very common for families to receive this specific kind of cake throughout the winter holidays. In fact, there’s a day for it! Yesterday was National Fruitcake Day. I can safely say for myself that I have never tried fruitcake, nor do I have a burning desire to EVER try it. Come to think of it, I don’t know anybody who actually LIKES fruitcake! Legendary late night host Johnny Carson is noted for his ridicule of this dessert, saying, “The worst gift is fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world and people keep sending it to each other.”

Still, that hasn’t stopped anyone from sending fruitcakes to one another. But if fruitcake isn’t a desired, delectable dessert that’s loved by all, then how did it get to be so customary to send this cake in the mail this time of year?

Well, let’s have a quick history lesson about the matter. First of all, fruitcakes have been around since the days of ancient Rome. They put pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins in their fruitcakes—which doesn’t sound too bad. Surprisingly, a lot of the old recipes for fruitcakes likely trump any fruitcake made today. Indeed, fruitcake USED TO BE…dare I say…TASTY!

Back in the 1200’s, travelers loved having a compact, energizing cake that didn’t risk easily spoiling. And about 500 years after that, fruitcakes really hit their stride. So, you see, the question isn’t so much ‘how did such a disliked dessert get to be so popular?’, but more so, ‘how did such a beloved dessert get to be so mocked?’.

Over time, as the fruitcake evolved, baking and assembling fruitcakes became rather involved. And because they became A LOT of work, they were only offered for special occasions like weddings and birthdays. At this point, all fruitcakes were locally made. But this changed when it became popular to mail-order products in 1913.

Once fruitcakes started traveling across the country, they began to lose their appeal. Maybe it was because people didn’t know exactly where the cake came from. Maybe fruitcakes aren’t made with the same care and expertise as they once were. Maybe it’s because of Johnny Carson.

In any case, fruitcakes—despite their bad rep—don’t seem to be going anywhere. Go ahead and try one this year. You might like it! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Holidayers!

We’ve spent the last three days looking at the three most popular December holidays that are celebrated in the United States. I told you about the distinct histories of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. For my closing installment of this series on December holidays in the United States, I’d like to talk about the many other holidays observed this month.

Muslims celebrate Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic calendar. This is when the prophet Muhammad heard the first verses of the Qur’an from Allah. Muslims observe Ramadan by fasting from dawn to sunset. The fasting is intended to instill strength, patience, and goodwill throughout this holy month. Ramadan will often times fall in December, however, since it is based on the Islamic calendar, the dates can vary. It was celebrated in JUNE and JULY this year!

The Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Mexican holiday dating back to the morning of December 9, 1531, when a ghostly girl on top of the Tepeyac Hill instructed one Juan Diego to build a church there in her honor. As a miraculous sign to prove her identity as the Virgin Mary, the apparition had Juan Diego pick Castillian Roses (a foreign flower to Mexico that inexplicably bloomed on the hilltop in mid-December). The lady rolled the flowers in a fabric. On December 12, when Juan Diego, showed the roses to the Bishop, the image of the Lady of Guadalupe was there on the fabric!

The Japanese celebrate New Year’s on the same date as us, but they don’t call it New Year’s. Instead, they call it Shōgatsu. And before Shōgatsu, they celebrate Ōmisoka (better known to English-speakers as New Year’s Eve). Shōgatsu is the most important day of the year for the Japanese which makes Ōmisoka the second-most important. They observe it by eating a bowl of long noodles called Toshikoshi, which translates to “crossing over from one year to the next.” The Japanese will also traditionally make a midnight visit to local temples or shrines to be there when the new year arrives.

There are other holidays in December that you might celebrate. If I missed your holiday, I’m sorry. There are so many of them! Whether you celebrate one of the three I mentioned on today’s post, the one’s I discussed previously this week, or one that I missed like St. Lucia’s Day, St. Nicholas Day, Three King’s Day, or Boxing Day, the important thing is that they all seem to share a theme of togetherness and warmth throughout the darkest and coldest time of year. Happy holidays, Everyone, and thanks for reading!

- John