As a child I was very curious and probably got on everyone’s nerves, since when asking for explanations I was constantly told to
“go and look it up”!
Eyeshine (Wikimedia Commons)
~~~
We had several “reference books”, encyclopaedias and dictionaries, all of which were very heavy, kept in the tall bookcase in the crowded corner of our living room… I often did look things up, but then I often didn’t.
Now, thanks to Wikipedia and Google, I have no excuse, and I look things up All The Time!
Here’s a list (I love lists) of a few things I have looked up in the last 48 hours or so …
- Eyeshine (See photo above)
- Pectin content of various fruits
- Lactose content of types of cheese
- Anaphylactic Shock
- Reflex bleeding
- Albert Schweitzer
- Dipsacus fullonum (Teasel)
- Lyme disease
- Brownies (and Blondies)
- Bladdernut/Staphylea pinnata (Pimpernuss)
The last one was featured on Bavarian TV last night… I love the German name Pimpernuss – much prettier than Bladdernut! It is a large shrub that bears pretty white flowers. The way they hang down from the branches is interesting…
(Photo: Wikipedia)
The seedhead is a capsule which contains nut-like seeds. These can be cracked open, and the kernel is then seasoned and roasted, and eaten as a snack.
(Photo: Wikipedia)
Or, in the Bavarian Forest, a liqueur is made with them. What a pity I don’t have one in my garden!
Have you ever heard of them? I hadn’t!
I’d love to hear what YOU have looked up recently!
😀
Words and Herbs 
I have never heard of these…oh my what have I looked up recently…well I was looking for Chinese herbs and then I was looking for a seller of liatris aspera.
I look at an online nursery almost every day, as they have such great profiles of all their plants. (And I’ve started choosing bulbs for next spring!)
Curiosity is always a good thing.
Without it we wouldn’t learn! Thanks for stopping by. 😀
I looked up for Sebes, the romanian town, where I stay
and for Bus-transportation to other towns. I found a great site, where all lines and companies are put together.
Where would we be without the internet! 😉
Wikipedia and I are close- nothing today but it is early. I may start keeping a list just for fun. A good trivia question is :what is a Pimpernuss? Wonderful word!
Now I can explain that! “Pimper” comes from the old German (onomatopoeic) verb “pimpern”, which means to rattle. “Nuss” is nut. The nut rattles in the seed capsule when ripe! 😀
I do it, too! Tomorrow, I will keep track of what I look up.
It’s an interesting exercise! 😀
Really like the Pimpernuss, which is new to me. I’m a big fan of Wikipedia.
I’ve found the sites about plants are frequently much more detailed on the German Wikipedia pages, so I am fortunate enough to have access to so much extra information! Another good, but still growing site is Hortipedia: http://en.hortipedia.com/wiki/Main_Page
😀
Thanks for the link to the garden portal–I know what I’ll be doing today now! pbm
I never heard of Bladdernuts either, wonder what the liqueur tastes like? I looked up Bobcats and colleges in Snowflake, AZ. We had a bobcat last night and my son is going to take some classes. When I was a teenager in school we didn’t even have computers to look anything up… just amazing now.
How did we manage before the age of computers! LOL!
exactly 😉
I could not make it without Google! My husband and I were talking a few nights ago about how the Internet has made information so easy to get, our kids won’t ever understand going to the set of encyclopedias or walking to library with a question in hand!
Doesn’t that make you feel old – that we can remember the days when libraries were the main reference centre, and everyone had a set of encyclopaedias in their bookshelf! Do people still go round from door-to-door selling encylopaedias these days!?! LOL!