The McCarty Metro - Family Fun Page

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OCTOBER WORD SEARCH
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METRO TOP 10 LIST

Top 10 Signs You Are Too Old to Trick or Treat

10. You get winded from knocking on the door.
9. You have another kid chew the candy for you.
8. You ask for high fiber candy only.
7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.
6. People say, "Great Keith Richards mask!" and you're not wearing a mask.
5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or..." and can't remember the rest.
4. By the end of the night, you have a bag full of restraining orders.
3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece.
2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.
1. You avoid going to houses where your ex-wives live.

Somewhere At A Doctor's Office

A Pirate's Problem

One day a pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel hanging out of his pants. He goes up to the bartender and says, "Yar, Give me something to drink." While the bartender is pouring the drink, he looks at the pirate and notices the steering wheel. "Hey buddy, you know you have a steering wheel hanging out of your pants?" The pirate looks at the bartender and says, "Yar, and it's driving me nuts!"

MARGARET'S CRAFT CORNER
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Carving Your Jack o' Lantern
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Pick out a pumpkin. They are available at farms, Metro Parks or your local grocery store. You can pick up a pumpkin-cutting kit too, or just get a serrated knife, and with adult supervision, create your own masterpiece!
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Clear off the kitchen table, lay down some newspapers, make sure no one needs the paper for "current events" or other projects. Cut out the bottom of the pumpkin, scoop out the insides, save seeds for baking later. Using a magic marker or a grease pencil is really good (available at hardware stores), draw a face and use a serrated knife to cut out the face.
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Put a votive candle on a plate (non-flammable) light the candle and put the pumpkin on top of the plate. Viola!
Baking The Pumpkin Seeds
Here's what to do with the pumpkin seeds you extracted from the pumpkin.
1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
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2 tsp. melted butter or oil (olive oil or vegetable oil work well)
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salt to taste
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Other Taste Options To Try...
garlic powder, cayenne pepper, seasoning salt, Cajun blend
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Preheat oven to 300° F.

While it's O.K. to leave some strings and pulp on your seeds (it adds flavor), clean off any major chunks. Toss pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the melted butter or oil and seasonings of your choice. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

Margaret Says Practice Your Carving On The Metro

Use the pumpkin cutting tool (your mouse) to carve. Push done when finished and your jack 'o lantern will come to life.

OCTOBER OPTICAL ILLUSION

This is quite possibly the scariest optical illusion!
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Do you see some women looking at themselves in a mirror... or is it the devil staring right out at you! Definitely a scary optical illusion right out of a haunted house or a horror movie! Boo!

PUMPKIN PHUN

What you can do with a pumpkin besides baking a pie

DID YOU KNOW?

Columbus Day is celebrated in the United States to honor Christopher Columbus's first voyage to America in 1492. Columbus is the explorer who discovered America in that year.

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451 to Domenico Columbo, a wool weaver. He worked for his Father until he was 22 then set out to follow his own dream to become a sea captain. Many of his fellow Genoese had prospered in Lisbon under the Portuguese flag as Captains of sailing ships and he longed to join their ranks.

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It was to this end that Columbus began to educate himself learning to read and speak Portuguese, Castilian and Latin. He read many geography books, and studied the bible and the writings of Marco Polo, gathering all the information he could about the world. He particularly studied, Pierre d' Ailly's "Imago Mundi," or picture of the world. He became a chart maker himself and because of these studies became convinced that the world was spherical, round instead of flat. This belief later became the basis for his quest of finding a shorter route to Asia.

Asia offered many goods Europeans craved but traveling East to get them was difficult and dangerous. However, it was with these countries of the EAST, India, China, Japan, and the East Indies, that Europeans longed to trade in greater volume. It was for this reason that a sea route around the tip of Africa to the EAST Indies and Asia was sought. Columbus was just one of many, explorers and tradesmen trying to find such a route.

Portugal deemed, " The greatest seafaring nation in the world," due in large measure to the discoveries, exploits and sponsorship of it's prince, nicknamed "Henry the Navigator," seemed the most likely nation to support Columbus's dream of finding that shorter route to the EAST. So, it was no surprise that later, he would chose to approach Portugal's King John II for his support of his expedition.

In 1479 Columbus married Dona Felipa Perestrello, whose father had been one of Prince Henry The Navigator's captains. His wife's social rank opened doors for Columbus. And using his Father in laws collection of charts and documents he gained more knowledge of Portuguese discoveries and plans. In 1481 he entered the service of King John II of Portugal and voyaged to the Gold Coast of Africa. Columbus wanted to discover the much sought for route to the EAST that would open up a lucrative trade. He believed there was a better way to find it then traveling around the tip of AFRICA. He believed by sailing west 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean that he would come full circle and end up in Asia without having to go south and east. He thought he would sail right into these countries never dreaming he would land on a whole new continent and lay claim to a whole new world.

In 1484 Columbus applied for ships and men from King John II of Portugal. He was refused and then his proposal was reconsidered. However, the final rejection of his proposal came when Bartholomew Diaz discovered the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. He had found an eastern sea route to India. The Portuguese were no longer interested in an unproven western route. Columbus was denied once again and returned to Spain.
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He finally convinced the King and Queen of Spain to finance him and at dawn on Aug. 3, 1492, the three ships hoisted anchor from Palos, Spain and set sail. "On October 11 the Pinta fished up a piece of bamboo, a pole, a board, and a stick that seemed to have been shaped by tools. At 10 PM Columbus himself thought he saw lights. At 2 AM on October 12, Rodrigo de Triana, a seaman aboard the Pinta, cried loudly the first sight of the New World. The voyage from the Canaries had taken 33 days.

He set sail on August 3, 1492 under the Spanish flag from Palos, harbor in Spain with three ships the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. Problems with the Nina and the Pinta necessitated a one month delay in the Canary Islands. He set sail again on September 3, 1492 and thirty-three days later at 2:00 a.m. on October 12, 1492, Rodrigo de Triana, a seaman aboard the Pinta, spotted land.

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Columbus actually had landed among the Bahama Islands. He named this land San Salvador, claiming it in the name of Spain. This NEW World would lead to the settlement by Europeans of the continents of North and South America.

Metro Game o' The Month