Semi-OT: Astrological...and sometimes superstitious

[Nanohedron]

How about J-Lo or Puff Daddy? C'mon. Dish.

Speaking of P. Diddy, anyone know of any non-voters who <a href="http://www.citizenchange.com/site/pp.as ... 2">died</a>?

So this is payback for all my OT posts. *sigh*

[Walden]

The matter is dealt with, at length, in my soon-to-be bestselling classic, The Librarian Conspiracy

...which distribution we may expect in about the same time as, say, the much-awaited D. Spillane Whistle? Low D wasn't it supposed to be? I forget; time erodes so much...

Look for it in the clearance bins of less picked-over branches of Waldenbooks.

[Denny]

How about J-Lo or Puff Daddy? C'mon. Dish.

Speaking of P. Diddy, anyone know of any non-voters who <a href="http://www.citizenchange.com/site/pp.as ... 2">died</a>?

So this is payback for all my OT posts. *sigh*

"all" seems a bit optimistic!

Denny

[Nanohedron]

And I ain't gonna quit, either!

[Walden]

No offence, good Walden, but even YOU must have something with which to further stir the pot.

As I write this, I'm eating wild persimmons, and have a mouth full of seeds. The native persimmons are good (they need to be good and ripe, though... know what I mean?), and I honestly feel blessed that the Creator has endowed us with them.

When I was a child, my grandmother would try to show me how you could cut the seeds in half, and there is eiither a spoon, a fork, or a knife in each seed. Now, some people try to prognosticate the winter weather according to which it is. Perhaps there are some old-timers on the list who can bear me out on this.

I think it is only natural that people would reckon that the power that creates and sustains all things might provide clues to His plan in the gifts and order He provides.

Now, as modern and enlightened folks, we assume that if there is indeed a message in the persimmon seeds, it must have some basis in scientific fact, perhaps something to do with how much rain fell, or the amount of sunny, compared to rainy and cloudy days in the summer, that might be indicators of what's ahead, but, if not, we are inclined to think it's superstition. Likewise, with the stars.

Genesis tells us that God gave us the heavenly lights for signs and for seasons. It was by observation of the stars that the magi knew that the star of the Christ was in the skies. To our modern way of thinking, the reading of the stars has much more to do with calculation of the years, and with the cycle of seasons, and so forth. Modern astrology and modern astronomy diverge at the word astro. It just goes to show that two different people can gaze at the same thing, but have vastly different understandings of it.

I am not one who follows the Zodiac, but I do believe that the Creator's hand is to be seen in all His works, whether celestial or terrestrial.

[Walden]

The one I split open today had a spoon in it.

[emmline]

We had a persimmon tree in the backyard when I was a kid, but the fruit was pretty mealy and inedible. I've never heard of the fork/spoon thing. We did used to suck the drop out of the end of honeysuckle blossoms though.

[izzarina]

[quote="emmline"We did used to suck the drop out of the end of honeysuckle blossoms though.[/quote]
Yep, we did that one too....and also from the red clover flowers.

[Walden]

We had a persimmon tree in the backyard when I was a kid, but the fruit was pretty mealy and inedible.

They need to be VERY ripe. And, as someone pointed out, not long ago... they are the cure for some clogging issues, in the whistle windway.

Here's something they're good for. My neighbor said they used to have persimmon fights. Also, you might take them with you to concerts, for when you catch the performers lip synching.

[Nanohedron]

Mmmm....persimmons.

I know there are different kinds; one, when properly ripe, is fairly jelly-like and almost embarrasingly sensuous. Some are left on the tree until well into the winter past, say, January. There's another that's eaten in the crunchy state in Japan, and has little flavor (they eat the other kind, too). I was given to understand that they were different varieties altogether; didn't care for crunchy persimmons, myself.

[Walden]

Mmmm....persimmons.

I know there are different kinds; one, when properly ripe, is fairly jelly-like and almost embarrasingly sensuous. Some are left on the tree until well into the winter past, say, January. There's another that's eaten in the crunchy state in Japan, and has little flavor (they eat the other kind, too). I was given to understand that they were different varieties altogether; didn't care for crunchy persimmons, myself.

Yes there is the oriental persimmon, which is domesticated, and raised in Asia and California. In Texas, there is a native species called the Texas persimmon, and it's peculiar to that state. The common persimmon, or Virginia persimmon, is native to eastern North America, as far west as Oklahoma. They grow on the hills where my family are from. They are not worth much for eating if not very well ripe... grainy... will dry your mouth out. But they are quite good if eaten just to the point of almost going bad... jelly-like is a good word for them. But they will ripen quite nicely in a paper sack in the refrigerator, if they aren't ripe enough when you pick them.

[Darwin]

Mmmm....persimmons.

I know there are different kinds; one, when properly ripe, is fairly jelly-like and almost embarrasingly sensuous. Some are left on the tree until well into the winter past, say, January. There's another that's eaten in the crunchy state in Japan, and has little flavor (they eat the other kind, too). I was given to understand that they were different varieties altogether; didn't care for crunchy persimmons, myself.

Yes there is the oriental persimmon, which is domesticated, and raised in Asia and California.

These are very crunchy when ripe, not quite like apple, but denser and tougher. They normally have large, round, shiny black seeds.

In Texas, there is a native species called the Texas persimmon, and it's peculiar to that state.

I wonder if that's what we had outside my college dormitory. The tree was huge--up to the third floor windows, I think. A lot of its fruit fell on the sidewalk at the main entrance, and made quite a mess. You wouldn't want to park your car under one of those.

The common persimmon, or Virginia persimmon, is native to eastern North America, as far west as Oklahoma. They grow on the hills where my family are from. They are not worth much for eating if not very well ripe... grainy... will dry your mouth out. But they are quite good if eaten just to the point of almost going bad... jelly-like is a good word for them. But they will ripen quite nicely in a paper sack in the refrigerator, if they aren't ripe enough when you pick them.

My wife loves those. She had some today--very jelly-like, and no seeds, really, other than little black dots about the size of a pinhead, near the bottom of each segment.

[lyrick]

Yum--wild persimmons. We used to have a whole grove of wild persimmon trees. When they fell to the ground, they were ripe, and if we got them before the goats and ants did, we'd mash them through a colander so the pulp came through, and then mix the pulp with yogurt (from the goats), make ice cream out of it, or freeze it and eat it throughout the winter. The pulp is a lot thicker and more concentrated than from the domesticated persimmons, and the fruit has big seeds and not much pulp, but they're good.