Issue 123 - Tidbits of Sheridan and Johnson Counties

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May 9 - 15, 2016

Kysar Publishing

Issue 123

For Ad Rates call: (307) 655-5095

bkysar@sjtidbits.com

Laugh a bit

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with

Q: I’m looking for the grave in this cemetery for the guy who invented the crossword.

A: Sure! He’s three down and four across!

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TIDBITS® DOES A CROSSWORD

by Janet Spencer Arthur Wynne was the editor of the puzzle page in the magazine section of the Sunday edition of the New York World. In 1913, he was looking for something new, having grown tired of word squares, hidden words, and anagrams. Fooling around with a word square, he decided to alter it a bit. He called the result a word-cross. It was instantly popular, and became a regular feature.

When it was left out one week, the paper was deluged with angry letters. For the next ten years, the World was the only paper that published crosswords. A rival paper, the New York Times, thought crosswords were merely a passing fad and predicted their swift demise. Come along with Tidbits as we do a crossword!

GREAT BEGINNINGS • In 1924, two young men formed a partnership and started a publishing company. Problem was, they had nothing to publish. Then one of the men went to dinner at his aunt’s house. His aunt was looking for a Christmas present for her daughter. She mentioned that the girl was addicted to the crossword puzzles published in the New York World. She asked her nephew if he knew of any place where she could buy a book of crosswords as a gift. He called around the next day, and discovered that no one in the world published books of crossword puzzles. He suggested to his business partner that they become the first publishing company to do so.

(Continued on Next Page)

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your Hometown Lumber yard Since 1928 Sheridan

1836 S. Sheridan Ave. 307-673-0786 DOES YOUR ROAD, LANE OR DRIVEWAY NEED IMPROVEMENT, YOUR YARD NEED LANDSCAPING ROCK, YOUR KIDS NEED A SANDBOX, OR YOU ARE A CONTRACTOR? WE CAN HELP! We have a big variety of products such as: o 1 ½” Minus Structural Fill o Boulders o 1 ½” Drain Rock o 2” x ¾” Screened Rock(Landscaping) o 2”x 6” Rip Rap o Washed Sand and Washed Rock o Base Gravel - Grading “W” o Crushed Rock in 1”, 7/8” and 5/8” sizes o Pit Run о Pea Gravel We also deliver by appointment.

Products Available in Sheridan - 1618 Kroe Lane

The TA Ranch Pit of Buffalo is open Mon - Fri 7am - 4pm and by appointment.

We are located 13 miles South of Buffalo on Old Highway 87. For appointment: Bart Serres (307) 620 - 9329

74 East Ridge Rd • Sheridan, WY

SCAN FOR TIDBITS WEBSITE

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We have ladies clothing for Prom, Graduations and Weddings

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134 N Main St. Sheridan, WY Hours: Mon. to Sat. 10am - 5pm

Commercial • Industrial • Residential

Mike’s Electric Inc. LOWELL KYSAR NATHAN KYSAR OWNERS FAX • 307-674-4782

24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE

674 - 7373

ELECTRIC CONTRACTORS • Sales • Electric Motors • Electric Heat • Service • Electric Accessories & Supplies

68 Years Service

43 E 5th St. • SHERIDAN, WY

Page 2

Tidbits® of Sheridan and Johnson Counties Tidbits Presents the

HEALTH PAGE

GREAT BEGINNINGS (cont’d) • When the two publishers told their consultants they intended to publish crossword books, the consultants felt the idea would fail—it would be too monotonous, they said. They were counselled to publish the book under a pseudonym so that if the book failed, their real name would not be associated with the failure. So they published 3,600 copies of the book under the name of Plaza Publishing Co. • Advance sales were slow as booksellers felt the book would not sell. But on the day the book came out, the two publishers ran an ad next to the daily crossword in the paper. Book stores were swamped with requests—40,000 copies sold in the first few weeks. One distributor ordered 55,000 copies, then called back and ordered a quarter million more. Discarding their fake name of Plaza Publishing, the two men resumed using their original name: Simon and Schuster.

CROSSWORD COMPETITIONS • In 1970 a London newspaper held a crossword competition. They printed four crosswords of increasing difficulty in the paper. Over 20,000 people correctly completed the first; 1,000 managed the second; 302 completed the third; and only 42 got everything right on the fourth. All 302 people who made it through the third puzzle were invited to the two-day finals. During the semi-finals, they were given half an hour to finish each of eight crosswords. The 36 finalists were asked to complete four more. The winner was Roy Dean, a 43-year-old Foreign Office diplomat who recently returned from 10 years in Sri Lanka— where he had never even seen a crossword.

• One shady outfit who ran a crossword lottery claimed that no one won the grand prize because they all missed 23 Across. The clue was: “To have to wait in ______ in the dentist’s office is infuriating.” Everybody filled in “Pain.” But the correct answer, they said, was “Vain.”

CROSSWORD COMPETITIONS • In 1926 two men composed a crossword puzzle and placed it in several newspapers. They announced that anyone who correctly completed the puzzle and mailed it in with a $1 entry fee would be eligible to win the grand prize. Within the week, entries were arriving by the van load and they were taking their money to the bank in suitcases.

• Crossword competitions became so popular in India in the 1950s that parliament tried to make them illegal on the grounds that the fees to enter the crossword contests were leading people to financial ruin.

STRANGE PUZZLES • In 1972 in the London Times, readers of the classifieds were amazed to find a strange page in the back of the section. All of the column headings were in place—cars for sale, houses for rent—but all the ads were missing. The only thing normal about the page was the usual crossword down at the bottom corner where it always was. Those who completed the crossword discovered amusing messages on the value of butter.

The entire page was an attention-grabbing ad for butter.

• A San Francisco paper once sold advertising space in the little black squares of the grid.

• One innovative crossword publisher came out with a book that had a number of perforated pieces of tracing paper in it. Puzzlers were to tear out a piece of the tracing paper and put it over the top of the puzzle they wanted to solve, leaving the book clean and unmarked for the next person to use.

• Robert Stilgenbauer of Los Angeles spent 11 years constructing a crossword with 3,185 down clues and 3,149 across. Over 125,000 copies were distributed, but none have been completed yet.

• One variety of crossword had two possible answers for every clue.

-OOPS• One crossword composer wrote the clue “to make a go of.” The answer was “succeed.” But the paper made a typo when printing it, and it said, “to make a goof.” Calls and letters poured in.

• The same composer was once called on by a cross crossworder who could not find the answer to the clue “manager of the Globe Theater.” He had called the Globe Theater and found it had two managers. Neither of their names fit. He was surprised to find the clue referred to William Shakespeare.

• An 8-year-old boy caught another crossword error with the clue “had a wooden leg.” Captain Ahab was the only answer that fit, but Ahab had an ivory leg, not a wooden one.

• Then there was the man with bad handwriting who wrote the clue “Catholic chief.” The answer was “Pope” but the typesetter thought it said “Dope.” They got plenty of letters on that one.

• Another paper printed the clue “Confederate General.” The answer was U.S. Grant— and a lot of people were surprised to find that Grant was a Confederate! • One hard-up crossword writer printed the clue, “Six consonants and the letter ‘A’ five times.” “Panama Canal” was what he had in mind, but one indignant puzzler submitted a number of answers that also fit, including Bahama Macaw, Sahara Sarah, Havana Madam, and Abracadabra.

• One magazine in 1958 accidentally printed the wrong diagram with the right set of clues. A few people actually managed to reconstruct the crossword from scratch.

• One clever clue was “An important city in Czechoslovakia” to which the answer was Oslo. Yes, Oslo is in Norway, but look at the letters in the middle of the word “Czechoslovakia.”

CLASSIFIEDS FOR SALE

FOR SALE

NEED A BED? Brand new. Direct from factory. Innerspring Mattress Sets. Twin Mattress only $89. Twin Sets $149., Full Sets $189., Queen Sets $229. (Other models in stock) Rick and Kathy Woods 429-8550(local Sheridan cell #) Call or Text.

Intel t-3 system computer. 4 gb ram. 500gb HD DVD drive with 20” flat screen. ASUS monitor. With a canon copy/ fax mx320. Cartridges.

Also computer desk. For $200.00. 307-752-3134.

Drum Set - Low Tom, High Tom, Floor Tom, Base Drum and Snare, Hihat, 1 Crash Symbol, 1 Ride Symbol. $400 obo call 240-4499

1999 Winnebago Motorhome 37’ Loaded. Good Condition.

26k Miles. $30,000 (307) 751-4203

1/2 Grassfed Beef for Sale: $1419.30 includes everything on 342 carcass weight (processing, deliver to Sheridan, Miles City, or points between).

All natural, slow grown on pasture, grassfed and finished. Quarters, Eighths, Sixteenths, and individual cuts also available. LOHOF Grass-Finished BEEF.com. 406-784-2549. lohofmeats@gmail.com

2006 Dodge 2500 Quad Cab 5.9 Diesel. Long box, spray-on bed liner, B&W goose neck hitch, Super Spring rear suspension, tow package, new front brakes, new ball joints, matching topper, K&N air filter, solid front end. $26,500 Denny (307) 751-9428

WE HAVE HAY! 2015 crop 1st cutting, small sq bales of Alfalfa/Timothy mix with a little Brome grass for added fiber.

Good protein, good for horses and all livestock.

65 - 70 lb bales. Cured.

Please call 307 751 3535,

2001 Dodge 4x4 Cummings $12,000 5.9L 24 Valve 147k miles 3 0 7 - 7 5 1 - 1 9 7 3

SERVICES AVAILABLE

AUTOS & MORE 1926 Model T Four door Electric Starter Very Good Condition $14000.00 or BO 307 673 0342

Home or pet care, transportation, house projects, grocery shopping and more FOR SALE call Errands & Extras 307, For Sale: Mobile Home Lot - LLC--your Personal As630 Mobile Dr. in Ranches- sistant Service 752-1623. ter, WY Call (307) 655-2310 Home For Sale - Call Rose Hendrickson with KW Three Peaks Realty (307) 751-4878 $189,900 4 Bedrooms 1 1/2 Bathoom New Furnace and Central Air, New Fridge, Stove, Washer and Dryer - upgrades throughout! Living room has hardwood floors, ceramic tile in the kitchen and bathrooms and new carpet in the bedrooms.

Upstairs bedrooms have walk-in closets and built in storage. Fenced in back yard and in a quiet neighborhood close to school and parks. Newly poured front entry steps and pad with beautiful stamped concrete.

We’ve opened a new branch and it fits in the palm of your hand!

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“Local Color’s” Interior Painting “Experience a Brush with Quality” Contact Shirl 307.751.0483 Red Grade Construction Bob Ratty General Contactor Historic Restoration - Retail Space Improvement Custom Carpentry Service 3 0 7 - 7 5 2 - 3 0 1 3

your hometown credit union since 1941

307.672.3445 141 S Gould Sheridan, WY www.sheridancreditunion.com

House painting, cleaning, general labor - Lots of Experience - References Available Call Steve 683-7814

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD FOR FREE! EMAIL YOUR INFO TO BKYSAR@SJTIDBITS.COM OR CALL 751-1392

Of Sheridan & Johnson Counties

Published weekly by Kysar Publishing.

Call (307) 655-5095 bkysar@sjtidbits.com

KP

Tidbits® of Sheridan and Johnson Counties

Page 4 ts presen

Featuring Local Celebrities, Inspirational Stories, and Local Businesses

Any special events in your future?

We have ladies clothing for Prom, Graduations and Weddings

starting as low as $40.00 We've also taken huge markdowns on winter items!

134 N Main St. Sheridan, WY Hours: Mon. to Sat. 10am - 5pm

ye olde book knook

17 South Main St - Sheridan 307•675•1030

Ye Olde Book Knook This week, Tidbits had the opportunity to interview Vi Channel the owner of Ye Olde Book Knook.

Since she was 16 years old, Vi dreamed of owning her own used book store. She even knew the name would be the “Ye Olde Book Knook.” She has a huge passion for reading and visiting with people. Moreover, she hates seeing old books thrown away.

She was finally able to make that dream become a reality in January of 1996. She opened the first store on Works St. and after a few years moved it to Main St. Ye Olde Book Knook has been in business for over twenty years and carries a solid supply of paper and hard back books.

Vi really knows her books and authors and has a great memory to assist her customers. She takes great delight in matching people to their desired reads.

Perhaps there’s an older book you’ve always wanted to read or maybe there’s one you’d like to re-read. You’d better stop down and see Vi’s wide selection!

Outside of reading and operating her book store, Vi enjoys traveling to other countries and experiencing their cultures. She has been to places such as Belize, Guatemala, Australia, England, Wales, Scotland, and Mexico. She is planning a trip to Ireland soon.

She also enjoys walking on our pathways or hiking in our mountains. If you get a chance, stop in and say hello to Vi and trade in a book or two for that long lost novel you have been searching for!

Talk to your neighbors, then talk to me.

Renate Smith, Agent 211 N Main Street Sheridan, WY 82801 Bus: 307-672-0483 renate.smith.gavt@statefarm.com

See why State Farm insures more drivers than GEICO and Progressive combined. Great service, plus discounts of up to 40 percent.* Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

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State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company, Bloomington, IL

Ryan P. Healy Attorney at Law

Providing General Legal Service With Special Interest In:

Criminal Defense • Personal Injury • Business Law 49 South Main • Sheridan, WY 82801

307-672-7437

New this year!

Prom buyback program! receive 40% of your dress back! more details in store.

FLOORING • LIGHTING BATH SUITE ACCESORIES 2085 S. SHERIDAN AVENUE • SHERIDAN, WY

13 N. Main st. sheridan 307-674-8606

For Advertising Call (307) 655-5095

Page 5

Pet food and supply drive to benefit Second Chance Cat Rescue "Pack the car" at Sheridan Motors May 14th 9-noon

Baby food--chicken in gravy and turkey in gravy Dry cat food--Science Diet kitten healthy development, Adult Science Diet, Iams, Ideal Balance Moist cat food--Fancy Feast, 4 Health, Friskies, Tuna in water, Canned chicken World's Best cat litter Furminator cat brushes, cat toys, cat treats

STORIES BEHIND PLANT NAMES • “Azalea” comes from the Latin “azaleos” meaning dry or parched. The plant was named in the belief that it grew only in dry soils.

• “Rhodon” is Greek for rose, and “dendron” means tree: rhododendron.

• Iris was the goddess of the rainbow who was in charge of receiving the souls of dying women. The god Juno was so impressed with her purity that he named a flower after her.

• Lobelia was named in honor of botanist Matthias L’Obel. The wisteria vine was named after naturalist Dr. Casper Wistar.

• Marigolds were named after the virgin Mary: Mary’s gold.

• “Phlox” is the Greek word for fire, and phlox was named because it is fire red. Phlox is also the root of the word “phlegm,” because phlegm was thought to cause fiery fevers.

• The Greeks thought that the leaves of the common garden flower alyssum could cure the madness caused by being bitten by a rabid animal.

Since “lyssa” was the word for madness and “a-” is a negative prefix, the alyssum was born.

•Columbine comes from the Latin word “columba” meaning dove because the flowers resemble a circle of doves.

• Larkspur was so named because the flower resembles the spur on the back of the feet of birds in the lark family.

• “Primus” is Latin for first, and primrose is one of the first flowers to appear in the spring.

• The Sanskrit word “parna” meaning a wing or feather became the German word “farn” which became the Anglo-Saxon word “fearn” and is now our fern.

• Lichens come from the Greek verb “leichein” meaning to lick up, because they seem to lick their way across the ground. (continued on last page).

E l Ta p a t i o D o s Authentic Mexican Food

Hours: Monday - Friday 11am - 3pm & 5pm - 8pm S a t u rd a y 11am - 8pm 1125 N Main St. Sheridan, WY 307-673-0056

Garbage bags--4 gal, 13 gal and 33 gal Office supplies--8-1/2 x 11 copy paper, sticky notes, legal size envelopes, black and color ink cartridges for HP Laser Jet CP 2025 Clorox/Lysol wipes, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, paper towels, Bleach

Amazing Animals HOMING PIGEONS • The homing pigeon is an ordinary sort of domestic pigeon derived from the common rock pigeon and trained to return home from long distances away. There is no real difference between a homing pigeon and a carrier pigeon aside from the amount of training it has received.

• Chinese officials began using homing pigeons to transmit messages as early as 500 B.C. In the 1200s, Kublai Khan set up a network of pigeons that linked the entire Chinese empire. The system survived for over 600 years.

• Caliph Aziz of Cairo had a passion for cherrries. In 980 A.D. he sent huge shipments of homing pigeons to the cherry orchards in Egypt. Slaves tied small bags containing one cherry each to the feet of the pigeons and sent them home to the Nile.

• Homing pigeons made a fortune for the French Post Office during a siege of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. The Prussian army encircled Paris, cutting telegraph wires, destroying communication cables, and strangling the postal service. From the surrounding countryside, about 1,000 privately owned homing pigeons were donated and the “Pigeon Post” was born. To get the mail through, messages were set in type, photographed in microscopic size and printed on thin film. Each bird could carry up to 8,000 letters per day in this manner, and two birds were dispatched each day. At a cost of ten cents per word, postal revenues brought in about $112,000. By the time the seige was over, pigeons had carried nearly 100,000 messages from Paris to the outside world.

• In 1814, Nathan Rothschild learned of Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo by carrier pigeon a full day before the general public new. As a result, he made a killing on the stock market.

• During World War I, nearly 200 soldiers of New York’s 77th Infantry Division became isolated from other American forces. They were surrounded by enemy troops, and found themselves under fire from their own artillery. They had three homing pigeons and no other method of communication.

On October 4, 1918, a message was attached to the leg of one pigeon and it was released, only to be shot down. The second pigeon was also killed. They had only one pigeon left—a carrier pigeon called Cher Ami, which is French for “dear friend.” The message tied to his leg read, “Our artillery is dropping a barrage on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it!” The bird was released, only to be shot through the leg. Miraculously, he kept flying— and was shot through the breast. But the bird kept going and arrived at his loft with the message barely attached to his mangled leg. Within hours help arrived and the 77th Infantry Division was saved. Cher Ami was awarded the French “Croix de Guerre.” He died in 1919 as a result of his wounds and his remains are on display at the Smithsonian.

• In the 1980s Lockheed’s plant in California employed 15 carrier pigeons to carry microfilm capsules to the test base 30 miles (48 km) away. The pigeons could make the trip in 40 minutes, faster than a courier in a car could. Also, they had an effectiveness rate of 100%. They never delivered to the wrong address, or showed up with damaged goods.

• Homing pigeons and migratory birds can be deflected from their routes by radio transmitters. Homing pigeons cannot find their way if a magnet is tied to their necks.

• The longest flight by a homing pigeon was 5,400 miles (8,690 km) by a bird released from West Africa which travelled to its home in England in 1845. The trip took two months, and the bird fell dead only one mile from its loft.

Page 6

Tidbits® of Sheridan and Johnson Counties

QUALITY • SERVICE • SELECTION

DESAVA’S COMFORT PLUS Furniture & Mattress Store

We’re BIGGER than we look!

102 E. Hart St. 684-7048 Open: (Tues - Sat) 10-5:30pm

CLOCK DOC We Repair All Types of Clocks Grandfather, Cuckoo, etc.

Pick Up and Delivery Available!

We do House Calls!

Contact: Jerry Green (307) 682-1570 Cell: (307) 680-3523

TZIGANE

Bohemian Gypsy Eclectic Funky Junk Vintage Collectibles ~ Home Décor ~ Western Items

58 E Fetterman St. Off Main Street Buffalo, WY 82834

Tel: 307-425-1005 FaceBook: tziganewy

Page 7

For Advertising Call (307) 655-5095

K K K XK CONSTRUCTION

TRUST REDI-MIX SHERIDAN

Clemens Exteriors Inc. 674-7675

751-1392

BUFFALO

48 INDUSTRIAL LANE SHERIDAN, WY 82801

39 CROSS H LANE BUFFALO, WY 82834

307-673-1200

307-620-4008

HOLD OUT for a Quality Roofer!

25+ Years Experience in Sheridan, WY

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RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL CONCRETE!

Roofing • Gutters • Siding

W

yMont Overhead Doors, LLC Sales – Installation – Service Committed to Quality 307-752-6299

6665 Big Horn Ave.

Sheridan, WY 82801

Specialty Epoxy Systems A Floor That Works For You

307-752-7526 Randy Widmer - Owner 3002 Hwy 87 Sheridan, Wy 82801

ELECTRIC CO. Serving Northern Wyoming

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STORIES BEHIND PLANT NAMES • “Mistel” is an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning dung, and “tan” meant twig. “Misteltan” or “the little dung twig” was so named because birds eat the berries off the twigs and the seeds are deposited in their dung. Today the word has turned into mistletoe.

• “Wych” is the Anglo-Saxon word meaning “to bend” resulting in witch hazel: the bending hazel.

• “Gar” is old English for spear, and “leac” is the original way of spelling leek. “Garleac” is now garlic, a leek shaped like a spear.

• The Chinese word “jen-shen” meant man-plant, referring to the shape of the root. It resulted in the word ginseng.

• Mentha was the mythical mistress of Pluto, who ruled Hades. Pluto’s wife was so jealous that she transformed Mentha into a lowly plant that would forever afterwards be trampled upon by humans. Pluto felt sorry for Mentha, and decreed that the more the plant was trampled, the sweeter it would smell. Today, Mentha is called mint.

• Chamomile came from the Greek words “chamai” meaning “on the ground,” and “melon” meaning “apple.”

• The Spanish word “zarza” means bramble, and “parilla” means a vine. “Zarzaparilla” came into English as sarsaparilla.

• Strawberry comes from the word “streaw” which means strew, because the plant strews runners across the ground.

• Cranberries were first called “cranebarries” because the stamens of the flowers look like the beak of a crane. Likewise, geraniums were named from the Greek word “geranos” meaning crane, because the seed pods are pointed like the bill of a crane.

• Nettles were so named because they were originally used to weave nets.

Mike’s Electric, Inc. 43 East 5th St. Sheridan, WY 82801 Phone: 307-674-7373 Email: nathan@mikeselectricinc.com

REACHING ALL OF YOUR ELECTRICAL NEEDS! Commercial, Industrial, Residential, Video Security, Shop Repair Electric Motor Sales & Services Electrical Accessories & Supplies