canola oil reeks if not deodorized?

Actually all vegetable oils are deoderized during processing, through heating under vacuum. This makes the oil palatable to humans but also creates some trans-fatty acid isomers which can have adverse effects of blood cholesterol. However, recently the processes used for deodorization have been modified to limit the production of these compounds and canola oil is considered a healthy part of a balanced diet. 

Click here for more information  

water seeks its own level?

Even when frozen? When drilling a hole in the lake for ice fishing, as soon as one's auger is through the ice, the hole fills with water. This is becaue water always seeks its own level even if the top two feet are frozen.

Square tires are real to Canadians?

Well, okay, they are not really 'square' but it feels and sounds like they are when you drive on them. "Thuck thump, thuck thump, thuck thump."

This phenomenon appears when the temperatures dip down to -30/-40 centigrade or Farenheit. It's all the same at that temperture--brutally cold. When vehicles are parked outside, the ultra cold tempertures harden the rubber tires and slightly deflates them (cold air takes up less space than warm air), resulting in a minor flattening of the tire where it sits on the ground. 

This creates a feeling of the tires being 'square'. 

Once the wheels start turning and grinding against the pavement, the tires heat up and soon all returns to normal. 

...Bison don't smell?

I visited a bison farm and as is usual for me, asked a ton of questions which netted me this most interesting trivia. Thank you to Bev Taylor for patiently answering my sometimes oaff the wall questions!

Bev amazes me—since her husband passed away a while ago, she continues to run the bison farm near Two Hills, Alberta Canada, by herself. She loves her animals, describing them as curious, intelligent, and playful. When it’s a tough day, she says, she loves to go out and sit on the tractor or in her truck and watch her bison.Bev Taylor, Bison Farmer

 Did you know...

• Bison don’t smell like cows? They don’t smell like much of anything. Although the cold winter weather may have masked some of the odor, I was assured they don’t smell bad at all—possibly due to the fact...

• Bison lift their tails and squat when defecating, ensuring they get no mess on themselves. This could also account for the fact there are few flies around a bison herd.

These are yearling females--see how their horns curl?

• The low Canadian dollar has made exporting bison meat to the European market more lucrative than selling to Canadians. Germany, in particular, is a very active market. (This increase in exporting might be why bison meat is harder to find in local Canadian stores and restaurants than a few years ago.)

• Qualities that are looked for in good breeding stock are a strength and sturdiness with good length between the shoulder and hind end—as that is from where most of the meat comes.

Did you know...

Collective nouns are fun. Herds, pods, flocks, murders, gaggles... Here are a couple more that I just learned.

Did you know:

• a group of goats is a 'trip'?
• A group of sea turtles is a 'bale'?