Riddle #16: The Apple

Here's the next riddle:

A woman picks an apple at random from a tree. She slices the apple in half and gives half of it to another person. She eats the other half herself. The other person dies but the woman lives. Why?

The correct answer has been guessed. See the comments section for the answer.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Riddle #15: Doesn't Need/Want/Know

Here's the latest riddle:

The one who makes it doesn't need it.
The one who buys it doesn't want it.
The one who uses it doesn't know it.
What is it?

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Swiss Easter Eggs

My mother-in-law is from Switzerland. When she was growing up, she learned to create beautiful Easter eggs using weeds and onion skins. We've carried on the tradition, earning me the reputation in the grocery store as the "weird lady who buys bags of onion skins." This year we shared our tradition with some Chinese friends.

You will need:
raw eggs
small weeds and plants
thread
cheesecloth
onion skins - use a combination of yellow and red


Cut the cheesecloth into pieces just big enough to fit around an egg. Put a raw egg on a piece of cheesecloth and put some weeds around it. Then bring the sides of the cheesecloth around the egg.

Take the thread and wind it around the egg with the weeds and cheesecloth on it. Be careful not to break the raw egg as you wrap it. Make sure it is secure, then cut the thread.











Fill a large pot with water and add the onion skins. Carefully put the eggs into the pot. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.













Remove the eggs with tongs and place in a bowl of cold water. For each egg, find the end of the thread and pull on it, letting the egg spin in the water. Remove the cheesecloth and weeds. The egg will be brown with yellow designs where the weeds were placed. It will look like it's been painted by an artist.

Carmen's melodrama

Here are a few pictures of Carmen's melodrama group. They did a great play called "Dirty Work in High Places." It had the classic heroine, villain, hero, and lots of fun characters, complete with audience participation (boo, hiss, cheer, etc.) The dramakids even did some fun songs (called "olios"). Carmen played "Madame Presidente," leader of an island called "Bananaland." You can recognize her by the fruit on her head -- and yes, that's a wig.



I've included just a few of the pictures, along with some of the great quotes from the melodrama. For more pictures, see http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31968&id=629661480


"Dirty tricks. Dirty tricks. Each day of the week. We've got lots and lots and lots of tricks that really reek!"











"I am a fine musician."






"Why won't the men propose?"

"We won't propose."





















"Alas. My little Bananaland Republic needs help."

"Home Sweet Home."

Riddle #14: Four Men

This one's a little different, but kind of cute. (No, I didn't write the poem; it's from a book.)

Four men sat down to play.
They played all night till break of day.
They played for gold and not for fun,
With separate scores for everyone.
When they came to square accounts.
They all made quite fair amounts.
Can you this paradox explain?
If no one lost, how could all gain?

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. See the comments section for the answer.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

Carmen's pottery

Carmen takes classes part-time at public high school, and this year she is particularly enjoying pottery class. Two of her pieces were among only a handful of works from the class that were selected to be displayed in a local public library. You can tell she took a lot of care with these.

Seagulls

We always enjoy watching the seagulls during migration. It makes us feel like we're on the ocean, even though we're in the middle of the U.S. We buy a few loaves of bread from the discount bakery (what we refer to as the "used bread store") and head out to the nearby lake. It's fun to watch them dive for the bread and even catch it in midair.



Here's Monica feeding the gulls, and a few geese as well. You can tell from the background that we're right in the middle of the city. It's fun to get a glimpse of nature so near our home.






This is a great shot of the gulls grabbing the bread.