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NEWS FROM SUMO SAM November 2020 QuickSumoPestControl.com
GOING (INTO THE) WILD ON THANKSGIVING What Our Hopewell Family Tradition Means to Me
After Thanksgiving, some people take a very restful staycation. In the Hopewell family? We get wild. We go camping.
loop, but the train itself is more
"roller coaster" sized than an actual train. Grandpa buys tickets for all the kids to go on the train, and at the end, the conductor does a drawing to see which winner gets cotton candy.
I've always looked forward to this tradition because it never interrupts the usual festivities of Thanksgiving — it adds a whole new trip of memories every year. When we were growing up, my parents would typically take my family camping around Thanksgiving, and we'd always have a good time. Now that my siblings and I have started having kids of our own, the tradition has stayed pretty close to its roots. We don't go every year, but when we do, it includes my dad, my siblings, and all of our kids. Sometimes an uncle, sometimes a brother-in-law. There've been times that we've had more than 20 people. While granddaughters are always invited, none of the wives can tag along. (Don't worry, we know for a fact that they love the extra peace and quiet, and we wouldn't do it if they were against it.) The festivities start after everyone's Thanksgiving celebrations on Thursday. Our families meet at Walmart in Idabel, OK on Friday and stock up on food and supplies. Then, we go set up camp in Beavers Bend State Park. We hike, and there's even a nature center and a little museum where you can learn about the animals and foliage. (There was only one year when we didn't camp. We stayed in a hotel because of a crazy snow storm.)
As soon as one grandchild wins cotton candy, though, you can probably guess what happens next. All the kids need cotton candy. It's a pretty brilliant product marketing ploy, actually.
Then, we go back to the campsite and goof off for the rest of the day. And we let the kids go wild. There's not much teeth brushing either.
If you're my wife reading this, then they always brush their teeth. Probably ...
Between the change of seasons and relaxing from all the craziness at work, it's awesome to have an extended time to slow down and be with loved ones. I tend to get sentimental and reflective on our camping trips. I know it's a little cheesy, but it really gives me a chance to think about what I'm thankful for. Having that extra time to break away from the usual routine can make all the difference.
Later, we usually go out to dinner and see a movie in the small town movie theater.
From our family to yours, we hope you have a happy Thanksgiving this year!
On Saturday morning, we get up, play games, go hiking, and find the mini train that does rides around the park. It's a three-mile
Josh Hopewell
“I tend to get sentimental and reflective on our camping trips. I know it’s a little cheesy, but it really gives me a chance to think about what I’m thankful for.”
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THE STORIES BEHIND 2 ICONIC ANIMAL HEROES IN VIDEO GAMES
Your family might have had the chance to play more video games lately and interact with some of the most famous animal heroes in video game history, like Yoshi or Sonic. But have you ever wondered about their real-world backstories? YOSHI Or should we say, T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas? That’s Yoshi’s full name according to Nintendo’s official character guide published in 1993. Ever since the first release of Super Mario Bros, Nintendo wanted Mario to have a dinosaur companion. However, the limitations of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) stalled that idea until Nintendo released Super Mario World for the Super NES. The inspiration for Yoshi traces back to the 1984 video game Devil World, which featured green lizards that hatch from eggs, eat enemies with large mouths, and emit the very same signature Yoshi giggle when they hatch. Yoshi has received a positive reception since its introduction, making it Japan’s third-favorite video game character in 2008. A few fun facts: Yoshi is often referred to as male, but its gender remains unconfirmed. Also, Yoshi and K.K. Slider (from Animal Crossing) have the same voice actor! SONIC You could say that random New Yorkers chose Sonic’s ultimate design. When Sega sought to create a flagship series to rival Nintendo’s Mario, Naoto
Ohshima took character
designs with him on a trip to New York. He asked random
passersby in Central Park to choose a design, and the spiky blue hedgehog won.
That wasn’t the end of Sonic’s design alterations, though. He had a rock band phase! Initially, Sonic had fangs, was in a band, and had a human girlfriend named Madonna. The team at Sega of America, led by Madeline Schroeder (who calls herself “Sonic’s mother”), removed those elements to “soften” the character for American audiences. While this led to heated internal debates, Sonic game designer Yuji Naka admitted it was for the best.
These famous characters make our video games more energetic and fun, and their origin stories are just as unique!
CAN A PILE OF LEAVES INVITE RATS?
AND MEET OUR SISTER COMPANY, ALSO OWNED BY THE HOPEWELL FAMILY
It might seem harmless to leave wood piles and dead leaves outside of your home (especially in cold weather
Keep in mind that rats can nest in several areas, including:
• Lofts and Attics You may find shredded insulation or chewed items (like cardboard boxes) in corners. • Kitchens and Laundries Make sure to check if there’s any gaps where pipework or cables enter your property from the outside. • Decks Frequent signs are gnawing and burrowing along the edges of decked areas. • Garages Do you have gnaw marks or droppings near the bottoms of your doors? Check both your internal and external doors and any other vents that can give a rat access to your home. • Compost Bins and Vegetation Rats adore the warmth and potential food source of your compost bin! Check compost bins, tree and shrub roots, or other overgrown vegetation holes and gnaw marks. • Drains If your drain covers are damaged or if there are holes dug next to them, you have a possible rat infestation. Rats are also little thieves. They’ll take your things to create their home, whether it’s shredded paper or ripping through your furniture and insulation to steal stuffing to warm their nest. If you’ve seen holes in your furniture lately, give EcoArmor & QuickSumo a call, and we can help you get rid of these freeloaders right away — before one of them interrupts Thanksgiving dinner!
when it’s inconvenient to go out). However, there can be real consequences for your property, and it’s even more important to be aware of them during the colder months, as this is when many pests
look for shelter.
That’s why at EcoArmor & QuickSumo, we thought we’d go over the different ways you can prevent mice and rats from nesting in your home this winter.
Whether you’ve got a pile of cardboard that you keep forgetting to take out to recycle, wood piles, or several piles of dead leaves, the most important thing you can do is keep your yard clear. You don’t want to leave these buildups out for long. They provide warmth and shelter to small creatures like mice and rats, which threaten the health and safety of your family.
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O n Nov. 27, 1940, Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco to two traveling Chinese performers. The younger generation might only be familiar with Bruce Lee by name, but the martial artist and actor’s influence is present even today. His last film, “Enter the Dragon,” sparked a huge wave of martial art movies worldwide and broke a new glass ceiling for Asian-American actors, but it never would have happened if Bruce Lee left Hollywood. THEN CHANGED IT FOREVER An 80th Birthday Tribute to the Martial Arts Legend HOW BRUCE LEE ALMOST LEFT HOLLYWOOD —
Lee had a fairly successful career as a child actor in Hong Kong; he was featured in more than 20 films when he was young. Most of his roles were dramatic, and one film, “The Orphan,” made him quite a big
celebrity there. His performance was compared to James Dean’s in “Rebel Without a Cause.” When he was 18, his parents sent him back to California because Bruce kept getting into fights and slacking on his academic studies at home. He made a
living as a martial arts instructor and even started a few martial
These candied sweet potatoes will make your family beg for more! CINNAMON-SPICED CANDIED SWEET POTATOES
arts schools. Lee could have retired from acting, but he was
discovered by a TV producer, William Dozier. He cast Bruce Lee as sidekick Kato in “The Green Hornet,” which was a prominent role for an Asian-American actor and far from the norm in 1966. When “The Green Hornet” was canceled by 1967, there were no more roles in Hollywood for him to play. Lee wanted to create a heroic Asian male character, but that didn’t exist in American film … yet. He went back to Hong Kong, and producers were eager to put him on TV, where they had been playing “The Green Hornet” but calling it the “The Kato Show.” He made three more martial arts films, and they were all huge hits in Hong Kong.
INGREDIENTS
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• • •
4 lbs orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, then cut lengthwise into 1-inch wedges 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed 4 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks
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•
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Place sweet potato wedges in a 4-quart baking dish. 3. Sprinkle sugar, salt, and cloves over sweet potatoes. 4. Dot with butter and place cinnamon sticks around sweet potatoes. 5. Bake, turning every 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender and the liquid is syrupy, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. 6. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. 7. Discard cinnamon sticks and serve.
Finally, Lee reached out to a producer at Warner Brothers, and they developed “Enter the Dragon,” the first martial arts film produced by an American studio. “Without ‘Enter the Dragon,’ most of the video games that we associate now with martial arts, certainly all of the television shows and films that have come afterward ... would not be the same,” Jeff Yang, the writer and host of podcast “They Call Us Bruce,” told NPR. It’s a tragedy that Bruce Lee passed away a month before the release of “Enter the Dragon,” but his legacy won’t be forgotten by anyone who loves the incredible narratives inspired by his work.
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279 Highview Lane, Anna, TX 75409 | 214-334-1466 | quicksumopestcontrol.com
1 Going (Into the) Wild on Thanksgiving 2 The Stories Behind 2 Iconic Animal Heroes in Video Games INSIDE
Can a Pile of Leaves Invite Rats?
3 How Bruce Lee Almost Left Hollywood — Then Changed It Forever Cinnamon-Spiced Candied Sweet Potatoes 4 Top 4 Healthy Life Hacks to Have an Awesome Morning
TOP 4 HEALTHY LIFE HACKS TO HAVE AN AWESOME MORNING
GET ACTIVE. Take a quick morning walk — and have your meetings on the go. Morning meetings can make us want to fall asleep again. Don't spend all of them sitting down if you don't have to! Not only will morning walks help you wake up, but they can also add some extra physical activity to your day. WRITE IN YOUR JOURNAL. Who says you have to journal at the end of the day when you’re tired and ready to sleep? You can journal in the morning about what happened yesterday and the things you’re looking forward to that day. Journaling can remind you of your daily goals and motivate you to stick to your commitments. PACK YOUR LUNCH (OR SNACKS!). Staying on track with your goals starts with having the energy to do them. Plan a healthy balance of fats, vegetables, carbohydrates, and proteins. This can be as simple as assembling dips, carrots, wraps, and salads each morning.
Getting your day started with coffee isn't always enough. Sometimes, you need to give yourself an extra boost, especially when you have little energy or
trouble focusing. For an awesome start to your day, here are five tips to get you going right off the bat.
WAKE UP 5 MINUTES EARLY.
What’s the power of five minutes? It can be more than you think. Spend this time doing simple breathing exercises or a quick meditation so you can get focused for the rest of the day. If that’s not your style, you can prepare a quick to-do list for your day ahead. Either way, it’s always nice to have a little extra time for yourself without losing too much sleep.
It’s time to try these tactics to jump-start your day!
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