Green Christmas
It's Christmas in Miami. We regret to say that we never ever, ever, ever had, have or will have a white Christmas here (well, I take it back, may be in a million years or so, when theoretically earth may have a new ice age, Miami may then have a white Christmas...) But look what we do have year round: bananas.
Almost all modern edible parthenocarpic bananas come from the two wild species – Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The scientific names of bananas are Musa acuminata. In popular culture and commerce, "banana" usually refers to soft, sweet "dessert" bananas. By contrast, Musa cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are called plantains or "cooking bananas". The distinction is arbitrary and both terms are used interchangeably. Banana bunches can be as large as 7 or 8 foot in length. This variety is much smaller, but these dwarf bananas are delicious. You can see that the owners pick them on a daily basis. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red; and they are a reliable source of potassium.
My doctor forced me to eat more bananas because he says I need more "K" and I oblige happily. Such a monkey I am!
1 comment:
There were snow flurries in the Miami area in 1977, so if snow flurries count, conceivably a White Christmas is possible.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/02/03/886359_jan-19-1977-the-day-it-snowed.html.
Some places in south central Florida had snow flurries a few days before Christmas of 1989. Farther north in Florida (near Ocala) where I live my car was covered with sleet and the doors frozen one morning back in January 2010, but of course it is colder in this part of the state (though here it was 81 degrees during this very balmy Christmas).
At the time of the Ice age 12000 years ago when south Florida was cooler and much bigger (the ocean was 300 feet lower than today!)real snow probably would have happened on rare occasions. There were Native Americans in Florida then but no Christmas existed at the time. Oh well.
At least we can count on continental drift. Thumbs up to plate tectonics. Just must have more patience.
Happy Holidays!
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