News of the Week: Saved Almanacs, Vanishing OJ, and the Great SpaghettiOs Debate

Hello Again, Farmers’ Almanac

There are so many stories about magazines and newspapers going out of business, so it’s refreshing to hear about one that was going out of business but actually coming back.

Back in November I told you that the Farmers’ Almanac was ending after 208 years. Now comes the great news that another buyer has been found and the almanac will continue.

I have to repeat what I said back in November: This is not the almanac you’re probably picturing in your mind right now, The Old Farmer’s Almanac. This is the Farmers’ Almanac. They have their apostrophes in different places.

Goodbye, Thing I Haven’t Thought About in Decades

From the late 1940s until the 1980s (maybe longer, I’m not sure), people drank frozen orange juice from a can. Well, they didn’t drink it frozen, but they bought it frozen, in cans, and made it drinkable by mixing it with cold water. It was called a “frozen concentrate.”

But then companies started putting ready-to-drink orange juice in cartons, and not many people bought the frozen stuff anymore. To be honest, I didn’t even know it was still around. Not that I thought it had gone away, exactly; it’s just something I haven’t thought of at all in 20 or 30 years. I don’t remember seeing it in the supermarket, though that’s probably just because I don’t go to the section where it is stored, or I do and just haven’t noticed it.

Anyway, that’s a long introduction to tell you that frozen juice from concentrate is on its last legs. After this year it will no longer be available in the U.S. or Canada.

Uh Oh, SpaghettiOs®

There are a lot of serious debates going on in this country right now, and I’d like to talk about one of the most important. I hope it doesn’t cause too much controversy or disagreement.

Are SpahgettiOs soup?

This isn’t some crazy question I came up with; it was actually a question submitted to New York Times columnist John Hodgman. You get to predict which answer he’ll give, and I won’t spoil it for you.

But I will give you my opinion. I was tempted to say that SpaghettiOs are soup, because they come in a can, you eat them from a bowl, and you eat them with a spoon. How is that not soup? Well, SpaghettiOs are too thick to be soup. There are a lot of canned products that contain pasta in a tomato base, but you wouldn’t call them soup. Now, if there was more liquid and fewer SpaghettiOs in the can, that might tip things in the other direction.

(Side note: I tried SpaghettiOs five or six years ago after not having them for many years and … well, let’s just say I don’t have to worry about whether they’re soup or not.)

RIP Catherine O’Hara, James Sallis, Chuck Negron, David Yarnell, Demond Wilson, Chuck Daly, and Bryan Loren

Catherine O’Hara was one of the great comediennes. She won Emmys for her work on the classic ’70s/’80s comedy sketch show SCTV and Schitt’s Creek. She starred in such films as Home Alone, Waiting for Guffman, Beetlejuice, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and Heartburn. Most recently she appeared on such shows as The Last of Us and The Studio. She died last week at the age of 71.

James Sallis was a veteran and a prolific writer equally at home writing crime fiction and science fiction as he was poetry, essays, biography, and reviews. His novel Drive was made into critically acclaimed movie starring Ryan Gosling. He was also a teacher, editor, musician, and respiratory therapist. He died last week at the age of 81.

Chuck Negron was one of the lead singers of Three Dog Night, on such songs as “Joy to the World,” “An Old-Fashioned Love Song, and “One.” He died Monday at the age of 83.

One (Uploaded to YouTube by Three Dog Night)

David Yarnell had a long career in radio, TV, and film. He created William F. Buckley’s radio show Firing Line; was program director at Channel 5 in New York City; produced Muhammad Ali fights for radio; created Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert; produced shows like Candid Camera and That’s Incredible!; and most recently produced the great Melissa McCarthy film Can You Ever Forgive Me? He died last week at the age of 96.

Demond Wilson played Lamont on the sitcom Sanford and Son. He died last week at the age of 79.

Chuck Daly was the last surviving member of President Kennedy’s West Wing staff. He died last month at the age of 98.

Bryan Loren wrote (and played all of the instruments on) the Simpsons song “Do the Bartman.” He died last week at the age of 58.

This Week in History

Norman Rockwell Born (February 3, 1894)

When the Post returned to publishing in 1971 after a two-year hiatus, they knew they had to visit Norman Rockwell at his studio.

The Day the Music Died (February 3, 1959)

This was the day that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (“The Big Bopper”) died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The pilot was also killed, and the event was immortalized in the Don McLean song “American Pie.”

Waylon Jennings, a member of Holly’s band, was supposed to be on the flight, but he switched places with Richardson at the last minute.

This Month in Saturday Evening Post History: “All Bundled Up” by Douglass Crockwell (January 1998)

It’s cold out there.

New England vs. Seattle (Recipes, That Is)

The Super Bowl airs Sunday on NBC and Peacock starting at 6 p.m. ET (the pre-game started approximately a week ago).

If you’re rooting for the Patriots, you can make some New England favorites like the Clam Chowder from Allrecipes, the North Shore 3-Way Roast Beef Sandwich from Sandwich Tribunal, the Slow-Cooked Boston Baked Beans from Serious Eats (with Boston Brown Bread from Simply Eats), and this Boston Cream Pie from King Arthur Baking for dessert.

If you’re a Seattle fan for some reason, you can make these Cream Cheese Dogs from Allrecipes, these Salmon Burgers from PureWow, the Seattle-Style Teriyaki Chicken from Jeff’s Kitchen, an Eggnog Hot Coffee from Starbucks, and a Dutch Baby Pancake from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Prediction: New England 28, Seattle 22. I’m always wrong.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Puppy Bowl XXII (February 8)

Do these have halftime shows too? Because they should. Maybe Snoop Dogg could perform. You can catch all the action starting at 2 p.m. ET on TBS, Discovery, TruTV, and Animal Planet.

National Flannel Day (February 10)

I’ve been wearing a lot of flannel lately.

Friday the 13th (February 13)

I’d tell you to avoid black cats, but I don’t think there are a lot of cats outside in this weather.