Remember this little gem here that I found among old Halloween costumes, yearbooks and spiders in my basement last January? Remember how we passed the time together in the depths of winter searching for the answers to the world’s most impossible trivia game? Remember how we laughed at the ridiculously detailed and in depth questions I chose to present to you after digging through about thirty thousand stacks of cards?
Remember the fun we had making wild guesses? Remember the prize winners? There were two!
Don’t you just love prizes?
I do.
I love them.
And I love presenting a good challenge. A challenge that is fun and quirky, a challenge that is voluntary. A challenge very much unlike the challenges that have been placed before me this week.
Because this week was a bad one. A doozy. One of those stretches that slaps you in the face a few times to remind you that, oh no no no no, you don’t have control of this life sister. Not much control at all.
One of those weeks where the weather matches the tears that fall from your puffy eyes and you don’t bother changing out of the sweatshirt that you’ve been wearing since Tuesday and husband’s homemade chicken noodle soup is on order…and even that doesn’t take the edge off much.
I know we’ve all had days like these. I know you all have. And I could elaborate and go into detail here, but the truth is I know each and every one of you is struggling in your own way, every day. So whether your pain is locked up tight in your broken heart or flinging off a mountaintop, I would like to do my part to distract you from it and offer you a little prayer of peace. Because this place we have created here on the world wide web is a good one, an honest one, a solid place for an escape, a contemplation, a laugh and a glimpse into one another’s similar or not so similar lives.
And I’m all done crying for today. I want to laugh!
So what have I decided to do? Bring us all together in the name of ridiculous trivia….and bring on the prizes!
So this afternoon while I sat at the kitchen table and continued to listen to my most recent addition to the animal population meow consistently and persistently outside my kitchen window…
you're driving me ccaaarrrraaaazzzzaaayyy!!!
I thumbed through the stack of 30,000 trivia questions to find you, dear readers, the most challenging, the most ridiculous, the most incredibly ponderous questions that may or may not have anything to do with our great state of North Dakota.
Nothing could be more distracting, more mind bending, more educationally, academically, recreationally daring and exciting than trying another round of “The Game that Makes Learning about North Dakota Fun!”
Because there’s a lot to learn.
Six diplomas worth in fact.
Diplomas that can be earned in the following categories:
- Geography (GEO)
- People (PLE)
- Government (GOV)
- Flora and Fauna (F&F)
- Transportation and Communication (T&C)
- Industry and Agriculture (I&A)
Be the first to get every question correct, answering in the comments below, and you win a prize. (If we can’t get every question right, then the person with the most correct answers by the deadline of Saturday afternoon wins! )
The prize? Your choice of the following 5×7 metallic matted prints found on my Veeder Ranch Photography and Gifts Etsy site:
3) Snow Cactus
Yeah, I am aware the photos are all rain soaked and snow soaked…but hey, momma said there’d be days like this didn’t she?
Ok, put on your thinking caps and lock that knowledge in tight. Here we go:
- GEO: How much wider is North Dakota’s southern border than its Norther border?
- PLE: Who was the first native born governor of North Dakota?
- GOV: How large did claim shacks have to be to qualify for homestead rights?
- F&F: In what year was the North Dakota Fishing Hall of Fame Started?
- T&C: When did cars become legal on North Dakota Roads?
- I&A: What happened to the “belle” who stated publicly that she didn’t believe there was a North Dakota?
Now onward party people!
Good luck, happy Googling and have fun chatting up your old high school history teacher!
And remember, someone in North Dakota loves you very much…and that someone happens to have all the answers…
Well, at least the answers to the trivia game, not life in general…I’m still working on that one.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch... 
GEO: How much wider is North Dakota’s southern border than its Norther border?50.57 miles
PLE: Who was the first native born governor of North Dakota?George Shafer
GOV: How large did claim shacks have to be to qualify for homestead rights?at least 10×12 feet
F&F: In what year was the North Dakota Fishing Hall of Fame Started?
T&C: When did cars become legal on North Dakota Roads?
I&A: What happened to the “belle” who stated publicly that she didn’t believe there was a North Dakota?
Still working on the rest Rich
You’re on the right track Rich! Onward!
I would love to play but first i have to look up a map and see where dakota IS! not being born in the US of A my geography is rocky! I am so sorry but I loved your post and that cat is driving me crazy too!!I have one, is yours climbing the screen door as well?! c
hahah, well if anything else you’ve learned something today! That cat sits outside my kitchen window and meows all day. I bring her in she climbs the curtains. I put her downstairs she cries at the door. I might just lose it here…or go work in town…
kiddos like the game..I use to play it and remember in 5th grade we had to take ND History. No idea at the moment. Happy Fall.
Pingback: Alone and breathing in Theodore Roosevelt National Park « Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
GEO: How much wider is North Dakota’s southern border than its Norther border? 49.4 miles
PLE: Who was the first native born governor of North Dakota?
George Shafer
GOV: How large did claim shacks have to be to qualify for homestead rights? 8″x10″
F&F: In what year was the North Dakota Fishing Hall of Fame Started? Aug. 1983
T&C: When did cars become legal on North Dakota Roads? 1911
I&A: What happened to the “belle” who stated publicly that she didn’t believe there was a North Dakota? She was elected to congress . I did find this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIKM4UYNs6Q
These are mostly guesses. I do better guessing with mutable choice
Thanks for playing Jeff! I think this game is a bit more popular in the winter when everyone has more time to look these impossible questions up! Hahaha. Looks like you and Rich are in the running…I’ll give it ’till the end of the day…
Maybe next time I’ll try multiple choice!
F&F: In what year was the North Dakota Fishing Hall of Fame Started?
I’m going with 1997
Ok Party People. Thanks for playing along. This was a tough one and I know you all had better things to do over the beautiful weekend than look up impossible trivia:
Here are the answers:
GEO: How much wider is North Dakota’s southern border than its Norther border?
50 Miles
PLE: Who was the first native born governor of North Dakota?
George F Shafer
GOV: How large did claim shacks have to be to qualify for homestead rights?
8×10
-here’s where it got tricky-
F&F: In what year was the North Dakota Fishing Hall of Fame Started?
1981
T&C: When did cars become legal on North Dakota Roads?
1905
-and my favorite-
I&A: What happened to the “belle” who stated publicly that she didn’t believe there was a North Dakota?
She got a free trip to and tour of North Dakota
And so it looks like we have a tie again, between the two dedicated men who participated, Rich and Jeff! Congrats guys. don’t you feel smarter and happier knowing that you have won an original Veeder Ranch rainy/snowy day print!?
Maybe a good Christmas present for that North Dakota lover you love?
Thanks Jess..I’m always up for a challenge…this one put me in my place……!!!
Thank You Jess.. It was fun trying to find the answers. Ended up grasping at some straws.. Thanks again for your great Blog..
Make sure you send me your address and your print selection! Shoot me an email at jessieveeder@gmail.com! Congrats and thanks for playing!