That famous smile...

 My west coast brother informed me that, on this date in 1911, the painting "Mona Lisa" was stolen.  It was recovered a little bit over two years later and the thief was sentenced to less than 8 months in prison.  That seems to me a very small penalty for stealing something as rare and amazing as the Mona Lisa.

It was painted by Leonardo da Vinci during the years 1503-1519.  He worked on it, carrying it with him to various other assignments, during all those years, adding minute details and layer after layer of translucent paint.  It's no wonder she's so beautiful.  

In case you're wondering what else he painted, he painted "The Last Supper" between 1495 and 1498.  You've probably heard of that.  I have seen it and it's quite amazing.  In addition to being a great painter Leonardo was an inventor.  The last time I was in Italy we were taken to a museum where many of the inventions he had drawn had actually been constructed.  It was fascinating to see the collection.  He was truly a Renaissance man.  But you can read all of the books about him on your own time.  

What I really wondered about today was why the thief who stole the painting from the Louvre in1911 didn't get a longer sentence.  He actually kept the painting hidden in his apartment for two years and the well publicized hunt for it made the painting famous.  He was arrested when he finally tried to sell the painting.  The reason he gave for stealing the painting was that it was painted by an Italian artist and the thief, who was Italian, wanted to return it to Italy.   Evidently the French saw this as an act of patriotism and so didn't give him a harsh punishment.  I'm sure it also helped that the painting hadn't been damaged.

What's for supper?

 My west coast brother informed me that today is "National Bacon Lover's Day" and also "International Hawaiian Pizza Day."  He then went on to say that, in his opinion, Hawaiian Pizza is really more of a dessert than a pizza.  As you probably know, Hawaiian pizza is made with ham and pineapple (and tomato sauce and cheese) so it really is a pizza, sort of, but I agree with my brother, it just doesn't seem like real pizza to me.  I like pepperoni and bacon and other kinds of sausage, and mushrooms and black olives and cheese of course - lots of cheese - on my pizza.

However, Hawaiian pizza happens to be my spouse's very favorite kind of pizza, which works out well for both of us.  When we go to our regular pizza place (B'Antonio's in case you're interested) we each order our own pizza - small, hand tossed crust, Hawaiian for him, some kind of meat pizza for me.  Each pizza comes cut into six nice size pieces.  We each eat three at the restaurant, then bring the rest home.  Usually, we each have one piece for lunch the next day and two for supper.  Pizza is an amazing food, that tastes just as good as a     left-over.

In case you're wondering where I'm going with this blog, it's too late tonight, but my wonder spouse and I have already agreed to go out for supper tomorrow evening.  He always reads my blogs so he will probably respond favorably to my not so subtle hint.  Happy eating everyone.  

Take that picture...

 Today is "World Photography Day."  I had to find this out all by myself.  My west coast brother and sister-in-law spent the day roller skating, so no time to research special days for me.  My brother did, however, send me a picture of his wife doing the "Limbo" on skates.    I am in awe of anyone still skating at the age of 70 and my sister-in-law, all 4' 11" of her, is very very good at it.  My brother at 6' 6" may not be quite as graceful, but then again he does have farther to fall.  

My daughter regularly babysits for my great-grandson (almost six months old) and she sends me pictures of him at least two or three times a week. I am delighted to receive these of course. 

The two pictures I received today make me appreciate how easy it is to take, save and share pictures these days.  They all live on my phone.  I have a friend since college who has always loved to take pictures and has more than 30 fat albums to prove it.  It was always assumed that when she came to visit she would bring with her many albums with up-to-date pictures of her children and grandchildren.  She did surprise me though at her most recent visit.  The pictures she showed me were all on her phone, and she informed me that she was saving them to the cloud. How times change.  She also surprised me by admitting that none of her three children or their spouses want any of her albums; maybe a picture here or there but no albums.

And speaking of photographs, my wonder spouse and I have decided that from now on, instead of preserving and framing the jigsaw puzzles we have finished and really like, we will just take a picture.  We can project these pictures on our TV if we want to look at them or show them to guests (just like we do with trip pictures). 

There is a commercial on television that begins by saying "Our children really don't want our spoon collection."  I'm pretty sure that our children really don't want our framed puzzle collection.  

  Then again, we do have 10 grandchildren to give them to. 

Honoring Grandpa

My west coast brother has informed me that today is "Never Give Up Day" and "National Bad Poetry Day."  Both of these 'days' remind me of my maternal grandfather.  He was certainly a man who never gave up.  In his youth he worked in the Pennsylvania coal mines in order to earn enough money to go to seminary.  He eventually graduated from seminary and became a minister in the Brethren church.  He faced a small problem in his first church assignment.  He spoke only High German and English while his parishioners spoke Low German.  A little bit like US English vs Scottish. If you've visited in Scotland (a land that I love) you will understand what I mean.

He learned to communicate and was eventually well received.  In addition to his life-long career as a pastor, my grandfather also loved to write poetry.  While I don't think his poetry is bad, many people would consider it unsophisticated.  He self-published at least three volumes that I am aware of.  While flipping through one of his books of poetry, "Poems For All Classes" published in 1922, I came across this poem which seems very appropriate for "Never Give Up Day."

The title is "Do What You Can"

Say not within your heart, I see no chance in this broad world for me,

And sit not down to fret and whine

Because you think you ne'er shall shine 

Before the world as others do; fret not for there's a place for you.

The little star that shines on high does not make bright the entire sky,

But should each little star complain 

Because all heaven's great domain is not made bright by its small ray, And for that cause should fret and say  

"Because these brilliant rays of mine do not reach all 

I'll cease to shine."  

The heavens all o'ercast would be with gloom and darkness. 

None could see the beautiful and radiant light 

which gladdens many hearts at night.  

I, in this world am but a star.  

My light may not extend as far into the dark world's gloom as some,  Who through the world may go and come, 

But God has given me some work 

To do, my task I will not shirk; 

I'm one small star in his great plan, therefore I'll do the best I can.

My grandpa as I knew him.  I was nine years old when he died.

Grandpa and Grandma on their wedding day.  Circa 1900.

Was this for real???

My west coast brother informed me that today is "Balloon Airmail Day." Naturally this piqued my curiosity so I did a little reasearch. Here is a little bit of what I found. The concept of airmail was first whispered in the corridors of innovation during the late 19th century, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that the idea truly took flight. As airships grew in popularity, forward-thinking entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to transform the postal service. Thus, airmail was born, marking the beginning of a new era in communication. On Balloon Airmail Day, we commemorate the pioneering spirit of those who dared to dream big. From the early experiments with hot air balloons to the luxurious airships of the 1930s, this holiday honors the innovators who bridged the gap between two modes of transportation: airships and mail. Their courage and vision laid the foundation for a global postal network that continues to connect us today. I was particularly interested to learn that one of these early test flights was launched in Lafayette, Indiana. I urge you to Google this topic. You will find an amazing amount of information. Then, in commemoration tie a note to the string of a helium balloon and let it fly. If you attach your name and contact info you might just get a friendly response.

Twice terrified...

 Well, terrified might be a little too strong a word but not by much.  Let me explain.  This all happened about 40 years ago but the memories are still vivid.

These memories were brought back when my west coast brother informed me that today is "National Roller Coaster Day." I have ridden on a roller coaster once (only once), and as I said the memory is still vivid.

I had just finished a week long training session leading to a designation I was trying to earn as a relocation specialist (an add on to my Realtor / Broker status).  This would, we thought, bring more business into our company, and it did. The training program was held at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge near Knoxville.  They had, probably still have, a huge hotel with lots of meeting rooms and a large glass domed atrium which boasted several restaurants.  

The first terrified moment came when we attendees were gathered under the glass for lunch on the third day of the conference.  We were told that a tornado was coming and the whole area must be evacuated.  We were all scared but the evacuation was handled very smoothly.  We were led out of that big open area into long, tunnel-like, utilitarian hallways behind the kitchens that guests were never intended to see, well away from any possibility of flying glass.  Waiters, cooks, all kinds of staff guided us, finally, out of the labyrinth and to our hotel rooms.  As it happended the tornado went south of us and did not do any damage to the hotel, but the whole evacuation experience was rather scary.

Knowing that my conference was at Dollywood, which boasted an amazing amusement park, my first husband brought our two children down so the three of them could spend the weekend after the conference with me. I innocently agreed that this would be lots of fun.

As soon as we got to the amusement park the kids decided that we all must go on a roller coaster ride.  I had never been on one before, nor had my husband.  I don't remember how he handled it.  All I do remember about that ride was that as soon as the coaster made its first plunge I started screaming, and kept it up for the entire ride.  I was truly terrified.  My then teenage children thought this was hilarious.  The chant "Oh Mom, you were so scared!" followed by gales of laughter, still rings in my ears.  Teenagers are not kind.

Were the Indians (Native Americans) right?

 I had a text today from a dear friend who lives in Texas.  She was very concerned about reports she had been seeing on the news concerning flooding and power outages in various parts of Indiana and wanted to know if my spouse and I were ok.  

I assured her that we are fine and told her that we have been having rain but nothing excessive.  I then went on to explain that bad weather like heavy rain or excessive snow (in the winter) often seems to bypass our area.  It is not at all uncommon for Indianapolis, to our south, or South Bend to our north to get much heavier snowfalls than we do here in Fort Wayne.  Granted, a lot of South Bend's snow is lake effect but that's not true for Indianapolis.

Fort Wayne is situated at the convergence of three rivers, the Maumee, the St. Joe and the St. Mary's.  An old Indian legend states that tornadoes never strike where the three rivers come together and that has held true for all the years I have lived here (basically my whole life).  When I was a child a twister (baby tornado) uprooted a large tree and blew a farm building off its foundation on our farm but that was 20 miles from Fort Wayne.  More recently a tornado did a lot of damage to some farm buildings northeast of Fort Wayne, but again that was over 20 miles away.

So now I'm wondering if our three rivers location also protects us from heavy snows and flooding rains, at least most of the time?  But only most of the time.  We must not forget the blizzard of '78.

Just for fun, I thought you might like to see what Fort Wayne's flag looks like.  Obviously, those three rivers are important to us.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

City of Fort Wayne

Adopted	June 26, 1934
Designed by	Guy Drewett
Variant of the flag where the city's name and date are added to the flag.

The flag of Fort Wayne, Indiana was adopted as the city's official flag by City Council on June 26, 1934. The pall design includes two diagonal white stripes (from the bottom left and top left corners) converging in the circular center to form a horizontal white stripe. Red silhouettes of a Miami Native American head (center left), a French fleur-de-lis (top right), and a British lion (bottom right) grace a navy blue field. A red blockhouse is located at the center of the converging stripes. On some flag variants, the city's name and founding date are placed around the blockhouse, though this is uncommon.

Tattoos...

 My west coast brother started his text today with a riddle which I think is worth sharing.

"What's the best thing about Switzerland?"

"It's flag is a big plus."  

I know - groan - obviously a DAD joke.  By the way, I have been to Switzerland and it is a beautiful country, so no disparagement intended here.

But now on to tattoos.  My west coast brother also informed me that today is "National Tattoo Removal Day."  I do not have any tattoos nor have I ever had any removed but many, many of my best beloved family members have them (no, not my wonder spouse) and I did aid in taking care of an unwanted one.

Some time before or during my daughter's first marriage she had her spouse's four-letter first name tattooed in two inch high letters (each letter in a different color) on her upper left arm.  Sadly some marriages are not meant to be permanent, even though the relevant tattoos are very much so.  

After looking into having the tattoo removed, which she discovered would be a slow and painful process, she came to me with a request. Would I please design a tattoo to cover up the old one?  I don't have a picture of it, but I did design a coverup tattoo of four flowers in the same colors as the name tattoo.  She had my design tattooed over the name tattoo.  It disguised it completely and still looks good to this day.   

Not really a 'removal' but my best tattoo story. 

PS Her current, much more satisfactory, husband is very happy that the old tattoo is covered up.

It's his day!

 Today is, according to my west coast brother, "International Left Handers Day."  In honor of my very favorite left handed person, my wonder spouse, I would like to share with you the situation and possible advantages of being left handed.

Left-handers spend much of their lives adapting to a world designed for right-handed people — from scissors and spiral notebooks to computer mice and classroom desks. But on International Left-Handers Day, celebrated Aug. 13, there may be a few reasons for southpaws to celebrate.

Roughly 1 in 10 people are left-handed, and the group includes former presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton; artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo; entertainers Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney and Lady Gaga; and sports stars Babe Ruth and Phil Mickelson.

Research suggests that being left-handed may confer advantages in some situations,

According to The Telegraph, left-handers may benefit from years of adapting to a largely right-handed world. Here are some potential advantages:

• Adaptability and problem-solving. Left-handers routinely navigate tools, workspaces and everyday tasks designed for right-handed users. That constant adjustment may encourage flexibility and creative problem-solving. 

 I think this is absolutely true.  Flexible and creative certainly define my wonder spouse.  Also, he is definitely adaptable.  From his working days as an Electrical Engineer to his retirement challenges such as organizing all of our trips, and of course while having fun solving jigsaw and other kinds of puzzles, he is brilliant.  

Happy day, wonder spouse.

Smiling faces...

 This morning I received a text message with a picture of a boy I used to tutor.  Today was his first day of fourth grade and his smiling face got my day off to an excellent start.

Later my spouse and I and my brother-in-law took a drive to Marble Lake (near Coldwater, Michigan) for a reunion of cousins.  The day included a boat ride, delicious food, including my wonder spouse's fudge (his mother's recipe), a lively card game, lots of reminiscing, and smiling faces all day long.

On the drive home from the lake I received a text from my son and daughter-in-law with a selfie of them on their first day of school, as teachers of course.  This year they are teaching at the same school.  Their broad smiles lit up my evening.  

All in all a smile filled happy day.  I think I will still be smiling as I fall asleep. 

Brace yourself...

 Actually, I'm the one who is bracing myself.  Several months ago my wonder spouse had stem cell injections in his knees to alleviate the pain and the procedure was very successful.  After careful consideration and a lot of pain, especially in my right knee, we decided that I should do the same thing. 

It sounds so simple - inject a concoction of buttery consistency into each leg just at the bottom edge of the kneecap. That part was simple and went very smoothly this morning.  The catch is that, in order to ensure that the stem cell mixture stays in the right location in each leg (it won't do any good if it just leaks away) I must now wear a brace on each leg that is strapped on above and below the knee and holds the knee in perfect alignment until everything is set.  I will be wearing these braces for the next six weeks.  This will be followed by six therapy sessions to assure that all is working as it should be.  

When this is all finished, I will, theoretically, be able to keep up with my spouse on walks and hikes of the sort that occur frequently on our trips.  I will not be running!  I have never been a runner so that is not on my agenda.

Although there was a time when I sprinted really fast to catch a granddaughter who was about to fall into the creek.  But that's a story for another time. 

Mystery solved...

 Not the poster mystery, I'm still waiting for input on that but we have solved another much smaller mystery. 

First you should know that we have finished another jigsaw puzzle. Here it is.

Fifteen hundred (1500) pieces, and as you can see, lots of picky little details.  It was a challenge, I can assure you.  But you know, it keeps us off the streets and out of trouble.  Our grandchildren don't have to worry about what we're up to.  

However we did face one mystery as we completed this puzzle.  There was one piece missing, a bright red and blue piece that should have been easy to spot.  Now we know that puzzle pieces have a tricky habit of falling off the table and on to the floor after we turn off the lights and go to bed, so we have learned to search the floor around our work space frequently to gather up the fallen pieces.  We have never lost one yet, until yesterday.  The puzzle was completely finished, the floor had been thoroughly searched, still one piece missing.  While we were searching my wonder spouse put his hand in the pocket of the old sweater he wears sometimes while we're in the basement, because it can feel chilly down there, and there, in his pocket was the missing piece.  He assures me that he did not put it there and I believe him.  

Now we have learned that we must search pockets as well as the floor for the most tricky puzzle pieces.  

Fear not, this will not stop us from starting another puzzle.  But maybe just a thousand pieces next time?

a 100 year old document

 My mother was born in 1910.  She told me that when she was young (I'm guessing somewhere around 1925 - 1930) she had a Japanese pen pal.  A few months ago I was going through some old things I had stashed away and came across some items that my mom had saved that were evidently from her pen pal.  

Among other things was this poster (for want of a better word) and I've been curious to learn what it represented ever since the first time  I unfolded it. It had been folded and stored in an 8.5 x 11 manilla envelope for all these years.  

It is about four feet long and three feet wide.  Today I finally had a chance to sit down with the minister of the Korean congregation at our church to see what he could tell me about it.  The first thing he told me was that it is not Japanese.  The people pictured are dressed in Chinese style clothing. 

Interestingly, my Korean pastor can read some Chinese.  He and some of his congregation members figured out that it is a poster aimed at converting people to Christianity.  Part of the message printed along the borders says "Read the New Testament."  He used a translation app to read some of the small print.  If you look at the picture you will see that the gentleman on the right is holding a stack of small Bibles (New Testaments?) and giving one to the family. 

My best guess is that this was hung in a church but maybe it was hung in anothe public building where lots of people would see it. If anyone out there knows anything about this or similar posters you can scroll down to the comment button at the bottom of this blog and leave the information.  Suggestions on where I could do further research would also be appreciated.

in the news...

 My west coast brother lives near Spokane,Washington.  If you've been paying attention to the national news you are aware of the wild fires that have been burning in and around Spokane for the last couple of weeks.  Thankfully, my brother and his family are in a rural area that is not threatened right now.  They are however dealing with a lot of smoke.  He tells me that masks left over from the days of Covid are coming in handy.  

 The good news is they have arrested the pyromaniac.  He has admitted to starting 25 fires in the last couple of years.  He is in jail with bail set at $1,000,000.  Again, according to my brother. 

I am writing about this because I just don't understand what would compel someone to start fires.  

When I was a girl livimg with my family on our little five acre farm the farmer who lived across the road accidentally set fire to the tall grass growing along the side of the road.  It had been a very dry summer and the fire burned brightly, but just for a while.  The volunteer firemen arrived before it got very far into the field on the neighbor's side of the road.  The fire was put out, no damage done except a scorched area along the road.

That's as close as I ever want to come to a fire.  Please keep the people of Spokane in your prayers.

more memorable bliss...

 

This evening was another great family time, this time with my daughter and son-in-law, grandson and granddaughter-in-law and, the undisputed star of the show, my great grandson who was five months old yesterday.  

We feasted on steaks, grilled to perfection by my wonder spouse, with tater tots perfectly cooked with the hot air fryer feature of our new microwave, salads and, as the grand finale, made-from-scratch brownies made by my granddaughter-in-law wno happens to be an excellent baker.  

Before the evening ended we took a four generation picture to go with one we already had.

This picture was taken in 2001.  It is a four generation picture.  From left to right my father, me holding my grandson, and his mom, my daughter.

Fast forward 25 years. From left to right me (the great grandparent this time around) my daughter holding her grandson and her son.

You should have figured out that the little baby in the top picture is the bearded daddy in the bottom picture.  

Isn't it fun, seeing the generations grow and thrive?

refreshing.....

 Today, according to my west coast brother, is "National Root Beer Float Day."  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to indulge in a root beer float today, but just thinking about them brought back lots of sweet memories. 

 Do you remember A&W root beer and the stands where you could buy it?  A&W was our favorite (also the only root beer stand in the small town where I grew up). Sometimes we had our root beer with vanilla ice cream (a float) and sometimes we enjoyed our root beer straight and served in a heavy glass frosty mug.  Never with ice, that would dilute the flavor. 

When my first husband and I went traveling around the United States in our trusty VW bus, accompanied by our two children, coming upon a root beer stand was an automatic excuse for a stop.  

When they were very young, we bought two miniature mugs for the kids.  They loved those little mugs and drank everything from them; root beer of course, but also milk, fruit juice, even water.  

Not surprisingly, the more I think about root beer floats the more I want one.  Sadly, it's too late tonight, but there's always tomorrow.

I just did quick check and I may have to change brands.  It's not nice to drink alone and my wonder spouse can't drink anything made with corn syrup.  Happily IBC root beer is made with cane sugar, and our local Kroger's carries it in 4 packs and 6 packs.  

Even better, I need to go shopping tomorrow. 

pure bliss...

 The only thing better than a day at the lake is a day at the lake with several of your dearest family members.  Add to that delicious snacks, dinner at a good restaurant, a boat ride for the adventurous, and hours of laughter, good conversation and catching up on all things family, all brought together by the "hostess with the mostest" and you have the recipe for a perfect lake day.

And, speaking of recipes, the lime and lemon ice cream pies stacked four inches high with their delicious fillings, made by our hostess, were the perfect end to the day.  

Our youngest granddaughter was nine on Sunday so we celebrated her birthday a few days late with gifts and a game of her choice.  Because she is very fond of wolves the game involved granting each of us a 'wolf name.'  Her grandpa, my wonder spouse was named Pepper Dark Moon Wolf (approriate with his salt and pepper hair) and I am now Luna Wolfgang Wolf.  

It was a perfect day at the lake.

Notice the college flags flying.  There were many Purdue people there today.  All in all a fine fun day at Wawasee.

steaming hot...

 Don't you love playing with a new toy?  As an adult, playing with a new appliance is just as good. 

Yesterday our new microwave was installed.  You may recall, from an earlier blog, that our cleaning lady burnt a hole in the door of our  microwave by accidentally turning it on when there was nothing in it.  The lesson learned there was never, never run your microwave with nothing in it.  It wasn't her fault.  By design, that microwave was made to start with a touch of one of the number buttons.  She turned it on by wiping a cloth over it to clean it.  Never again.

We did try merely replacing the door of that microwave, only to learn, through a series of frustrating exchanges with the manufacturer, that new microwave doors arrive broken three times out of three tries.  

 Enough of that.  With my approval my wonder spouse started searching for a safer, more user friendly microwave. He is the expert on online shopping.  Did you know that Amazon delivers microwaves? They don't install but they do deliver. 

 He found what we wanted in a Kitchen Aid unit that is a microwave/ convection oven/ hot air fryer.  But better than that it has very easy instructions, clearly marked buttons, and clearly marked steps to make it do what you want it to do.  It will not turn on with the accidental touch of one button.  This evening we put it to the test by steaming (did I mention that it has a steamer feature?) corn on the cob, following the directions printed on the front of the microwave. The directions were easy to follow and the result was absolutely delicious, perfectly cooked corn on the cob with no boiling water and no mess.

This is it, our marvelous new appliance.  I'm looking forward to steaming lots of other vegetables - asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower??  My wonder spouse is not as enthusiastic about these veggies as I am.  Perhaps if I pour enough melted cheese over them.  

arts and crafts

 On Monday afternoons I meet with some church friends at a group gathering we call FFF (Faith, Fibers and Friendship).  We each bring a fiber project to work on and talk while we work.  What I particularly like about this group is that everyone is kind.  There is no cattiness or malicious gossip.  

We also don't spend much time on our phones although we do share pictures of grand and great grandchildren, and sometimes even adorable pets.

All of the ladies in this group, except me, either knit or crochet and they create beautiful pieces - shawls, sweaters, socks, blankets, etc in glorious colors and lacy patterns. 

Sadly, I cannot knit or crochet.  I have tried but my fingers just don't want to work that way, or perhaps I don't have the patience.  So I weave, and after I have taken a long strip of fabric off my New Zealand lap loom, I stitch designs on it.  Happily, my FFF friends are very encouraging and like what I do. 

This is my current project.  It is pictorial representations of the trips my wonder spouse and I have gone on since we first got together.  The three finished triangular panels represent trips to Michigan, the Caribbean, and Key West.  Still to come - Canada, South America, Egypt and Japan & Alaska.  When those are finished I will have two spaces left. So obviously we need to go somewhere else.  Although a friend who knows us well suggested that the final panel could show my spouse and me working on a jigsaw puzzle. 

My wonder spouse refers to this as our own personal Bayeux Tapestry.  Happily, though, no battles are involved. Also it is only seven feet long not 70 meters. 

a fine feast...

 Neither my spouse nor I are gardeners.  We do have some landscaping around the house which we try to keep looking nice with professional help, but you will never see us planting, nurturing or harvesting lettuce, carrots, beans or anything else from our own backyard garden.  We are growing a rather nice patch of bird seed sprouts right now, but that's a different story.

Just because we aren't gardeners doesn't mean that we don't eat vegetables and fruit.  I mentioned my wonder spouse's shopping spree in another recent blog.  Our fridge is full of his farmer's market harvest. 

We are though sometimes rather single minded in our meal planning.  We don't feel the need to have vegetables, meat and salad at every meal.  This evening, for example, we indulged in one of our favorite single item suppers - green beans.  

We washed and snapped a huge bunch of green beans, enough for two meals, put them in a pot of water with chopped onions and cooked them until they were nicely tender but not soggy.  No one likes soggy green beans.  Once cooked we each took a heaping helping, added butter and real bacon bits and feasted.  That was our supper - just delicious green beans. 

That was our supper, but we did also have dessert.  Coffee cake from the Amish bakery needs to be eaten while it's fresh.  It is delicious, especially with a little butter.  I'm not sure if butter is considered good for you these days, but it certainly makes things taste good so I shall continue to use it on toast and veggies and, of course, coffee cake.  In case you're concerned about the health risks of coffee cake here's a picture of the label.

If you notice, every ingredient on the lable is natural and recognizable so I think it's good for us (in moderation of course).  If you'll excuse me now, I believe it's time for our bedtime snack.

What's in a name?

 A while back my west coast brother accused me of being a paronomasiac, in other words a person who enjoys puns or word play.  I think he must be right because not long after that I heard someone ask the question "Why are pants called pants?" and I've been pondering that question ever since.  Why not pant?  It is after all a single garment.  And it's not just pants, there are trousers, slacks, shorts, culottes, capris, and even jeans - all ending in 's'.  

Because it has two legs? Generally speaking all of our upper body wear (unless it's a poncho or cape) has two sleeves or at least two arm holes and yet we don't speak of blouses or shirts when we mean only one of such an item. 

Obviously I decided that this needed some research and here's what I discovered.

The History of 'Pants'

The word's origins are rooted in comedy

In US English, the word pants isn't a particularly funny one. It's the most common term for that very common piece of clothing that covers the body from the waist to the ankle (give or take), with a separate part for each leg.

But the word pants is rooted in comedy.

Image of Pantalone. The word 'pants' comes to us from an Anglicization of the character's name, "Pantaloon."

The word comes from the name of a stock figure in the commedia dell’arte, a form of Italian comic theater popular throughout Europe from about the 16th to the mid-18th century. Pantalone, as he was called, was a greedy, lecherous, scheming old man who often ended up being duped and humiliated. His costume consisted of a soft brimless hat; a pleated black cassock (typically worn open); slippers; and a vest, breeches, and stockings that were conspicuously red and tight-fitting. In later representations of the character, the breeches and stockings were replaced by long trousers.

When trousers of a similar style became popular during the Restoration in England, they became known as pantaloons, Pantaloon being an Anglicization of Pantalone. Fashions changed over the years, but pantaloons continued to be the word used to refer to various types of trousers. Americans clipped the term to pants in the early 19th century, and that shorter word became a standard term for the garment, serving also as the basis for new formations denoting new garments, such as underpants and panties.

Harmless enough to our ears, the shortened form pants alone was considered vulgar by some language commentators for quite some time, including Ambrose Bierce, who wrote the following in his 1909 book Write It Right about pants for trousers: "Abbreviated from pantaloons, which are no longer worn. Vulgar exceedingly."

We don't know that the "vulgar exceedingly" characterization had anything to do with another use of pants or not, but in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pants appeared in an insulting assertion about a person's name: to say that someone's name was pants meant to say that you didn't like or trust that person, much like in the still-used expression "your name is mud."

And in the 20th century, the word began to appear in the phrase "with one's pants down," meaning "in an embarrassing position (as of being unprepared to act)."

Pants by itself has of course continued in US English to refer to trousers, but in British English, pants is used most often to refer to what Americans call underpants—which, makes the word a good bit funnier across the pond, at least for 8-year-olds and anyone who shares their sense of humor.

And the British have taken the humor to another level: since the 1990s, British English speakers have also used pants informally to mean "nonsense," as in "It's ridiculous; the whole thing is pants" or "The whole thing is a pile of pants."

Clearly there's too much history about the word pants for anyone to declare it itself pants.

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This is all very interesting but it still doesn't answer the question why pants plural?  Why pantaloons for that matter? The Italian word has no 's' at the end.  But that's enough pondering for now.  I guess I'll just skirt the issue.

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