Steamed or Frosted?

I don't know if anyone else gets their tail in a knot when the news commandeers the TV schedule and then have nothing new or unusual to add,but it makes me see red. It isn't like "IF" they did have something important they couldn't interrupt whatever was on,or better yet run a crawl line at the bottom of the screen,but NO they have to take over the schedule and seldom,if ever is there anything worthy of the intrusion. Today it was a march in Portland that wasn't going to start until 1,but they ran the news from 12-1 instead of until 12:30. Another gripe about the news is they want to sensationalize all the terrible things that happen and I think by doing this they send a message to people that aren't quite mentally balanced that in order for them to be recognized in their dismal lives they have to do something monumentally horrible in order to claim their 15 minutes of fame. Then again,maybe it is just me and everyone else enjoys these intrusions.
Okay,better now I can feel the blood pressure returning to normal!

The Easter Bilby

Rabbits are not native to Australia but 24 of them were introduced in the 1850's for hunting purposes. A mere fifty years later they had bred as rabbits will,fast enough to become  crop destroying pests. This is where the rabbit proof fence came to be (no not the movie) the province of Western Australia built the fence to try to stop the rabbits from further migration. This left Australians with the Easter Bunny dilemma which they solved in the 1990's with the introduction of the Easter Bilby. Bilbies are seriously cute and in my opinion an excellent choice as a replacement. They are marsupials (bandicoots) that are covered in silky blue-gray fur,their tails are black and white with a crest running its entire length. For the most part they live solitary lives in burrows, and are nocturnal,feeding mostly on termites,grubs and ants. The females can have four litters a year,with one or two joeys per litter. The pregnancy lasts two weeks and the joeys stay in her pouch for ten weeks. After leaving the pouch they suckle for another two weeks and are weaned around three months and can start breeding when they are less than six months old. The bilby is vulnerable to extinction as the young can fall prey to feral cats and foxes will dig them out of their burrows. There are programs in place to bring the bilby back from the edge of extinction.

Shamisen

Have you ever wondered what the three stringed instrument often seen in pictures of Japanese women is called? It is a shamisen,also called sangen,meaning three strings. They are played with a plectrum which to me looked somewhat like an icescraper. The shamisen is similar in length to a guitar,but its neck is slimmer and without frets. Its drum like rounded body is covered with skin in the manner of a banjo and amplifies the sound of the strings. The skin is usually from a dog or cat,but in the past a special type of paper was used and recently plastics are being tried. On the skin of some of the best shamisen,the position of the cat's nipples can be seen. I listened to some shamisen playing and to me it sounded somewhere between a banjo and a sitar.

Joffery Dancers

Once again I might be the only one that has never heard of Joffery dancers,but I came across it in a book (bet you're surprised about that!) that Ronald Reagan's son had been a Joffery dancer so of course I had to find out what that was.
The Joffery Ballet is a dance company in Chicago,IL. founded in 1956. The company performs classical ballets while balancing those with modern dance pieces. The Joffery Ballet was the first dance company to perform at the White House at Jacqueline Kennedy's invitation,the first to appear on American television,the first to create a ballet set to rock music,the first American company to perform a rock ballet in Russia,the first and only dance company to appear on the cover of Time magazine,and the first company to have a major motion picture based on it,Robert Altman's "The Company".

Skean Dhus

Skean dhu is the Anglicised name of the sgian dubh,it is a small single edged knife worn as part of traditional Scottish Highland dress along with the kilt. It is worn tucked into the top of the kilt hose with only the upper portion of the hilt visible. It is worn on either the right or left leg depending on whether the wearer is right or left handed. It is thought to have evolved from the sgian-achlais,a dagger that could be concealed under the armpit (that sounds tricky!). This came from the same book as skirling did and I was also unaware of the fact that weapons were carried in this fashion. I must have been absent the day that was covered.

Nines

I thought when I read this tired old phrase that is would be fairly easy to root out the meaning,once again I was WRONG! Turns out that there are several theories about the origin of the phrase dressed to the nines there is nothing to support any of them. Plus the fact that there are many sayings using 9. The whole nine yards,cloud nine,to the ninth degree and others that are not coming to mind at this time. I also had no luck with putting on the dog which has always been a puzzler for me,once again only idle guesses although some were entertaining. The same luck,or rather lack of luck,held true for all gussied up,though it possibly relates to the early use of the noun Gussie (from a proper noun) for an effeminate man. Sorry about that,but you won't be learning anything new here today,try back tomorrow!

Skirling

Maybe I am the only one that had never heard of the word skirl,but I ran across it in a book I am reading,and as they say,the rest is history. I checked with a friend of Scottish heritage and she had never heard it either so I thought I would pass it along.
This is straight from Webster's (Probably from Scandinavian,and related to shrill) To sound loudly and shrilly,as a bagpipe. To play as a bagpipe;play,as a tune on a bagpipe. n. The sound of a bagpipe. After poking around online a bit I also found out that there is a village named Skirling at the western edge of the Scottish Borders.
Some people can't stand bagpipe music,I actually like it especially when used in rock music. I love the bagpipes in ACDC "Long Way to the Top"(if you want to rock n roll). There is another song that employs the bagpipes that I have been trying to think of all day and have come up with zip,so if anyone knows what rock song I am thinking of let me know before it drives me to the edge.

Learning the Ropes

I got to thinking about these after yesterday's post,and the very last one I have no idea where it came from or if it is a local saying. I would appreciate it if anyone knows to pass that knowledge on to me.
"Give them enough rope and they will hang themselves". I didn't find where this one originated,but the meaning is if someone is talking about something they don't know about they will eventually make that known,also if someone is guilty of something and you let them keep talking they will reveal that.
"When you reach the end of your rope,tie a knot in it and hang on." (Thomas Jefferson)
"He who is anxious for the death of another has a long rope to pull." (French proverb)
"A bird on a tether no matter how long the rope,can always be pulled back." (Ronald Reagan)
"Sex at age 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a rope." (George Burns)
Now for my mystery saying..."She would bitch if she were hung with a new rope". I do have to add my 2 cents worth here by noting that #1 a new rope would be scratchy,of course if you were going to be hung it wouldn't matter for long. #2 With a old rope there would be a slight chance that it would be worn in a spot and might break and literally save your neck.

Another Old Adage

Has everyone heard the old adage feed a fever and starve a cold ? Somewhere along the way I must have decided that it was feed for whatever ails you. I guess my brain thinks that if I eat enough of everything that one of those things will be a magic bullet that will cure what ails me. I woke up feeling dizzy (okay,dizzier than usual) and I imagine it is some inner ear imbalance,but I hate it. If I move my head it takes another several seconds for my balance to catch up. Some people take to bed when they don't feel well,but my advise to them is eat yourself well!! Just kidding,I am not sure it works that well for me,but I have used this method since I have been taking care of myself and to give it its due,it hasnt' killed me yet. With any luck I will be back to myself in short order,until then...keep the room still!

If You're Paranoid

If you already are suspicious of the government Do Not read "The Overton Window" by Glenn Beck. It is downright scary and to make matters worse it is partly based on fact and in the afterword gives references and sites to check out information. I am not saying any more than that as I don't want to end up on a list! This type of writing, fictional books with plots that are rooted in fact,is called "faction".

2+3=?

I had a dream several nights ago and can't seem to get it out of my head,so I decided if I wrote about it maybe that would clear it out. In the dream I am walking and come up to someone with a chocolate Lab and we stop to chat,as we are chatting the dog turns its head and I notice that it has two heads and instead of thinking that is odd all I register is that one head is male and one is female. Sometimes it doesn't seem to pay to go to sleep,but then again I find my dreams amusing for the most part.
In mythology,Cerberus was a three headed dog that guarded the gates of the underworld. In order to get past him music had to be played to put him to sleep.
In the "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" Hagrid gets a three headed dog named Fluffy from and Irish fellow and Harry and Ron have to play music to put him to sleep in order to get to the stone. Next time you come across a three headed dog you will know what you need to do,thanks to me!

More on Pistachios

Do I hear a collective groan?? Not to worry this won't be long or tedious but I really want to weigh in on the getting the pistachios out of the shell part of yesterdays blog.
The author said that she just left the ones that weren't partly opened alone with the thought that if they weren't opened then something was wrong with them,and that attempts to open them would always fall short,and she even mentioned employing nuclear devices would fall short of the task. I am in the opposite camp on this subject,I can't stand to not open the ones that don't open easily,it is like a challenge to me and I am inclined to think that because there is extra work involved in getting to the meat that it will be special...of course I should mention at this point that I have smashed fingers while trying to use a tack hammer to crack them open. I have had better luck (so far) with a paring knife,inserting it as much as possible where there is a hint of a crack and then either prying them open or cutting them in half to get the prized meat. So far I haven't lost a digit,but realize it is probably only a matter of time.

Fiction/Non-Fiction

On my last trip to the library I picked up a non-fiction book by a suspense/murder mystery author that I read. I can hardly believe that her life is so funny considering what her chosen genre is for her fiction writing. Okay,so here is where it gets a little weird. You may remember if you are a regular reader that recently I wrote a blog about how I was a kindred spirit with a fictitious person in a book that is set in the future? Well this autobiography I am reading is so much like things I think about and do I actually wondered at one point if she had somehow tapped into my mind when I read her fiction books,I know that sounds crazy but let me give you a couple of examples. I bought some pistachios to snack on and I started thinking back to when they used to dye the things a kind of hot pink/magenta color and wondered what the idea had been behind that...I mean it made them messy to eat as it made your hands take on the color,never mind the health issues that would be looked at in present times. In this book she talks about being nuts for nuts and how getting them out of the shell is part of the nut eating experience and yes,refers to the days when pistachios were dyed,though she remembers the color as being red. It doesn't end there,she started wondering if she is an animal hoarder after watching a show about it (she has 2 cats and 5 dogs) she decides she isn't because the guy the show was about wore a baseball cap and she doesn't,but then she touches on that instead she is a book hoarder and has at least 1,000. I wasn't worried when she was talking animal hoarder as I only have the 2 cats,but when she said book hoarder I inwardly cringed,though I have never counted I am sure I have well over 1,000 and as of yet have not made the leap to a Kindle as I really like books...not just for the stories but for themselves! There have been several more eerie parallels,but I think I have taken enough of your time on this subject for today. Maybe the problem will be solved if I just stick with fiction?

Pennies

The other day on Who Wants to be a Millionaire there was a question about the new design on the back of the penny. I had totally missed the fact that they were redesigning the penny as I rarely use cash, I do however stop and pick up pennies on my walks,if for nothing else they are supposed to be good luck.
The four new designs are to celebrate the bicentennial of President Lincoln's birth,as well as the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln cent. They started circulation on February 12,2009 and were issued at about three month intervals throughout that year,the backs all depict stages of Lincoln's life.
In another article I found yet another new design for the year 2010. Apparently I have been asleep at the wheel for some time to have missed all the changes in our one cent coin.

Celebration!

Drinks are on me! I completed my taxes earlier today and they are e-filed and out of my hair for another year. It took over 2 hours but some of that time did include breaks to keep my ever so fragile sanity intact. Now if we can all keep our fingers crossed that I don't get audited I can truly relax until this time again next year. I would like to make a comment on how time consuming this whole process is,first of all you have to keep track all year of anything that you will need to prepare your taxes,then when you actually sit down to do the act they insist on asking the same questions 20 different ways...do they think that you are going to change your mind on the answers? Then in the case of this year I had high medical expenses to deduct so I have to worry over an audit,do the people holding political offices have these same worries? Maybe before they get elected,but afterwards? I really doubt it,and they certainly make more money than I do with my pension. I am not complaining this year,that is if I actually get back what was calculated that was due back to me,we will see how it plays out.

Kindred Spirits

I am currently reading a book by J.D. Robb,aka Nora Roberts. The books she writes as J.D. Robb are set in the future and have many cool devices that would come in handy now,like the Auto Chef,it is a appliance that you program what you want into it and it pops it out,from coffee to complete gourmet meals to cat kibble. The vehicles have various features that most anyone would love to have,you can simply hit vertical and go over other cars,the other gadgets in the cars are not that far from what you would see in a police vehicle from this era. The showers are voice activated and you tell it how hot you want the water,and when you are finished you step out into a drying tube. But I digress,what I enjoy most about the books are the main character Eve Dallas. She is a lieutenant with the NYPD and is one hard ass broad,and here comes the kindred part,she is a fashionotsa just like yours truly! If it wasn't for her handsome husband and his good taste and making occasions that require her to get dressed up,she would appear in jeans and shirts much like myself. You got to love it when you see a reflection of yourself in the future.

Crazy Things

Strange things happening locally,last night a man had a shootout with the police in a motel just down the hill from me,and no I didn't hear the shots. Then preceded to have a high speed chase down the coast.
Earlier today after leaving my Zumba class they had the main drag taped off with yellow crime scene tape,right in front of my bank (the one that likes to leave its doors open). I just got back from my walk and they still have the main thoroughfare blocked and are detouring traffic to another through street,which must be rough for the trucks with trailers as there are right angle turns to make and no real room for them to do it. I ran into a friend from Curves and she said it was a fatality,which fits with what I saw earlier which appeared to be a bundle of rags in the road. She said the victim was dragged for ten feet,more than likely she knows what she is talking about as her husband is a state trooper and her daughter works in the D.A.'s office.
If the saying holds true that bad things happen in a series of three,that leaves one thing left to happen before this sleepy little coastal town can resume its slumber before tourist season starts.

Pussy Willows!

For some people it is daffodils or crocus,but for me  pussy willows have always been the harbinger of spring. I saw my first of the season a day or two ago,and I am excited to think spring is nearly here.
What I didn't realize is they are used for spring religious decorations on Palm Sunday as a replacement for palm branches,which don't grow that far north. The Chinese enjoy them as a symbol of growth and coming prosperity.

Tamarin or Tamarind?

Tamarin is something I had on a quiz on my trivia site and wanted to learn more about them. It is surprising what a difference one letter can make,in this case between a monkey and a pod like fruit.
A Tamarin is a squirrel sized New World monkey. Tamarins range from southern Central America through central South America. They inhabit tropical rainforests and open forest. Tamarins are omnivores,eating fruits and plants as well as spiders,insects,small vertebrates and eggs. Births are normally twins. The father primarily cares for the young,bringing them to their mother to nurse. They are also known to be monogamous.
Tamarind fruit pulp is edible,the hard green pulp of a young fruit is sour and acidic,but is often used in savory dishes. The ripened fruit is sweeter and less acidic as it matures. It is used in desserts,blended into drinks,sorbets and ice cream. In Western cuisine it is found in Worcestershire sauce and HP sauce.
 Tamarind tree with pods
 Tamarin monkey

More on Superstitions

In a book I am reading it was mentioned that peacock feathers brought into a home were bad luck. I had never heard this before so I had to investigate.
In several places around the world it is considered extremely unlucky to have peacock feathers in the house,they are believed to bring loss,misfortune,and even illness and death. Another superstition says peacock feathers in the house makes old maids. Other thoughts on these feathers are that the beautiful eye-shaped markings on them makes them associated with the evil eye.
In yet other cultures they are considered protective.
I ran across several blogs claiming they had been given peacock feathers and had bad luck until they disposed of them. I have never had any first hand experience with them,but after reading about them I don't think I will decorate with them any time soon.

A Conundrum

Today's blog is about a dream again,first I will describe the dream then list what the dream dictionary suggested was meant by it,then I will get to the conundrum part.
The dream itself was pretty basic,I was with several other people and we had placed the planets of our solar system into jars,and were trying to decide on the next step and I woke up before that was figured out.
Jars mean control,organization especially pertaining to orderly or logical thinking. Keeping things in mind. Planets mean new experiences,adventures,or new situations.
I was troubled when I woke up from this dream as I didn't know how if we had the planets in jars,why wouldn't we be in the jar with the Earth? And if we were in that jar how were we going to be able to put right whatever we were trying to do? I know it sounds like I take my dreams to seriously but when you wake up in the middle of the night things often take on greater importance than they are due. I just thought someone might have an answer to this riddle,if so let me know.
This montage shows the eight planets,plus 4 of Jupiter's moons.

Full Moons

Last night when I saw the Moon I thought I have to check the calendar and see when it is full,it looked full but sometimes I am a day or so off when I happen to notice a Full Moon. I checked the calendar and it was indeed a full Moon,I didn't think much more about it until this morning when I got up and again saw the Moon,that got me to thinking how long does a Full Moon last? I right away assumed it would be Moon rise to Moon set,but since I couldn't get that thought settled in my head I had to check it out.
A Full Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly opposite each other in the sky,when the Moon is 180 degrees away from the Sun,so technically a Full Moon lasts less than a minute! You can imagine my surprise at this,of course maybe I am the only one that didn't know this? Also of interest is the reason the size of the Moon varies is due to it having an elliptical orbit so at one time it will be nearer to Earth,also called a Supermoon. This photo is of a Supermoon.

Decisions,Decisions

I first started this blog in hope of adding to my mental workout and keeping the synapses firing in good order,but sometimes I am not so sure it is working. I have a birthday card all set to send off to a friend that is having a birthday on Sunday,and first of all I can't be sure I didn't send her the same one last year as when I choose cards I like to find ones that suit the people that they are for so at least a couple of times I have sent the same person the same card. If only it ended there! I also like to include a little  personal message as seems only right. For years I have been adding along with personal messages the saying that "I was going to enclose some cash,but I had already sealed the envelope" I don't know where I picked that up but I really love that saying,which brings me to the next decision...have I in the past already sent that saying with a previous greeting? And if so will she remember it? She is younger than me so you would think she would be more mentally agile,but sometimes her memory seems worse than mine,so if I do write that message will she recognize it as being my old tired sense of humor,in need of an overhaul? Or will I get by with it unscathed? Whatever is a person to do?

Not About Football

I used to love football,and sports in general but over the years they were ruined for me with all the commercialization,they were no longer about sports and you had to spend hours to see what you wanted to see. This is also a big part of the reason I don't watch much TV. I realize that the commercials is what pays for the whole she-bang but I just don't have that kind of patience.
Today is a kind of flight of ideas blog. It has been said that flights of ideas is a sign of mental illness,but hey! You knew that about me before today.
First of all when I was waiting with my groceries at the U-check a younger guy,somewhere in his 30's I would guess, asked for my help with his Roma tomatoes,no problem talked him right through it,then when I was on my way back from the store I realized that incident had made me feel like I must exude an air of competence and wasn't sure who was further from the truth,me or the guy that asked for my help!
The next thing on my mind is something I see all the time and have always wondered about. I always see big rigs,vans and the giant crew-cab pickups with only one person in them,and I wonder if they just ran out without the rest of the crew,or if they always drive around alone in what I assume to be gas hogs,and never mind the parking issue! The flip side of that is the smaller the vehicle,the more people that are in it...sometimes it looks like a clown car at a circus when you see the amount of people getting out. So is this an economic thing or and ego thing?

Phil vs. Weather Guessers

First of all my apologies for yesterdays blog posting multiple times on facebook,I kept getting a message saying the page was down,and being a sucker I believed them and retried posting it several times before actually checking to verify it wasn't posted.
Punxsutawney,PA. home to Phil the groundhog celebrates the occasion with music and food. The Groundhog day celebration is rooted in a Celtic superstition that proposes if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on February 2,the Pagan holiday of Imbloc,winter will last another six weeks,if no shadow is seen legends states that spring will come early.
Phil has been forecasting 122 years  as of 2012,though some years were not recorded. Of the 115 predictions on record Phil has predicted 15 early springs. He has an accuracy rate of 39%. When Phil isn't "at work" he lives in the town library with his wife Phyllis. I have always been a fan of Phil's but always hope on the years that he sees his shadow that he will be wrong,as I am hoping this year and so far (cross your fingers here) it doesn't look to good for Phil this year.
Oddly enough I could find NO statistics of weather forecasters accuracy,and one site claimed that no meteorologist or TV station kept records of their predictions,so I guess Phil wins this competition hands down!

Valentine's Day

I didn't set out to blog about Valentine's Day,I was curious where the phrase "hand in marriage" came from,but could find next to nothing about the odd saying. The only morsel I managed to ferret out was one persons guess that it came from handfasting, which is a trial marriage that lasts a years time.
I was surprised to learn that Valentine's Day goes way back,I had always thought it was one of the more recent holidays. There were two martyrs named Valentine that were perhaps the earliest to have February 14 honoring them. It was first established in 496AD and later deleted from General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.
The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the U.S.,that number goes up to 1 billion when valentine exchange in schools are included.
Valentine circa 1900-1910  Childrens valentine circa 1950

Proofreading

A friend of mine is writing a biography about her aunt,she was a B list actress and was best known for the character Vampira,which was copied by the character Elvira  in more recent times. I have been proofreading the chapters as she sends them,and it is a fascinating story. I was struck this morning by how important the adoration and attention were to her and how she had cut herself out of so many potential breaks by not thinking she was getting her due respect. Admittedly it would be a tough business to break into and not for the faint of heart,but the ones that do indeed make it in their chosen profession then shun their audience and demand privacy...seems the very thing that drove them to their success comes around full circle to haunt them. Not something I would want either of,the adoration or being in the public eye,but without those who do thrive on those very things we,the humble masses would be without entertainment,or at least that type of entertainment.

Dreams

I have always had weird dreams and for the most part find them amusing,so I thought I would share what I recall from my latest,plus a friend that also has weird dreams shared hers with me so we will see what I found out in my ever so amateur attempt at interpreting them. Here goes nothing!
In the first part of my dream I am pulling my friend that died recently out of a sink hole and just as I get her out and I am about to climb out after her I reach for her hand and she hands me some flowers and I fall back into the hole. The next thing I know I am standing in an open field and a rhinoceros is coming for me. Okay,now for the meanings I found. A hole means something is missing or lost,so I guess that would fit with the friend that died. A rhinoceros means well protected or shielded (especially emotionally). Determination and follow through. A show of strength in response to provocation. A lack of delicacy,gentleness or diplomacy. All of this description fits me to a tee,so maybe there is something to this dream interpretation?
Now for the friends dream: we are on vacation together in a place that is like Maui/Vegas,we are on a train/boat and are offered gum,which she takes and I decline. Then we arrive at our apparent destination which is my boyfriends and he is with Dolly Parton. Now we will see how this one shakes out. Gum means indecisiveness, thinking while trying to decide a problem or a sticky situation. Slot machines mean someone or something that lacks human characteristics such as  emotion,compassion,responsiveness or warmth. Being on a boat means change or progress is happening or on your mind,trains mean a process or journey. These oddly enough also seem to reflect what is currently going on in her life. So who knows,maybe this is the key to unlocking the weird dream mystery.