Oregon Rainy Day Woman

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

History Repeats

In the 16th and 17th centuries pineapples were a status symbol. They were mainly used for display purposes and were carted around to several events before they eventually rotted. Fast forward to today...Del Monte has developed a luxury, designer Rubyglow pineapple which can be yours for $395.99! It comes in an origami type box, but seriously instead of making designer fruit for the few shouldn't they be figuring out ways to make enough fruit to feed the hungry? Oh well. If you don't want to shell out 400 bills for a Rubyglow you can get Mini Honeyglow, a personal sized sweeter than most for $11.79, or a Pinkglow pineapple for $29 with flesh colored like deli ham. If none of those fit your taste and or budget regular or gold pineapples can still be had without selling your firstborn.

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

The Thing With the Weather

There are so many weather related sayings it's hard to keep track though the "April showers bring May Flowers" has been around since the 16th century and as with most sayings about weather it is less than factual. Depending on location April is rarely the wettest month, on average it is the 5th wettest with the wettest month belonging to June in the US. According to 30 years of data from 8,535 National Climatic Data Centers 2,053 reported June as the wettest month leaving April with only 76 reporting it as wettest. Not only is June the wettest in the contiguous US according to calculations June 7th is the wettest day overall.

Monday, May 6, 2024

Pony Up

Actually there's no charge to visit the ponies at Ponyhenge though there are plenty of visitors of all ages. It all started when the owners of the property put the first pony out to pasture with the thought that since they no longer had children to enjoy the pony that maybe other kids could stop by and use it. They were right in a big way, neighbors started dropping off more ponies until the field resembled a pony show of sorts, plus it has also been used as a destination wedding venue and now they are a tourist attraction about 20 miles outside of Boston. They change configuration on an almost daily basis and once they get too tired looking they are culled from the herd and sadly retired to the local dump.

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Meaning of Life Part II

After seeing a man vacuuming the back of his SUV out and thinking he was probably getting rid of evidence of something nefarious it occurred to me that perhaps I should change my reading material more often. With that said let's get on with Part II of the foreign phrases unique to their languages.

From Persian hava do nafaras= The weather is for two people, a good day for a walk in the cold.

From Scottish hurkle durkle= Lounging in bed when you have things you should be doing.

From French flaneur flaneuse=Strolling/wandering idly looking for glimmers.

From Japanese ichi-go ichi-e=For this time only, once in a lifetime. Taking time for the sights, sounds and smells throughout the day as they will never be replicated.

From Spanish apapachar=The act of embracing someone with your soul.

From Italian dolce far niente=The sweetness of doing nothing.

From Norwegian friluftsliv=Leave no trace (while exploring outdoors).

From Korean inyeon=A bond between two people over the course of their lives, past and future.

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Meaning of Life Part I

No post yesterday as the internet was down from 12:00- 4:30 which was bad enough but I kept getting robo calls telling me they were working on it. Without further ado I present some foreign words/phrases that English has no words for.

From Lebanese/Arabic soubhiye= That quiet time when you're the only one up and you can enjoy your coffee before the day starts.

From Swedish fika=The concept of taking time for yourself with a break for coffee and pastry.

From Greek meraki=Putting your soul and passion into whatever you're doing.

From Polish jakos to bedzie=Trying something new, things will work out in the end.

From Finnish sielunmaisema=A landscape you carry in your heart that feels like home.

From Italian la passeggiata=A ritual stroll with no destination.

From Norwegian utepils=Going outside to enjoy a beer. (Norway is dark and cold most of the year.)

From Spanish sobremesa=The special time after meals when everyone lingers to socialize.

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Fascinators/ Hatinators

For those of us not up on our millinery terms today's title is what two types of hats are called that are popular for the Kentucky Derby. The fascinator is a type of headwear that fastens to the head with a band or clip, it offers no protection from the elements and covers very little of the head. The hatinator also fastens with a band but looks more like a hat. According to one milliner, "When you wear an elegant hat, you carry yourself differently. You walk with confidence and energy." That might be true for those who wear hats often but those who don't look more like they have a stiff neck.