What's In A Language?

A few days ago, I came across a short video narrated by comedian Tudor Owen. He was explaining the choices of keeping the Welsh name of a lake, or giving said lake an English name. He said Lake Australia had been suggested. Apparently an island on the lake is shaped like the continent. The reason for the change? The Welsh name is difficult to pronounce by folks not familiar with the Welsh language. That got me to thinking.

 

Just for a minute or two, let's go back in time to the days of one of Noah's (yes, THAT Noah) grandsons. Nimrod was considered to be a great hunter and leader. His goal was to keep the people close together, in direct violation of a previous mandate given to humans. As a result, his attempt to build a great tower was thwarted by the sudden introduction of many languages, and the people scattered to the ends of the earth.

 

From that day on, new cultures were established, with their customs and language. Over hundreds of years, changes came about, dialects appeared while some languages died off to be replaced by others. English has become the most prominent. Today, we get a sense of  history through the various communications, through food and art, architecture, as well as the spoken language.

 

In the mid 1940's, around the end of WWII, many Scottish parents refused to teach the younger generation their native language of Gaelic. The reason? They wanted their children to fit into British culture. Today, a group of Scots are doing everything they can to bring back the language. It's an important part of their heritage.

 

So what does all this have to do with Tudor Owen and his take on changing that lake's name? He gave a brief telling of the lake's Welsh name and the myth behind it. (The Welsh name means "grayhead".) Granted, the Welsh name is unpronounceable by English standards, (and the spelling is absolutely mind boggling) think of all that would be lost if that name were dropped in favor of "Australia" --no offense to our friends from down under. Once you start making little changes like that, you begin to chip away at the core of a culture. One chip at a time, one after another until you create irreparable damage to a way of living.

 

To my way of thinking, why not compromise?  Have a phonetic spelling below the name. Give visitors the opportunity to "taste" a language and the stories behind the words. Granted, it can't be done with all things, but it could go a long way in piquing a tourist's curiosity. Like water constantly dripping on a stone, frequent chipping away at our many cultures because someone doesn't understand something can seriously ruin our diversity.

 

Is compromise the answer or do we let it all fade to nothing? Something to think about.

 

 (The story of Nimrod can be found in the Bible book of Genesis 11:1-9)

Thinking About...

I apologize for having been away so long. The last few months have been inundated with things that couldn't be put off. There was also the recent loss of my youngest sister. She was a great punster and her quirky sense of humor will be missed.

 

Some time ago, I made a "promise" to someone very dear to me. I would make a quilt for a wedding gift. Since that time life has intruded far too many times and that project had to be put on hold. Now, four and a half years later, the project is progressing very nicely. I will try to post a picture of it when it's done. (after I figure out how to take said pic and get it on my laptop. What can I say? I'm still, and probably will always be, a computer dummy.)

 

With all the changes that have been going on, I've found myself to be sadly lacking in ambition for the things that have meant most to me. There are so many craft projects I want to try but I'm sure you know how that goes. If you get overwhelmed with ideas and plans you end up doing nothing.

 

 Thank goodness one thing that fell by the wayside, so to speak, has finally come back. After my mom passed, I felt as if my muse had abandoned me at the same time. I'm happy to say Lady Muse is back and we're updating and expanding a story I'd finished some time ago. So far, so good. I'm planning to make this story the first of my work to be self-published. I don't know how that will turn out but I figured it's time I sort of branched out.

 

To write, and write well, you should be a reader and that I've done a lot of. It's helped me to cope with everything else going on in my life. In the building where I live, there is a laundry room that most of the residents make use of. (Others have a service that picks up and delivers every week.) Sometimes people leave books on the table for whoever wants to read them. When you finish with them, you bring them back for someone else to read. Well the last time I did laundry, someone had left a bag of books on the table, and of course I looked through them. I picked up six of the books, left two behind. I felt a wee bit guilty about that until I was told there had been another bag of books left the day before. Good thing I didn't see that one.

 

I've read two of the books and enjoyed both of them. None of the books are recent releases, but that's okay. One was One Heart to Win by Johanna Lindsey. It's been quite a while since I've read any of her work and I'm just realizing how much I've missed her stories. The second book was by an author I'd never heard of and judging by a note someone left in the book, it's one of a series of 5. The author is Donna Birdsell and the book is titled Falcon's Mistress. I had a hard time putting that one down. The romance wasn't overwhelming as some romances are, and the twists and turns of the plot could get you lost if you're not really paying attention. Once I really got into it I had to finish it, which I did a short time ago. I'm ready to move on to the next book.  When I do laundry next week, at least half the books I took from the table with be returned for another reader to enjoy.

 

I'm finding that as I get older (and it might be just my imagination) life seems to go faster. At least in my younger years, if I didn't have time for something, I could be pretty well certain the opportunity would come along again at some point. If it didn't, then it wasn't meant to be. I'm trying to find a way to fit in all the things I want to do. Life is never a sure thing and you have to make the most of it while you have it. Maybe a "bucket list" isn't such a crazy idea.

 

The one thing I'd like to be able to say is "I had few regrets and did it my way."  

 

 (Thank you, Frank)

Definitely Not Glass Slippers

 

A few days ago I took a nasty tumble in the hallway. I felt my foot get "stuck" on the carpeting and tumbled along till I finally went down.  While I stumbled forward, trying to stop my momentum before my face met the floor, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Fortunately, I ended up with nothing worse than a couple rug burns on one hand and a thorough shaking up. (Like one of 007's drinks) It could have been a lot worse. I'm definitely NOT looking for sympathy, but over the next few days it did get me to wondering.

 

 Footwear.

 

We don't give much thought to what we put on our feet until we need a new pair of shoes or something for a special occasion. When we're young, we give first consideration to style. We want to make an impression. As we get a little older style is still a consideration but not so much. There's a lot more going on in our world and we give more consideration to comfort for chasing after or keeping up with our own kids. If we didn't, how would we survive all those other daily responsibilities we've taken on?

 

That still doesn't account for the shoe industry giving us what they THINK we want, Long ago, our Grand Creator gave us 26 bones in each foot so we could have a fairly wide range of motion. Why would we want to limit it?  The sole of a shoe is in one flat solid piece from back to front with no flexibility to bend. The natural human gait is to let the  foot "roll", heel to toe in a smooth motion. The sides of the shoe, around the ankle, are often just high enough to interfere in the ankle's ability to rotate. The toes are meant to bend with every step to help maintain balance.. Since the shoe's sole can't bend, neither can the box of most shoes. The toes can't do their job properly. 

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Modest dress shoes, usually flats, are given leather soles. (Not such a great idea unless you plan to go "ice skating" sans ice). They're dangerous on any surface until their worn enough to grip whatever you walk on. We've been advised to wear slippers with a half-inch heel to help prevent falling backward. Try finding them. They're almost as hard to find as hen's teeth. I know. I've been looking.

 

The shoe industry will continue to make what they want us to wear, and, for the most part, they will ignore what is practical, safe and comfortable. That's the way it's been and will always be. Now that I've had my say, I should take another short walk to ease the still slight trembling I feel when I get to that particular spot in the hallway. That's my glass slipper to find.

 

"I Go To Pieces"

Patsy Cline's interpretation was a lot different than mine. She was singing about lost love while my idea is that of being a cut-up. Those of you who are hobbyists and deal with projects that contain a gazillion pieces will know what I mean. You have to go where the pieces are to build anything.

I dabble in a lot of things and currently it just happens to be quilting. I never go for the easy stuff just dive right in when I see a design I like. My very first quilt was a double wedding ring pattern. Not the easiest to start out with, but it came out pretty decent and was a gift to someone close. Or... I'll take the basic idea of a standard design, make some major changes and call it my own creation. Like the cat quilt I made some years ago. I created  twelve or fifteen counted cross-stitch cats on aida cloth, trimmed it with paw prints to set off each block and ended up with an unusual twin size quilt. After moving a few times in the last few years, I lost track of that quilt. You know how that goes. Every time you move, you lose something.

Since Murphy has seemed to become a permanent fixture around here, enough has happened to set me way back in getting things done. (Not just the quilt.) I've tried many times to give Murphy the boot, but he never could take a hint. Who knows, maybe I'll find a way where we can compromise. Hahaha.

There is nothing small about this latest project. 594 blocks make up the quilt top (or will when it's fully assembled.) Three pieces to each block and you have 1,782 pieces, not counting the odd ones I'll need to add around the edge to keep it straight. I've got my own version of the tumbling blocks design and it's gonna be a meteor storm. One print in four different colors, with deeper shades to compliment it. I had changed my mind about the block arrangement and discovered I had insufficient solid color blocks for the background and couldn't find any more fabric to match. Silly me. I wasn't sure what to do about the problem then that little cartoon lightbulb began to glow with a brilliant idea. Using the fabric I got for the back of the quilt, I'll have more than enough to cut for the background of the pieced top. I found a lovely print in a pale color that will look great for the backing. In fact, it just might make the quilt reversible. That would be an added bonus. If I really get cracking, (I'm hand stitching the whole thing since I don't have the space anywhere to spread it out to work on it) this project, originally intended to be a wedding gift may just make it for the couple's fifth anniversary later this year.

Now that I think about it, this was probably how I got to be a "patchwork" writer. I rarely do anything in any logical order. Create enough sections so eventually they can be put together properly to tell a story. I've got enough of those segments sitting around, to make several somethings of them. I just need sufficient time to get it all done...like a couple hundred years.  Then I wonder why/how I go to pieces? 

Now you know.

Chilling Out...Literally

With the stroke of a minute hand, one year has ended and  a new one has begun. Do I feel any different? Not really. It's mainly remembering to change the year on any checks I write. It's also knowing winter is only a couple weeks old and the worst is yet to come.

After a gorgeous extended autumn, winter cold has struck early. For the last few days, the temperature has been in the teens or lower. The night wind chills have been in the single digits and it's supposed to continue for at least the next week or two. As much as I hate the extreme cold, I feel bad for Erie, PA. They ended up with fifty inches of snow in thirty-six hours. It's a good reason to hibernate, and an easy goal to keep while Old Man Winter and Jack Frost have their fun.

Mom used to watch the Patriot games with me. She didn't understand anything about the game but she loved to watch them play in the mud and snow. To her, literally getting down and dirty was more fun to watch. She would have loved the game played earlier last month. I don't recall what teams were playing but it snowed during the game and they ended up playing in a snowstorm. The snow was piling up fast and every time someone made a tackle or a player went to ground, the light, fluffy stuff was tossed around. It was like watching a bunch of kids diving into the accumulation.

I have to say, those players were mighty brave yesterday during their final game of the regular season. The temperature was fifteen degrees early on. By the time the game was over, it was a "cool" twelve degrees. Why were they brave? At least a third of the players didn't have long sleeves. They made me cold just watching them.

Since I have no intention of going anywhere for the next couple months, you'd think it would be a good time to set up a few goals for the rest of the year. The last couple years, my goals have pretty much fallen by the wayside.  Only one goal is being met now and even that one is four years overdue. What is it they say? Better later late than never? This queen-size quilt was supposed to be a wedding gift but I ran into problems before I could get it going. Since I started on it a month ago, (I'm stitching blocks by hand) I've been making good progress with half the blocks made. When I get the rest stitched, I can lay them out to decide on the order they'll be put together. If I keep it up, the intended couple just might get their wedding present before their fifth anniversary.

I've decided not to set any other goals since I've done such a poor job of late to keep previous ones. I figure by not setting more, then I won't be disappointed when I don't complete them. The possibilities are simmering on the mental back burner. If I do get any of them done then I'll be pleasantly surprised. So I guess THE goal would be to try to get some things done that have been waiting forever for attention.

In the meantime, I'll do my best not to become a popsicle while rooting for the Patriots as they go for an unprecedented #6.  

Here's hoping you achieve whatever goals you set for yourself in 2018.

Do What You Love

For the last three months I was determined to get some things done that had been put off for too long. Unfortunately I didn't accomplish all I'd hoped. In the meantime I racked my poor brain for some topics to write about. I'm always looking for something different, something entertaining, amusing or maybe subtly instructional. With politics being the hot topic for months, it can be hard to come up with something that would interest others and avoid verbal war.

I like to watch the nightly news. They usually end their broadcast with a "feel good" story that lets you forget about the bad things going on in the world, even if it is just a few minutes. Earlier this week, something did catch my attention. It had to do with football and a running back for the Baltimore Ravens. Alex Collins has found for himself an interesting and challenging "hobby" if you will.

Everybody has a hobby in mind, or two or three, they would love to indulge in. Sometimes circumstances won't allow you to follow it because of time constraints, or maybe a budget that can't handle another dent. Other times you can just dive right in. Somewhere along the line, it's very likely that hobby might very well be tied to a career, sometimes in the oddest ways.

Getting back to Alex... He took an interest in Irish dancing and it's paid off for him on the football field. He can run faster and is more agile at avoiding members of the other team. This type of dancing takes up a lot of energy and you need good balance and posture since most of the dancing is done on the front part of your feet. When he was first learning, Alex says the kids teased him but now they dance with him and have fun.

It reminds me of a series that was on TV some years ago, called Fame. It focused on a group of high school kids attending a school similar to Julliard. One particular episode dealt with a football team from another school, touring the Fame high school. After watching a dance class, a couple athletes sneered and said anyone could do what the dancers did. With support from the teacher and the team's coach, a time and date was set and the challenge was on. By the end of the series of competitions, the football players were exhausted, and amazed that the dancers could keep up and in some cases surpass them. Lesson learned.

 Dancing isn't as easy as it looks. But there's something to be said about the rigid moves of Irish dance and the sound of taps (not to be confused with tap dancing) keeping the rhythm even when there's no musical accompaniment. I've always found it mesmerizing

If I were a few years younger and not such a klutz... (Klutz is the wrong word here. Some people lack a certain grace when they move about and I'm definitely one of them.) I might have given it a try. The point is, life is fleeting and we should make the most of whatever time we have. Find what makes you happy, whether it burns a lot of energy or provides quiet distractions. Then run with it. Or if you're like me, you have a bunch of things you love to do and not enough time to do them all. Now, I'll just sit back with needle and thread and finish my embroidery project.

Battle of the Buttons

I get a lot of emails every day, while some days generate more than others. Some companies send out a bunch on a daily basis. They have instructive newsletters and send out several different ones, new products, frequent sales. If something doesn't catch my interest, it either gets sent to the circular file or I might leave it for further perusal when I have more time. Sometimes the spam gets through (although once in a great while a spam email proves to be useful.) Sometimes something I've been expecting gets sent to the spam folder. Apparently, the system can't always tell the difference. No problem -- most of the time.

Then there are the emails that, for whatever reason, no longer interest you. Maybe the information they were offering turned out to not be what you were looking for. Or maybe they're an affiliate of someone from whom you get regular email. That's the equivalent of snail-mail companies selling their mailing lists.

Owners of email lists have certain rules they're required to follow. And as far as I know they follow them diligently. About the most important, as far as I'm concerned, is the ability to unsubscribe. They may have the button present, but it seems there's nothing in the rules that says the button has to work. Guess what? Eight out of ten don't work. I haven't the foggiest idea what the reasoning behind that action could be. I've tried sending email to them. Sometimes that works, other times, not so much. So the battle begins.

I might often go back and try again, but when the cursor passes over a link and nothing changes, it's a good bet the link is dead. If it worked, it should change from blue to purple. If anything, it's more likely to fade a bit. That's not going to stop me since I have my own weapon.

 It's called a delete button.

Every day I go through my email list a couple times to keep it from getting out of hand. A list of a hundred emails, for various reasons, may end up being whittled down to ten. It's worse when my laptop decides to take a mini-vacation. I've had as many as four hundred emails waiting for three days, and I'll end up keeping, maybe twenty-five to read. The delete button gets quite a workout. There's a line in one of the Marvel Comic movies where Captain America says, "I can do this all day."  Same goes for using delete button.

Sooner or later the emails I can't unsubscribe from will have to disappear. The owners will have to purge their lists of non-active clients/customers/followers or the list will get too big to handle. Until that happens, it's just a matter of which is more determined: a non-functioning unsubscribe button or a working delete with a happy 'trigger finger.' .