Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

IWSG, Gee Willikers Let's Chew the Fat Awhile, Quotes, Being Thankful


Posting the First Wednesday of every month, the Insecure Writer's Support Group, is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Every month a question will be posed that may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Remember, the question is optional. You can write about anything that relates to your writing journey.

Let's give a warm welcome to our co-hosts:    Kristina Kelly, Miffie Seideman, Jean Davis, and Liza @ Middle Passages!

This month's question is: Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?
I haven't "played" with AI at all, nor do I intend to. I'm too old for this New Age stuff. I think it's impact on the arts could possibly lead to a diminishing of human creativity, ingenuity, and imagination. 
Origins: a recurring post in which I delve into the history of a word or phrase.

Today's phrase is: Chew the fat
There appear to be several myths about the origins of this phrase, all of which sound quite plausible but are unverifiable. The truth came as a complete surprise to me.

Myth 1: It came about because sailors ate salted/dried fish and meat while at sea which required a lot of chewing.
Myth 2: It originated with Native American tribes who chewed on animal hides to soften them.
Myth 3: (The most commonly believed one) In the fifteen hundreds a family could show of its wealth by offering guests small bits of pork to chew. (Ewwww) 

Meat is Rationed So is Chewing the Fat Less. Gab More Guns - NARA - 533911
Here's something from 1942-43.
The Truth: We can blame it on the British army in India. "Prior to the adoption of metallic cartridges, most ammunition was composed of powder and a ball wrapped in paper or cloth soaked in animal fat, which was bitten open during musket drill. Soldiers were known to chew on these ends to pass the time and reduce nerves, and in some cases to stave off cravings for chewing tobacco." (Wikipedia)

1885 is when it was first used in a book titled, Life in the Ranks of the British Army in India by J. Brunlees Patterson, where he described it as military men  complaining, grousing, and grumbling about conditions. An earlier form (1875) "chew the rag," is American and is more about gabbing and gossiping. 

Today's Weird Word is: Gee willikers
This is strictly an American euphonism, an exclamation of surprise, enthusiasm, or exasperation. Earliest citation is from 1847. "Perhaps (i) a fanciful alteration of Jerusalem! (which is probably itself a euphemistic alteration of Jesus.)" Oxford English Dictionary. 

There are many variations of this theme: Gee-Whittaker, Gee-whitaker, Geewhillikins, Gee willikers. 

Does anybody even use it any more?





Quotes of the Month from Eleanor Roosevelt 

One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes.
Eleanor Roosevelt portrait 1933
We shall have to be willing to learn and to accept differences of opinion and background.

In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. The choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.

...freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.

It takes a good home and a good school to prepare young people for citizenship in a democracy and even then they will have to go on learning throughout life.

Being Thankful

Today I am thankful for the seemingly simple things of life:
air to breathe, food to eat, a roof over my head.
The list is long. 

What simple things are you thankful for? Have you used AI? What are your thoughts on it? Have you ever used "chewing the fat" or "gee willikers"?

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

IWSG, By the Skin of My Teeth I'm Driving that Jalopy, Quotes, Being Thankful


Posting the First Wednesday of every month, the Insecure Writer's Support Group, is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Every month a question will be posed that may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Remember, the question is optional. You can write about anything that relates to your writing journey.

Let's give a warm welcome to our co-hosts:   Janet Alcorn, SE White, Victoria Marie Lees, and Cathrina Constantine!

This month's question is: What turns you off when visiting an author's website/blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author's books? Constant mention of books? Oh gosh. Lack of information about what?  I don't recall ever visiting a blog or website that's a drone of negativity. But I'm sure that would be a turn-off for me. My own blog is guilty of not mentioning my books much, but they're there...over to your right if you'd care to check them out. Since writers have had to become their own promoters (even if published traditionally) I can't fault those who loudly toot their own horns. If they don't do it, who will? I'm an introvert in that department. I'm happy be in the chorus and sing my part, but I'm not comfortable as the soloist.


Origins: a recurring post in which I delve into the history of a word or  phrase.

GenevaBible
Today's phrase is: By the Skin of My Teeth
I was surprised to learn how old it is...

The phrase made it's first written debut in the 1550s in the Geneva Bible.

Léon Bonnat - Job
Job. A haunting painting
of despair... 
When Job is lamenting all that Satan has done to him and all that God has allowed to happen (it is a piteous and heart-wrenching passage to read) he cries out in anguish, "I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth." And this is a direct translation from the Hebrew. Who can say how long the Hebrews used the phrase before it was written in the Book of Job? I think it's safe to say, it's anywhere between 4 to 9 thousand years old, as that's how old scholars believe Job's story to be (give or take 5 thousand years). You can read the whole lament here at Job Chapter 19. None of that explains what the skin of one's teeth actually is. I'm kind of inclined to think it's that semi-slimy layer of scum that's on your teeth when you wake up in the morning. (Gross I know.) Or maybe it has to do with the gums.



Today's Weird Word is: Jalopy
Most sources acknowledge there's no sure source of where or how this word originated. It popped up in the early 1920s. Most however agree it might have come from Jalapa, Mexico (same place the Jalapeño is from) which, it seems, is where used cars from the US were sent to die.Old pickup 01
In my experience growing up the Virgin Islands, a jalopy was definitely a beat-up vehicle, a rust-bucket held together with baling wire and maybe duct tape, but still running, still operational. Anyone who had a good running jalopy could be called upon to go places regular vehicles couldn't go. I learned to drive in a jalopy. It was a jeep that jumped out of second gear and barely had reverse! 

We were "jeeping" and "off-roading" LONG before it became a "thing.

Quotes of the Month
"Faith gives you an inner strength and a sense of balance and perspective in life." Gregory Peck

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"Enjoy life as it is today -- it is going to change." Stephen Ramjewan

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"Measure not men by Sundays, without regarding what they do all the week after." Thomas Fuller

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"Those sons-of-bitches over there ain’t buying. Every yard gets ’em. They’re lookers. Spend all their time looking. Don’t want to buy no cars; take up your time. Don’t give a damn for your time. Over there, them two people – no, with the kids. Get ’em in a car. Start ’em at two hundred and work down. They look good for one and a quarter. Get ’em rolling. Get ’em out in a jalopy. Sock it to ’em! They took our time." John Steinbeck from The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 7.

I don't know who wrote this analysis of the quote, but it's great.   "Dehumanized by his runaway greed, the used car dealer lectures his employees on how to exploit customers. Seeing vulnerable migrants as easy money, he motivates his sales team to suck as much money as possible out of them. There is irony in the fact that even those not interested in buying a car are targets for his cynical sales pitch."

And who knew "Sock it to 'em" didn't originate in the late 1960s on Laugh-In.


Being Thankful
Today I'm thankful that we survived a very hard freeze 
(at one point we were colder than Billings, Montana!) 
And, we got a little bit of rain. 
The weather has been wild and crazy.

What are you thankful for? Do certain authors' blogs or websites annoy you? Have you ever felt like you were hanging on by the skin of your teeth? Ever owned or driven a jalopy?

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

IWSG, Origins, Weird Words, Quotes, Being Thankful

Posting the First Wednesday of every month, the Insecure Writer's Support Group, is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Every month a question will be posed that may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Remember, the question is optional. You can write about anything that relates to your writing journey.

Let's give a warm welcome to our co-hosts:    Joylene Nowell Butler, Olga Godim, Diedre Knight, and Natalie Aguirre!

This month's question is: Do you follow back your readers on BookBub or do you only follow back other authors? I am not a member of BookBub. I've heard of it, I've looked at the site, but to be honest, I don't buy many new books. I go to the library for new stuff. I don't know about anyone else but going to a site like BookBub is, for me, overwhelming. 

***
So last year (already?) I chose interesting words to delve into. This year I'm going to explore interesting phrases and weird words.  I'm also going to go through my extensive collections of quotes and end each post with something pithy, humorous and/or mind-bending. Clever me. So original....
***
Origins: a recurring post in which I delve into the history of a word or phrase.

Today's phrase is: Up to snuff 
After three years of being careful and getting all our vaccines, hubby and I finally got one of the many COVID variants. Nice gift at the end of the year... We now call ourselves, Disease and Pestilence.  Anyway, I wasn't feeling up to snuff which made me wonder where the heck THAT phrase came from. I only knew it had something to do with snuff.

John PooleAll sources agree it does indeed have to do with the sniffing of snuff, a tobacco product, which gave a certain quality of sharpness or energy to the user. So a person described as being "up to snuff" was someone who was alert, clever, and not easily fooled. So, someone NOT up to snuff, was the opposite.

The first written use comes from a play by John Poole written in 1810. It's called Hamlet Travestie: In Three Acts a humorous spoof of Shakespeare's famous play. Poole was apparently quite popular in his day.


Today's Weird Word is: Discombobulate
We all know that it means to be in a state of confusion, or disorder. But where did it come from? In that imaginative time between say 1830 and 1890, there was a fad going around to create fanciful mock-Latin words. Discombobulate is one of these and appears to be the only one that has survived. Others include: Absquatulate
, to run away or make off with. Confusticate, to confound. Panjandrum, meaning a "pompous person of power and pretension." Love that alliteration! I like all of these mock-Latin words, particularly confusticate. 



***
I only manage to read 22 books of my 30 book Goodreads goal. But that's ok. It's always interesting to look back and be surprised by the variety and eclectic nature of my reading.

Harbor Me - Jacqueline Woodson
The Beatryce Prophecy - Kate DiCamillo
Shout - Laurie Halse Anderson
Squeeze Me - Carl Hiaasen
Once Upon a River - Diane Setterfield - I LOVED it even though it took me three months to read!
Melissa - Alex Gino
The War That Saved My Life - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Fish in a Tree - Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Pale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan
Queen Hildegarde - Laura Elizabeth Richards
This Book is Gay - Juno Dawson
Wait for Signs - Craig Johnson
Garvey's Choice - Nikki Grimes
A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park
Bellevue - David M. Oshinsky - A interesting history of the famous hospital in NYC
See You on a Starry Night - Lisa Schroeder
The Children's Blizzard - Melanie Benjamin
Harriet Tubman - Kathleen V. Kudlinski
Hell and Back - Craig Johnson
The Ranch that was Us - Becky Crouch Patterson - a family memoir about a huge ranch not far from                 where I live in the Texas Hill Country
Femina - Janina Ramirez - A account of relatively unknown mediaeval women who did amazing things
How to Meditate - Pema Chodron - A very nice book with which to end the year

2024's list begins with three books I'm currently reading

Rattlesnake - C. Lee McKenzie - a great ghost story!
The Women's West - Susan H. Armitage - A compilation of articles and stories about the lives of real                  women who were pioneers of the American West
A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living



Quotes of the Month

"This planet is not Terra Firma, it is a delicate flower and it much be cared for." Astronaut Scott Carpenter

"I'd like to read a book...I've never read a book before. I understand they have pages and everything." Frank Oz

"Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things." Frank A. Clark



Being Thankful
Today I'm thankful hubby and I didn't get any sicker than we did. The medication we got certainly stopped it from galloping into our lungs and we are definitely thankful for that.

Happy New Year!

Are you a BookBub user? Have you read any of the books on my list? What do you think of those faux-Latin words? Got a favorite? Do you think we should make up some new ones? I'll start. Incompuhensive: The state of being almost understandable, but not quite, so that it drives one slightly crazy.

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

The Gift of Words

Posting the First Wednesday of every month, the Insecure Writer's Support Group, is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Every month a question will be posed that may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Remember, the question is optional. You can write about anything that relates to your writing journey.

Let's give a warm welcome to our co-hosts:   C. Lee McKenzie, JQ Rose, Jennifer Lane, and Jacqui Murray!

This month's question is: Book reviews are for the readers. When you leave a book review do you review for the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your reading experience, or do you critique the author? I rarely critique the author unless it's to say something general as in "I found the writing a bit choppy" or "I really liked the author's style of writing." My book reviews are pretty simple, I don't give synopses because there are plenty given by other reviewers and there is the book blurb itself. My reviews are mostly about what I like or don't like, how the story make me feel, what I learned or didn't learn. They don't tend to be longwinded. I rarely get into the "psychological" or "metaphorical" meaning behind a story. I rarely give out 5 stars either. For me, 5 stars are for those really powerful and special books that leave me kind of breathless and wanting more, that make me weep or laugh out loud, a book I will want to read more than once. Being honest with myself, most books I like are good solid 4s. A few are 3s. Unless an author is well known and people are raving about a book I find particularly bad, I rarely write reviews for books to which I would only give 1 or 2 stars. If the author is not famous and I think their story is bad (for whatever reason) but has lots of positive reviews, I keep my opinion to myself and don't post a review. I don't want to hurt another author's chances at making a little money.
***
Origins: a recurring post in which I delve into the history of a word or phrase.

Today's words are: GIFT and BIBLE
Christmas is on it's way. What could be better than discovering the origins of these two words?

Gift, "that which is given," has traveled a long and winding road. We will go from newest to oldest: 
Old Norse gift, gipt meaning "gift or good luck".
Proto-Germanic geftiz, (which is also the source of the Old      Saxon gift, Old Frisian jefte, Middle Dutch ghifte "gift",        German mitgift "dowry") all come from the geb "to                give" which in turn comes from the
Birthday gifts
Words are Gifts
Proto-Indo-European root ghabh "to give or receive." This humble root word forms part or all of these words (this is not the full list):  able, cohabit, cohabitation, debit, debt, due, duty, endeavor, exhibit, exhibition, forgive, gavel, gift, give, habeas corpus, habit, habitable, habitant, habitat, habitation, habitual, habituation, inhabit, inhibit, malady, prohibit, prohibition, provender. 

I love that the word FORGIVE is related to GIFT.

Gutenberg Bible, Lenox Copy, New York Public Library, 2009. Pic 01The word Bible comes from the Latin biblia, which in turn comes from the Greek work biblion, meaning "paper scroll" and evolved to be an "ordinary word for a book as a division of a larger work." 

It's the paper scroll part that's interesting. Biblion was a diminutive of byblos, meaning "Egyptian papyrus." The city of Byblos was a Phoenician port from which papyrus was exported to Greece.  

We have papyrus to thank not only for the word paper, but also for the long list of words that have to do with books from bibliophile to biblioteca which is Spanish for library.


LoanWord: A word adopted from a foreign language with little or no modification. Today's loadwords come from Old Norse. There are so many, it was hard to choose. Loft/aloft, Anger, Are, Awe, Bag, Bait, Band (as in rope), Billow, Bleak, Both, Boon, Bug, Cake, Cozy, Creek, Cur, Die, Dirt, Dregs, Dump, Egg, Glitter, Gun, Happy, Haven, Husband, Keg, Kid, Kilt, Knife, Lad/Lass (not Scottish!? the Vikings gave them to us!) Leg, Mistake, Mug, Ransack, Reef, Rotten, Sale, Same, Skill, Skin, Skull, Sky, Take, Thrift, Troll, Ugly, Wail, Window (which means wind-eye) Wrong.


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Merry Christmas,
Happy New Year,
Peace on Earth,
and
Broccoli on Mars

Friday, December 1, 2023

Flames of Wrath by JL Campbell, a Book Blog Tour

The need to right a wrong against an innocent victim 

triggers a hailstorm of revenge. 

Today I have the pleasure of helping my longtime internet friend, JL Campbell, spread the word about her latest book!

A mother’s quest for justice turns into a race against time to stop insidious murders that mysteriously begin populating throughout the city. Fans of Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware will be enthralled by this emotionally chilling thriller!

The need to right a wrong against an innocent victim triggers a hailstorm of revenge!
 
In less than twenty-four hours—before Alexia Leighton is scheduled to return to Miami from spring break in Jamaica—a group of friends betray her in a grisly assault that stops a heartbeat away from murder. The seventeen-year-old prays for the mercy of death. She survives. While on the road to recovery, Alexia's attackers become victims of mysterious acts of violence, leaving authorities confounded and racing against time to prevent another deadly attack. Concern looms, as the perpetrator has proven to be two steps ahead of them at every turn.
 
When the attention swings to Alexia's mother, a cyber-security expert, the family closes ranks. Geneva Leighton must quickly eliminate herself as a suspect, but not without handing down more punishment. The offenders fear for their own safety and the secrets that plague them. Can they trust the police to find the killer before someone else dies, or has their fate been sealed—leaving them with no place to run, and no place to hide . . .

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Describe your writing style.

I’ve been told that my writing is literary in nature but that sure isn’t the case with Flames of Wrath. Since the genre has certain conventions, I had to stay within those if I hoped to write a well-paced story. Readers have also said my characters are compelling and that I have a way with dialogue.

What makes a good story?

For me, that would be one in which I am immersed in the plot and have a hard time taking breaks from reading. I like characters that I can relate to, and even if I can’t see things from their point of view, I want them to be interesting and have layers to their personality. I’m an armchair adventurer, so I’m fascinated with books that take me to diverse parts of the globe. 

What are you currently reading?

I’ve been reading the Nena Knight series and I’m about to start book three. I’ve been enjoying these thrillers mainly because of the character and how she navigates the world she’s thrown into after a series of unfortunate situations. The pacing is good and the plot is engaging. In between that, I’ve been reading The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. Let’s just say this book is an intense read that’s not for the faint of heart. It’s about a twelve-year-old boy who faces a harrowing experience inside a reform school in Jim Crow Florida.

What is your writing process? For instance, do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?

I no longer have what I’d consider a process. Used to be, I’d outline my story so I knew where I was going from the get-go. Then, I started doing a combination of both—knowing the start, the ending, and a few of the huge happenings in between. At heart though, I prefer to be organized and not write by the seat of my pants because when I write that way, there’s too much cleaning up to do in the editing phase. At the outset, I prefer knowing a huge chunk about my characters—the stuff they own, their personality quirks, and their history. A vague outline is also a bonus, but the one thing I have to know when I sit at the keyboard is what the current chapter is about. Without that compass, I’d be lost.

What is your favorite part of this book and why?

As weird as it sounds, it’s not any part of the mayhem Geneva causes or how she deals with her daughter’s enemies. My favourite part is where she’s talking to Spence, her husband, and telling him but not telling him what she’s done to get justice for their daughter. It’s serious and funny, in parts. That, and the family scenes were special for me as I believe in the love and support that family provides.

And a bonus question … If your book had a candle, what scent would it be?

Definitely cinnamon. It’s a distinctive spice that can be sprinkled in with most baked goods. It has may beneficial properties, but like Geneva, too much of it can play havoc with one’s health.

And there you have it, a little about me and what reading and writing looks like in my world.

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National Bestselling Author, J.L. Campbell lives in Jamaica and writes across several genres. She is a certified editor, and book coach, who has produced over forty books. When she’s not writing, Campbell adds to her extensive collection of photos featuring Jamaica’s natural beauty. 

She can be found lurking about at these sites: Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Flames of Wrath by J.L. Campbell, a Crime Thriller, can be found at:

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads


Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Let's Talk Turkey, IWSG, Being Thankful

Posting the First Wednesday of every month, the Insecure Writer's Support Group, is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Every month a question will be posed that may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Remember, the question is optional. You can write about anything that relates to your writing journey.

Let's give a warm welcome to our co-hosts:  PJ Colando, Jean Davis, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diedre Knight!

This month's question is: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not? I have participated, back when it was still new. I did it twice and finished both times. The novels I wrote languish in their files because 1) they need a lot of work and 2) I'm lazy. One is a crazy fantasy with lots of humor that's kind of a combo of Oz and Disc World. The other is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, West Indian style. Both have potential, but both need soooOOOOoooo much work... 

Origins: a recurring post in which I delve into the history of a word or phrase.

Today's word is: Turkey
Last month is was about pie, so it's seems only right that this month it be about turkey.

Back in the 1540s the Portuguese imported the guinea fowl from Madagascar and it arrived in Europe via... you guessed it... Turkey. But wait, guinea fowls were not called turnkeys.

Guinea Fowl, Dale - geograph.org.uk - 4400981The North American bird we call the turkey was first domesticated by the Aztecs and introduced to Spain by the Conquistadores. Because North Africa was under Ottoman (Turkish) rule and because it looked similar to the guinea fowl, by the time the North American bird arrived in Europe in the 1550s, the name "turkey" was starting to stick. However, the wild undomesticated bird arrived in England from the American colonies in the 1530s and was already becoming a popular main course at Christmas by the 1570s.
Meleagris gallopavo (6486177203)

So there you have it, from Madagascar to Mexico we get look-alike guinea fowls called turkeys.



LoanWord: A word adopted from a foreign language with little or no modification. Today's loanwords are Arabic and Turkish/Persian in origin. All are very familiar and rather pretty, too. Arabic: Safari, Lemon, Admiral, Alcohol, Algebra, Sofa, Zero, Candy, Caravan, Shawl, Alchemy, Cotton, Zenith, Hazard, Apricot, Giraffe. Turkish/Persian: Sherbet, Talc, Tapestry, Sandal, Scarlet, Bazaar, Carafe, Percale.






Turkish Delight Dribble
She lounged on the sofa, sipping her alcoholic beverage, and nibbled on Turkish Delight. The shawl draped about her shoulders warded off the chill. Some idiot offered her a dish of sherbet. In a scarlet rage, she threw her sandal at the offender.

***
Being Thankful
Today I am thankful that we've had some rain. Not much, almost three of inches, but it's been heavenly.
We also had our first serious cold front, dropping into the mid 30s at night, and staying in 40s during the day.

What are you thankful for? Have you participated in NaNo? Are you ready for the holidays? 

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

To Pie or Not to Pie is that even a question? IWSG, Being Thankful,

Posting the First Wednesday of every month, the Insecure Writer's Support Group, is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Every month a question will be posed that may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Remember, the question is optional. You can write about anything that relates to your writing journey.

Let's give a warm welcome to our co-hosts: Natalie Aguirre, Kim Lajevardi, Debs Carey, Gwen Gardner, Patricia Josephine, and Rebecca Douglass!

This month's question is: The topic of AI writing has been heavily debated across the world. According to various sources, generative AI will assist writers, not replace them. What are your thoughts? I do think there's a danger of AI replacing writers, particularly as AI gets "smarter" with it plagiarizing. Science always moves forward way faster than governments and with governments being slow to respond there have always been problems. 

Plastic was never regulated and look where we are now? We breathe in and ingest plastic every day.

AI is like that. No regulation and it will soon be out of control.

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Origins: a recurring post in which I delve into the history of a word or phrase.

Today's word is: Pie
It's that time of year when our minds turn to pies. Pumpkin, apple, mincemeat, chicken pot pie, shephard's pie... The word "pie" goes back to 1300s and is not found outside of English. 

However pies have been around a long time. Savory meat dishes, with a bottom pastry, were known to the Egyptians and Greeks, though the Romans may have been the first to make pies with both a bottom and top crust.



Mother Goose's melodies - or Songs for the nursery (1879) (14582986458)



Sing a song of sixpence
A pocket full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing
Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?

YES! there are recipes for making pies with live animals! Something which only royalty or the wealthy could afford as a way to impress their guests.

For the English, a sweet pie made with fruit usually doesn't have a top and is called a tart. It is only for savory meat dishes with a top and bottom crust that the word "pie" is used. In the Cook's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer -- written some time between 1387 and 1400 -- pie is mentioned.

"And he could roast and seethe and broil and fry
And make a good thick soup, and bake a pie"

Pies (25619774353)In the Virgin Islands fruit-filled pastries are always called tarts, a holdover from Colonial times no doubt. In the United States we use the word pie to describe anything with a pastry, with or without a top crust.

Do you have a favorite pie? Mine is pumpkin. I've been making pumpkin pies since I was around 12 and have, over these many years, perfected my recipe to the point where I allow myself to boast just a bit. I think I make the world's best pumpkin pie. Most PPs that I've ever tasted are far too sweet so not only have I cut way back on the sugar, I use more spices than those called for in most recipes. If you would like my recipe email me. I'd be happy to send it out into the world, and I'll even include the last and final secret ingredient.

LoanWord: A word adopted from a foreign language with little or no modification. Today's loanwords are from Yiddish and Russian. Yiddish: Glitch, Klutz, Spiel, Schmooze, Bagel, Chutzpah, Lox, Maven, Mensch, Nosh, Putz, Schlep, Schmuck, Schnoz. Most of these are so much a part of our vocabulary, it's like English could get bossy and claim them for its own. Russian: Disinformation, Shaman, Bridge (the card game!) sable, Stroganov, Kefir.



A Haiku Pie
No kefir in pie
But pumpkin spread on bagels 
Sounds like fall is near

***
Being Thankful

Annular eclipse "ring of fire"I have never seen a total eclipse of the sun. Now, within 6 months, I will be seeing two. The small town where I live in the Texas Hill Country, is in the crosshairs. The first, an annular eclipse, will happen this month on the 14th. It's called The Ring of Fire.

The second and more well know, a total solar eclipse with the diamond ring effect, will happen on April 8th, 2024. 

NASA will be here, live streaming both events. Their Chief Scientist, Dr. Katherine Calvin, will be here and is going to be giving a free lecture to the public. For the annular eclipse, an estimated 500,000 people may descend on the Hill Country, with between 50 and 100 thousand coming to my town. For the total eclipse... as many as a million people will be in the area. They are coming from all over the US and the world. The authorities suggest that us natives stay home because the congestion is going to be astronomical. (HA) I10, which runs right next to us is predicted to become a parking lot... Any place that has a bed has been booked for a year.

I am thankful that I'm going to have the experience of (hopefully) seeing two total eclipses. I'm not so thankful about the thousands of people that are coming, though they will dump a ton of money on our town. Hubby and I have stocked up (stores will be depleted) and plan to stay home for the duration which could be several days before and after.
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Ever seen a total eclipse of the sun? What's your favorite pie? What are you thoughts on AI, does it scare or disturb you? What's a Yiddish word you use a lot? For me it's nosh, or schlep, or schnoz (because I have a fairly prominent one!)