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| Birthday Girl! |
Today is
Thursday, February 21, 2013 and we are pausing to recognize and celebrate the birthday of our granddaughter, Brittany, who is 22 years young as of today. Brittany came on the scene the day that a tsunami occurred in the Bering Sea brought on by a 6.8 earthquake. There's no relationship because our Brittany has always been a sweet and calming spirit. On her tenth birthday in 2001, Walmart announced it had surpassed General Motors in sales. Now that's a store Brittany is very familiar with. Ten more years passed and on her 20th birthday a fellow on Facebook posted this jewel: "In Texas, we have the death penalty & we use it. If you come to Texas & kill somebody, we will kill you back." Many folks liked that comment and that tells us that the more things change, it is the more they stay the same. But in the midst of all of these events and many more, lives are shaped and we are so thankful that God has given to our Brittany a loving spirit and a caring heart. She continues her college studies and working as well. She dearly loves spending time with her MiMi and she also does a pretty good job of tolerating her Poppy. Happy birthday to our Brittany and may God continue to lead, guide, and direct your steps. Love,
MiMi and
Poppy.
I often remind us that English is a challenging language. Here's a little ditty I found that pretty much confirms this: "There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple... English muffins were not invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, two geese. So, one moose, two meese? One index, two indices? Is cheese the plural of choose? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do people recite at a play, and play at a recital? Ship by truck, and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out, and an alarm clock goes off by going on. When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it?"
Now you know why I struggle at times in getting words in the right place at the right time to convey an understandable message. I support the immigration requirement that says in order to be a citizen of our nation one must learn to speak English. I suppose we all have to be glad they don't require that us natural born folks do the same, at least in the way that English is supposed to be spoken. I remember some years ago working with a fellow who escaped Vietnam just before it fell to the Communist North. He and his family eventually began the process to become United States citizens. He and his wife were not young and the history and civics they were required to know was very challenging. Knowing the US Constitution and the Amendments well enough to be tested on them is not an easy assignment. I worked with him some in helping him to study and it struck me that most of us who are citizens most likely would have trouble with the test. While we did study these things in school, I don't know too many who would be familiar with the details today. Except for those lawyers on late night television commercials who are ready to sue at the drop of a hat. But, that's another story for another day. Now it's time for me to wind up my long winded essay for today and to say farewell until we meet again. May God bless each one.
Amen. ....More later.
I often remind us that English is a challenging language. Here's a little ditty I found that pretty much confirms this: "There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple... English muffins were not invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, two geese. So, one moose, two meese? One index, two indices? Is cheese the plural of choose? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do people recite at a play, and play at a recital? Ship by truck, and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out, and an alarm clock goes off by going on. When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it?"
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