The word of the day for October 1, 2008 is "departure" — Pronunciation: \di-ˈpär-chər\ Function: noun Date: 15th century 1 a (1): the act or an instance of departing.(2)archaic:death.b: a setting out (as on a new course). 2:divergence. 2[a departure from tradition].
Our quote for the day is from Socrates (469–399 B.C.), Greek philosopher. quoted in Plato’s Apology, sct. 42a.:
The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways—I to die and you to live. Which is the better, only God knows.
Paul Newman died last night. When I was in High School, I always thought I would marry Paul Newman. I never got around to figuring out how I would remove Joanne Woodward from the situation, but there y'go. I married Lloyd, instead and we all have probably been happier for this.
Paul Newman as beefcake.
It is certainly a sad thing when a childhood icon dies. Mr. Newman's acting was rightly legendary. He also managed to retire before he became a travesty as some have. His marriage to Ms. Woodward was also a thing of legend. His auto racing and the more sedentary salad dressing-etc. business showed us very different sides of our entertainer. The viewing public will certainly miss Paul Newman.
The word of the day for September 27, 2008 is “requiem” — Pronunciation: \ˈre-kwē-əm alsoˈrā- orˈrē-\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Latin (first word of the introit of the requiem mass), accusative of requies rest, from re- + quies quiet, rest — more at while Date: 14th century 1: a mass for the dead. 2 a: a solemn chant (as a dirge) for the repose of the dead. b: something that resembles such a solemn chant. 3 a: a musical setting of the mass for the dead. b: a musical composition in honor of the dead.
Our quote for today is fromM. E. W. Sherwood (1826–1903), U.S. socialite, traveller, and author. An Epistle to Posterity, ch. 8 (1897):
Westminster Abbey is nature crystallized into a conventional form by man, with his sorrows, his joys, his failures, and his seeking for the Great Spirit. It is a frozen requiem, with a nation’s prayer ever in dumb music ascending.
Although it is only a quarter to nine, it has been a perfect day so far. I slept in until 6:00; got up to put Speedy out, which was not the struggle it sometimes is; cleaned up the kitchen (it's amazing how many dishes accumulate after I've done the supper dishes); made breakfast; cleaned the kitchen again; took Speedy for a walk; did my daily devotions and folded yesterday's laundry. Now I get to put my feet up with a glass-tea and see if Lloyd will get dressed to take the car to the carwash. I'm not going to push him. If neither of us leave the house until tomorrow, I'll be just as happy.
The day is perfect, as I said. It is just cool enough not to raise a sweat during a leisurely walk—barely a breeze, which is a blessing in Kansas. A bit of ground fog lay across the grass of Wildwood Park as we started out this morning, but by the time we returned from our mile-route the fog had dissapated. The sun has come up through a thin screen of cloud to turn every blade of dew-drenched grass into a diamond studded scepter for a faery monarch. The clouds burned off pretty quickly and now the September sky is an unblemished blue bowl. There will be small planes aloft later this afternoon as pilots with planes at Dead Cow International (approximately a mile to our northwest, and I kid you not about the name) get in their airtime. Maybe if Lloyd washes his car, we'll take a picnic out to Riverside Park or to Afton Observatory by the lake afterward.
Ground fog at Wildwood Park Sunrise, Sep 20, 2008, Wichita, KS Why I am glad I don't have a mimosa tree, in spite of the lovely smell in early summer This was meant to show the dew on the grass. Oh, well.
The word of the day for September 20, 2008 is "perfection" — Pronunciation: \pər-ˈfek-shən\ Function: noun. Etymology: Middle English perfeccioun, from Anglo-French perfection, from Latin perfection-, perfectio, from perficere. Date: 13th century. 1: the quality or state of being perfect: asa: freedom from fault or defect :flawlessness. b:maturity.c: the quality or state of being saintly. 2 a: an exemplification of supreme excellence.b: an unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence. 3: the act or process of perfecting.
Our quote for the day is from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900–1944), French aviator, writer. Wind, Sand, and Stars, ch. 3:
Perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add but when there is no longer anything to take away, when a body has been stripped down to its nakedness.
Hopefully this will be a quiet day. The rain started in again last night. If the ground weren't already saturated, I would call this a "good, soaking rain." However, it is just keeping the mower out of the yard. I'm moderately worried that if I open Speedy's pen, allowing him out into the grass, he will get lost.
Right now, having breakfasted, Lloyd is watching tv with his eyes closed. Speedy went through his lesson repetoire of come/sit/stay/down/stay/leave-it/shake—all of which he can do fairly well, but sometimes the difference between sit-stay and down eludes him. He is now asleep on the loveseat cushion where, if he lifts his head, he can look out the front window. His rump is sliding down—ever so slowly—counterbalanced by his head in the space between the couch and the drapes. I got up to get the camera to share the picture, but he had to move because I did. When he settles, I'll snap the shot. As soon as I post this, I'll pick up Mary Balough's Simply Magic, which I started to read last night. I do love the way she writes: the sense of pathos in the tension between hero and heroine is always exquisite.
Speedy on the lookout for anything that moves in all this rain.
Prayers for those in the path of Ike. And also for those who evacuated sensibly before the storm hit.
The word of the day for September 13, 2008 is "quietude" — Pronunciation: \ˈkwī-ə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle French, from Late Latin quietudo, from Latin quietus Date: 1597 : a quiet state :repose .
Our quote for the day is from Sextus Empiricus (2nd or 3rd cen., A.d.), Pyrrhonian skeptic. Outlines of Pyrrhonism, bk. I, ch. iv, p. 7, ed. Loeb Library, Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge (1939):
Scepticism is an ability, or mental attitude, which opposes appearances to judgments in any way whatsoever, with the result that, owing to the equipollence of the objects and reasons thus opposed we are brought firstly to a state of mental suspense and next to a state of “unperturbedness” or quietude.
Jeannette has posted a poll on the supernatural/paranormal. I have a few quibbles with polls in general, because many have questions that my answers don't truly fit. I tend to play along, however, for the entertainment value.
The real reason for mentioning Jeannette's poll is that it mentioned UFOs. I have seen a few unidentified flying objects in my time. Many of these objects were later identified to my satisfaction. A few were not. The wierdest sighting—for me—was in Utah, north of the Prominatory Point Historical Site. In 1968, the time of the sighting, this site comprised a photo exhibit and the ranger's shack. There was no potable water for eight miles in any direction. The photos of driving the golden spike that united the transcontinental railways were informative and interesting—in part because the town in the background does not exist in any fashion now.
On our way from the site, the road leads north across what was then being dry-farmed, indeed a tractor raised dust about a mile and a half west of the road. It was one of the bright days of the West without a cloud to mar the burning, blue sky. My husband asked, "What's that light up ahead?" Although the irregularly flashing light was apparent to me as well, I couldn't answer. Neither of us could remember passing a light source on our way in to Promnitory Point. It was a large light, too—larger than a radio tower beacon. Also, it appeared to be fairly close to the ground.
Eventually, we got close enough to understand what we were seeing. We identified the light source. It was a flock of swallows flying across the road and back in search of insects. As the flock flew across in one direction, their light bellies reflected the sun at us, as they recrossed, their dark backs did not reflect, thus the illusion of a flashing light.
The word for the day September 1, 2008, is "supernatural" Pronunciation: \ˌsü-pər-ˈna-chə-rəl, -ˈnach-rəl\ Function: adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin supernaturalis, from Latin super- + natura nature Date: 15th century 1: of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe; especially: of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil. 2 a: departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature.b: attributed to an invisible agent (as a ghost or spirit).
Our quote for today is from Joseph Conrad (1857–1924), Polish-born British novelist. “Dame de compagnie,” pt. 2, ch. 4, Under Western Eyes (1911):
The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.
Today it's all about the dog. Those who don't want to read about cute dog stuff are excused.
Lloyd's dog, Speedy is a natural menace to impertinent birds, piratical kitties, terrorist squirrels and obstreperous bunnies. He will yank my arm painfully if one of these critters happens to cross our path during our daily walk. He also kills flies, which he traps against the patio door—and snakes. Not that I've actually seen him kill one, but he does this victory dance that involves rolling around on the ground. When I go to see what he is doing, there is a dead snake, bitten nearly through in several places.
Speedy's Victory Dance Yes, he actually has the snake in his mouth!
Speedy and I went to the first of eight training sessions at PetSmart on Friday. I need the course, because I never paid too much attention while my uncle Marion was training his dogs—who all became models of deportment, and most of whom were sold to people who wanted to own an AKC Champion quality dog.
My uncle was so famous for his training that a prominent family in our town asked him to train their dogs. He declined, saying, "I'll train your dogs when you train your children."
Anyroad, whether Speedy will attain AKC Championship behavior is not the point of the classes. I just want him to learn the usual good-dog repetoire—come, sit, down, stay, pick-it-up, bring-it-here, drop-it, walk-to-heel, on-your-bed, off-the-couch. I would also like him to learn that he is allowed a three-bark limit for strangers and wildlife. That will take some time, but I'm getting a squirt bottle to spray his rump with water when he barks. That will not hurt him, but will startle him into breaking the bark cycle. I understand that a Super-Soaker is better for outside, as it will carry further.
The word of the day for August 24, 2008 is "champion" — Pronunciation: \ˈcham-pē-ən\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin campion-, campio, of West Germanic origin; akin to Old English cempa warrior Date: 13th century 1:warrior, fighter. 2: a militant advocate or defender [a champion of civil rights]. 3: one that does battle for another's rights or honor [God will raise me up a champion — Sir Walter Scott]. 4: a winner of first prize or first place in competition; also: one who shows marked superiority [a champion at selling].
Our quote for the day is from William Bolitho (1890–1930), British author. “Woodrow Wilson,” Twelve Against the Gods (1930):
Wilson adventured for the whole of the human race. Not as a servant, but as a champion. So pure was this motive, so unflecked with anything that his worst enemies could find, except the mildest and most excusable, a personal vanity, practically the minimum to be human, that in a sense his adventure is that of humanity itself. In Wilson, the whole of mankind breaks camp, sets out from home and wrestles with the universe and its gods.
I've decided to put the word of the day at the bottom of the posting with the quote—no reason, just a whim.
Last Sunday Lloyd and I had planned to go to my sister's retirement party. I planned to be gone, at the most, for ten hours—my sister lives about 170 miles away: three hours one-way. Sister said we couldn't bring Speedy, because Sadie, her daughter's dog (a South African ridgeback cross) would already be . As the two dogs had never met, sister didn't want them (or the dogs and Lloyd) to be alone together while we were at the party. Not a problem, I thought. Speedy could stay at home out in his pen. To ease Lloyd's mind, I arranged for the neighbor lady to look occasionally out at Speedy.
As we left the house, Lloyd made a point to look out the patio door at the dog. Speedy was all settled in between the doghouse and his food and water bowls, cooling it. Lloyd got in the car; we drove off. He started this conversation about why the dog had not come with us. I had to repeat the conversation we had had several times over the past week. Maybe I got a little sharp. I don't think so, but Lloyd is very sensitive to being "yelled at." He was sulking by the time we got to Matfield Green Service Area, about 50 miles from home.
I meant to stop for gas before we got on the turnpike, but I got distracted. Theoretically, I had enough gas to get to Olathe, but making the car run on fumes is not a good idea. Anyway, as we were pulling into Matfield Green Service Area, Lloyd asked if I meant to get gas there. No, I said, we'd [I had] already decided that we would stop in Emporia. I just need to use the necessary. Well! Lloyd said he didn't want to get out of the car. So when I got back in, he was looking all pitiful. As I got back on the turnpike, I noticed a tear trickling down his cheek.
"Do you want to turn around and go home," I asked? "It would be best," he said. So he had to wait until I could turn around at the Cattle Pens, because there isn't a closer turn-around. Plus, I had to stop and gas up at Matfield Green, even though gas was fifteen cents more expensive there than it would have been at Emporia. When we got home Speedy was lying in his doghouse, asleep. After getting Lloyd settled, I got take-out barbeque and just as I started back home it started pouring. Ah, well, I drove into the garage, so I didn't get wet.
The word of the day for August 23, 2008 is "disappoint" — dis·ap·point Pronunciation: \ˌdis-ə-ˈpȯint\ Function: verb Etymology: Middle English disapointen to dispossess, from Middle French desapointer, from des- dis- + appointer to arrange — more at appoint Date: 15th century transitive verb: to fail to meet the expectation or hope of :frustrate<the team disappointed its fans>intransitive verb: to cause disappointment<where the show disappoints most is in the work of the younger generation — John Ashbery>.
Our quote for the day is from Alan Beck, “What Is a Husband?” Good Housekeeping Jul 57:
What is a husband? He is the one who, with a touch, can bring back the starlight and glow of years long ago. At least he hopes he can—don’t disappoint him.
