I was again browsing through one of my favorite referance books and came across a story about a female who, disguised as a man, became Pope and while she held that position, gave birth!! Of course I said to my self "NO WAY". I had never heard of such a thing and it was way before "women's lib". In fact it was back in the "middle ages" and being at that time period makes it even more amazing.
How did she/he get away with it? I have no idea how she got elected to the position of Pope, but once she did, she managed to get away with it until giving birth to a baby fathered by her lover. She also took the name, Pope John VIII. Back in that time period, people did not bathe, they only washed their hands, face, and feet. So, the people around her/him had no way of knowing that she was actually a women and they all wore those shapeless robes that would not give a clue to what was under them.
Well, I guess sometimes reallity can be much stranger than fiction. Here are a couple of links to information on this subject:
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1453197&page=1#.Uanh_5yTW60
Now, I hope all of you will have a very great day, you hear?
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
Saga Continues - Willy Bub and Carney Go Fishing.
As I promised, I have a second instalment of the Willy Bub and Carney Show. This time, they have decided to go fishing. Willy Bub wants to go to a big ole lake and Carney wants to go to the bigger Gulf of Mexico. So, how the heck will they decide which place they will go. Carney says that salt water fishing is always full of surprises cause there is so many varieties of fish that can be caught but Willy Bub (who is plenty salty enough) says there is nothing more exciting than catching a big ole bass and having him dance all over the lake. He also reminds Carney that his kayak has only one seat but the blow up blubber boat is just a big hole in the water and two people and a dog could flop into it and paddle in circles all day long. Carney then told Willy Bub that in the yak, as Carney was paddling, Willy Bub could ride up front by straddling it like riding a horse and the dog could stay at home. So they decided to flip the dog, Madie Say, and if she landed on her feet they would go in the yak and if she landed on her back they would go in the blubber boat and if she landed on either side, each would take their own floating device and go wherever the heck they wanted to. So, now they are chasing Madie Say around trying to catch her so they can flip the dog but Madie Say is thinking that the only flipping she is going to do is flip them the bird!!
Well ole Madie Say won out. With all the extra strenuous activity that Carney and Willy Bub did chasing that dog around, they both were just way too pooped out to even think about fishing, whether it be in a lake or the Gulf. In fact, they were way to tired out to even go play a round of golf. So Madie Say and the Gorilla (you remember the gorilla from the the first "not so true story" that I posted the day before yesterday?) went to the golf course and played a round, then stopped at a pond and caught some fish and then just to round out the day, did a little serf fishing.
I just can't figure out why Willy Bub and Carney didn't just do both the fresh and the salt water fishing. The fresh water fishing sure wouldn't take long at all. You see, Willy Bub was used to the way that the hill billies fish in West Virginia. Their favorite lure is a big ole stick of dynamite!! Speaking of dynamite, you all have a dynamite day, you hear?
Well ole Madie Say won out. With all the extra strenuous activity that Carney and Willy Bub did chasing that dog around, they both were just way too pooped out to even think about fishing, whether it be in a lake or the Gulf. In fact, they were way to tired out to even go play a round of golf. So Madie Say and the Gorilla (you remember the gorilla from the the first "not so true story" that I posted the day before yesterday?) went to the golf course and played a round, then stopped at a pond and caught some fish and then just to round out the day, did a little serf fishing.
I just can't figure out why Willy Bub and Carney didn't just do both the fresh and the salt water fishing. The fresh water fishing sure wouldn't take long at all. You see, Willy Bub was used to the way that the hill billies fish in West Virginia. Their favorite lure is a big ole stick of dynamite!! Speaking of dynamite, you all have a dynamite day, you hear?
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wondering about paper cups, etc.
There was quite a few comments on my yesterdays blog, so maybe a sequel is in order; but not today, though. Keep tuned in for the continuing sega of Carney and Willy Bub when they decide to go on a fishing trip together. But for today, I have a couple of other subjects I want to talk about. The first subject is paper and plastic drinking cups. Why are they tapered, you know, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom? I have and have seen a lot of glasses that have straight sides. I never had any trouble drinking from them. Well, a little reseach tells me that it is a space saving design for marketing and storing. The taperd shape allows them to be stacked (nested together) and that saves space on the display shelf and for shipping which both save money. It is like the old saying, if you want to know why something is like it is, just follow the money trail.
As you probably know, I like to try to find the origins of saying that we now use but have no idea what they originally mean. Today I am going to look into the origin of the saying that describes someone who just had their 10 minutes in the spot light and disappeared into obscurity shortly after. The phrase is "Flash in the pan". As in, he was just a flash in the pan. Now, be honest, what is the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear this phrase. I suppose for a cook it would be the ignition of a grease fire in his frying pan, but for people who have ever fired an old style flint lock rifle, another definition comes to mind.
The saying came from the gun powder in the pan that ignites (flashes) when the hammer holding the piece of flint strikes the plate creating sparks. The first thing that happens is a flash of the powder in the pan (the area holding a small amount of gun powder) which is suppose to enter through a hole in the side of the barrel and ignite the main charge of powder firing the rifle. If, for some reason like the hole being plugged with burnt powder, the gun will not fire and there will only be a flash in the pan and nothing else. OK, you all keep your powder dry and have a great day, you hear?
As you probably know, I like to try to find the origins of saying that we now use but have no idea what they originally mean. Today I am going to look into the origin of the saying that describes someone who just had their 10 minutes in the spot light and disappeared into obscurity shortly after. The phrase is "Flash in the pan". As in, he was just a flash in the pan. Now, be honest, what is the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear this phrase. I suppose for a cook it would be the ignition of a grease fire in his frying pan, but for people who have ever fired an old style flint lock rifle, another definition comes to mind.
The saying came from the gun powder in the pan that ignites (flashes) when the hammer holding the piece of flint strikes the plate creating sparks. The first thing that happens is a flash of the powder in the pan (the area holding a small amount of gun powder) which is suppose to enter through a hole in the side of the barrel and ignite the main charge of powder firing the rifle. If, for some reason like the hole being plugged with burnt powder, the gun will not fire and there will only be a flash in the pan and nothing else. OK, you all keep your powder dry and have a great day, you hear?
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
A not so true story.
In the story you are about to hear, the names are changed to protect the Innocent, just in case any of you are Innocent. Any similarity of names to real blogger people is purely coincidental. Any location where any of these blogger people are located is also purely coincidental. In fact everything that may sound familiar or not, are all coincidental. This story is purely fiction and you might say it is a figment of my imagination. I was going to check with my lawyer to make sure any of the fictitious persons not named in this blog posting could not sue me, but he wanted paid for the advice. Actually, I didn't even call him cause I figured he would want paid for his advice. Anyway, how could a fictitious person who presumably does not exist, sue me. OK, got that all settled so here is the story.
Once upon a time in a Texas south eastern city near the Gulf of Mexico, there lived two great golfers. The elder of the two was named Willy Bub, a tall skinny guy, and the other was named Carney, a short heavy guy, or something that sounds like those two names. Anyway, they were always in friendly competition, whether they were fishing or golfing or eating or . . . you get the idea. Carney had some fancy new fangled clubs and Willy Bub didn't. So Willy Bub, who didn't want to be outdone, sat down with his dog Madie Say to make plans for winning the great Gulf Coast Golf Tournament.
Each player could have one and only one partner. So both of them found a partner to fill out his team of two. The two teams made a foursome, what ever that is. Now this Carney was no dummy and he wasn't a bad golfer either. He found a golf pro who was free the day of "THE BIG TEE OFF". Now Willy Bub and Madie Say were at whits end. They thought and thought and thought, and finally Madie Say came up with a bright idea. She had a friend and this friend had a Gorilla that he trained to hit golf balls. So Willy Bub and Madie Say went to see this guy and his Gorilla.
The Gorilla's owner was glad to show off his pet. He told the Gorilla to hit the golf ball. The Gorilla grabbed a wood and WHAM!!! He it 500 yards!! Willy Bub couldn't believe his eyes. Now he was going to really beat that old chubby Carney. So he called up Carney and made a date to hit the greens the next day and told him to bring on his golf pro partner, that he had found a pretty good partner himself.
To make a long story short, all four showed up and they all teed off. Carney and Willy Bub made so so drives. The golf pro almost made it to the green on the first 400 yard hole. Then the Gorilla teed off and the ball went 400 yards and landed within two feet of the cup. Boy was Willy Bub happy!!! So, the Gorilla gets up there, takes a putter, and.. and.. and.. WHAM!! even with a putter he hits that ball just under 300 yards. Carney is laughing and Willy Bub bends his club over the Gorilla's head. This makes the Gorilla really, really mad. The rest of the story is just to gory to tell. Now you all have great day you hear, even you two, Carney and Willy Bub.
Once upon a time in a Texas south eastern city near the Gulf of Mexico, there lived two great golfers. The elder of the two was named Willy Bub, a tall skinny guy, and the other was named Carney, a short heavy guy, or something that sounds like those two names. Anyway, they were always in friendly competition, whether they were fishing or golfing or eating or . . . you get the idea. Carney had some fancy new fangled clubs and Willy Bub didn't. So Willy Bub, who didn't want to be outdone, sat down with his dog Madie Say to make plans for winning the great Gulf Coast Golf Tournament.
Each player could have one and only one partner. So both of them found a partner to fill out his team of two. The two teams made a foursome, what ever that is. Now this Carney was no dummy and he wasn't a bad golfer either. He found a golf pro who was free the day of "THE BIG TEE OFF". Now Willy Bub and Madie Say were at whits end. They thought and thought and thought, and finally Madie Say came up with a bright idea. She had a friend and this friend had a Gorilla that he trained to hit golf balls. So Willy Bub and Madie Say went to see this guy and his Gorilla.
The Gorilla's owner was glad to show off his pet. He told the Gorilla to hit the golf ball. The Gorilla grabbed a wood and WHAM!!! He it 500 yards!! Willy Bub couldn't believe his eyes. Now he was going to really beat that old chubby Carney. So he called up Carney and made a date to hit the greens the next day and told him to bring on his golf pro partner, that he had found a pretty good partner himself.
To make a long story short, all four showed up and they all teed off. Carney and Willy Bub made so so drives. The golf pro almost made it to the green on the first 400 yard hole. Then the Gorilla teed off and the ball went 400 yards and landed within two feet of the cup. Boy was Willy Bub happy!!! So, the Gorilla gets up there, takes a putter, and.. and.. and.. WHAM!! even with a putter he hits that ball just under 300 yards. Carney is laughing and Willy Bub bends his club over the Gorilla's head. This makes the Gorilla really, really mad. The rest of the story is just to gory to tell. Now you all have great day you hear, even you two, Carney and Willy Bub.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Wondering about mimosa and bucks.
Last evening as the sun was setting, I took two pictures of a couple different mimosa shrubs that grow around my place. The light wasn't very good but I still think they are a bright and joyful view to look upon. This first one was just behind the dog's back yard:
This one was in the shade behind where the motor-home is parked:
Sorry about the lighting.
I got wondering how the dollar bill became known as a buck. Anyone care to guess? This is what my book, IMPONDERABLES, has to say about it and it also explains the expression, "pas the buck".
"Buck has meant "male deeer" since the year 1000 in England and has meant "a dollar" in Ameria since 1856. Despite the time gap, the two meanings are closely linked. In the early eighteenth century, traders and hunters used buckskin as a basic unit of trade. Any frontiersman who possessed many buckskins was considered a wealthy man.
How did buck come to mean specifically one dollar? In the early West, poker was the diversion of choice. A marker or counter was placed to the left of the dealer to indicate who was the next to deal. This marker was traditionally called the buck, because the first markers were buckhorn knives. But in the Old West, silver dollars (i.e., one dollar) instead of knives were used as bucks.
The buck as poker counter yeilds the expression pass the buck, a favorite of politicians and bureaucrats everywhere, who usually are more than happy to evade responsibility for governing, dealing poker, or just about anything else, which was why it was surprising to hear Harry Truman, an admitted poker player, announce, "The buck stops here.""
The above came from my book, but I watched a show on the History channel that had a segment on this subject and said just about the same thing. When the buck or buck-knive stopped at you, you had the responsibility for the deal. So, now you know what happens when the buck stops at you and what you are suppose to do. . . No, heck, don't take responsibility, pass the buck (grin). Now have a great day, you hear?
This one was in the shade behind where the motor-home is parked:
I got wondering how the dollar bill became known as a buck. Anyone care to guess? This is what my book, IMPONDERABLES, has to say about it and it also explains the expression, "pas the buck".
"Buck has meant "male deeer" since the year 1000 in England and has meant "a dollar" in Ameria since 1856. Despite the time gap, the two meanings are closely linked. In the early eighteenth century, traders and hunters used buckskin as a basic unit of trade. Any frontiersman who possessed many buckskins was considered a wealthy man.
How did buck come to mean specifically one dollar? In the early West, poker was the diversion of choice. A marker or counter was placed to the left of the dealer to indicate who was the next to deal. This marker was traditionally called the buck, because the first markers were buckhorn knives. But in the Old West, silver dollars (i.e., one dollar) instead of knives were used as bucks.
The buck as poker counter yeilds the expression pass the buck, a favorite of politicians and bureaucrats everywhere, who usually are more than happy to evade responsibility for governing, dealing poker, or just about anything else, which was why it was surprising to hear Harry Truman, an admitted poker player, announce, "The buck stops here.""
The above came from my book, but I watched a show on the History channel that had a segment on this subject and said just about the same thing. When the buck or buck-knive stopped at you, you had the responsibility for the deal. So, now you know what happens when the buck stops at you and what you are suppose to do. . . No, heck, don't take responsibility, pass the buck (grin). Now have a great day, you hear?
Monday, May 27, 2013
Wondering about long distances.
I have driven about 3000 miles on a single trip. It took me a few weeks, since I was in no hurry and stayed a few places along the way for a spell. It is around 3000 miles across the US from Sea to Sea. But that is a drop in the bucket for a world traveler. It is about 25000 miles around the Earth at the equator. It takes the Earth around 24 hours to make one revolution, so it is spinning (at the equator) about a thousand miles an hour. Any distance is minuscule compared to distance in space. Just look how long it took to get to the moon and then to mars even with the Viking missions.
The Voyager 1 space probe that was launched 35 years ago is just now about to leave our solar system. How long would a "space ship" take just to get to the nearest star. What about the prospects of getting to another galaxy? I wonder why we would want to since we will never explore our own Milky Way. The distances are just way too great.
So, you may ask, just how big do galaxies get. The record breaker so far is NGC 6872. Here is picture of it:
The distance between the tips of its two arms is 522,000 light years. Even if you could travel at half the speed of light, it would take 261,000 years to make that trip. Could you imagine packing up your RV for a trip that far?!?!? In my humble opinion, man is destined to spend the future in our own little solar system or very near by. Maybe by the time that the Earth becomes unliveable, we will have perfected huge space stations or space cities that could keep civilization going. Of course by the time that is necessary, we may be an extinct species. Hey, it is Monday, make the best of it, you hear?
The Voyager 1 space probe that was launched 35 years ago is just now about to leave our solar system. How long would a "space ship" take just to get to the nearest star. What about the prospects of getting to another galaxy? I wonder why we would want to since we will never explore our own Milky Way. The distances are just way too great.
So, you may ask, just how big do galaxies get. The record breaker so far is NGC 6872. Here is picture of it:
The distance between the tips of its two arms is 522,000 light years. Even if you could travel at half the speed of light, it would take 261,000 years to make that trip. Could you imagine packing up your RV for a trip that far?!?!? In my humble opinion, man is destined to spend the future in our own little solar system or very near by. Maybe by the time that the Earth becomes unliveable, we will have perfected huge space stations or space cities that could keep civilization going. Of course by the time that is necessary, we may be an extinct species. Hey, it is Monday, make the best of it, you hear?
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Let's get down to brass tacks.
All my life I have heard people say that it is time to "get down to brass tacks" meaning that it was time to get down to business. I haven't heard it as much lately and more from the older generation. Maybe some of the old saying are dying out. But it makes me wonder how the heck that saying got started. Well, a quick look into my book "IMPONDERABLES", gave me the answer. I had no idea how it got started and I wonder how many of you knew.
Back "in the day" of years gone by, when people purchased fabric, the vendor had placed brass tacks into the counter at intervals of exactly one yard. So, when selling material by the yard, it was measured out between those brass tacks and the buyer made sure it "got down to those brass tacks". Now, I thought that was interesting and probably couln't go on another day without knowing this (grin). But, you know, usuless knowledge makes you stand out in a crowd. . . Now, you all have a great and blessed Sunday, you hear?
Back "in the day" of years gone by, when people purchased fabric, the vendor had placed brass tacks into the counter at intervals of exactly one yard. So, when selling material by the yard, it was measured out between those brass tacks and the buyer made sure it "got down to those brass tacks". Now, I thought that was interesting and probably couln't go on another day without knowing this (grin). But, you know, usuless knowledge makes you stand out in a crowd. . . Now, you all have a great and blessed Sunday, you hear?
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