English anyone

 

                                       English, anyone?

Reading today’s newspaper reminds me of something English teachers of mine, not sure which, (could have been more than one or two) reminded their classes from time to time.  The line in my AikenStandard read: “Aiken High School had 7 face-to-face student cases and less than 5 employee cases.”  Similar items were reported for all area schools with the same questionable wording (questionable to me and my English teachers, for sure!)

 

What would have been considered proper when I passed through Aiken High School would have been “Aiken High School had 7 face-to-face student cases and fewer than 5 employee cases.” 

 

The reason given by my English teachers was when you are discussing something that may be counted (in this case the number of employee cases) the correct wording would be greater than or fewer than.  If, though, your reference was to something that required a quantity designation, something that was not countable, like an amount of milk, the correct designation would be more than (amount) and less than (amount.)

 

Don’t ask me why the difference, I just remember there was a difference. 

 

I guess memories like this might explain why my College, Georgia Tech, allowed me to exempt all their English courses.  My thinking here is that they thought their courses would not add to my mastery of the subject, something that my English grades and my SAT numbers supported.  Fortunately, those exempted courses were added into my grade point ratio as “A’s,” something that allowed me to stay in the college a bit longer than I did, initially, since I seem to have majored in Wesley Foundation much more than the Chemical Engineering that was officially my designation, and my overall grade point ratio would have reflected this quite quickly with a note from the regents to me saying I needed to find something else to do with my time than attend their classes.

 

It took a stint in the Air Force, to include Vietnam (anyone remember TET of ’68?  I certainly do,) to bring me to my academic senses allowing me to do Deans List work on return to my Academic leanings.  11 years was a bit long to get that BS, most will admit, but that was what it took me.

 

Which says a good bit about my stick-to-itive inclinations if not much about my academic abilities.  The diploma is at the end of our hallway above a small bookcase.  Each to his own, I guess, or chaqun a son gout, as Mrs. Butler would have said.

 

(One day, hopefully, I will try to find an alphabet to use that includes those diacritical markings.  Just not today!)

Just a bit (a BIG Bit!)

https://www.postandcourier.com/aikenstandard/news/johnston-woman-representing-team-usa-in-paralympic-fencing/article_251209a2-fba2-11eb-9874-73c8cf743536.html

Just a little something I think all my blog readers will appreciate!  Take a look and let me know if you think I was right!

MY niece, Ellen T. Geddes is competing in the Olympics in Tokyo as I write this (well, maybe not JUST now--time differentials and all, but she is competing.)  Take a look at the referenced news article and see what it's all about!  

PC Steve

Interesting--when I look at the article (in blue, above,) clicking on the referenced item does nothing.  To see the article, you will need to copy the item in blue and let your computer find it.  Works fine on Google!

 

Morningbrain again

 

Morningbrain is a thing I continue to have more often than I would like.  I can only wonder what it would be like to sleep through the night and awake refreshed.  It seems this is not something that will be my lot, though. 

So, type I must, or simply lie in bed listening to those voices in my head bring up idea after idea about which to write.  But do I write?  No, not all that often.  And when I do get up and give writing a try, often those oh-so-important ideas are found to have vanished.  Good grief, Charlie Brown!

I wonder if there is some medical help that may be available here.  I don’t really want to take anything, though.  Alcohol was my crutch for many years—too many years—and it changed from a reliever to an addiction.  Not something I would wish on anyone other than an occasional “worse enemy.” 

If you have found yourself in a similar rut, two things I might recommend are melatonin and valerian root.  Both come in tablet form and both seem to work, when I remember them.  Melatonin comes in a soluble form, meant to be placed under the tongue, and may be just what I need.  Unfortunately, the last time I bought a bottle of this, I thought I was buying the 5 mg. tablets I had used before.  Not so lucky—got tablets, not the kind that would be usable under the tongue, though. 

The valerian works fine if I take three or four tablets before going to bed.  Don’t know if it comes in an under the tongue variety like the melatonin, though. 

Guess another trip to Walmart is in order. 

Don’t you just love Wally world?

Boston Blackie?

Boston Doggie?  Well, close!

While walking our new dog “Stella,” this morning, we passed one of our neighbor’s properties and were greeted by one of their dogs.  He (she-it?) greeted us in the usual manner and Stella returned the greeting!  Not a problem for any of us thanks to neighbors’ subterranean fence that whats-its-name respects. 

 The only reason for the post is we have decided to begin calling our neighbordog by a one-time radio hero’s name, albeit it slightly modified, something few of our up and coming neighbors probably remember, unless they are in the over 70ish crowd.  You see, doggie is covered (excepting for one chest spot) with splendid curly black hair.  And, given the knowledge of a name that was used on one radio program for its hero, our doggie friend now will be known to us as “Boston Barkie!”  Heh, heh, heh!!!

 Let’s see if that might just catch on. 

Seems appropriate!

Hee-Haw! For Stella

 Anyone remember Hee-Haw?  Well, I certainly do, and every morning, given a nudge by my new "friend" Stella, I get to use one of their stellar offerings.  Will put it to tune sometime later, (see my YouTube performances) but before that, here 'tis:  (Guess I'll use Hee-haw's tune!  It fits perfectly!)

    Dog Walkin’ Mimcir Today!

 

 Stella and Daddy goin’ for a walk,

We don’t have to run, don’t have to talk,

Don’t much matter which way we go

Neighbors all smile and give a sweet “hello!”

 

Mimosa Circle is a fine place to be…

And all our old neighbors are out workin’ you see,

It‘s not really a circle, it’s just what we got,

Either workin’ for the man, or workin’ on our lot!

 

There’s only one thing causin’ trouble for me.

Some of our drivers need a ticket or three

One of these days, someone’s gonna get hit;

Years of jail for the driver wouldn’t bother me a bit!

 

Speed bumps in our roads would be a good thing;

The more bumps the merrier unless you’re insane…

Every couple hundred feet would do it don't you know.

The speeders somewhere else would have to go!

 

Then Stella and Daddy could go for their walk,

We wouldn’t have to run, we wouldn’t have to talk,

Wouldn’t matter a bit which way we would go,

Neighbors all would smile and give a sweet “hello!”

Dog walkin', dog walkin', dog walkin', da-da-da-dah!

                  Copyright Stephen V. Geddes  05August2021   And, if anyone wants to use it, say "Lady Antebellum," (or whatever they call themselves today) tell 'em to go right ahead--so long as the customary fees are transmitted to me on, say, a monthly basis!

Weekend, again?

 

Weekend, again?  A good thing.

Well, one more time, I guess.  What's interesting is, being "retired," every day is just one more day--no time off from the nine to five for us--and that could be a problem until we come up with a foolproof method to be sure we know exactly what the day might be.  So far what I've found in the stores are items that give the date and time.  Fine, I guess, but the day of the week is what I really need to see when I awaken.  Why?  Well things are just a bit different on the weekends: different TV, different people walking down the street, different whatever.  

Walking in the morning, I am liable to see the usual bunch of older (well, "old," if that's better) people I see almost every day.  Add-ons are also there in the AM, though, there on our weekends, people who I usually see in the early evening at the end of the workday of those 5 day periods that we usually have every week.  Which, I guess, is one way a "retiree" might use to recognize the advent of that weekly weekend.   

A problem?  Not at all!  Most of us enjoy the working crew who might be up a bit earlier than we might expect, those that will be in that group will usually have a child or two in their walking group.  Those who do not walk with their children just may be the ones who will enjoy their sleep-ins after a Saturday (or Friday) night that everyone just "Loves!"  Not really a problem to we usual morning walkers, of course.  And, unless we happened to be among those who got married very early after our High School careers, this just may be something we would not have noticed at all.  “Live and learn” is a quote many if not most of us can relate to quite well.

In any case, that’s just the way it is, most weeks, anyway.

Things for my plate

 

     Every now and then, usually in the wee hours of the morning, when I seem to wake with all sorts of oh-so-important thoughts, I write things down hoping that I might be able to do something about them when the for-real AM rolls around.  Last night the following came to mind: 

 

          1)  Strip of foam

 

          2)  Writing tablets

 

          3)  Help from kids for mom and dad

 

          4)  Strip of aluminum for roof                      

          5)  Dear family and hiking books

 

          6)  TV antenna

 

          7)  Grass trimmings

 

          8)  Holley tree lower branches

 

    How’s that for a list of things to do in the morning.  Well, in retrospect, all of the items are things that need to be done.  Add to this a visit to my friend Richard’s to discuss some work he needs done next week while he visits his son in Colorado, and my day just might be a bit full. 

 

     Interestingly enough, here I am at 4 in the PM having just finished item 1, above.  Well, not exactly.  Seems my wife has problems walking because of some cartilage growths on her feet.  I just put together something that might help here, using a couple of 2-inch thick foam “soles” and a couple of socks of mine.  Now I am waiting for the glue to dry, after which I will give them to my sweetie to see if the idea had any merit.  Should know something in a couple of hours.

 

     Item 2 was easy.  Actually, I guess I was on top of things, having picked up a 67 cent writing book 4x6 by about 60 pages that I will leave next to bed with a pen.  Should give me something to write on the next time I have those nocturnal thoughts about what I need to do the next day.  No problem!!

 

     Item 3 is a bit needed for the future.  Seems the “kids” just may need a bit of help to see what help they may be to their aging parents, perhaps something they may do to keep us out of one of our old folks homes for just a bit when we get just a bit older.  Of course the “kids” currently are not all that available, since their “kids” are still at home with them and will not be away to college for several more years.  Will have to think on this just a bit.

 

     Item 4 is rather simple.  What I need is a 12” or so strip of aluminum to hang from our roof in the front.  Something we had before the fire and something we need to replace (our contractor did not think so to do) to divert water from the roof to the yard proper to keep it from causing a puddle atop our front sidewalk during rain events.  Can do, will do, probably next week.

 

      Item 5 are two books that just may be salable.  Will do—sooner rather than later will be better (or best!)

 

      Item 6 is, again, something we lost by the fire.  Need to do to improve reception from our local transmitters, which transmitters provide about 20 channels at exactly the right price.   It’s FREE!

(How much do you pay, annually, for your TV service?)

 

     Item 7, again required by my house fire, is needed to provide grass on the areas our contractor left a garbage container to use while they were “fixing” our house.  Dummies—anyone who has a similar problem, a house fire, just may want to find a contractor other than PDR to restore their building. 

 

      And, the holley tree, item 8, is one that our across-the-street neighbor provided to my dad quite a few years ago.  It was very small.  Now it’s 50 feet tall, and the lowest branches shade out the grass that used to grow under it.  Could cut it down, but our neighbor has gone along with my dad and mom to whatever afterlife we will have and I doubt he or my dad would like that.  Neither would his widow who still resides across the street.  Guess I can do this trimming myself.  I do have a pole saw that should do the job.

 

     So, how is that for waking up in the middle of the night and coming up with just a few items that need a bit of work?  Sleep isn’t supposed to bring on work, now is it?  Guess it’s just a good time for the brain to think about things I’d rather continue to put off.  Now comes the hard part. 

 

    Hah!  (Thanks, Alf!)