SUNDAY FUNDAY - JANUARY 24, 2021

SUNDAY FUNDAY - JANUARY 24, 2021

Happy Sunday Friends

Do you realize that we have been in Winter for over a month now?  Do you notice the days are growing longer - there are some earlier sunrises and later sunsets?  

Seasons are part of our lives - Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.  Farmer’s fields lay fallow - hopefully under a layer of snow, as that moisture will soak into the soil for the new crops coming. 

I grew up in winter.  Eastern Iowa wasn’t too bad as far as winters go.  We had some nice days to go sledding.  Don’t stare the next time you see me, but … between my eyes I have a lump from sledding. We were racing down a slope and I was in the lead, and I turned around to see who was behind me, when <bam> I went right into a pole.  I was bleeding and my only time in the hospital as a teenager, I got stitches.  

That was at a sledding slope that we didn’t generally go to.  We had a great slope about five blocks from my house.  On good Saturdays, we would go early and come home late from a day of sledding - soaking wet, cold down to the skin - and hungry.  

There was a skating rink that was another block away from the sledding site.  It had a warming house and had lights for night skating.  I was a lousy skater - but by the end of a session, could almost make it around the rink without falling.  I had a classmate that was an outstanding skater and completed in skating meets.  I thought he was neat!!  

The only thing I didn’t like was that as I grew older, I was expected to shovel.  We had a long driveway and it took a couple of hours to shovel.  That was years before snow-throwers were readily available.  

Then college in Minnesota - and we drove out on lakes in our cars.  Yes, ‘you of little faith’, I can walk on water!!  (frozen water that is).  

South Dakota had some snow - but the reality was the cold and wind.  In the musical “Oklahoma” is the phrase “Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains” - that was true in South Dakota and the upper plains too.  We used to say it didn’t snow in South Dakota - it snowed in Wyoming and blew in!!!  As kids, we could play outside for recess at school if the air temperature was zero or higher.  (And, on days where it was cold, we could go to the gym and they showed old Three Stooges movies in Black-and-White!!)

Probably the snowiest place I lived was in Connecticut.  The famed “Nor'easter'' could take the moisture off the Atlantic (or Long Island Sound) and pile it up.  There I had the BIG snow-thrower and I circled the block getting driveways and sidewalks.  One real heavy snowstorm put 36 inches of snow in our area and took our power out for four days.  We had a gas generator so we could keep the furnace running and some lights.  The street crew finally came with a big front-end loader to clean the street.  And, of course, they deposited the snow on the sides - meaning I had to shovel it again to get my driveway open!!!

Do you remember snow days and cold days?

PUZZLE

Okay, I needed to do something else to challenge my readers.

Lynn has a large swimming pool so all the grandchildren can be in it together!!  They drain it for winter (not the case in central Texas).  They have two water pipes to fill the pool.  One pipe can fill the pool in 100 minutes and the second pipe can fill the pool in 180 minutes.  If both pipes are working at the same time, how long (in minutes) will it take to fill the pool?

Ron raises chickens.  He knows that a ‘hen-and-one-half’ can lay an ‘egg-and-one-half’ in a day-and-one-half.  If he had four chickens - that lay eggs at the same rate, how many eggs could he get in 6 hours?  (Assuming that the one-half thing is okay here)

Jo and Paul go kayaking on Lake Travis. On this particular day, the wind is very consistent - 10 miles an hour directly from the west.  They started from the west side and rowed to the east end and back.  Going (with the wind behind them), it took them 2 hours of rowing; and returning it took them 4 hours (against the wind).  How fast can they go in calm water?  (Of course, the original was “how fast can they go in Stillwater” - but that is in Minnesota - or Oklahoma!!!)

JOKES

Q. What’s the difference between a Christmas alphabet and the regular alphabet?

A. No “L”

Q. What does a gingerbread man put on his bed?

A. Cookie Sheets

Q. Why did the girl keep her trumpet out in the snow?

A.  She wanted to play cool jazz

Q. What falls in the winter but never gets hurt?
A. Snow

Q, What do you call it when a snowman throws a temper tantrum?

A.  A meltdown

Q. What is a snowman’s favorite snack?

A.  Ice Krispies

Q. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

A. Frostbite

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OLD EXPRESSIONS

Right as Rain

Means - Yes - You are “right as rain” when you said we all need our COVID shots.

I think in Central Texas where rain can be scarce, “Right as Rain” might have more meaning than in Seattle (where I think it rains a lot).  

Beat Around the Bush

You don’t want to come out and say it.  You are trying to say it but want to kind of ‘sneak up’ on whatever the topic is.

Somebody wants to tell me that I’m too exuberant - but doesn’t want to come out and say “Karen, you are just too excitable - can you cool it”.  So they ‘beat around the bush’ with some little hints.  You may not want to hurt somebody's feelings with a direct statement.

Hit the Sack

Go to bed!!  I don’t have a sack that I’m going to punch - but I’m tired and I’m going to ‘hit the sack’!!!

Miss the boat

It’s been a while since I’ve been on a boat - but if I was taking a Caribbean Cruise that leaves the dock at 10:00 a.m. and I show up at noon, I did ‘miss the boat’.  

Maybe if I could have a COVID vaccine shot if I got my name on a list - but I just didn’t do it, then, hey, it is my fault, and I missed the boat

By the skin of your teeth

This is an interesting expression on the surface.  I don’t have any skin on my teeth.  It means that I just barely made it.  Maybe I ran up the gangplank for the Caribbean Cruise at 9:59:50 - so I made the just ‘just in the nick of time’, or I almost missed it, or I made it ‘by the skin of my teeth!!

A QUICK LOOK AT NATIONAL DAYS

January 24 - National Peanut Butter Day.  I’m trying to cut back on my peanut butter.  I LOVE peanut butter - but I will consume a jar in a day if I don’t watch myself

January 25 - National Irish Coffee Day - Yep - get your caffeine in the coffee - and your sweet Bailey’s Irish Cream liquor

January 26 - National Peanut Brittle Day.  Just seeing this, I’m thinking it has been years since I had good peanut brittle.  My parents used to make scrumptious peanut brittle

January 27 - National Chocolate Cake Day - Hmm - I seem to be picking sweet national days.  

January 28 - National Lego Day.  My children (and definitely my grandchildren) loved legos.  They built all kinds of neat things.  I particularly liked it when they created something on their own - as creativity is a great attribute to have!!!

January 29 - National Puzzle Day.  Growing up we (mostly I) had a lot of puzzles.  I liked the Guild 304 piece puzzles and I could do a different puzzle almost every day.  Most days, I do a Jigzone puzzle online.  I think it keeps my spatial conception sharp.  (And, an advantage of an online puzzle - you don’t have to turn over the pieces!!)

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So, the vaccines are closer.  Maybe some of you have gotten the first shot.  It seems to be hit-or-miss in terms of distribution.  I heard a lady yesterday say that she was at her dermatologist - who asked her if she wanted a COVID vaccination.  (And, she took it!!)

We have inaugurated a new President - and maybe we can move on with more understanding.  I think we got a little overboard in the last few months politically (both sides).

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SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!!

HUGS!!!

Karen