Category Archives: Daily Wandering Blogs

Calques, Pickles & Vinegar

Posted on by

A good thought Thursday to you and yours.

Pickles are a favorite of Ms. Mary. As a child, she loved to drink the pickle juice when the pickles themselves were munched and gone. Those pickles were homemade in a vinegar brine (salt) solution.

What is vinegar?

The word vinegar is from the old French word “vinaigre” which means sour wine. Because vinegar and vinaigre are essentially the same words in English and French, vinegar is a “calque.” As we saw yesterday with “Wednesday,” a calque is a direct loan translation of the foreign word into English. The internal structure of the borrowed word is maintained (they look pretty much the same) with slight adjustments to the word units (morphemes) to accommodate the native tongue. For example “ar” rather than “re” works better in English, but vinegar and vinaigre pretty much sound the same either way. So, when you say vinegar, you are speaking English and French all at the same time.

I like “calque” and deem it the new word of this week.

Chemically and not linguistically, vinegar is a liquid composed mainly of acetic acid (CH3CO2H, for the chemists among us — I studied chemistry for a number of  years) and water (H2O — we should all know this one). Because acetic acid is an acid and corrosive, which means it can burn you, most vinegars in household use are about 5% acetic acid and 95% water or H2O. The government of Canada limits the acetic acid of vinegars to between 4.1% and 12.3%. Be very careful with the stronger vinegars.

Vinegar is a good cleaning agent and has many uses. Ask your parents before sloshing it about — always remember it is an acid, which makes it a potentially dangerous chemical, especially if used in the wrong location or at the wrong strength. Vinegar also has a number of health applications, such as a material to help kill bad bacteria that may cause infections and as an aid to digestion and metabolism. Be careful here and get the advice of your doctor before engaging in personal use. A little vinegar on your food or a pickle on your way is probably all you need. Mary drank the pickle juice and she’s doing very nicely, but she has a great love for pickles which you might not share. So, again, first run any pickle-juice drinking by your parents — always a good and judicious approach to maintaining a healthy relationship.

Keep your eyes open for calques, enjoy a pickle today and watch the vinegar,

Grandpa Jim

It Could Only Happen On A Wednesday.

Posted on by

Welcome Wednesday!!!!

If your week starts on Sunday as mine does, this is the fourth day of the week, the middle day or mid-week.

The term “Wednesday” is itself a literal word borrowing or calque of the Old English “Wodnesdaeg” and Middle English term “Wednesdei,” which means day of Woden or Woden’s Day.

It gets a bit interesting here.

When the Roman Legions marched North with their raised standards and imperialized much of Europe, those Latin invaders interpreted the German god Woden to be associated with the Roman god Mercury. Perhaps Woden was always Mercury of the North. The ancient Greeks appear to have systemized the naming of the seven weekdays after the seven classical planets in the then understood solar system. One of those planets was Mercury (in the Greek, Hermes), which was either first a planet or a god – it is the first planet from the Sun and it appears to move very quickly, as does the fleet of foot messenger of the gods, Hermes or Mercury.

This is to say that the tradition of associating the 4th day of the week with Mercury appears to be very old, and this convention may have existed or been passed by word of mouth to the regions of Germany and England long before Caesar launched his Legions North. It may even be that the ancient Tribes of the North first associated the planets with the weekdays and the first planet from the Sun with the fourth day, passed this knowledge to the Greeks, who passed the method to the Romans, whose Legions confirmed its origins by arriving on a Wednesday and finding it already named for Mercury or Woden — Legionnaires seldom made mistakes.

However Mercury became Woden in the eyes of my long-ago forefathers, the fourth day of the week became the day of Woden or Wednesday in certain Countries of the West.

As I am sure you have observed to this point, there is much more research that could be done on the origins of Wednesday, but since it is only one day, the work would go into tomorrow, which would raise even more questions and take more time than we have today.

Please take the day for what it is and has always been, the 3rd or 4th day of the week, depending on who you are, what your geographic location is on our planet Earth, where your ancestors came from and how they decided to call the days of the week.

Enjoy your Woden’s Day, whatever it may be named, and have a great 24-hour period,

Grandpa Jim

Lucky Numbers, Droughts and Weather Wishes

Posted on by

Today is Tuesday July 17th, 717, my lucky number day, as discussed in the blog post of 7 10 12. Here’s hoping you have an extremely fortuitous day on this lucky number day. Fortune be with you.

Dry weather is upon much of the U.S. The headline in the paper this morning was: “Drought covers half of U.S., and it’s spreading — Crops wither in worst dry spell since the 1950s.” A prayer for rain is very timely and appropriate for much of our land.

The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Flagstaff, Arizona describes drought as a period of unusually persistent dry weather that persists long enough to cause serious problems such as crop damage and/or water supply shortages. The following paragraph on recent dry periods is excerpted from their web site.

The Dust Bowl days of the 1930’s affected 50,000,000 acres of land, rendering farmers helpless. In the 1950’s, the Great Plains suffered a severe water shortage when several years went by with rainfall well below normal. Crop yields failed and the water supply fell. California suffered a severe drought around 1970. The worst drought in 50 years affected at least 35 states during the long hot summer of 1988. In some areas the lack of rainfall dated back to 1984. In 1988, rainfall totals over the Midwest, Northern Plains, and the Rockies were 50-85% below normal. Crops and livestock died and some areas became desert.

I was driving in Iowa during the 1988 drought and I remember the car radio reporting the number of animals dying daily from the hot weather. For an Iowa boy with a love for the green land, corn swaying in the breeze and pastures full of grazing cattle, it was a sobering and sad time.

We control little directly on our planet. Our climate is a great mystery. It is fun to talk about and I had fun with the making and melting of ice yesterday, but it is good to remember that we are in charge of very little and graced with a great much. I watch Uncle Joe and he stays somehow calm whatever the weather. He may say a few inches would help, but in the next breath he’ll say it may not happen. He’ll scuff the ground with his boot, adjust his hat, smile and move on to the next task. Farming the land brings an understanding I do not understand, but greatly admire.

May the weather treat you well this day,

Grandpa Jim

 

When Hot, Add Ice – A Welcome Change.

Posted on by

Happy Monday to you and the beginning of a new work week. I hope this day finds you well and refreshed from your weekend.

We just got back in town from visiting my 90-year old parents in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a good visit and I was able read “Mary and the Red Shoes: A Haunted Closet Story” to my mom. It was a special time.

Flying back this morning, the pilot noted that the temperature will be cooler today in Dallas than in Minneapolis, which is surprising. Minneapolis was going to 102 F (39 C), while the predicted Dallas high today is 93 F (34 C). Quite a change from when I grew up in Iowa. We would travel to Minnesota to cool down.

What is climate change?

A simple definition may be that climate change is the making and melting of ice.

Although ice, frozen water, takes up more volume than liquid water (ice expands when it freezes) much of the ice on our planet is above the surface of the water or on the land and in the mountains. When this elevated ice melts and enters the oceans, sea levels along the coasts rise. When sea water evaporates and freezes on the mountains, sea levels fall. Rising and falling sea levels are indicators of climate change. When ice melts anywhere on the planet, at the poles or in the mountains, surrounding temperatures go up. When water freezes at those locations, temperatures fall. Rising and falling temperatures are also indicators of climate change.

These cycles of frozen and liquid water suggest that climate change is ice related. As such, the current climate change discussion might be characterized as a debate on what it takes to make or melt global ice.

To resolve this discussion, perhaps the debaters could gather at a local convenience store, say a corner 7-11. Each participant would purchase a cup, add ice and soda, take a sip, hold the filled cup in their warm hands, watch the ice melt and the soda warm, and then take another sip. Adding the ice to the soda is global cooling – when hot, add ice. Holding the soda cup in your hands is global warming – when cold, add heat. Depending on the direction you favor, the solution is to add more ice or hold the cup longer. The soda doesn’t mind. It’s comfortable either way. It’s the transformation of the ice that matters. Control the change in the ice and you control the change in the climate.

Enjoy that cold drink, don’t hold it too long and have a pleasant day.

Grandpa Jim

“Mary and the Red Shoes: A Haunted Closet Story” Swirls, Twirls and Glides into View!!

Posted on by

Happy Friday the 13th!! I hope this special day finds you well, waiting and looking for wonder.

The numbering of the days is complete. From September 15, 1896 to today, Mary and Marie have arrived and are anxious to share their adventures with you. Of course, Jakub and Jim are pretty happy too. Or is it four? Read the story for more.

And I am also anxious. So, here it is, the second Mary story, a bit earlier than scheduled, appearing at 7:36 AM CST, or thereabouts, on your home screen.

May Mary and the Red Shoes bring a smile to your face, a skip to your walk, and happy thoughts to your morning, day, evening and night.

Don’t worry about that Haunted Closet. It’s really not that scary. BANG! What was that sound?

Have a day of wonderment,

Grandpa Jim

Delorean Hoaxes & Eratosthenes Persistence Make Way For Mary In 1 More Day!

Posted on by

A glorious “only 1 more day” to you before Mary appears in her new story!

People are fascinated with numbers. So fascinated, that they sometimes invent them. A hoax circulated on the Internet yesterday that 7 11 2012 was the date in the Back to the Future II (1989) sequel when Marty McFly flew to the future in Dr. Emmett L. Brown’s very souped-up Delorean car/time-machine. All three movies are worth the watch, but if you check that timepiece in the car from Movie 2, the actual date was 10 21 2015.

At this point, I can’t resist a plug for the Sieve of Eratosthenes. Eratosthenes was a Greek mathematician born in 276 BC. He was the third chief librarian of the Great Library of Alexandria. And, he liked to sort, or sieve, things. His sieve of numbers is a way to identify all the prime numbers. A prime number is a number which is only divisible by the number 1 and itself (“1”, as the very first number and the start of it all, is so special that it is considered much more than a prime number). The neat thing about prime numbers is that there is no known equation or formula to calculate them. You have to sort them by brute force (not me, someone on the Internet used the phrase “brute force”), using a procedure, or algorithm, like Eratosthenes’ sieve, as opposed to an equation or formula.

This how Eratosthenes did it and you can too.

You start with a list of numbers (as many as you want, but let’s use 1-100 to start). Cross out 1 because it is not a prime number, next circle 2 (this is the first prime number) and cross out all remaining numbers on the list that can be divided by 2 which are all the even or whole numbers so you are left with only odd numbers (yes, prime numbers are all odd except 2 – one commenter referred to them as “meddlesome troublemakers”), next circle 3 as the second prime number and cross out all remaining numbers that can be divided by 3 (you now have 2 and 3 as prime numbers), the next remaining number not crossed out is 5 so circle it as prime and cross out all numbers divisible by 5 that have not already been crossed out (you now have 2, 3 and 5 as prime numbers), the next number not crossed out is 7 so circle it as prime and knock out all numbers divisible by 7 that haven’t been X’d out yet. At this point, for 1-100, you have beaten out by brute force that 2, 3, 5 & 7 are prime numbers. To find more numbers, you add more numbers in the sequence, say 1-500, and keep going — you can go four more steps and find that 11, 13, 17 and 19 are also primes. Keep going if you want to find all primes, but it will take all time. Don’t worry, there are algorithms on the Internet that have already identified primes quite a way up there.

Whew! At this point, I think you can see that Eratosthenes was a very persistent guy.

Why, primes, you ask? As you have just seen, the simple answer is that they are difficult to find. You can only find a prime in one direction – you can’t back track easily. And, it is difficult to use or manipulate a prime – they are only divisible by one and themselves. So, if you want to hide things and make it difficult to find them, you may be able to hide them in prime numbers and programs or codes that use prime numbers. Also, if you have a lot of computing power and an Eratosthenes persistence, you might be able to use a prime approach to develop a unique way to sort through an incredible jumble of data by using little prime windows to look and move things with similar properties. Don’t tell anyone, but this might be what your Internet search engine just did. Shhhh, now, we don’t want this to get out.

We do want the next Mary story to get out. She should arrive tomorrow morning, right here, in just 1 day – a unique number “1” for a unique lady and her very special story. Don’t miss it.

See you tomorrow,

Grandpa Jim

PS: I love it that my 7 & 17 and Mary’s 13 (for tomorrow’s date) are Eratosthenes prime numbers. All together, the three numbers add to 37, which is another prime number. I view this as a propitious and favorable numerical conjunction or alignment, and I hope you will too.

PPS: And, 7 & 11 from yesterday’s post are also prime numbers, and the granddaughters of those ages heard the first storytold version of tomorrow’s story. It’s getting even better.

711, Cougars, Cats & Cookies — What Will Mary Think Of Next?

Posted on by

A purrrrfect Wednesday, 7 11 12, to all of you,

7 11 is a number combination I enjoy seeing and hearing. Yes, it is a corner store, with its home base of operations in Dallas, Texas. In 1927, 711 was a single ice house. Now, there are stores carrying those numbers around the world. 7 & 11 are also the ages of my two granddaughters. And, it is just a very nice sounding number association. Numbers are neat.

Mountain lions do not roar. They can growl and purr. That’s why in “Uncle Joe and the Eyes Out of the Dark,” Uncle Joe hears “Purr, Purrr, Purrrr.” I think you can roll the “r’s” in the back of your throat and make a bit of growl at the end, depending on the mood of the cat. That would probably be a good addition to the storytelling – I’m trying it.

How many names are there for a mountain lion?

Quite a few, it appears. One web site lists 40 different names. On that site, a zookeeper notes that the scientific name for the big cat is “Puma concolor.” This studier of animals goes on to state that the three most used names are puma, cougar and mountain lion. Those are the names used in the Uncle Joe story for the “Eyes Out of the Dark”, which could be another name. Ms. Christine refers to “the cat” or “that cat,” which I think reflects nicely the unique personable nature of the particular mountain lion in Uncle Joe’s story. Ms. Christine is also perhaps more correct in her terminology and taxology in that the cougar is closer genetically to the domestic cat than to true lions. Perhaps it is smarter too, which could explain the fondness for Girl Scout Samoa Cookies.

All of which leads to the question: “What will Mary think of next?”  In just two days, when the second Mary story publishes, you can find out. Stay close and keep your eyes open. You never know what you might see.

Have an inquiring and thoughtful day,

Grandpa Jim

Another Lucky Mary Story In 3 Days – Start Counting!!!

Posted on by

Happy 7 10 12 to you!

Numbers are important in our lives. Today’s date, birthdays, anniversaries and other memorable occasions all have associated numbers that become significant to us and cause us to reflect when we see those digits or digital combinations. Many of us have lucky numbers for dates, times and good happenings that we remember.

There are many theories about lucky numbers, mathematical series manipulations and analyses of past, present and future occurrences and thoughts. But, I think most lucky numbers are numbers we like for some reason personal to us, and I think that is the way it should be. So, thank you Eratosthenes, Dante and the rest of you great thinkers, writers and expounders, but I think I will stay with my own number.

717. It was a test score. I remember the day I took the examination. It was a crisp saturday morning with a clear blue fall sky. After I finished the test, I jumped into a car full of friends for a drive to a football weekend in another town. I felt good about that test, which wasn’t always the case; and when the results came in, I felt even better. So, now when I see 7, 17 or 717, I smile and think things are looking pretty good. Oh, by the way, in the rush to take the exam, I forgot my luggage for that football weekend; but it was still a great weekend and it is a great number and numbers.

There are numbers in the next Mary story, and one you will recognize from the last. The new story will post on 7 13 12. So get ready for 7 13 and “Mary and the . . . .” Oops, I almost forgot, I can’t tell you the name of the story until Friday, lucky Friday the 13th.

Keep counting, tracking and remembering each day — they’re all great,

Grandpa Jim

Mary 2 Is On Her Way!!!!

Posted on by

Happy Second Week of July on this Second Monday Morning of this Seventh Month of the Year.

Start preparing. The second Mary Story arrives this Friday at 9 AM. Get ready.

I am getting ready too because I have some finding to do. Editors have questions and questions mean looking for more of the story.

I will tell you a secret. I don’t write the story. I find the story. The story is already there, like a statue inside a piece of marble. To Michelangelo, sculpture was the taking away of chipped pieces of rock to reveal the marble statue that was always inside the block of stone. I am no Michelangelo, but I like his thought of finding things that are right in front of our eyes. He found people in rocks. I find stories in words. The stories are already there. You just have to keep chipping away.

Work at your day – you never know what you may find,

Grandpa Jim

Trout Fishing in America – Try It!

Posted on by

A relaxing and exciting Saturday to you and yours,

We are back from vacation!! It was grand fun with family and friends, but it is a welcomed comfort to be back home. Whatever the adage and whenever returning, home is a very special place.

Today, let’s talk trout.

Trout are a family of fish closely related to the salmon or char, but different. Most trout live in freshwater lakes, rivers and streams. A few, who live near the coast, will spend a year or two at sea before returning to their freshwater homes to spawn. Baby trout are called troutlets, troutlings or fry.

In Colorado, there is only one native or indigenous trout, the cutthroat trout. To find these original trout, you have to seek out the high mountain streams where the introduced interlopers have not reached. In one stream, we caught a greenback cutthroat trout, which is the official state fish of Colorado. It was a gorgeous trout, with two slashes of bright orange beneath the lower jaw and bars of green-blue running along both sides. We carefully and quickly released this acclaimed fish back to the clear running waters of its home state.

Brown trout were imported from Europe. In 1883, these fish swam their way to Colorado where they are now one of the primary sports species. Reportedly difficult to catch, I hooked a big brown and it was one exhilarating experience. He’s still out there waiting for the next angler

Rainbow trout are native to the United States Pacific Coast. These attractive fish have traveled widely and can now be found in the waters of every continent except Antarctica. Rainbows were released into the Gunnison River in Colorado in 1888. The fisherman up the stream from me hooked the same rainbow twice on different flies before catching and releasing. Most trout fishing in Colorado is catch and release, so there should be plenty of fish when you visit.

Brook trout received their Colorado entry permits in 1872. I did not encounter this trout. They are reported to breed quickly and can displace other trout. The Brook is a native fish of eastern North America.

So there you have them: Cutthroat, Brown, Rainbow and Brook — the Trout of Colorado. As noted, only the Cutthroat is a Colorado native. Rainbows came from the west coast, Brooks came from the east coast, and the ancestors of that captivating Brown I encountered originally took a boat from Europe. I am sure there are a few other types, but I suspect these are the main players in the watery byways of our western states.

Trout fishing in America is a sport worth considering. I believe it was one of the most relaxing experiences of my life. The lift, stop and forward motion of the leisured and elegant cast is a therapeutic activity like no other, the scenery near the homes of these cold-water fishes is of such natural and plenteous beauty that it is often unnoticed until you stop in awe, and the fish themselves are elusive, mystifying, energetic and in their own way friendly — even if they may let you catch only a glance.

Enjoy your day and treasure the beauty around you,

Grandpa Jim