A Trip.

Emperor and I are leaving. Friendly contest time. Prize is probably a postcard or something small I get there, and you can send me your address later if you "win." Not sure what's available in the hotel shop so I don't want to promise anything specific.

So where are we going? That's the contest. You tell me. Annnnd you have to be exact. Let's see if you can do it. Closest wins. I get to decide which entry is closest. Ready?? Here are some hints:

sunflower state

not closed

OK!!! I've practically TOLD YOU where we're going, so you have to be exact in your comments. Feel free to google away and good luck!

PS. In the event of more than one correct guess, names will be written on scraps of paper and tossed into a room where Woodjie is playing. The one he picks up first is the *winner!*

The Reason...

Once I've looked the pottery over and made sure there are no chips or other damage, I remove the STICKERS because I'm using these for everyday. I peel as much as I can off and soak the sticky parts in a baking soda/water paste. Removal is much easier, and no residue.

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Yep. I'm cray-zee to use my pottery every day in a house full of children, but there you go. And see the luv-lee cups on my kitchen cupboard shelf? The children drink their milk (or soymilk) in them in the mornings.

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Nobody quite got the riddle, but Chris came the closest! :)

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Can you tell I'm a bit overly attached to the stuff? Three posts in a row, I'm going on about my new stuff. But Elf I think is the most taken with the pottery. He is counting the number of uses of each plate and the soap dispenser. I am trying to dissuade him from keeping track because we're up in the twenties and I'm sure he won't be here at all times to remember which person used the dispenser when, and I don't want to be saddled with keeping track. Seriously.

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Meanwhile, D says he will never use it but prefers old plastic "Cool Whip" bowls. When they break, you can justify another purchase of treats or update your "collection" seasonally, I guess...

Whyyy...

Am I putting baking soda on my new pottery? I'm enabling comment moderation for a little bit here to see if anyone can answer this riddle. :)

Trivia Question Answer!

"The Worm of the Still," referring to the coil on a still.  I had to read the passage over several times before I "got" it myself, because I had read it as a literal reptile. 

Maybe this one was too hard.  Keep in mind that McGuffey Readers were public school textbooks, so I suppose this would qualify as an olde-fashioned "health" class warning of the dangers of drink.  Ah, well.  It seems a weeee mite overexaggerated, but least they didn't try to put a condom on a banana. :)

The Venomous Worm.

From McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader.  Guess the name given to this animal by the author.  I'll publish the results Thursday morning.  This one's harder.  Let's see if anyone comes close!

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Who has not heard of the rattlesnake or copperhead?  An unexpected sight of either of these reptiles will make even the lords of creation recoil; but there is a species of worm, found in various parts of this country, which conveys a poison of a nature so deadly that, compared with it, even the venom of the rattlesnake is harmless.  To guard our readers against this foe of human kind is the object of this lesson.

This worm varies much in size.  It is frequently an inch in diameter, but, as it is rarely seen except when coiled, its length can hardly be conjectured.  It is of a dull lead color, and generally lives near a spring or small stream of water, and bites the unfortunate people who are in the habit of going there to drink.  The brute creation it never molests.  They avoid it with the same instinct that teaches the animals of India to shun the deadly cobra.

Several of these reptiles have long infested our settlements, to the misery and destruction of many of our fellow-citizens.  I have, therefore, had frequent opportunities of being the melancholy spectator of the effects produced by the subtile poison which this worm infuses.

The symptoms of its bite are terrible.  The eyes of the patient become red and fiery, his tongue swells to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utterance; and delirium of the most horrid character quckly follows.  Sometimes, in his madness, he attempts the destruction of his nearest friends.

If the sufferer has a family, his weeping wife and helpless infants are not unfrequently the objects of his frantic fury.  In a word, he exhibits, to the life, all the detestable passions that rankle in the bosom of a savage; and such is the spell in which his senses are locked, that no sooner has the unhappy patient recovered from the paroxysm of insanity occasioned by the bite, than he seeks out the destroyer for the sole purpose of being bitten again.

I have seen a good old father, his locks as white as snow, his step slow and trembling, beg in vain of his only son to quit the lurking place of the worm.  My heart bled when he turned away; for I knew the fond hope that his son would be the "staff of his declining years," had supported him through many a sorrow.

Youths of America, would you know the name of this reptile?

Trivia Answer: The Camelopard!

The camelopard is actually one of those animals every zoo has to acquire, though like Deb, I was a bit disturbed by the outdoorsman/huntsman's attitude toward the animal myself.  More than that, it bothered me that everyone seemed to think that this naturalist was somehow advancing human understanding when it was quite obvious that plenty of other human beings had seen this animal before and even possessed its SKIN.  This was totally ignored in the writing.  I like McGuffey Readers very much as they are short little stories and some of them are very moving.  But this one warrants a "talk" with the homeschoolers, eh?

Read more in the comments section about this amazing animal!

Comment Moderation Enabled!

Trolls stink.  But that's not why. 

I was reading a little story in the McGuffey Fourth Eclectic Reader.  It described a fantastic mythical animal from Africa and the efforts made in ascertaining whether any actually existed.  Let's see if YOU can figure out what it is if I leave a few strategic blanks!  Please comment and take a guess.  Interested to see what you think. 

The (Animal Name)

The (animal name) is a native of Africa.  It is of singular shape and size, and bears some resemblance both to the camel and the deer.  The mouth is small; the eyes are full and brilliant; the tongue is rough, very long, and ending in a point.  The neck is long and slender, and, from the shoulder to the top of the head, it measures between seven and eight feet; from the ground to the top of the shoulder, it is commonly ten or eleven feet; so that the height of a full-grown (animal name) is seventeen or eighteen feet.

The hair is of a deep brown color in the male, and of a light or yellowish brown in the female.  The skin is beautifully diversified with white spots.  They have short, blunt horns, and hoofs like those of the ox.  In their wild state, they feed on the leaves of a gum-bearing tree peculiar to warm climates.

The (animal name), like the horse and other hoofed animals, defends itself by kicking; and its hinder limbs are so light, and its blows so rapid, that the eye can not follow them.  They are sufficient for its defense against the lion.  It never employs its horns in resisting the attack of an enemy.  Its disposition is gentle, and it flees to its native forest upon the least alarm.

Le Vaillant (the celebrated French traveler and naturalist) was the first who gave us any exact account of the form and habits of the (animal name).  While he was traveling in South Africa, he happened one day to discover a hut covered with the skin of one of those animals; and learned to his surprise that he was now in a part of the country where the creature was found.  He could not rest contented until he had seen the animal alive, and had secured a specimen.

Having on several days obtained sight of some of them, he, with his attendants, on horseback and accompanied with dogs, gave chase; but they baffled all pursuit.  After a chase of a whole day, which effected nothing but the fatigue of the party, he began to despair of success.

"The next day," says he, "by sunrise, I was in pursuit of game, in the hope of obtaining some provisions for my men.  After several hours' fatigue, we saw, at the turn of a hill, seven (animal name)s, which my pack of dogs instantly pursued.  Six of them went off together; but the seventh, cut off by my dogs, took another way.

"I followed the single one at full speed... when I perceived her surrounded by the dogs, and endeavoring to drive them away by heavy kicks.  In a moment I was on my feet, and a shot from my carbine brought her to earth.  I was delighted with my victory, which enabled me to add to the riches of natural history.  I was now able, also, to destroy the romance which attached to this animal, and to establish the truth of its existence."

Oh, My Word, I'm A MAN!!

Who knew?? Well, my blog has been analyzed as being 52% likely to have been written by a man. So all y'all out there who were wondering about me, there ya go. Hat tip: Holy Coast blog.

Watch This Video VERY CAREFULLY

Got this link from my uncle D. Watch this and see how many times the white team passes the ball. Then hit the comments button to see if you are right. Sorry I can't embed it, but it really is worth the extra click. Tell me how you did!!

Not Yummy.

None of the usual health benefits associated with bread are in this bag. We save hot dog bags, grocery bags and newspaper bags, but bread bags are perfect. It almost looks all loaf-y when you go to throw the last "item" in the bag away. I only throw the bag away when my house suddenly contains an item belonging inside that smells terribly. Guesses? We'll see how long it takes for someone to get this. :]