Author Topic: The Library (Read 2326962 times)

CubFan · « **Reply #12640 on:** December 29, 2013, 12:47:58 PM »

The Library

Our library cafe is open 24/7, the welcome mat is always out.
Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us.

We look forward to hearing from you, about you and the books you are enjoying (or not).

Let the book talk begin here!

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I have always heard the grass between the sidewalk & street referred to as the terrace. As land owner we are responsible for keeping it mowed but it is public property. The city accesses water mains etc when possible at the terrace. We put our leaves on the terrace for pick up in the fall. In the winter when we shovel and/or snow blow the sidewalks we put the snow on the terrace and the street plows also deposit the snow there. Most dogs walkers have the dogs poop on the terrace AND clean up after them. Very seldom do the dogs go on the lawns. When the city has to dig up the terrace for any reason - they put down a layer of black dirt and reseed it. We set our trash on the terrace for pick up, and that's where mailboxes are located. I've only lived in Wisconsin, but the four cities I've lived in have all had the same procedures.

Most of us already have more snow that desired on our terraces this year.

Mary

mabel1015j · « **Reply #12641 on:** December 29, 2013, 02:32:49 PM »

Do any of you know there is a talk show about fiction books and authors on RLTV - i think that's Retirement Living TV? I saw a promo some time ago, but just happened on it today. The series is called Bookmark and Jennifer Crusie was just interviewed. Jeffrey Lyons is now discussing some books that were turned into movies. Right now they are talking about The Paperboy.

Oh, they just said it's on Fridays at 10:00 pm, so i guess this (Sun at 2:00 pm) is a rerun.

I took the "test" several months ago, so i barely remember it. My problem i remember was whether to answer for today or what i said growing up. Growing up in south central Pa i definitely had what is called a western Pa dialect ( a combination of Pa Dutch, WV twang and whatever the native Pennsylvanian is), but i've been in NJ near Philly, in Ginny's high school town, for 45 yrs, so even though i first (1950s) said "subs", i now say "hoagies" all the time. And Mary, i never knew grass was anything but grass either! I grew up saying waater and now say water with a more closed mouth, toward the back of my mouth relative to waater.

I don't say caufee, the Philly way, but its a little closer to that then the caafee i grew up with. I feel a little sorry that tv and movies and moving around a lot is making our accents less and less different. I enjoy the accents.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #12642 on:** December 29, 2013, 02:52:45 PM »

On the sandwich thing - I could only imagine it being a Poor Boy or a Shlotzsky which is round and that they did not include - sandwiches on long bread is not a typical choice here - I've heard of heros but I thought they were a long piece of bread with lots of meats and cheeses with added pickled peppers.

We seem to have sandwiches on large pieces of bread that are the typical shape of either home made or store bought bread and the other biggie is a Burger of some kind usually with the name of the store starting the word like WallyBurger.

And for us it is usually not kittywampus but cattywampus.

CallieOK · « **Reply #12643 on:** December 29, 2013, 03:20:06 PM »

The athletic teams at the high school I attended were The Wampus Cats. I think there's a school in Texas and another in Montana with the same nickname.

There are quite a few web sites about Wampus cats - but "back in my day", the logo was a drawing of a ferocious little creature with six legs and a big snarl (artist's name has never been confirmed). I grew up in the part of Oklahoma known as the Choctaw Nation and I think it may have originated from there.

FlaJean · « **Reply #12644 on:** December 29, 2013, 04:39:45 PM »

Ginny, the history was really interesting. I always enjoy the discussions 'tho I don't often post.

Frybabe · « **Reply #12645 on:** December 29, 2013, 04:43:13 PM »

Barb, I also have always said Cattywampus too. My results from the last such test, months ago but with different questions I think, was the Philadelphia area. This one shows deep red in the area I actually live.

jane · « **Reply #12646 on:** December 29, 2013, 05:14:34 PM »

Growing up in Ohio, we called the grass strip the "lawn strip." It doesn't seem to have a particular name in Iowa.

Those ”hero" sandwichs were unknown to me until the franchise "Subway" made that shaped sandwich popular, and so I now call the "subs," too. Otherwise, I have sandwichs on toasted bread or round buns or those round "thins" that I now prefer.

I'm not sure what "cattywampus" means. Is it anything like "kitty cornered?" For me, that means opposite on a diagonal.

maryz · « **Reply #12647 on:** December 29, 2013, 06:16:46 PM »

Like you, jane, I didn't know about sub/hero sandwiches until the Subway franchise showed up. So I don't have a background word for it.

musocat · « **Reply #12648 on:** December 29, 2013, 08:55:20 PM »

Beautiful warm and balmy here in California . Wish you all here to. Enjoy

jane · « **Reply #12649 on:** December 29, 2013, 10:12:43 PM »

Hi, musocat!

I'm delighted you were able to find us here and post.

Welcome to SeniorLearn!

Jane

pedln · « **Reply #12650 on:** December 30, 2013, 01:25:32 AM »

That was a fun dialect quiz. Mine pegged me for StLouis, which is close as Oi've lived in Southeast Missouir for over thirty years. I grew up in Wisconsin and have always considered myself a Mid-westerner. CubFan, where in Wisconsin do you live or have lived. I grew up in Racine. Where every once in a while you'd hear some PA Dutdh expressions.

Oh boy, typing on an iPad is sure different from using a regular keyboard. Not easy to make corrections, but it is so nice for traveling not to have to haul it out like a laptop and put it in a security bin. Please excuse the error that I'msure are there.

maryz · « **Reply #12651 on:** December 30, 2013, 06:43:07 AM »

Hope you're having a good time, wherever you are, Pedln. Typing on the iPad is definitely different. I got much better when I started using a stylus. It took a bit to get used to it, but now I really like it. They're not expensive - mine was under $15 at WalMart.

Frybabe · « **Reply #12652 on:** December 30, 2013, 07:46:21 AM »

Welcome, Musocat!

Steph · « **Reply #12653 on:** December 30, 2013, 08:53:20 AM »

The sandwich.. yes, this threw me..When I really think of it, I say Sub or submarine.. but I lived all over the place and it is called Hoagie, Grinder, etc depending on where you are.. po boy is another term..

marjifay · « **Reply #12654 on:** December 30, 2013, 01:05:02 PM »

The quiz was fun. Showed I was definitely from the Los Angeles area.

To me, also, grass is just called grass. lol. And those big sandwiches are subs. My friends are now having fun with the quiz.

Nice now that Christmas is over, not to have to listen to Christmas music every time I turn on the radio or TV!

Almost 2014 -- Yay! Never thought I'd make it this far.

Marj

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #12655 on:** December 30, 2013, 01:18:48 PM »

Some folk around here call the grassy strip the "parkway". I can say I have called it that many times. As for a bonafide name for it?

Who knows?

You can get a stylus at Walgreens for $5.00

JeanneP · « **Reply #12656 on:** December 30, 2013, 02:05:07 PM »

Waafer. .

I thought we had a new visitor also. But now I know who your are.....bet people guess soon.

pedln · « **Reply #12657 on:** December 30, 2013, 08:20:42 PM »

Thanks, ladies, for the stylus tips. I'll look in both places.

MaruyZ, I'm visiting my Seattle daughter and family and my Oakland, CA daughter and granddaughter are here also. Not a lot of hustle and bustle. Just hanging out, playing a lot of cards and board games. Yesterday we saw the Children's Theatre production of "James and the Giant Peach." Wonderful staging and costumes.

CubFan · « **Reply #12658 on:** December 30, 2013, 10:31:45 PM »

Pedlin - I grew up in Janesville, taught a year in Milwaukee, lived in Appleton 18 months, and lived here in Oshkosh 40+ years.

Mary

kidsal · « **Reply #12659 on:** December 31, 2013, 06:14:53 AM »

Mine are similar - born in Ames, Iowa and went to college in Madison, WI. Lived a large part of my life in the west but apparently retain a mid-western accent.

Steph · « **Reply #12660 on:** December 31, 2013, 08:54:45 AM »

Almost 2014 and not a minute too soon.

ginny · « **Reply #12661 on:** December 31, 2013, 09:11:12 AM »

Welcome, Musocat! Make yourself right at home here! What are you reading in sunny California?

I am so glad so many of you are enjoying the fun dialect test (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-map.html?ref=opinion&_r=0). I love things like that. I had a lot of ambivalence over the hoagie thing versus the sub or hero or po boy, all of which I have encountered as I, too, have lived in many different places.

Another thing which may influence it also is how one's parents chose to label things. If "my parents always said po boy," even if THEY now live in PA, you can see how that would influence how I might say it years later. It's fascinating, to me.

I am glad you also enjoyed the "founding of SeniorLearn" story. hahahaa

2013 was a good year for me, I kind of hate to see it go. There have been worse ones and hopefully there won't be worse to come, so I'm grateful for it, and everybody here.

I think also I am going to make the first New Year's Resolution I have made in 40 some years this year. How about you, any resolutions?

Reader's Digest has been taken over by a new young editor and she's made a huge difference in it. I find myself buying the last 3 or so issues, which were just excellent, when I used to consider it for fuddy duddies. I will say the January issue is something of a throwback, a bit disappointed in it and the paper it's printed on, but it has an interesting interview with Sandra Sotomayor whom I knew nothing about, nor cared, until I read this.

They asked her "What's your idea of happiness?"

She answered:

Quote

I think it would be the satisfaction of enjoying things with others--meaning, when you're giving to others, whether it's time, attention, a gift, anything. Just those moments of sharing.

With or to anything in particular?

Quote

No, and that's why I do public service; for me, the act of giving is the height of joy. And I define joy as happiness.

I like that. I read yesterday, I think it was on the CNN Ipad site, that it's important to notice small goals reached. The enjoyment of doing even the smallest thing is a step up, something accomplished. They put it much better.

Sort of what Marcus Aurelius said:

"Forward, as occasion offers. Never look round to see whether any shall note it... Be satisfied with success in even the smallest matter, and think that even such a result is no trifle."

Worked for him, and I think it's a good motto for anybody.

Happy New Year to you all. I hope it will be filled with joy, health, and prosperity.

marjifay · « **Reply #12662 on:** December 31, 2013, 11:36:48 AM »

Didn't know Readers Digest was still being published. Will have to try it. Haven't read it since the 1950s.

My idea of happiness: good health, good friends, a good book, good food (to enjoy with friends).

Best wishes to you all for the coming year.

Marj

JeanneP · « **Reply #12663 on:** December 31, 2013, 07:29:02 PM »

Waiting for the Book Thief to come back to town. I also have the book on order at library. I now hope that the book comes first. I usually like the books better.

Very cold here in Illinois. Suppose to have a big snow tomorrow.

I still can't hear the phone ring or listen to the TV. Thank goodness can do E-M. Also getting a lot more reading done.
Have gotten ahold of people telling them not to call. I will get back to them once the hearing comes back. I have a ENT appt. for Friday. Even if it comes back I usually have to have my ears flushed out every year. I think being out in the 14 deg weather brought it on.

Everyone have a Nice New Years Eve. and All the best in the NEW YEARS.

MaryPage · « **Reply #12664 on:** December 31, 2013, 08:01:57 PM »

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WISHING YOU ALL OF THE BEST IN 2014.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #12665 on:** December 31, 2013, 08:27:47 PM »

I've just ordered my first Kindle "library book" (i must "return it" in 7 days), thru my library. How easy was that!?! I'm thoroughly enjoying it even tho i'm not fond of reading books on my ipad........but then again, it is Janet Evanovich's book The Heist, a non-Stephanie Plum mystery, written w/ a person - don't know if its a man or woman - named Lee Goldberg. I'll check on the gender and let you know.

The story is very good, i'm about 100 pgs in. The protagonist is a woman FBI agent who has been chasing a con-man for a few years. She is similar but less ditsy then Stephanie, altho SP is a smart ditsy, in my opinion. Is that an oxymoron?

Her physical description is "tall, slender, dark hair, not too concerned with appearance - sound familiar? Altho she has long hair, it's frequently worn in a pony tail. So far, J E has done some good in depth research, i know many if you like a well researched story within which the reader learns new things.

It looks like a lot of us will need some good books to occupy us thru the next few days. I hope you are all warm and cozy and have a healthy, happy and enjoyable new year
! ☺......(i tried to put some feastivity symbols in, but they aren't showing up. )
Jean

Steph · « **Reply #12666 on:** January 01, 2014, 08:58:49 AM »

I have not read the new book by JE,but I do know that Lee Goldberg writes heist type stories, so the research might be his or hers... But I must say it sounds like Stephanie in the FBI.
I am listening to a lovely Michael Connelly in the car.. I do like Harry Bosch.

nlhome · « **Reply #12667 on:** January 01, 2014, 09:00:44 AM »

Yes, happy new year to all. It's cold here (3 degrees with a -11 windchill, and light snow falling. We had a couple of inches of snow on New Year's Eve.)

I bought my husband a basic Kindle, not being sure he would like it. He's a used paperback in his back pocket kind of person, as his book goes everywhere with him. However, he seems to like the Kindle very much. He also found the process of ordering a book through the library effortless.

JoanP · « **Reply #12668 on:** January 01, 2014, 11:13:56 AM »

So much to CELEBRATE! Beginning with the fact that we are HERE! I love the first day of the new year - so much to look forward to! This is the day we are determined to start fresh. Have you made resolutions? I know many don't...but I like to write down a few. They help get the year off to good start. Tops on the list is to thank people for all the acts of kindness in the past year. The big ones I KNOW I've thanked - but it's the others, the small gestures that I often neglect to recognize. That's what today is about.

Thanks to every one of you who come into our site. Musocat, welcome! Bring your friends! I hope you know how we appreciate all of YOU. Without You, we wouldn't be here, there would be no "WE."

Ginny gave a brief history of how our book discussions came about - starting with those two month-long discussions on the old SeniorNet...acutally the Odyssey went on for nearly a year, didn't it? Were you here for that? (A brief reminder - we will begin a discussion of ELizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters in the morning. We're hoping YOU will join us!)

As I reminisced with Ginny, I thought back to another time when SeniorNet crashed... We were able to connect only with one only discussion for several weeks - as the techies were trying to get us back online. We all gathered in that site - labelling it, "The Library".... When we finally got back to our book discussions, we decided to hang on to that gathering place - and here we are today. A little more history lesson...

Happy 2014, EVERYONE! So happy you are here with us today!

louisiana · « **Reply #12669 on:** January 01, 2014, 05:54:06 PM »

I receive this book for Christmas, and I know it is certainly popular, but has anyone read it???It
is Killing Jesus, by Bill O'reilly and Martin Dugard. If you have read it, please give my your input.
JOY

Frybabe · « **Reply #12670 on:** January 02, 2014, 08:51:53 AM »

Welcome Louisiana.

I can't help you with Killing Jesus, haven't read it nor any of O'Rielly's other books for that matter. I hear that Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy are both good though. Have your found our Non-fiction discussion board yet? http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=84.0 Someone may have mentioned it there.

Steph · « **Reply #12671 on:** January 02, 2014, 09:25:40 AM »

Am definitely not an O'Reilly fan, so have not read it or plan to.
Yesterday, I turned on the tv to catch a movie and instead lucked onto a hockey game.. An outside hockey game with NHL teams.. It was in Ann Arbor, Mi, temp 19 degrees and snowing.. Stands were packed. Seems the NHL has started to do this several times a year. I love hockey and miss it very much in Florida. We used to have a pretty good minor league team and we were season ticket holders, but that folded and I dont live in Orlando any more, but they do have a new minor league team.. So I had a blast, cheering on both teams..Detroit and one of the Canadian teams.. lots of action, overtime, etc. What a lovely surprise for me on a gray Florida day.

FlaJean · « **Reply #12672 on:** January 02, 2014, 11:12:19 AM »

Hockey is a sport never even thought about in our family so I was surprised when my youngest daughter, living in Miami area, became a big hockey fan after marrying a Jersey boy. I was surprised how popular hockey is in south Florida, but in Florida the "south is north" and the "north is south". My oldest daughter lives in BC Canada and has also become a hockey fan. I have to admit it does look like an exciting game.

marjifay · « **Reply #12673 on:** January 02, 2014, 11:55:01 AM »

I took my two sons when they were young to a hockey game. I was horrified at the people sitting around us, screaming things like "kill him" and worse. I took my kids and we left, never to return with them to another hockey game.

Several years later a friend of mine and I were talked into going to a hockey game with a gal who was a rabid fan. We stayed for a while, both of us bored to death, and left before the game was over.

Marj

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #12674 on:** January 02, 2014, 01:47:22 PM »

Well nothing like starting off the year with a BANG - Had to call the fire engine - all I wanted was a simple one or two fireman to come and take the toaster I burned up in my oven out into the yard to finish its smoking

Can't believe what I did - cleaning up before I left for my daughters there is a toaster I was not using regularly and could not think of a good storage place - so to get it out of the way I - who NEVER NEVER EVER put things in my oven stashed it there till I came back and could take time to find a storage home for it.

Well of course completely forgot - turning things on - putting plugs back in sockets etc etc. turn on the oven so I could fix a baked potato since it was 4:30 and had not eaten all day except the grapes I brought on the plane with me. Paying no attention all of a sudden I smell - than ran to the kitchen to see thick smoke pouring out of the vents on the oven - open the door to douse the flame and only had a quarter of a box of baking soda in the frig to I tore into the laundry and used Borax - I threw and threw and threw and the flame would not go out - the house is filled with acrid smoke - finally threw the Borax upward tn the top of the oven and got it - the white plastic dripping like nothing recognizable and white ash covering everything in the Kitchen and Breakfast room -

I did not know how to get the smoking remains out into the yard so I finally called. She was so nice and explained when they are dispatched it is ALWAYS an engine with 4 firemen - I said please please quietly - no sirens or bells clanging - please just come to the house I only need someone to get this smoking mess of metal and plastic out into the yard and my neighbor is gone and I live alone.

Sure enough as silent as cats feet they came and pulled up while I waved them to the house - oh they were so nice - they not only got the remains into the yard but brought in some high powered fans to get the smoke out - they hooked up my shop vac that had been sitting for a year in the garage after someone borrowed it and I am not good hooking things back up - well they hooked it all up and used it to clean up the mess on the floor and all around the oven. Told me to wait till it all cooled down before I vacuum out the oven and get it checked before I use it - and then proceeded to check the entire house to be sure there were no silent flames that had followed the electric wiring.

IN my telling how the toaster was in the oven and how I recently decided to eliminate bread from my diet so I no longer used the toaster - and the one guy said yes, his doctor told him to eliminate bread and we both agreed it was hard but I was having more success than he was - it was like old home week. We were waiting outside which is what they wanted me to do till they got rid of the smoke and of course every vehicle that passed the house had to slow to a stop and gawk but onward we talked about our growing up with bread at every meal and how to stop a lifetime of eating habits

There is no way I can ever see cooking in that oven without the smell - looked it up and a 24 inch one oven is between 800 and 900 - my son Paul will come up not this weekend but next and help me with checking it out and cleaning it up - got all the cabinet washed down but not the ceiling which is a bit smokey looking only if you know - so all in all except for the embarrassment of doing something so dumb and having to probably replace this oven which if I get it from one of Austin's local appliance dealers when they go on sale next month they will install it.

Thank goodness I have two large air filters with fresh carbon filters and only purchased a great sale of the large 19 oz cans of Lysol spray 3 cans for $11 just before Christmas

Called my friend who laughed and that helped then she said over the holidays she had to call them since she fell and could not get up - I thought how embarrassing is that - what these firemen do is I am sure beyond their imagination when they take the job to keep us safe from fire.

pedln · « **Reply #12675 on:** January 02, 2014, 02:05:38 PM »

JoanP, I did not know that about the beginnings of The Library. Interesting.

Marjifay, I've been to one hockey game -- in Boston -- back when pregnant with our first child. A firecracker hit me and made a run in my stockings. Of course the stadium was concerned and as I was pregnant, wanted me to get checked out, so we went to a Naval hospital, but really didn't do anything. The week following, I was back in Newport, RI teaching and an insurance rep from the stadium game to my school and said, "I understand you got a run in your stockings. Will $30 cover it?" Well, if's it's 1959 and you're about as naive as a newborn, of course it will cover it. Later we got a letter from my in-laws saying "Don't sign any insurance papers until you're sure the baby is okay." And ever since, I've always thought ill of that insurance company.

Frybabe · « **Reply #12676 on:** January 02, 2014, 02:27:05 PM »

Good heavens, Barb. What an "adventure".

I store stuff in my oven all the time, but only metal and glass oven pans. I use my microwave for just about everything I cook anymore. I heard plastic (PVC pipes and the like) is hard to get to stop "burning". One of the local fire fighters told me, years ago, that plastic doesn't burn so much as melt. When they had to stop a burning pipe, they would cut it ahead of the melt.

maryz · « **Reply #12677 on:** January 02, 2014, 02:35:51 PM »

Good grief, Barb! I'm just glad you weren't hurt and that there was no more damage than that. Then you can laugh and be embarrassed. Our firefighters and police are wonderful, aren't they!

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #12678 on:** January 02, 2014, 05:30:44 PM »

Barb, I am so glad you are OK, and I have to tell you that my mother (in her 80s) recently called the fire brigade our simply because her smoke alarm was bleeping (as they do when they need a new battery) and - typically - she wasn't prepared to wait till the next day when one of her neighbours would have changed it for her. As with you, the whole fire engine turned up - only to find that it wasn't the smoke alarm at all, but a new phone that she had not plugged in properly. The firemen were very nice to her and sorted the phone too. My children just about died laughing when they heard this, but mother still thinks she was perfectly justified.

Anyway, take care!

Rosemary

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #12679 on:** January 03, 2014, 12:15:37 AM »

I was telling my husband some of your stories. He is a retired Fairfax County (VA) firefighter. He said that once they were called out because of a suspected gas leak. The people who called it in had just moved to Reston from the city (Washington, DC). It turned out to be a skunk -- which they had never smelled before, and thought it was gas.

News:

Author Topic: The Library (Read 2326962 times)

musocat