Impulse Buys

  Look what's in our neighborhood grocery checkout line for impulse buys. Someone has decided these are the items that tempt the shoppers in this store.

organic gummy bears

roasted seaweed snacks

Clif energy bars

A Bit Early?

Halloween costumes at Costco already

Too early for this

When will they put out the Christmas items?

Jumpers & Clams

Jumper 
When I used the word “jumper” to refer to a piece of clothing, I realized I didn’t know the origin of the word. Jen Marie explains the word jumper may have come from the “French juppe, a petticoat, a word derived from the Arabic word jubba, meaning a loose outer garment.”

This Wikipedia entry explains that the jumper, jumper dress, pinafore, and pinny (British English) are all the same item of clothing – a sleeveless, collarless dress that’s worn with a blouse or shirt. Jumper in British English refers to what we Americans call a sweater. 

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Happy as a Clam

Erica Hersh says the term most likely came from “happy as a clam at high tide.” Clams couldn’t be dug up at high tide, therefore, they must be “happy.” This website gives examples of the phrase being used in 1840 and 1841. 

Topsy Turvy

Recently I used the phrase "topsy turvy" and realized I didn't know its origin. 

'Topsy-turvy' ... refers to the top and bottom being interchanged from their usual places. ... 'Topsy' is clearly an allusion to 'top'. 'Turvy' isn't so easy to interpret. The numerous variant spellings in early citations, which include tervy, tirvy, turvy, turvie etc., don't offer much in the way of a clue as to the meaning of the word. It may be an adaptation of the medieval verb 'tirve', meaning 'to turn or to topple over'. It has also been suggested that 'turvy' is an allusion to 'turf' and that 'topsy-turvy' means 'with one's head on the turf'. That's possible, but none of the early citations of the phrase make any such allusion.

The term has been recorded since at least the 16th century, for example, this piece from Richard Eden's The decades of the newe worlde, 1555:

"They say that... they see the houses turne topsy turuye, and men to walke with theyr heeles vpwarde."  (source)

image pixabay

Self Destructive Sunshine

Seattleites have an interesting relationship with sunshine. They even have special phrases that I didn't hear back in Ohio. 

Like - sun break 

Recently I heard a new one - self destructive sunshine. The weather person said we were going to have self destructive sunshine that would bring rain later in the day.

She was right. We had sunshine in the morning and rain in the afternoon. Here's the only reference I could find about self desctuctive sunshine

Morning "self-destructive" sunshine will boost temperatures in the lower part of the atmosphere and that combined with quite cold temperatures aloft will cause some destabilization. As a result, the morning sunshine will give way to afternoon clouds and a few scattered showers will likely pop up around the area. perspecta weather

pixabay 

A New Year - A New Journal

What's in store for me and our family in 2020? 

What will be recorded in my heart, mind, and in my journal?

Exuberance

 When I looked at these blooms on the Christmas cactus, I thought of the word exuberance - a love of life and an excitement about the past, the present, and the future

New Apple

Amazing flavor - infinite possibilities

The Cosmic Crisp apple is getting a lot of press around here. Washington State produces about 58% of the apples grown in the United States. Cosmic Crisp is the first apple variety developed in Washington State. 

The website says "... a classically bred apple grown in Washington State. ... Large, round, crisp and super juicy, these bi-color apples have a rich red that almost sparkles with starburst-like lenticels—which is where the name “Cosmic” comes from. The natural balance of acid and sugar in Cosmic Crisp® apples give them an unmatched sweetness, making them perfect for snacking, baking and entertaining."

20 years of study and research went into this apple. It's a cross between Enterprise and Honeycrisp. 

The website is full of excitement and imaginative hopes for the apple - "... will change the face of the industry and win enthusiasm among consumers with a combination of taste, texture, and usability."  It's named Cosmic because "of the striking lenticels (dots/pores) on the apple surface; they reminded the tasters of outer space and the cosmos." 

More here and here

Christmas Before Halloween?

Christmas cards for sale in the Post Office - BEFORE Halloween!

Rain For Rent

This set up is at a nearby construction site. The name made me smile. 

Do we need to rent more rain around here?

From the company's website 

Liquid Ingenuity (that's trademarked)

"The Leading Provider of Liquid Handling Solutions"

They do flood relief, construction site dewatering, and so forth

Family owned & operated since 1934 

It's in all 50 states plus 65 locations internationally

Point Roberts, Washington

Have you ever heard of Point Roberts, Washington? 

To get to it by land from the United States you have to pass through the international borders twice. You drive north out of Washington, go through the border into Canada, drive for about 25 miles, and then go through the border into the US town of Point Roberts. 

The 49th parallel forms the border between the United States and Canada. This tiny bit of land is geographically part of British Columbia and about 20 miles south of Vancouver. But because it's south of the 49th parallel, the 5 square mile patch of land is part of the United States. Population is about 1,000. 

This happened because the exact geography of the area was unknown in 1846 when Canada and the United States were determining the border. 

Students in grades 4-12 have a 40 minute bus ride to Blane, Washington. 

Read more here, here, and here  

map from google.com

Writing Things of Our Souls

Boyd Matheson

I type my daily journal but a few years ago I started handwriting my scripture journal. I've found I do like the feel of pen, paper, and writing "things of my soul." 

Click here for more thoughts about handwriting vs typing

Find the Fish & the Piano?

 In the courtyard of the Arete apartments

Some Joe Things

It was barely November and Trader Joe's already had their Christmas goodies out

Not at Trader Joe's but at QFC grocery - Joe Chips

I'd never seen these before

February 2013

Dog Gelato

Kirkland & many surrounding areas pride themselves on being dog friendly. I spotted these signs not long ago. The owner of Sirena Gelato said he started carrying the dog gelato because he saw so many people buy gelato for their dogs and felt dogs needed a non-dairy gelato. 

Swell gelato stepped in to fill this need

Heeling Is Healing

Gratitude Sailing is a nonprofit organization formed "to use the challenge of sailing to help people unburden themselves from a physical, mental or social crisis." gratitudesailingnw.org

The sailboat often moors at the Marina Park dock in Kirkland

One of our friends is very involved in this wonderful organization. They contact individuals and organizations and arrange for free sailing adventures. 

One of Those Days

It was one of those beautiful autumn days

The wind was blowing leaves off the trees

The subtle, overcast light made leaves glow

The wind was a bit warm 

but hints of cooler weather to come were in it too

Dollars, Doughnuts & Grocery

Have you ever said a word or phrase and then wondered where it originated?  

Have you ever thought about "Dollars to Doughnuts"? 

"Dollars to doughnuts means something that is certain. The phrase dollars to doughnuts is an American idiom that originated in the middle 1800s and is still mostly seen in American English. The idea behind the shorthand phrase dollars to doughnuts is the sentiment that the speaker is so confident that he is right about something, he will put forth his dollars against the listener’s doughnuts in a wager, the dollars having much higher value than the doughnuts."

source- grammarist.com     Read more here 

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The other day I thought about the word "grocery" and looked up its origin. 

"The history of grocery begins with a dealer who sold by the gross—that is, in large quantities at discounted retail prices. A grocer in medieval England was a wholesaler, and the name is derived from an Anglo-French word having the same meaning, groser. Grocer gained widespread use during the 14th century when a group of wholesale dealers in spices and foreign produce came together to form the Company of Grocers of London, which now exists as the Worshipful Company of Grocers—a charitable and ceremonial organization in London.

In time, the name grocer came to refer to a trader who dealt in staple foodstuffs—like tea, coffee, cocoa, sugar, and flour—that were sold in amounts measured for personal consumption. ...

The first known use of the word grocery was in the 15th century, and it referred to the goods sold by a grocer.

In 17th-century American English, the word was naturally extended as a name for the stores that sell groceries."    source - merriam-webster.com

image pixabay 

Life in a Stone Wall

This wall is part of beautiful Heritage Park. I like to observe the various stones that make up the wall. I liken it to our lives and the experiences we encounter on our journeys. 

Sometimes we have to incorporate something really BIG into our lives 

- could be a good big or a challenging big

Sometimes things fall out or come undone. 

If we have a good structure, the hole doesn't create too many problems.

Sometimes we have unique experiences that add richness and texture to our lives

We'll Be Fit

Two new fitness clubs in this block

Orange Theory & Club Pilates

F45 just down the block 

There are two existing clubs within a block of these new ones