Aphabe Thursday ~ 11-11-10 ~ The Letter "F"

Back when I was still REALLY teaching middle school, I always had a "Word of the Day" up on the blackboard for my students to discuss and then enter into their reference guides. For as long as I can remember I have been intrigued by new and unusual words, so this week I decided to borrow the BIG dictionary from our library and look for “H" words which were unknown to me, sounded sort of neat, and ones whose definitions were interesting. Here we go, and at the end of each definition I have added a little commentary of my own.


holt -  n. wooded hill or rise; a planted grove of willows ~ In our neck of the woods “holt" is used like this....”Don’t holt me up, Ms R, ‘cause I’m gonna  miss the bus!”


howdah - n. a seat or covered pavillion on the back of an elephant or camel ~ I am so glad to finally find out what those little carriage thingies are called...pretty cool name if you ask me!


hydriotaphia - n. burial  in an urn ~ Now this one is really wierd. Are my parents “hydriotaphias” because they are buried in urns...or...were their graveside services hydriotaphias? I am really befuddled with this one.


hyoid - n. shaped like the letter upsilon; having a "u" shape; a bone that is situated at the base of the tongue and developed from the second and third visceral arches supporting the tongue and its muscles ~The “U” shape definition is understandable, but geeze...I never realized I had a “U” shaped bone in my tongue.


hyperphagia -n. an abnormaly increased desire for food frequently resulting from injury to the hypothalamus ~ I’ve not had any injuries to my hypothalamus, but from time to time I certainly am consumed with hyperphagia.


hent - v. to lay hold on; seize; catch; to take away; carry off ~ Let’s see. I am going to “hent” this nasty mosquito and send it off ‘a flyin’!


hircismus - n. having smelly armpits ~ Wait...I thought that was B.O. The next time some boy comes in my room after PE sweaty and smelling so awful I think I am going to get sick, I will tell him he has a serious “hircismus” problem. Then I will hand him the stinky “man deodorant” and send him on his way to the bathroom to remedy the situation.


hobblehehoy - n. awkward adplescent male; a gawky youth ~ Boy, do I see a lot of these. I think this one is a very comical sounding word.


halation - n. the spreading of light beyond its proper boundaries in a developed photographic image (as around a window facing the sky in an interior view or around other bright objects) ~ Have any of you photographers out there ever heard of this one? It is certainly new to me.


hapax - n. something said only once; a word or form occuring one and only once in a document ~ As a former English teacher, I really liked this one. It’s another cool word with an even cooler meaning.


hummock - n - a ridge or pile of ice in an ice field or ice floe ~ When I first saw this one, all I could think of was....”Oh, dear, he just ran “hummock.” Only kidding! LOL


hebdomad - n. dullness; lethargy; the absence of mental alertness or physical sensitivity ~ Oh, my goodness? The dullness and mental alertness bit hits right at home with me at age 71...not so good..


heliosis - n. to be exposed to the sun; be sunburned ~ “Halitosis” I have heard of, but “heliosis.” I think the mean ing should be...the state of being filled with hot air!


hendiadys - n. the expression of an idea by two nouns connected by and  (as cups and gold instead of by a noun and an adjective (as golden cup) ~ This is another one of those new words that fascinates an old English teacher...don’t think I ever knowingly used a “hendiadys,” but now I think I will give it a try.


hebdomad - n. a period of seven days; week ~ I think the word “week” makes a lot more sense than this new one, but it is a neat word to throw out there to confuse someone.


hegumen - n. the head of a religious order (as a small monastery or nunnery) in the Eastern church ~ I cannot imagine calling the Mother Superior "Hegumen Anne Catherine”...am glad here in the western world we use  “Mother” or “Mother Superior.”


O.K...you are done! That’s it for this week. Be sure to study these words ‘cause there just might well be a pop quiz next Thursday.

Happy Alphabe Thursday to all of you happy little students of Miss Jenny. Hope you all learned at least one new and interesting word to add to your vocabulary.

Be sure to stop by Jenny’s blog ~ Jenny Matlock ~ to view more entries for the 

letter “H”.

Alphabe Thursday ~ “G”

This week our letter is the Great and Glamorous G. I immediately thought of my name ~ Genie ~ but then I realized I had already covered it when I wrote about “Eugenia.”

 “Oops!” I said to myself. “I can’t use that one again...if I do I won’t get a passing grade on my assignment.”

It was time to start thinking of what I could write so I googled “G" words to find the one I wanted to choose. Well, much to my amazement I hit upon the neatest site called “Your Dictionary." Not only did it send me to other sites devoted to the letter “G”, but it said everything I wanted to say so well I decided to use it word for word. There is no way I could say it all any better. I know as a student I am not allowed to pass off another’s words for my own ~ that is plagiarism ~ so I am telling you in advance that these are NOT my words but rather those of “Your Dictionary.”


"The letter G is a pretty good letter, all things considered. The most famous baby talk words begin with the letter G: ga ga goo goo. Lots of other words begin with the letter G like God, gorgeous, grand, and golf (we all know how much golf lovers love their golf!).If you are hungry, you might like to eat some Good n’ Plenties, and if you are sleepy, you might like to get a good night sleep; in both cases, you would need letter G to describe your activities. Since the letter “g” os so important, lets get going on naming great G words.(yourdictionary 1,2,3)

GET YOUR G FACTS STRAIGHT:

- G is the 7th letter of the English alphabet and the fifth consonant

- The letter “G” is one of the least geometrical letters in the alphabet - ironic, since the word geometry starts with a g

-G, in its original form, was considered to be sacred by the Pythagorens

-G is used today as one of the letters in the Masonic emblem

-There are 3 G’s in the scrabble tiles in the English version of the game, each worth 2 points

WORDS THAT BEGIN WITH G:

Since G is such a great letter, you would think that G words would appear often on the list of top 100 most common words in the English language. After all, this list makes up approximately 1/3 of all printed material in English. However, you’d be wrong. Despite all the grand G words - like grandparents and gigantic and giraffe, G appears only twice on the list of top 100 words.

     1. Go (#74)

     2. Get (#96)

Give G a little credit though, when we look to the top 300 most commonly used words in the English language. G appears 7 more times. Since the list of the top 300 most commonly used words accounts for 65% of all printed material in the English language, G words don’t seem to gleam the glory they deserve, do they?

     1. Give (#114)
     2. Good (#122)
     3. Great (#127)
     4. Got (#246)
     5. Group (#248)
     6. Grow (#263)
     7. Girl (#288)

GRAMMAR WORDS THAT BEGIN WITH G:

Even though G words may not be top on the list of commonly used English words, G sure is an important word when it comes to Grammar. In fact, grammar itself starts with the letter G! Grammar is defined as the system and structure of language. I’d say that’s a pretty important concept for a G word!

GREAT PLACES TO GO TO LEARN ABOUT G:

     - Adjectives that Start with G: Your dictionary provides some background on the letter G, some rules about how to say this great letter G, and a list of some of the glorious G adjectives.

     -Words that begin with G: Word Over provides a gigantic list of G words. The list is grouped by the first three letters of the G words, and also provides definitions. There are some well known G words on the list, as well as obscure G words to get your attention.
  
     -Unusual G Words: The Phrontistery provide a glorious list of unusual G words, from the gabardine to gyve, there are sure to be some G words on this list you’ve never seen before. Definitions are provided as well.”(yourdictionary 1,2,3)                              
                               ~

In closing, I hope all of you have been as fascinated by this article on the letter G as I have been. I think it is great, and I loved reading it the first time, the second time, and the third time as I was typing it in for Ms. Matlock. I know it is not my words, but there was no way I could have paraphrased it to have the finished product turn out as interesting and informative as the original. So, Ms. Matlock, I hope you like the work I have done and the way I approached the assignment. Please note at the end of the last paragraph I made reference to the internet site where I found the material. The civics teacher was kind enough to show me the NEW way to do what I used to do in a totally format.  It looks pretty silly to me, but that is the way the children reference back to an internet site. I learned a lot and had so much fun doing it. My hope is you and my classmates had fun reading it and learned something they didn’t know before.

   

Go to  Jenny Matlock’s Alphabe Thursday to read all the “G” writings from around the world.

Alphabe Thursday ~ 10-28-10 ~ The Letter “F”

                                "F" Stands for Family Reunion Fun

This summer our family came together for one of our best family reunions ever. One son and his family flew in from the Pacific Northwest and my daughter and her family drove down from the Eastern Shore. My other son  his family, our best friend, Grand Bud and I were all from here in Virginia.

Sadly the trip had a tragic start. One of my granddaughter's cats was killed Friday night before we were all leaving on Saturday. There was time for a little funeral for our beloved Shirley who left behind her sister, Laverne and her sad family. Then we were off in a caravan...3 cars: 2 sons and their families in 2 cars, Grand Bud and me in a 3rd, and our best friend in a 4th.

All 16 of us had FUN in our BIG house

We had FUN playing in the ocean.

We had FUN playing inside.

We had FUN sitting, walking, and playing on the beach.

We had FUN eating.

We had FUN sightseeing.

We just had FUN being together.

It was absolutely the most wonderful week Grandma Baga and Grand Bud could ever ask for. Now we just have to wait 3 more years for the next one....it seems like a long time now, but if it is like the past, the days, months, and years will fly by and suddenly we will all be together again.

Yes, "F" this week is for Family Reunion Fun!

Here are some of my favorite photos from this most memorable gathering.

 

Alphabe Thursday ~ “D” and “E"

"D” ~ Delinquent ~ Turned in Late

Dear Ms. Matlock,
   I am delinquent. Because of all of the Benchmark testing at our school last week, I did not do my “D” assignment. Doesn’t that sound familiar...I am no better than the kids!
   Please forgive me for not doing my homework. I know I have NO excuse. I have the choice to either do it or not, but I’d really appreciate it if you would not fail me this time.  I will try harder in the future to make a few more hours in the day so I can turn in to you on time. I will not tell you a fib and say my dog ate it...I did it...and I am very sorry.

Sincerely yours,
Genie

“E” Is for Eugenia

~Name: Eugenia

~Nickname: Genie

~Born: Florida

~Address:  Virginia

~Age: 71

~Status: Married
~Mother: Daughter - 47; Son - 45; Son - 39

~Grandmother: 5 Boys, 1 Girl, and 1 RED HEAD

~Education: Attended Emory University in Atlanta for Undergraduate and Graduate School

~Profession: Teacher: K - 2nd - 5th - 6th and SPED,and finally 6th Grade English until retirement

~ Retired: 1998

~Present Employment: Middle School In-school Suspension Teacher 

~ Things I love to do:  
        Traveling... have been to the British Isles, Belgium, France, Italy, Belize, 
                Bahamas, Mexico, and Costa Rica

        Reading... “fun” mysteries, children’s books, and prose

        Making Music...Play the fiddle, violin, piano, and church organ

        Art, music, opera, and theatre...but most of all MY FAMILY

        Sewing, quilting, knitting, spinning, and crafting

        Photography...I have fallen in love with my photography  
        Blogging: I started in February of 2010 and have and enjoy it SO much

        Being with My Best Friend...Weezie and I have been BFF’s for over 40 yrs

~Here is my Bucket List:
       See my first grandchild graduate from college & attend his wedding
       See all the rest of my grandchildren graduate high school & maybe college
       Have at least 1 great grandchild       
       Go back to England, Ireland, Florence, and Giverny one last time
       Learn to be a really good photographer
       Go Windsurfing
       Finish paying for our home the second time
       Once and for all, FINALLY get my house cleaned out and organized
       Go to nursing homes and write down family history for the elderly 

       Finish compiling my family history on both sides
       

HAPPY ALPHABE THURSDAY TO ALL OF YOU WRITERS


This post is linked to Jenny Matlock’s Alphabe Thursday. It is a GREAT meme to be a part of each week. Go and check it out. You’ll LOVE it!

Alphabe Thursday - C Is for Clocks

What is the meaning of the work CLOCK? According to a little paperback Webster's Dictionary, it is 1. an instrument that tells time , or #2... to time with a watch, clock, or stopwatch. Well, I am adding another meaning of my own to the list:  A clock is an object made of plastic or metal which has a nagging way of keeping me AHEAD of time rather than just being ON time. 

To explain this unique definition, I’ve decided to take you through a typical clock-oriented workday of mine. At 5:00 the iPod clock goes off playing Handel’s Water Music to gently awaken my from my sound sleep as calmly as possible. I have always been told most heart attacks come first thing in the morning because of the stress to your body going from sleep mode to awake mode. I certainly do not what to live through or not live through that sennario. Beside that black clock you see a second clock...a white one that is loud and rude.  It is set for 5:30 to make good and sure I am awake.  No one could possibly sleep through the obnoxious tone of that thing.

At this point I turn on "Way to Early" with that cutie pie, Willy Geist.  I love him....he looks like a little teddy bear up there on MSNBC. Wrapped securely with my down comforter, blanket, and quilt around me, I remain propped up on pillows drinking the tea or coffee my husband brings in to me each and every morning. Next, you will see the clock that hangs in front of me over  the door going into my beautiful, handicap friendly, BIG bathroom. I get so caught up in “Morning Joe" I forget to look at the ones on my bedside table so I’ve hung that backup where I can see it easily. I stay put in my comfy bed until the time is 6:00. OK, gal...it’s time for the REAL RUSH  to begin in earnest.

Into the shower I go (on demand hot water heaters are great in these situations) taking my morning-constitutional shower. The minute I step out  - PRESTO -  I see another el cheapo WallyWorld clock silently shouting at me..."Get a move on, old lady!” It’s beside the sink so I cannot miss it.

The next move it to brush both my real and the fake teeth... I have a lovely combination of those being I’m 71. From there I move quickly to my ironing board where I have my wrinkle free outfit waiting to be put on. I know you should never END a sentence with a preposition, place a comma in the wrong place, and not write with correct structure, but since I am no longer actually teaching I can do as I please, thank goodness! Now, I go back to the basin and comb what grayish-white hair I still have, put on some jewelry I think the kids will like, shove on the shoes over the bunyons, and put on my watch with the BIG dial. I am so far sighted I cannot see anything close up unless it is huge or I am wearing my specs.

Now I head into the livingroom to pick up my Vera Bradley briefcase I packed up the night before, snatch up my super filled pocketbook, and once again check the clock in there to be sure I am O.K. and on time, 

Into the dining room I go...the ONLY room without a clock. After plopping my stuff on the dining room table,  I head for the kitchen to get my pre-made lunch out of the fridge.....school lunches have no appeal to me...YUCKY, YUCKY!! Once again, I have a clock to look at, a neon one that blinks two colors back and forth....it is so cool.  By now it can be NO LATER than 6:55 because that HAS TO BE MY DT (departure time). 

I will not allow myself to be LATE to school, and it is a 30 minute drive over 2 interstates and a few curvy backroads...and that is on a GOOD DAY! The bell rings at 7:45, and I just have to be in my room before it goes off. I NEVER want to be late. I've no time to spare, for I need to allow a little extra time in case there are any traffic mess-ups. Out the door I charge. Once in the Vibe, I do NOT look at the dashboard clock. It takes all the brain power I can muster just to keep my eyes pointed squarely in front of me, my brain working 100%, and  trying to stay out of the way of the speeding truckers. I do NOT speed...not ever! Yep , I am one of those you hate to get behind if you are in a hurry.

Finally, I arrive at school and charge into my "cellblock"... an old closet space with no windows. The kids and I decided “cellblock” was an approptiate name for it. For those of you who do not know, I am a retired 6th grade English teacher turned "prison matron" of our in-school suspension room. Actually, it is pretty nice in there. I have a really neat clock , and the kids love it...my New York Yankees clock.I gave it to my husnabd, an avid Yankees Fan, and then I stoke it back... bad girl, Genie! It can blast out loudly all kind of things when I press the button the the right. The best one is, "It's a homerun!"  In the room there are two more clocks on the walls so the children can see what time it is from any angle. That is the most important thing on their minds when in the cellblock...the time. The Yankees clock sits in its place of honor beside my rocking chair, and the others are on the walls.

–––

O.K....you are almost done. Now that you have read all of this, there is only one conclusion you can reach... either this old gal is an OCD clock watcher or else she is just crazy. Well, it is neither.  I just do NOT like to be late...period, exclamation point...guess I can blame it on the nuns! I try to be early everywhere I have an appointment, and work definitely falls into that category. Trust me, the nuns did NOT tolerate tardiness. They trained  me well, so well, that if I see I am going to be just the least bit late I PULL OFF the road and call to advise the powers-that-be of my dire situation. If on the interstate I pull off at an exit and call. I do NOT talk on the phone and drive. I was one of Oprah's girls long before she started her campaign to stop people from talking and texting while behind the wheel.  I won’t even allow my husband to talk and drive. I do all the dialing, answering,  and talking for him. Once the class day begins, the bells are my best time clock...and it goes on until 3:15 when I make the return trip home to begin the countdown to bedtime all over again. This is my day!

Well, there you have it..my dissertation on the word, CLOCK. To tell you the truth, maybe...just maybe...I am a bit OCD with the clock thing, but at least I do not get admonished about being late. I hope some of you can relate to my story.

HAPPY ALPHABE THURSDAY TO ALL OF YOU WRITERS OUT THERE!

Alphabe Thursday - B Is for BUT!

Surely in your lifetime you have heard the word “but” and used the word “but.”  It’s a pretty darn handy-dandy word for parents, teachers, and children alike.

~Mother to Eugenia: "Eugenia, it upsets me as much as it upsets you, BUT I still have to ground you this weekend for not picking up your clothes as you were told.”
~Eugenia to Mother - “BUT, Mother......Come on...you don’t understand...I was really in a big hurry and just didn’t have time."

~John to Ms. R.:  "Can I go to my locker before the bell rings?"
~Mrs. R. to John: "I would love to let you go to your locker, BUT Mr. Morris will not let you. He’s the boss around here."
~John to Ms. R.: "BUT, Ms. R....I will miss my bus if I go after the bell."
~Ms. R. to John: "Sorry about that...just HURRY!"

~Eugenia to Eugenia:  "I need to get out of this bed, get dressed, and start cleaning up this messy house.......BUT, I think I will stay here a little while longer...I’ll still have enough time to get it done before the kids get here for the weekend..."

~Sister Ann Catherine to Eugenia and Jeanne: “Girls, you need to listen to me and listen closely....you and your class are going to graduate to the music the sisters have chosen and NOT to Pomp and Circumstance. If you continue to insist on doing it your way, you won’t walk down the chapel isle at all, BUT, rather, you will be handed your diplomas privately. Do you understand?"
~ Eugenia to Sister: BUT, Sister, we really, really want to march in with Pomp and Circumstance. All high school seniors process to Pomp and Circumstance. Please....you just don’t understand. Why do we have to do it differently?”
~Sister to Eugenia and Jeanne: “No, it is you girls who don’t understand. There are going to be no if’s, and’s, or BUT’S....It is going to be our way or no way...end of discussion. Now be gone with the both of you and keep those mouths shut if you know what’s good for you!”

~Ms. R. to Billy: “Billy, you need to get a sheet of paper out of the drawer and write down the who, what, where, when, why, and how of what happened in the cafeteria.”
~Billy to Ms. R.: “BUT, Ms. R., I ain’t done nutin'...it was Chris. He hit me and made me to fall into Paul. It ain’t my fault, and I ain’t gonna do it!” 
~ Ms. R. to Billy: “Fine, Billy, just sit there and do can nothing for now, BUT sooner or later you are going to have to write the paper if you want to talk to Mr. M. about ever getting out of this suspension room. I’d love it if I could bend the rule for you, BUT I just can’t. Rules are rules like it or not!”

~Eugenia to Eugenia about 8:30 A.M. at work: “I really want some of these potato chips, BUT it’s way too early for junk food....they are going to up my cholesterol...BUT I’ll only have 6....that’ll be OK...BUT I’d better not because if I start eating them I won’t stop... Oh, heck...I don’t care. Here goes!”   CRUNCH,CRUNCH,CRUNCH!

~Eugenia to Buddy: “O.K., Bud, I’ll make the supreme sacrifice and go to your office picnic, BUT you are going to owe me big time!”

~Baga to 5 year old Eloise: “ I will let you watch TV for 30 minutes, BUT then you are going to have to go to bed. Here, I’ll set the alarm and when it goes off, it’s off to bed for you, young lady. I have to do what your mommy tells me to do. She and your daddy will be home soon, and you’d better be in bed. Your Baga doesn’t want them to put her in the “naughty chair."

30 minutes later.....alarm goes off...

Baga to Eloise: “O.K., it’s off to bed for you.”
Eloise to Baga: “BUT, Baga, the show isn’t over yet. Please.....just a little while longer...”
Baga to Eloise: “Sweetie Pie, I would love to let you stay up, BUT I just can’t. Let’s go, now."

The sobbing starts......

THE END

I am linking to Jenny Matlock’s Alphabe Thursday

Alphabe Thursday - A Is for Allergy

Today I am joining in on the fun over at Jenny Matlocks blog.  She is quite the writer and so talented, fun, and creative. We are starting over with the alphabet this week so today’s letter is A.

My “A” word is ALLERGy!  First, let us look at it as a “negative” thing. What is an allergy in my book?  Well, it is a big itchin’ I get in my nose, inside my ears, all over the roof of my big mouth, under my toenails, on top of my eyeballs, and crawling up and down my wrinkled old epidermis.  As you can imagine, it is one BIG ITCHY PAIN!!! This time of year it is a bigger ITCHY PAIN than usual.....I love fall colors, but I despise the fall yuck that comes flying on a direct path to my poor old body. If I ever win the lottery, I promise mankind I will donate some of my winnings to allergy research for the elderly.  That old story I was told growing up....that I’d outgrow the darn things when I was older.  Well, that was ONE BIG LIE!!!  They have only gotten worse. Trust me, I’m not fooling you. I wouldn’t do a thing like that.

Now, on the other side of the coin let’s look at it as if it is a “positive” thing.
-“Oh, honey, I can’t vacuum today because my allergies are really bothering me.”
-“Sweetheart, would you please make the garbage run to the dumpsters...stirring up all of that dirt around those nasty green containers will make me itch and sneeze even more.”
-“Buddy, PLEASE get Jack and Trouble out of here right now....you know all they do is share their dander with me and make me claw at myself even more.”
-O.K., dear, I have had it for one day.  I am going to bed.  Will you please clean up the kitchen.  All of this itching and sneezing has worn me to a frazzle.”
All of these are good things in my book....gotta spread that old housework around a bit.

That’s it is a nutshell....allergies are just allergies.  They live with me and I live with them. They ain’t gonna kill me though they can make me feel pretty miserable and out of sorts at certain times of the year.  There are a lot worse “A” things I could have wrong with me: amnesia, anxiety disorder, alter personalities, acne, AIS - anger irritation syndrome, Alzheimer’s...and the list goes on and on.  I think I am pretty darn lucky.  Hey, when I wake up itching I know I am alive.  That is a good thing!

A happy Alphabe Thursday to all of you. I am so thrilled to be on board for the coming 26 weeks.