Kittens, Kittens, Kittens, and an Oriole

When Steph and Annie and Jessie were little, they always loved to play with baby kittens for many hours during the spring and summer. They named each one and remembered their names even long after the kittens were gone. We used to tease Steph that her picture albums had more cats in them than people.

Well, last year with Jessie gone to camp most of the summer, the kittens didn't get named until Jacob came and figured out a fitting name for each. But, since he wasn't here long to play with them, I soon forgot their names.

Now we have 5 little kittens from a no-name mother. Aren't they cute? Aren't all kittens cute?

I've titled the first picture, "Jessie, where are you? Or Rainey, or Emily, or Paisley, or Bri? Where's a little girl to snuggle with?"

"Moving Day"
They were born in our old garage, but today the mother decided to move them up closer to the house--I suppose that means we'll have to buy more cat food! They are almost too heavy for her to carry. First she carried one and three followed, then she must have gone back for the fifth one.

"So CUTE!"

At card party tonight, one couple said they would take two. Yippee! How many do you want?

Of course, I had to add a picture of the oriole that has been coming to my feeder. He is eating grape jelly from the orange cup. I so enjoy watching them from the kitchen window. He is gorgeous and his song is beautiful. His mate also comes. I'll try to get a picture of both of them.

Have a great day!

What's in a Word

In modern English the homophones “flour” and “flower” are worlds apart, but in Elizabethan times the top quality ground wheat (reserved for royal tables) was called the “flower of the wheat,” meaning the very best. The two spellings were interchangeable until the nineteenth century when they began to have quite different meanings.

This is just one of the many tidbits gleaned (no pun intended) from What’s in a Word by Webb Garrison. Thomas Nelson has recently re-issued this book of stories about the backgrounds of more than 350 words and phrases.

Some of the phrases, like “thorn in the flesh” and “skin of our teeth,” come from the Bible, and others, like “crystal” and “diamond,” have Greek and Latin derivations, and others, like “washout” and “stump,” come from the American frontier.

What's in a Word, although not a definitive work, is a fascinating read for anyone interested in words. The book has little value for actually looking up information on a specific word (if you think of a phrase, it probably won’t be in the book and the index is little help even for the words in the book), but in the author’s words, “the vignettes included here are brief enough for bathroom reading.” Enjoy!