Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

If Knowledge Is Power . . .

"If knowledge is power, then what we don't know is wisdom." 
----Adam Grant

Every once in awhile I take the time to share a book I'm reading or have read. Non-fiction is my genre of choice, so this book fits the bill, especially in light of what we've been experiencing of late. 

Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. In our daily lives, too many of us favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt. We listen to opinions that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. We see disagreement as a threat to our egos, rather than an opportunity to learn. We surround ourselves with people who agree with our conclusions, when we should be gravitating toward those who challenge our thought process. The result is that our beliefs get brittle long before our bones. We think too much like preachers defending our sacred beliefs, prosecutors, proving the other side wrong, and politicians campaigning for approval--and too little like scientists searching for truth. Intelligence is no cure, and it can even be a curse: being good at thinking can make us worse at rethinking. The brighter we are, the blinder to our own limitations we can become. 

A guiding principle of this book is to argue like you're right but listen like your wrong.

We don't have to believe everything we think or internalize everything we feel.

This book is an invitation to let go of views that are no longer serving us well and prize mental flexibility, humility, and curiosity over foolish consistency. 

The author describes part of the problem as 'cognitive laziness.' Some psychologists point out that we're mental misers: we often prefer the ease of hanging on to old views over the difficulty of grappling with new ones. Yet there are also deeper forces behind our resistance to rethinking. Questioning ourselves makes the world more unpredictable. It requires us to admit that the facts may have changed, that what was once right may now be wrong. Reconsidering something we believe deeply can threaten our identities, making it feel as if we're losing a part of ourselves. 

 

War of the Roses...I Mean War of the Poinsettias

 

 

Today's post concerns the pronunciation of this plant:

Poyn-seh-TEE-uh?

Poyn-seh-ah ?

For over twenty years the holiday season brings with it a bit of discourse between theHansMan and me. on several different levels.

One level is, simply stated, we don't pronounce the name of this flower the same. That causes most of our conversations to be peppered with the word, "poinsettia."

"Did you buy dog food today?"

"Yes, and I bought some poinsettia chews for them, too."

Each of us emphasizing the word POINSETTIA for effect.

"Did you have the oil in the truck checked today?"

"Yes, and they balanced and aligned the poinsettias, too."

This highly intelligent form of conversing to antagonize each other is carried over into about everything we talk about. You can use your creative minds to just imagine where the word 'poinsettia' can be substituted.

TheHansMan and I have agreed to abide by the consensus of the blogging and Facebook world. Here is the million dollar question:

How do you pronounce POINSETTIA?

1)  poyn-seh-TEE-uh

2)  poyn-seh-AH

3)  or some other way

We will forever use the pronunciation of the one that receives the most votes.

Wikipedia has THIS TO SAY.

Other tidbits about this flower:

Is this flower poisonous?

No, says POISINDEX.  Ingesting this plant will make you sick but it probably won't kill you. A fifty pound child would have to eat more than 1.25 pounds of poinsettia bracts (about 500-600 leaves) to exceed the experimental doses.

Question # 1: Whose fifty pound kid was used to conduct this experiment ?

Question #2: What was the experimental dose? Did they use an entire greenhouse full of poinsettias?

Question #3: Wouldn't eating 500-600 of these leaves kill a horse? 

Just some Food For Thought...pun intended.

 

Just for the record . . .

Some say poinsetta and some say poinsettia. In both cases, either pronunciation is acceptable. This traditional holiday houseplant, a native of Mexico, is named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Ambassador to Mexico (circa 1820).

In Mexico, the poinsettia is known as Flor de Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve Flower. You may also see it written as La Flor de la Nochebuena, which means Flower of Christmas Eve. In Spain, Puerto Rico, and other Central America countries it's known as Flor de Pascua or Pascua, meaning Christmas Flower.

Azmanig Raednig

Cna yuo raed tihs? You mihgt be srupirsed that mnay plepoe can.

I hvae mnetoined mnay tmies abuot bieng lysdexic. Tihs is hwo I tpye adn how wrods look wehn I raed.  You aer porbalby srupirsed taht yuo aer acltulaly albe ot uesdnatnrd waht I am wirting adn taht yuo aer raeding tihs. This porves teh phaonmneal pweor fo the brian. Accrodnig ot rscheearch at srevreal uinervsiteis, it dseno't mtaetr ni waht oerdr teh ltteres in a wrod aer, teh improtnat tihng si taht teh frsit and lsat ltteers be in the rghit pclae. Mnay tmies, wrods wtih olny tow letetrs cna be revresed, adn yuo cna stlil raed teh wrod. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a prolbem. Tihs is bcusease the brian deos not raed ervey lteter by istelf, but the wrod as a wlhoe. Azmanig huh? I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmortant ! Were you albe ot raed tihs? The brian is an azmanig tihng.

Thuohgt you were dzizy raednig taht, warp yuor eyes aruond  this:

Tell Me What You Think About This Book

 

It's been a long time since I recommended a book.

Probably since recommending Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens way back in 2018. Even though I usually read non-fiction, and like it best, I have to admit, it was a great read.

After having been 'sheltered in' while in Okrahoma for several months, I read a lot of books.  Now that I"m home, I'm still reading a lot of books. And watching the birds.  And this week, watching lots and lots of U.S. Open Tennis.

So, when a school-teacher friend of mine suggested, Running with Sherman, and because it's a true story and because this particular friend has never recommended a bad book, this has become my new favorite book. 

If you love animals, this book is a must read. Even if you don't love animals, this book is a must read. You'll end up loving Sherman. 

The little gray donkey was rescued from a hoarder in rural Pennsylvania.

His hooves were so overgrown he could barely walk.

He was infested with parasites.

His teeth were rotting away.

The first night at his new home, his rescuers did not know if he would be alive the next morning. 

"Anything you want a donkey to do, you've got to make him think it's his idea."  (Hmmmm, some of you know what I'm thinking, but we won't go there.)

"Donkeys don't react. They reason"

Christopher McDougall's descriptions of his time with Sherman are vivid, as are his descriptions with humans. You'll feel like you are living on the pages of this book right there with Sherman. 

The book is fun and inspiring.  It is a true story that proves there is a real healing power in the human-animal bond.

“Patience and kindness don’t show up on demand; they’re disciplines that require constant practice, and there is no better boot camp for learning those skills than hitching your survival to your ability to discern—and respect—the needs of another creature.”

So, if you've read the book . . . tell me what you think. 

So, if you've not read the book, I have one comment:  Run. Don't walk. And read this book ! 

 

Suthern Words & Usage 52-64 Plus a Helpin' of Spam

Ranch:  tool
Go look in the back of mah truck and fetch me that ranch.

Spearmint: text
The tacher had us do a spearmint in science class.

Warshin:  laundry
My Uncle Joe does his warshin' every week. 

Watchamacallit: something you can't remember the name of
We need a watchamacallit and a thangamajig to finish this project. 

Waytoutcheer:  don't come in
Ah'll just be a minute, so yew waytoutcheer.

Wholenuther:  amount
Well now, that's a wholenuther story. 

Ya'll: contraction for you all
It will be so good to see ya'll at the family reunion. 

Yoresef:  second person, singular pronoun
Yew need to take care of yoresef. 

Yawnder: far off
On a clare daye, yew can see way over yanwder. 

Youenzeez:  Ya'll plus 3
I hope that youenzeez can come over for barbeecue. 

Yousall:  Youenzeez plus everyone else
It will take several pickup trucks to get yousall to the ballgame. 

Zackley:  accurately, precisely
Yew know zackley wut aym talkin' 'bout.

 

Photo: HansMan's idea of a fully stocked pantry.

 

 

Suthern Words & Usage 39-51 with Dinosaurs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purrfeck:  without defect or omission
To err is human. Nobody's purrfeck. 

Pigeon: act of tossing something
Betty Sue and aye wuz out back pigeon horseshoes.

Ratjeer:  specific place
I tode mah dawg to sit ratjeer. 

Saar: not sweet
Them peaches need to ripin' cuz thar really saar. 

S'matter: question
Wud s'matter widju? Yew ain't actin' rahyt. . 

Stale: tough metal
During 2020, we need nerves of stale just to be neurotic. 

Sumya'll: an adjective, adverb, pronoun, & contraction all rolled up into one word
Sumya'll have no idey what this post is about. 

Tapratter: antique writing machine
Mah tapratter needs a new ribbon.

Tarred: exhausted
Ah'm so tarred aye could sleep all daye.

Thank: have a particular opinion or belief
Aye thank it's gonna rahyne. 

Thangamajig: name for a gadget you can't remember the name of
Wud yew go git that thangamajig out of mah pickup truck?

Towed: past tense of tell
Aye towed him not to do dat. 

 

So how did that Brachiosaurus get all the way from Riggs Hill in Grand Junction, Colorado to the United Airlines Terminal 1, Concourse B in Chicago's O'Hare Airport?

In its heyday one-hundred-fifty million years ago the forty foot high, seventy-five foot long, giraffe-necked creature roamed around in my neighborhood. 

The Brachiosaurus was unearthed in 1900, and at the time was the largest dinosaur skeleton ever found. A fiberglass replica was cast in the early 1990s. Slight modifications had to be made to the dinosaur's posture so it would fit in the terminal 

Photo Above:  Two skeletons of a Spinosarus and a Stegosauarus have been located on the hill in our backyard. We're hoping they don't jump on a United flight to join their buddy in Chicago. 

 

Suthern Words & Usage 26-38 with a Long-Stemmed Rose

Once you read through this list of words, you will probably be sounding like you are from Southeastern Okrahoma. 
You may need to practice just a little, but the drawl will come to you at some point. 

  Hevee:  overweight
 When yew get too hevee, best thang to do is go on a dahyut.

Idnit:  question
Idnit about tahme for us to go home?

Jeet: question
Jeet yet?
No. Ju?
No. Lesus go get a bayt to ate. 

Lags: opposite of arms
Mayuh lags are tard from walkin.'

Lilac: not telling the truth
Man, yew lilac a politician. 

Manure: not old
Aym gonna drive manure pickup truck today. 

Mare:  chief Municipal officer
Ah'd lak yew to meet Hizzoner, the Mare.

Neckle:  1/20 of a dollar
Two neckles make a dahym. 

Ouchair: not inside
Better put on yore coat. It's daggum cold outchair. 

Paig: provider of bacon
He's happier that a paig in mud. 

Paypul: more than one person
We the paypul of the United States of 'Merica

Prayed: official procession
Aye hope it don' t rahyn on our prayed. 

 

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."                     ---Shakekspeare

One translation: What matters is what something is, not what it is called.

 

"A rose is a rose is a rose."           ----Gertrude Stein

A statement of the law of identity . . . things are what they are. 

 

"We can complain because roses have thorns or rejoice because thorns have roses"     ----Alphonse Karr

 

Dictionary of Suthern' Words and Usage 13-25 with a Hidden Object

Continuing my effort to edgeucate readers with these vocabulary words and thayre usage. ..
And an exercise in finding the hidden object in this photo. 

 

Favor:  thermometer reading
I don't feel too good. I got a favor. Mah temperatoor is 101.

Fayer: with justice and honesty
All's fayer in luv and wahr. 

Farr: combustion producing heat and flame
It wuz cold so we built a farr in the farrplace. 

 

Fanger: any of the five jointed parts of the hand
If yore hitchin' a ride, the bes' fanger to use is yore thumb. 

Flarz:  blossoms
Remember to bring flarz on yore anniverseeary.
The waff you save may be yore own. 

Fillings:  emotions
Yew hurt mah fillins'. 

Fems:  movies
Ahh  unnerstand yew goin' to Hollywood to go into fems. 

Givitcheer:  hand it over
Let me have all yore money . . . givitcheer.

Goffer:  person who plays golf
Arnul Pommer was a goffer who thought he was in a slump when he only shot pahr.

Griyuts:  coarsely ground corn or wheat
Most Sutherners like to eat griyuts. 

Grain:  a color
Cuzin' Bobby Joe drank so much moonshine, he tarned grain. 

Hominy:  an aid to arithmetic, sorta like ciphering
By adding two and two, yew find out hominy yew got. 

 

Answer to Hidden Picture:  Snayke:  (Pronounced with two syllables)  reptile.
My mom would have said, "She's so lazy, she wouldn't hit a lick at a snayke if it was going to bayht her. 

After this lesson, you should be speaking with some sort of a Suthern' Drawl. 

 

 

 

 

Dictionary of Suthin' Words and Usage 1-12 with a Helpin' of Okra

 

 

 

Aint:   A sister of one of your parents
Pore Aint EstherBelle. She's an old mayud. She's been kissed goodbye mower tayums than she's been kissed goodnight. 

Ammo:   Song
Ammo 'ole cowhand from the Rio Grande. 

Asphalt:  Passing the Buck
If yore donkey is stubborn, no need to blame yoreself. It's yore asphalt.

Asthma: Possessive Pronoun
Asthma wife yore cozyin' up to. 

Bidness:  Enterprise
He sayd he was on a bidness trip. His wife wasn't convinced it wuz bidness. 

Bobwhar: Fencing material
Climbing over bobwhar is tough on yore britches. 

Bubb:  Oval shaped light provider
How many men does it take to change a layt bubb?

Claire: Good visibility
On a claire day yew can see furever. 

Camphor: A place to toast marshmallows
Best thang about them hikes wuz sittin' around the camphor swappin' stories. 

Cinnamon:  Observe
Shore ah know who Tom Hanks is.  I cinnamon on TV. 

Cayut:  Domesticated feline
Our cayut brought in a dead mouse last nayht. 

Farm:  Application
If yew want this job, yew'll havto fill out this farm. 

This is the first dozen  . . . 

Plays feel free to add yore own. 

Okra can be cooked any number of ways . . . roasted, fried, baked, sauteed, stewed, grilled, put in soups, gumbo, salads, . . . it can be pickled and curried.

I love okra anyway you cook it . . . or NOT: 

My favorite way to eat okra is raw with salt and pepper. 

 

 

 

 

 

Multiple Intelligences 2

This post follows the format of this YouTube Video Multiple Intelligences 2. (Clink the Link)

Objectives:(What We Gone Do Is)
Review Multiple Intelligences Video 1
Introduce Musical Rhythmical

1. Create a chart listing the 8 intelligences in rows on the left. List days of the week in columns at the top.  (See illustration in MI 1 post below.) 

2. Naturalist: Take a photo of a particular tree, flowers, shrubbery, etc. Wait a few days, then take a photo from the same vantage point. Observe the changes. This can be a year long activity as the trees changes with each season. 

3. Verbal-Linguistic: Read everyday. A fourth-grader should read about 40 minutes each day. If this seems too much in the beginning, start with 20 minutes and add 5 minutes each day. 

4. Intrapersonal: Write in a journal. An 'ABC Journal" is one of the easiest way to get started. 
    A: apple muffins
    B: bounced on trampoline
    C: Carla-counselor in There's a Boy in the Girls Bathroom
    D: Dunked donut in milk
    E: Etc . . . 

Children don't have to write in complete sentences. Journals don't necessarily need to be corrected for spelling.
But, sentence starters can be used: 
The best part of today was ____________________.
I like this about me. ________________________.

Visual-Spatial Quote:
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.  ---Pablo Picasso

"Purple"
In first grade, Mr. Lohr said my purple teepee wasn't realistic enough, that purple was no color for a tent, that purple was a color for people who died, that my drawing wasn't good enough to hang with the others. I walked back to my seat counting the swish-swish-swish of my baggy corduroy trousers. With a black crayon, nightfall came to my purple tent in the middle of an afternoon.
In second grade, Mr. Barta said, "Draw anything." He didn't care what. I left my paper blank, and when he came around to my desk,  my heart beat like a tom-tom while he touched my head with his big hand and in a soft voice said, "The snowfall. How clean and white and beautiful. You are an artist. "

MUSICAL-RHYTHMICAL:

If you want children to remember something, teach it through or with music. One of the best ways to build a child's math reasoning is with music. Music helps us make connections. Have you ever heard a song that caused you to flashback to years ago? You remembered where you were? Who you were with? What you were wearing? Music is powerful in how it can stir up memories. It helps to make connections. 

The power of music can heal the body. It has been used for treatment of migraines, substance abuse, trauma, Parkinson's Disease, anxiety , high blood pressure. . . it is used during childbirth, with cancer patients . . . used to help calm down that ADHD student . . . 

Music can affect your mood. It can make you feel happy, enchanted, inspired, wistful, excited, empowered, comforted . . . have you ever turned up the volume to your tunes while cleaning house or working out, or running? 

Armies have marched to war with music. We lull our babies to sleep with lullabies. Stories have been handed down from generation to generation through chants. Cultures communicated with drum. 

When scheduling your day, offer your children choices from different genres of music:

Classical
Jazz
Blues
Patriotic
Rag Time
Piano
Acoustic guitar
Indian flute
Gregorian chants
Latin pop
Broadway hits
Gospel
And on and on. . .

Example:
Classical-Moonlight Sonata (Piano Sonata #14) and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Do some research on Beethoven. Did you know many times he dipped his head into cold water before composing? That he began losing his hearing at age 26? That he sawed off the legs of his piano to feel the vibrations and composed music with his ear to the floor? That his handwriting was so bad that musicologists had difficulty authenticating his works?

The 'assignment' doesn't have to be anymore in depth than this to being with. 

Three of my students' favorite pieces were:

'Moonlight Sinatra'
'Beethoven's Fifth Sympathy'
'Canon Indeed by Johann Tacobell'

My students were making connections with words they already knew to new words: Sonata, Symphony, Pachelbel...
The Velcro Technique of Learning and Teaching.

Music is the Universal Language. We all understand it in some way or another.