What Would Jimmy Do?

We attended a function recently where there were a lot of people. When we were discussing the number of people, i said something like, yea, there sere was a gaggle of people there. Claire said that a gaggle meant there were a lot geese there… not people.

Well, of course, that got me to thinking about the collective names we give to groups of animals — we’ve all used terms like a flock of birds or a heard of cows. But it turns out that most groups of animals do have unique collective nouns to identify that specific group. For example, my extensive research on the subject found that the proper term for a group of eagles is convocation — but most people usually say a flock of eagles.

Some of the names I came up with were pretty surprising — actually more strange, and funny. Apparently most of these names date back to medieval times, but if you want to show off your vast knowledge on the subject sometime here’s some interesting names to choose from — some even seem appropriate, like a stench of skunks…. I’ve also included a possible reason the term was chosen (if I ran across it.)
A colony, cloud, cauldron or camp of Bats
A swarm of Bees
A herd or parade of Elephants
A band of Gorillas (Some believe this can be traced to military terms.)
A cackle of Hyenas (Refers to the animal’s famous laugh-like vocalization?)
A barrel or troop of Monkeys
An Unkindness of Ravens (May refer to ravens’ mythical reputation as tricksters or the false view that they are bad parents?)
An ambush or streak of Tigers (describes the animal’s motion and hunting style?)
A zeal of Zebras
A dray or scurry of Squirrels (describes the animals’ method of movement?)
A stench of Skunks (I’m pretty sure why this term was used.)
A herd, colony, warren, nest, down or husk of Rabbits (Only domesticated rabbits are referred to as a herd.)
A gang or obstinacy of Buffalo (Apparently the Buffalo is notoriously stubborn, so obstinacy became a fitting term.)
A caravan of Camels
A lack of dogs, but a litter of Puppies.
A drove or pace of Donkeys.
A school of Fish.
A gaggle or skein of Geese
A tower of Giraffes (probably makes sense.)
A troop or mob of Kangaroos.
A parliament of Owls

Even insects and bugs have collective group names…. we’ve all referred to colony of Ants and hive of bees, but a group of Bees are also referred to to as a grist or swarm. Here’s some more…
An intrusion of cockroaches.
A business of Flies
A cloud or horde of Gnats
A plague of Locusts
A nest of Hornets
A cloud of Grasshoppers
An army of Caterpillars

Anyhow, you get the idea — just about everything fits in to some group or other and most of those groups have names…. some are obvious, some not so obvious, some are funny or strange and some are appropriate…. like, a gaggle of geese or a brood of hens — and what do you call a group of turkeys? A corporation.
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Well, it’s hard to believe, but tomorrow begins the month of June. June is the first month of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the first month of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s one of the four months of the year that has exactly 30 days. 

Historically, the middle of May until the middle of June is an unlucky time to marry according to Roman republic beliefs. Legend holds that Ovid, a Roman poet, sought the advice of Jupiter’s high priestess and inquired about the best time for his daughter to marry. The high priestess ordered him to wait until after June 15. However, contrary to Roman beliefs, June is considered one of the best months to get married. 

June has a beetle that bears its name — often called a ‘June Bug,’ the insect is typically found in the U.S. during May and June. 
The Anglo-Saxons called the sixth month “sera monath,” meaning dry month.
The Gaelic word for June is “Meitheamh,” which means middle month.
“Mehefin” is the Welsh (Celtic) word for June and means midsummer or middle of summer.
Following from its Latin origins, the Scots call it “An t-Ogmhios,” which roughly means “the month of the young.”
June’s full Moon, the Strawberry Moon, will occur on Tuesday, June 14.

Many incredibly important and influential people have been born in June — Anne Frank, Marilyn Monroe, George Orwell, George H.W. Bush and Claire Williamson all share a common birth month.
Goodbye May, hello June — let summer begin.
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Today is the first holiday of the summer and it’s probably the most somber day on our calendars. We often read about Memorial Day Weekend being the “unofficial start of summer” and a number of activities, like the Indianapolis 500 race, are held over the Memorial Day Weekend.

But the real purpose of Memorial Day is that it’s a day set aside when Americans pause to remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country in wars at home and abroad. 

On May 5, 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, John Logan a veteran of the war and head of the Grand Army of the Republic (a Union veterans organization) established Decoration Day — to be recognized on May 30. On that date, people on both sides of the war were encouraged to place flowers on the graves of their relatives, friends or comrades who fell during the war. May 30 was chosen because flowers would be in full bloom at that time. 

On May 30, 1868, the first official National Decoration Day ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery, where the Grand Army of the Republic placed flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers buried there. General Ulysses S. Grant presided over the ceremony.

When I was growing up in Maysville, Oklahoma, I remember on Memorial Day almost everyone was wearing a red poppy flower — people, mostly veterans, would distribute them to everyone… most people contributed some amount of money as a donation. The idea of of using red poppies to commemorate fallen soldiers first appeared in the poem, “In Flander’s Field,” written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in 1915. In 1924, when faced with a shortage poppies, the first artificial poppy factory was created in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. It employed veterans who needed work. The poppies I remember as a kid were made of paper….

I mentioned that Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day intended to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers that died in the Civil War. Originally, the northern states observed Decoration Day with a lot more enthusiasm than the Confederate states — even today, apart from the federal Memorial Day, some southern states also celebrate Confederate Memorial Day in honor of those who died fighting for the Confederate states during the Civil War. Different states observe this holiday on different days. 

In 2000, Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act that requests all Americans to stop what they are doing at 3:00 pm on Memorial Day to observe a minute of silence to remember and honor those who died in service to the United States. 

So today is a day we pay homage to all those who didn’t come home — a day of solemn contemplation of the cost of freedom. Maybe Lee Greenwood said it best in song….”And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.”
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We had a friend visit from Seattle a couple of weeks ago and he mentioned that in Seattle, homeless people were camping out on the sidewalks in front of multi-million dollar apartment buildings. That led to a discussion about “slums and crime.”

There is a saying that “slums are nurseries of crime.” The theory being that physically run-down neighborhoods have often had much higher crime rates that neighborhoods where more affluent people have had newer and more upscale housing. 

But maybe the question should be, do bad physical surroundings promote bad behavior or does bad behavior cause physical surroundings to deteriorate and prevent people from earning higher incomes that would enable them to live in better surroundings?

A lot of the government’s policy, for many years, has been based on the view that physical surroundings promote crime and other activities detrimental to society and to the individuals who engage in these activities. There have been massive and costly government programs to demolish slums or “blighted” areas and to relocate individuals from those areas into either newly built government housing projects or to scatter individuals and families from bad neighborhoods into good neighborhoods.

The demolition of any neighborhood will of course destroy not only the physical structures of that neighborhood but also the human relationships that make it a viable community as its inhabitants are scattered to the winds.

A study of people who had been displaced from a close-knit community in Boston found about half of them disturbed or depressed. While many of them found better housing elsewhere, 86 percent of them paid higher rents than before they had been forced out of their former neighborhoods.

The rationale for transferring people and resources is that what ends up being built is more valuable than what was torn down.
Time and again, moving slum dwellers into brand new public housing projects has only created new centers of crime in those projects.

Whether moving people into government housing projects, giving them vouchers to subsidize their living in middle-class neighborhoods, or moving large numbers of them from one city to another, it appears that changing people’s location doesn’t change their behavior.
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Memorial Day is approaching, and one event always held on Memorial Day weekend is the Indianapolis 500 race. There’s been some controversy about it being held that particular weekend because it takes away from the somber reason for the holiday, but the race continues to be run on Memorial Day weekend. 

While I’m not a huge race fan, when I was younger I got into “stock car races” and always enjoyed them, so one of the rings I always wanted to do was attend the Indy 500. I’d flown over the race track a number of times and it was much larger than any stock car track I’d ever seen. I remember being impressed that there was a 9-hole golf course in the middle. 

Anyhow I got my chance in 1971 — I was back in Washington over the Memorial Day weekend, so myself and a friend flew to Indianapolis and attended the race. It was the 55th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Al Unser Sr. dominated most of the race and won for the second consecutive year. He became the fourth driver to win the race in back-to-back years. 

But — who won the race in 1971 wasn’t the big story. The race was marred by a crash involving the pace car at the start of the race. If you follow racing at all, you probably remember the event. The pace car, a bright orange 1971 Dodge Challenger, was provided by, and driven by a local Dodge dealer — Eldon Palmer. (Prior to 1971, car manufacturers provided the pace car — for advertising purposes, but Chrysler, Ford and GM sensed the impending end of the muscle car era and chose not to supply an official pace car.) 

Sitting next to Palmer was the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Tony Hulman Jr. and in the back seat were astronaut John Glenn and ABC sportscaster Chris Schenkel.

Palmer had practiced braking in the pits before the race and positioned either a flag or cone at the point where he should have started to brake. However, before the pace lap and the start of the race, somebody removed the marker, so Palmer ended up braking late and careening out of control into a photographers stand — 29 people were injured, two seriously. 

Palmer reportedly felt so awful after the incident that he held on to the Dodge Challenger for years. Only a few years ago did he restore it and sell it to an Indiana collector, Steven Cage. The car is currently in his museum in Fishers, Indiana, just outside of Indianapolis. Eldon Palmer died in 2016 — he was 87.

While we’re on the subject of the Indy 500, I guess this would be a good time to talk about a couple of traditions associated with the event. You’ve probably noticed that the winner always drinks milk to celebrate — not champagne, but milk. The first three-time winner of the 500 was Louis Meyer, winning for the third time in 1936. In Victory Lane, he asked for buttermilk. His mother had told him years earlier that milk was good to drink on hot day, so that’s what he requested.

A dairy industry executive saw a photo of Meyer drinking milk and decided to offer it to the winner every year. The Indiana Dairy Association became an official sponsor in the 1950s and today every driver is asked what kind of milk they prefer — whole or skim — just in case they win. It’s interesting that buttermilk and chocolate milk are not options. But since most of the milk gets poured on the winner’s head anyway, the flavor probably really doesn’t matter.

The command to “start your engines” started in 1946 — the first race after World War II. The command was, “Gentlemen, start your engines.” In 1977, the command became “In company with the first lady ever to qualify at Indianapolis, gentlemen, start you engines,” to accommodate the first female driver, Janet Guthrie. Today, the command is “Drivers, start your engines,” or “Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.”

Anyhow, the Indianapolis 500 is an American tradition, not intended to take away from Memorial Day remembrances. Every year when I watch the race, I always think of something Steven Wright said, “I watched the Indy 500, and I was thinking that if they left earlier they wouldn’t have to go so fast.”
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As you probably know, there are a number of days every year that celebrate wine — like Malbec Day, National Drink Wine Day, etc. And today is another one of those days. Not that we need an “official” reason to celebrate over a bottle of wine, but we again have one — today is National Wine Day. It’s celebrated annually on May 25.

Wine has been enjoyed by humans for thousands of years. According to the wineries, the drink is popular not only because it tastes wonderful, but also because of its nutritional value and psychotropic effects. Wine is frequently cited in in the Bible.
California leads U.S. wine production and is home to over 4,000 wineries. But wineries exist all across the U.S. with at least three in every state. According to my extensive research, the most frequently visited winery today is Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina — over one million people visit every year.

There are over a dozen different sizes of wine bottles, many named after Biblical kings or other historical figures. The largest wine bottle size (30 liters) is named “Melchizedek” or “Midas” and holds 200 glasses of wine.
Almost 70% of wine bottles are sealed with natural cork — the majority of the cork comes from Portugal.
One bottle of wine is made of, on average, 600 grapes….

The exact origin of National Wine Day is unknown, but it dates back to at least 2009 and we can all use an “official” reason to have a glass…. or two.
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This is a particularly terrible day for all of us, especially the people in Uvalde, Texas. But apparently it’s just another ho-hum day for our leaders in Washington — although I’m sure they’ll offer their thoughts and prayers….
I suppose every generation says this, but I’m pretty sure that I grew up in a world that no longer exists.
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Update:
My apologies to our leaders — in addition to thoughts and prayers the flags are also being lowered to half staff.
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Most of my “complaints” on this blog are really more just “comments” on the state of things, but this is truly a complaint, directed to one particular company — FedEx.

Yesterday, a package was scheduled to be delivered to our house that required a signature. Based on past experience, we deliberately stayed home all day — and — carried on as much of our activities as possible very near the front door. After spending the morning sitting by the front door, around 1:15, I went into the kitchen/family room to turn on the TV and change the channel to the PGA golf tournament. My “round trip” took about five or six minutes. When I returned to the front door, there was a small sticker on it from FedEx, saying they were sorry they missed us — they had attempted to deliver our package. 

Here’s the deal — there was no attempt to deliver the package — they only stuck the sticker on the door, and didn’t even bother to fill in any information on the sticker. No knock on the door, no doorbell ringing. Our doorbell button is only about the size of a quarter, so maybe they didn’t see it. Claire, who is very patient, to a point, called FedEX and explained the situation. She was assured that the package would “re-deliverd” by six o’clock that evening. We had dinner plans at 6:30 at a restaurant about 20-25 minutes from our house, so delivery by six would work.
You may have guessed, six o’clock came and no package — called FedEX and were told that there was no record of a call from us — they would attempt to deliver the package again tomorrow.

I realize things like this happen, but this isn’t the first time it’s happened with FedEx, or the second, or the third… it’s their normal operation, at least with us.
If it’s at all possible, we try not to purchase anything from any company if the only way they can deliver it is by FedEx — but, sometimes it’s necessary. 

Right now the sign above is on our front door — it’s 8 ½ x 11 inches. Maybe they’ll at least let us know they’re here…
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For the past seventeen years, the 22nd of May has been known as Anniversary Day around here.
With an extended family as large as ours, it’s inevitable that any given day is likely to have more than one family event scheduled.
On May 22, 1999 we attended Mike and Sue’s wedding…. on May 22, 2004, we attended Chris and Kelly’s wedding — and Mike and Sue’s 5th anniversary. 

May 22, 1999 was the 142nd day of the year in 1999, the day of the week was Saturday.
May 22, 2004 was the 143rd day of the year in 2004, the day of the week was Saturday. 
On May 22, 1999, the U.S. President was Bill Clinton, the UK Prime Minister was Tony Blair and Pope John Paul II was leading the Catholic Church.
On May 22, 2004, the U.S. President was George W. Bush, The U.K Prime Minister was Tony Blair and Pope John Paul II was leading the Catholic Church.

On this date in 1999, Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling was one of the best selling books and if you were into video games, the most popular were Lego Rock Raiders and Darkstone.
In 2004 on this date, Worse Than Watergate by John W. Dean was one of the best selling books and video gamers were playing Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords or Quiet Weekend in Capri.

Today, May 22, 2022 is the 142nd day of the year and it’s a Sunday.
The U.S. President is Joe Biden, the UK Prime Minister is Boris Johnson and Pope Francis is leading the Catholic Church.
One of the most popular books is Heartstopper, Volume 4 by Alice Osman and Video gamers are playing Elden Ring.
And — Kelly and Chris and Sue and Mike are celebrating their 18th and 23rd anniversaries, respectively.
Happy Anniversary Day!!!
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A few blogs back, the subject was the face cards of a deck of playing cards. That got me to thinking…. there is an old recitation “song” that was popular in the fields of both popular and country music when I was younger, called “The Deck of Cards.” 

The song relates the tale of a young American soldier that was arrested and charged with playing cards during a church service. I’m sure the lyrics are available on the Internet, but essentially the soldier’s defense is that explains how the cards relate to his religion — he went through the deck and explained how each card represented something about the bible, e.g. the six reminded him of the six days that God made the heaven and earth, the seven reminds hime that on the seventh day, God rested, etc. Anyhow, a lot things have been written about a deck of playing cards and how the cards relate to our world….
52 cards in a deck represents 52 weeks in a year
The 4 suits represents the 4 seasons
13 cards in each suit represents the 13 weeks in each season
2 red and 2 black suits represent the 4 different solstices
The 12 Royals (face cards) represent the 12 months
And some believe the 4 suits also represent the four natural elements:
Hearts = Water
Clubs = fire
Diamonds = Earth
Spades = Air

These comparisons have been going on for hundreds of years — early writings say that the suits on a deck of cards represent the four major pillars of the economy in the Middle Ages:
Hearts represented the Church, Spades represented the military, Clubs represented agriculture and Diamonds represented the merchant class.

I suppose there’s enough interesting facts about playing card to fill a book — I’m sure someone has written a book like that, but since this is just a blog, here’s a couple that I discovered while doing extensive research on the subject….
The King of Hearts is the only king without a mustache — and — pictures of early English playing cards shows the King of Hearts wielding an axe. But due to poor copying by blockmakers the axe lost its head over the years and the shaft was turned into a sword that appears to be driven into the king’s head, and earned him the nickname of “Suicide King.”

During World War II, specially-constructed decks of cards were sent to American soldiers who were being held in German prison camps. The United States Playing Card Company collaborated with the government to produce these cards. Once they became wet, they peeled apart. Inside, the prisoners found parts of maps that would lead them to freedom.

Today, Bicycle Cards are the most widely recognized decks of cards in the world and their recognizable design we just take for granted, but the evolution of a modern deck of 52 cards is a process that took place over hundreds of years.

The earliest confirmed record of playing cards was found in a manuscript written by a German monk named Johannes in 1377. Johannes was living in a Swiss monastery and wrote about the development of playing cards and the variety of card games they could be used for.So like most things, something as simple as a deck of cards has a unique, fascinating history….
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