2013-1129 Letter - Thanksgiving

Dear All –

Happy Thanksgiving!

As discussed in the Friday group, the first Thanksgiving took place in 1621 when the Pilgrims celebrated and gave thanks for an excellent crop which was a silver lining in the hardships and privations they had experienced in this new land.   Now, as they were enjoying their new religious freedom which they had traveled so far to obtain, they felt that God had richly blessed them and so wanted to express their gratitude. 

Continuing this spirit of gratitude, Thanksgiving is now celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November.  Family and friends gather together to share in a feast and to remember and give thanks for the many blessings that they have experienced and continue to enjoy. 

There is an iconic painting which captures the essence of Thanksgiving.  It is called Freedom From Want and was one of a series of four oil paintings produced in 1943 by the American artist Norman Rockwell.   

When we look at this picture, we see a happy extended family all gathered together around the dinner table in expectation of a wonderful feast.  The proud grandparents  stand at the head of the table.  Grandfather, as head of the family and dressed in his Sunday best, stands ready to carve the turkey which traditionally is his ritual function.  Grandmother, as chef de cuisine, has worked lovingly for hours creating the wonderful dishes to be served and she now proudly brings out the golden-brown turkey, done to perfection, from her busy kitchen.  Later, to conclude the meal, she’ll plate and serve her award-winning apple pie which will knock their socks off.

Seated at the table are the couple’s children, grandchildren, siblings and friends; all engaged in lighthearted conversation and enjoying the festive atmosphere.  Note that on this occasion, the best china is used as well as the best silverware and polished silver serving pieces.  These items are normally stored and only brought out for special celebrations.

As a side note, notice that the great happiness shown in this ideal situation is not marred by the intrusion of a noisy television set or those ubiquitous, disruptive cell phones.  The focus is on the family.

Wishing you all the blessings of the season,

Kevin

Reminder:  If you are unsure about the meaning of the idioms used in this message, please refer to "Idioms, Figures of Speech, and Proverbs" posted in August.  An alternative is to look at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com

2013-1122 Letter - Appropriate Idioms

Hi All –

How many of you have wondered to yourselves, “I sure wish I knew when it was appropriate to use idioms,” but were at a loss to find an answer?  Native English speakers sprinkle them liberally into their conversations with friends and co-workers.  People who they know and with whom they have an existing relationship.  If you are meeting someone for the first time or know them only slightly, then put a lid on the idioms. 

Example:  You are meeting Mrs. Jones, your boss’ wife for the first time at a dinner party which she is hosting. 

Correct:  “Hello Mrs. Jones.  It is a pleasure to meet you.  Thank you so much for inviting us to your lovely home.  That is an exquisite painting and it goes so perfectly in this room.  What can you tell me about it?”

Incorrect:  “Howdy!  So you’re the boss’ ball and chain.  How long have you two been hitched?  Say, you’ve got some nice digs here! And that painting is the bee’s knees! So, what’s the scoop on it anyway? “

So . . . when is it appropriate to use idioms in your writing?  Well, as a rule of thumb you can certainly use idioms when you are writing in an informal manner, such as a personal letter to a friend, a fictional conversation in a short story or novel or even a blog entry.  In more formal circumstances, however, idioms should be avoided.  Examples of formal writing are obituaries, cover letters written to a prospective employer, doctoral theses, letters to politicians, scholastic essays and the like.

Here is a link which explains the subject far better than I have:

See https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/608/

Have a great week!

Kevin

Reminder:  If you are unsure about the meaning of the idioms used in this message, please refer to "Idioms, Figures of Speech, and Proverbs" posted in August.  An alternative is to look at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com

2013-1115 Letter - St. Francis Retreat Center

Hi All –

My wife and I were able to spend a few days this past week at the St. Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista.  Kathleen organizes quilting retreats every year at this center and it is an event that everybody looks forward to.  So each year, we lug our sewing machines and associated go-withs, current sewing projects, old unfinished projects (called UFOs –unfinished objects), and luggage to the center and hole up for a few days.  We have fun working together in a spacious, well-lit room which is adjacent to the dining facility.  The sleeping rooms are close by as well.  Behind the Center are hills with walking trails – perfect for a bit of exercise and contemplation. 

Here are some pictures of our work area: 

Portable design walls are used to arrange the works in progress – here we see different fabrics being auditioned for the flower centers.  

This is one of the projects I made.  A tote bag for a friend. 

Close by the building is a large pond area where you can sit and watch the wildlife. 

I took this picture (one of many) along the trail when I was hiking.  The path beckons.  What is around the next bend?  

I liked this tree as well.  This would make a great climbing tree for children or adults who refuse to grow up.  

At the end of each day, a wonderful chef-prepared meal was served.  All of our meals were excellent!  We did not have to cook or clean up either!  At this meal, we are enjoying crab cakes, rice pilaf, butternut squash soup, focaccia bread and a fresh salad.   Dessert was cheesecake!  

Cheers!

Kevin

2013-1108 Letter - Potluck

Dear All –

Hopefully you were one of the lucky people able to partake of Friday’s potluck at the Community Center. It was a wonderful time of socializing and sharing. So many people provided special and delicious dishes for all to try. 

Many thanks to Wen-ying and Sharon, the Cupertino Library Adult Services and the Friends of the Cupertino Library for making this happen!

All in all it was a wonderful experience, however, I feel that I must point out one slight deficiency in the proceedings.  Let’s face it, the plates were just too small to hold everything.  If I am going to make a pig of myself, I need a much larger plate so that I can pile it high with portions of everything provided.  At a potluck like this, my eyes are bigger than my stomach so I want to take a bit of this, a bit of that, and oh yes, some of that delicious-looking food over there.

Imagine my consternation when I realize that my plate is already overloaded and there, right in front of me, is the most succulent and tempting dish.  At this point, I then have to quickly do some mental arithmetic as follows:  I gaze longingly at the amount of the desired dish remaining, calculate how many people that might feed based on gender (men take more), estimate how many men and women are behind me in line, and apply the methods of statistical analysis to determine what percentage of those people behind me will actually take some of this dish.  What I am trying to determine is whether I can go to my table and bolt down the food I already have and then rush back for this dish or kiss it goodbye forever.  For a fleeting moment, the little devil inside my head suggests that I write a note by this dish saying something like “Warning:  this dish guaranteed to make you fat.  Also contains everything you are allergic to.”  This would increase the odds that there would be some left over for me.  But of course, that would be unethical.  So you see, the small size of the plates leads to ethical quandaries.  Better to have bigger plates and be free of temptation.  ^-^

I am happy to say, though, that, being a resourceful lad, I was able to be a glutton during Friday’s potluck.  As I say every day, I can always start my diet tomorrow.

Have a great week everyone!

Kevin

2013-1101 Letter - Food Idioms

Hi All –

The question came up in our group as to which greeting is more polite, “Hello” or “Hi.”  The person who asked this question had been told by a teacher that “Hello” shows more respect and therefore, if one of her students encountered her outside the classroom, it would be best to say “Hello.” 

A cursory glance at the beginning of most of my postings reveals that I usually say “Hi All” instead of “Hello All.”  This doesn’t mean that I am disrespecting anybody – well, except for that guy sitting over there in the corner – but merely means that In My Humble Opinion (IMHO), either greeting works. 

From that conundrum we moved on to a moving story replete with food idioms.  This tearjerker told the story of poor Mrs. Havenaught, a young widow still in her salad days with a babe in arms who was sweet-talked into buying a lemon of a used car by a well-seasoned salesperson, Simone Legreedy, who, cool as a cucumber,  used honeyed words to win Mrs. Havenaught over .   Just to look at Simone, you would think that butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth but, in fact, she was a bad apple who was rotten to the core.  She was definitely full of beans and consumers would be wise to take her advice with a grain of salt.

Mrs. Havenaught’s couch potato husband had recently kicked the bucket and left her to bring home the bacon, and, being a good egg but knowing next to nothing about buying a car, she was fruitlessly trying to compare apples and oranges. Well, she decided to put all her eggs in one basket and buy the whole enchilada.  So she pulled out her life savings of $300 and then plunked it down, cash on the barrelhead.  At that point, the deed was done and the fat was in the fire.  She didn’t know it but she had gone from the frying pan into the fire.  Starting the car was as easy as apple pie, so far so good, but then the brakes went south and BAM! she plowed into a Cadillac!

Fortunately, nobody was injured but Mrs. Havenaught had to fork over another two grand to the owner of the Cadillac – this is why you have to have car insurance, kiddies! Then her good friend, Nina, the cream of the crop as far as I’m concerned, came along to talk turkey.  They chewed the fat awhile and then Nina made the problem go away by having the car towed to the garbage dump. 

There’s definitely food for thought in this story.  Just because you acquire a taste for a new car, don’t assume that your salesperson is on the up and up.  Remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Take care,

Kevin

Reminder:  If you are unsure about the meaning of the idioms used in this message, please refer to "Idioms, Figures of Speech, and Proverbs" posted in August.  An alternative is to look at http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com