HOLIDAY

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Happy Holidays to ALL. Whatever you are celebrating this time of year, I hope it's happy.

I went to see Lloyd this morning during a lull in the storm. The wind was still high (27 mph with gusts to 50mph), but the sleet had stopped. I gave him his presents and read our Christmas cards to him. We popped a Christmas cracker together. By the time I started home, it was snowing again.

To give Speedy something to do while Lloyd and I were exchanging good wishes and kisses, I gave him his present—a hambone. He thinks this is an excellent present. He even wanted it in the car—an unusual event. When we got home, he almost refused to give it up to take off his hoodie. As you regular readers know, he hates clothes, so you know he is really serious about this bone. All this afternoon, he has been in a quandary because I would not let him bring the bone up on my lap. Finally he opted for a snooze on my lap over munching on the bone.

The word of the day for December 24, 2009 is "holiday" —

Pronunciation: \ˈhä-lə-ˌdā, British usually ˈhä-lə-dē\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hāligdæg, from hālig holy + dæg day

Date: before 12th century

1 : holy day. 2 : a day on which one is exempt from work; specifically : a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event. 3 chiefly British : vacation —often used in the phrase on holiday —often used in plural. 4 : a period of exemption or relief [corporations enjoying a tax holiday].

Our quote today is from Charles Lamb (1775–1834), Work:

Who first invented work, and bound the free
And holiday-rejoicing spirit down
To that dry drudgery at the desk’s dead wood?
Sabbathless Satan!

;^)

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APERTURE

The living room windows were two double hung on either side of a picture window; now they are two sliders and a picture window.
The two front bedrooms are still double-hung, but without the divided panes.

The master bedroom had two double-hung windows that were replaced by sliders.

The kitchen window now has a crank-out window that I can open instead of the double-hung that called for balancing on the kitchen sink.

Also, the patio door was replaced with one that has a keyed lock.

"Renewal by Andersen. We love our new windows" goes the catchy Southard Corporation jingle. Those of you who know me well know that I tend to take advertising with a large grain of salt. Yet, from my initial inquiry through the finished installation, I have been favorably impressed with the workmanship and professionalism of the Southard Corporation employees and the quality of the Anderson products.

Yesterday I received the survey from Renewal by Andersen concerning the replacement windows that were put in last month. The Southard Corporation replaced all five windows and the patio door. They now are all double paned—filled with insulating gasses. I purposely avoided the triple panes because of the extra weight. These new ones can all be washed from the inside; except for the patio doors and the stationary picture window, they all tilt or can be lifted inside—by me if necessary.

Now I must consider new draperies for all of the windows. I just ordered some woven wood panels for the patio door, to which I will add some sort of valence once installed. I've had the same drapes in the bedrooms for nearly thirty years, so I'm thinking about possibilities for them as well.

Our word of the day for December 6, 2009 is "aperture" — Pronunciation: \'ap-ə(r)-,chu̇r, -chər, -,tyu̇r, -,tu̇r\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin apertura, from apertus, past participle of aperire to open
Date: 15th century
1 : an opening or open space : hole. 2 a : the opening in a photographic lens that admits the light. b : the diameter of the stop in an optical system that determines the diameter of the bundle of rays traversing the instrument. c : the diameter of the objective lens or mirror of a telescope.

Our quote for the day is from Alessandro Manzoni (1785–1873), I Promessi Sposi, The Harvard Classics. 1909–14:

The poor man wandered from room to room, pale and almost breathless with terror, striking his hands together, commending himself to God, and imploring his servants to stand firm, and find him some way of making his escape. But how, and where? He ascended to the garret, and there, through an aperture between the ceiling and the tiles, looked anxiously into the street, and saw it swarming with the enraged populace; more terrified than ever, he then withdrew to seek the most secure and secret hiding-place he could find.

;^)
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