MIGRATION

The elections are over. I note the London Times Online has an article that because of space constraints is headed "Barrack Obama, America's first black...". I wonder if this is like being First Lady? Anyway, Senator Obama is now in the position to finalize his choices for the Executive Team. All sorts of rumors are flying about his choice for this post or that. The news media here in Kansas are, of course, pushing Governor Kathleen Sebelius for some important post. I like having her as Gov, though. I'd rather see her run for the Senatorial seat held by Sam Brownback two years from now.

Aside from politics, I've been noticing the neighborhood change toward winter. Yesterday robins were grouping to migrate south. I am used to seeing them in the spring, but seeing eight or ten of them in autumn is unusual for me. The starlings and grackels are flocking together, too. Their piercing calls and excited chatter can be heard for blocks. I have also been hearing blue jays shouting, "Thief! Thief!" And the water fowl are gathering on the catch pond north of Wildwood Park for their journey south.

Trees are turning color and losing their leaves. Last year we had freezing rain before the leaves dropped, so most of us couldn't get that last raking in before the snow came. This year I've told the fellow who does our lawn to wait until the maple in front is at least half through with losing leaves, at which time he can mulch the leaves that haven't blown away. Also he can winterize the mower and put it in the garden shed. Any leaves that drop after that will get a trip through the leaf blower if they don't get blown to Nebraska.

The word of the day for November 6, 2008 is "migration" — Pronunciation: \mī-'grā-shən\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural mi·grat·tions
Etymology: Latin migratus, past participle of migrare; perhaps akin to Greek ameibein to change
Date: 1697
1 : the act of moving from one country, place, or locality to another. 2 : passing usually periodically from one region or climate to another for feeding or breeding.

Our quote for the day is the adage:

Birds of a feather flock together.

;^)

ELECT

OK, all you U.S. persons—if you are registered to vote and haven't done so yet, get out to your polling place and get with the program. If you are eighteen, a U.S. citizen and not a convicted felon, you ought to have registered in time to vote. If you're all that and didn't register, those of us who did register and voted now declare that it is all your fault that they are putting us in these handbaskets on the greased rails. And don't ask me where they got the money for the baskets and rails when they can't write a bond issue that will pass to keep the schools, parks and roads up and running without leaving loopholes for graft big enough to put the circus through. Enough of that rant...

Seriously, folks, your vote counts. Just in the last election there were races that the decision was made by lot because the vote was dead even. There were other races in which voter fraud gave us "representatives" who were more interested in their own power and aggrandizement than in their constituents needs. Get out there and pull the lever, hang the chads, mark your ballot, let them know who you want to represent you or judge you or whether the bond issue is worth the pain of taxes.

The word of the day for November 4, 2008 is "elect" — Pronunciation: \i-'lekt\
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin electus
Date: 15th century
transitive verb 1 : to select by vote for an office, position, or membership [elected her class president]. 2 : to make a selection of [will elect an academic program]. 3 : to choose (as a course of action) especially by preference [might elect to sell the business].

Our quote of the day is from Robert Moses, On John V Lindsay as mayor of NYC, NY Times 8 Jan 1978:

If you elect a matinee idol mayor, you’re going to have a musical comedy administration.

;^)

COSTUME

All Saints' Day or All Hallows' Day is a rather strange attempt by the Christian Church to hijack a holiday for Christ. Most cultures celebrate their dead on a set day of the year. The Celts had several, but November 31st, being not quite equidistant between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, has always seemed a strange date even for the Celts whose calendar has a few more seasons than the Roman one.

Halloween, the night before All Hallows', has never been Christian—in spite of the Church fathers allowing their parishoners to dress as saints. This sufferance has led to the plurality of costume modes among our youth. The pagans dressed as monsters (perhaps to scare away the evil spirits) and the Christians dressed as saints (presumably in emulation of the saints' virtues.) Nowadays we have the Monster category headed by ghosts, witches, vampires and the more modern Texas Chainsaw villain and Darth Vader. Also, the Heroes (Saints) with Supergirl, Batman and Robin. Disney characters seem to have edged out the Historical category, with Pooh and Ariel, the mermaid rather than Davey Crockett and Harriet Tubman.


We had an all-time high of 65 treat bags handed out to the children. (Some years, I have handed treats to accompanying adults just to get rid of the candy.) Everyone was well-behaved: no child left without saying "thank you." I closed up just at 8:30, because treats and children came out even just as the alarm I had set for closing went off. If there had been more children on the street, I would have pulled out my reserve goodies, but the land sharks at work will get their goodies Monday.

The word of the day for November 1, 2008 is "costume" — Pronunciation: \ˈkäs-ˌtüm, -ˌtyüm also -təm or -ˌchüm\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Italian, custom, dress, from Latin consuetudin-, consuetudo custom — more at custom
Date: 1799
1: the prevailing fashion in coiffure, jewelry, and apparel of a period, country, or class. 2: an outfit worn to create the appearance characteristic of a particular period, person, place, or thing [Halloween costumes]. 3: a person's ensemble of outer garments ; especially : a woman's ensemble of dress with coat or jacket.


Our quote for today is from Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), U.S. essayist, poet, philosopher. “Demonology,” Lectures and Biographical Sketches (1883, repr. 1904):

Sleep takes off the costume of circumstance, arms us with terrible freedom, so that every will rushes to a deed.

;^)