Braille Letter "W'

I'm learning braille and noticed the the letter 'w' doesn't have a logical dot position in relation to the other letters. Apparently the letter was added later in 1914 by Americans. Louis Braille didn't encode the letter when devising his ingenious tangible alphabet in 1821 because the letter didn't exist yet in French dictionaries!

Canary Island HIstory

Twittering little canary birds are obviously named after the Canary Islands. But the island's name came from the Latin canariae insulae which means 'islands of dogs.' Apparently the island's inhabitants all owned ginormous tail - waggers! It was originally an island famous for being full of fidos and not birds!

The Cat's Out of the Bag

 

  

In medieval England, piglets were sold in the open marketplace. The seller usually kept the pig in a bag, so it would be easier for the buyer to take it home. But shady sellers often tried to trick their buyers by putting a large cat in the bag. If a shrewd shopper looked in the bag - then the cat was literally out of the bag. That is where the expression came from!

Dog Tired

 

  

Dog tired is an old English phrase. It derives from an old tale of Alfred the Great who used to send his sons out with his extensive kennels of hunting dogs. Whichever of his sons, be it Athelbrod or Edwin, were able to catch more of the hounds would gain their father's right hand side at the dinner table that evening. These chases would leave them 'dog-tired' yet merry at their victory!

Jour des Crêpes

The Catholic holiday of Candlemas, on 2 February, is a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus. In France, this holiday is called la Chandeleur, Fête de la Lumière, or jour des crêpes.

Not only do the French eat a lot of crêpes on Chandeleur, but they also do a bit of fortune telling while making them. It is traditional to hold a coin in your writing hand and a crêpe pan in the other, and flip the crêpe into the air. If you manage to catch the crêpe in the pan, your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year!
french vintage postcard

A Bouquet of Lily of the Valley for the Ozark Madieval Fortress

I just can't stop tooting The Ozark Medieval Fortress' horn! I blogged about the ingenious project here. The stone stronghold of the past is set to open on May 1st! Here's an illustrated aerial view of this momentous undertaking.

 

I stumbled upon the little beut of a vintage postcard at an open market in Toucy, France. Isn't it just perfect for announcing the starting date of the unique medieval construction site? The scented lily of the valley is considered to bring luck! Here in France we give small bouquets of the delicate blossom to friends and family on May Day. Bonne Chance to you Ozark Medieval Fortress!

Be sure to visit the official Ozark Medieval Fortress Site at:

http://ozarkmedievalfortress.com/

ozark medieval fortress

Rainbows, Arkansas, and the Ozark Medieval Fortress

The etymology of the word 'Ozarks' is a subject of speculation. It has been suggested that it's a linguistic corruption of the French "aux arcs-en-ciel," which means "toward the rainbows" Apparently the spotting of Roy G. Biv* is quite common in the mountainous regions of Arkansas. I'll surely see one when I visit the Ozark Medieval Fortress!  

* Roy G. Biv - This stands for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. That's how I was taught to memorize the order of the colors of the rainbow in school:)

Be sure to visit the official Ozark Medieval Fortress Site at:

http://ozarkmedievalfortress.com/

french vintage postcard rainbow

The Ozark Medieval Fortress

I just scribbled the phonetically misspelled US state of Arkansas onto my bucket list! The 25th state of the union is home to the ingenious Ozark Medieval Fortress project! The rugged Proterozoic mountain range, extensive underground cave systems, world class trout fishing, sparkling lakes and streams, abundant wildlife, famous fiddlers, quilt makers, and tall tale story telling were enough to lure me to vacation in AR. But the fact that a stone medieval CASTLE using 13th century tools and techniques is being built has convinced me to hop on a plane and visit the "Natural State!" Here is a selection of the "medieval" artisans in action courtesy of the Ozark Medieval Fortress Facebook fan page.

 

The burly resident blacksmith forges every tool, nail, chain, etc. used on this astounding medieval construction site.

Each quarried stone is shaped by hand using a mallet and chisel and then put into place on the 6 foot thick castle wall.

All materials are transported via horse and cart. Isn't this image simply postcard perfect? Every imaginable task is accomplished by hand, from scratch and with passion! Historians, archaeologists, castle lovers, and laymen alike will be watching as the walls of this unique stronghold mount. I can't wait to visit! Don't hesitate to visit their informative website at: http://ozarkmedievalfortress.com.
ozark medieval fortress large letter vintage postcard curt teich

IKEA and Clumsy Omelet Chefs

I can relate with this all-thumbed, undexterous, butterfingered, maladroit, graceless girl who dropped her eggs! The card reads,"Ah! That's a funny omelet!"  I hopped over to IKEA to replace all of the glasses that I've broken lately. I decided to give a palette of 12 glasses a good home and... slip...slop... I dropped them all!

Omelet!

  This grumpy gus is collecting eggs for an omelet.When Swedes want a smile for the camera, they say "omelet," which gives a decidedly more subtle and less radiator-grill-like result than when saying "cheeeeeeese." Zut! Now I'm hungry.

french vintage postcard collecting eggs

God Save the Queen

Here's a glimpse of a London in retro postcard form to go along with these snazzy Union Jack chucks I just found online. I must have this flag footwear!

I always assumed that the name 'Union Jack' was a fond and very specific nickname for the British flag. But apparently flags have been called 'Jacks' since the late 1500's. It's was a generic term denoting any bit of cloth flying in the wind! Yep. I'll be humming 'God Save the Queen' as I strut around in these babies.