Huh? What's Up With That?

..and words are all I have to say.. bee gee's,1978     Recently,  NPR's Morning Edition  explored Merriam-Webster's (MW) affirmation of the word, irregardless .  It seems inclusion of the word in the latest cyclopedia triggered a social media firestorm and upset some grammarians around the world.     HUH ? What's up with that? decided to look into this pseudo calamity and find out what the experts have to say about the ensuing outcry.  We also decided to check out some other word oddities .   The definition of the dreaded i word, irregular,  is...... without without regard .     Grammarian Jim Zoch says, The word has elements of the double negative at the beginning (ir) and at the end (less), a locution that goes back through Chaucer in the Middle Ages and even to the Angle-Saxon period when emphasis was achieved through building up double negatives.     That would seem to support MW's contention th...

woodcarvers have a ball....                                                          HUH ? What's up with that ? talked with several woodcarvers who belong to the Falls City Wood Carvers Guild ( FCWCG) as we explore  hobbies   and activities  to find out how POS (people over 60) spend their money, energy, and time.     Previously, you were introduced to Al, Jonie, and Milton.  Today, you will meet William, Larry, and Michael.  Each of these artists were patient in explaining their craft to a neophyte.  Questions were many, and rest assured there were times during their narrations when they must have felt they were talking to someone who didn't speak the same language.   I have been a woodworker all my life and wanted to step back from something I knew so well and take on the challeng...

carving beyond a turkey...        I took Best of Show in the State Fair with a life-size five-foot coiled Egyptian Cobra , said Al!   And , it had 3,000 scales on its body, he added.      HUH? What's up with that?    H?WUWT? is checking out activities POS (people over 60) choose to invest their time and energy.  By chance, we came upon one of the oldest practices in the world... wood-carving.   Few of us know about the art, unless you can recall scenes of Grandpa McCoy (Walter Brennan, The Real McCoys) sitting in a rocking chair dispensing wisdom while  whittling on a stick with his pocket knife as Kate and Luke ran the household (last episode aired in 1963).   Decorative wood goes back to prehistoric days when it was used for enhancing handles and tools as well as for making weapons.  In ancient Egypt, wood-carved religious figures were placed in tombs to protect the dead.  Today, those carv...

mask up, (or not) Pt. 2 in the new normal ...                               Just when you thought your wardrobe was complete for the season, a few unwanted adornments became necessary for some, but it's debatable if these accouterments enhance anyone's image.   Masks, gloves, face-shields, hand sanitizer, bleach, disinfectants, social distancing, plexiglas barriers, quarantining, outside seating only, refunds, no refunds, new normal, and cancellations. Today, these are products and concepts that play a role to some degree in all our lives.   HUH ? What''s up with that ?   In this issue of H?WUWT?  we will focus on masks and face coverings as a follow-up to the original, Mask Up , published May 15th of this year.     To wear a mask or not to wear a mask.  Indeed, the question has become a subject of discourse for many in this country. If one chooses to wear a...

it's all about attitude..             We've had real conversations, not just talking to each other .  Conversing with his wife is just one of many positives voiced by Kevin and others as we try to navigate heretofore unknown waters.      Carl told me,  One of the positives of this quarantine has been no door-to-door salesmen.      The first time humans thought diseases could be transmitted to other people was in 1348 during the  Bubonic Plague .  It was during that crises that Milan and other European cities enforced the first  social distancing  and  quarantining  of people.     According to  History.com  a document has been discovered that specifically banned ships from docking in Ragusa, Italy, if the ship originated from a country with an existing plague.  The city ordinance was dated July, 1377.    Quarantining  is almost 700...

mask up!                        Almost all great bank robbers wore masks while doing what they did best.  Somewhere in the annals of the old west, there just might be a story of Jesse James admonishing his gang as he yelled the command, Remember to put on your mask before going into the bank!   Surgeons and surgical nurses routinely wear masks while working their magic in operating rooms in every hospital around the world.   Some people who work with chemicals, such as landscape architects and lawn fertilizer companies, frequently wear a mask while applying various chemicals to your lawn.   Citizens in some Asian countries wear masks when going outdoors because pollution is so bad in their part of the world.   Sometimes, even the good guys wore a mask.  However, the real question is, if his partner wanted to conceal his identity, why didn't Tonto wear a mask too?   ...

a calling, or 2, or..   He was known as Father David to his parishioners, or Father Coons to those who didn't know him.  Today, he is called David by his friends and family, and Mr. Coons by his students.   HUH ? What's up with that ?   H?WUWT?  caught up with a man who has had several  callings in his life, and he's answered each one as only a dedicated person could do.  The first metier came when David started his career as a social studies teacher in 1978 at New Castle Chrysler High School.  At the end of that school year, a second opportunity presented itself, and this time, providence was calling.   David entered St. Meinrad Seminary to study for the priesthood.  Four years later, Father David was ordained at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.   Upon completion of his studies, Father David started his priestly duties at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Indianapolis and assisted at St. Agnes in Brow...