158- "YOU'RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH"......

Most of us grew up with Dr. Seuss, but do you remember this song?

"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
You really are a heel.
You're as cuddly as a cactus,
You're as charming as an eel.
Mr. Grinch.

"...Given the choice between the two of you
I'd take the seasick crockodile....

"The three words that best dscribe you,
are, and I quote: 'Stink. Stank. Stunk....'

"You're a three decker saukraut and toadstool
sandwich
With arsenc sauce...."

(Got to, over Christmas, see a neat take on the history of the Grinch's creation, including the guy who sings my fave and only version of the Mr. Grinch song in the film. Yeah, little thrills often come in small packages!)

(Copyright 1957, Dr. Seuss)

157- ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM!......?

At one time this English-speaking word was touted as the longest one in our language, with 28 letters and 12 syllables. This word became popular when it was used in a national spelling bee. For some unknown reason, this sociologist, as a youngster, memorized it!...even now!
There are longer words that have been coined JUST to be longer but wordsmiths don't recognize them as official. SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS was coined, by the way, for a song in Mary Poppins! And I feel like everyone of you can say or sing it...right?
BUT, "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicolcaniosis" is considered by the Guinness Book as the longest for 2007 (a lung medical term).
The word in the title, by the way, comes from the 19th century and deals with a group opposed to removing the Church of England as the state church.
As for me, and probably most of you? We simply are attached to that Mary Poppins song!
That, my readers, makes a "social commentary" neat! Yes, go ahead at this very moment and ring out with "supercalifragilisticeexpialidocious", no mater where you are and what you are doing. Live excitingly, boldly and originally!!!!!!

156- THANKSGIVING TRIVIA.....

A- During the 1950s, a brand name was being created for selling a certain kind of meat to Americans but did not want a name that would be offensive. So, what was the brand name created that now is a household name? _('Butterball')
B- Why did the Colonel change the name of his restaurants to simply KFC? (To "hide" the FRIED word!)
C- OK, what is the scientific wiggle thang hanging down from a male turkey's nose?_(snood)
D- True or False...Ben Franklin was pressing for the American wild turkey to be offically named our American bird, instead of the American bald eagle? (Quite true!)
E- False or True...the domesticated white turkey is so dumb that if it looks up during a rainstorm, it may drown? -(My maternal grandfather, farmer, raised them...and said they were dumber than______!
F- True or untrue...our fave New England cranberries were named because they looked like CRANES on the plant?_(True)
G- Are sweet potatoes or regular Irish potatoes your fave veggie next to the turkey on a Thanskgiving table?__
H- Are cranberries really grown in the water?_(NO!!!...easier to handle after they're submerged in the bogs...they float.)
I- Should you check the list of ingredients on the back or side of a container of cranberry juice? (YES, especially the % of SUGAR and WATER!!!)
J- What exactly does the term "cranberry cocktail' mean? (Means liquids are the primary base...water?...not much cranberry jucice.)
K- Ever tried the "new" FAD of submerged whole turkey frying?__Like the results?__
L- Stuffing or dressing?___
M-

155- AND WHO DO I MOST WANT TO THANK THIS THANKSGIVING?.....

..............................my father! He was an extremely hardworking person who had little formal education (who cares) but, on his salary as a skilled craftsman, a tailor, he managed to build and pay for his first and only home, always have an auto and expect us to be as conscientious as he was. He even cooked the Thanksgiving meal every year, using much of it from his three gardens and small orchard. Did I mention his beehives? He liked getting away from the public, and everybody, by driving out to his camp that he built in the mountains. He was my hero, even though he never understood my creativity, questionig authority and neverending search to learn more....he's no longer here.

154- THE WORLD'S MOST FASCINATING HISTORY MYSTERIES #4.....The PERUVIAN NAZCA LINES!.....

The world didn't know about the amazing Nazca lines across the Nazca Desert in Peru until airplane pilots began to converse, while they were up high in the sky, about the mysterious figures stretching between the towns of Palpa and Nazca. We now know that hundreds of individual figures depict stylized monkeys, fish, spiders, lizards, orca whales and especially the huge hummer---hummingbirds!
BUT, as a Socratic educator, and if you wanna learn more, you'll have to google, wikipedia and/or Swem or your nearest public library to add more to YOUR curiosity...the pics ARE worth it, guys!

153- THE COLLEGE Of WILLIAM And MARY WALKABOUT!...DISCOVERING THE UNIQUE NATURAL HISTORY OF AMERICA'S 2ND OLDEST UNIVERSITY!....

(Copyright - (c) ron squire steffey, 12/25/2007): SECRETS: How to discover, adventuring, over ten (1) miles of trails throughout 1,200 acres of mostly woodland...how Patrick Henry was connected to the Sunken Garden?...the deer that live waaaaay back in the trail area near Mill Neck Road! Right in the middle of Williamsburg, an urban area, is this 1,200 acre oasis of woodlands, small streams and a Lake Matoaka. At one time, there was a rumor going around, some time ago, that a chunk of that acreage should be sold off...the College said NO!

a- The PLAYERS DELL! - the natural amphitheatre, surrounded by woods, was dedicated in 1934...and not longer exists. Solving the mystery has taken me some extra researching, but it's location has been uncovered! Take a walk around behind Landrum Hall and look up. Noticed the very tall line of pine trees, then look more closely. The trees form a close path behind the dorms there, headed towards Landrum Road...and stop at the road! The neat Players Dell was just across Landrum Road. A forest began there and all the way over to lake Matoaka. Today, it's clear, except to near Jamestown Rd. The tall pines path is still there!
Landrum Road curved around in front of Landrum Hall and in front of the now Crim Dell pond! NO other roads past there or any of the buildings around Swem! The Players Dell had simple 'log' seats and, for years, was home to many quality outdoor productions of all kinds. I have yet to uncover when it was taken apart, ceased to function as a viable Campus asset.

b- SQUIRREL POINT! It's the point in Lake Matoaka directly across from the amphitheatre. If you stand down at the Lake behind the new stage cover roof, and look across, you can see the Point and the early steps leading to the water. When The Common Glory and The Founders was staged at the theatre back in the 1950s to early '70s, those steps were used in the plays! You CAN get to the Point, no boat, by taking the second trail on Compton Drive behind our new Rec Center. Follow that second trail to the first left trail...go a few minutess and take the second left trail, which takes you directly to Squirrel's Point!...the end of that trail. Soooo worth the walk through the College Woods!

c- Finding the "BEWARE" sign on Campus! Walk to the far end of our Sunken Garden, opposite the Wren. Climb the low curving railing on the McClothlin-Street Hall side of the Sunken Garden and bear to the left, slightly, to see the bamboo growing down the incline. You'll see a tree there with a rustic small sign that says "BEWARE". Still trying to uncover why it's there, for some time!...and by whom?

d- The rustic sign behind Ewell Hall and Jefferson Hall and is in the middle of a huge, spreading tree. That unusually shaped tree was, for the first time in years, trimmed of the branches that created a canopy over the fat limbs low to the ground. If you move right up close to the main perpendicular trunk, now, adjust your eyes and locate the tiny sign nailed to the trunk. Someone has printed over the old note, now...last spring it 'said' that the spot was a drinking place. Now...well, you can take a walkabout Campus and read for yourself.

e- There was a COLLEGE FARM...have seen pics of it. The College Farm was along Jamestown Road, open and cultivated, from Barrett. The rest of the are was forested on Jamestown Road to Lake Matoaka. All of the open space that you now see on Ukrop's Way, W&M Hall, dorms, new Rec Center and even Compton Road were...woods! Fresh veggies were supplied by the Farm!

f- The Jamestown Road PEDESTRIAN TUNNEL is still there but sealed. At times, would partially fill with runoff water. Did, for a time, provide a way to go from the old Campus (Wren) to the original Campus Center. Trinkle Hall, older, was connected to the Center. And the Center's original name was---THE WIGWAM. Check out the old Campus Center's bathrooms....1960s vintage!

g- The College of William and Mary IS a UNIVERSITY! "College" is kept for tradition!

h- The cute, lonely little BRONZE DUCK on Campus? Walk to the now closed road at Crim Dell. Look over to Wildflower Refuge sign...the wooden platform for classes or meetings...then just slightly to the left of those in the leaves by the walk...look carefully, especially now with the leaves. Don't give up until you scratch around to locate that widdle duck...and read why it's there...'K?

i- The small sanctuary GARDEN at the end of the Sorority houses at "College Corner" (Richmond, Boundary and Jamestown)! Take a few minutes, I hope, to uncover what's there...tiny pool and sprite...flowers...paths...and don't forget to go around the front of the fence to check out the two markers. Forgot, there's one marker (plaque) inside the garden!

j- The OLD WOODEN GAZEBO on the hillside in the Wildflower Refuge! You need to see this one, really. It's a 'relic' from way back and in poor shape. Walk down to the road at dam end of the Crim Dell pond. Find the bronze WILDFLOWER REFUGE sign. Take the 'new' brick walkway on the opposite side of TINKLING RILL (REAL stream name) from the Refuge sign. Walk a minute into the woods ravine, until you see the original trail on your left, going up into the woods. It's an OLD trail with an iron rim, both side, marking the trail. That very old trail will take you up on the hillside in the woods! Within a minute or three, you'll see, up high, the NEAT wooden gazebo in the middle of the woods!! Two benches...sit a spell...meditate...relax...take a friend and chat. Up there on the hillside, you'll see the steep walkway taking you back down to Tinkling Rill (rill is a very small stream) and the newer brick walkway. Add some ADVENTURE outdoors to your busy university life...please! This has to be my current pick for "NEAT" spot on Campus.

k-Hmmmm...betcha didn't know about the old '6os(?) truck ruins along one of the Campus Woods trails? Now you will, BUT, you're going to have to learn about the importance of ADVENTURES in YOUR life! Suggest you locate one of my "the Squire's Way" blogs (on this site) on ADVENTURES. Ready? The old truck ruins, I think, were left by the Navy, and I have not uncovered why. Parts of it are scattered around the ruins by the trail, and every year or so are painted with grafitti. How to find it? Bestest way is to go to the intersection of Monticello Avenue and Ironbound Road and park in one of the lots there. Walk, safely, back across the interesection down Monticello, towards W&M, for just a minute or three. You WILL see the prounced W&M Woods trail at that time. Great W&M hiking trail. In just a few minutes, from that intersection, there it is!...the truck ruins smack dab in the Woods. If you were to proceed farther along that trail, it would take you, keeping left, to Compton and behind the W&M Rec Center! Go for it....

l- CRIM DELL! Our College of William and Mary not only has one but two unique physical places that set if off nationally as a campus with top notch assets...the other one is our Sunken Garden. There was a pond, where it is now, that had fallen into disrepair and for years. In my opinion, and many others, W&M PRES. DAVIS PASCHALL was a true visionary. He could "see" what was needed for the Campus to evolve into a quality natural campus setting, as opposed to rows of buildings with classrooms.
And he went after it, with the help of so many. "...that one may walk in beauty, discover the serenity of the quiet moment, and despel the shadows." He said that on May 7, 1966 at the dedication of Crim Dell on Parents Day. Crim Dell, as we know it today, was created in memory of JOHN W. CRIM, a distinguished alumnus of the Class of 1901.
The inclose trails are still visible today, marked by metal strips enclosing the trail. Please, take the time to explore around the pond (small lake), all the way around it! Finally, the vegetation has been trimmed! In the small meadow near the end of the Sunken Garden, you'll discover the "Spring" bronze figures lazing on the woodland floor. (More later). Most adventurers miss the close and nearby bamboo and woods trails in and around that small meadow on the hillside. In there is that earlier mention "BEWARE" sign tacked on a tree. And the outdoor artwork? At one end of the pond, in the water, are the bronze figures of a heron, wren and turtle! (More later). Did you see the two HUGE redwoods by the coed and collegian, "Spring"? There are two benches under the redwoods in that small meadow at the edge of Crim Dell to sit and meditate, chat or close your eyes and listen to a vibrant, alive campus all around you, no matter the season!

m- "SPRING"...the coed and the collegian in the little meadow between the far end of the Sunken Garden and Crim Dell woods! Nearby, are two of the campus HUGE redwoods. The two statues were dedicated in 1979. They both seem soooo real. PLEASE take some time and walk over and examine, closely, the many fine details. His watch, time...her hair...the top book is missing from the pile. Not sure how and when. But, the biggest "crime" occured when a pissant/s knocked off the top of her love letter. It was found nearby after it occurred and reattached. A pissant/s knocked it off again and took it, for good...notice that the love letter she is reading is incomplete. There is an exact copy on another campus, and someone helped me find the complete love contents (will be shared soon).

n- Walking across the crosswalks on Jamestown Road and Richmod Road! PLEASE help this alum start a revolution at these two locations! Most of you know that there is a local city ordinance (law) giving crossers THE rightaway WHEN IN the crosswalk. For years, there has been friction between, enough, townspeople and students. I have been both and understand both sides. And this guy has, for years, been concerned with how to solve the contention every year...for years! The solution, I believe, is a simple one for both drivers and crossing students. And it involves a simple, respectful wave of a hand, signifying "thank you" as a student walks across and even a tiny smile or appreciation of thanks for stopping! For the drivers in return? Likewise, a simple wave of thanks and appreciation for your kind gesture. It would even hep to actually look at a driver's eyes, too. Start a revolution at those two brief encounters between local drivers and W&M students. Being on the local side, townies at times feel that students have their noses stuck up...perception? I honestly practice this simple consideration both ways...when I'm walking on Campus, often with my Nikons, I now have a small wave and mouth a "thank you" to drivers as I cross! As a driver, I really pay attention and watch way ahead for students ready to use the crosswalks! START A REVOLUTION by influencing others to held...thanks, guys...squire.

o- MATOAKA TRAIL walkabout! Take an afternoon, or morning, one weekend and, with a friend or friends, take a walkabout on OUR Campus. The Matoaka Trail is sorta short. Can start right behind the Rec Center and walk along the edge of much of Lake Matoaka, with spots there to exercise. That trail curves in and back along the lay of the Lake. Can see, above, the back of the soccor field. Will discover many unique tree root formations and a few primitive bridges. Neat views of the Lake tributaries, too. Trail takes you right past the Keck Field Lab, but keep going on past it on the trail and eventually out behind Dupont Hall. You could go in reverse and begin behind Dupont and come out behind the Rec Center beside Compton. Matoaka Trail is about a mile and a half.....more trails coming! Remember, there are over ten (10) miles of trails on our 1,200 acre Campus!

p- "AFRICA"...the ceramic wall mosaic large piece of artwork on the Campus appeared, for some time, to be have been forgotten over the years but no longer! Plantings around the art prize have been trimmed. You can discover the wall mosiac around back, and down, from the Campus Center on Jamestown Road. A ceramics class chose, as their class project, to design and "fire" large mosaics of Africa. Each student had a portion to design and create. It's outstounding! Across from the Ceramics Studio is the children's school. Little secret? Look up to the left...the individual students signed their creation for posterity...another original asset on the Campus of the College of William and Mary. This is probably my #2 "NEAT" spot, currently, on our Campus.

q- Our SUNKEN GARDEN!...check out the marker at the top of the steps going down into the Garden!...please read the marker about Patrick Henry. Young Henry helped to train W&M students when the Garden was a field, to march to Yorktown in 1981 to meet Gen. Washinton to do battle with the British Gen. Cornwallis. A visionary Pres. made sure that the huge field right in the middle of the Campus would be forever a vista, without buildings being "seen"....

r- DEER...and the 10+ miles of trails in our College Woods. There is one MAIN and LONG trail from Compton Rd. (next to the Rec Center) over and through the woods to Mill Neck Road near Jamestown Rd. Keep straight on it! Several trails branch off. Over the years, people have actually "dug" new trails for variety and shortcuts, BUT can see which one is THE old main trail. it goes on for at least 5 miles! About halfway, the trail heads down through a low area with a marshy stretch, small stream and then heads back up a steep section of trail. Last time there, I came upon two does drinking...sunlight was right on them! Past the steep area you will come on to heavily eroded sections! In that area closer to Mill Neck, and right before you go up to the flat area that levels off into Mill Neck Road, is a neat tiny pond, with a tiny island and tree in the middle of it!...large stag bounded away from it!

s- Upstairs on the 3rd floor of the SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN BLDG. was my sanctuary. To get away from the madding crowd, I used to take my bookpack and slip up there and crawl into one of those deep window wells overlooking the Sunken Garden to study and write. It was my "thinkin' sanctuary." The earlier original Wren was THE only building for classes and dining back in the later 1700s. Thomas Jefferson lived, studied and dined there! Shhhh...while up there studying in a window well, I could look down and "smile" at the TOURISTS.

t- Our LORD BOTETOURT Statue.... Even though Norborne Berkeley, Lord Botetourt, serve only two years as our Governor, but was quite popular at the College and in town. A statue was ordered and placed at the old Capitol from 1699 to 1780. For protection during the Revolutionary War, Gov. Jefferson had it moved to Richmond for security reasons. In 1801 W&M purchased the statue and moved it back to the Campus and in front of the Sir Christopher Wren College Yard. During the Civil War, it was moved again, for protection from the Union soldiers, to the Public Asylum (Easter State Hospital) for more protection! In 1958 Lord Botetourt was removed from the yard, elements, and boarded up, until 1966 and exhibited in the Botetourt Gallery, where it now, the original statue, proudly on display deep inside Swem.
The one you see, now, is a bronze copy by W&M alumnusm Gordon Kray, and was displayed in 1993 at the 300th Tercentenary anniversity. PLEASE go on an adventure to the center of Swem to see the original statue...parts missing.
The bronze statued of Botetourt in the College Yar is today the scene of periodical "events", like GOLD and GREEN balloons mysteriously appearing overnight...and College jam sessions, meals. W&M has unique traditions connected with the Statute...dressing "it" up and hanging wreaths on his outstretched hands. Recently, I photographed a small cup of flowers poised on the edge of his gown. This alum has photographed many scenes of the popular Virginia royal governor. My faves are always when it SNOWS!!...whenever we're lucky enough!...squire

u- The YULE LOG Ceremony!...Saturday evening at 6pm...December 13th...a bit of history mixed with W&M's tradition of bringing in the Yule Log and tossing in a sprig of holly, symbolically cleansing the upcoming year of those nasty worries and troubles! Hot spiced cider and sugar cookies will be out and about for all, beneath the Wren Courtyard's cressets spewing and popping over the wind, with pure fun for all! Maybe, just maybe, that rotund jolly guy will stop by...maybe Mr. Stenk/Stank/Stunk Grinch will sneak into the ceremony to steal something?

v- Still believe, as I stated in a much earlier blog, that it could be possible that our Lake Matoaka, with its many banks and tributaries (fingers) out and about the College Woods, just could be the home of a...a creature, an urban legend, that lives in the dark waters of our Lake! i named the possible Lake Matoaka creature...'POKA'....and first introduced this theory some time ago before anyone else had ever thought of it! Please refer back to 'POKA' in my Blog #35. Discovered that someone recently, in a blog, picked up on my W&M urban legend theory and mentioned it. Am glad that others are beginning to discover and believe that something does possibly exist in the many FINGERS of our Lake Matoaka. Is it a form of "flattery" when one copies another's ideas?

w- ANCIENT SHELLS! On my last exploratory hike on the loooong College Woods trail, where I saw the deer in a pasture-like area at the bottom of a steep segment of the trail to the Jamestown Rd. area, I picked up some shells exposed by the eroded trail. Plan to go back to poke around for some more in better shape. And also plan to ask a prof for an ID.

x- JOSEPH SHELTON WATSON...1801 W&M grad. A series of William and Mary Campus indepth essays on trails, outdoors artworks and neat Campus places was published in the local Virginia Gazette. Virginia Gazette, America's oldest newspaper, published my watercolor of the Watson hot-air balloon and a brief. One essay was an indepth research on the trails around Crim Dell. The Toano-Norge Times published my research on Joseph Shelton Watson last summer and a pictorial essay on the outdoor artworks of our Campus. But the one that introduced my fave subject, our 1801 grad Joseph Shelton Watson, was that essay in TNT that you need to read and is online. My research on this W&M grad was in progress for over a year, taking me to Louisa County, his home, and the Va. Historical Society in Richmond. Please walk, at least, over to the intersection, on the W&M Campus, at Richmond Rd. and Scotland Street. You'll discover a Virginia Marker briefly describing W&M grad Joseph Shelton Watson's "Virginia's First hot-air Balloon Flight" story!

aa- The Flower Gardens out and about the W&M Campus: in the tiny W&M sign spot where Jamestown Rd. meets Boundary...along the front of the Commons Dining Hall, across from W&M Hall...garden in front of Swem Library, surrounding the ancient sundial...along the slight hill rise in front of the Alumni House! Well, State budget cuts will curtail these fabulous flower gardens considerably that we've grown accustomed to this coming spring and summer!!! Private funds, that's you, Alumni, townfolk and students, will be needed...soon!

bb- The College Farm...visualize, please, along Jamestown Rd., from across Landrum at Barrett Hall, towards the new Mason School. That front portion along Jamestown was College Farm...vast woods was behind where Swem is today, over to Lake Matoaka.

cc- Thomas Jefferson slept here!......
Our 3rd U.S. President graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1762, completing all studies in two years. Remember, degrees were quite different from then to now. He lived, studied and took his meals all in the original Wren. One revealing comment that I uncovered once hinted that he didn't think much of the town in front of the College and didn't spend time out and about there...except for a tavern or so. However...he must have listened, intently, and even participate in the always lively confab by the local thinkers of the day, including someone by the name of...Patrick Henry. Young Thomas, later in life, also had to have been influenced by and with his young friends at the College, to understand his vast knowledge and writings later. Those early friends remained so into his adult life.
My readings, studies, centered around Jefferson, have personally grown by volumes over the years. This historian and author feels that I have a good grasp, 360-degrees, with this 18th century American icon.

dd- Ice House Cove!...begins at Lake Matoaka and goes, as a cove, into the College Woods by the Lake Matoaka Art Studio. Small rill behind the Garage and Adair Hall (pool) The tiny rill (stream) actually comes from the Crim Dell "dam" down to the Wildflower Refuge (sign) and along the ravine into the ice House Cove. Another good opportunity for you to go on a walkabout on Campus...an adventure! Oh, history says that there was an ice house up in that cove. That's all I've been able to uncover...not details, yet.

ee- The WOODEN STRUCTURES outside beside our Phi Beta Kappa Hall. The Architectural Design studio students, under the direction of Prof Ed Pease, hold an in-class competition for the students of his classes to design wooden structures in response to a problem statement. The students vote on a winner, and, as a class, actually build the winning scheme on their last day of the semester. (They're gone, now!)

ff- A short walkabout! Walk across Compton, backside, and head for just a minute towards Monticello. Look, across from back of new Rec Center and notice the first of two separate trails that go up the hill in the woods. Both will come out on a dead-end street taking you to Richmond Road, near the Williamsburg Shopping Cener (Bloom). If you visualize in your mind, through the woods beside our new Rec Center, and Compton (goes to Monticello), the huge new Dept. of Education Bldg. is being built off Monticello closer to Wmsbg. Shopping Center/Richmond Rd. I asked this spring if a trail could cut through the woods, on that small hill, paralleling Compton Road (shortcut) from Campus to the Dept. of Ed. bldg. Problem? Marsh and small creek around the bottom of the hill there, necessitating a long foot bridge over it. When you're at the new Ed. bldg., looking down the hill, you don't notice the marsh!
The woodland bridge would make a neat campus addition. Anyone want to donate some $$$$? Anyway, here's another campus adventure for you and some friends to explore with a WALKABOUT! I've given you plenty of walkabout adventures here to explore our campus. Never...say you are bored in our 'burg!

gg-

152- "THE WIZARD of OZ"...We're Off To See The Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard Of OZ.....".....

Trivia:

a- The doggie's name? (Toto) b- What State? (Kansas) c- Dorothy's last name? (Gale)
d- Color of Dorothy's magic shoes? (ruby red) e- Color of brick road (Yellow)
f- The aunt's name? (Em) g-Times she clicked her heels? (Three) h- What did she say at the end of the 1939 film? ("There's no place like home...there's no place like home....")
h-The uncle's name? (Uncle Henry) i- Name of the good witch? (Glinda the Good Witch of the North!) j- The Wicked Witch was from...? (the West) k-And the Wicked Witch of the East....
j- As a sociologists, can you figure out WHY American society, for decades, has been attached to this classic film...really, why?
l- BUT BEST of all?...can YOU sing the Oz song right now? Think you're too sophisticated to do it?

151- THE BROTHERS GRIMM:...NAME THE SEVEN DWARFS...CAN YOU?.....

Can you name all seven dwarfs given by the Brothers Grimm, without peeking?
Boo...hiss to moi! Was a Socratic poser. The Brothers Grimm collected German folklore, tales, around 1807. They didn't write them. The original 'Snow White' story had no names for the dwarfs. Walt Disney's creative production crew, in 1937, created the seven names for their first full-length motion picture!
*Sneezy!
*Dopey!
*Bashful!
*...and who was "this" one????? (________)
*Happy!
*Doc!
*Grumpy!
THE Disney classic, I believe, has nearly 100% of all Americans in our society who LIKE the film. Ask anyone, too, which one of the dwarfs is their fave...well, do you...have a fave? (______)
It's OK to write right here on the screen your fave!

150- PONDERABLE: "IGNORANCE Is The REAL ENEMY Of Our AMERICAN SOCIETY!"......

Go figure....I call it "lemmings rushing to the sea, without thinking for themselves, following the others in a mass rush to the....sea!"

149- THOUGHT For The WEEKEND: "YOU CANNOT HEAR A SMILE!".....

A SMILE is shared silently and, I believe, often more meaningful and sincere than a verbal 'compliment.' A smile, yes, just doesn't lie or deceive! If someone appreciates or likes another or an event, a smile tells! Again, think about it...a smile has mucho trouble deceiving. If someone doesn't appreciate or like one, a SMILE cannot be squeezed out, faked!....but you already know that, don't you? By the way, observe a widdle child...when they smile, it is a genuine appreciation of 'like' for something or somebody...right? And when they don't like something or somebody? Can they force a smile? I rest my case....

148- THE WORLD'S MOST FASCINATING HISTORY MYSTERIES #3...THE TERRA-COTTA CHINESE WARRIORS!.....

Over 8,000 life-sized terra-cotta models of classic poses, like a general, soldiers and archers, were discovered in 1974. The huge burial chamber of third-century Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang was found by accident by a group of farmers in the north-central Shaanxi Province. People were digging a well and tunnelled into a hidden cavity containing at first 6,000 warrior figures. More pits were uncovered with statues and valuable artifacts galore. Thousands, they say, remain to be discovered.
The cratsmen's figures are a hugely valuable look into early Chinese culture.
Terra-cotta is a type of ceramic or clay. The pieces have a natural, earthy color. To some, maybe one day the discovery will be classified as the 8th Wonder of the Ancient World!

For more details, suggest you google to the Terra-Cotta Chinese Warriors or visit your local library...you WILL be fascinated, visually!

147- IT WORKS!...BRAINSTORMING!.....

"Brainstorming" is a serious, but simple, method to using your intelligence to solve situations and problems. It doesn't take a 'rocket scientist' to sharpen up your power and abilities...try it!
I would say that most persons solve a problem with just one possible solution devised...nope, there's another more useful way.

-Take an object within your grasp...like a candle!
-Get a notepad or piece of paper and a pen or pencil.
-Now, me assuming the role of 'teach', you have two (2) minutes to push your thinker to the limit and come up with as many possible things to do with that candle, NO MATTER what...stupid, serious, brilliant, exciting, dumb...NO MATTER what and jot them down...you're after as many within two minutes as possible.
-Ready...set...go!
-NOW, go back and see if any of those many possibilites would work for a unique use. Did you jot down the obvious, light it?...good.

OK, you've just practiced "Brainstorming", by expanding the CONCEPT of solving problems or needs with as many possible solutions as you can...go past two minutes, of course.
See? Most persons come up with only ONE possibility. How can you develop a neat personal thinking process with only ONE possiblity?...I rest my case!

Related to that...when one is trying to remember a name or fact or place, and cannot conjure it up? It does seem to work when one concentrates on it...then passes it on. It will OFTEN pop up, soon. I've seen it work so many times with me and others! Example: had been invited by the Asst. Director at Eastern State Hospital, Martin Kline, to view and photograph the stained glass window in the Chapel, created by Ms. Joy Gosselin and given in honor of Mrs. Esther Ruffin. Later, outside in front of the new Hancock Geriatric Treatment Center, we noticed a large flower garden of still-blooming red roses. He had visited the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond and wanted to tell me who the landscaper was...he concentrated, went on, and the name came up! That's my story, and I'm sticking, as usual, to it!

PRACTICE: think of as many possible ways to earn extra $$$$ to YOUR income....Ready...Set...Go!

146- A RELIC FROM THE 1950s---LAYAWAYS--ARE BACK THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON!.....

A 'social commentary'...layaways from the '50s are back and strong this upcoming Christmas season! Wonder why? If you've NEVER had a layaway, raise your hand?...no one?
I began, as a kid, collecting miniatures of all kinds, and would pay for them on the layaway system...a little bit at a time, delivering newspapers and then working at a small grocery store chain. Let's see: whales with a calf...covered bridges...diners...detailed animals of the world...elephants...Santa Claus...birds...anything farm...only lighthouses with snow....

145- CAN YOU?...SING THE 'TOYS R US' SONG RIGHT NOW?.....

"The Squire's Way" is composed, simply, as a 'social commentary' in order to touch on many small and deep ponderables in everyday American life! That makes it unique! I triple-dare you to create a bit of FUN right now to remember, from your munchkinhood, a song that has remained in there all of these years, waiting for this moment to jump out and be, uh, slightly silly...go for it...ALL of it, guys!

OK...what about singing the 'Oscar Mayer Weiner' song?...can you?

144- THINGS THAT TURN YOU ON, IN A GOOD WAY?.....

a- Deep DARK chocolate candy!'
b- "Eye candy"...something that is visually appealing to YOU!
c- When someone notices that YOU are having a clunky day...and does something small to create a genuine smile for you!
d- A day when EVERYTHING went YOUR way!
e- One of those little DOVE Dark Chocolate pieces with a 'Promises' note inside that hits the spot!
f- When something, for a change, makes YOU laugh outloud!!!!
g- When someone says 'I love you' first!
h- A full moon on a cloudless evening!
i- Reading a darn good book for an hour or three at a time!
j- Completing more reps at the Re Center than you have on your list!
k- An old-fashioned chocolate milk shake with...REAL milk
l- Someone saying 'thank you'!
m- Any NEAT serendipity!!
n- Saying the name MACHU PICCHU!
o- Pulling into your fave local gasoline station and seeing the price BELOW $2.00 a gallon!
p- Up on a high hill in the country, just lookin'!
q- Watching a film that makes you, in a good way, have a tear or three with absolute inspiring pride!
r- Observing a grandmother walking through a park, with a widdle child holding the grandmother's hand 'cause he wants to....!
s- A bowl of popcorn popped in an old-fashioned long-handled popper over fireplace embers!
t- The older 'Seventh Heaven' TV programs!
u- The new Friday night NBC 'Crusoe', 9 pm!
v- When a sorority sister leaves you a note of support!
w- Setting aside time to take a bag of peanuts over to the William and Mary Wren Building yard...sitting down in the grass and seeing if you can persuade a squirrel to come over and take one from the tips of your fingers...trust!
x- BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE...was at a BLOOM supper market a couple of months ago. Cashier was in a BAD mood and was rude. I told a manager that I didn't need that when paying for my groceries. He said that she was having a bad day, but I didn't believe it. If I did come into that store, I did not go anywhere near her. HOWEVER, I saw her this past weekend working and something inside told me to take a chance and tell her that I understood that she was having a bad day two months earlier. And I shook her hand and asked her to erase that earlier incident and start again this day. AND WHAT DID SHE DO? She reached over, smiled, and shared a light hug! Well, now....
y-

143- PET PEEVES....?

"A personal vexation...." A social commentary! Hey, we all have certain things that "irrigate" us, some small and some large...admit it, please.
a- I have a friend who gets ticked when a clerk is having a personal telephone call WHILE waiting on you...or makes YOU wait to talk on the cell phone while they're getting paid to work!
b- Someone who acts condescending..."You wanna get to the point?...I don't have all day!" Happened to me at a college museum...did send a polite letter back to the college president sharing the insult.
c- When you politely and respectfully open a door for someone, and they zoom right through
without a 'thank you' OR acknowledging your existence.
d- Someone who coughs all over you or around you without holding a hand over their mouth.
e- Drivers who pull out into traffic WITHOUT looking!
f- Drivers who leaving their turn signalls blinking away for miles!
g- Drivers who don't use signals at all, and then give YOU the fickle finger when you blow the
horn for protection.
h- Someone who starts out by saying, "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but....."
i- Towns that have antiquated ordinances allowing those blasted Y-I-E-L-D signs at intersections, knowing that NO ONE yields, instead, blasting to get through before you do!
j- An Internet site completely ignoring your polite request for an answer!
k- Composing an e-mail epistle and then hitting the 'delete' button!
l- Raining for 8 straight days!
m- Finding more 'pings' on your car from pissants who open their car doors like idiots!
n- Cars, with idiot drivers inside, who ZOOM through RED lights!
o- Persons who THINK, not know, that they are better than you and me!
p- Non-stop TV commercials trying to sell YOU 'drugs' by scaring the living #%*@ out of you with a myriad of symptons!
q-

142- WHY DID AMERICAN SOCIETY, in 1991, FALL IN LIKE WITH THE FILM 'FRIED GREEN TOMATOES'?.....

"The secret to life? The secret's in the sauce!"
"Evelyn...know what I think is the most important thing in life?...friends!"
Evelyn is an unhappy housewife and befriends an elderly lady in a nursing home when she goes to visit her husband's, Ed, relative. Evelyn becomes enthralled with Ninny Threadgoode's tales that she experienced long ago.
Characters in the film, a 'sleeper" right after Christmas in 1991, helped to turn the book into a film, and in turn into a major hit by word of mouth.
*Evelyn Couch - housewife who eventually exerts herself.
*Ed Couch - 'out in leftfield' with his marriage and Evelyn.
*Idgie Threadgoode - Tom boy.
*Ruth Jamison - her antihisis.
*Ninny Threadgoode -
*Sipsey - family maid.
*Big George - good friend.
*Buddy Threadgoode - sweet on Ruth.
*Buddy Threadgoode, Jr. - Ruth's son.
*Frank Bennett - boo, hiss.
*And Smoky Lonesome!...my fave....

RECIPE for FRIED GREEN TOMATOES:
There seem to be quite a few, but the one that was most often passed down through generations from the 1800s was...

-Slice a nice GREEN tomato about 1/4" thick
-Dip in bowl of milk
-Dip in a flour mixture (salt & pepper mix only)...paper bag does fine.
-Sear in a med. heat iron skillet on both sides in originally melted lard...veggie oil or
corn oil for today.
-Turn heat down in skillet and simmer for a couple of minutes more for a softer
inside.
-Turn out and drain on a platter with a paper towel...heat while hot! And be prepared to whup
up another batch!

Different idea?....use the 'maters' to make a BLT using homemade bread, with mayo, to munch on while you view the film again. FORGOT to ask...was Ninny really Idgie, years later? Go figure......

141- THE WORLD'S MOST FASCINATING HISTORY MYSTERIES #2....MACHU PICCHU!.....

There are some words that I get a kick out of simply saying, and MACHI PICCHU is my all-time fave! CHRISTMAS is another word!
Machi Picchu, an ancient Inca fortress city in the Andes northwest Cuzco, Peru. The extensive ruins, terraces and buildings, weren't 'discovered' until 1911...yes 1911, under heavy vine growth. STOP!!! More information is unfolding that the 1911 date is now inaccurate according to some sources! (Will share as I examine the fresh material)
As a Socratic educator, YOU are invited to explore this "History Mystery" on google or at your local library...you'll love the pics!

140- THE WORLD'S MOST FASCINATING HISTORY MYSTERIES #1....THE PLAIN Of JARS!.....

"The Plain of Jars"...Laos. The large "jars' have been scattered about Laos and surrounging countries for more than a thousand years and more. One theory suggests that they were containers for storage along the merchants' trails to and from China. I've "seen," on the Travel Channel, what they are like...less than the height of a man and diameter of at least 5' or 6'. Some have been uncovered with human remains...some with salt.
The "secret war" with Americans during the 1960s left thousands of unexploded explosives scattered in and around the "jars." Innocent farmers throughout laos, over the years, have been managled when they dug into their fields and hit one of the abondoned explosives.
As always, suggest, to visualize, that you google to "The Plain of Jars" for those pics.

139- TWINKIES, Yes, ARE DOWNLOADING TO SNACK SIZE!......

Who, in our American society, who has not heard of nor savored an oblong golden yellow, creme-filled Twinkie? Well....?
Finally, America, courtesy of Hostess, they will introduce their Twinkie Bits on November 10th. The 100-calorie snack packs will be smaller and....ROUND!
500 million of the regular Twinkies are sold every year, in recent years. Those original Twinkies had 150-calories, by the way.
It's taken Hostess a few years after the introduction of their 100-calorie packs to get around to the Twinkie versions, possible not wanting to change a good thing. The top selling 100-calorie packs currently are their chocolate cupcakes.
For all of us aficionados, a Twinkie imposter is not in our vocabulary. If it smells and tastes like an original, it is! We'll find out on November 10th.
By the way, over the years, strawberry and chocolate fillings have been introduced...did they make it to stardom? What is about that white filling that clicks in Amerian society?
Did I mention that "French fried Twinkies" have been an item for some time?...even "French fried Snickers" bars?

138- FAST-FOOD FREEBIES...AS A COLLEGE STUDENT, I NEEDED THEM to SURVIVE! (c)......

When the girl at the second drive-thru window in my college town's McDonald's dropped in a ketchup packet for my Frenchy fries during college, I gratifyingly asked for five more and saved three for later in the dorm. Yes, I couldn't have gotten through college without those plentiful miniature fast-food freebies! They're everywhere: mayo, tartar sauce, green relish, minced onions, peanuts, dressings and reconstituted lemon juice. Every college and university cafeteria, highway diner, uptown bistro and family fast-food eatery in America has them. And for free...if you know where to look!
Reconstituted lemon juice?
Why collect the tiny tubs and and packets in college? Answer was simple...lack of extra funds. While my newfound dorm buds feasted on DCBB, that's double-cheese back burgers, with a side of pepperoni pan pizza, I had to choose a tube steak. Now, how does a 'po' college student 'dress' a tube steak? So, I helped myself to three yellow mustards, two ketchups and three green relish...miniature packets. Oh, and two brown mustards.
But, one had to learn to extract the droplets of goodies from the plastic packets. Each one has an edge, I think, with the saw look. "Tear here" usually doesn't work! One should keep one of those tiny moustache or cuticle scissors handy for curring. Whacking one end only squirts the contents in all directions. Some you can squeeze, but it takes skill and patience to open and squeezed enough for a tube steak. Check here to see if the 'start here' is starting to open. And if your miniature plastic packet bulges like a tiny mouse balloon, well, you did forget to "tear here."

Miniature packet perils? A few...mayo ones may not be as fresh as a jar! Don't squeeze soy sauce or hot taco sause. They eject and spread in all directions as soon as a tear begins...all over you. do not sit on a miniature freeebie while driving. Don't leave a packet of 'horsey barbecue sauce' in the car defroster slot on you dashboard in the winter. Or forget the tiny tub of honey you're warming on the raditor in the dorm for that frozen blueberry waffle you're been defrosting overnight for that early Logic class.

Napkins for special 'dinner parties' in the dorm for a date always had a wealth of variety. Popeyes (yellow), Corn On A Stick (more yellow) or Waffle House (even more yellow) napkins were in the closet. McDonald's white napkins didn't seem to impress my dates. But they all loved my blue-checkered Ben & Jerry's napkins for dabbing their lips. They usually don't match, however. If a date or a guest, or parent, got a napkin match, they earned a rare tiny tub of Smucker's mint-flavored apple jelly from IHOP's found near Westbrook, Ct.
Since Ronald McDonald is my special hero, from munchkinhood, a promo one time brought out a limited Shanghai McNuggets box. I stocked up on Sweet & Sour, Teriyaki and Oriental hot Mustard tiny sauces for future entertaining. Later, petite packages of croutons and 100% real bacon bits were added to salads, with a neat freebie bottle of Ranch dressing...GLASS bottle!
Yes, fast-food freebies helped me through college, and they were much appreciated!
(copyright -1999 ron squire steffey)

137- LINDA LAVIN...At WILLIAM And MARY'S PHI BETA KAPPA HALL.....

This is a guy who likes and appreciates many of the arts! It was a pleasure and neat experience to attend "An Evening with Linda Lavin...Songs and Confessions of a One-Time Waitress" this past Sunday evening, November 2nd, on the College of William and Mary campus. It was a Musical Revue to benefit the Virginia Shakespeare Festival.
Miss Lavin, with a backup trio, sang and talked about her very first year as a coed at W&M. She was caring and sincere and gave, often, praise for her early professors in the Drama Dept. and to the musicians on stage with her Sunday evening. She was sooo real, down to earth.
I talked with some friends who had had the opportunity to talk with her before the performance, backstage, and also came away highly impressed with Miss Lavin as a genuine, giving person!
This guy learned, too, about her goal to "make it" in the entertainment business. After graduating from our W&M, she left for the Big Apple, struggling to be a success, but always, she stressed, NOT taking the road to any performance that would lower her personal standards of mores. During her little Q & A on stage, I asked her a question.
It wasn't until she, and others, moved to the West Coast where the action relocated, did she get that BIG break...remember Linda Lavin in TV's "ALICE", that lasted for nine (9) years? She has since acted, with kudos, in many productions. When she went to Wilmington, N.C. once, she fell in life with the town and is now living there. She and her husband found an old rundown gas station there and remodeled it into the Red Barn Studio Theatre for their own productions in a place that seats only about 45 theatregoers. Wilmington, by the way, is where "Dawson's Creek" was filmed!!!!
Oh, forgot...Miss Lavin, as a W&M freshman, was awarded the 'star' part for her very first role....Juliet. I seemed to have forgotten the title of that Shakespearean play!

136- TUNES YOU HEAR, ON THE RADIO, THAT BRING BACK MEMORIES!....

YOU KNOW YOU HAVE...heard a song on the radio and remembered what, where, when or who you were with when that song was popular! Let's see...there's "Maggie May"!....."Brandy"......and you?
Our American society, I love it! And music, for most of us, plays a significant part within our pysche, our very being...our soul. Music is our SOUL! And it 'irrigates' (my original word) me whenever a narrowminded person makes a freaking comment about someone else's choice of music and tunes...shows the world how ignorant they really are. Music is also personal. That's why I believe that so many rec center users, joggers and drivers in a car listen to THEIR music. It's also why "respect" for others around is so important. Ever drive past or near someone with their radio blasting way up? "I got a right to play my music loud if I wanna!" Can you say "ignorance"?
Anyway, back to that song that keeps "playing" over and over in your mind...what is it?

135- AGE...IT'S ALL A "FIG NEWTON Of Your IMAGINATION!".....

Age belongs to YOU!
"Uh, how OLD are you?"
"Sorry...that's none of your freaking business! What's age got to do with anything? The audacity?"
Why not ask someone: "What exciting things are you doing in your life, now?...Had another neat adventure, recently?...What have you done to make someone, anyone, a bit happier today, unselfishly?
Some of us wouldn't mind the rudeness, not really, but the intention is to snoop, pry into another's private world. Can you imagine if you did that to the person rudely prying?
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

134- A NATTY NIGHT TIME OWL PROWL!...Shhhhhhhh.....

Here's an adventure in our society, in the dark, that you may not have considered...an OWL PROWL!
You have to study for a bit, with pictures and sound recordings, before you go out and about, preferably in a wooded area...and be quiet. You won't be the same, developing an appreciation for the birds that seem to be able to turn their heads 360-degrees.
Pigmy owls can be found out in the desert. In Virginia we have great horned owls for the ear tufts that protrude...the large barred owls. Barred owls make a loud, scary kind of sound for first time adventurers in the woods. Screech owls are the tiny bundle of feathers, with a soft whirring sound, requiring astute listening skills. My fave, however, is the barn owl...tall and with a unique face.
Google to "owls" for a neat entrance into the world of an OWL PROWL, complete with pics and even sounds!
Yes, a time or three have ventured out into a woods to listen to those tiny screech owls, as a kid and at summer camp. And how do owls turn their heads all the way around? They don't...to watch you watching them, and especially for listening for prey, their head will turn around and then very quickly whip back around to the other side. Have seen a slow motion video showing them doing that. They are so fast that it appears as if the owl's head swivels all the way around.
I think, if you google 'owls', you'll like the pics of the barn owls and the petite screech guys!