No Time Like the Present to Present the Present

I received this in an email from a friend.  Next time I think it's challenging to learn Brazilian Portuguese, I'll remember how complex (read crazy!) my first language is.

Homographs are words of like spelling with more than one meaning. 

A homograph that is also pronounced differently is a heteronym.

1) A bandage was wound around the wound. 2) Those farms produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 4) We must polish the Polish furniture. 5) He could lead if he would get the lead out. 6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. 7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present. 8) A widemouth bass was painted on his bass drum. 9) When shots were fired, the dove dove into the bushes. 10) I did not object to the object. 11) That insurance was invalid for the invalid. 12) There was a row among the row of oarsmen about how to row. 13) They were too close to the door to close it. 14) A buck does funny things when does are present. 15) The seamstress and her sewer fell into a sewer line. 16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

 

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail. 18) Upon seeing that tear in the painting, I shed a tear. 19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. 20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend? Let's face it--English is a crazy language.

There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads (which aren't sweet) are meat.

Explore the paradox--quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham?  If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, two geese. So one moose, two meese?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?  Sometimes I think all English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.  In what language do people: recite at a play and play at a recital;  ship by truck and send cargo by ship; have noses that run and feet that smell?! How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?  You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which:  your house can burn up as it burns down; you fill in a form by filling it out; and, an alarm goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers.  It reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all.  That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. P.S.  Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ?

Big Boy, Little Fish

It's Daniel again!  I have a new story.

 

Okay, once upon a time last Friday,

I stayed with GiGi and Hey Yea.

It was too hot outside.

At least, that's what my GiGi said.

 

She said, "Let's go to a park."

"We'll splishy splash and have a snack."

 

Swim diaper, sunscreen, hat,

swim trunks, swim shoes, yada yada,

and off we went in GiGi's car.

 

 

Hey Yea walked with me to the splash pad.

The water hissed and sprayed

and tickled. 

I liked it.

There were lots of splishy splashes.

 

Then . . .

I heard a big, big splash.

 What was it?
I looked around but I didn't see anything.
 

 I like to explore, so off I went.

 I couldn't see or hear the big splash, but

I was starting to feel like a little fish

in a big, big sea.

 GiGi was right beside me.

"Look," she said, and there it was!

The BIG SPLASH.

It came crashing down.

 

 

 I didn't cry, but it sure was nice

to hug GiGi's neck

and find Hey Yea

and feel his big shoulder

and hear his deep calm voice.

 We sat together

and watched for the BIG SPLASH.
 

I'm still a little fish,

even though I call myself

a big, big boy.

 

In just a little while,

 it was time to explore some more.

 I found graham crackers

and icy cold lemonade,
and a cool breeze in the shade.

 I drove my dump truck

on a brick ramp.

 I gave this truck to Hey Yea
for his birthday.
He shares with me
when I come to his house.

 Vroooom!

 I'm a big, big boy

with Hey Yea's dump truck.

 

 

THE END

The Birds and A Bee, The Flowers and The Trees

As the song says, "Let me tell you 'bout the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees, . . ."

Part of the House Finch family: two juvenile females and a male join me for breakfast just outside my window.

Papa Finch is trying to teach his two demanding children to come and get it. 



The mesh sock is filled with Nyjer seed.

He uses his 'finchy' beak to crack these tasty black seeds.

"What are you looking at?!"

After breakfast and a dip in the birdbath, Mr. Finch is happy.

If only his darling daughter would just quit begging for food . . .



In Flight
How is it possible that those tiny wings can lift and propel that body?



Beneficial Friends--Lady Bug and Black Swallowtail Caterpillar



Soon-to-Be Black Swallowtail Butterflies come to an impasse on their host plant, Dill.

Blanket Flower bud, blooms, and seed heads



Duranta and a bird house that Will gave me a long time ago



This Duranta is really showing off right now.
The purple flowers will be replaced by waxy, translucent golden berries.

Purple Fountain Grass sways and rustles in the breeze.



My neighbor's Crepe Myrtles tower over the cedar fence.

Keeping Up with D

It's tricky to keep up with Little Man these days!

 

We have a standing date on Fridays, and every time we see Daniel, we need a briefing from Cecilia and Will about new activities and vocabulary.  At 16 months, he's fascinated with everything.  You can almost hear the wheels turning in his little head while he soaks up new experiences and puts words together.

Daniel loves lights and fans.

 

Rhino, hippo, and elephant ride in D's blue truck.

The rhino is his favorite.

Hungry for books, books, and more books.
 

Daniel's vocabulary is exploding.  Since my guys were little, I've been fascinated with language development anyway; but witnessing his ability to speak and understand both Brazilian Portuguese and English just blows me away.  It also challenges me to learn more, and try my best to speak my very limited Portuguese in a way that won't throw him off course.



We get to do fun, silly, messy things just because.  Part of the joy of grandparenting!

GiGi broke out the finger paints.

We both got "creative."

Show Hey Yea your hand.

Yep, this is lots of fun!

Of course, there still has to be a bahndah involved,
somehow.

Not exactly a paint brush, but . . .

Experiments I
(medium: washable finger paint with hands and flag stick)

Experiments II

Experiments III

Daniel and Mamae

Just sitting on her foot.

Daniel invited Uncle Steve to share some new things.
First of all, Daniel knows his name now, and calls him--"Teee"

Next they talked about the birds outside the window.

Then they discussed lights on and lights off.

"Teee" was amazed.

I'll try to catch some decent pix of D's latest physical feat very soon.  He's learned to stand on his head in a pose very similar to the Downward Dog yoga position.  We call him the "Upside-Down Boy" when he does it.