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Ranunculus to You, Tamarisk to Vetch

T TAMARISK “Crime” Ancient Egyptians believed that the corpse of the murdered god Osiris was tucked into a Tamarisk, to conceal the crime. Further, the Romans put wreaths of tamarisk on their criminals. (Do you think they had a wreath for everybody? A wreath of, oh, cauliflower for great dog breeders?) TANSY “IContinue reading “Ranunculus to You, Tamarisk to Vetch”

Clothes Make the Kid

WHAT is so cute as a small child dressing up in grown-up clothes? Once cameras were accessible to the everyday consumer, few collections of family pictures did not include at least one photo of Boopsy putting on Dad’s hat or Mom’s shoes. Swiping one’s parents attire was a great way to play grown-up, or,Continue reading “Clothes Make the Kid”

Titles and Names

Yes, Virginia, there WAS a B. Dalton. Sort of. I was discussing some icons of American kitchens the other day, and going over the fact that there WAS a Duncan Hines and a Chef Boyardee, while Betty Crocker was a marketing construct. As this is not a food blog, as mentioned hereintofore, IContinue reading “Titles and Names”

Ranunculus to You: Solanum to Syringa

*SOLANUM “Prodigality” This word can mean either excessive spending or bountiful generosity. I suspect this floriographer had the second meaning in mind, as this is the plant family which gives us, among other things, potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants. No, I’m not sure why the other floriographers have ignored the tomato and the eggplant. NoContinue reading “Ranunculus to You: Solanum to Syringa”

Twin Peeks

Being funny on a regular basis is no joke. A man who worked behind the scenes during the Golden Age of radio comedy wrote a book about this, called “Funny Men Don’t Laugh”. Among the issues he discusses is the fact that he and his boss (whom, for legal reasons, he could not mentionContinue reading “Twin Peeks”

Getting a Handle On It

So why is the person in the street who asks you for money a “panhandler”? We were discussing, not so long ago, the difference between a hobo and a bum. Of course, a beggar is someone else entirely. A hobo may have an accustomed route for his travels, but a beggar is often toContinue reading “Getting a Handle On It”

Ranunculus to You: Rosebud to Snowdrop

ROSEBUD “Young Girl” This symbolism ought to be obvious. If you want complication, there is a system of messages which can be sent using rosebuds, agreed upon by just about everybody who goes in for such things. If you present your lover with a rosebud with a stem that has all its leaves andContinue reading “Ranunculus to You: Rosebud to Snowdrop”

Physical Development

Once upon a time, there was…. Well, actually, we have discussed him in this space ere this, so this is probably fourth of fifth upon a time. Anyhoo, once there was an artist named Walter Wellman, who made his mark in the postcard world, producing hundreds of cartoons for the enjoyment of postcardContinue reading “Physical Development”

Food and Whine

All right, all right, all right! I’m glad this isn’t one of those online influencer blogs, which prompts thousands of contradictions each day whenever I write something. But enough people have pointed out to me that THEIR grocery stores still stock the classic frozen orange juice with metal ends on the can, justContinue reading “Food and Whine”

Ranunculus to You: Rice to Rose

*RICE “Happiness, Prosperity” *RICE, WILD “Influence” *RING FLOWER “Marriage” ROCKET “Rivalry” ROCKET, QUEEN’S “You Are the Queen of Coquettes” ROSE “Love” The pioneer floriographers, including Mme. De Latour, leaned more toward “Beauty” for the Rose. “Love” may have originated in Frances S. Osgood’s second book. (She has “Beauty” in the first.) But the twentiethContinue reading “Ranunculus to You: Rice to Rose”