Words. The ones we Americans choose say a lot about us. Sometimes they define us as being rural or urban. Other times, they uncover what part of the country we are from. And, more often than not, they are simply the words our parents or schoolteachers taught us to use. Try these out.
What do you call the long piece of furniture in your living room? Is it a couch? Or a sofa? Or a davenport?
What do you call those flying, glow-in-the-dark insects? Fireflies? Lightning bugs? Firebugs? Glowworms? June bugs?
And how about those clothes you slip into on your bottom half, one leg at a time? Are they pants? Trousers? Slacks?
What word(s) do you use to define the comfortable shoes you put on your feet? Sneakers? Or tennis shoes?
Some of us still use cash. But where do we store it? For us men, is it in our billfold? Or our wallet?
One of the most geographically defined words is about that fizzy stuff we sometimes consume. Do you call it pop? Or do you say soda? Or coke? Or the blandest choice, soft drink?
When you have a pop or a soda or a coke or a soft drink, do you do so at dinner? Or supper? Or lunch?
Let’s not forget about breakfast and one of the most beloved menu items. Depending on where you reside, you may call them pancakes. Or flapjacks. Or hotcakes. Or Johnnycakes. Or silver dollars. Doesn’t matter to me, as long as they are covered in maple syrup.
When you get food to go, do you call it takeout or carryout? Or both?
When you buy food, do you do so at the grocery store or the supermarket? And do you put your food items in a grocery cart or a buggy or a carriage?
And, last but not least, my favorite distinction. What do you call the pieces of bread on the ends of the loaf? Are they the heels? Or crusts? Or butts?
What ones did I miss? Send me a note and let me know.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
See Shane Goodman's previous columns here. |
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| CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines® | | | The polls have closed and a record number of readers have cast their votes in the latest CITYVIEW'S Best Of Des Moines readers' poll — the metro's original and largest poll of its kind.
Winners will be announced in the February 2024 issue of CITYVIEW! |
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Your Clear Mortgage forecast
A dusting at the most late afternoon into evening today. Accumulating snow is possible during the day into the evening on Friday. Much colder temperatures are on the way Sunday and Monday, with snow chances looking slim the following work week.
For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage. |
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| Featured home for sale | | | |
$344,900
4329 Ovid Ave.,
Des Moines, IA 50310
If you're looking for a fantastic Beaverdale home with top notch upgrades, this could be the home for you.This charming one-and-a-half-story home features more than 2,600 square feet of finished space and has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Upon entering, you'll be greeted by a spacious family room perfect for entertaining guests. Continue into the dining area and discover an updated kitchen equipped with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.
| | | See More Homes For Sale |
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Starbucks announced it will not restock the Stanley Tumblers it sold briefly for a Valentines Day promotion. The tumblers caused near riots when customers bought them all quickly. They are reselling on eBay for as much as $2,000. (Delish.com)
Greg Ip of Wall Street Journal, focusing on the good news in R&D in markets, wrote that messenger RNA, used to produce vaccines for COVID-19, is now being used to develop vaccines for malaria, tuberculosis and HIV and that the mechanism behind Ozempic might help cure cocaine, opioid, alcohol and nicotine addiction - some of modern society’s most intractable health problems. "AI and drug development have already crossed paths; AI is uniquely suited to finding promising proteins or genes to combat diseases out of reams of data. Stanford University economist Erik Brynjolfsson said 'AI is a tool to think of things you haven’t thought about — a new kind of protein, art or music, the design for a building or a piece of equipment.” By accelerating the discovery process, AI might not deliver just a one-off boost to economic output but permanently raise its growth rate.'"
It's national hot tea month. Gong Fu tea house (1414 E. Sixth St., Des Moines) has some beautiful tea pots and accessories, plus the best collection of great teas in Iowa.
— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com |
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FROM KCCI: Snowfall record in Des Moines
It's official: Iowa's winter storm dropped a record-breaking amount of snow:...READ MORE FROM KCCI
FROM WHO-TV: NASA talks return to the moon as likelihood increases of failed landing by private company
HOUSTON, Texas — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is pushing ahead with its renewed focus on exploring the Earth’s moon despite what appears to be a failed moon landing mission by a private company.... READ MORE FROM WHO-TV
FROM WOI-DT Local 5: New 'Star Wars' movie featuring Baby Yoda will go into production this year
Though no release date was announced, it was welcome news to “Star Wars” fans who haven’t had a new film since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”...READ MORE FROM WOI-DT Local 5 |
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| From the Iowa Living magazines | | |
No red tape, just helping those in need
Furniture ministry provides for needs.
By Rich Wicks
Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Winterset has found a number of ways to help needy persons in the community, without requiring lot of paperwork and red tape. One such way is the “furniture ministry.” Although this term may sound unfamiliar, it’s a simple concept. The definition of “ministry” is “the spiritual work or service of any Christian or group of Christians.” So, simply put, the furniture ministry at Saint Paul’s Lutheran is a group of Christians who are finding ways to provide furniture to those who need it.
Congregation member Jim Nelson explains that he and his late wife started the project on their own.
“We started back about 2013, buying things now and then and giving them away, and one thing led to another. There was definitely a need, and it got to the point we couldn’t handle it anymore, and that’s when the church took it over. It’s been great ever since.”
Nowadays, Lisa Vossekuil serves as the financial secretary for the church, and she heads up the Furniture Ministry, with help from Nelson and others in the congregation.
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| Birthdays and notables | | | Happy birthday Michel Pogge-Weaver and Megan Martens
These celebrities were born on this date: Reneé Rapp, Hrithik Roshan, Rod Stewart, George Foreman, Pat Benatar, Chris Smith, Evan Handler, Bobby Rahal
SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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The answer to yesterday's riddle:
Why shouldn't you be sad if your flashlight battery dies? Because you are DE-LIGHTED! - Judy Anderson, Gail Tomlinson, John Zeitler. Or, Because it had a good light! - Peri Van Tassel.
Today's riddle
What was the cannibal looking for in the grocery store's canned food aisle?
Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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To advertise in this daily newsletter, contact Jolene Goodman at jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com, or call 515-953-4822 ext. 319.
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