May 30, 2005

It looks like our new neighbors are moving in next door. They have completely blocked the turn around on Russell's road. I suspect he will make a bad first impression on them. Russell will be telling them pretty quick where they should park. Folks will be turning around in his garage entrance because of the way they parked. Woe will be the word for awhile around here.

I got the Hoosier Golf game built yesterday. It's an easy game to play. I thought it might be something that others would buy but now I have my doubts. They are advertised on line for a marked down price of $39.95 from $69.95. Shipping is $11.05 for a total of $51.00. Doggone it, the cost for materials alone ran me close to $43.00. Well, it would have cost me that much if I had to buy everything but fortunately I had the rope and balls on hand. That cut out around $13.00 off the cost of this one. Anyway I would need to find a cheaper supplier for the other stuff if I was going to sell the things. I guess I would make and sell one for $45 if anyone wants one.

To you it is hoped, a greater day will not be yearned for.

A little learner: Hoosier was but one of a variety of disparaging terms for the inhabitants of particular states arising in the early 19th century. Texans were called Beetheads, for example; Alabamans were Lizards; Nebraskans were Bug-eaters; South Carolinians were Weasels, and Pennsylvanians were Leatherheads. People in Missouri might have had it worst of all—they were called Pukes. Originally, these names were probably taken up by people living in neighboring states, but belittled residents adopted them in a spirit of defiant pride, much as American colonists turned the derisive term Yankee into a moniker for their spirit of rebellion. Today, most of these frontier nicknames have disappeared from the landscape. A few like Okie still exist with much of their original animus. Others survive as nicknames for the sports teams of state universities—the North Carolina Tarheels, the Ohio Buckeyes, and so on—fighting words only on the playing field or court.

A preoccupation with the future not only prevents us from seeing the present as it is but often prompts us to rearrange the past.~Eric Hoffer