President Carter’s grandson gave an update on his grandparent’s condition and said, “They are in the final chapter.” They’ve been under hospice care for some months. I remember President Carter being on a Weekly Reader ballot at R-9 North. We penciled in our selection and Mrs. Gumm tallied the votes. President Carter has lived long enough to witness a President less popular than he was. And now we’ve learned that President Biden used several pseudonyms while V.P. to communicate with Hunter about family and government business. Hunter spends most of this time at the White House and on vacation with his dad…thought the judge told him to look for a job? Wouldn’t be surprised if he was blackmailing old Pops with all the dirt he knows.
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The use of words is a fascinating thing. Some time back I read a book called, “Don’t Never Say Cain’t.” Written by a lady from Springfield named Ethel Strainchamps. She was raised in Stone County on a little farm and learned to read at an early age. The only two publications coming into their home were the “The Bee Keepers Journal” and a labor paper her dad subscribed too. Ethel managed to get through high school by working for a Joplin family. She said this caused her to take up linguistics as a hobby. It was in high school that she realized she could talk three ways. The Ozark dialect of Stone County, the way her fellow students spoke and very properly. She was fascinated with various accents of speech around the country. In her book she points out that men who went away to WWII from the Missouri Ozarks had more in common with folks from Appalachia than they did with Missourians from St. Louis when it came to communicating. Every area has special words though. Phronsie still calls a refrigerator an “Ice Box” A lot us grew up saying “Car-mel” and not “Kara-mel.” Just like I said “L-En-noise” and not “Ill-en-oy” or “Warsh” instead of “Wash.” I still say, “Warsh” as does Aunt Jane. It doesn’t hurt that this agitates my sister Julie.
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ARCHEOLOGY NEWS! Emperor Nero’s lost theatre has been found under a hotel garden in Rome. Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanics reigned between 54 AD and 68 AD. He’s known for being a tyrant who ‘fiddled’ while Rome burned. It’s a fantastic find and the artifacts are stunning. Reading about Nero reminded me of our own Nero who’s trying to imprison his opponent. People who win “The most votes in history” don’t find it necessary to imprison their opponents. People who steal elections do. In the meantime, America burns while our leader fiddles on an endless summer vacation.
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Better stop this rambling before I get into trouble. Rest easy Old Buddy.
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Til Next Week:
J.M.W.
