Kansas

 Not the state. The band. Drove to Spartanburg, SC last night to see them in concert. Wow what a show

Spelling Bee

 

                                

The Scripps Spelling Bee is coming up on TV in June.

Here is a short history of the Bee and the hardest words ever from different years.

The first-ever national spelling bee was held in 1925, and every year thousands of American school students partake in the spelling bee competition. School spelling bee winners usually go to the local spelling bee competition and then make it to the national spelling bee. Winning spelling bees is more than a matter of luck. Winners start studying for the contest years prior to the participation.

English is the language with most words. According to the Oxford Dictionary, it has approximately 200,000 words. English is a global language with rich vocabulary, and a lot of words have been borrowed from other languages. As a result, it has become quite a challenge to keep up with the new words and their spellings.

Some words are hard to spell even though it may sound easy. Remembering them amongst so many other words can be a task.

Here are some of the hardest winning words that were asked in the Scripps National Spelling Bee -

 

1. Milieu
   
   • Year: 1985
   • Origin: This word went from Latin to French.
   • Part of speech: noun
   • Pronunciation: meel-YOO
   • Definition: the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops; environment, setting.
     
     
2. Smaragdine
   • Year: 1961
   • Origin: This word is from Latin.
   • Part of speech: adjective
   • Pronunciation: smuh-RAG-din
   • Definition: of or relating to emerald; yellowish green in color like an emerald.
     
     
3. Soubrette
   • Year: 1953
   • Origin: This word is from a word that went from Latin to French.
   • Part of speech: noun
   • Pronunciation: soo-BRET
   • Definition: a lady’s maid in comedies who acts the part of a coquettish maidservant or frivolous young woman. 
     
     
4. Albumen
   • Year: 1928
   • Origin: This word is from Latin.
   • Part of speech: noun
   • Pronunciation: al-BYOO-mun
   • Definition: the white of an egg. 
     
     
5. Eudaemonic
   • Year: 1960
   • Origin: This word is from Greek.
   • Part of speech: adjective
   • Pronunciation: yoo-dee-MAHN-ik
   • Definition: producing happiness; based on the idea of happiness as the proper end of conduct. 
     
     
6. Chiaroscurist
   • Year: 1998
   • Origin: This word came from Italian, which formed it from a Latin word.
   • Part of speech: noun
   • Pronunciation: kyahr-uh-SKYUR-ist
   • Definition: an artist who uses the arrangement or treatment of the light and dark parts in a pictorial work of art. 
     
     
7. Autochthonous
   • Year: 2004
   • Origin: This word is from Greek.
   • Part of speech: adjective
   • Pronunciation: ah-TAHK-thuh-nus
   • Definition: indigenous, native, aboriginal—used especially of floras and faunas. 
     
     
8. Insouciant
   • Year: 1951
   • Origin: This word is from French word.
   • Part of speech: adjective
   • Pronunciation: in-SOO-see-unt
   • Definition: exhibiting or characterized by freedom from concern or care. 
     
     
9. Staphylococci
   • Year: 1987
   • Origin: The first part of this word went from Greek to Latin to French, and the second part is originally Greek.
   • Part of speech: plural noun
   • Pronunciation: staf-uh-loh-KAHK-sahy
   • Definition: a genus of non-motile spherical eubacteria that occur singly, in pairs or tetrads and comprise a few parasites of skin and mucous membranes. 
     
     
10. Foulard
    • Year: 1931
    • Origin: This word is from French.
    • Part of speech: noun
    • Pronunciation: foo-LARD
    • Definition: a lightweight plain-woven or twilled silk usually printed with a small neat evenly spaced pattern.

Communicating With a Departed Pet

From the moment we meet them... our pets leave a paw print on our heart. They miraculously chose us to be their human companion, and they rely on us for everything. The bond that is created between us and them, is one that lives on – even after they depart. Their imprint on our heart and soul is one we wear forever, and it can also help leave the line of communication open for them in the afterlife.

There are many ways a pet can communicate with you:

🐾 They can visit you in your sleep offering messages or experiences.

🐾 You may hear their sounds around the house, be it the tag on their collar jingling, nails clicking on hardwood floor, the squeak of a toy.

🐾 You may catch their scent every now and then, as if they just passed you by.

🐾 They may even show messages through your eyes, with reoccurring numbers, signs in nature, or even seeing an animal that bears their resemblance.

Be open to receiving these communications, embrace them, and remember your loved pet for all of the companionship and love that they brought into your life. Feel their love from the other side, and know that they are OK and with you in your heart. 

Lisa Williams, clairvoyant 

In Memoriam

 Yesterday I said goodbye to my best and faithful friend and namesake of my blog.

I had him for 5 years having rescued him from an abusive owner. He was very smart and was trained as a sniffer dog and a service dog.

He and I both understood each other and when we met it was love at first sight.

We had been through a lot in these 5 years and I don't know if I would have made it without him. He was my heart, my soul, and my rock.

I will miss him forever and a piece of my heart is gone forever.

But I know we will see each other again some day.

Piano Pedals

 

                              Piano Pedals

 

                                                                   All About Easter

The Titanic

 On the evening of April 14th, 1912, at 11:40 PM the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg. Two hours and 40 minutes later, April 15,1912, she sank. Of the 2208 passengers and crew, 1496 perished.

Source: Titanic Wiki | Fandom

Vidalia Onions

 Vidalia onions are special because of the sweet flavor which is due to the low amount of sulfur in the soil in which the onions are grown. It can only be called a Vadalia if its grown in one of 20 counties in Georgia, designated by the Vidalia Onion Act of 1986.

The Vidalia onion was named Georgia's official state vegetable in 1990.

Facts about Vidalia onions:

1. They were accidentally discovered during the Great Depression by Moses Coleman.

2. Piggly Wiggly was the first grocery store to sell them.

3. The onion is named after the town they are grown in, Vidalia, Georgia.

4. The sweet flavor

5. It is the only onion to have a law.

6. State vegetable of Georgia

7. Farmers grow the onions on more than 14,000 acres.

8. There is a 1,300 square foot Vidalia Onion Museum that is filled with exhibits that highlight the vegetable's significance to the economy, the culture, and culinary.

9. The sales of the onions total 90 million, and is 40 percent of the nation's spring crop.

10. About 5 million 40 pound boxes are shipped annually.

Source: Explore Georgia website