The Bees Knees

Have you heard the saying, "The bees knees"? I happened to see it in the newspaper the other day and it got me to wondering how the phrase started and just what it meant.

According to Google a guy named Tad Dorgan, a cartoonist and sportswriter who was well known for coining phrases that didn't make much sense but were pleasing to the ear, started the Bees Knees back in the 1920s. Some think he meant it as shorthand for  "It's business" meaning it's great. Some other examples of his phrases were "The cat's pajamas" And  "For crying out loud". If you say the word business slowly it can be taken for Bees Knees.

Bees do have knees with sacks  about the midsection of the legs. They store the pollen they collect in the sacks. Since the pollen was so precious it was considered the height of excellence and greatness thus the Bees Knees became a meaning for being  highly regarded and excellent.

I will have to dig into some of the other sayings since some of them are interesting
and I would like to know their origins.

Aunt Irene

I

In the picture above is my Aunt Irene.  She was my mother's brother's wife. She died many

years ago when I was only about 6 or 7 years old.

I have hesitated to write this post because it is kind of gross to think of.  But it did happen and the memory of it has haunted me over all of the 75 plus years ago that it happened. So I am

going to tell it now.

When she died I attended the funeral with my family.  The funeral service was over and we 

were at the cemetery for the graveside service. I was standing near the casket and it had been

 opened for viewing. I was looking at Aunt Irene and I saw a yellowish fluid coming from one of

her nostrils, which was most likely embalming fluid. The undertaker  saw it also and he took a hanky from his pocket and wiped the fluid away and then tucked the hanky into the casket

underneath Aunt Irene.  I am sure several

 others must have seen it also. It was a very unpleasant thing to happen and I am sure that today they  have a way to prevent things like that happening . That was a terrible

 memory that I have had to carry along with me all of these years.

I try to remember her as she was , a very loving and nice Aunt!

Our Fantastic Weather

We are having a long streak of record breaking weather here. The warm weather we are having is really unusual for March. We have had weather breaking records for the hottest temperature for days, longest stretch of above 80 temperature days, and several other record breakers for March.
We all love it!  Eat your heart out Texas people! Several times in the past weeks my sister has told me that they are colder there than we are here in Indiana. Plus, we have not had nearly as much rain as usual.  We don't understand why it is happening but, I repeat, we are loving it; and our gas  heating bills are loving it.
I have lived in Indiana for 66 years and it  has never been this good before.  I am afraid we may be in for a bad April and May. we have never had this much good weather in march before. Anyway, I am hoping it all holds out for the rest of the
spring!

JCP ?

The gradual process of eliminating Mr Penney

Have you noticed lately that JCPenney has been using a new logo?  I saw some time  ago that they said they would start using the new one in February.

I looked in last Sunday's ad section and I saw this one ad that had a great big JCP up in one corner, nothing else to identify the store, just the JCP.  JCPenney came to my mind.  I looked all through the pamphlet and on the very last page there was a small mention of JCPenney.  It was as if they were making you guess who the store was.

What is wrong with JCPenney?  That is what they have been using for many, many years. Who or what is behind this big change? Mr Penney has been gone for many years so it is certain that it isn't his idea. It is  like Sears would suddenly came out with the name SAR (for Sears and Roebuck). That would be stupid!  Maybe it is a private matter. Who knows?

Anyway, I suppose now that I have discovered who JCP is and I see something I like there I will buy it; but for me it will always be JCPenney, not JCP!

MY MUSIC

I love music.  I always have.  Music is a big part of my life.  I have always wanted to be into it more than I actually have been.

I suppose I am too lazy to do what it takes to be a good musician, which is practice, practice, practice!  I did take a few music lessons at one time in my life.  I was too impatient to be able to play like I wanted to so I became discouraged and didn't keep
up with it.

Now my music is limited to what I can hear on CDs, records, radio or on my MP3
players. I can plug my ears with my MP3 player and drift off into a different world with
 the music which flows into my ears! They do it much better than  any music I  could
ever play myself.
I can be in a low mood and after a couple of minutes of listening to the music I am in a totally different mood.  If I am depressed, or lonely I can suddenly be in a festive, or
romantic, happy and much lighter mood.  The songs take me back to a much happier,
 fun loving time. I can almost relive my life just listening to the music. Each song brings up the memories from my past and I can fantasize living them again

I will never run out of music because I have several hundred vinyl records, 33s and 45s. cassette tapes and two MP3s filled with many of my favorite songs. It is too bad that at this time it seems  there are no new songs being written that can even touch on being as soothing and beautiful as those of the past.  I am sure the younger
generation would disagree with me. To each to his own.


I will always be a lover of music and I will always have my sources for listening to it. whether it be records, CDs, radio, MP3s or live music.  Give me a good, old fashioned song any time!

A Time Saver

I  love gravy; on toast, on biscuits, on mashed potatoes and  almost any other way.

Sometimes I want gravy on something  and I have not cooked any kind of meat to
make gravy with.  That is when the little packets above come in handy.  You just mix the contents of the package with one cup of water, I usually use part water and part milk, and cook it for about maybe five minutes and there is your gravy. It is enough
for at least two or three servings, maybe four if you wish They come in several
flavors, turkey, chicken, pork, beef and maybe others. I buy them when they are on sale at three for a dollar, very inexpensive and very delicious. Try them sometimes
and I am sure you will agree will agree with me!

Hair styles

Have you noticed the outrageous hair styles that some older women are wearing? I especially have been amazed at some of the older women reporters, such as Candy Crowley on Cnn and also Hillary Clinton.

I don't know if they are trying to look young or what but they are much too old for the new long and straight hair styles that are fine on young women but ridiculous on middle aged and older women.Even though they may want to look in style and up to date, they need to remember their age.  There are hair styles much more suitable for older women, which they definitely are!