LEARNING MADE EASY - R.A.K.

MAY 19, 2020 in the Year that didn't happen.....the year that events didn't take place. So instead we finally have been given the gift of time. Yup!  Now we have the time to spend on whatever it is that we once thought we wanted to do or didn't want to do.  Now we have it, dropped in our lap, because of the COVID Virus restrictions. 

 And just in case you haven't been learning alongside of kids at home, or reading to your grandchildren via Face Time, or attending a Zoom meeting or meet up with friends and family from across the world, I thought I'd share with you my R.A.K - Random Alternative Knowledge. Although you might know this acronym R.A.K. as Random Act of Kindness, this is my own version, Random Alternative Knowledge.

 

Here we go:

RAK #1  Did you know that Swedish and Dutch are two languages that English speaking people can learn easily?  I learned this while trying to learn some French basics. Have I pursued my interest in learning French, the language of my great-grandmother? not really.  Do I think it is difficult to learn a new language by yourself?  Yes! absolutely. I did try Duolingo.com but I guess its more for the dedicated learner. Have you learned another language on your own?

RAK #2 A King's Ransom means a fortune, a lot of money.   How much did you pay to fix that dent in your new car?  A kings' ransom. Or you could read the book, "A King's Ransom."

RAK #3 Consider these two words: homely and comely.  They sound a like except for one letter difference. They mean opposite. Homely is plain, and "slightly more gentle word than ugly." Comely is "fair, pretty, lovely, good-looking".  In spoken conversation, we don't hear "comely".  Have you heard this word?

RAK #4 Did you" know that you can go to wordhippo.com to translate or find the meaning of a foreign word?

RAK #5 Immigrants to the United States came into Castle Garden in the years before Ellis Island. Read about immigration there and when Ellis Island began.

RAK #6 When have you used the word "cacaphony"?

RAK #7 What do you think of when you hear or read the word "reticule"?   I think of the the word ridiculous, but they are not the same thing. Reticule is a woman's purse, like a drawstring bag.  And we know what ridiculous means.

RAK #8 Hutte meg tu! in Norwegian. Check out its meaning here

RAK #9 Does your barn have a mansard roof?

RAK #10 Have you ever used cow chips to heat your house?

RAK #11 Have you used a compass?  Did it have a gimbal?

RAK #12 Have you ever eaten Gammelost Cheese? 

RAK #13 Did you know that the medicine digoxin used to treat heart disease comes from the Foxglove plant?

RAK #14 Did you know: The Faroe Islands is a self-governing archipelago, part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It comprises 18 rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean, connected by road tunnels, ferries, causeways and bridges. Hikers and bird-watchers are drawn to the islands’ mountains, valleys and grassy heathland, and steep coastal cliffs that harbor thousands of seabirds.

RAK #15 Travel in the 1800's in the US. You could travel by wagon if you had time - a journey could take as long as 3 months; or the same distance weeks by boat or days by railroad. What am amazing journey it must have been to have once only had the option of wagon, then improved by boat and then to see a train whipping along the country side.

RAK #16 Don't think you'll ever be able to travel all around the U.S.?   Here it is at your fingertips, from your own chair, in your own spare time.

RAK #17 How deep is standing at a fetlock?  Do you know how deep in the water you'd be standing if you stood at a fetlock deep? 



These are the R.A.K. Random Alternative Knowledge facts that are part of a few pages in my RAK journal.  I don't have an excuse for not having time to read and discover so much about our world.

What have you been doing in your "time on a silver platter" moments?   Take some time for yourself. Take time to breathe and ponder and learn.  Take time to wonder and discover, time to laugh and dream and imagine.  Find Serenity. Take time to discover Random Alternative Knowledge. Take your time and give it to someone else - write a note, make a call, donate food, drop a gift on a doorstep.  Don't have time?   Now that's a pity. 

Thanks for reading.  Until we meet again, be blessed!

SB

SILVER WEDDING ANNIVERSARY - it wasn't like that

It seems I've been preparing to celebrate our Silver (25th) wedding anniversary for the past year.  My imagination brought me to so many places that we could travel to for a couple of days. But reality reminded me that it was just that - imagination, not because we don't have the time, it wasn't like that.  It's because my husband doesn't travel.

When our friends, who live in Ontonagon, a two-hour drive West North West from us, mentioned that they had a small summer home that was vacant and available, along the shores of Lake Superior, I hoped this was the place for an anniversary get-away. We go to visit our friends, Ron and Vicki, at least once a year, so I hoped this would be a place my husband would agree to go.

Yes? You'll go? October 8, 2013 was the day.  We started our anniversary trip at 10:00 a.m.

We packed for an overnight, a dinner out with friends, and brought fresh goodies to share.


Along the way, we saw many beautiful views of the changing fall leaves. This is an area of our Upper Peninsula that my husband once worked in, and so the 'travelogue' began.

When he wasn't telling me about where he worked or cruised timber or fished, there was a nice quiet.  It's not that there wasn't anything to say, but the quiet moments were so enjoyable.

Would you like to get some lunch?  At a quaint little shop, with a table for two?  No, it wasn't like that. We picked up some food at a gas station-grocery store-deli and sat in the warm sun in the car. The food was wonderful, but not as enjoyable as the moments spent with my husband, away from daily responsibilities and distractions.

The closer we got to our destination, my imagination took over my thoughts again. A story-book romantic get away for two; a cozy fire to relax by, with the wind whirling outdoors; or a hand-in-hand walk along the beach at sunset or sunrise; chocolate strawberries and fresh coffee for breakfast in bed.  But it wasn't like that. It was so much more.

We drove right to their house and visited. We made plans to pick them up for dinner, then went over to the little house near the lake. We knew we should take advantage of the unusually warm afternoon. We took a walk to the shore, being drawn by the sound of the waves, and the fresh air.  He sat on the bench while I looked for rocks and walked along the beach. 

Soon it was time to get ready for dinner. Was it a sit-down dinner for our silver wedding anniversary? it wasn't like that. In our blue jeans and casual attire, he with his tuxedo tee-shirt, we picked up our friends and drove over to Henri's Bar where we had had fun nights and awesome food. We're not drinking people - it's the homemade food  that makes you think you were at a sit-down dinner in a 5-star restaurant. We've had the 'build your own pizza' when it was so busy we nearly walked out without a check; or their 'all you can eat' buffet. We ate on the deck and the wasps nearly drove us in. 

The Tuesday night special was wings. But we discovered that the construction workers ate them all, so we ordered off the menu; and visited, laughed, and remembered that 25 years ago, my husband and I combined two families and started on a new adventure.

We spent a quiet evening alone - no sports on TV, no switching between channels, no radio, no conversation.  I read and he relaxed.  A romantic night in front of a cozy fire?  it wasn't like that, it was so much more.  This quiet had given us time for reflection, for peace, something we probably didn't realize we needed.

I'm an early riser, so took advantage of the warm fall morning, and walked down to the beach. Again, I was lured by the sound of the birds, breeze in the trees and this time, the waves, crashing to the shore.  I was not disappointed by anything.  This morning on Lake Superior was so refreshing, and rejuvenating!

When I returned to our little house, my husband was still sleeping.  A cup of tea, a magazine and quiet. Thank you, Lord, for this special time.  After breakfast, my husband and Ron got together and Vicki and I went to visit a friend of hers.  I'll tell you about that in a future post.  We enjoyed a nice lunch with our friends, thanked them for their generosity, and headed on to the next place on our anniversary get away. 

We traveled up the shoreline to Lake of the Clouds, where the view was so amazing.  Though the colors were a little beyond peak, the warm sunshine, breeze and peaceful nature surrounding us, was just wonderful!

The roadway back down was so beautiful, we were just in awe of all the surroundings.  We took another highway back home, watching for deer, and so the 'traveloque' began again. 

A few days later we gathered with close family at one of our favorite restaurants, then were treated to cake and refreshments at our daughter's house with more family and friends.

Our silver wedding anniversary - full of beauty & awe, peace & quiet, warmth, love, family & friends - who could ask for more - we are indeed blessed!