Eustace watched Game of Thrones, and now he walks around the house dressed like he’s about to go hunting, whispering “winter is coming”, in the most ominous way… and then quickly adds, “so eat your vegetables!”
He seems to think that it’s hilarious, and has chosen to perform this little ball of apparent comical genius for the company’s Fall Festival Talent Contest.
Ok, maybe it is sort of funny, but I’m not so sure it’ll win him any prizes.
Is this one of those times when you tell your friend their fantastic, because you don’t want to hurt their feelings? You know, like they do for all those contestants auditioning for all those talent shows on television? I don’t want to mention the actual shows, since I think that American Idol and America’s Got Talent have legal teams that block people from using their names for things like this.
Anyway, I don’t know what to do, here. Should I let him do it, or should I try to talk him out of it?
He is a cheeky camel, as you know, so perhaps he really doesn’t care what others think. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be a hit! I mean, he did take an unscheduled summer vacation, and they welcomed him back with open arms. For all we know, he might actually win the contest and become an overnight star!
If you want to know the truth of the matter, I think this whole venture has more to do with retaliation, than any trophy or applause! You see, I think Eustace got his feelings hurt when the company turned down his idea for adding a fresh vegetable cart in the break room. They stated that with the Holidays right around the corner, there wasn’t enough **((time))** to add another venue to the company’s upcoming employee events…
Camel’s are stubborn, you know. I don’t think this is over, do you?
If someone were to ask if you wished to be either a Heffalump or a Woozle, I bet it would be a good minute before you could confidently answer. Well, maybe it’s just me, beings that I’m quite small and have only just begun reading through the Winnie The Pooh series.
Ok, so maybe I’m somewhat large for an ant, but I was only just born last summer, and it did take me all winter to learn my letters and sounds. If I’m to be any good at writing, I gotta figure a good many things out on my own… that’s what journalists do, you know.
We do a good amount of reading, interviewing, and gathering up the facts, before we put things down on paper… or keyboard.
Please don’t say anything, but I may have gotten in over my head with this Winnie The Pooh business. You see, I sort of made a big deal about being able to read books all by myself, and assured Mee-maw that I didn’t need her help.
Things were going fine, til I got to the part about Heffalumps and Woozles…
Are you kidding me? That’s not fair!
As I’ve been told, time and again, Google is my friend, so I went to said friend. But, now I’m more confused than when I started. I’ll try to explain.
Ok, so according to Google a Heffalump is like an adorably chubby Elephant that can fly, but only when you’re dreaming, I guess. A Woozle is apparently meant to be a Weasel, but cuter, and also flying like the Heffalump… and again, only seen when you dream them.
Time out! Am I the only one whose never seen them before, aside from these Winnie the Pooh stories? How come Google knows about them, and I don’t?
Or, better yet, when did Google ever get the chance to interview the dreamy little stuffed teddy bear, hmmmmm? Answer me that!
Ok, ok, ok… let’s say that I buy this whole Google meets Winnie the Pooh stuff. If I accept that Google got it right, after questioning the teddy bear, I am expected to believe that Elephants can indeed fly, as well as Weasels… but, apparently, only in my dreams. Or does that mean only the teddy bear can see them when he’s dreaming… this is so confusing.
What if I want to see them when I dream? Can I? And, more importantly, do I want to see them? Google says that they represent fear and/or anxiety, well, at least that’s what I think it’s saying. Here, I’ll show you…
What follows are the actual definitions from Google’s AI:
A heffalump represents a childhood fear of the unknown, an imaginary creature stemming from the word “elephant” as mispronounced by a child, often depicted as a large, monstrous, or scary beast. While first described as an unseen, dangerous “heffalump trap” in A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh books, the concept was later expanded in Disney’s adaptations to include the real, friendly, and less frightening Heffalumps and Woozles, ultimately becoming a symbol of overcome fears and prejudices.
A woozle represents the unknown, a manifestation of unfounded fears or anxieties, as depicted in A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh where the characters chase their own tracks, thinking they are Woozle tracks. This concept extends to the “Woozle effect,” where weak, unverified evidence is repeatedly cited, leading to the mistaken belief in a fact or urban myth, such as in political or public health misinformation.
Wait a minute… how did we get from fluffy purple elephants and pink Weasels, to the White House?
I will agree that elephants can be easily frightened, and weasels ARE rather high energy and anxious creatures, but to compare them to a politician… that’s taking things a bit too far for my liking.
I did like the part about overcoming fear of a thing, and also about truth over here say, as far as the whole misinformation thing goes.
Me? I’m only an ant, and a young one, at that! Somehow, even if I hadn’t gone to all the trouble of looking things up, I think that the book does a fairly good job of helping me figure things out… and it didn’t need a politician to do it! Just sayin.
I better give you some goodies, like Mee-maw does when she gives her two-cents on a thing…
My family is here for a visit, so I hope you don’t mind sharing… they don’t!
Ummm… well? You know, if I were to take a guess, seeings as I’m only just having TODAY’s first cup of tea, I’m going with waking up as my answer to this mornings prompt about tomorrow mornings activities.
Sometimes, WordPress, you ask the silliest questions. By all rights, I shouldn’t, but due to my having such a charitable disposition this morning, I’ll allow you to share in the cookies… but, just this once!
While this may not be a Christian song, per say, it sure captures the trait that’s kept me alive, thus far… in a round-a-bout sort of way. God will out, in the end!
Apparently, Eustace has such a nice voice that he’s been asked to make the morning announcements for them. Well, at least til December, anyways. After last year’s success, the company has permanently installed him as their Christmas Camel!
I did have to have a long conversation with him, regarding how long it took him to get back into shape after his candy cane infusions, remember?
The poor camel was downright hateful, there for a while. We would like for this season to go a bit easier. Eustace assured me that they’ve ordered him an outfit for this year. I guess the insurance company had a fit when they got the bills for all rehab. I don’t blame them, do you?
Perhaps that’s the purpose of offering Eustace some differing jobs, other than the eating kinds. We’re probably fortunate they didn’t ask him to be their stand in fire extinguisher, what with all the water he carries in his humps…
Once, there was time when a girl could eat whatever she wanted, with reckless abandon. She wasn’t tied down to just any old brand. And she never had to worry over what brands she chose to associate.
There was a time when she loved to celebrate with her closest associate, Mr. Folgers…
Alas, those days are gone.
There were the days of joyful indulgences with her most frequent of associates… you may know them. Folks used to call them the Tillamook Gang, but to me, they were my friends. I think I miss Cheddar the most, as she was most often in the kitchen…
Well, as I mentioned at the beginning of this, you are like those you associate with! Unfortunately, they weren’t the best influence, so I had to give them up.
Now, after learning to let go of that which is a bad influence, I cleaned up my kitchen and now have a new circle of brands to hang out with… the healthier kind!
At first, it wasn’t so easy. Meeting new brands that behaved far differently than my old brands was difficult for a time. Strange names and unusual characteristics made me feel very self-conscious and intimidated, not to mention a bit scared. Change is never easy, but for the sake of healthy associations with brands… it had to be done!
Now that I’ve taken the time to get more familiar with her, Chiquita has become a very loyal brand, faithfully supplying me with a better association with potassium, and the like…
Chiquita was so genuinely helpful and giving, she actually introduced me to the Foster Farm Girls…
You know, associating with them has done wonders for my health, seriously!
There is, however, one brand that has been my friend since my earliest days. My mother actually introduced me to them, first. I was only about five years old, when my mother bought me an Easy-Bake Oven. I’d never made cookies before. I’d only ever seen my mother do it, but she was now handing over the spatula, so to speak!
I was placed upon a stool that had been stacked with several Yellow Page telephone books. Before me sat my brand new oven, all the little trays, sprays, spoons, and such. But the world turned on it’s axis, when my mother handed me a large bowl filled with cookie dough! It wasn’t just any cookie do, however, but the original recipe from Nestle Toll House Morsels package… that was all it took!
From that little oven, came some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted! Now, perhaps it was the sugar rush that kicked in, or even the bit of caffeine from the chocolate chips, hitting the bloodstream. The point is, I was hooked… not just on cookies, but on the Toll House brand!
I’ve had occasion to use other brands, but I always come back to Toll House! Whenever I see their packages, I’m immediately transported back to my childhood days… the good ones, though they be few. Thank you, Toll House!
I bet you guys are glad I kept this brand. I wouldn’t serve you anything less than wonderful… hugs
I wanted to say “Eat, Pray, Love” but Julia Roberts already took that one. No fair!
Well, I can still tell you that I could be eating more, as I just got off the phone with my nutritionist, and she’s concerned that I’m not eating enough calories.
And, I can attest that we all should be doing more praying, of late.
Also, there is never enough love to go around, these days.
Now do you see why I wanted to use that title so badly? It was just perfect, but I’m not one to steal from another, so Julia wins this time.
Hmmmmm… I could have used Shake, Rattle, and Roll, possibly. Then there’s Live, Love, and Laugh, or maybe even Take a Walk on the Wild Side, but they just don’t sound the same, you know?
Happy Monday, everyone! It’s me, Lilly! Now that we’re all home from our summertime travels, I’ve started some online courses to teach me how a true journalist studies and writes. I want to be writer, you see, just like you. If I’m to become a better colonist, I mean columnist, I have to start somewhere. So Mee-maw says I can do my practicing here, on Mondays… well, at least for now.
Thankfully, I love to read, because there’s a great big world of words out there to learn. I do alright for the most part, but sometimes, it gets quite confusing for such a tiny brain. But I’ve been told that it’s not my size that counts, but how well I use my brain. I’m learning the art of reading, one page at a time.
Let me tell you about the morning I’ve had, thus far, in my reading and writing adventures…
Have you ever been reading a thing, and suddenly notice that a particular word you’ve read seems like it might be spelled wrong? You read it once more, and then again. You keep going back to look at the word, because you’re certain they meant something different.
So, what do we do when this occurs? Any reader worth their salt would never presume to know more than the original author. That’s bad form, I think. The right thing to do when encountering a wordage dilemma, is to grab a dictionary, encyclopedia, or thesaurus, if necessary.
Sometime, during this last weekend, I came across the word endued while reading scripture. My brain began arguing that the word should have been embued, imbued, or even endured. Strange, I know. It was like giving a mouse a cookie, that word! Or an ant…
Off to Google, I went, but that was more of a rabbit hole than I was prepared for. Not only couldn’t I find the passage I’d just read it from, but when I asked the computer where to find that word in scripture, it never gave me any verses that were near the place I’d been reading.
Anyways, I ended up spending nearly an hour this morning, just comparing spellings, translations, and the definitions that were attached to them, just so that I could understand which meant what!
Imbue means to saturate, instill, or inspire something with a quality, emotion, or belief, like a sponge soaking up water. Endue (or endued) means to provide or endow someone with a quality or ability, like a person being endowed with rights. Embue is an obsolete and incorrect form of imbue and should not be used.
Here’s a breakdown of each word:
Imbue
Meaning: To deeply affect or permeate something, often with an emotion, quality, or color, as if soaking it throughout.
Origin: From the Latin imbuere, meaning “to dye, wet, or moisten”. Examples:
“A feeling of optimism imbues her works”.
“The new leader was imbued with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi”.
Endue (and Endued)
Meaning: To give qualities or abilities to someone or something. The past participle, endued, means to have been provided with these qualities.
Origin: Influenced by the Latin induere, meaning “to put on”.
Examples:
“The workers were endued with the spirit of camaraderie”.
“They were endued with the rights of a citizen”.
Embue
Meaning: An obsolete form of imbue.
Usage: This word is no longer in common use and should be avoided. Stick to the modern form, imbue.
So, what have I hopefully learned, here?
Well, aside from the cheeky response about not using the spelling embue, I do think I may have learned the difference between endue and imbue. I believe that one means the feeling, and the other means the actual quality, itself. Now, I said that I believe it to mean this, but the jury is still out. If I were you, I wouldn’t put all your money on me.
Besides, I sometimes feel like those literary rabbit holes are more trouble than their words… I mean worth!
Journey With Me! 