Just A Typical Day Out Shopping

Yesterday was a road trip into Owen Sound for a few supplies, as a good shopping of staples is much much cheaper at the big box stores then at our local grocery store. 

"This was our drive in and most of the morning, as we were almost out of Bruce County and going into our sister County of Grey."

"This was the most exciting part of our trip, the price of gas & the sky trying to clear, oh yes and Half & Half Creamer being on sale at Giant Tiger for $1.98 !"

I can't remember when I seen the price of gas this low?  I hope this is a sign of a downhill trend in fuel prices for us consumers, as it is a well known fact everything goes up but the "paycheck"!  ....and yes, I am being facetious, however it is "maddening" !!!

One other "maddening" incident I had also was going into the Zehrs Grocery store to purchase a can of Scott's Liquid Gold Furniture cleaner and a bottle of Liquid Smoke (a concentrated food flavoring), only to be told they do not carry the Furniture cleaner any longer, and had none of the Liquid Smoke.  Out of luck with two Liquids in one day !!!  I couldn't believe it ! 

The Scott's Liquid Gold Furniture Cleaner I really really wanted, as when I ran out I started using Pledge on my oak furniture, which in turn leaves a wax buildup, which in turn leaves a white ring on my oak dining room table should anything hot be placed on , even when placed on a trivet lately.  I took a chance and called our local Home Hardware Store, and was extremely delighted to find  that they do carry it, and had one can left, which I immediately went downtown and purchased.

I did "google" Scott's Liquid Gold, finding I can also order it online if there ever be a need to do so .... that is a relief !  Another good furniture dusting aid that contains no wax is "Endust", which is also getting more difficult to find ....  and I have "googled" as well.

Shopping days are usually pretty boring, from the time we go, shop, and come back home to put everything away we are well past the dinner hour .... and yes, then it was time to make Rob dinner before he had to leave for work.  *Sigh*  Then the day is almost over, or the part of the day I had energy for was over is really is the truth of the matter.

I received an email from Rob's cousin, Joyce, with a little bit of History I have read before, however enjoyed the read again, which I thought I would share ....

Where did “piss poor” come from?

We older people need to learn something new every day ... just to keep the grey matter tuned up.

Where did the expression "Piss Poor" come from? Interesting History:

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot and then once a day it was taken and sold to the tannery. If you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor". But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot ... they "didn't have a pot to piss in" and were the lowest of the low.

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be.

Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!"

Houses had thatched roofs - thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor."

The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat".

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of "holding a wake”.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be “saved by the bell” or was considered "a dead ringer”.

And that's the truth.

Now, whoever said History was boring!!! So get out there and educate someone! ~~~

Thanks Joyce, I always enjoy a good read, and I am glad we do not use lead in our dinnerware anymore !

I have a "big" day ahead of me today, so Rob will be fending for himself when it comes to his dinner.  I will be attending another segment of the VON SMART program's Course for Instructors/Volunteers, which I had began two weeks ago.  Between lack of sleep and headaches, I find it difficult to retain a lot of information, so I am "wishing" myself well for the day ahead ...... but at the same time, I am pretty excited about going !!!! 

Onto what the weather guy has to say ......

.....there is is sun?  on Saturday maybe?

I have a few things I need to get done before I leave the house today, but first it will be heading out to my kitchen for that second cup of Java before anything gets done, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".