Hunger Stone :
Recent droughts in Europe once again made visible the “Hunger Stones” in some Czech and German rivers.
These stones were used to mark desperately low river levels that would forecast famines.
This one, in the Elbe river, is from 1616 and says: “If you see me, cry.”
—
“when the well is dry, we will know the worth of water.”
-benjamin franklin
—
credits: history review
Italy rejects Domino’s pizza, chain will close all its restaurants there.
American pizza chain Domino’s will soon exit the motherland of pizza.
No, not New Jersey or New York.
Italy.
Domino’s is leaving pizza’s birthplace because of the poor reception from locals. The Ann Arbor-based company recently announced plans to close the last of its 29 locations in Italy according to Bloomberg.
The popular U.S. pizza chain debuted in Italy in 2015 through a franchising agreement with ePizza SpA.
Domino’s originally planned to open 880 locations in the country, but competition from local pizza shops curbed those plans. According to Bloomberg, one way traditional Italian pizzerias combated Domino’s presence was by ramping up deliveries and signing deals with third-party delivery services during the pandemic.
“We attribute the issue to the significantly increased level of competition in the food delivery market with both organized chains and ‘mom & pop’ restaurants delivering food, to service and restaurants reopening post pandemic and consumers out and about with revenge spending,” ePizza SpA said in a report to investors.
—
Quotes from locals in Italy:
“Who is Domino? Do you know him?
Here? In Rome?
So they wanted to take pizza to where it was invented?!”
—
“No point in opening it,
American pizza for Italians? Doesn’t make sense. Maybe for tourists.
Like me going to England and making fish and chips.”
—
“I submit to you…novantanove formaggio! The ninety-nine cheese pizza.”
–Michelangelo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
fyi – the term ‘pizza’ was first recorded in the 10th century in a latin manuscript from the southern italian town of gata in lazio, on the border of campania.
—
credits: christopher burch, n.j. com, domino’s pizza, bloomberg
yesterday was my favorite day of the week for crosswords
sunday paper delivered at home
weekend puzzle inside
waiting to challenge me
my personal process may include
a tiny bit (iota) of cursing (*&@^) at times
until that ‘aha’ (eureka moment) arrives.
—
word of the day:
cruciverbalist
cru-sih-Ver-be-list
part of speech: noun
origin: american english, mid 1970s
definition: a person who enjoys or is skilled at crosswords.
example in a sentence:
“my mother, the cruciverbalist, still receives the daily newspaper so she can solve the crossword with her pen.”
—
“just got excited at a crossword clue that was ‘cheese lovers’ and was like ooh,
there’s a name for people like me it turns out it was: mice.“
-word porn
one of my fav films
these are my people.
tiny tiki hut
fairies sing whirl dance all night
gone by morning’s rise
—
“you wait here, I’m going to the tiki hut.”
– Special FBI Agent Seeley Booth, Bones
Paraph
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Late Middle French, 15th century
A flourish after a signature, originally as a precaution against forgery.
“My father’s signature was recognizable because of his ostentatious paraph.”
“I recognized the paraph rather than the signature itself.”
Popularity Over Time:
Borrowed from the French “paraph,” meaning “paragraph,” with both words based on the Latin “paraphus,” meaning “short horizontal stroke.”
Adding a paraph to one’s signature was an early means of attempting to avoid forgery, since the more ornate one’s paraph, the harder the full signature would be to copy. When a notary signs a document of obligation, such as a mortgage or note referring to money owed, the notary’s signature is called a “paraph.” In this context, a paraph is different from a simple signature, because it certifies the document as legitimate.
—
credits: word genius
one of my personal idols
brilliant writer and social activist, rod serling
wrote this story in 1960, as a prescient warning
—
“The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs, and explosions, and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices, to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy; and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own for the children, and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is, that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone. – Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone episode: The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street-1960
according to turkmenistanian math
i am in the ‘inspirational’ cycle of my life
heading toward ‘wise’
so i had better get on it!
if i was in the wise cycle
i would have
read all the way to the bottom
to see these cycles
only apply to turkmenistanians
so the pressure is off
now i can comfortably return
to my blissfully unaware/immature cycle.
—
“there is a savor of life and immortality in substantial fare. like balloons, we are nothing till filled.”
– herman melville
guess what’s back?
or maybe never left.
fashion fad of the 70s
a mood ring
popped up on my screen
when scrolling through amazon
had one in high school
loved it
all my friends had one
we were constantly
comparing them
trying to get ours to change
to match the desired color/mood
slowly over time
our rings
broke, got lost, were given away
we returned to
just talking about
how we were feeling
not needing the rings anymore
but for a while
they were really something.
—
(in case you’re wondering, i’d be in the blue range right now, relaxed and calm)
(what color would you be on the mood meter?)
—
“i don’t need a moon ring, i have a face.”
-author unknown
—
image credit: amazon.com
happy national farmer’s market week!
—
“a farmer is a magician who produces money from the mud.”
-amit kalantri, wealth of words
—
art credit: leo cullum
a call came from a director
who had worked with my grandson
on an entertainment project
he and his crew were in town
to shoot a pilot for a new show
the idea is to surprise someone
but instead of pranking them
it’s focus is on thanking them
he was looking for locals to help with the show
those who know ‘afternoon delight’
a local breakfast/lunch spot
not fancy, with great food
an unchanged part of this town for many years
the surprise was to be for walter
a local, humble, and very deserving gentleman
who has worked there for 40+ years and refuses to retire
he lives without a phone
(the farmers at the market let him use theirs when he needs one)
he lives without a car
(the local pedi-cab guy gives him rides to work and whenever he needs one)
he’s never been on a plane or boat
he lives alone with his many plants
his family is the restaurant crew and all who pass through the doors
he shows up every single day, works hard, and is unfailingly kind to everyone
but his presence is so much more than that
he has touched so many lives over the years and in so many ways
after keeping walter at home a bit longer than usual
worrying about being needed at work
everything was finally ready
the moment he walked in
he looked teary
saying, “i can’t believe my eyes”
with the sweetest smile
he thanked everyone for coming
and was told
“walter, we are here to thank you!”
for impacting the town and the people
he had a chance to talk to every person
as we each presented him with a plant and our story
he had walked one down the aisle
when she was a waitress there and didn’t have a father
the pedi-cab driver had worked there too
some had worked with him for many years
or had been coming in for many years
and one after another
each person thanked him
multiple generations had eaten there
and he listened and he smiled and he thanked them
for being such an important part of his life
when he sat in the booth that now has his name on it forever
he told his stories
how things had changed over the years but stayed the same
how life had been hard at times but was so thankful for everything
when he first started it was bob dylan and joan baez stopping by after a concert
each era brought new music and new people
along with people who continued to come in over and over
bringing children and grandchildren
while the food is very good
walter is what makes the difference
why people keep coming
as we said our goodbyes
walter climbed into the pedi-cab,
now with bubbles flowing, music playing, for a ride around town
his town
to celebrate his special day
before coming back to his other home
the restaurant
as i walked back to my car
someone saw my t-shirt
stopped his car and asked:
“is that for walter from afternoon delight?”
when i said it was
he told me he owns a nearby deli
whenever he sees walter making his way down the street
he makes walter’s favorite sandwich for him
walter is a treasured family member to everyone lucky enough to meet him.
“there is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter.
we sometimes lose sight of this…
then suddenly the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people,
who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.”
-sir richard attenborough
I didn't have my glasses on.... 