The word “mansion” does not do justice to the castle-like Carson Mansion in Eureka, California. Completed in 1886 and considered one of the highest executions of American Queen Anne architecture, it is perhaps the most photographed Victorian building in the US. The stately residence was built for failed-gold-miner-turned-lumber-baron William Carson, who came to the US from Canada seeking his fortune and, after some initial missteps, found it. What has been housed in the residence since 1950? Discuss
Month: December 2021
fugacious
Definition: (adjective) Passing away quickly; evanescent.
Synonyms: ephemeral, passing, short-lived, transitory, transient.
Usage: Restless, shifting, fugacious as time itself is a certain vast bulk of the population of the red brick district of the lower West Side.
Discuss
messenger
apostle – Comes from Greek apostolos, “messenger.” More…
bode – Boda is messenger in Germanic, hence “bode”; at first, a bode was a command—then an omen or premonition. More…
enunciate – Derives from Latin nuntius, “messenger.” More…
angel – The word angel was one of the earliest Germanic adoptions from Latin; originally from Greek aggelos, “messenger,” it first meant “hireling” or “messenger.” More…
Madam C.J. Walker (1867)
Thought to be America’s first black female millionaire, this daughter of ex-slaves was orphaned at 7, working at 10, married at 14, and a widow with an infant at 20. She worked as a domestic and laundress and in her scant spare time developed a treatment system to stop hair loss in African-American women and create smooth, shiny coiffures. She soon expanded her product line, and by 1917, her cosmetics empire was the largest black-owned business in the US. What did she do with her riches? Discuss
moral compass
That which serves or guides a person’s knowledge, sense, or intuition of correct virtues, morals, or ethics. Watch the video
The Capture of the Hodag
In 1893, newspapers reported the discovery of a monstrous creature in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Called the “Hodag,” it had the head of a frog, the face of an elephant, the back of a dinosaur, huge claws, and a long tail with spears on the end, according to townsman Eugene Shepard, who reported killing the beast with dynamite and later claimed to have captured one alive. Thousands came to see the creature, which he put on display at his home. What forced him to finally admit it had all been a hoax? Discuss
impracticable
Definition: (adjective) Not capable of being carried out or put into practice.
Synonyms: unfeasible, unworkable.
Usage: Refloating the sunken ship intact proved impracticable because of its fragility.
Discuss
Hans Christian Andersen
Death … goes faster than the wind, and he never brings back what he takes. Discuss
truck
roo bar – An Australian term for a metal bar on the front of a car or truck that prevents the vehicle from being damaged in the event of a collision with an animal (such as a kangaroo). More…
snow groomer – A truck or other vehicle, either with tracks running along both sides or dragging equipment behind, used to maintain ski hills and groom (pack down) snow. More…
truck farm – Refers to the sense of truck as “commodities for sale,” and, later, “garden produce for market.” More…
truck – Formed by combining Latin trochos, “wheel,” and Greek trechein, “to run,” it originally referred to a wooden wheel. More…
the moon on a stick
Anything and everything that one desires or can imagine wanting (i.e., above and beyond what would be normal or appropriate). Watch the video