| Prior Date | Back to Archive Index | Next Date |
|
~~~~~~~ WITandWISDOM™ - June 23, 1999 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "The worth of a man's life cannot be measured in years, achievements, or in acquiring fame, but only in how he has invested it in eternity." - Dick Innes (E-zine: WEEKEND ENCOUNTER http://www.gospelcom.net/actsi/weekly/) ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: It makes me glad to make up hums. It makes me glad when Christmas comes. It makes me glad when bees make honey. It makes me glad when days are sunny. It makes me glad to win a game. It makes me glad that friend is your name. It makes me glad when spring is here It makes me glad when birthdays are near. I saved the best one for the end. It makes me glad you are my friend. (Carol Blum) ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: LIFE IN THE 1500'S . . . Part 1 of 2 [Part 2, 7-5-99] Anne Hathaway was the wife of William Shakespeare. She married at the age of 26. This is really unusual for the time. Most people married young, like at the age of 11 or 12. Life was not as romantic as we may picture it. Here are some examples: Anne Hathaway's home was a 3 bedroom house with a small parlor, which was seldom used (only for company), kitchen, and no bathroom. Mother and Father shared a bedroom. Anne had a queen sized bed, but did not sleep alone. She also had 2 other sisters and they shared the bed also with 6 servant girls. (this is before she married) They didn't sleep like we do lengthwise but all laid on the bed crosswise. At least they had a bed. The other bedroom was shared by her 6 brothers and 30 field workers. They didn't have a bed. Everyone just wrapped up in their blanket and slept on the floor. They had no indoor heating so all the extra bodies kept them warm. They were also small people, the men only grew to be about 5'6" and the women were 4'8". SO in their house they had 27 people living. ~~~~~ Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and were still smelling pretty good by June, although they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the b.o. ~~~~~ Baths equaled 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 pets...dogs, cats and other small animals, mice, rats, 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 really mess up your nice clean bed, so they found if they made beds with big posts and hang a sheet over the top, it addressed that problem. Hence those beautiful big 4 poster beds with canopies. The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor". The wealthy had slate floors which in the winter they would get slippery when wet. So they spread (probably straw from the threshing process) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed at the entry way, hence a "thresh hold". (Rod Keen, David Aufrance) ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: On the church newsletter were these instructions - Hold this paper close to your nose and breath deeply. If the sheet turns green, you need to see a doctor. If it turns blue see your dentist. If it turns red see your bank manager. If it turns black, you need to check your will so see your lawyer immediately. If, however, it does not change colour then there is nothing wrong with you and so there is no reason why you should not be in church again next week. (Steve Williams via E-zine: MONDAY FODDER Mailto:dgaufaaa@iohk.com) ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: For many years Monterey, a California coast town, was a pelican's paradise. As the fishermen cleaned their fish, they flung the offal to the pelicans. The birds grew fat, lazy, and contented. Eventually, however, the offal was utilized, and there were no longer snacks for the pelicans. When the change came the pelicans made no effort to fish for themselves. They waited around and grew gaunt and thin. Many starved to death. They had forgotten how to fish for themselves. The problem was solved by importing new pelicans from the south, birds accustomed to foraging for themselves. They were placed among their starving cousins, and the newcomers immediately started catching fish. Before long, the hungry pelicans followed suit, and the famine was ended. - Bits & Pieces, June 23, 1994 (Magazine: BITS & PIECES http://www.epinc.com/) |