Coming To America is Like Choosing A Book

Boston
(Why Did My Parents Pick Boston?)
Dictionary Definition:
bos·ton [báwstən, bóstən] 
kind of whist: a version of whist in which two decks of cards are used and players bid for the right to name trumps 
n
[Early 19th century.  French, probably]

Happy Independence Day!
Pretend you’re a child or an alien from a far off place looking for a home in the United States of America.
Let’s say you chose to live where you live because it sounded nice, or because you just followed along as a child or loving spouse. Why did our parents or ancestors choose Chicago, San Francisco, or Toledo? Obviously, the job market is a huge part of why Americans settled certain cities, but putting that aside for fiction's sake, I thought we'd think about the names of the places we live. Are the names of towns just superficial or is there a reason, perhaps an art, in naming destinations and towns in our country?
Readers
We know better than to judge a book by its cover, but let’s say a dimly lit Kindle made it hypothetically possible and you accidentally went for the sound of the title, the nice graphics and ended up with something you didn’t enjoy. Some of the most exciting books I ever read were leather-bound volumes with nothing on the cover but the title. On the other hand, a beautiful cover can make us return and reread the same book,  making it easier to remember when recommending it to a friend.

Did you ever live in a town you thought had a strange name?
Writers
 Honestly, I could not see myself living in Hooker, Oklahoma, but I have a character who sounds like he should go there to find out more about the area.
Maybe you have a character who would love to go to interesting places and you've wondered where they should settle down for the back story. Where should they end up and why?

Friendship, Tennessee sounds delightful, but not far away is Obey City, which sounds like a great place to raise a large family? Poor kids.
Can't imagine the new bride from Difficult, Tennessee trying to win over her mother-in-law.
Anyway, some places might make your space ship hover a tiny bit before you settle down in Talent, Story or Tome, (All actual U.S. communities). Certainly, Meansville, Georgia while it might actually be a fabulous place full of peach tree blossoms, doesn’t sound very good to me and if you live there and love it, then please forgive me for using your city as an example. Do we fear questioning the places that destiny has provided, or could the name of a place tip us into greener grass and milk and honey?

I've done the research for you and hope you enjoy this list as much as I did creating it from our old family atlas.

Circumspect Places That Don't Sound so Great but
Might be The Best Places To Live on The Planet 
Flush, Kansas
Flushing, Ohio
Cashiers, North Carolina
Arsenal, Illinois
Economy, Indiana
Economy, Pennsylvania
Embarrass, Minnesota
Funk, Nebraska
Hooker, Oklahoma
Drain, Oregon
Pink, Oklahoma
Sellersville, Pennsylvania
Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania                                                               
Cope, South Carolina
Wall, S. Dakota
Boom, Tennessee
Hardscrapple, Tennessee
Difficult, Tennessee
Curve, Tennessee
Flippin, Tennessee
Obey City, Tennessee
Ozone, Tennessee
Spot, Tennessee
Faust, Utah
Van, Utah
Replete, W. Virginia
War, W. Virginia
Sodom, Vermont
Gum, Virginia
Flood, Virginia,
Pound, Virginia
Medical Lake, Washington
Brake, West Virginia
Dent, West Virginia
Droop, West Virginia
Frame, West Virginia
Chunky, Mississippi
Alligator, Mississippi
Deal, New Jersey
Plain, Wisconsin
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Nutt, New Mexico 
Organ, New Mexico
Weed, New Mexico
Devil’s Den, Wyoming
Goose Egg, Wyoming
Coldfoot, Alaska
Robbers Roost, Arizona
Why, Arizona
Meansville, Georgia
Fruitville, Florida
Weiner, Arizona
Crook, Colorado
Nut Plains, Connecticut
Slaughter, Delaware

Strictly Going By The Name of These Places They Sound
Like Awesome Places To Live

Mermaid, Delaware
Niceville, Florida
Pleasantville, New York
Pleasantville, Ohio
Luck, North Caroline
Luck, Wisconsin
Eclectic, Alabama
Snowflake, Arizona
Sunflower, Arizona
Valentine, Arizona
Valentine, Montana
Valentine, Nebraska
Valentine, Texas
Ideal, Georgia
Isle of Hope, Georgia
Loving, New Mexico
Pie Town, New Mexico 
Paradise Hills, New Mexico
Tome, New Mexico
Reliance Wyoming
Story, Wyoming
Pie, West Virginia
Good, West Virginia
Halo, West Virginia
Guardian, West Virginia
Humansville, Missouri
Happy, Texas
Groom, Texas
Earth, Texas
Wink, Texas
Eggnog, Utah
Home, Washington
Faith, Minnesota
Fertile, Minnesota
Glory, Minnesota
Friend, Nebraska
Dinner Station, Nevada
Happy Valley, New Hampshire
Happy Valley, Oregon
Disney, Oklahoma
Celebration, Florida
Talent, Oregon
Sweet Home, Oregon
Hometown, Pennsylvania
Good Luck, Tennessee
   Home, Kansas
Scenic, Washington
Shine, Washington
Spirit, Washington
Welcome, Washington
Hope, Kansas
Hope, Rhode Island
Hope, Arizona
Hope, New Mexico
Hope, North Dakota
Hope, Arkansas
Hope, Indiana
Hope, Michigan
Hope, Minnesota
Kismet, Kansas
Smileyville, Kansas
Heaven Heights, Massachusetts
Dollarville, Michigan
Climax, Michigan
Wonderland, Maine
Happy Corner, Maine
Sun, Louisiana
Christmas, Arizona
Christmas Michigan
Love, Arizona
Harmony, Rhode Island
Harmony, North Carolina
Friendship, Tennessee
Friendville, Tennessee
Model, Tennessee
Eden, North Caroline
Eden, Texas
Pleasant Garden, North Caroline
Champion, Ohio
Bliss, Idaho
Bliss, Michigan
Sugar City, Idaho
Birds, Illinois
Holiday Hills, Illinois
Justice, Illinois
Justice, Nebraska
Liberty, Illinois
Liberty, Texas
Sandwich, Illinois
Sandwich, New Hampshire
Carefree, Indiana
Santa Claus, Indiana
Santa Claus, Georgia
Independence, Kansas
Independence, Minnesota
Independence, Oregon
Independence, Iowa
Independence, Louisiana
Independence, California
Independence, Kentucky
Promise City, Iowa
Gem, Kansas

Maybe you’d be swayed by a name:
  Donna, Texas
Williams, California
Williams, Arizona
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Shelly, Minnesota
Eva, Alabama
Norma, Tennessee
Hunter, New York
Linton, Indiana
Saxton, Missouri

This land is full of exciting settings for stories, for novels and for our lives, and the best part is the variety and the humor our forefathers had when building this amazing country. ( Doesn't Why, Arizona sound intriguing and philosophical?)
God bless you all wherever you live and I hope that your Fourth of July is filled with happiness, contentment and lots of smiles.

Two More Award Recipients

I'm just going to get right to the point here. Sometimes life gets in the way of our blogging. Can you imagine  anything more important than encouraging your friends and telling them how wonderful they are?
Rejected

Anyway, two of my friends kindly told me that they are too busy for accepting awards at this time, so I thought I should name two more winners to take their place. 

So drum roll please...

The strawberry cake is still the award icon,
 I just had to offer up a few more sweets.

Lynn at Pets and Other Critters writes wonderful stories about animals and sometimes she draws beautiful illustrations of the featured pet. I love critters and I enjoy her serious take on our animal friends because it's always nice to learn something and they are so dang sweet.

The Second Irresistibly Sweet Award goes to Dwija, a young lady and her family who sold everything and bought an old house, sight unseen off the internet and moved to Michigan. Doesn't that sound irresistibly sweet? Check it out at Houseunseen.blogspot.com

The Case of The Missing Letters and Lipograms

A Lipogram is a Greek word meaning a letter is missing. Unbelievably there are entire books written without the letter e for example and they make sense too. James Thurber even wrote a book about some pirates who steal the letter O in The Wonderful O. Anyway, some folks probably started doing this when their Underwood typewriter keys would get stuck. I’m trying one here with one of my favorite poems and I really am glad that Robert Frost wrote the original and I am sorry for my feeble attempt.

This is the original masterpiece:

The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost


TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;      

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,      

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.      

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

______________________________________________________________________

My Version Without e’s.
Optional Path
Without Any e’s.
A lipogram.
Maybe I’ll try something easier next time-like a nursery rhyme without a t.


Two roads did stray apart in a mustard-color wood,
And sorry I could not pass through both
As an individual nomad, long I stood
And singly I did look down as far as I could
To its twisting turn along growing scrub.


My first option was just as fair,
And having possibly top-notch claim,
As it was grassy and sought attrition;
Though as for such passing on that spot
Had actually drawn it to an unvarying match.


And both that morning uniformly lay
With virgin brush no filthy walking and nothing black.
So I put away the prior for a tomorrow,
Knowing how paths can pilot us out of our way,
And doubtful that I should rush on back.


I shall but unfold this story with a sigh
Who knows what location or hour:
Two roads did stray apart in a wood, and I-
My option was not worn down
And that did form my transformation.

Summer Swimming and Making Believe I'm Esther

   I used to think I wanted to be Esther Williams. I love swimming and who wouldn’t love hanging out with stars like Van Johnson and Fernando Llamas? I mean have you ever seen one of her movies? Most of the time she’s wearing a bathing suit and swimming around in circles, and the rest of the time she’s in a lip-lock with a gorgeous leading man. Not only is she a great swimmer and actress, but she was a champion athlete and bathing suit company spokesperson. Later in life she endorsed swimming pools and children’s swim class instruction. In musicals she dived, water-skied, and performed elaborate synchronized swim routines created by Busby Berkeley.  Watching her move through the water you almost forget she’s actually swimming and not dancing. It’s so mesmerizing when the music builds into a crescendo and the swimmers kick their lovely legs in the air, like something totally unique, drawing you into the deep end of a Technicolor pool where art, and motion glide through the water in supreme harmony. While I sit here and write this I’m looking forward to summer when I can swim everyday, and for a little while--pretend I’m Esther Williams. 

To My Silent Observers

This one’s for you
Yes, you.
You know who you are.
You pop-in quite often-
You might smile,
You might scowl,
Maybe you laugh with me-
Maybe you laugh at me.
Either way you come to visit,
To rest and read,
To soak up some sun,
Or just wonder-
Shyly?
Questioning my simplicity,
My honesty,
My sincerity,
My faith.
Maybe you don’t really give it much though at all,
I’m just a faceless blog writer in the cosmos,
Just a figment of virtual reality,
A creation,
Perhaps robotic,
Made of hardware rather than software.
Opinionated,
Chirping,
Flittering, twittering and broadcasting.
Still, you come.
You visit,
You click, peruse, translate….
But you never, ever make a comment.
See, I told you, I know.
It’s quite all right.
I understand. I do. Really.
It’s not like I’m waiting for things to change between us.
We have a one-sided relationship.
Like an open-face sandwich-
Kind of lop-sided,
But still good.
I want you to know I am human.
My heart is full--
Knowing you are here makes me happy.
Seriously.
Please, don’t go.
Wait.
I want to thank you for visiting, 
Come back soon!

Shortcuts For Remembering Names

Simple Memory Tips for Remembering Names

Let’s talk about remembering.
As a child, you had to remember to say please and thank you.
You had to remember to wash your hands.
You tried to remember to do your homework.
You occasionally remembered to do your chores.

When you grow up and get a job, you are meeting interesting people, and if you want to be successful, you have to remember their names.
There are many ways of remembering names but usually the seven-second rule is a good place to start.
Repeating the name, back to yourself seven times will most likely pass it from your short-term memory into your long-term memory.

Of course, there are other ways to remember names, and if their name is short, you might be able to rhyme it with an obvious physical feature. For example, if the name is Joe and they have big brown-doe eyes, then doe and Joe will trigger a memory. The trouble with this is it takes too much time and by the time you have figured out the connection, they may have walked by wondering why you forgot their name. You didn’t forget, but you almost called him Moe.

Another good way to memorize a name is to use each letter of the person’s name in some sort of silly sentence. Joe’s Orange's Echo. You think of this and you won’t forget his name. It’s a little more difficult with longer names, but still an option. If the name means something, such as Daisy, then you can create a sentence using the word daisy, as in: She was fresh as a daisy.

With a longer name, you can cut it up into chunks and make more sense out of memorizing it that way.
Such as Angelica-Angel in California/Angel-In-Ca.
Anyway, I hope these four ideas will help next time you meet someone new!

Which now leaves me with remembering to count my
  Blessings.
B=Babies and Birth
L=Life and Love
E=Earth
S=Sun and Stars
S=Safety/Security
I=Intellect/Intuition
N=Names of all my Friends and Family
G=God
S=Sumptuous sustenance