STEPHEN

This is Stephen. This was 1965, and he, my oldest nephew, was exploring in his Grandmother’s back yard. I just happened to have my camera in hand. It could be any little boy on any given day, and the picture has always been one of my favorites.

LAGOM REVISITED

Though they didn't have the word 'lagom,' the Shakers practiced the concept every day.
This is a picture I took at the Hancock Shaker Village, in Hancock, Massachusetts.

I had a small chuckle this morning when I read an article from this morning’s BBC News Headlines email – “The Swedish Word Poached by the World.”  The BBC referenced articles from Vogue and ELLE, saying this new word, 'lagom,' will replace the word Swedish word ‘hygge.’  According to my handy-dandy Engelsk-Norsk dictionary, and, having traveled a bit in Norway, I do have such a dictionary right on my desk, ‘hygge’ is the same in Norwegian, and it means ‘comfort, coziness.’

But ‘lagom’ is in a class by itself. The word expresses, in two syllables, the idea of “just enough.”  Though the Norwegians have no word for it, they certainly practice the concept, as do all Scandinavians. We can learn a lot from them.

So why the chuckle? Because back in April of 2012, I’d done a blog about it. The word had caused a bit of a stir in those just discovering it. It certainly spoke to me. Five year later, though I've really cut down on what I purchase, I’m still getting rid of stuff. One of these fine days, lagom will be me. (I hope!)

THE SMALL BUT POWERFUL MUSTARD SEED

These are the “dog days” of summer, so named because the Dog Star, Sirius, rises with the sun each morning. These are the days of indolence, days when whole countries, like France, go on holiday. These are the days of sun tans, swimming pools, beaches, back yards, and barbecue. It is no wonder that the “powers that be” designated the first day of August as National Mustard Day. At this time of year, mustard is purchased by the gallon.

The pungent, peppery-flavored mustard plant grows over much of the world in warm and temperate climes. Many of the world’s cultures have ways to prepare and eat the mustard’s leaves and stems, but the truly powerful part of the plant is its seed.

Every good cook keeps Coleman's
dry mustard on hand.

It’s no great stretch of the imagination to picture one of our ancestors who had made something tasty out of other seeds, nuts being included in that group, thinking up some way to use the fiery little mustard seeds. She ground them up, mixed them with something on hand, and added them to the meal to add some zip. In really warm climates, hot, inexpensive condiments made from herbs like mustard could cover up the taste of meats that were not too fresh, shall we say.

this image is from Wikipedia

The ancient, original condiment we now call mustard was probably made basically as it is today: ground mustard seed in a liquid carrier. The permutations of mustard vary around the world. There are several regional types of mustard seed, basically, several colors: white, yellow, brown or black. The seeds are powdered, cracked, ground, smashed, mashed, and otherwise chewed up, and then combined with a carrier of one of several types of vinegar, or wine, beer, even Jack Daniels. To this mixture you can add spices and herbs, horseradish, honey, hot peppers, or whatever you think might enhance and differentiate the flavor of the mustard.

Mustard, a condiment in itself, is often an addition to other condiments and dressings. In some dressings such as honey-mustard, it is added as an emulsifier to keep the oil and vinegar mixed. It is often used in marinades, and, because of its many varieties, can be the really secret ingredient in barbecue sauces, especially here in the Carolinas. Mustard has found its way onto and into pretzels, into salads, even into stroganoffs and soups.

Heinz, French's, even store brands of
yellow mustard are the nation's favorite

Many modern mustard aficionados, preferring the more esoteric blends, turn up their noses at good old American yellow mustard. Ah, but the numbers have the last laugh because that good old American yellow mustard, which gets it color from turmeric, the mustard of the ball parks, barbecues, and many street-food vendors, tops them all in sales in this country.

With several types of mustard seeds, many ways to open them, several different carriers, and innumerable other ingredients to stir in to the mix, the end results number in the hundreds, even thousands. At state fairs and food fests, the competition can get fierce for the best mustard, whether homemade or commercially prepared. Entrants can only hope that their preparations come up to the judges’ expectations, that they “cut the mustard.”

THE SALUTE

This is Watkins Glen, August 1978. Frank and I were regulars at the 6-Hour, Trans-Am, and Can-Am races at The Glen. This was a weekend for us to stay at the Hilton in Corning, enjoy some wonderful meals and perhaps a summer-theater offering, and explore the museums there. That was back in the days when there were great buys to be had at the Corning Glass store. All these years later, I still have the Pyrex ware I bought.

This man and his son were always at The Glen too. Many’s the time the boy had on his Cub Scout uniform, and he always paid respect to the national anthems that were being played: ours and O Canada.

I brought a copy of the picture along with me the next year, but the father and son duo weren’t there. I often wonder what they were doing that August weekend.

ECLIPSE

This piece was written for and published in the August issue of our community magazine. Heaven forbid I don't use it again. It's just a lighter (pun intended?) look at the eclipse that will cross our path here in the Carolinas. Right where we live, we'll see the eclipse at 98.7% totality - that will be close enough for me. I'm trying to decide what seeing the eclipse will do for me. Not being a scientist, it won't mean much more than being able to say I saw it. That and $2.20 will get me a round-trip, reduced Senior fare ride on the Charlotte LYNX light rail.

It’s been said that if you knew it all you’d go crazy.

Just think of all there is to know – everything from the exact amount of pi,* to the last time your neighbor went to the bathroom; the bloom time of each and every daffodil, to the time of the next eclipse; from the function of the microorganisms in your body, to what’s in the center of a black hole. Questions abound about the esoteric, the ecclesiastic, the extraterrestrial, and the down-to-earth. There is just too much to know.

Well, there’s one thing there that might prove to be interesting: the time of the next eclipse. In addition to the time, it is always helpful to know where the show is going on. Every eclipse can’t be seen everywhere, but this August we South Carolinians are in luck. All North Americans will be able to see at least a partial eclipse, but a very short ride south of Sun City Carolina Lakes will take us to the path of totality.

The last path of solar totality that included any part of the United States, mostly the north-westernmost states, was back in 1979. Where were we 38 years ago? The next two will be in 2024 and 2044, and they, and many of us seniors, won’t be within hundreds of miles from here.

The small town of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, is calculated to be the place to view absolute totality on August 21. The locals there will benefit outrageously from this free, passing natural phenomenon. Scientists, and gawkers and folks who just must be a part of such events, have commandeered and booked solid every available room, campsite, and RV spot for miles around. They’ll take hours and even days to get there to witness a totality show that will last for 2 minutes and 40 seconds, give or take a nanosecond or two.

From the first bite out of the sun to the last, the partial eclipse, the one that can be seen from here will last almost three hours, starting at just after 2:15 p.m. The total eclipse can be seen if you travel just south of here, say to somewhere along I-77 south of Exit 41, to just south of where I-77 and I-26 meet. You might want to drive down and pull off the highway anywhere down here. Better yet, totality will be seen in the many small urban parks in Columbia and Greenville, at the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens, at Congaree National Park, in Manchester State Forest, and further afield in places like the South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson, or the Nantahala National Forest. 

Don’t think that you’ll be the only ones smart enough to pick your preferred viewing spot. Pack a picnic lunch and get there early. Check the eclipse path on line and check the times for your chosen spot. Above all, be sure to be equipped with the proper eye protection for viewing. On-line sources like Amazon have them already.

*which we now know to be infinite – but perhaps knowable