Weather

Everyone knows that USA has some extreme weather - hurricanes, tornadoes etc.  But what surprised me the most was how quickly every day weather can change.  

In SA, when it got hot and sticky in summer, it was pretty much going to be like that from December until the end of March, with very little variation.  England is easy, little change all year, with only a few exceptions!

In Boston, not only can the weather change dramatically from one day to the next, with little apparent reason, but I have seen the temp drop nearly 30 degrees F, in one day.  Every time that happens I am surprised.  

In New England, people often say with good reason, if you don't like the weather, just wait a bit.  It's really true.

Autumn in the Adirondacks - beautiful

Lake Durant, NY almost from the side of the road.  What is amazing about area like this is that they are so accessible.  So many miles of trails and encouragement to explore.  In some parts of the world, it's hard to find an open place to walk, that isn't private property.

We're not in Kansas

There is so much in every country's history that is tied up in media - TV, movies, songs.  But no more so than in the US of A where day to day expressions and jokes, are pulled from TV shows such as SNL (Saturday Nite Live for the unAmericans), and so many movies.  So much  is easily shared now, so people the world over have seen shows, but it's still not the same as having been brought up watching particular comedians, and even seeing the ads from that era.

Just last weekend I watched "The Wizard of Oz" for the first time.  Besides being a darn good story with great songs and singers, there was so much in day to day usage that I honestly hadn't realized came from this film......flying monkeys; lions, tigers and bears..." and so many more!  I will never catch up with people who have watched it annually for 30 years, but at least I no longer need to hang my head and admit I have never seen it! 

Vermin and other cute creatures

Woke this morning to the sounds of gunfire: knew it was hunters after white tailed deer in the nearby woods.

 
Every place has "vermin" and it is interesting how it varies.  In SA the farmers would shoot the baboons and my dad would chase the vervet monkeys away.  The first time I saw a gray squirrel in Surrey, it was exciting and then my uncle appeared with a BB gun.

Of course I understand that there are too many deer because there natural predators have been killed, but I still look into their sweet eyes and can't imagine shooting them.   But yesterday I was cursing the "little shits" for eating the green tomatoes I was planning on frying for dinner, and I am over the ticks and Lyme disease they are unwittingly helping to spread.

Please just don't shoot them near me.

Flags

Flags are interesting and there are different meaning and obvious cultural differences.  I grew up in South Africa where the SA flag meant the police station, or someone scary and very right wing with a gun.  The only time I was really aware of flags in the UK was on a trip to Belfast in the ealry 90s - again scary!

In America flags abound not just at Memorial Day but all year.  They mean something different.  Yes, it means I am proud to be American, but it has a more general feel.  I now have my own US flag, although it is getting a little tired and probably won't last the winter.....

Lucked out

There are so many words that are pronounced differently, but what makes it interesting and challenging living in another country, is really different expression.  Everyone knows tomAtoe and tomAHtoe, but it takes a while before you understand other subtleties.  The first time I heard someone saying they "lucked out" I felt sorry, until I realized they were jubilant.  In US English, it means got lucky, and there is no "lucked in".  The web suggests this makes sense because of gambling, but it is just plain weird to me.

Merriam Webster defintion of lucked out

Church of Body Modification

Almost by definition how can this be a church?  A gathering of link minded people yes, a church with a belief in a spiritual being or something like that...I don't think so.  It's fine with whatever you want to do, really, but I dont think you should have tax exempt status....

Merriam Webster says "a building for public and especially Christian worship".  Okay, loose the Christian part, but "We honor all forms of body modification and those who choose to practice body modification for any reason" from here

Church website

I don't think so!

Autumn and Fall

Fall is just a boring way to describe with the leaves do...it's such a narrow view of the world, from this side of the pond.  Autumn is more ethereal - it can mean so many different things. A quick google search shows that it comes from the Latin "autumnus" but in the 16th century, the English name was Harvest.  Now that is a season I can embrace after apple picking last wekend.