Tika & Red Fish

Tika really did not care much that Red Fish finally died. (See his white chin? He was an old fish, I guess, by fish standards, at least two years old.)

I took this picture of Red Fish to illustrate a point, which I was trying to explain to Tika.

"Fish, in their natural state, eat bugs, right?" I asked her. "So why wouldn't fish-in-fishbowls like a bug every now and then too?"  Tika looked away and gave no answer. She is really not interested in fish......... unless it's salmon tidbits in her bowl.

Point of today's story is this:  I did catch some mosquitoes and other tiny bugs and dropped them right on top of Red Fish in his bowl. And he turned up his nose at them and turned away! He, in his generations-inbred-domesticity did not recognize a bug when it was presented to him. Here was a tasty treat but he did not recognize it. (I had to spoon the bugs out.)

Are we like Red Fish in our genealogical endeavors? When presented with something totally new, some totally unexpected and totally unknown previously information, do we turn and swim away???

Bugs for thought............. err, food for thought.

Tika & Hair Art

As I was combing a (grumpy) Tika the other day, I mused about something I had just read (refer to below). The lesson-booklet stated that "human hair was not the only kind of hair that was utilized. Hides of domestic and wild animals were saved so that their hair could be used for many different utilitarian purposes." Further down in the article was this:  "The hair of rabbits, dogs, goats and woodchurcks was valued (to use)." ​

The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (DUP) is an organization for female desdendants of the Utah pioneers, those hardy souls who entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1846 (or something close.... I do not qualify so am a bit fuzzy on the details).  The group publishes a reqular lesson (more like a little booklet) and the Lesson for April 2012 was titled "Hair Art." It was most interesting!

"Pioneer women in the 1800s were quick to adopt and enjoy crafts that would beautify their homes. Hair art, which had been popular in Europe from the 1400s through the 1800s, was one of the ways that the women decorated their walls with pictures made from  the hair of members of their families, friends, famous people and sometimes from members of organizations. Hair was also used in memorial jewelry and for personal adornment." 

"During the Utah pioneer era (and I know that this was done all over Victorian America), a lady seldom cut her hair. However, during the time that hair craft was popular, most ladies collected hair from their brushes and stored it in a "hair receiver," a small container that they kept on their dressing tables. When enough hair was saved, the flowers for the wreaths and other projects could be made by securing the hair with fine wire over a rod and then creating a series of loops and forming the shape that was wanted: Leaves, petals, buds or complete flowers."  

Don't think I would have the patience for such art. And with women's hair much shorter these days, seems to me it would be impossible. And Tika's short red hair/fur would most certainly be impossible!  

"Yep, I agree," mused Tika as she cheered up when I put the comb away.

Tika & Mustard

Everybody likes mustard, right? It's the world's most favorite condiment and it comes in so many different flavors! But Tika does not like mustard in any flavor:

This is from Wikipedia:  "The Romans were probably the first to experiment with the preparation of mustard as a condiment. They mixed unfermented grape juice, known as "must", with ground mustard seeds (called sinapis) to make "burning must", mustum ardens — hence "must ard". A recipe for mustard appears in Apicius (also called De re coquinaria), the anonymously compiled Roman cookbook from the late 4th or early 5th century; the recipe calls for a mixture of ground mustard, pepper, caraway,lovage, grilled coriander seeds, dill, celery, thyme, oregano, onion, honey, vinegar, fish sauce, and oil, and was intended as a glaze for spit-roasted boar."

Did you know there is a National Mustard Museum and a National Mustard Day?  The museum is in Middleton, Wisconsin and August 2nd is the annual National Day of Mustard. 

Our ancestors undoubtedly enjoyed mustard on their meats because without adequate refrigeration meat would too quickly spoil and our ancestors would eat it anyway (up to a point of course). 

Click to www.mustardmuseum.com to enjoy learning all about America's favorite condiment. And how do you enjoy your mustard? 

"Big deal," said Tika. "I prefer mayo."