This made me laugh

Here are some fascinating facts from the 1500s:
1. June Weddings: Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May. By June, they still smelled pretty good. Brides carried bouquets of flowers to hide any lingering body odor, which is why carrying a bouquet during weddings is a custom today.
2. Baths and Babies: Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of using the clean water first, followed by other family members. Babies were bathed last. The saying "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!" originated from this practice.
3. Thatched Roofs and Animals: Houses had thatched roofs made of thick straw. Animals (like cats and mice) lived in the roof to keep warm. When it rained, the roof became slippery, leading to the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."
4. Dirt Floors and Canopy Beds: Floors were dirt, except for the wealthy. They had slate floors that became slippery in winter. To prevent slipping, they spread straw (thresh) on the floor. Canopy beds were invented to protect against bugs and other debris falling from the roof.
5. Eating Stew and Leftovers: People cooked in big kettles over the fire. They ate mostly vegetables and little meat. Stew was a common dish, and leftovers were left in the pot overnight. The rhyme "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old" reflects this practice.
6. Lead Poisoning from Pewter Plates: Wealthy individuals had pewter plates. However, the lead in pewter could leach into acidic foods, causing lead poisoning. Tomatoes, being acidic, were considered poisonous for about 400 years.
7. Bread and Social Status: Bread was divided by status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests received the top—the "upper crust."
8. Lead Cups and Knockout Combinations: Lead cups were used for ale or whisky. The combination of lead and alcohol could knock drinkers out for days.
9. Graveyard Shift and Dead Ringers: England faced a shortage of burial space. Coffins were reused, and sometimes scratch marks inside revealed that people had been buried alive. To prevent this, a string was tied to the corpse's wrist, leading to a bell above ground. The "graveyard shift" involved listening for the bell—someone could be "saved by the bell" or considered a "dead ringer."
And there you have it! History is anything but boring.

 

More:
This comes from sailing ships, when a storm tore the sails from the rigging and the ship was out of control. If you are drunk and unable to control your physical actions, you are "Three sheets to the wind."

When a bee has meandered about collecting pollen and can carry no more, they make a "bee line" straight back to the hive.

The Inuit people of the far north would sleep with their dogs inside their shelters for warmth. When it was really cold it was a "Three dog night."

On vintage aircraft the throttle sticks were topped with a rubber ball. When going full throttle, you pushed the balls all the way to the firewall in the front of the cockpit. You went "balls to the wall."

Firearms references:
You obtained all of something "lock, stock and barrel." All parts of a gun.

When the primer powder in the pan on a flintlock musket ignited, but the main charge didn't, it was "just a flash in the pan."

If you are you're not hunting, and just doing target practice at a bullseye, you're .just "shooting the bull,"

The ammo belt on a P-51 Mustang was 27 feet long. When you give something the "whole nine yards" it was all you had to give.

 

Had to look twice.

 

A couple nights ago we actually saw them! The Aurora Borealis. ULTRA rare down here in southern New Jersey. I know it's a common occurrence in the northern environs, but for us it was a thrill. The never make it down here. My wife has been to Canada and Vermont a few times when she was younger where they can be seen often, but she was never there at the right time and always missed the show. She has always said if she gets to see them, she can die happy.

She's happy.

I'm waiting...

Just kidding. Love her to death.

 

I was sitting here eating lunch when it dawned on me. Cottage cheese is not actually, in reality, a cheese.

It's just a curd to me.

 

Two weeks after the Grenfell Report...

 

Tonight, my wife, our three girls and granddaughter, AJ, went out to a big field on my buddy's farm a couple miles from our house to see if we could catch a glimpse of the comet, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. We have a big Celestron telescope and took it along.

We saw it! Pretty cool!

We all went out and grabbed dinner afterwards.

So, this week, I saw a shooting star (Draconid meteor shower is in progress), the Aurora Borealis and a once in 80k year comet!

But the most amazing thing to occur this week?

My daughters picked up the restaurant tab.

All signs. I tell you; the end is near.