Things You Only Learn From Reading by Karla Stover

https://bwlauthors.blogspot.com karla stover






In ancient Rome, Cloacina was the patron goddess of the Cloaca Maxima (the main drain of the City) and the city’s overall sewer system. In recognition of her importance, the poet, Lord Byron, wrote the  following ditty:

 "O Cloacina, Goddess of this place,

 Look on thy supplicant with a smiling face.                           

Soft, yet cohesive let their offerings flow,                           

 Not rashly swift nor insolently slow." 

I found the poem in my history of toilets book. Granted, it's available on the web, but how can you look up something if you haven't learned about it, first?


Here's another goodie I just read about. Recently, Salt Lake County's Canyons School District built a new high school and allowed the students to vote for a mascot. They overwhelmingly chose the cougar.  Brigham Young University's mascot was the cougar, a tract of 10,409 acres of the state's backcountry was called Cougar Canyon Wilderness. However, the school board rejected the vote because----"It might be offensive to older women."  

 And how would someone ever know to google the Cadets' Protective Association unless they'd stumbled on it somewhere in a book about Chicago. At the turn of the last century, Chicago's Levee District was between Clark Street and Wabash Avenue, and 18th Street to 22nd. Street gangs, pickpockets, and brothels flourished in the Levee, so much so that pimps actually unionized, forming the Cadets' Protective Association.

Daylight saving time (which ends on November 5, 2017) was first proposed in 1784 by Benjamin Franklin in 1784. In 1907, an Englishman named William published a pamphlet, "The Waste of Daylight," in which he "proposed that the clocks should be advanced by 80 minutes in four incremental steps during April and reversed the same way during September." Jump ahead to April 10, 2010 when an article ion the Chicago Times claimed that "There was indeed double daylight saving time during World War II, but in Britain, not in the U.S. Except that Vashon Island, Washington  resident Betty MacDonald wrote that her war-worker husband was coping with double daylight savings.

My family didn't buy a lot of books when I was young for the simple reason that we didn't have a lot of money. However, I inherited a treasure-trove of my mother's books, one of which was The Linger- Nots and the Mystery House by Agnes Miller. In it, the mystery of the house was revealed by the flowers stitched into an old sampler. This is known as floriography, or the language of flowers. It's a way to communicate through the use or arrangement of specific flowers. I wrote a short murder mystery called Flower Power in which the victim manages to tell the protagonist "who dun it" through the use of flowers. It was actually accepted for publication.

One terrific thing a college education gave me was the ability to read and enjoy a broad spectrum of genres which  has proved to be a great gift because I  am a rather lonely person. With a book, I always have a friend.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
― Dr. Seuss

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Alberta Bound

If you're following my blog you'll know we spent our summer vacation in breathtaking  province of Alberta. Using Canmore as a base we enjoyed day-trips, touring the area. We couldn't possibly fly home without a trip to a totally different part of the province, and a history every kid likes.

Looking at the map, we had two options to head east. As beautiful as the Trans Canada is, we came in that way, so opted for a scenic route with a different perspective.

With the luggage packed and a picnic lunch ready, we waved goodbye to the mountains as they vanished in the rearview mirror. 

Our journey took us through Cochrane, Airdrie & Acme. Beautiful, bustling towns with gorgeous parks. So much to see, so little time, we kept rolling along toward our destination.

Why is it our stomachs had to have the worst timing in the world? Seriously, all three of our bellies imitated a thunderstorm in the middle of nowhere. One grumbled and the domino effect went wild. The rumbling drowned out the music. 


So where did we stop for our picnic lunch? On a side-road by a farmers field of course. I'm surprised the residents of the area didn't send men in white jackets to rescue us. 


I must admit it certainly was peaceful. Most of the time. Too bad the odd truck went by. Nothing quite like a cloud of dust smothering our sandwiches. Just kidding. We closed the doors and raised the windows to keep the air clean and fresh. At least we tried to. We kept the mini coughing fits to a minimum. Amazing what guzzling a mouthful of water can accomplish.  

The picnic bag / cooler went back to the trunk and our journey continued. 

Once we got out of the mountains, Alberta seemed relatively flat. And then suddenly, out of the blue, the descent began. 


Impressive really. It felt like we were entering a tunnel, but I could see that rich blue sky through the skylight. Doing a little research, if you think about how the area came about, it really does make sense. They began mining for oil and low and behold, didn't they find dinosaur bones and fossils. Yes, we had arrived in Drumheller, Alberta. 
    

First impressions. Wow. Simply wow. Driving through the winding hills into the valley known as the town. Second impression. Wow. This truly is the land of the forgotten, in more ways than one. 

Shame on our previous government. Nine years in power. His home province. This area is and should be heavily promoted as a tourist attraction. We saw and talked to a lot of people from all over the globe. A little bit of money and this town will flourish. They just need a help to get started with the cleanup. Give me a reason to stop and stay more than a day. 

But then, when has there ever been employment created through tourism. (Just a touch of sarcasm there).  

After checking into the hotel, the highest point in the entire city, we headed for the renown Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. Friends had raved and with good reason. The state of the art building is nothing shy of spectacular.

We paid our admission and walked through the archway. A humongous dinosaur and her not so tiny baby greeted us. Literally. Eyeballs glared into our souls and they spoke. Well, they growled, a chest rattling friendly sort of voice. Excited as a kid Christmas morning I was hooked. 

The stroll around the museum continued. A five star review for the museum. I couldn't come up with a complaint about the place if I had to. A must see if you're anywhere near the area.

 We met Clement along the path. Knowledgable and super enthusiast his words rolled off his tongue like he was born to discover these ancient creatures. 

We overstayed our visit, hogging his time, closing the place down but not before getting a 'recommendation' for dinner from another tourist. My travelling companions wanted a beer so we headed the Vintage Pub and Grill and had a meal with the locals. Relaxed service and yummy food. We trudged back to the hotel with full bellies. 

Energized the following morning we would tour around this incredible area. But that can wait to next month.  Stay tuned. Hoodoo!

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