By Rosie Moore

 

John Grisham has done it again. The words seem to flow from his brain unto paper in no time at all. He has written thirty-two novels, one work of non-fiction, a collection of stories, and six novels for young readers. I just finished his newest novel, “The Reckoning” and it is full of legal suspense of murder and mayhem on every page.

It is amazing what one can learn, especially in this technological age. When I lived up North I was fortunate enough to live across the road from an Amish farm. Every day I could gaze out my picture window and watch the beautiful sheep graze on the fertile green banks.

Just recently I saw a   picture of a beautiful sheep called a Dall sheep, which is a species of sheep native to Northwest America, namely in the mountain ranges of Yukon territory  and MacKenzie mountains in the Northwest territory. They range from white to slate-brown in color and having curved yellowish-brown horns.

I always thought sheep were sheep but I read recently there are many varieties of sheep. The Latin name dallis was derived from William Healey Dall, an American naturalist.

With all the rain we’ve gotten–and are still getting– umbrellas are in high demand.

Who made the first umbrella? The basic umbrella  was invented over 4,000 years ago. There is evidence of them in the ancient art and artifacts  of Egypt, Assyria, Greece and China. They were first designed as protection from the sun. The word umbrella comes from the Latin word “umbra,” meaning shade or shadow.

Some of the most important inventions in the field of umbrellas happened in the 20th century. Hans Haupt managed to create a  pocket umbrella in 1928 and Bradford Phillips secured a patent in 1969 which described the first “working folding umbrella.”

I also learned that “opera” is the plural of “opus.” I never knew that, did you?

Thought for the day: The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention.    John Burroughs

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