Answering the world's most puzzling question

For hundreds or maybe thousands of years philosophers and the world's great thinkers have attempted to find the elusive answers to the important questions of the time. What is the meaning of life? If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it really make a sound? What is the sound made by one hand clapping? Does Santa Claus really fly from rooftop to rooftop or does he merely drop gifts from about twenty thousand feet? Is there life after a Republican takeover of the Presidency? THat one I am not sure about.

Lest I run a fowl of forgetting, the most important question of all might just be......”Why did the chicken cross the road?” For centuries, the world, from the very young to the very old, have sought to find the answer to this puzzling question.

Not being a chicken, I decided to go directly to the source. Approaching Henrietta with great caution I asked the question. “Why?” Her response was a flapping of feathers and a “buk, buk, buk”. But not understanding chicken, I decided to seek the answer elsewhere.

A quick survey at the local grocery store got some strange looks but great answers. Now one would expect the usual responses. But then, there was the occasional 'who cares' or 'none of your business.' People can be so rude. It was just a very simple question! Don't get your tail feathers all twisted.

I think chickens have been very misunderstood. Like... it was the chicken's fault for the outbreak of salmonella poisoning in the Midwest several years ago? Sounds more like a problem created by people in a hurry to make a profit rather than a chicken laying a bad egg. Now if you are expecting a joke here, I am going to disappoint you. What happened was serious and many people could have died. Human error? 

Chickens have become the brunt of many jokes and I don't understand why. What other animal can have it's head cut off and still be able to run around for several minutes? Sound a bit like the Congress Washington sometimes!!

Why would we call our best friends 'chicken' if they refused to take a dare or drink at an underage party or a puff on the joint and then get into a car.. Sounds pretty smart to me.

Poor Chicken Little. All she could do was run around shouting that the sky was falling. Did anyone actually believe her? Remember. The story was written to teach a lesson in 'courage'.  Is anyone listening or just running around with their heads cut off because of the 2016 election resukts?

Like other animals, a chicken can be very loyal to its owner and often becomes the family pets. It recognizes your voice and may greet you at the door each morning. And then on some unsuspecting day...whack with a hatchet and in a few short hours Henrietta appears on the serving platter at the dinner table. No one can eat her though. Who could possibly eat the family pet. My suggestion?. Don't give the chicken a name. Poor Henrietta.

Chickens don't fly very well. I am assuming at one time they were very skilled in the art of flying, but over time they lost the ability to soar with the eagles. I can picture it now,.. five eagles in formation lead by.... a chicken. Makes for an interesting image!

So....back to the original question. Why did the chicken cross the road? Perhaps it was to prove that if you need a new challenge and a fresh place to start, crossing the road may be the place to begin! (But before crossing the street, even if you are a chicken,be sure to look both ways, )

Does spelling count?

         When I waz a kid, I skipt skool a lot and nevr learnd to rite or spell good. (Actually, I learned how to spell the word ‘good’ because it rhymed with shood.)  I usually skipt on Mondays and Fridays. On Mondays, the teacher assined the new list of spelling words to studee for the week and on Friday, we had the test. But I was usually abcent. The other kidz made fun of me and the more fun they made, the more I skipt.

          Sometimes when I was in skool, the teacher would tell us we had to rite  something. The little blond hair girl who sat in front of me would always raise her hand and ask, “Does spelling count?” The other kidz would laff and I would slide down in my chair trying to hide under my desk.

         One day someone said to me, “Do not worry if you can not spell well. Someday there will be a machine that will correct all of your spelling mistakes. The machine will be called a computer and it will have something called spell check.”

          “Wow,” I said and decided at that point that I would just drop out and wait for this new machine. It was two hard to learn to spell and the other kidz just made fun of me anyhow.

           Time passed and I grew older. That person who told me about spell check was right. The computer, with spell check, did correct my spelling errors although I think the machine was sometimes overwhelmed even by my mistakes. But I began to realize that how I spelled, spoke and wrote was as important as how I dressed or combed my hair. I began to understand why the kids made fun of me. They thought I was stupid. But I really wasn’t.

          This is not necessarily a true story, although spelling was difficult for me. But the feelings and emotions expressed are felt by many who struggle with poor spelling and are made fun of in school.

          Does spelling count? You bet it does! How you speak, write and spell tells just as much about you as what you wear or where you live. Misspellings on a resume, job application or cover letter will not go unnoticed and can mean the difference between getting an interview or not.

           The other day I received a letter in the mail. Although it was a form letter and had been mailed to many others including me explaining some changes in an insurance policy, it contained two very obvious spelling errors. Does spelling count?  You bet it does! What happened to the spell check?

          What really concerns me is the shift to texting. Shortened phrases and abbreviations are rapidly taking the place of complete sentences and correct spelling. Can you imagine texting a cover letter for a job application?

          Don’t get me wrong. I am still  not the perfect 'speller'. Learning to spell words correctly is difficult for many. It takes time and practice. No shortcuts here. It requires study, study and more study.

          Now, if only I had only spent more time in school on Mondays and Fridays, perhaps I would know how to add and subtract better too.

After some time away, I am slowly working my way back to...500 words all the time..... and will begin posting again on a regular basis after the first of the year. I hope you will join me.
Thanks