Last week, I finished mowing my extensive lawn, and I’m really happy with how it looks. The property we rent is a couple of acres, and the manicured lawn turns into a wetland complete with a pond. The only difference between the lawn and the drier parts of the wetland is whether I mowed it or not.

This made me think about the history of lawns. When did someone look at a meadow of tall grass and think, wouldn’t that look better if it was only an inch tall? And why did they decide to find out?

Estates in France in the 1700s sported the first formal manicured lawns. The grass had to be cut by scythe, and I imagine it was a bit rough looking. Although the nobility probably punished the servants or slaves who didn’t keep the lawn looking great.

These poor grass cutters must have been grateful to Englishman Edwin Bear Budding, who built the first mechanical lawn mower in 1830. It was made with a series of blades around a cylinder, which sounds similar to a manual lawn mower used today.

I didn’t enjoy pushing the lawnmower around, but I’m glad I didn’t have to use a scythe. Perhaps someday, tall grass will come into fashion.

Thank you, Arlene, for sharing a cool newsletter with me. I signed up for Seneca and now receive an email with two interesting facts. Everyone knows I love fun facts!!!

In the most recent email, I learned that dueling with pistols was once an Olympic sport. Men (said with a deep sigh and a shake of the head.) Who thought that shooting each other was a good way to right an offense? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to have a face-off in which the loser lived, so they learned their lesson? Of course, lots of people didn’t die in duals, but one (I’m looking at you, Alexander Hamilton) was too many. I’m glad that today we have video games to vent our feelings.

In 1901, Dr. Paul Devillers, who enjoyed dueling (which seems a dangerous hobby), developed a wax bullet and a special gun to fire it. He wanted dueling to continue without the threat of death. (It sounds like the precursor to paintball.)

The titles of several articles stated that pistol dueling was an Olympic sport. That was only partly true. In 1906, the Olympics had an honorary Olympics between the regular summer Olympics held every four years. The Intercalated Games in Athens was an approved Olympic event at the time but is not recognized now.

Pistol dueling was an event at the 1906 Games, but they didn’t point the guns at humans. Instead, competitors shot at a dummy dressed in a costume. I don’t think this is a duel since you really need two people.

During the regular Olympics in 1908, a dueling group using wax bullets held an exhibition outside of the Olympic Pavillion. They were not connected with the Olympics. so I don’t think this counts either. This was the last time dueling was ever associated with the Olympics. 

So if someone says dueling was an Olympic sport, you can let them know that’s not strictly true. But the fact that people wanted to make dueling a sport into the 20th century is interesting (and crazy.)

Last week I recommended that you not eat Twinkies that have expired in 2014. However, if you should come across a box of fig newtons from 2015, they taste fine.

Odd.

Yep. It’s time for our monthly poem. In the past few months, I’ve had a hard time finding a good poem relating to the month. This month was different. I found what I wanted on the second site I opened.

This poem, by Robert Burns, talks about Lammas Night. Lammas Day (also known as Loaf Mass Day) is a Christian holiday celebrated on August 1 in the Northern Hemisphere. It marks the blessing of the first fruits of harvest. A loaf of bread is brought to the church and used in Holy Communion.

I like Robert Burns’s poems, and this one is no exception. It was written in 1783 and reads in an old tongue, but not so old that it can’t be understood. This poem was sung to the tune of Corn Rigs are Bonie. It is a lively tune. Enjoy!

The Rigs O’ Barley

By Robert Burns

It was upon a Lammas night,
When corn rigs are bonie,
Beneath the moon’s unclouded light,
I held awa to Annie;
The time flew by, wi’ tentless heed,
Till, ‘tween the late and early,
Wi’ sma’ persuasion she agreed
To see me thro’ the barley.

Corn rigs, an’ barley rigs,
An’ corn rigs are bonie:
I’ll ne’er forget that happy night,
Amang the rigs wi’ Annie.

The sky was blue, the wind was still,
The moon was shining clearly;
I set her down, wi’ right good will,
Amang the rigs o’ barley:
I ken’t her heart was a’ my ain;
I lov’d her most sincerely;

I kiss’d her owre and owre again,
Amang the rigs o’ barley.
Corn rigs, an’ barley rigs, &c.

I lock’d her in my fond embrace;
Her heart was beating rarely:
My blessings on that happy place,
Amang the rigs o’ barley!
But by the moon and stars so bright,
That shone that hour so clearly!
She aye shall bless that happy night
Amang the rigs o’ barley.
Corn rigs, an’ barley rigs, &c.

I hae been blythe wi’ comrades dear;
I hae been merry drinking;
I hae been joyfu’ gath’rin gear;
I hae been happy thinking:
But a’ the pleasures e’er I saw,
Tho’ three times doubl’d fairly,
That happy night was worth them a’,
Amang the rigs o’ barley.
Corn rigs, an’ barley rigs, &c.

Happy Grab Some Nuts Day!

Nuts are wildly popular, and unless you have an allergy, you probably enjoy this holiday. I’m not a huge fan of nuts; they are too confusing. So many nuts aren’t really nuts. Can we call peanuts, almonds, and cashews nuts or not? I think they are honorary nuts, but that is just my opinion.

My favorite way to eat nuts is as peanut butter. I’m not alone. Americans eat about 700 million pounds of peanut butter annually. Wow!

In honor of Grab Some Nuts Day, I have a simple question.

If you like peanut butter, do you prefer crunchy or creamy? Let me know in the comments.

I like creamy, but from first grade to twelfth grade, I had a peanut butter and strawberry preserves sandwich for lunch every day, and it was always made with crunchy peanut butter. I never enjoyed creamy peanut butter until I was an adult, and now it is the only type I eat.

Happy Meme Monday.

I packed 95% of my office. This was simple because all the daily things I use are in my desk drawers, and I’ll move it as is. Everything else but two framed posters got packed.

With the help of my friend, Judy, my office was ruthlessly decluttered and organized, but I still got rid of about a hundred more items. The more I removed, the more I liked my office. The walls are mostly bare, and yet I smile every time I walk in. I’ll definitely have to think about how much will go into my new office.

Before moving forced me to take things off the walls, I never considered doing so. You may not be moving, but I recommend emptying a room of everything and seeing how you feel. You may be surprised to find that you are happy with less, too.

The biggest plus of having an empty office is that cats can’t destroy anything because there is nothing to destroy. They have found their place.

I was reading a book that I will review as soon as I finish, and it made a simple scientific statement that blew my mind regarding the discovery of other galaxies. I thought I would explain my amazement with a timeline.

• 1543 – Nicolaus Copernicus explains that the planets rotate around the Sun, not the Earth
• 1610 – Galileo Galilei reports on his observations of our Moon, the moons of Jupiter, and the Milky Way made with one of the first telescopes
• 1924 – Edwin Hubble discovers that there are other galaxies in the Universe

That is remarkable. Before 1924, people thought that the Milky Way was the only galaxy in the Universe. We have known about other galaxies for less than 100 years. Mind blown.

Happy National Avocado Day!

I love avacados and I really love guacamole. Below I will share my recipe for this tasty dip.

I went looking for the amount of avacados eaten in a year, and instead found an article titled, “Can You Eat Too Much Avocado?” People who love avocado would say no. Unfortunately, avocados are high in fat (although it is good fat) and high in calories, so moderation is probably a good thing. However, the article said an avocado a day won’t hurt the average person.

I love sliced avocado on salads or tostadas. However, when the avocado is just squishy enough, I make guacamole. There are as many recipes for guacamole as there are people who eat this green dip. I learned to make this guacamole in kindergarten. It is simple but delicious.

Enjoy some avocado today, just do it in moderation.

Mowing is a janus chore. On one hand it’s loud and gives me blisters, but on the other hand the results are wonderful. A freshly mowed lawn is lovely to look at. I’ll still be glad when I’m done.

I always thought a yard was three feet, then I started mowing the lawn.

Lettie Cowman

My research yesterday on the age of things brought up a website of famous things that happened in July. I couldn’t use the information then, but I thought it was interesting, so I wanted to share some of these historic dates. Things happen every month, but July seems to be super busy. Here are a few fun events.

Historic Events in July

• 1540 – An aging Henry VIII married young Catherine Howard, the fifth of his six wives
• 1799 – A French soldier found the Rosetta Stone during Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt
• 1885 – French microbiologist Louis Pasteur gave the first anti-rabies vaccination to a nine-year-old boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog
• 1946 – The bikini swimsuit was first modeled in Paris, France. It was named after the Bikini Atoll used in U.S. nuclear testing.
• 1969 – Humans walked on the moon for the first time