everything you ever wanted to know about H

Hello, howdy, hey, hi, hullo,

A short history on the evolution of the letter H: The American Heritage dictionary says the letter heth originally represented a consonant h in Semitic languages which included Phoenician. When the early (eastern) Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet they used this letter for their h sound or "rough breathing." In the eastern Ionic dialect the h was lost. Later both western Greeks and Romans used an alphabet that retained the h and from them came the symbol that the Romans simplified to the modern form of the letter H.

In ancient Egyptian the hieroglyph for fence was most likely the starting point of the symbol we recognize today as H.The Proto-Semitic H appeared as:
The Phoenician H was represented by this mark:
The Etruscan H was:
In the Greek alphabet the H appeared in this recognizable form.

And finally the H in Latin:

Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger

Beginning with H:

Names and Places: Hong Kong, Hitchcock, Haiti, Holland, Hoboken, Ho Chi Minh-the city and the person, Nathan Hale, Jimmy Hoffa, Hungary, Hawaii, Hammurabi, Homer-the cartoon character, the poet and the artist, Honduras, Honolulu, Hoosier, Harry Houdini, Hadrian and his wall, New Hampshire, and the Hamptons, Helene Hanff-favorite writer, five former presidents-Warren G. Harding, William Henry Harrison, Herbert Hoover, Rutherford B. Hayes and Benjamin Harrison.

Food: hashbrowns, honey, hominy, honeydew melon, hummus, ham, hamburger, hot dog, horseradish, herring, halibut, haggis, Hershey's chocolates, hot tamales, hoagies, herbs, and hen

The most famous, most used sans-serif typeface in the advertising world is Helvetica. It even has it's own documentary. My son Brandon and I watched it this summer while we were on vacation in Florida...cause we are weird like that.



This clip is really long, so you may not want to watch it all. That won't hurt my feelings. But if you love typology you will be interested.

Please don't make fun of us......

H words that we should use more often:

harbinger, hoity toity, hassle, hillbilly, harridan, hope chest, hootchy-kootchy, hushpuppy, harrumph, hodgepodge, harmonious, hokum, hindsight, hoopla, hippogriff, hinterland, hornswoggle, hipster, hurdy-gurdy, hobnob, hunky-dory, huzzah, hosanna, hyacinth, hooligan, halcyon, hooray, hopscotch, hijinks, hog heaven, hightops, harangue, haberdashery, hullabaloo

My birth year makes me a Horse in the Chinese zodiac. Here is what a horse is supposed to be like. I'm not sure this is totally me:

1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002

People born in the Year of the Horse are popular. They are cheerful, skillful with money, and perceptive, although they sometimes talk too much. The are wise, talented, good with their hands, and sometimes have a weakness for members of the opposite sex. They are impatient and hot-blooded about everything except their daily work. They like entertainment and large crowds. They are very independent and rarely listen to advice. They are most compatible with Tigers, Dogs, and Sheep.

As far as I know, there is no goodbye word that starts with H so I will have to end this with a simple adieu....to you and you and you! So long farewell!

I was supposed to name 10 H things that I really liked. I'm not too good at following directions. If you would like a letter to write about and would like to do as you're told....visit Betsy at My Five Men. And tell her I'm sorry while you're over there please.

J's Heart

I found this pretty Valentine in my mailbox today. It is from my friend "J." J is waiting on her second heart transplant, her third heart. We are the same age. Her second heart served her well for over 25 years. It is tired now. She needs a new one.

Here is what I recently read in the newspaper: "Second heart transplants are relatively rare. In 2006, the most recent year for which data is available, only 3.7 percent of heart transplants, 82, were repeat transplants."

Please pray for J. She has been on the list for over a year. Waiting is stressful.

Willow's Five Questions

Last week Willow of Life at Willow Manor, was interviewed by Steph and then she invited any of her readers to participate if they so desired. I was one of the volunteers. Willow emailed me five questions. Here are my answers. If you would like to be interviewed by me please let me know in the comments section and I will email you your five questions.

I’ve called myself artist before, but I’ve never really thought of myself as one. Instead, I’ve thought of myself as a person with some artistic talent. I think there is a difference. As a person with artistic talent, I am proud of the fact that I’ve tried to improve on that talent.

2. How do you balance your career, personal creative time and attention to your children and grandchildren?

Balance…there is no balance in my life anymore. That is one of the perks that you can afford yourself when you live alone. Who does it hurt if you stay up to 3:00 am? Who is hurt if you don’t do the dishes for a week? Who cares if you never cook? Except me that is.

When it comes to work, being creative and giving attention to loved ones, it is also impossible to be balanced. My career always takes the hit. For me, my job is what I do to pay the bills. Being creative and nurturing my relationships with those I love are the two most important things in my life. If I have to choose between those two, people always win. Time with children is fleeting. Treat them well when they are young and you will always have friends. I not only love my children, I like them too. I admire them. They have grown into exceptional people. They are fun to be around. I hope my grandchildren will grow up with good memories of me. I love it that I’ve been dubbed the crafty grandma and the grandmother who tells stories to them. Grandchildren make you work hard though. Just when you’ve forgotten how to play, how to be messy or how to be silly, they come along. I’m blessed and I know it.

So in conclusion, I think I’ve always been unbalanced. I like myself this way.

3. Which historical figure do you most identify with and why?

I think maybe Martin Luther. I understand the doubt, the self-examination that an analytical mind can impose on one. I understand wrestling with God in the search for answers to unending questions. I understand the peace that comes with salvation through the free gift of God through Jesus Christ and the determination that these truths must be shared.

4. What is your greatest personal extravagance?

I don’t have many extravagances. I simply can’t afford many. If I could I would travel constantly. I’ve been lucky in my life to have seen a few of the sights on my list. There are many more as yet unseen, probably never to be seen, but a girl can still dream. In the meantime, I indulge myself with the occasional treat from Anthropologie and Barnes and Noble.

5. Besides your children and grandchildren, what is your most treasured possession?

This question has me stumped completely. I like my jewelry. I like my entertainment center. I like my teal crushed velvet jacket. I like my Fiestaware dishes. I wouldn’t want to do without my craft supplies and paints. But, if asked what I would grab if the house was on fire I would say, my purse, my jewelry, my photographs: my purse for practical reasons, my jewelry for vanity’s sake and my photographs for sentimental reasons.

If you would like to play along, here are the instructions:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the

questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview

someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask
them five questions.

True Confessions of a Unabashed Blog Stalker

For the past year or so I have unashamedly sought out, bookmarked, and repeatedly read 10s of 10s of blogs. I know your names. I know your hobbies. I know your troubles. I know your irritations. I know your loves.

But, please don't let that scare you. I am totally captivated by your stories. I have spent many a quiet and lonely night living, laughing and creating art vicariously through your narratives. So thank you. And now you have inspired me to put my thoughts out in blog land for all to read. I hope to entertain you as much as you have me.