Pecan or Pecan

Most of my youth, and some of my adulthood, was spent on a small dairy farm.  At the time 316 acres seemed a giant of a place with fields, pastures, uncut woods, small streams (I still call them creeks), the barnyard and outbuildings and, of course, the old house we called home.  

In front... the front yard naturally, with a front porch and the living room which was a little hard to understand to me because it was reserved for visitors and Christmas.

on the west side back was the "Back door" which opened into the kitchen and was always the point of entry into the house.  For one thing it was closest to the driveway and more importantly to the dairy barn and every thing that happened.

 Directly across the driveway was three of the best things about living on a farm.

Two old pecan trees and one walnut tree forming a triangle  all of which were huge and possible planted in the late 1800's. They all three forked about 5 or 6 feet off the ground and were linked on two of the triangle sides with clothes line wire.

It was a magical place to play in when the sheets were hung on the line.  I could imagine myself anywhere my young mind could conceive.

Not every year, but, maybe every 3rd year the pecan trees would be loaded with nuts.  The walnut tree was sort of old fashioned and steadily provide black walnuts every year.  But the pecan trees were special.

 For one thing, well.. the every 3rd year thing, but mostly because of the fun of eating those wonderful nuts. And besides, the pecans were a lot easier to crack.

You see the walnuts would drop in their thick green husk which then turned black and would stain your skin clothes or anything else they came in contact with. So you either had to wait until that had decayed and then you could smack the nut with a hammer, or a rock if that was handy.  And then you better have a nail flattened on the end ( 8 penny nails were a perfect size.  While the pecan husks would open while on the tree and then drop those brown and black striped nuts which my mom and dad could crack easily in their hands and the meat would almost naturally fall out in two halves.  (better not use too much force though, or you'd crush the halves and would have to hunt and peck for the pieces.

It was a great time to be young and alive.

But, for all my 60 some odd years the controversy has raged.  Even before that and I'm sure even long into the future.

How do you pronounce the word Pecan?

I personally say pa Khan and others say Pee can.  

Each looks at the other as being backwoods or unlettered, perhaps putting on airs in an effort to be seen as superior to the other as if it were a matter of world shaking importance.  Perhaps ranking up there with whether to get a tattoo or not, maybe even as high as whether your drive a Ford or a Chevy.

Maybe it doesn't really matter.

Maybe it really only matters if you eat them in your brownies or your  scrumptious paKahn pie!  

  

 

Why do I feel so confused?

or

 Did I take my happy pills this morning?

Have you found yourself asking questions like these of late?  Does down seem up and up seem down to you?  WTH is going on here?  Why don't I trust politicians or the msm as much as I used to.  Do you find yourself asking people, "What would uncle Walter Cronkite do"?

 Weren't we getting along with the Russians just a little while ago?  Didn't we say we would wipe ISIS from the scene?  

Did I go to sleep 5 years ago and wake to find the world inside out?

Weren't we supposed to find that our health insurance premiums would go down $2500?  With a better benefit package and all at the same Dr. as before?

 Folks, I have deliberately tried to distance myself from the world a bit.  Sit back and let it go on it's merry way.  Listen to the social engineers and be happy with the new found peace and contentment in my life.

Perhaps you too might be feeling a bit light headed after reading headlines like these,

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1968311/america-plotting-to-allow-9000-isis-fighters-to-escape-terror-capital-mosul-so-they-can-attack-russian-troops-moscow-outrageously-claims/

 I don't know about you, but, I'm beginning to wonder if there is any sanity left, or, 

Maybe I need to talk to the doc about getting my dosage increased!

White House wants to add new racial category 

 

 I note with a bit of head shaking that the minions in Washington want to add a new racial category for people from the middle east and north Africa.  

As that big headed kid from the comic strip used to say, 

"Good Grief!" 

Here's a novel idea.

Instead of trying to separate us all into warring factions.  Why don't we just start to refer to all people around the world, without regard to skin tone, shape of eyes or ears, language, big or small, short or tall, as simply HUMAN !

Or maybe even as brother or sister?   

Check out their spurious reasoning here:

 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/09/30/white-house-wants-add-new-racial-category-middle-eastern-people/91322064/