New stuff, old names
G. George Ostrom
The Trailwatcher
What's new? What isn’t? The dictionary defines the word new as “1- Never existing before, appearing thought of, developed, made, produced etc. for the first time. 2- existing before but not known or discovered for the first time.” That’s good enough for me. There is a lot of “new stuff” out there that most take for granted.
So! Do we have drivers who don't know what to do if their car’s turning signals aren't working? Most people probably know “arm straight out” means left turn and “bent elbow with forearm straight up” means right turn; however, a majority of drivers on the road today do not know that turn signals are a “new” invention.
When I say “new” that means someone in my general age bracket has spent a lot of his driving life signaling turns with a left arm stuck out the window. Worse yet! In bitterly cold weather, that meant first rolling down said window with a manual crank. Don't forget, under my interpretation of the word, power windows are “new” also.
Why are we talking about this? Saw a young man last Sunday driving an old pickup and he was signaling a left turn with his arm out the window. Had to think for a minute before remembering, “It wasn't that long ago when everybody had to do that.” Actually thought about going home to make a list of “new stuff.” Didn't take half an hour to realize that job would require a year or so, and I still would probably leave out hundreds of things … like electric powered toenail trimmers.
Maybe a person who wanted to list “new stuff” just from the last year might never get it done. Sort of like the old Ripley’s “Believe It or Not” where we calculated “if all the people in China marched six abreast, past a point, 24 hours a day, you could never count them because they would reproduce faster than that.”
Seems weird! This much of a column was triggered by a young man sticking his arm out a pickup window, and I haven’t had my evening brandy yet.
Stumbled across another book I didn't know we had. Deals with origins of people's names. Hungry Horse News Editor's name is Joe Sova so looked that up. In the bible, Jacob's wife Rachel named her first-born Joseph, which in her ancient language meant “he shall add.” She did this because she wanted another child. The name proved popular and spread to many other languages. Everyone knows the Spanish version, Jose. The first surgeon to do antiseptic surgery was 19th Century Joseph Lister. In more modern times we have Joe DiMaggio who became famous by marrying Marilyn Monroe. We also have Joe Namath who won the Super Bowl and wore nylon underwear … and of course, there is Editor Joe.
What about photographer Chris Peterson? Chris means "a Christ-bearer" and comes from a ferryman who was said to have carried little Jesus across a swollen river. The ferryman was named Sr. Christopher and also became the patron saint of travelers. Another famous Chris is given credit for discovering America and don't forget Christopher “Kit” Carson who explored the wild frontier and fought at the Alamo. Christopher Robin is in the Winnie the Pooh books, and Chris Peterson puts out beautiful photo books.
Have to look up what it says about “First Wife Iris.” In Greek legend, Iris meant the rainbow and eventually associated with a beautiful purple flower. In truth, Iris is the flag lily and can have various hues. We have brilliant wild yellow irises in Montana. Also in Greek mythology, Iris was the fleet-footed “goddess if the rainbow” and she delivered messages for other gods. At our house, when Iris delivers a message to me, I’ve always known it came from a very high source and reacted accordingly.
Oh! About George? The book says “This name has been one of the most popular since the Crusades and comes from the Greek meaning ‘farmer’ or ‘worker of the earth.’ Saint George became the slayer of dragons, George Washington America's first President, and George Patton the toughest General.”
Thankfully, the “What's in a Name” book does not mention “Boy George.”