Words for snow

It's interesting to take a look at the Sámi people. For the most part, they live in Northern Scandinavia and Finland. Their language is Uralic rather than Indo-European. Uralic languages also abound in Siberia and a few other spots in Asia. Finnish, Hungarian, and Estonian are all Uralic languages as well, and of course they're in Europe. But Sámi are different because many of them have maintained a nomadic lifestyle. In that way they have something in common with the Eurasian populations of thousands of years ago.

“Learning to read snow is crucial to proper reindeer migration,” says Frandy. Being able to identify and name skarta, for example, which means fallen rain has formed a hard layer of crust atop the snow, making wildlife grazing difficult, is an essential tool for herders. But reading snow can also tell you a bigger story about the season in general. “The way that snow packs, in particular, tells you a larger story about winter,” he says. "As the layers accumulate, it becomes a record of the season so far and you develop a relationship to it.”

That's led them to have a knowledge of and relationship to the natural environment, one which blows away those of us who live in more settled areas. 

Nice wheels

Yesterday, I was walking down the street and in the parking lot of the YMCA, there was a Dodge Challenger. Late 60s or early 70s model, I'd say offhand. A good Nixon Era sports car. It was painted sunshine yellow, which made it stand out even more. 

I wouldn't really call myself a car guy. In fact, both Eastern and (if you dig a little deeper) Western religions have apt warnings about getting too hung up on material possessions. Still, the owner of that car seems to have done an admirable job in keeping it nice-looking and roadworthy. Beauty comes in many forms.

Still time to make this your Halloween costume

There are a number of mythical creatures in the world. Well, there are a number of mythologies in the world. That doesn't necessarily mean the creatures stride the Earth. Although there could be some factual basis to some, if distorted.

The Kishi, stemming from Angolan folklore, is a distinctive one. In front, there's a human face, attractive and persuasive. In back, the face of a hyena, all ravenous appetite. It's sort of the Janus concept mixed with werewolves. Of course hyenas are more closely related to cats than wolves, and also scavengers. You wouldn't want to tangle with one, though.

This sounds like a natural boogeyman tale to frighten children with. It also nails something about how human behavior can be deceptive. Versatile that way.

2 tons of fun

Yes, I've seen it up close.

Nibbles Woodaway, the Big Blue Bug, is an engineering marvel of a sort, and apparently the world's largest bug. And on a smaller scale, he's a beloved costumed character, the costumes having less insectoid and more cartoony features. The Big Blue Bug is a mainstay here in Rhode Island.

Which is weird, when you think about it. Most of us wouldn't welcome an actual termite of that size, if such a thing were possible under the square-cube law. Or for that matter, the regular size ones. Nibbles is perched on top of an exterminator's business, after all. But a good monument unifies, sometimes to odd effect.

In flight

 

Looking for a feel-good story? This young woman doing a bat family reunification may do the trick. (A family of actual bats, not Batman and his cohorts.) I don't think I'd ever realized how shaky bats are when they're not in the air. The baby, especially, had a kind of Muppet way of moving.

"Mum" isn't standard American for mother, so I gather this is either the British Isles or the Antipodes. Doesn't look much like Australia, but it is nighttime in the city, so it's harder to tell.

Night chill

Today I went out wearing a purple camp shirt with nothing over it. That was fine. The sun was shining and the wind wasn't too strong, so I felt warm enough.

As the sun went down, things changed. It hasn't gotten cold enough for the heat to kick on, yet. But when day becomes night it's time to shut the windows, and there's still a little chill. Good thing there are sweaters, then.

View from the eatery

 

When I first started seeing the name "George Segal" in art books, I thought, "Wow, the actor did this? Must be a pretty busy guy." Well, I'm sure he was, at times. But they're too different guys. 

This sculpture is called "The Restaurant Window II". Strictly speaking I guess it's a little more than a sculpture, because there's the background, incorporating incandescent lights. But the figure in the foreground is the key part. While the plaster she and her clothing are made of are uncolored, you can pick things up. Those are thick boots on her feet, so it's probably winter. And she looks to be waiting. For what or whom, we don't know. But it's starting to strain her patience.