I Was Wondering...Spigot vs. Faucet

What is the difference between a spigot and a faucet?

In my last Thankful Sunday post, I said I was thankful for the cold water that came out of the faucet at the house I was visiting. Well, that's what I said, but not the first time I wrote it. The first time, I said that I was thankful for the cold water that came out of the spigot. I wasn't sure what to say, but I was tired and just chose one. Now that I have a little time, I thought I would figure out what was what.

And once again, I'm confused because they are synonyms of each other. Both spigot and faucet refer to a tap (another synonym) or a valve that controls the flow of liquid into something. You can have a tap in anything from a cask to a water pipe. I never thought about it, but that is where the phrase "tap water" comes from that refers to water coming straight from the faucet/spigot/tap.

However, there are some US regional variations in usage. In the south, spigot is more commonly used while faucet is more commonly used in the north. Also, some use spigot to mean a tap outside and one that is more utilitarian while faucet is used for a tap inside that is fancier.

So there you have it. Use either one you want and you will be okay. After all of this talk about water, I'm thirsty. I'm going to have a drink of tap water from the faucet after I wash my hands from the spigot in the bathroom. :)

What word do you use, and do you use different words for a tap in different situations?

Want to know more?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_%28valve%29
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faucet

I Was Wondering--Who Wouldn't go?

or Up on the Housetop


For several weeks now, I have been randomly singing Christmas carols. Sometimes they are sparked by a song I hear in a store or by a decoration I see in someone's yard. This afternoon I saw a Santa on a rooftop and before I realized it, I was singing Up on the House Top. Now I have sung that song almost my whole life and it wasn't until that moment I ever thought about who it was exactly that wouldn't go. For those of you who don't know or have forgotten the lyrics, here they are.

Up on the house top reindeer paused
Out jumps good old Santa Claus
Down through the chimney with lots of toys
All part of a little ones with Christmas joys
 
Oh oh oh who wouldn't go? Oh ho ho who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop
Click click click
Down to the chimney with the good St. Nick

First come the stop in the middle bell
Hope dear Santa feeling well
Give her a doll in the laps and cries 
One that can open and shut it tight
 
Oh ho ho who wouldn't go Oh ho ho who wouldn't go?
Up on the house top, click click click
Down to the chimney with good St. Nick
 
Look in the stop in the middle bell
Hope just sees what a glorious well
Here's a little hammer and lots of pack
A whistle and a ball and a wood clap clap

Oh ho ho who wouldn't go? Oh ho ho who wouldn't go?
Up on the house top, click click click
Down through the chimney with the good St. Nick
Oh oh ho who wouldn't go? Oh ho ho who wouldn't go?
Up on the house top, click click click
Down through the chimney with good St. Nick (repeat this line once) 

As you can see, twice in every chorus, they ask, "Who wouldn't go?" Who are they talking about? I couldn't find any references to it on the internet. Is it so obvious that it doesn't need a discussion? Help me out. Who do you think wouldn't go? 
_________________________________________________________________________________

Want to know more?

Up on the Housetop was written in the mid 1860's by Benjamin Hanby and was the first song to focus on Santa Claus. It has been recorded many times, but the most famous is probably the recording by Gene Autry.

I Was Wondering...Partly Sunny vs. Partly Cloudy

What's the difference between 

partly sunny and partly cloudy?

I wonder how the haze from forest fires figures into the partly sunny and partly cloudy usage? (Sandia Mts., NM)

 
We're checking a lot on the weather these days trying to see if snow or ice is coming. That way we can plan our activities for the best weather conditions possible. Checking all of these forecasts has reminded me of something I've always wondered about. What is the difference between partly sunny and partly cloudy? Here's what I found out.

As you might assume, there really is no difference. They mean the same thing--a mixture of sun and clouds in the sky. But the issue gets confused in everyday use because, unfortunately, every meteorologist has their own way of using these terms. Some say partly sunny only during the daytime because the sun is not out at night, where as partly cloudy is used during the day or night. Sometimes partly sunny is used when there is more sun expected than clouds and vice-versa for partly cloudy. Also, the two terms can be used to infer changes in the weather. When cloudy weather is improving, they will say partly sunny because the meteorologist wants to be optimistic. When the weather will be deteriorating, they will predict party cloudy to let you know the weather will be changing for the worse. There you have it, partly clear. :)

 I think I am just going to go with the working definition I used before I researched this. Partly sunny and partly cloudy both mean that there will some clouds in the sky with more or less sun peaking out.


Want to read more:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2008/02/partly_sunny_partly_cloudy_mos.html

http://www.diffen.com/difference/Partly_Cloudy_vs_Partly_Sunny

A Second Look--December 4, 2013 and I Was Wondering

Believe it or not, I have been doing a Second Look very consistently for 2 1/2 years. I say believe it or not because actually, I'm the one who's having a hard time believing it. Every week, I have been exploring my yard and reporting about it here on Wednesdays. I have watched the flowers bloom, the seasons change, and the critters fly and scurry about. However, on these cold dark days, I feel like I'm ready for a change. So while I will continue to do my Second Looks, they may not happen every week. Some weeks I will do a "I Was Wondering Post" instead. This week, I am going to do both.

I Was Wondering

What's the difference between Meteorological Winter and Astronomical Winter?

These icy trees didn't wait for astronomical winter.

Winter has been very much on my mind recently as the temperatures continue to drop and snow has made an appearance. Every day the weather people talk about freezing, snowing, and occasionally sunshine. And they have talked about Meteorological Winter and Astronomical Winter. Some how I made it to the ripe old age of Getting Old without even realizing that there was a difference. So, what is the difference between the two?

After a little reading, I figured out that it's easy to explain meteorological winter. It's the coldest three months of the year--December, January, and February. However, astronomical winter is a little more complicated. The beginning of astronomical winter has to do with the with the tilt of the earth's axis and the earth's orbit around the sun. It is best explained by pictures or a simple video that you can see here, but basically it is when sun strikes the earth at a minimum angle. This is also known as Winter Solstice and this year will be on December 21. Astronomical winter continues until the Spring Equinox which will be March 20, 2014.
So now I know.

(Obviously, this discussion is for the Northern Hemisphere. I'm a little jealous of those of you who are starting summer right now Down Under.)

A Second Look

Here are some things I saw this week during a Second Look.

Even though we have had plenty of days in the 20's, we have a few pansies still blooming.

However, many of the pansies look like this. Something has made a snack out of them.

Maybe it was these deer that enjoyed the pansies.

I think the groundhogs have begun their winter hibernation because I haven't seen any activity around this hole recently.

The leaves are all gone from the trees which makes it easier to see the birds in them. See the cardinal?

Einstein

 or I Was Wondering

While Ward and I were waiting for a table at a restaurant this past weekend, I was looking at all of the pictures they had on the walls. It was an eclectic collection including the photo where Albert Einstein is sticking out his tongue. I've seen that picture many, many times and never thought about the circumstances under which it was taken--until then. When Ward, who is my expert on all things I don't know, didn't know either, it was time for a little googling when we got home.

Luckily, the first five sources I read agreed about the picture and the occasion when it was taken. So, I didn't have to do any guessing about what might have really happened. For those of you who also don't know about the picture and are very mildly curious about it, here's why Einstein stuck his tongue out.

Einstein was celebrating his 72nd birthday, March 14, 1951, at the Princeton Club, and the event was heavily covered by the press. At the end of the evening, a very tired Einstein was getting a ride home when he was asked by UPI photographer, Arthur Sasse, for one last picture. Einstein, who tired of the pictures, stuck his tongue out instead of smiling. Sasse was the only one who captured the now iconic pose. The original picture had Dr. and Mrs. Aydelotte (whose car he was in) in it, but they were later cropped out. As it turns out, Einstein really liked the photo and asked for nine personal copies of it. So there you have it. The mildly interesting story behind the most famous Einstein photo.

But Wait There's More: 

-- Did anyone happen to notice that Einstein was born on Pi Day (3.14)?

--There's a Facebook  page for the picture called That Picture of Albert Einstein Where He's Sticking Out His Tongue.

--More reading: http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/einstein-sticks-his-tongue-out/

                            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein_in_popular_culture