Hello and welcome.

This week our word is Menagerie. According to Merriam Webster menagerie means:

1a: a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition

b: a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition

2: a varied mixture

They also note: “Back in the days of Middle French, ménagerie meant “the management of a household” or farm or “a place where animals are tended.” By the 1670s, English speakers had adopted the word but dropped its housekeeping aspects, applying it specifically to the places where circuses and other exhibitions kept show animals. Later, the word was generalized to refer to any varied mixture, especially one that includes things that are strange or foreign to one’s experience.”

Menagerie is a word I’ve used a few time in recent weeks to describe our household and it’s members. Before January of this year the term had never crossed my mind, but it was sometime during that month that Peanut came to stay.

You may remember Peanut, the cat, who had become a regular visitor at our farm over the past couple of years. Well in January my husband and Peanut decided that outdoors and out-buildings were not suitable winter accommodations for him. So with some rules in place (which he mostly follows) it was decided that he could reside in our home.

Hello My Friends and welcome.

Our word of the week is Always. Merriam Webster has 3 definitions listed for the word Always. They are: 1. at all times : invariably, 2. Forever, 3.at any rate : in any event.

I can’t help but wonder how the events of the past year have changed or will change the use of this word. So many things that, always (using the first definition) happened, suddenly came to a halt.

The person who always got to the office early to start their work day could no longer go to the office. The school bells that always rang at 8:00 a.m. to signal the start of classes were no longer heard. People who always went to church on Sunday could no longer congregate. Holiday gathering that always took place didn’t and the person who was always smiling wasn’t. We will be hesitant to think in terms of always?

Perhaps it will be more commonly used in terms of the third definition. The person who can’t go to the office can always work remotely; the children who can’t attend school can always attend virtual classes; if we can’t hold regular church services we can always have them online, and she can always wear a smiley mask. But are these thoughts or statements even accurate? Should we feel secure that some of the these new methods of doing thing will Always work.

I don’t know. These are just some of my thoughts as I read the definitions of this word.

The real reason I selected this word is because it is a word that my husband and I have used often. It is the second definition, forever, that we use and we use it to affirm our love and our commitment to our marriage. This week as we start into our 15th year of marriage I thought I would dedicate our word of the week and the rest of this post to my husband.

This small sticky note is attached to the calendar in our kitchen. It reads “Always Remember I Love You! :)” My husband left this note for me in December 2014. Each year as we hang a new calendar we attach this note to it.

A couple of songs dedicated to him.

This beautiful print that he bought me years ago hangs in our bedroom and although it doesn’t use the word Always the sediment is clear.

Happy anniversary sweetie. I Love You – ALWAYS❣