Snow days are a great time to ponder the weird.

Here in Tennessee, we had a snow day yesterday…all of a dusting (egad!) BUT with icy, twisty, hilly roads that would make the most intrepid New York driver think twice about heading out. So I had time to wonder about some things.

Words–the good, the bad, the ugly

In my word-world, I asked a fellow writer why some words that mean the same thing differ in being socially acceptable. Why can we say “poop” and not sh*%? Who decided one was acceptable and the other not? Society did, but that doesn’t tell me why. Folks in the South label people as a “potty mouth” more readily than the North. So, I ask again, why? Two words mean the same thing and somehow, by some verbal alchemy, we can say one but not the other.

Falling leaves and hiding squirrels

I’ve lived through many a Fall and barely noticed the leaves fall off the few trees in my yard. One week they’re green; the next, yellow and red. And then they’re gone. But now that I live surrounded by woods, I watched them fall this morning like snow showers. Not here and there, but constantly and everywhere. Why hadn’t I noticed that before?

Then I wondered, where are the squirrels? Last year I reveled in their gymnastics as they leaped from branch to branch and tree to tree. How high they scampered and how quickly they dove back to the ground! Yet in this 25-degree morning, zip, not a squirrel in sight. Just falling leaves—lots of them. So I wondered, are the squirrels staying in what passes for their beds until it’s warmer?

According to AI, they remain in their nests to conserve warmth. The nests are called “dreys,” found in tree branches, tree cavities, ground burrows, attics or abandoned birdhouses. They leave their cozy homes only to get to their stored food caches when it’s too cold. So I hope to see a few this afternoon after the sun’s warmed things up down here.

A toast to cancer and gluttony

Why is wine considered a Group 1 carcinogen now, after people have been drinking it for thousands of years? (Just the question you wanted to ask with Thanksgiving days away, right?)

So I asked my killjoy AI copilot. Apparently, as wine’s ethanol metabolizes, it turns into acetaldehyde, a toxic compound that binds to DNA, causing a mutation that can lead to cancer. Since wine has been part of rituals, medicine and daily life since forever, its symbolic value has outweighed health concerns. And who 2000 years ago would have thought, “Gee, this might mess up my DNA?” Since cancer risk builds up over the years, ancient shorter lifespans may have precluded getting cancer. Although occasional or moderate drinking carries a lower risk, the risk remains.

I think I’ll walk on the wild side this Thanksgiving, anyway. But is it healthy to fill up on turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes and two pie slices (apple and pumpkin—why be prejudiced?) It’s not doing me any favors, but I will not feast on just a super salad this Thanksgiving.

Yet the question remains: why do we do this to ourselves every year? What rule says we must, under pain of social mortal sin, eat a prescribed menu until we can’t move? Why not get together, thank God for his blessing, and eat a normal, healthy meal for which our bodies will be thankful?

Making everything tidy

Why do some people feel the need to “clean out” woods? (You know who you are.) Why do we believe we need to “tame” nature? Did God do a messy job when he created the wild? Why spend money creating parks? Why not put a few picnic tables here and there so people can eat the lunch they brought (vs burning the thing down with a wildfire) and amble along a few trails here and there?

And care for the animals…

Why do we decimate an animal population for something we deem valuable? Why kill every elephant in sight for their ivory tusks? Why is ivory considered valuable, anyway? What makes it valuable? Scarcity? Is the dandelion considered a weed because it’s everywhere, even though it has a beautiful yellow flower, is edible in salads and can even be turned into carcinogenic wine? Why isn’t it a flower? I guess because it’s not scarce or a pain to keep alive. People consider the orchid a flower because it is rarer and more difficult to keep in bloom. Who says and why?

What are your questions? Pet peeves? What makes you shake your head?