Articles In This Issue Page 1: Pat Farrell Page 3: SABOR Page 7: The Way I See It Featuring: Cathey Meyer Page 13: IREP Featuring: Kenny Cunningham
S ERVING S OUTH T EXAS AND S URROUNDING A REAS F OR O VER 37 Y EARS Vol.XXXIX, No. 7
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Page 17: Associate Spotlight Featuring: TAP FCU Page 22: NARPM Article Featuring: Brenda Davila Page 23: News Flash
July 2021
Do You Ponder Things At Nighttime? Pat Farrell / Contributing Writer
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It is funny how some nights when you are very tired, you get i n t o b e d a n d j u s t g o r i g h t o ff t o sleep, but other nights you just lie there while some of the strangest things come to mind. I was mulling over how good dinner was one evening and that the champagne was especially good, and the cork popped out so easily! Cork – I wonder if the cork used for bottle stoppers is the same as the cork used in bulletin boards and, if so, where does cork come from? Better check that out in the morning! It turns out that an outer layer of cork bark can be found in a l m o s t e v e r y t r e e , h o w e v e r, t h e best source for the cork, that will later be manufactured into the products with which we are f a m i l i a r, i s t h e c o r k t r e e , f o u n d growing in countries with plenty of sunshine that are along the Mediterranean Sea coast which i n c l u d e s A l g e r i a , F r a n c e , I t a l y, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, and Tu n i s i a . C o r k i s l i g h t w e i g h t , resists rot, fire, and termites, is impermeable to gas and liquid and is soft and buoyant which makes it ideal for bottle stoppers, bulletin boards, flooring, etc.
Once a cork oak is at least 2 5 y e a r s o l d i t i s r e a d y t o b e h a rv e s t e d a n d d u r i n g J u n e , J u l y, a n d August, a long-handled hatchet will be used to strip and pry away sections of bark, being careful to n o t d a m a g e t h e b a r k ’s i n n e r l a y e r. These sections are then boiled so the cork is softened, and the outer bark is easier to remove and holes are punched to make bottle stoppers. The leftover cork scraps are then ground up and molded into blocks and baked in an oven so they can then be made into other products. It will be another eight to fourteen years before that tree can be harvested again. We l l , I g u e s s t h a t a n s w e r s t h e cork question! Then there is another thought fighting its way in because when I was going t h r o u g h m y d r e s s e r I f o u n d s e v e ral pairs of gloves - what ever happened to gloves as a fashion item? I recall that, back in the d a y, g l o v e s w e r e a n e c e s s a r y p a r t o f a l a d y ’s w a r d r o b e , e s p e c i a l l y when attending any function such as Sunday church services, weddings, and funerals. Even in the military they were and still are a p a r t o f o n e ’s u n i f o r m . T h e s e d a y s , h o w e v e r, i t i s r a r e t o s e e a n y o n e , o u t s i d e t h e m i l i t a r y, wearing gloves as part of their outfit other than during winter months when they are necessary for warmth. Better check that one out too! It turns out that gloves go much further back than “in the d a y, ” a s t h e r e i s m e n t i o n o f g l o v e s i n H o m e r ’s T h e O d y s s e y, written around the 7th century BC, and there is evidence that fingerless gloves (often decorated or jeweled) were worn as a status symbol by the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs and were used also to protect the hands of noble women. Through the centuries, g l o v e s h a v e b e e n u s e d b y r o y a l t y, members of royal courts and by high ranking government and church officials. It was during
the 13th century that silk or linen g l o v e s b e c a m e a p a s s i n g w o m a n ’s fashion statement in Italy but by the16th century Queen Elizabeth I really set the fashion in England for wearing fancy embroidered or jeweled gloves. Historically a glove has also been referred to as a gauntlet where the expression, “throw down the gauntlet” is a reference to the medieval practice among knights where one throws down his protective metal glove (gauntlet) to challenge another knight to combat and if that knight is brave enough to pick it up, the war is on! As the nighttime flight of ideas continue I remember that alongside the gloves in the dresser are multiple handkerchiefs – but who uses hankies today? Because many statues that date as far back as 1000 BC, during the C h o u d y n a s t y, w e r e u s u a l l y p i c tured holding decorative pieces of cloth, it is believed that the handkerchief originated in China and was used during periods of heat, primarily to wipe the sweat f r o m o n e ’s b r o w. L i t e r a r y r e f e rences, throughout the years, point to the multitude of uses for handkerchiefs as it was dropped to start the Roman chariot races and during the middle ages, a lady would give her handkerchief to the knight she favored, and he would tie it to his helmet for good luck. The Romans would wave hankies during their public games as do the spectators today at the bullfights in Spain. I n S h a k e s p e a r e ’s O t h e l l o , i t was the loss of a handkerchief (the main symbol of the story) that caused Othello to believe his wife, Desdemona, to be unfaithful and as a result he kills her and then himself when he learns he was wrong. In 1695 when hankies were available in all sizes and shapes, King Ludwig XIV declared that throughout his k i n g d o m t h e l e n g t h o f a h a n d k e rchief must be equal to its width and so it became a square, and
not to be outdone, in the late1700s French King Louis XVI m a d e i t a l a w t h a t a l l h a n d k e rchiefs must be square, and that n o n e c o u l d b e l a rg e r t h a n h i s ! Handkerchiefs have always, in some respects, been fashion statements and for some, symbols of their wealth or status. In some instances, the embroidered, lace edged hankie was dangled from the hands and in others was neatly folded, pressed and inserted in the left breast pocket. Then along came Kleenex in the 1930s and now one can usually just find handkerchiefs in suit breast pockets – so what will I do with all those hankies in the dresser drawers? Wo n d e r w h e n I w i l l f i n a l l y get to sleep … well, until then I might as well ponder what needs to get done around the house tomorrow besides getting rid of a n e x c e s s o f g l o v e s a n d h a n d k e rchiefs? I do need to do some cleaning … hmm, during past research I learned that the broom has been around since 2300 BC, but when it comes to carpets and furniture I am glad someone got the bright idea for the vacuum c l e a n e r. T h e m o d e r n v a c u u m h a s been continually improved upon through the recent years because i t s 1 9 0 1 f o r e r u n n e r, “ P u f f i n Billy” had to be transported on a horse-drawn carriage. In 1902, t h e m a c h i n e ’s e n g i n e e r / i n v e n t o r, Hubert Cecil Booth was commissioned to vacuum clean the We s t m i n s t e r A b b e y a h e a d o f t h e coronation of Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII, who were so pleased with the results that they bought the devices for Wi n d s o r C a s t l e a n d B u c k i n g h a m Palace. Before long Parliament and other British government e n t i t i e s a l l h a d t h e i r o w n “ P u ff i n Billy” machines, while in the United States in 1906, Kirby created a portable, easy to store vacuum that anyone could easily use. Of course, improvements have continued since ---ZZZZZZZZZ!