Wednesday Roll Call

[Dudgie]

Hi everyone. This is a record--two days in a row starting roll call!

I hope everyone is doing well. It's raining cats and dogs here (no offense to animal lovers and owners), and I've been fighting a migraine all week. Don't know if the weather has anything to do with it.

Anyhow, glad to see "old" members, and welcome to all new ones.

[miss lil]

I don't want to leave you all by yourself on roll call so I'll join you. I hope you can keep the migraine at bay -- good luck.

Take care,
Lily

[red river]

Hi Dudgie and Lily! I just now got to the computer today. Yard work and errands today.

Dudgie, PLEASE send us ANY of that rain!! We are DESPERATE for rain; at this point, I think most of the state would even risk the "bad stuff" [wind, etc.] just to get the water! Wouldn't be surprised if the lurking h/a is from the weather.

Lily, hope you've had a good day. BTW, I really like your "new" screen name! ;)

And to anyone who is just "lurking and/or reading," please register and give us a shout out!!

[miss lil]

It's good to see you!

I'm really glad you like the screen name -- I tried to register 4 different times and this was the first one that 'took'.

I hope the fact that you've done yard work and errands means you're feeling well.

Take care now,
Lily

[HelenEdith]

Hello Dudgie, Lily & RR

Not much to report here. I did some work from home this morning, and went to the Dr this afternoon - came home with more antibiotics and a sick note for the rest of the week. I'm allowed to work from home, though, just not go up to the office. It's probably wise: any exertion still brings on nasty wheezes, and the last thing I want is breathing difficulties while commuting!

[MichelleC]

Hello... I'm finally home, after being at my mil's house all day, then rushing home for 45 minutes for dinner, then going to church. The rheumatologist put me on trazodone last Wednesday, just half a pill for a week. I felt no effects from it, except it did make me sleep better, and I had a little dry mouth. What a difference with taking the whole pill. I just took one tonight, and I took it with dinner. I got so woozy while driving that I didn't know if I'd be able to make it to church! But things leveled out after a while. I'm really sleepy, so I will probably go to bed very soon.

HE, it's a good thing you went back to the doctor. I hope staying out of the office for the rest of the week does the trick, and you'll start to feel better soon.

Dudgie, do you know where the expression "raining cats and dogs" came from? Someone told me about it a few years ago. It had something to do with the way people kept pets on the roof, something like that.

Lily, I hope you have had a nice day.

RR, perhaps you'll get some rain soon. A nice, gentle rain for two-three days should help, so that's what we'll ask for. No storms!

Michelle

[Dudgie]

Dudgie, do you know where the expression "raining cats and dogs" came from? Someone told me about it a few years ago. It had something to do with the way people kept pets on the roof, something like that.



Ha--I didn't know that. I grew up with the expression and every now and then it pops out. I did offend a pet owner using it one time, which really surprised me. I didn't realize anyone would take it literally! But maybe it was at one time.

[MichelleC]

I couldn't remember how it went, so I looked it up. Here's a quote from askYahoo.com:

As with many such questions, the jury is out on this one. World Wide Words offers several possible derivations for the saying, including an old sailor's myth that cats have sway over the weather. Feline meteorological magic, coupled with a symbolic association of storms with dogs, may be the genesis for the phrase. But we can't be sure.

The chatty etymology newsletter Take Our Word For It mentions another intriguing possibility. On account of the notorious inefficiency of 17th-century sewage and drainage systems, the streets of European cities were often littered with debris and dead animals after heavy rainstorms. They had to come from somewhere, right?

Animalplanet.com offers yet two more possibilities for this colorful expression. It could liken the racket made by a storm to the thunderous noise made by fighting cats and dogs. Or, it may arise from the era of thatched roofs when downpours would bring cats and dogs dozing atop houses down onto the occupants.


That last sentence is the one I have heard about before.

Michelle

[Dudgie]

I found this:

"The most common one says that in olden times, homes had thatched roofs in which domestic animals such as cats and dogs would like to hide. In heavy rain, the animals would either be washed out of the thatch, or rapidly abandon it for better shelter, so it would seem to be raining cats and dogs."

There were also some other interesting theories at this site:

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-rai1.htm