Wheeled Designs

 

I’ve mentioned before about how little I care when it comes to cars. I do appreciate the special ones, though. These are pretty freaking awesome.

 

 

Built by Dirk Oehlerking, made from 1980 BMW R100 RS. Dirk is a German motorcycle enthusiast who does amazing custom jobs. This one is called The Good Ghost. I have no idea what he charges for jobs like this, but I’ll bet it ain’t cheap. As little as I care about cars, I care even less about motorcycles, but this one is breathtaking!

 

 

Concept car designed by Buckminster Fuller, shown at the Chicago World Fair 1933. Most folks are familiar with Fuller’s designs and works. Amazingly creative guy in so many areas. This concept car, called the Dymaxion, was a beautiful show-stopper, but a failure as a working vehicle. At the World Fair, it rolled over, killing the driver and injuring 3 passengers.

 

 

Deco Italian Car Baby Stroller. Designed by Di Giovanni Catania. I couldn’t find anything about this. Catania is a town in Italy, and that’s about all I learned. There were a few pictures of this stroller on auction sites, but you had to sign in to see what the price was. I love the design of this. I imagine this was not a cheap thing to have, either.

 

 

Birdseye Pea Car 2005.  It was commissioned from a company in the UK and had a go-kart chassis and a Honda engine.  Top speed was 60mph. Only one of these was made for a Birds Eye Peas commercial and is now on display in different museums in the UK. And of course, many, many wonderful memes have been made with the picture of this little cutie.

 

Lying Fallow

 

The dictionary definition of lying fallow is to remain uncultivated, unused, unproductive.

 

Farmers know all about this. Letting a field lie fallow occasionally gives the land a rest. A time to replenish nutrients. Let it heal from working so hard producing a crop. Then when it’s time to start plowing and seeding again, the land is ready.

 

Lying fallow is important for people, too. The world is such a busy place anymore, and if you aren’t actively doing something at all times you are considered lazy, selfish, taking up space. You can also feel guilty.

 

Obviously, if you have a job, you need to do your work, no matter what. When you come home you usually don’t immediately start dinner, mow the lawn, work on the car…whatever. You need time to “decompress.” That’s a kind of lying fallow.

 

It’s hard to be truly creative if you feel like you’re on some kind of schedule with a deadline. I’ve always enjoyed creative writing, but when it was a school assignment I would become paralyzed when faced with a time limit. Some of my best writing has been when I wasn’t really paying attention and the words would just come to me. The same with art or crafting. I love making Christmas cards, birthday cards, etc. I always have good intentions to get these cards made in time for whatever the occasion is. Before I know it, though, the birthday or anniversary is two days away and I know I can’t get the card made and mailed in time. Same with Christmas cards. When there’s so much self-imposed pressure, the joy of doing it is lost.

 

And I finally admitted to myself that I’m getting on in years and can’t physically do as much as I used to. My back especially tells me when it’s time to take a breather. Cleaning the bathroom is exhausting and painful. Vacuuming is exhausting and painful. I now give myself permission to lie fallow once in a while. Take a deep breath. Sit and look out the back yard. Slowly drink a hot or cold beverage. Let the hamsters in my mind climb off the wheel for a bit…

 

So give yourself a break. Lie fallow for a bit. Your mind and body will thank you.

 

Medieval Parent Magazine – Literacy

Article – ‘Tis a shame that you are almost certainly illiterate

 

 

 In other words, the majority of medieval parents would not be reading this article. Literacy rates in the Middle Ages were low. A peasant or manual laborer didn’t need to know how to read or write. And they probably didn’t have the leisure time to pick up a book and sit. The wealthy could hire tutors to teach their children (or themselves) how to read. If there was something truly important that a peasant needed written down, sometimes the village would have a scribe or someone connected with the church that could do this. For a price, of course. By the same token, if a letter arrived and the peasant needed it to be read to them, they could go to the same source for that. For a price.

 

 

When it came to news or important info that the people needed to know, the town crier would go throughout the city imparting the message. Then he usually posted the paper on the door of the local inn.

Fun Fact: During public hangings, the crier would read out why the person was being hanged. Afterward, he would help cut down the hanged body. And get a little extra in his paycheck.

 

 

Very slowly, reading became more common, but not necessarily writing. And it was mostly males that were taught. So maybe there was a peasant husband who could read this magazine to his good little wifey.