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Monday, April 04, 2011

Why do we say it is raining cats and dogs?

Dear insansapinas,
I was meaning to post something about victimology but I just had trimmed my bangs.  Until  they grow again, I have to bear with my diminished IQ. Toink.


My brother was convincing me to visit the historical places in Virginia. He said we could also go to Pentagon and Quantico, the places which I hear mostly in the TV series I watch. 


But I tire easily. The last place I visited was the Washington Mansion.

When I visited Washington Mansion at Mt. Vernon, Virginia, one thing I noticed is the absence of bathroom in the old mansion or I just did not see them since we just looked from outside the rooms.
There is an outhouse which used to be the depository of human wastes collected inside the house.
The wastes were converted to fertilizer. So the note says in that structure.


Below is the miniature replica of the sitting room in the mansion. Cameras are not allowed inside so the guests can only take pictures of this scaled model of the house.


 For more pictures, please go to Travel Tips and Trips.


After touring the mansion, I remember an  e-mail forwarded by a reader  about bathing and cooking practices of people beforemodern conveniences were introduced to humanity.


READ AND SQUIRM


The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the  water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used  to  be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:


1.  Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath  in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting  to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.  Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
UGH.


 2. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the  house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons  and  men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By  then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Para bang natabunan na ng libag.  Hence  the  saying," Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water." DOUBLE UGH.



 3. Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood  underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats  and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it  became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the  roof.
 Hence the saying , It's raining cats and dogs.
 There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.


 4. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings  could  mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung  over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into  existence.
TRIPLE UGH AND I LIKE CANOPY BEDS.
my bedroom in San Francisco
Feeling ko prinsesa ako na may kulambo. hehehe



 5. The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get  slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to  help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh  until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A  piece of wood was placed in the entrance way. Hence the saying a threshhold.


6.  In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that  always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to  the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would  eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold
 overnight  and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had
 been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas  porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.."NOW WE GOT REF AND STORE THE FOOD FOR MANY "GENERATIONS" too.


I remember the first time, I roasted a turkey, the leftover took a three years'  residence in my refrigerator's freezer It was round and hard  and could be recycled as Bowling ball when I "excavated " it. Kailangan ko ng maliit na pala. 


Pinaysaamerika

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

haleeeeer mam,holiday dito since sunday hanggang kahapon,nagpa party ang mga kaluluwa nila at nag gagala mwehehe kaya sila naman e nagtatago,actually sa henerasyon ngayon e dina sila ganun ka paniwala,basta sa kanila walang pasok at holiday,mapa new year o mapa araw ng mga patay e pareho sa kanila,gala galoooore.

hahaha kaya pala ang mga tao dito e very proud na mag kwento na weekly e nagwa wash sila ng hair at monthly sila naliligo naman,kaya nga tulala sila at nakanganga pag nalamang tayo e araw araw kung maligo summer man o winter + my pabango pa
(type na type pa naman nila yung pabango kong dinurog na alkampor mwehehe)
kako,ang pinaka mortal sin samin e yung my amoy ang lekilek at babret,dito normal yun(mi amoi),pag ganun ang amoy mo e normal na tao ka bwahahahahaha
~lee

cathy said...

dito rin lee, nagtataka ang mga tao sa pinoy dahil kahit malamig at nagyeyellow, naliligo pa. Para ke ano pa ang hot water?

Ang kilala kong mga sosyalera ritong matatada, hindi naliligo araw-araw. Kasi masisira ang pinaparlor na buhok. Katulad din ng mga nakabraided na mga buhok. Ang mahal noon at isang araw kung gawin kaya, buwan din ang paliguan. In the meantime, spray yata ang ginagawa ng pabango. Hmph.

Anonymous said...

teheee parang dito din mam,yung mga babae sa parlor nagpapa wash ng buhok sabay ayos na ng para bang magre reyna elena sa sagala tas hanggat ayos pa dipa yan papaliguan at pano kaya ang ginagawang higa at di nagugusot(baka nakaupo na matulog) at sa tigas ba naman ng spray ney ahahay,di kaya nangangati ulo ng mga yun?ang lalaki pa ng naglalaglagang balakubaks yaiks.

dati mam nagpa extension ako ng hair dito,1 month lang inabot,at biruin mo sa parlor ako nagpapa shampoo araw araw nakanganga sakin yung parlorista kasi nga araw araw na ginawa ng juice nagpapa wash ako ng hair,sabi nya pag ganun daw e masisira kagad yung porma ng extension, at masisira daw agad ang hair ko kaka shampoo at kaka wash, at sisipunin daw ako (ehek) kasi kako pag ako nag wash nyan e baka 3days lang muka nakong buruka e diko masuklay at my mga metal rings na ginawang pandugtong e, ok lang kako sipunin,di magtagal ang extension at kahit masira buhok ko basta makatikim lang ng my extension na hair at feeling mabuhey pilipinas ang ganda ganda koh ahahay.
~lee

cathy said...

Yang hair extension yata ang di ko nasubok. Kasi naman isang style lang ako ng buhok. Tapos marami akong wig na binili. Isang itim na itim, isang medyo may pagkablonde, isang mahaba at isa para yong kay Morticia ng The Munsters. Ying may puting highlight. hahahaha.

kaya di ba noon palaging sinasabunutan ako ni James Bond para alamin kung totoo ang buhok kk at di ako nakawig.