WD40/ Blurb

 Someone once wrote a comment on my blog that said, "Thanks SO much for that little factoid".  I have had a few nasty things left here over the years but that one....well, I just thought to myself, if you don't care for the things that interest me then please, just take a hike! 

My father used to listen to show on the radio that was by "The Professor of Useless Knowledge". He loved it! (Very often, info given would be the background of things that we use everyday that we take for granted.) He said to me once, in a kind of confidential tone, "You know, Kay, I don't think any knowledge is useless. I like learning about anything!"  My Daddy died in 2019. How I wish I could tell him the following but by telling it here on my blog, I think it would please him.... (And oh, how much I love to learn of anything and everything too, just as he did!)

Whenever I hear a door squeak as it is closing, I can just hear my Daddy say, "That needs some WD40."  (He always said this, and you know I do the very same thing).   WD40, it stands for water displacement and was invented in San Diego, California in 1953 by the Rocket Chemical Company which is now the WD40 Company! What does the "40" stand for?  They got it right on the 40th try! It was originally designed to protect a missile from rust and corrosion, but the employees of the company began to take cans of the product home in their lunch boxes for personal use.  What exactly is in WD40? I can't tell you that, it is a trade secret and was never patented.  The copy of the formula is in a bank vault in San Diego, California, just in case anyone is worried about it! 

That really tickles me thinking of the 40th try... I wonder, what IF a person had said, "Dad-gum it, this is the 39th time trying this, I am GIVING UP!".  See, whenever you think of failure, just go and look at that can of WD40, you know you have one! 

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Remember me telling you that my husband and I like to do "Wordle"? One of the words recently was "blurb".  It made me wonder how long that word had been around.  It was coined in 1907 by Frank Gelett Burgess (1866-1951), an American writer. His book, "Are You a Bromide", showed a woman on the cover called "Belinda Blurb" who touted his book. Therefore, "blurb" came to be known as "an inspired testimonial" or "a flamboyant advertisement". (Those quotes were his descriptions.)  It also amused me to discover that he is the same man who wrote the following:

"I never saw a purple cow,

I never hope to see one;

But I can tell you, anyhow.

I'd rather see than be one."

Perhaps you find that verse tiresome and I think the author himself must have come to feel the same way, since he also wrote this...

"Ah yes, I wrote the "Purple Cow".

I'm sorry now I wrote it.

But I can tell you, anyhow,

I'll kill you if you quote it!"

Still, I am fond of rhyme and you really should have some funny bits to quote to children! You know I always have some! Why, how many people know all the words to "On Top of Spaghetti"?  This is sung to the tune of "On Top of Old Smokey" and I don't know, I STILL think it's funny! Look it up, folks, I will QUIZ you on this!) LOL!

So, that reminds me, very often, I used to call my Daddy and say, "Guess where I am?" and he would say "On Top of Old Smokey?" (meaning Stone Mountain, which is the highest point around this area).  Therefore, I have given you a photo of me on the very top of Stone Mountain!  Go take a hike folks, it's good for you!

And listen to music! As I have been typing this post,  Richard was playing this song by Ralph McTell, "The Maginot Waltz".  Ralph's guitar playing is very good but you know what, Richard is very, very good too!  What a lovely song! If you click on that link below, I do hope you will hear Ralph himself playing and singing!

(2) Maginot Waltz - YouTube

I really wanted to make sure that I got at least one more post written during the month of January. WHEW! I made it!