Saturday, October 16, 2021

The Saturday Morning Post - The Routine Things in Life


Prior to the industrial revolution, things like bottles and jugs to hold liquids, such as good Bourbon - no rubbish, were produced by local artisans and craftsmen.  Most were routine, simple, utilitarian.  But not all.  Some were different, expressing whimsy, or artistic flair.  The same for clothes, why should socks be simple solid colors, why should underwear be white? The routine things in life need not be boring.  

The jug above is a reproduction of a storage container from the Colonial period in the USA.  These are variously called, whimsey, or uglies, or character jugs.  All of these describe what was basically a routine utilitarian item, made to look interesting, exciting, entertaining, or maybe a warning, drink the contents and this is what you will end up looking like.  I like this.  A comment on words, in United States English, a jug is a storage container with a tight fitting lid or stopper, in British english a jug is a container you store and pour a liquid from, often open on top with no intentional closure, in the USA we most commonly refer to that as a pitcher.   

When I was growing up and bottling honey on the farm we had a choice of simple round mass produced glass, or specialty glass, made for honey.  The classic "queenline" jars made by Owens Corning cost a couple pennys more, but the shape like the thorax of a queen bee, I felt it evoked thoughts of sweet goodness.  Given the choice, I always preferred the  queenline jars. They came in a variety of sizes from 8 ounce, to three pounds. I think there may have been a five pound that we never used.  While not a quirky as the Ugly Jug above, they did have character.  They were not routine and boring.  

Life is too short for the routine things in life to be boring. 


Friday I woke up early, started work early, slipped away for an hour in the afternoon, I am now fully vaccinated and boosted. My office is imposing a vaccine mandate.  90% are already fully vaccinated, the rest have a few weeks to either ask for and have approved a waiver, or get vaccinated, or leave.  I agree with it, it is time to get serious,  


14 comments:

  1. Anonymous10/16/2021

    I think many in your country are receiving a third vaccination. It has began here with organ transplant patients and will work its way through the community in time.

    I go for uglies for the for the jug. We use the British jug definition of a jug. A pitcher can be found in a book or hanging on a wall.

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    1. Australia is closer to mother England in language and culture than we are

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  2. I love that jug and Whimsy in general. “Boosting” will start at our health center next week, I think. Very happy your company has such a strict policy.

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    1. Here it was walk in, no line, the only requirement was that it had been six months since the last shot. There were like the Maytag repairman, sitting around hoping someone would show up yesterday afternoon.

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  3. I just saw on the new here that a law firm let go almost 15 people, partners or such because they won't get the vaccine. This will further affect places from medical to retail to service places being further shorthanded. One place even let go half there EMT staff!!!!!!

    It blows my mind that they feel so strongly to even sacrifice there livelihood.

    That jug is creepy.

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    1. The jug might be for rubbish = cheap gin.

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  4. I think any business has the right to demand their employees be vaccinated so they don't spread a deadly virus amongst themselves, though they get what they deserve, or others.

    More importantly, I cannot for the life of me remember when I last wore white underwear!

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    1. I would sooner defend the wrongful termination case, than the wrongful death case.

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  5. I like whimsical jugs too. In Canada, we use "jug" in the British sense to include pitchers as well.

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    1. Do you still have the Queen on some of the money?

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  6. I agree with you completely. My office just did the same thing with people who aren't vaccinated having to be tested weekly. I think our place is about 90% vaccinated too. Only a tiny few hold outs.

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  7. No rubbish indeed. Life isn't short we just waste a lot of it doing things without meaning.

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