Grammar?

I discovered a site called "Grammatically Speaking".  It's actually a Staples site. It does say it's also Facebook, but I used my regular computer and not Facebook to access it.

http://m.staples.ca/sbdca/en_CA/cre/programs/grammarquiz/index.html#.UnJzwY9T-WP.facebook

It asks you questions, you choose the correct answer, and it tells you if you have selected the appropriate one.  I know it sounds a little like tests from school, but... have you wondered if you're using the right word at times?

Check it out!

Fall? Or Autumn?

Why Fall?  Why Autumn?  This is one of the things I have always found a great Mystery.  I found the answer on Dictionary.Com.  

They have a blog called "The Hot Word" which tells you all kinds of interesting things about words...

This is what they wrote about Fall and Autumn:

"The season we call fall was once referred to simply as “harvest” to reflect the time when farmers gathered their crops for winter storage, roughly between August and November. Astronomically, the season lasts from the end of the September until December, between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. (Want to learn more about the difference between a solstice and an equinox? Find out here.) The word harvest comes from the Old Norse word haust meaning “to gather or pluck.” In the early 1600s as more people started moving into cities, the word harvest fell out of use. Instead, city dwellers began to use the phrase “fall of the leaf” to refer to the third season of the year when trees lose their leaves. The word “fall” comes from the Old English word feallan which means “to fall or to die.” Over time, the phrase was shortened to fall. “Fall of the leaf” is a little clunky to use in common parlance.

Surprisingly, we don’t really know where the word “autumn” comes from. It was used as far back at the 1300s (by Chaucer), and Shakespeare often used the word, as in Midsummer Night’s Dream when one character describes the cycle of the year, “The spring, the summer, the childing autumn, angry winter.” However, etymologists have not determined its precise origin.

As English spread to the New World, the common season names split as well. The use of the word “fall” fell out of favor in England. Today, American English uses the word “fall” while British English uses “autumn” almost exclusively. Fall provides a nice foil to its opposite season, spring, and gives us the helpful reminder, “Spring ahead, fall back,” when we get confused about our clocks on daylight savings."

Scammers everywhere...

We received a warning via email today about a scam that's been going.  Criminals are calling and pretending to be the electric company, and demanding payment for overdue bills.  This will probably expand to other utilities, so best to beware. 

The reason they can get away with this is that the electrical companies do farm out their overdue accounts.  Doesn't mean that you have to give your money away foolishly though.  Your payment information is ALWAYS part of your monthly bill.  Don't pay anyone off the phone, or who calls to threaten you with having services turned off.  Call the number on your bill, and let them know if you've received calls.  Work through them!

Here is the link that I was given about this new scam:  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/scam-targets-utility-customers-100000666.html

November Elections are coming!

Be ready for November 5th, 2013! Here are some links to help you get going: Pennsylvania’s Voters’ Registration website! http://www.votespa.com/portal/server.pt/community/register_to_vote/ Register to vote here!  This site also includes a link to your polling station!    When is Election Day?  How to find it? http://www.almanac.com/content/when-election-day League of Women Voters http://lwvnorthco.org/ You don’t have to be a woman to use their information!

Find out who is running, and what the candidates have to say to the voters!  Learn about initiatives and important ballot questions!