Cuckoo Clock Puzzle

Three members of the Boston Horology Society have just returned from a holiday

in Switzerland where they each purchased a handmade cuckoo clock. Can you

work out where each person bought their clock, the name of the clockmaker and

how much each clock cost, $100, $120, $150?

1. John Jones didn't buy the cheapest clock and it wasn't the one manufactured by Franz Geisser.

2. The clock bought in Geneva was manufactured by Hans Bruckner and was cheaper than the one bought by Wendy Wilson.

3. Betty Barner didn't buy her cuckoo clock in Zurich.

4. The most expensive clock was purchased in Zermatt but wasn't the one manufactured by Herman Finkel.

What is the name of the clockmaker, the cost, and the place where John bought his clock?
How about Wendy Wilson? And Betty Barner?

Have fun exercising your mind!

Project at the Halthen House

Yes, that was paint in my hair. I was standing on the kitchen counter in order to reach the soffit. And of course, I put the top of my head right on the wet paint!You won't see pictures of me, but I did take a few pictures of the hired help! ha ha

You ask, "So what did it look like before?"

Well, we have lived in this house for 25 years. We need a change. Look below to see the "before" picture.

Bye-bye blue wall paper!

Can vs. Could

“I always have trouble using ‘can’ and ‘could’ in a sentence. Could you please help?”

Well, not only could I help, but I can. And I will!

The word “can” expresses power or ability.

Example
I can provide the answer to your question.
I can finish the book by Friday.

Years ago “could” was the past tense of “can.” However, it is no longer used in this sense. “Could” now implies a probability factor – usually about 50 per cent.

Example
I could provide you with an answer (But I may not).

I could finish the book by Friday. (The activity is possible but not guaranteed.)

And for the sake of politeness, we also use “could.”
Example
Could you please set the table? (more polite)
Can you please set the table? (more direct)


Conclusion: When you say “I can” you are just establishing that you have the ability to do so. When you say “I could” you establish that, yes you have the ability, but it’s only a possibility that you will go.

Nouns of Character

honesty

Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself.

integrity

"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful." -- Samuel Johnson

reliability

"The shifts of fortune test the reliability of friends." -- Cicero

determination

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in determination."

Winston Churchill Famous Determination Quote:

"Never give in! Never give in! Never, never, never, never - in nothing great or small, large or petty. Never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense."

common sense

"Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

trustworthiness

"Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him." --Booker T. Washington

confidence

"Have confidence that if you have done a little thing well, you can do a bigger thing well too."

--David Storey

ambition

"Ambition is not what man does... but what man would do." -- Robert Browning

"Ambition can creep as well as soar." -- Edmund Burke

Too many prepositional phrases?

One of the goals in the policy statement of the workers of our company is that of the importance of fairness in the treatment of employees.

We have taken note of your concern with reference to the procedures used in the market for second-hand cars in the Netherlands.

Down inside the tunnel under Richmond, Margaret ran along beside a wall, among a group of boys without whom she would run indefinitely, without anything that she could climb up onto to escape from inside the tunnel she had been dropped down into.

"What did you bring that book that I don't like to be read to out of up for?"
(This is a very famous sentence that is considered by many the most natural sounding sentence with the most prepositions together and at the end of the sentence.
You will notice that this sentence has five prepositions in a row and sounds fairly natural to many native speakers.)

Do you know what the sentence is asking?

Heart Language

The heart - the flame of the human soul.
A person without compassion is "heartless".
We urge people to "have a heart".
Sometimes sadness is so severe we are "brokenhearted".
Courage warriors are "bravehearted".
Wicked people are call "blackhearted".
Saints have "hearts of gold".
Intimate conversation is a "heart-to-heart" talk.
When we are burdened we are "heavy hearted".
When we are carefree  we are "lighthearted".
Sincere love is experienced "with all our heart".
Or when we lose desire we say, "my heart's just not in it."
The heart can be wounded or pierced or softened or lost.

GEN 6:5  The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had 

become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only 

evil all the time.

Gen 9:35  So Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites 

go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.

2CH 12:14  He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the 
LORD.

PROV 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own 
understanding;

PROV 4:23  Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 

PROV 18:12  Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility 

comes before honor.

PROV 21:2  All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the 

heart.

MAT 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
 

PLEASE RSVP or PLEASE REPLY?

 RSVP stands for the French phrase Répondez s’il vous plaît (“reply, please”), so it doesn’t need an added “please.” S'il vous plait means if you please.

However, since few people seem to know its literal meaning, and fewer still take it seriously, it’s best to use plain English: “Please reply.” 

It is a mistake to think that this phrase invites people to respond only if they are planning to attend; it is at least as important to notify the person doing the inviting if you cannot go. Respond with a "yes" or "no'. 

And don't assume that the kids or other uninvited guests are also invited.