It was 78 degrees here in central Texas today, and there is a freeze warning issued for the day after tomorrow. Two days of worrying about the plants and making sure there is a fire in the stove. It kind of makes you wonder if it is all worth it, but I have messed with them this far, I can still do it for another couple of weeks. This time. Then there will be the next time. Whatever.Today was one with lots of ups and downs, lots of challenges, lots of distractions, and lots of accomplishments. If I can get through the next seven days, it will be time for a little bit of a break. The TAR (Texas REALTORS®) Winter meeting starts on Friday. I am presenting a quick class tomorrow, a little bit of this and that on Thursday, and my meetings start on Thursday evening. Then co-presenting an all day class on Friday, then meetings all the way through until a week from today.
Give me strength!
Sockdolager -- Noun: 1. something that settles a matter: a decisive blow or answer: finisher. 2. something outstanding or exceptional. "Because we've had a sockdolager of a winter...most of us are feeling a little cabin feverish." Clay Jenkinson, The Bismarck Tribune, (North Dakota), April 12, 2009.
Did You Know? The verb sock ("to punch") and the noun doxology ("a hymn of praise to God") may seem like an odd pairing, but it is a match that has been promoted by a few word mavens when discussing the origins of the Americanism sockdolager. Don't be too quick to believe the hype, however. When a word's origin is simply unknown, as is the case with sockdolager, there's a tendency for folks to fill in the gap with an interesting story, whether or not it can be verified. In the case of sockdolager, the sock part is plausible but unproven, and the doxology-to-dolager suggestion is highly questionable. The theory continues to have many fans, but it can't deliver the knockout punch.
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