In deference to my friend Erica and her son Brandon, who happen to be close by today from Pennsylvania and with whom Jody and I lunched at the Schlotzsky's in Georgetown this afternoon, I asked Mrs. Google to show me 'public domain images pennsylvania,' and this is what I got. I have to say, I don't know what dead guys (they look dead to me) spinning around on a horizontal wheel looking object have to do with Pennsylvania, but maybe Erica (or Brandon) know, and they will perhaps enlighten others of us who share the same lack of historical of that rectangular state up there that is really cold in the winter. And the word Pennsylvania has a lot of letters in it, too. Otherwise, it was a good Saturday, I showed a property for lease this afternoon, and then bought and installed a new mailbox out at the road. The old one was tired and the flag had lost its ability to stand at attention. It is hell getting old.Belfry -- Noun. 1. a bell tower, especially. one surmounting or attached to another structure. 2. a room or framework for enclosing a bell. 3. head. "The three-bay building features ornate brickwork [and] a mansard roof topped at its front facade with a belfry." Anthony Musso, Poughkeepsie Journal, September 5, 2017
Did You Know? Surprisingly, belfry does not come from bell, and early belfries did not contain bells at all. Belfry comes from berfrey, a medieval term for a wooded tower used in sieges. The tower could be rolled up to a fortification so that warriors inside could storm the battlements. Over time, the term was applied to other types of shelters and towers, many of which had bells in them. Through association, people began spelling berfrey as bellfrey, then as belfrey and later belfry. Someone who has "bats in the belfry" is crazy or eccentric. This phrase is responsible for the use of bats for "crazy" and the occasional use of belfry for "head."
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