HuckleBEARy Heaven, Et. Al.

I'm gonna stick my neck out this morning and declare it a good year for huckleberries. 

Along with that, it's important to keep in mind that the bears know it's a good year for huckleberries too.

I do think there are enough of Idaho's state fruit to go around for both the peeps and the bears. 

In fact, yesterday our visitor showed the utmost of grace and consideration when it came upon us picking away at what was probably gonna be its afternoon dessert down by the river. 

Rather than cause a fuss, the bear just climbed a tree and sat there watching us pick.  

Talk about grace---it didn't even seem to mind that I was taking its picture.  

Just had my cell phone, though, but I can tell you that, for the very first time in this ursophobiac's life, I stood my ground, did not run away and snapped a few photos. 

After that, Bill and I walked on down the trail a ways and finished our picking.  When we walked back, the bear was still perched in the tree.  

Once it knew we were finished with our picking, it slid to the ground, looked around and ambled off.  I knew where it was headed. 

The biggest and best berries were right next to the river shoreline. Our trail was far enough away that the berries were about half that size. 

We picked for about an hour and brought home about half a gallon of berries----all very clean.

Twas a great way to escape the heat, strolling around in the shade next to a river plucking from bushes loaded with berries. 

When we returned to the pickup, I walked around the area, and pretty much wherever I stood, huckleberry brush was filled with berries.

Bill quite often fishes in our berry patch area and says, from his experience, it appears to be a bear corridor.  I doubt, however, they are all as laid back as our fury friend. 

So, it's a good idea if you find a good patch to keep a lookout.  And, when you're next to a river, they could sneak up on you pretty easily.

We have our first installment of huckleberries for 2018 and will most likely try to find some time to pick a whole lot more.

While picking those berries and not really too worried about the bear, I thought a lot about contractions.

Not the labor kind, mind you. Haven't thought about those for almost 40 years. 

No, I was thinking about how once again we English teachers could revel in the fact that another hair-splitting application of our vocation had come to the forefront on the world stage. 

This does not happen very often.  Oh, occasionally, someone brings up a misplaced comma which makes an important document have a double or confusing meaning. 

Then, there was the era when the intransitive verb "is" received notable attention in the spotlight, thanks to Bill Clinton who seemed to know the difference between present and past tense and use it to what he thought was/is his advantage. 

If you need a memory refresher, just click on this link. 
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/chatterbox/1998/09/bill_clinton_and_the_meaning_of_is.html

I don't know if verb tense played a positive role in President Clinton's effort to convince the folks in legal court, but I do know that there may have been a lotta head scratching among those who sit in the court of public opinion.

I also know that at the time, English teachers were in their glory, maybe even some using the President's predicament as a teaching moment when their students couldn't figure out the difference between present and past tense. 

Once again yesterday, we English teachers (well, at least one) rejoiced, knowing that our passion for the language and lifelong desire that it be used correctly aroused wide public attention. 

In this case, 'twas those contractions: specifically falling into the subjunctive woulda, coulda, shoulda variety. 

When Donald Trump shoulda said to the world, "Yes, the Russians did meddle in the elections, and I hold you, Vladimer Putin responsible," he "couldN'T" remember just what he was supposed to say outside the safety of his Tweet Kingdom. 

And, according to the President, it came out wrong.  If he had been thinking straight, he woulda said the right thing, but when you're 72, sometimes you forget what to say and, by golly, the wrong thing comes out. 

That's what happened on Monday, according to Donald Trump.  

I'm glad he clarified it all yesterday and told us that he really meant wouldn't when he said would.

I'm really glad because as an English teacher, I love it when people point out to us the importance of specificity and the old "say what you mean," and "mean what you say."  

Now, I kinda thought he really meant was he said on Monday when he said, "I don't know why it WOULD be the Russians," cuz I thought I saw forcefullness in his comment----especially when he emphasized "WOULD." 

Then, yesterday we learned that he had totally forgotten to say what he really meant, and, darnit all, the wrong word slipped out.  

Whether or not Donald Trump spoke truth on Monday or if he spoke truth on Tuesday when he told us that his truth on Monday was a bit flawed, I don't really care. 

I'm just glad that our language and its proper usage is once again getting some attention outside the English classrooms of America.  

For one brief moment or two in the grand scheme of time, kids may once again sit up and listen, and if one kid in our school system has learned the difference between "would" and "wouldn't," we English teachers shall rejoice. 

It's important, however, to note that the "woulda," "coulda's" and "shoulda's" discussed in today's post come from the subjunctive mood in verb classification. 

And, what is the subjunctive mood in verb speak?  

Those are the verbs that deal with "wishes, commands, suggestions or conditions contrary to fact."

They fit well in today's Trump world. 

Enjoy the photos, and watch out for the bears.  

Happy Wednesday.