Another pretty cold day at "Paridise Pond." And I do mean "pretty." The sun has been shining all day and one would think it was lovely and warm out there, but it didn't get out of the low 20s all day. Not that we're complaining after temperatures dipped well below zero with the wind we've had for the last couple of days, but it's icy under foot and just deceptively alluring for the unsuspecting.
     I wasn't fooled - I stayed inside and worked at my computer most of the day. Tonight I watched some of the Emmys - but mostly I enjoyed seeing what people were wearing. It's sometimes hard when watching these red carpet affairs to tell whether what the stars are wearing is haute couture or a costume they are wearing because they will be performing as part of the program. Some are gorgeous, while others are the darndest getups I've ever seen. I'm sure some of those women were unable to sit down amid all their ruffles and flounces - and if they did, their "angel wings," shoulder pads and ruff collars would surely cut off the view of several of the people near them. Many of the men looked pretty weird, too. But somehow they carry it off better than the women do - probably because they don't have quite as many options. Some of the men were still pretty flamboyant.
     The thing is, I don't know the young artists these days. There seem to be way more "rising stars" in the music industry than ever before, and I can never understand the words they are singing - which is probably a good thing since some of the lyrics are pretty bad - and I don't enjoy much of the modern-day music. Then tonight a lot of the performers were Latino to further complicate my understanding what they were singing - even when the music is ok. So I stayed with it long enough to see Dolly Parton - I can recognize her songs and understand her lyrics! - and then I gave it up. I'll get any other highlights in the news tomorrow.
     I heard an interesting question today. Someone asked why so many Vermonters refer to the evening meal as "supper" instead of "dinner." I hadn't really thought about it, but growing up on the farm, dinner was at noon. It was a big meal, needed to fill up the men folks who still had hours of work left. In the evening, supper was a lighter meal, and in lots of families it was served after chores were done, but others had supper and then the men went out to do the milking and final chores. Most were in bed by 8:30 or 9 p.m.
     In urban areas one has lunch at noon and dinner in the evening -  or supper, if the meal is a light one or very late, such as after going to the theater or opera. While we farmers usually had supper around five o'clock, that's more like cocktail hour for city folks, and their evening meal is just getting started about the time farmers are going to bed.
     I'm pretty sure there are more homes in Vermont where dinner is at night these days, but that is probably because fewer Vermont families are farming. Instead they are working day jobs and eating lunch at noon and a larger meal in the evening. That may be the reason so many of us have added inches around our waistlines - a big meal at night before bedtime. Never a good idea!