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Word of the Every So Often

dropsical: (adj.) affected with dropsy, or dropsy-like; edematous. And, of course, dropsy is an old-fashioned term for edema. And, of course, edema is when parts of your body swell up (usually the arms and legs), caused from blood vessels leaking fluid in the surrounding tissue. Sometimes it goes away on its own, sometimes it’s a sign of more severe problems, like kidney, liver, or heart disease. Pretty much, you need to see a doctor. However! Since we’re dealing with the adjectival form of the word, which means “dropsy-like,” it need not be used just for dropsy. Say you were bitten by a copperhead on the arm. It’s probably not going to kill you, but your arm is going to swell up. A lot. Which could prompt somebody to say, “Dude, your arm is dropsical.”

The Almost Daily

It was on this very day in 1790 that English inventor Thomas Saint received the first patent on the sewing machine, making today National Sewing Machine Day. Before Saint, in 1755, a guy named Charles Frederick Wiesenthal (which is a name that only British people are allowed to have) came up with the mechanical needle, but it really wasn’t a sewing machine, not like your mother had, at any rate. But then, neither was Saint’s. Practical sewing machines wouldn’t come along until 1830, when a French tailor named Barthélemy Thimonnier (pronounced Larry Johnson), used one to make army uniforms. His machine was subsequently destroyed by angry tailors who feared such a device would put them out of work. I suppose they were right, but it still seems a bit much to burn the guy’s shop down. But I digress. In 1846, a guy named Tomas Howe came up with the first truly practical sewing machine that used the good ol’ lock stitch method. And that was followed by Issac Singer, who patented the first sewing machine truly suitable for home use. I mean, who hasn’t heard of a Singer sewing machine? Incidentally, Howe sued Singer for patent rights, which he won.

Cartoon of the Week

Stuff

One Thousand Years

A thousand years from now

that’s hard to believe

but that time shall pass

just as it already has

just as a thousand years ago

somebody wondered

somebody much like me

what it would be like to be now

In a thousand years

the wind will blow

and the leaves will fall

and in the spring

they will all come back again

And I will be a part of it all

whether I know it or not.

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