Gourds
When contemplating something "frivolous" for this Friday's post, I was standing in my kitchen talking to one of my granddaughters when she asked what was in the bowl on the table. My answer was "Oh, honey, they are gourds". A conversation ensued but the Readers Digest version is something like this.
Gourds are pretty much useless pieces of fruit/vegetable that are primarily used for display . I checked them out on "Google".
I have known what gourds are for more than 40 years but not until this evening did I realize that they have been around for more than 10,000 years. They were pretty much useless then as well, except as ornamentation, or they could be hollowed out and used as a utensil or a musical instrument!!! (Have you ever heard anyone play a "gourd"!?)
It totally amazes me that with all the changes that have occurred in the last 10,000 years we, as humans, are still growing useless vegetation, and we still are using them as fall decoration.
Just think about it......waaaayy back to 8,ooo BC , and picture a couple ( cave man and his cave woman) trotting off to the local forest to pick up their groceries for the winter. Here 's the list:
-1 mammoth -to be freeze dried for meals for the winter
-locate ice-hole for supply of water....
Oh, yes, don't forget to pick up some "gourds" to decorate the cave table!!
Well, we just found a good use for the gourds. They make us smile and we can make jokes about them without hurting anyone's feelings.
ReplyDeleteThe way you explain it is very funny!!! Thanks for the trivia.
Thanks, Kathy, you are so right, they are indeed a source of humour and entertainment..... as well as a decoration.!
DeleteUseless vegetation...that's so funny. My husband's uncle used to make all kinds of things out of those big, hollow gourds. Some of them were quite artistic. I just put the little ones in a bowl :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenny, for your comment. You are lucky that you and/or someone you know are so creative and artistic. The only thing I was hoping to create was a smile, on this cold, wet, October day. Take care, :-)
DeleteGreat post and very funny...love the image of the cave man and cave women trotting off to the local forest to pick up their groceries...!! Never knew gourds had been around for so long and it certainly does make you wonder why this "useless" vegetable has been grown for such a long time.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Monica, You know you have no life when you start researching this hx of gourds!!!
ReplyDelete