Chalkboard

When I was a child, we called the board at the front of our classroom a “blackboard”. Traditionally people wrote with chalk on large pieces of slate. Slate is black, so they called it a blackboard. Later people made boards painted black for blackboards.

During my childhood, many schools started using dark green paint on the blackboards. Since the boards were not black anymore, people started to call them “chalkboards”.

Now some people still say blackboard, but most people say chalkboard.

Sometimes old words lose their meaning and we keep using them. Sometimes old words lose their meaning and we make new words.

I like the word chalkboard because it explains how we use the board. I think the color is not so important.

Clean Air

Yesterday it rained a lot. Today it is still raining.

Some people complain about the rain. They say: it is cold; they will get wet; it is dark and depressing; they can’t go outside; and so on.

My feeling is different. I think: the air is being cleaned; the beautiful green trees are growing; the birds and frogs and animals can drink; fresh water is being stored in the mountains for our supply; and so on.

I think growing up in rainy Washington State affects my feeling. When I was a child, we often played in the rain.

Do you like the rain? Do you hate the rain?