We certainly have had a lot of rain this summer!I have only watered the garden 3-4 times!
And The Mister cut grass twice last week...like you do in the
spring when it's cool and wet and grows fast....a first in 25 years
for July or August!
~~~~
So, in honor of our wet weather,
here's a little history on the umbrella~~
No one is positive who invented the first umbrella,
whether it was the Chinese or the Egyptians.
Only the wealthy owned umbrellas
and they were used to block out the intense sunlight.
Slaves held the umbrella over the head of a king.
The larger the umbrella, the greater the wealth of its owner.
Eventually the Chinese waterproofed the umbrella
with wax and people around Europe caught
wind of this amazing invention.
~~~~
When the umbrella was introduced
to England, however, it took awhile to catch on.
Men were hesitant to walk around with what had
formerly been viewed as a women’s fashion accessory.
In 1830, James Smith and Sons opened
London’s first umbrella shop
and is still in operation today.
~~~~
And don't you just love the HUGE umbrella in the picture?
And didn't they used to call them bumbershoots?
googleimages.com
I love that umbrella - and the picture it's in! Thanks for the history of the umbrella - I didn't know those things.
ReplyDeleteI love that huge umbrella!! I wish we had more rain...I love a good ole thunder storm and downpour. Sorry about the blog confusion. I'm at believingwoman(dot)com from here on out. (((hugs))) Paula
ReplyDeleteyes, it is wet here. i keep worrying that my dog presley is going to float away in the back yard. were you up late last night with all the lightning??!!
ReplyDeletei've often wondered about the umbrella. i find it interesting that no one is sure which culture originated it.i sat in my car and read at lunch today and i saw 3 umbrellas destroyed by the wind . . . and 3 of my co-workers get soaked.
this can't last but honestly i've enjoyed the change a little bit.
Julie ~ yes, that thunderstorm woke us up....we had more thunder than lightening...and lots of rain!
ReplyDeleteYou'll need to get Presley a raft! :)
Is that why some celebs have their own minions to hold umbrellas over their heads...to shade them from the sun?
ReplyDeleteRain, it's impossible not to mention this summer, unless you're down in the deep South or Texas.
its nice to be under an umbrella.. when rain came falling like crystal curtain..
ReplyDeleteI live in the city of RAIN and we haven't had any rain in 77 days! I'm so thirsty for rain.
ReplyDeleteYes, umbrellas used to be call bumpershoots. In fact here is Seattle we have a Bumpershoot Festival. It's an annual event.
Ah, what a lovely post!
ReplyDeleteWe too had so much rain this summer, very unusual.;))
Loved all the facts you list here; It is funny, as I consider umbrella to be a very male accessory.;))
Love your new header!:)
xo
Hi Betsy ~ I found your site, while Lettuce-Eating. I'm very impressed. Gorgeous photos.
ReplyDeleteWe're having a very wet summer here in the UK. Bristol in the South-West has had its wettest July since 1888. So much for the hot BBQ summer forecast by our Met Office earlier in the year.
I have watered my garden exactly once! And then, I only did that because of the snake scare about two-three weeks back and because my son-in-law told me if I was worried about venturing into the garden because of snake potential, if I used the hose and sprayed the garden beforehand, it would drive any snakes out right away because he said snakes don't like water. I don't know if that is true or not (after all, there are water mocassins and water snakes too, aren't there?) but anyway, I did that and then ventured in and picked peas and green beans and such! Any other year, people would be banned from using a hose on their gardens due to water shortages from lack of rain! So guess I really shouldn't complain, huh?
ReplyDeleteWe are more than familiar with umbrellas in this country, especially this year. It seems to have done nothing but rain. That's Global Soaking I suppose.
ReplyDeleteHi Betsy
ReplyDeletewhen I saw the size of that umbrella I laughed as I imagined using it in the streets of Tokyo...
Umbrellas in Japan cost 200Y about $2 So many are left on the trains and the Japanese so honest that they have immense warehouses full of lost property including millions of umbrellas.
Happy days
Hi Betsy! I have to tell you that I am really enjoying your blog (got an especial kick out the mysterious footprints post ;). You offer such great information and perspective.
ReplyDeleteWarmly,
Tracey
I know one thing...I would much rather be holding the umbrella, walking through that cozy village than sitting here waiting for Noah and the flocks to pass me by.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wet summer we have had. usually grass is burned up by now! Not this year, so lush and green.
ReplyDeleteTornado siren went off at 3 this morning,,,been up for hours and it is only 8/ha
LOVE the photo!
ReplyDeleteSO MUCH RAIN!!! A very strange summer for us!
That IS a huge umbrella! I love it and wish I'd had one when I had all my little people around me when they were little and we had to go out. We could have all fit and stayed dry. How nice would that have been?! You probably understand completely!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I thought our area was supposed to get a lot of rain in the summer, little bits here and there, but we actually haven't had that much, although our weather has been cool and delightful, until this week when it's warmed quite a bit. We're going to hit 90 on Sunday if the weather forecast is correct!!!
So although we don't have a garden, we have had to water our grass.
It's been raining here this week as well. One of the granddaughters and I got caught inside Walmart during a rainstorm. I bought my first really big umbrella so we could run out to the car together. It is almost as big as a beach umbrella.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be the invention that can't be improved upon!
ReplyDeleteMy husband has a giant "golf" umbrella --it is so big that if I use it on a windy, rainy day I feel as if I'll be uplifted into the sky like Mary Poppins! :-)
Hi Betsy, Justin guided me to your page. (He does have his uses sometimes)
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed, your page is nearly as good as mine *tongue in cheek*.
I love the pictures. Keep up the good work!
hope the sun shines more soon! thanks for the history. The flowers in your new header are stunning! I guess along with the weed like grass they like the rain. I'm back from a vacation and look forward to reading some of your posts I've missed. Hope your summer is going well!
ReplyDeleteJustin ~ hey, thanks for coming over from Lettuce's blog! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd Keith...for coming over from Justin's! :)
Tracey ~ hey, thanks....I appreciate that! I'm glad our blogs have found each other!
ReplyDeleteMargo ~ welcome back....hope you have lots of fun vacation stories to tell!
Great image, Betsy. Did you know that thetip of an umbreall is called the ferule?
ReplyDeleteDavid ~ No, I did not know that!
ReplyDeleteI love the umbrella photo! Congrats on the Post of the Day mention!
ReplyDeleteLOVE that picture, yes!
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine England without umbrellas? I think the English are born with umbrellas in their hands (like the folks in B.C., where I live).
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment at the Turtle, Betsy. You and I seem to have been pushing the Publish button at the same time, so I missed including you in my response.
That is one of the best photos of an umbrella ever!! More like a tent on a stick.
ReplyDeletetechno ~ isn't it great? I want one! The whole family could fit under it! LOL
ReplyDeleteI love this photo!!!
ReplyDeletePS. Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog :)
Great post, Betsy. Congratulations!
ReplyDelete