The words we Americans choose say a lot about us. Sometimes they define us as being rural or urban. Other times, they uncover what region of the country we are from. And, more often than not, they are simply the words our parents or schoolteachers taught us to use. Even so, we still decide which words to use. 

What do you call the long piece of furniture in your living room? Is it a couch? Or a sofa? Or a davenport?

What are the names of those flying, glow-in-the-dark insects? Fireflies? Lightning bugs? Firebugs? Glowworms?   

And how about the clothes you slip into on your bottom half, one leg at a time? Are they pants? Trousers? Slacks?

What word(s) do you use to define the comfortable shoes you put on your feet? Sneakers? Or tennis shoes?

Some of us still use cash, but where do we store it? In a billfold? Wallet? Pocketbook?

One of the most geographically defined words is the name of that fizzy stuff we sometimes consume. Do you call it pop? Or do you say soda? Or coke? Or the blandest choice, soft drink?

When you have a pop or a soda or a coke or a soft drink with evening food, do you call that meal dinner? Or supper? 

Let’s not forget about breakfast and one of its most beloved menu items. Depending on where you reside, you may call them pancakes. Or flapjacks. Or hotcakes. Or Johnnycakes. Or silver dollars. The name doesn’t matter to me, as long as they are covered in maple syrup. 

When you get food to go, do you call it takeout or carryout? Or both? 

When you buy food, do you do so at the grocery store or the supermarket? And do you put your food items in a grocery cart or a buggy or a carriage? 

And, last but not least, here is my favorite word distinction. What do you call the pieces of bread on the ends of the loaf? Are they the heels? Or crusts? Or butts? 

What ones did I miss? Send me a note and let me know. 

Have a great Friday, and thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115

I was asked an interesting question the other day that I didn’t have an interesting answer for, but I said I would ask others and find out. Those “others” mean each of you. 

The question was, why do people so often, when referencing the town of Guthrie Center, simply call it “Guthrie”?

As far as I can tell, there are six cities in Iowa with the word “Center” in their name. And, as far as I can tell, none of them simply go by the first word, except Guthrie. 

I don’t hear people refer to Dallas Center as “Dallas,” even though it is also in a county of the same name. 

The same thing can be said for Sioux Center, which sits in Sioux County. Heading up to “Sioux”? That doesn’t even sound right. 

I know a number of people from Buffalo Center, but none of them, or anyone else I know, call it “Buffalo.” 

If you said you were traveling to “Grundy,” many would envision the supervillain Solomon Grundy rather than the town of Grundy Center.

And, finally, if you were going to “State,” most Iowans would assume you were a high-school athlete who qualified for the state tournament. Would anyone think you were referencing the town of State Center? I don’t think so. 

So why only “Guthrie”? I have asked many people this. It’s a good question that doesn’t seem to have a good answer. But, like many things in life, maybe it doesn’t need an answer. It just is.

See you in Guthrie. 

Shane Goodman
Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
P.O. Box 38, 111 E. Main St.
Panora, Iowa 50215
641-755-2115
shane@dmcityview.com

I received a note last week from Steve Delaney, the former publisher of the Times Vedette and the person I bought the newspaper from 18 months ago. He has had special interest in what we are doing with our digital editions and has been supportive. Steve also shared a comment about my column from the Dec. 21 edition that addressed the change. “Change is something you are given at a convenience store,” Steve wrote. “What you are doing with the newspaper is evolving, not changing.” That’s a great point and a great introduction to our first edition of the Times Vedette digital newsletter. Thank you, Steve.

If you are a subscriber to our Daily Umbrella email newsletter, you have a general idea of what we plan to do with this version. The concept is the same, but the content is localized, as you will see here. Government meetings coverage. Obituaries. High school sports. Sheriff’s reports. Club news. Feature photos. Library news. Movie reviews. Yester Years. And more to come. Much more. This is just the beginning.

This newsletter will certainly evolve with new content and information to best suit your needs. We are learning as we go, so please be patient with us, and don’t hesitate to send me your ideas and feedback. I welcome it.

With that in mind, moving forward, you can expect to receive this email during the lunch hour each Tuesday and Friday. This will allow us to cover the Monday night and Tuesday morning government meetings in our Tuesday editions, and the Thursday meetings and sporting events on Friday.

Email, much like most all digital efforts, comes with its share of challenges since not everyone uses the same software or hardware or has the same level of technological skills. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

If you know of others who you think would appreciate this email newsletter, please forward this on to them and encourage them to sign up for their own free issues at www.gctimesnews.com.

Have a great week, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115