Winter Weather Thoughts...

Today I used the term, "batten down the hatches" and I wondered about it's origin. In case you are wondering.... (from phrase.org)

Meaning

Prepare for trouble.

Origin

Climate change is providing plenty of opportunity to rei

nforce our property against bad weather. The securing of property, especially the covering with protective sheeting, is called 'battening down'. That's not how the phrase originated, although it's not far away in terms of meaning. It has a nautical origin and 'battening down' was done on ships when bad weather was expected.

The earliest known citation is from John Badcock, in Domestic Amusements, 1823 (referring to a sea voyage):

"The severity of the climate having compelled them

to batten down and caulk their abiding place."

A batten is a strip of wood. Caulking is the filling of gaps with oakum of similar, to prevent leaking. That's 'battening down' in a general sense. The first citation of the explicit use of the phrase 'batten down the hatches' is from the 1883 Chambers Journal:

"Batten down the hatches - quick, men."

So, since it's been snowing all day (and we have some pink eye here), it's time to batten down the hatches, snuggle in and.... enjoy some art by Carl Larsson!

Carl Larsson (1853-1919) was a Swedish painter and a designer. He considered his greatest work to be a frescoe (painting on a wall where the color of the paint is mixed into wet plaster) called Midvinterblot. It is considered Sweden's most controversial painting.

Anyway, I love his paintings. Here are a few:

This painting is called "Lucia" and portrays the Scandinavian holiday of Saint Lucia on December 13.

This painting is called "Playing Scales".

The painting above is called, "Brita as Iduna". Lovely.

This painting below is called, "Getting Ready for a Game". We love to play games in the winter plus it's all warm and glowy in this picture. I think this painting must have been his own kitchen. His house in Sweden has been turned into a museum and so you can see pictures. I really like his Arts and Crafts style.