C.: d.c., how is your project coming along?
d.: Do you mean replacing the blades of grass that were destroyed by the people at your surprise coming home party and encouraging the blades of grass that survived to grow stronger and help fill in the bare areas?
C.: Well, yes.
d.: Not so well, Cal.E. That's why I'm driving to the Grass Depot to get some more plugs.
Although the weather is still warm in Southeast Texas, it is November, and our friends were rough on my yard.
. That means that these brave little blades of grass who are still in their infancy that I’m planting may not make it through the winter if it is a hard, cold one.
C.: d.c., when was the last time we had a hard, cold winter in Southeast Texas?
d.: Well, it was…no, that wasn’t it. Oh yes, I remember now, it was…no, that wasn’t it either. The average temperature that year during the winter months was above normal, whatever that means.
C.: Explain, please.
d.: Well, if we keep having “above normal” temperatures, doesn’t that mean that the average temperature would go up, meaning that the “above normal” temperatures would probably be average, i.e. “normal.”
And, if it is a winter with “above average” temperatures, then it may be a normal year, and my new grass will survive!
I should get back to work now so that I’ll have a lush, green lawn in the Spring, the way it’s supposed to be. That would be “normal.”
C.: And, I suppose that normal means good?
d.: In this case, yes. But normal isn’t always good, and good isn’t usually normal. The two terms aren’t mutually exclusive, but they aren’t interchangeable either.
For instance, if it were “normal” for a dog to bite everyone s/he came in contact with, and s/he bit one of us, that would be “normal,” but not good. Conversely, if a billionaire decided to give all his or her money to cancer research, that would be good, but not normal. Most billionaires aren’t eager to part with even a little bit of money, so being conservative would be normal for most billionaires, but not necessarily good…what were we talking about again?
C.: How you needed to get back to plugging sprigs of grass into your yard.
d.: Yes, I do need to do that, so I guess that’s all the time we have for today, folks. Please join us tomorrow for another episode of Cal.E.’s Korner.
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