Q. I have a musical snow globe, which is very special to me. However, the liquid in the globe has turned murky. What can I do to correct this or am I just stuck with it?
-- Annie Duing, of Trenton
A. For Bob Overholser, there's no business like snow business.
Whether you need a broken globe repaired or have an idea for a custom-made job, he probably can do it at Ferrera Studios in Nokomis, Fla. So, as long as you have a quality globe (glass only; no plastic) he can have you seeing your blizzards clearly again in a short time.
Depending on how special it is, the price might leave you a little cold, though. To clean up cloudy water or mold, it's $35 plus shipping. For complete information, write him atRobert@SnowGlobeRepair.com, call (941) 539-3123 or go to www.snowgloberepair.com on the Internet.
If you'd like to shop around, you also can call T.L.C. Doll Hospital near Denver (888-661-3655, www.doll-hospital.com) or www.musicalspecialties.com (888-711-4646). Or use Google or Dogpile to search for "snow globe repair."
Q. Did you ever hear of sourwood honey? I sure haven't, but Andy Griffith said he once traded a ham for some sourwood honey and got the better of the deal.
-- J.P., of Fairview Heights
A. According to the buzz I hear, you haven't lived until you let sourwood honey dazzle your taste buds, because, legend has it, it can convert honey shunners into honey lovers.
Griffith, of course, hails from Mount Airy, N.C., where the mountains provide an ideal home for the sourwood tree, aka the lily-of-the-valley tree. A late bloomer, the sourwood produces beautiful white bell-shaped flowers from late June to August that are the source of this prized golden nectar.
It's a challenging task to produce. Bloom time is brief, and sourwood trees, which are relatively short, require lots of sunshine. Rain or unseasonably low temperatures can hurt production. As a result, you can expect to pay a premium for it.
But the result is described as a delicious honey with a sweet, spicy, anise aroma and a pleasant, lingering aftertaste. It sells out quickly every year, but you can try doing bees-ness at, among others, www.sourwoodhoney.com or Spring Hill Merchant (877-891-6389).
Q. I've written to you before and you've always come through, so tell me this: Why do people insist on pronouncing the words "exit" and "luxury" as if they are spelled "eggsit" and "lugjury"? There are no g's in either word. And, why, when meteorologists talk about the "heat index," do they pronounce it "heat indesees"?
-- Marsha Wagner, of Fairview Heights
A. Ah, you say tuh-may-toe and I say tuh-mah-toe, why don't we (to update an old song) just all try to get along?
Actually, that's what we need to do in this case. If you check your dictionary, both "eks-it" and "eg-zit" are acceptable as are "luk-zhoor-ee" and "lug-zhoor-ree" (and two other pronunciations I won't even include here).
Depending on your point of view, I suppose using the "g" has a softer, more mellow sound. If you're too forceful with the "x,", you could come off sounding like my cats coughing up a hairball. On the other hand, I suppose you could say it's lazy enunciation that has become accepted over the years.
As for your rising temperature over the weather term, one plural form of index is, indeed, "indices" (in-di-seez), so meteorologists can plead not guilty if they are talking about the heat indexes in a number of locations.
And, congratulations -- you have given me a complex. During an interview this afternoon, I used the word "inquiries," pronouncing it as "in-queer-ees." Thanks to you, I immediately wondered whether it should have been "in-kwire-ees."
Turns out they're both right, too. Whew.
Shine on
Since I usually wear Hush Puppies, I wasn't aware that Meltonian Super Shine shoe polish spray can be found at numerous metro-east shoe stores including London Shoe Shop in Collinsville.
Send your questions to Roger Schlueter, Belleville News-Democrat, 120 S. Illinois St., P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427 or rschlueter@bnd.com
