Drive throughs are part of daily life here in the U.S. It all started with fast food, but now, there are drive throughs for all kinds of products, even medicine. Some pharmacies have the available option of a drive through medicine pick up for those who are in a hurry. It is convenient, especially if you have little children in the car. It is so much easier than getting everyone out of the car, keeping them quiet inside the store, and then getting back in the car. But, in the past few years, a different kind of drive through has come to Wenatchee. It's coffee. The daily drug is available sooner than before because of drive through coffee stands all over town. Some established cafes also have a drive through at the back or side of the building. One such place is The Coffee Cabin. As its name suggests, its style is western. In fact, it is just like a log cabin. The inside is very woodsy, with a big stone fireplace, and the furniture is chunky and also made out of wood . On chilly days, they have a fire in the fireplace; people order their coffees and sit around and play chess, read, or chat. Internet access is available, and there are also indoor and outdoor play areas for children. Considering all the elements of this business, it meets most people's needs. There are often two or three full-time employees making coffee and handing out bagels or muffins; they will take turns dealing with the inside customers and then the outside, drive through customers. There is always a special of the day which is some kind of flavored(oured) coffee, very popular amongst Americans. In most cafes in town, you will find about twenty flavored(oured) syrups next to the espresso machine, anything from raspberry to sugar-free mint. Curious, in my opinion, but just what works for most Americans.

Grammar notes.


Related vocabulary: drive through, available, established, chunky, chess.

1. I waited at the drive through for ages; the person in front of me had placed a huge order.

2. That dress is not available in red, only blue or black.

3. The business was established over a hundred years ago.

4. Do I look chunky in these jeans?

5. He was a whizz at chess. My goodness, he could beat everybody!

My family has adopted a new, night time routine on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It's one that is an obsession in this country. We watch American Idol. You have probably heard about it. It is a reality television show which is based around a competition to find the next, big singing star. It was created by Simon Cowell, a British music executive producer, who started a similar reality series in England called Pop Idol. The American version has now become one of the most viewed series ever in this country. It is quite addicting to watch because, as a viewer, you become a judge, and even have some say in who eventually wins. In the first few weeks, a panel of judges travels to several major(our) cities and views large numbers of people who have signed up for the competition. There is a vote taken after each performance, which drastically reduces the number of singers that can go into the next round. This continues until there are about 25 people left. Then, after each performance, the public votes, either by phone or text. The program(me) is quite funny in the beginning weeks, as lots of people who actually can't sing do try out. The responses of judges add to the humor(our). However, the last few weeks become quite emotional as the pressure increases and more and more people get voted off. The series gives the viewers a look into the lives of the contestants, their hopes and their struggles, so we become emotionally involved with them as individuals. Opinions fly around the house as to who should win and who shouldn't. You can guarantee that we will be glued to the television a couple of times a week for the next few weeks, until a winner is chosen.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: reality tv, viewer, a panel of judges, a round.

1. One of the trends in television is reality tv.

2. Apparently, this program has millions of daily viewers.

3. The panel of judges gave the ice skater a low mark.

4. Let's play another round of golf.  OR  Buy us a round of beers, would you?  OR The boxer was knocked out in the third round.

Today's podcast will be dedicated to the 'th'. English, being quite irregular at times, has two ways of pronouncing the combination of the t and the h. That may seem simple, but getting it right is a key  to sounding like a native. I have met many people from all over the world who speak English quite well, but who have a weakness when they use a word beginning with th. Some people will pronounce 'the' and similar words as 'de', as if the 'th' was a 'd'. Other people pronounce it as a 'z'; I have often heard "zis" and "zat" instead of this and that. So, how do we overcome these errors? Practice is the answer! I will read a paragraph that is full of the 'th' sounds; I will give you time to repeat after me. Remember, the two sounds are 'th' (as in thing), a sound that is light and full of air, and 'th' which is a heavier sound that has more vibration and less air flow. Let's give it a try.

 The thoughtfulness of my neighbors makes me think. Though they are retired, they are thrilled to spend their days helping people. Every Thursday at three o'clock, they hand out food, household things, and this and that to the poor in the community. Theodore, the husband, had throat problems, but thought more about helping the poor than helping himself. They read thick books on community service, they support the local theatre (er), and though they are thin and quite old, they thrive on charity runs. Such thoughtful people!

There has been a lot of activity just down the road from us, for the past year. A hotel has been built, and we have witnessed the process from start to finish. About a year ago, the construction crew 'broke ground' and started digging and moving earth. Then came the foundation. The big cement mixers came in to pour and pour until the amount of cement was just right. Each afternoon, driving my children home from school, I would deliberately take a slightly longer route which leads right past the hotel site. My kids would ooh and aah at the machines, and the changes that were taking place. Soon the walls went up, stage by stage. Just opposite the building site is a restaurant with an outside seating area. We sat there on a few occasions, eating icecream and watching the progress: machines coming and going, the large crew of workmen nailing, hammering, carrying, and cutting. At least half of the time there was plenty of yelling going on, and most of the time it was in a variety of different languages. It would have been good to film the work from the beginning to the end consistently, and then show the film in fast motion. I'm happy to say that the ordinances or rules for new buildings here is that they must have good landscaping around them: trees, shrubs, and grass. So, the hotel won't look like a big, boring, box of a place. It actually has an attractive design with some architectural interest, some natural stone, and now the landscaping. I'm sure that, in true American style, there will be a grand opening celebration. There will be balloons, free coffee, and perhaps a raffle. Once, when a department store was having its grand opening, my husband and I happened to be in a parking lot nearby. Suddenly, there was the sound of explosions. I ducked, not knowing what on earth was happening. My husband just laughed at me and pointed to the building, "It's just the grand opening fire works, babe. I know," he admitted, "we tend to overdo it here."

Grammar notes.

Practicing the use of 'would' using related vocabulary: to break ground, building site, ordinance, to duck.

1. It would have been better to break ground in the Summer; the ground will be frozen soon.

2. I wouldn't mind the building site next door, if the crew wasn't so rude.

3. He memorized the ordinances and would always quote the rules.

4. You wouldn't have bumped your head if you had ducked.

So, I have a penguin in my car. It is small, plastic, and makes a very irritating, repetitive noise. Thankfully, it has an on-off switch. But, where on earth did it come from? McDonalds is the answer. I hardly ever go there, but, the other day, my two youngest children begged me to take them there. My son was taking a day off from school because he felt a under the weather, and my daughter didn't have pre-school that day. We needed to get out of the house, but I wanted to take them somewhere warm to play, so that is where we went. It is a very popular place in Wenatchee and all over the U.S. Thanks to its multi-million dollar advertising, it is, quite literally, everywhere. On the television there are countless advertisements about McDonalds, and then there are the jingles, the logos, and the toys. It's similar to Disney Land. Infact, until 2007, McDonalds had a contract with Disney to sell Happy Meal toys that were characters in the latest Disney movies. However, Disney has decided to associate its characters with healthier food. Though fast food here in the U.S. is known to be unhealthy, and leading the country to obesity, the advertising and the convenience of it all keep bringing the crowds back. The focus of McDonalds' advertising is children. If you can attract them, and create a safe and convenient place for them to play and eat, then they will come back, and keep coming back. If there are rewards for eating McDonalds, the children will  be even more tempted, hence the irritating penguins. The company has also changed with the times. They offer salads, fruit, and premium lattes now, as alternatives, and in European countries are even changing their color(ur) scheme to look more sophisticated. So, however good or bad the food may be, the appeal of the plastic penguin still works for 47 million customers each day.

Grammar notes.

Common expressions: to feel under the weather, quite literally, hence, where on earth?

1. I'm feeling under the weather today; I don't think I'll go to work.

2. Pavarotti was, quite literally, the biggest voice in opera in the past 20 years.

3. Each year there have been less and less policemen in our city, hence, the increase in crime.

4. I thought my keys were on the table; where on earth are they?

It's time for me to start preparing our Summer holiday. This year, my family and I will take a trip to Spain for a month. We will visit my father and sister in Scotland and England first, and then family and friends in Spain. I can't wait. Our preparations actually started last Summer, when I discovered that we had accumulated quite a lot of air miles over the past few years. I wondered how many return tickets from Seattle to London could be bought with those air miles. To my surprize(se), most of our tickets were covered. "I have to organize(se) a substantial trip," I said to myself. "Who knows when we will have another opportunity..." So, I got the tickets over the phone with a representative from British Airways, got the confirmation number, and jumped for joy. Now, I need passports for my two youngest children. So, off to the Court House I go. It is one of the oldest buildings in town, quite ornate compared to  the plain buildings that are typical of towns in the U.S. I walked up the marble steps to the third floor, to the passport department. I was suddenly confronted with two security guards, a metal detector, and a body search. Gosh, I didn't realize(se) it would be like this. My bag was searched, my body was checked, and I was given the ok. Phew! All I needed were two application forms. It was a quick in and out visit. As I left, I walked past other departments: marriage license, car license, building permits, and the court house that serves all of Wenatchee. It was all business and activity. There was even a jail! It was actually exciting to be in a place where important contracts and decisions are made on a daily basis, in a place where it all happens.

Grammar notes.

Practice of the verb 'to be' + past participle as an adjective.

1. The chair was painted the most beautiful blue.

2. The corn fields are harvested by machine nowadays.

3. The words of the prayer are carved into the stone.

4. We were driven to the opera by my cousin.

For 90 years, Wenatchee has celebrated the Apple Blossom Festival. It is a huge event that takes place, as the title suggests, in Spring. At that time of year, the valley becomes full of the color(our) and smell of pink apple blossoms. The festival celebrates not only the beauty of Spring, but the community that has been built around the apple tree, and the lives that the orchards support. A queen and two princesses are chosen from many High School age girls who apply. To become one of the royalty, there are some tough prerequisites. You can't just be a pretty face. You have to be a well-rounded individual, intelligent, involved in the community, and focused on several hobbies and causes. This year's royalty have just been chosen. They will be seen, from now on, in the newspaper, and in shops and businesses, making appearances and having their photographs taken. There is a great reward for becoming one of the royalty, as well, scholarships for college! When education is so expensive, that is a tremendous benefit. There are many other areas of preparation for Apple Blossom that take months of hard work. There will be a large parade downtown, a kids parade, a food fare, and a whole host of activities and events that involve the whole community. The festival is big business! It attracts 100,000 people every year, providing a great whoosh for the economy. At the entrance to Wenatchee, there is a sign that says, "The Apple Capital of the World". Though the economy has changed in recent years, and even the orchards, the Apple Blossom festival celebrates the roots of the community, and its human and natural resources. So, when I stand on the sidewalk with all the other people on the day of the parade, I will make sure that I give the queen and princesses a very enthusiastic wave.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: prerequisites, well-rounded, a cause, to make an appearance.

1. The prerequisites for the psychology course are: general sciences, mathematics, and English.

2. He is a well rounded student. He is academic yet sporty, social yet focused.

3. A famous actor made an appearance at the local bookshop to sign books.

They are crunchy, small, folded, and light brown in color (colour). They usually come in individual, plastic packets. They don't fill you up, but they are an important part of certain meals. They hold a different promise for each person at the table. And, finally, they have an Asian touch about them. So, what are they? They are fortune cookies, of course. No Asian style meal would be complete without them, at least, from a Westerner's perspective. I'm sure there are a lot of Asian meals that should never have fortune cookies at the end; you'll just have to forgive my ignorance. The cookies are, afterall, an Asian American invention that started around the beginning of the 20th century. Apparently, Asian immigrants, probably Japanese or Chinese, started to manufacture them in California. A cookie that they might have been copying is the omikuji cookie of Kyoto, Japan which was a temple cookie filled with random fortunes. It sounds similar. Well, they certainly are popular over here. Though they are normally served after a chinese meal, they can also be found in Japanese restaurants, and Asian-American restaurants. Children get excited by the idea of a special cookie at the end of the meal, especially one that they can break open to find a message inside. "This week, a special person will come into your life," one might say, or, "Use your good judgment to make your fortune this year." My children always imagine ways the prediction might come true; they get imaginative, and even ridiculous. We end up giggling at the end of our meal because of the fortune cookies and their 'off-the-wall' predictions.

Grammar notes.

Expressions: to fill up/ to get filled up, to giggle, off-the-wall.

1. We filled up the car with gas (petrol).  OR  That chocolate cake will really fill you up.

2. The children got over excited at the birthday party and wouldn't stop giggling.

3. That entertainer does the strangest things; he is really off-the-wall.

Do you ever go blank when you're trying to spell a word? It happens to me occasionally. When it comes to spelling, I have a problem. I have had to learn the Standard American English whilst living in the U.S. for the past 18 years, but, I'm English. That means that when I went to school I learned Standard English which has quite a few differences from that of the U.S. Some of the obvious ones are: color in American English and colour in British English, analyze in American English and analyse in British English, bank in American English and banque in British English. If you look through a list of the spelling differences, you will conclude that British English remains closer to its roots: Greek, Latin, French etc. The American English seems more phonetic, and I suppose, in some ways, is easier. Mind you, English is a bit of a pain anyway. My ten year old, who reads and writes well, still struggles on occasion with spelling. The silent 'e', the silent 'gh', the occasional silent 'p' (as in pneumonia or psychology), and the silent 'k'. "How am I supposed to know all of these spellings, Mum?" was his question. My answer was simply, "Learn the awkward words by heart." Both Standard American and British English share the same difficulties, I'm afraid. The only way to get around them is to consider them part of the beauty and interest of the language......I know, that's easy for me to say, I am English. Really, a language like Spanish is so much easier to learn because it is so phonetic. But, you know, English spelling is not always that easy for me because of this trans-Atlantic 'thing'. I have my own problems knowing when to double an 'l' when adding an 'ing', or whether to use an 's' or a 'z' (or I should say zed). A great web page to check out is: Susan Jone's American vs British spelling differences. I think I'll make a copy of them and stick it on the fridge.

Grammar notes:

Related expressions: to go blank, when it comes to ...., on occasion, I'm afraid.

1. In the middle of my exam, my mind just went blank.

2. When it comes to playing the piano, he is brilliant.

3. We will, on occasion, have breakfast in the French bakery.

4. They won't be coming to the party, I'm afraid. She called and said she was sick.

Yesterday, I looked over my shopping list, and saw something that my chidren had written down. "Valentines for school", were the instructions that I read. What they meant by that were little cards that are designed especially for school children. Here, in the U.S., it is tradition for the children to give a miniature card to each of their classroom buddies. Sometimes the teacher will allow a treat or tiny toy to be attached or taped to the card, something like an eraser, a pencil, or a small chocolate. It is a tradition which is unfortunately driven by materialism. Valentine's day itself, is not celebrated in a huge way at all by the general public. It is true that there are cards, flowers, and chocolates all over the place to give as gifts for a loved one, but it is not a holiday. The children take their card distribution very seriously, though. The teachers even print out a list of the names of the children in the class, so each child can write the correct names on the little gifts. The older children will read about St. Valentine; the younger ones will usually cut and paint big, red or pink hearts for their parents or guardians. Last night, as my children prepared their Valentines, it was all business. They each counted out the cards, wrote the names, added treats, and put them into a paper bag, ready for school today. And beware anyone who wished to interrupt! "Hey, that's my card!" "Don't use my pencil!" "You'd better leave enough chocolates for my class!" I think some of the Valentine's spirit should have been directed at eachother, let alone their friends.

Grammar notes.

 Practice of the preterite with new vocabulary: miniature, driven, guardian, beware.

1. My father bought me a miniature, glass house for my birthday.

2. He was driven to madness by her constant nagging.

3. Her aunt became her guardian when her parents died.

4. "Beware the stranger from the forest!" warned the old man.