Another host mum and I and our spouses were playing a game with several international students a few weeks back - some of them were from China and some were from Korea.

The game consisted of making sounds like different animals - goats, cats, dogs, pigs, etc.

What was so surprising to me is that the animal sounds were different in different languages. Not oink, oink, meow, bow wow, moo, etc., but wah, wha! for a dog - eyoo! for a cat, and so forth.

I guess I always thought animal sounds were universal onomatopoeia - the word is the sound, like bang and slap.

Today dawn with temps above zero. We made it through another winter. Looking out my south-facing window I see about a hundred pheasants. They made it through another winter as well. I wonder where they hide with all this snow. Even the tree claims are filled with the stuff.

I explained to my Chinese students (for whom I was host ‘mum’) that the Ringneck Pheasant originated in their country. They were from the city and had no idea what a Chinese Ringneck looked like. So, in true South Dakota fashion, we shot one and gave them a close-up look.