There is a Hot Topics Forum for such...though I care not where you post.

The spoken word...is limiting enough...as is. Sometimes...the written word needs...emphasis...so ipso presto...a genre is born.

tj

I too have had the pleasure of meeting Ken and he speaks in complete sentences and complete ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: By Crikey at about the 2 min mark

The vast majority of my questions in this wonderful forum have been answered by Ken. As an inhabitant of his stomping ground (Southeastern Michigan), I haven't met Ken, but I feel like I have met him..LOL

Ken's posting "voice" reminds me a great deal of my northern Michigan German farmer family. They have a huge knowledge base, and are perfectly willing and eager to share, but with a to-the-point economy of words. They generally don't have time to dance around with pretty words because there is always something to do and they need to get back outside. Words aren't to be wasted and fools will only be tolerated so long.

They also toss out verbal gems without a thought and are on to the next field while you are still standing in the barn yard laughing!

Ken's posts read like all my uncles and my grandfather spoke. That might all be a fancy way of saying it is a Michigan Thing that is music to my eyes. :0)

Liz, you wrote a commercial for "Pure Michigan." I see those lovely tv commercials a lot, and this could be one for sure.
:)

Thank you! It really is a beautiful state and Ken is Pure Michigan. Well, only if he wears maize and blue. If he wears green and white it would be pure Michigan. ;)

wow liz.... thanks ...

are you a linguist.. a student of the language???? .. to so thoroughly hit the mark on my typed word vs heritage .... is stunning ....

but the relatives were Poles ... no big difference ... just different enclaves in metro detroit in the 20's and 30' ... the grandparent years ...

and yes.. go blue ... though much of lenawee county is that green school .... MOOOOOO ... we are 90% farmers.. what do you expect ... lol .....

BTW ... i went to law school with someone named liz.. you know her.. lol .... her last name was a street in downtown ....

ken

ps: were do i send the reward gifts.. lol ....

Actually, I have always had a fascination with linguistics and language, though no real formal education outside of 8 years of cumulative language courses - 5 of French, 2 of Spanish and 1 of German. I just have an ear and eye for language patterns. :0)

Did you happen to go maize and blue for law school? I have family that did...

Which actually reminds me of a farm story that only a gardener/farmer/lawyer would appreciate. Each fall before Thanksgiving, the family used to gather at the Home Place, a.k.a. Grandma and Grandpa's farm to cut wood and stock the wood for the furnace for the winter.

At the time, my sister was studying for the LSATs so she was excused from the heavy outdoor work. It was all well and good to do your book learning, but Grandma didn't think it was healthy to get too far from the land or you might get too high and mighty. Her cure?

She walked in the front room where sis was studying with her new Zenith laptop and plopped a pair of manure covered boots on the keyboard "..doesn't look like you are doing much with your hands. Clean these while you sit."

Idle hands.....

Which downtown? :)

Yes, I think Liz is a musician. She has the sound of the spoken word in her head. There is a rhythm to a sentence, and it says something about the person who wrote it.

Spot on, verified by himself...... :)

Aww Thanks Moccasin! Truth be told, my daddy was a detective. My second language growing up was looking for pattern and clues in words and faces. :)

Jadie88, you said exactly what I always think. Ken's voice is always in my head when I am in my garden too. :) I always appreciate Ken's advice....blunt and straight to the point. I figure if I am big enough to ask the question, I should be big enough to take the answer, even if it isn't what I want to hear.

i think we need to add the legendary ... in my mind anyway ...

Thanksgiving holiday bacon thread ... to my history ... lol ..

i was cleaning out my faves... when i ran across this old link ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Well I;m so glad that I caught this last one about the bacon thread. It has nothing to do with BACON BITS does it?

Sorry I missed the bacon link......ahahahahaha

Yikes! How did I miss that bacon thread before? Thanks for the link, Ken.

Here is something to add to it.

Math problem for you.

Last one...because we teachers can't stay awake past 9:00...so technically, I am already asleep.

1732 cracked me up .. a literal lol ....

thank God i read it tonight... else i would have probably spit coffee all over the screen tomorrow morn ...

yes moc.. your survival bacon bits... or i should say DHs survival BBits .... were the genesis of the holiday bacon theme..

that and my family is cursed to dry carpy turkey ...

i had to generate some hosta forum traffic .. using bacon as a theme ... because i would rather choke myself dead.. rather than think about turkey in ANY format ... [well.. maybe a boughten club sandwich ... and blimey.. half of those are carp] .... see link for the perfect BLT or club sandwich ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful:

OMGOMGOMG.
Generate it you did, Ken.

Now I have something to show DH about the bacon sandwich to end all bacon sandwiches. Eye popping it is too.

Up until now, a BLT has been my favorite sammich

Funny, Ken never spoke that way before the INTERNET corrupted him.

I remember when he was a lawyer and spoke legalese!

His lisp is showing now, or at least his language skills have slipped a little.

1732 I wish I had lived that long...... I enjoy bacon toooo much!

i am trying to see if we can generate some new houzz peeps in these forums .. by bringing up some of these old posts ...

crikey ..... did this one degenerate into a bunch of fun ..

ken

Too much bread in that sammich. Carbs are bad for ya.

Crikey, how did I miss this....a Ken roast ? :)

Ken told me years ago he doesn't eat bacon, just makes fun of those of us who do, or maybe I misunderstood his kenspeak back in his formative years?

And to think I remember when this topic began. Hope HOUZZ saved all my clippings, because they were packed with Ken-isms. Is the subject "Ken Adrian" a google search term?

somehow this popped up in my bookmarks ... i liked this reply?

He posted without using the word "tape"!

lol ..... ken

Well this was a good morning laugh...I should be outside planting hostas....but after 5 inches of rain it might be too muddy...maybe I will pull weeds instead...but now I want bacon

Okay... I just followed that link and read the comments about bacon, and asparagus. Just have to say - I love them both, but the best is when I wrap a little bundle of fresh asparagus (5 or 6 stalks) with a slice of bacon (thick-sliced is best) and grill it. The steak that usually goes with it isn't bad, either!

Also -- while we're on the subject of appreciating Ken (and I'm one who definitely appreciates him and his advice!) I wonder if you're all aware of the hosta named after him: http://hostalibrary.org/k/k.html

I was looking up something else one day and saw that. That's pretty special!

who knew ... lol ...

ron livingston came to my house.. . when i was moving.. and took a couple hundred seedlings that i winter grew under lights ...

i think this was a 1998 bravo OP seedling .. which eventually settled out .. and he did me the honor ...

the real bizarre part ... he sold two $500 pieces to 2 other dudes named ken marek ... whats that all about ... i thought i was one of a kind ... lol

ken

Wow! I didn't think the world was big enough for more than one Ken Marek!

-Babka

That now makes 3 Ken Mareks that I know. Sheesh, when will it end?

tj

crikey … jacks to open and trips to win … *pokerspeak*

As a lurker...I love all the posts by Ken_adrian...I have learned a lot of valuable information for him....thank you Ken...

I am thinking about posting this to the other forums Ken frequents. However they are very serious people on the Tree and Shrubs forum.

lol.. marie ...

just link back to this one .. if they dont have a sense of humor.. who needs them.. lol ...

the forum was a bit dead.. i figured a little levity might bring some life back ... though there usually is a late summer duldrum ...

ken

And a winter one too...what do you have planned for it, Ken ? :)

This really needs to go on the tree forum to distract us from our young troll. Thanks for your suggested course correction, too, Ken. Good advice.

Found the tree troll. He needs something.

The wise ones conclude he needs ignoring

he is very young

IMO, Ken writes like Star Trek's James T. Kirk speaks.

My Norwegian American grandmother wrote letters with dashes between phrases so I wasn't thrown by your writing style, Ken.

a bit self-aggrandizing.. forgive that .... anyway bumping this one up ... anyway .... what the heck do you do in the middle of a snow storm ...

RIP bruce

ken

Ken, I must agree with many others who have stated they have learned soooo much from you. And you have instructed me kindly and gently which I appreciate being somewhat of a hosta novice and forum newbie, always asking questions......I have laughed over and over again at your comments to me and many others. My husband knows you too because I am always reading your funniest and sassiest comments to him so he laughs with me. I love your “Ken speak” unique and quite charming actually ==>> yes, I said charming! Someday, I hope to meet you at a convention or maybe even at the first annual “Ken Fan Club” when that gets off the ground as is rumored to be forming.....I don’t know if tsuja or babka is organizing that or what...... I am waiting for the invite tho ==>> :-D

Yes indeed RIP. I remember Bruce even though I have not been here for that long. Such a nice man. All the more meaningful for you since you knew him well.

Lol djacobs I agree plus it is good to get kudos and levity back on this thread for Ken.

Can’t believe this just popped up in my notifications. Who is the poor Bruce that is being memorialized. I should know it but can’t remember.

And what happened to the poor gentleman?

May I add that I was delighted to find that there is a Ken Marek hosta, beautiful! But is it available for purchase? And will it cost me an arm and a leg? 😝

Steve Irwin says Crikey at :42 in Youtube link below.

There may be more times he says it, I didn't listen to whole video.

Sorry the link disappeared. Try again.

Link to Crikey

bruce was pauline banyais son ... she of gold standard fame ... and many others ... one of the founders of the American hosta society ... she sold hosta out of her driveway.. here in metro detroit in the 60's and 70s ...

ken

Wow! This is certainly a blast from the past.

Moccasin, great to hear from you. Sorry for your troubles. They seem to multiply as we get older, somehow. Hope they improve soon.

bkay

Thank you, BKay, you are all still with me. It won't be long before I am back to participate regularly. I'll not get into the details. :)

And RIP to Phil, hosta_freak(z6 NC), another great contributor to this forum whom we have lost.

Moccasin, great to “hear” from you! May your troubles diminish.

Kathy

Phil loved his garden, and it was a joy to view it in his photos. Thank you for updating me there. With me, so many things to complete, and time seems to be running out......:)