Yain, Tain, Eddero . . . and Mystery Eggs

My friend Josie in California sent me a book that I've been doling out to myself like expensive candy -- One Man's Meat by the legendary E.B. White is a delightful collection of essays and I'll talk about it at length when I've finished reading it.

But for now, I just had to share this bit of esoterica from his book: ancient Celtic sheep counting numbers. Here goes, from 1 through 15 --Yain, Tain, Eddero, Peddero, Pitts, Tayter, Later, Overro, Covvero, Dix, Yain-dix, Tain-dix, Eddero-Dix, Peddero-dix, and Bumfitt.

White used these numbers to name his sheep. It makes me wish we had sheep. But just saying these numbers makes me happy for some reason.

(Addendum: for more counting from the various parts of England, go HERE. Such riches!)

And then there are these -- a tiny package from China, filled with these little speckled eggs, mysteriously arrived Monday. I suspect my niece Amelia, who has often given me eggs of one sort or another, but many thanks to whomever sent them -- all dix of them.