Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Red Green Moose Means STOP

While I work on my pictures from our Goslar weekend, I just have to tell you another Nicholas (grandson) story!

Three years ago when he was first learning to talk in sentences, and while being ferried back-n-forth to daycare, he'd be sitting in the car with Amy, observing every little thing. At traffic lights he started to say, "Red means STOP; green means GO; and yellow means SLOW DOWN." He'd say it every time. (Amy obviously taught him well!)



This past Saturday in Goslar, while we were walking around in the rain, we stopped at a shoe store with this traffic light in the window. The light would switch back-n-forth between the amber man and the green moose. (No red anything.)

So I chuckled about the connection and took this photo for all my Canadian and northeast U.S. friends (we saw moose* in New Hampshire a couple years ago).

I'm guessing this is one time when Green means STOP! No red light needed. When the amber man is flashing, it means "SLOW DOWN; this is a Moose Crossing area and they have the Green light, not you!"

[* English! Why is the plural for goose "geese" and the plural for moose not "meese??"]

11 comments:

  1. Hehehe, I like the green moose :-))

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  2. That's so funny! Did you actually see a moose?

    Around here in the spring we have "caution: toad crossing signs" on some roads during the annual toad migration. :-)

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  3. That is a funny sign. They've started putting up funny signs for giggles here on the north shore. One says Elephant Crossing or something. And the plural of moose just cracked me up!!! Oh the English language...It always keeps you guessing.

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  4. Really funny! My God we should use that here, but how could they know where the moose is going to cross the road! I was with my father when I was around 25, and we saw a moose crossing the road. By chance we were about one hundred feet from him, but you should have seen the lady in front on us. She almost kicked him! It was really frightening. The two car stopped, *phew* a little, and then continued. Believe me, when you see those big fast running animals, you don't need any signal, you stop!

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  5. Oh! And I forgot, in french, the plural is much more complicate: we say "un orignal" and "des orignaux"! But usually there is just one of them crossing the road... ;O)

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  6. KPK: Thought you'd like it!

    Christina: No, no "meese" to be seen, nor did I expect them to be there (but you might know?)? Now toads? Ugh. That would be nasty!! Do you see them squished all over the place? :(

    Expat Traveler: Sometimes you just have to be there! Elephant Crossing is a new one for me. People sure have fun thinking these things up. And yes, the English language is something else. Supposedly it's one of the harder languages to learn (so thank God we "learned" it first, right!).

    Clo: LOL! I love your stories, every time. You always bring quite the big smile to my face :)

    How fun to be reminded of friends when you least expect it (show store)!

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  7. I only got to see a bear crossing a road. Loved that "meese" word. In Germany (and Switzerland)they've been revising the grammar and you should see some of the new spellings! Maybe you shold start a revision of english words :)

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  8. I miss my "moose-mobile" Volvo, which is what they're called in Sweden where they're made. Apparently if you hit a moose in a Volvo, it won't damage the car much. It was true for me hitting two deer, poor things, and being rear-ended by a motorist.

    Let's hope I don't hit anything in my roller skate-mobile.

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  9. Technical question:
    On Blogspot... how do you get the strike-through letters to SHOW? as in the Red-Green of your header? thanks...

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  10. I love the green moose! But I don't want it to mean stop!

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  11. CanadianSwiss: A bear is good! Ha. English is something else, isn't it!

    Ruth: Never knew they were called "moose-mobiles." How cute. Please be careful in your new little "roller skate mobile!" Not much protection there, I'm afraid.

    SPW: I'll answer you in an e-mail.

    Moose: I agree. "Moose" will always mean GO in my book :)

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