So, today is balls cold again, because it’s still winter and I’m still in Ohio, and that’s what happens in winter in Ohio because the weather gods hate Ohio. Shawna wore a hat that she bought while we were in New York one time when it was balls cold there. It’s one of those Swiss Alps style hats with ear flaps and little braided hangy things that are perfect for grabbing onto and yanking someone back when they are getting away from you. But, anyway, she put the hat on when we were ready to get out of the car and I did what anyone would have done. I yodeled. I’m not saying that I did it well, but the spirit moved me, and it felt imperative.

Then, I started thinking… was it imperative? What exactly is yodeling all about? Is it possible that yodeling could cure cancer? What about Ann Coulter’s disease - douche-bag-itis? Is it possible that the remedies to many of the ailments, both physical and emotional, of the human race can be found in the pitch-shifting melody of the yodel?

So, I looked it up, and found that yodeling is thought to have originated in the Alps as a way of communicating between mountain peaks. There is little elaboration, but I assume that people being atop these mountains had everything to do with goats. Since that time, much as I suspected, yodeling has had absolutely no real purpose. It will not cure cancer, nor douche-bag-itis, I’m sorry to say.

On Wikipedia, the reference written by everyone and verified by no one, it goes on to offer some of the finer places to practice Alpine-style yodeling. They recommend places with an echo, such as gorges, long hallways, and, of course, mountain ranges. This is a perfect example of just how incorrect Wikipedia can be, because, as everyone knows, there is no good place to yodel. Having seen Jewel in concert, I can safely say this includes a concert stage.