One day last week, a little girl in our house was not especially enjoying her lunch that included barley.  I guess that she was dodging the thought of finishing the lunch because she asked me, out of the blue, “Mom, what is ‘condemnation’ ?”

I explained that the word starts with the word ‘condemn’ and is like judging. If a person killed another person, the judge might condemn the killer to life in prison. I guess that was enough to derail thoughts of seeking the meaning of a big word, for the next question was, “Would they give you food in the prison?”

Yes, prisoners are provided with food. “Do they give you clothes?” was her quick reply. Yes, I said, the people in jail get clothes. Next, with a more agitated tone, she asked, “Do they give you mildew?”

I have NO idea where that thought came from!  Maybe I shouldn’t cook barley any time soon unless I have nearby a dictionary and a preacher and a judge and a janitorial custodian and a …