Nearly two decades ago, an ordinary coffee morning in Oklahoma turned into a true fairy-princess moment when a tiny bird landed in my outstretched hand. Years later, that fleeting surprise became a story, a curious phrase to explore, and a Scatter Joyfulness greeting card.

One August Sunday, a nearly empty can of red paint, an unripe apple and one ridiculous idea sent me wondering about the phrase “apple of my eye.” Here’s what the expression means, where it came from, and how one very red backyard apple may have become a greeting card.

A friend described a roadside row of storage condominiums as a place for the whole kit and caboodle. That raised two curious questions: What exactly is a caboodle, and can an ordinary-looking storage garage really be a condominium?

A trip past the bakery sparked plans for thick oatmeal cookies filled with dried cherries and chocolate chips, along with one delicious question: Why do we call someone a smart cookie?

Why do we say someone is “in a pickle?” I followed this curious old phrase from salty brine and Shakespeare to the awkward situations we still describe today, then added my favorite sweet marinated cucumbers and an easy shortcut for days when less work sounds especially delicious.