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 Overheard at Lem's: 

...the chemical composition of wood, the many roles that trees and wood play in our lives,.. Link

Xylenes were in the air no doubt during that bake-off. And you probably caramelized all the xylose in that sap. Then there's xylophones:

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Added: Can of Queso links to a new Femmes song in the comments:

Cool!

Also, a concert poster from the 90's in Italy

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link in case the video doesn't load

The song prominently features a xylophone. Now the word xylophone is interesting. The word came to us via Greek xylon [wood] + phone [sound]. The instrument is probably an ancient one as suggested by the photograph below, but the name is actually quite recent.

Xylon also appears in the chemical term "xylene" because the molecule* was first isolated from wood tar. 

The etymology link above mentions that the word xylon is the same as "the Cross" in the original Greek language New Testament.  Curious, I looked into that. It turns out that the very symbol of Christianity has a contentious word history. The actual word used by the Greeks was stauros:

The word "stauros" occurs 27 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures (the 'New Testament'). This word has been consistently translated in the New World Translation as "torture stake" and never as "cross". It is the implement on which Jesus Christ was affixed and executed. Also, another Greek word was used by the Bible writers "xylon", as the same implement of execution in regard to Jesus, which denotes, "wood, a piece of wood, anything made of wood..." At those places where "xylon" is used in connection with Jesus' execution the New World Translation has rendered it as "stake". Is there any justification for the New World Translation to do this with these Greek words? link

The link goes into excruciating detail. I don't know what to make of it other than the Greeks wrote stauros [stake] and the Romans wrote crux [cross]. But surely there is plenty of extant evidence that the Romans did crucify as a primary means of execution?
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*Xylene is usually plural (xylenes) because there are three closely related (and hard to separate) xylene species designated ortho, meta, and para:

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"Fem" was a southern Wisconsin middle and high school put down when I was growing up there: "Don't be such a fem!" It could have been more widespread -- I still don't know -- does anyone?

The Violent Femmes were from Milwaukee which is just a short drive away from Madison. When I first heard about them I remember thinking "that's a weird spelling of 'fem'."  But it was brilliant: it "frenchified" the spoken word, adding another layer of nuance.

The French first explored Wisconsin, but the Germans, Poles, Italians, Cornish, Norwegians, Swedes, Icelanders, Dutch, Swiss, & Irish, etc., settled the state.  Later on came the African Americans, the Hmong, and the Mexicans. Milwaukee and Chicago were the points of entry for many -- but not every -- family. Mine wandered there from PA much earlier on and never set foot in Milwaukee or Chicago.

Such hegemony...how many native American tribes were in Wisconsin first? My white guilt is for what happened to them.