If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur. ~ Doug Larsen I’m a big fan of Mr. Larsen, but he is no etymologist. Yes, I know he was just being funny, but given his wide appeal, someone might think he’s onto something. While there are patterns to many
English Language Rules Read More »
Some people’s weakness is that they care too much; it is also their strength. ~Brigitte Nicole This week’s piece was supposed to be about grammar rules. I’ll get to that one soon enough, but something happened a few days ago that diverted my attention. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I will
Can You Care Too Much? Read More »
Their friendship sometimes struck Frances as being like a piece of soap-like a piece of ancient kitchen soap that had got worn to the shape of her hand, but which had been dropped to the floor so many times it was never quite free of its bits of cinder. ~ Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests Most
Lye Soap – What Was Old Is New Again Read More »
There is a type of pie strongly associated with Scotland which has aesthetic and health dangers that justify its inclusion here amongst the sinister pies. It is the Fried Pie – which is just what it says, a baked pie cooked a second time by frying. Scotland is not called the Land of the Brave
Pie – Southern Style Read More »
Today’s pasty is the working man’s version, a perfect meal in the hand, easily transportable… ~Janet Clarkson Based on recent research, it isn’t just today’s pasty that is a perfect portable meal. These little hot pockets have been around since the 13th century, according to an organization that ought to know–Proper Cornish, the Pasty Makers.
The Pasty – from Cornwall to the U.P. Read More »
Fire marks were an expression of the insurance industry’s history, tradition and longevity – a visual representation of an industry primarily documented through contracts and paperwork. ~ Dick Doyle, Fire Mark Historian It was surprisingly difficult to locate a quote about fire marks. Should I have been surprised? No. I should have known my search would
Proof of Purchase – Fire Marks Read More »
You don’t come at mama with a wooden spoon when she’s holding a cast iron skillet. ~Unknown Well, that seems intuitively obvious. However, I did not know that this ubiquitous cookware (well, ubiquitous in southern kitchens) evolved from actual weapons. I know. I know. Maybe I should have made that connection. Here’s more detail for
Cast Iron – From the Battlefield to the Cooktop Read More »
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. ~ Will Rogers Hard to argue with that. Or the fact that we must be slow learners, because we continually make decisions without the benefit of complete information. As an example, consider the dessert pictured above. It looks delicious. But you
Recalling a Race to Judgment Read More »
If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever. ~ Dalai Lama XIV You may be wondering what dandelion bristles (yes, that’s
Blue Sky Problem Solving Read More »
What we’ve learned is that if you can make the right decision in the supermarket aisle, it’s a heck of a lot easier to make a good decision when you reach in your cupboard when you’re craving a snack at eight o’clock at night. ~Tom Rath Can’t argue that point. What I’m curious about is
Cupboards, Sideboards, and Charcuterie Boards, Oh My! Read More »
Let me tell you something thats for the birdsa useless silent letter attached to my words.Were my forefathers spellers infernal? ~Joseph Santacruz* Good question. And perhaps they were, but that isn’t why silent letters started. Logic would dictate that America is such a language stew that there were misspellings, if not misunderstandings. Again, maybe, but
What You Don’t Say, And Why Read More »
‘Home is the place where, when you have to go there, They have to take you in.’ ~ Robert Frost The Death of a Hired Man Etomology of home For word origins, I go to Etymonline. We find that from Middle English, “home” was hom, and from Old English, it was ham. Back then, the
Home – How Do You Define It? Read More »
Roads are a record of those who have gone before. ~ Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking This is probably true, but in more ways than one. That is, others have traveled roads before us, and perhaps have left their marks. But there’s also the origin of names that don’t end in road. That
A Road by Any Other Name Read More »
Man is the most intelligent of the animals, and the most silly. ~Diogenes Can’t argue with that, but I’m also not inclined to throw my species under the bus–or to tout its intelligence unnecessarily. We all know what we’re capable of, whatever level that is. Today I’m thinking about wilder creatures that have amazing capabilities.
Animals – Which are the Brightest? Read More »
“There are no perfect symmetries, there is no pure randomness, we are in the gray region between truth and chaos. Nothing novel or interesting happens unless it is on the border between order and chaos. ~ R.A. Delmonico I beg to differ. The definition of “novel or interesting” is as subjective as whether a cornbread
Symmetry – The Beauty of Balance Read More »
When you treasure what you have, you are already rich. ~ Udai Yadla Sigh. Treasure as a verb is easy. Merriam Webster keeps it simple – something you cherish or consider precious. The noun definition, however, first lists material items and then suggests something of great value. As an afterthought, then, someone. I don’t think I
The Definition of Treasure Read More »
Dare to believe in the reality of your assumption and watch the world play its part relative to its fulfillment. ~ Neville Goddard Sometimes our expectations are on target, but sometimes they conflate the negative. Other times they make us blind to our own errors. Let’s take a look at the practical ways this can be
The Impact of Expectations on Experience Read More »
Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible, and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings Sometimes we
Power and Influence Read More »
Louise Clark’s accent was as thick as hominy grits. No one else in the Philadelphia branch of her family. Her mother and father had dropped theirs as soon as they crossed the Pennsylvania line. ~Fran Ross Yeah. I’ve talked about corn before (March 6, 2025), but that post gave the topic a lick and a
Corn By Any Other Name Read More »
Epidemiologists routinely turn to models to predict the progression of an infectious disease. Fighting public suspicion of these models is as old as modern epidemiology, which traces its origins back to John Snow’s famous cholera maps in 1854. ~Zeynep Tufekci Just when I think I have a satisfactory vocabulary, a new word inserts itself. Epidemiologists
Cholera and Typhoid – 19th Century Killers Read More »
Salad can get a bad rap. People think of bland and watery iceberg lettuce, but in fact, salads are an art form, from the simplest rendition to a colorful kitchen-sink approach. ~Marcus Samuelsson He’s not wrong. Sometimes we make judgment calls before we’ve considered all the options. I wouldn’t say that an aversion to salad
Lettuce Consider Greens Read More »
Observed from behind, however, you completely lose sight of the whiskers, and so fail to realize how immensely important they are. ~ Norman Lindsay As with many topics I research, I don’t know what prompted my interest cats’ facial hair. The only thing I knew about cats’ whiskers–or thought I knew–was that cats use their
Cats’ Whiskers & Bees’ Knees Read More »
The world is supposed to be full of possibilities, but they narrow down to pretty few in most personal experience. There’s lots of good fish in the sea . . . maybe . . . but the vast masses seem to be mackerel or herring, and if you’re not mackerel or herring yourself, you are
Idioms–They’re a Dime a Dozen Read More »
Grammar is a piano I play by ear. ~ Joan Didion, Joan Didion: Essays & Conversations Well, not exactly, but I come closer to playing that instrument naturally than any other. For some people, rules are constraints and are therefore to be cast aside like a flip-flop with a broken strap. Not me. Rules are guardrails that
Grammar Rules–How To Undo Read More »