Fencing is chess at lightning speed. ~ Fencing Proverb Until researching this topic, I knew precious little about fencing. My knowledge of chess was slightly better, since I wrote on that topic in a prior post. This is making me sound like I know nothing without writing about it, and that may not be far […]
Fencing: History, Skill, and Lessons Read More »
The Rosetta Stone’s discovery and translation marked a turning point in our understanding… without it, we would never have been able to understand this fascinating civilization to the level that we do today. ~The Anthrotorian No, the image above is not “the” Rosetta Stone, but it does illustrate the hieroglyphs that puzzled explorers for eons.
Rosetta Stone – the First One Read More »
Alligators and crocodiles are some of the most aggressive creatures on the planet – they’ll take down a boat if you come up to their nest. ~ Jack Hanna I have no reason to doubt Mr. Hanna, nor any reason to approach any of their nests. But let’s suspend reality for a few minutes and
See You Later, Alligator Read More »
The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot. ~Michael Altshuler He’s right, at least in part. There are a variety of factors that impact our perception of life’s experiences as they hurtle by. Or dawdle, as the case may be. Have you ever launched a self-survey to determine the root
Time Flies, But How Fast? Read More »
“In my defense, the Easter Bunny is the weakest link in magical lore. I mean, you have to admit that the whole thing is ridiculous. A giant rodent who sneaks into people’s homes at night to leave eggs filled with candy? How in the world is that symbolic of the Easter celebration? ~ Autumn Doughton, Chasing
About the Easter Bunny Read More »
I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees. The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets. ~ Hamlin Garland Nice sentiment. But when I think of cedars, I primarily recall my bad behavior from
Cedar Trees – Facts & Lore Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Baseball isn’t just a game. It’s the smell of popcorn drifting in the air, the sight of bugs buzzing near the stadium lights, the roughness of the dirt beneath your cleats. It’s the anticipation building in your chest as the anthem plays, the adrenaline rush when your bat cracks against the ball, and the surge
Batting History & Louisville Slugger Read More »
The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he’s one who asks the right questions. ~ Claude Levi-Strauss In full transparency, once I found this quote, it made me want to go down a different rabbit hole than the one I planned, but that will have to wait. Today is all about
How Much of a Question Is That? Read More »
I like snorkeling, it’s the only thing I’m able to do that makes me think I can fly. ~ Luigina Sgarro Funny, that. The only time I attempted snorkeling, it made me think I could drown. More on that a few sections down. First, we’ll take a look at the folks who created this “sport”. It
Know Before You Go – Snorkeling Read More »
When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water. ~ Benjamin Franklin According to the EPA, about 43 million people have private wells on their property. I didn’t expect to see a number that large, but it’s probably because my head is stuck in the 60s and the type of well my grandmother used
Well, It’s a Deep Subject Read More »
“[My uncle] would pick me up in the driveway after I’d gotten off the bus and take me to the grapevines and put me on his shoulders,” she explains, “and I would pick the muscadines and fill up a shoebox and then just eat them until I got sick.” ~ Chef Vivian Howard The heady
Muscadines – a Fragrance with a Punch Read More »
“…to Junior’s mind, there had always been cicadas. But sometime, long before he could remember, he’d been on his father’s hip, looking up into a tree at a cicada for the first time—for the very first time; that buzzing saw had always been there, but to know where it came from—to see the frantic flutter
Cicadas — Menace or Manna? Read More »
There is a great deal of ambiguity in Merriam-Webster’s definition of the word reckless: marked by lack of property caution: careless of consequences. What I would consider a lack of caution, others might view as appropriate for the circumstances, as demonstrated in a previous blog post. In most scenarios, it’s a talking point, but when
Reckless enough to get noticed? It Depends. Read More »
Sculpture is something you bump into when you back up to look at a painting. ~Adolph “Ad” Reinhardt Guilty as charged. Bucolic scenes such as the Hudson River School paintings draw me in like flies to honey. I admit I haven’t always granted sculpture the respect it is owed. I have given it thought lately,
Sculpture – Creating the Essence of the Wild Read More »
You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write. ~Annie Proulx It isn’t just the shape of stories that I love. It’s the shape of the letters. When the
Does it Matter How You Write It? Read More »