The year was 1956. I knew something was horribly wrong that night, when Ahmadu dropped the soup! Normally exquisitely self-possessed, immaculately groomed, and imperturbable, our man-servant and friend was disheveled, the color of cement, and shaking like a leaf with acute anxiety and palpable fear. Our little family—myself, Kay, and our imperious eighteen-month-old daughter, known… Continue reading Gagara Yasin
Book Review By Seawriter: Ghosts of the Past–Seeking Stolen Nazi Art
On March 22, 1945 Major Max Hignite flew his last Luftwaffe mission; a flight to Switzerland in a Ju-52 loaded with artwork stolen by the Nazis. The plane crashed and was sealed in a cave by a Swiss lake. Hignite, badly injured, survived. Rescued by local Swiss, he spent months near death in a hospital.… Continue reading Book Review By Seawriter: Ghosts of the Past–Seeking Stolen Nazi Art
What’s The Sharpest Tool In Your Drawer?
Cross-posting this from Ricochet, where it appears on the main feed here. Speaking only for myself, I nominate my Fein Multimaster. (I’m not sure if the one in the link is exactly what I have; it may be a newer model. But it looks the same): I bought it several years ago when the guy… Continue reading What’s The Sharpest Tool In Your Drawer?
February 23, 1945
Seventy-six years ago today. From an article commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary: Pfc. Jacklyn Lucas, 17, of Plymouth, N.C., was surprised when he suddenly saw two enemy grenades at his feet. He forced them into the sand with his rifle butt and his hands, and covered them with his body. He didn’t even have the chance to… Continue reading February 23, 1945
Happy (Belated) Birthday, George Washington!
So here we are on February 22, 2021, all set to observe George Washington's 289th birthday. Right? Not so fast. It's true that, for years, February 22 was a national holiday in the United States. Banks were closed. Schools were closed. No mail was delivered. Department stores nationwide celebrated the end of the "white sales"… Continue reading Happy (Belated) Birthday, George Washington!
Sunday Morning Chuckle
I like to share the vicissitudes joys of life on the farm with those I love. So this morning I sent the above shot of Pinky and Perky in their playpen in my kitchen, replete and mercifully (temporarily) quiet after breakfast, to my brother. His response? “You’re microwaving them?”
“Now, you and I know you can fire three rounds a minute. But can you stand?”
Crimenutely. I am gobsmacked at the number of people who, on the very few social networking sites I follow, seem to have given into despair. https://youtu.be/3t0Gk0nffXA I don’t believe our darkest days are ahead of us. I never have. People have been asking, “You’ve always said you’d tell us when it was time to panic. … Continue reading “Now, you and I know you can fire three rounds a minute. But can you stand?”
Rush Limbaugh, RIP
I've been aware of, and listening to, Rush in one form or another for exactly half-a-century, ever since his appearance on the Pittsburgh airwaves at the very young age of twenty, when he was calling himself Jeff Christie, and he was the rather 'mod' and transgressive disc jockey on WIXZ and KQV--the one the young'uns… Continue reading Rush Limbaugh, RIP
Book Review by Seawriter: Gun Runner, by Correia and Brown–Being the Bad Guy For A Good Cause
Larry Correia is best known for hard-edged urban fantasy. His Monster Hunter and Hard Magic (The Grimnoir Chronicles) series involve lots of firearms and fantastic creatures. Gun Runner, by Larry Correia and John Brown is hard science fiction, set in a distant future that has interstellar travel. Yet Correia stays true to form. It is… Continue reading Book Review by Seawriter: Gun Runner, by Correia and Brown–Being the Bad Guy For A Good Cause
Happy Seynt Valentyn’s Day!
. . . from Geoffrey Chaucer, who, as with so many other things, is often credited with starting it all. His dream vision poem, The Parliament of Fowls, was written about 1380 and begins with the narrator (who seems not to know how to love, has perhaps never been in love, and will very likely never… Continue reading Happy Seynt Valentyn’s Day!
A Pre-Valentine’s Day Poem To Those Who Matter: Love Song: I and Thou
Nothing is plumb, level, or square: the studs are bowed, the joists are shaky by nature, no piece fits any other piece without a gap or pinch, and bent nails dance all over the surfacing like maggots. By Christ I am no carpenter. I built the roof for myself, the walls for myself, the floors… Continue reading A Pre-Valentine’s Day Poem To Those Who Matter: Love Song: I and Thou