Britishness, Culture, History, Sports

“Because it is There”

Yesterday was Memorial Day in these United States of America.  Somewhere along the way, I heard a small blurp on a news report that May 29, 2023 was also the seventieth anniversary of Edmund Hillary’s and Sherpa Tenzing’s successful ascent of Mt. Everest.  It is a time so long ago (barely sixteen months before I… Continue reading “Because it is There”

Corruption, Culture, Knitting, Plain Speaking

Be Still, My Beating Heart: This is what Google Bard Thinks of Rightwingknitjob

I began this little blog several years ago, as a fallback position in case something happened to Ricochet, or perhaps as a backup option which I might offer to others if Ricochet suddenly disappeared.  Despite many requests for the capability, giving us the means to back up our own posts on Ricochet seems always to… Continue reading Be Still, My Beating Heart: This is what Google Bard Thinks of Rightwingknitjob

Britishness, Culture

Happy (Belated) International Tea Day!

ICYMI, May 21 was "International Tea Day."  I celebrate it here: Gosh.  When I discovered this event, I thought–as so many of my progenitors, particularly those like Auntie Pat and my Granny, might have–How marvelous!  A day celebrating the joys of tea, its restorative effects in the face of calamity, and its propensity for inducing calm… Continue reading Happy (Belated) International Tea Day!

Britishness, History, Military, War

Dam Busters +80

Eighty years ago, on May 16-17 1943, an elite group of airmen, mostly from the Royal Air Force, but also with contingents from Canada and Australia, took off in nineteen Lancaster bombers from the RAF station in Scampton, Lincolnshire.  Their mission was clear:  Destroy three dams in Germany’s Ruhr valley, thus taking out the hydroelectric… Continue reading Dam Busters +80

Beauty, Farming, Rural Living

The Next Project–Because, Out Here, There Always is One

After sorting out the gates a few days ago, I moved on to the arch and the climbing rose.  Got that done yesterday and this morning. Next--tree planting! (I live in a lovely, shady, rural environment.  But over the almost 40 years I've been here, many of the existing--not necessarily all that great--trees have died… Continue reading The Next Project–Because, Out Here, There Always is One

Family, Family Matters, Life

A Mother-In-Law For the Ages–How Great Thou Wert

My mother-in-law, Geraldine Zbozny, was born 105 years ago today.  Here's an update of a post I've published annually for the past few years: It’s been sixteen years since my mother-in-law passed away, and perhaps it’s time to tell a bit of her story. Geraldine Virginia was born on May 13, 1918. She’d have been… Continue reading A Mother-In-Law For the Ages–How Great Thou Wert

Farming, Plain Speaking, Rural Living, Womanly Feminism

Gate Rodeo: Not My First, Nor (Likely) My Last

A goat rodeo is a slang term for something going totally, unbelievably, disastrously wrong, and there’s nothing left to do but to sit back and watch the trainwreck. In other words, a goat rodeo is a chaotic situation, fiasco, or, more vulgarly, a shitshow--dictionary.com I've been there.  After thirty years as a goat owner, I finally gave… Continue reading Gate Rodeo: Not My First, Nor (Likely) My Last

Family, History

Digging (and Cooking) For Victory–VE Day +78!

I first posted the following on Ricochet, on May 8, 2020. Sadly, darling Auntie Pat is no longer with us, having died shortly before Christmas 2022, at the grand old age of 99.  But the humanity, gutsiness, and wisdom that she--and so many others of the 'greatest generation'--exemplified, resonates today.   https://youtu.be/6AC2vzAA5N8 Ladies and gentlemen,… Continue reading Digging (and Cooking) For Victory–VE Day +78!

Beauty, Life, Love, Music

Bringing the Light

Lucy: “An English name, Lucy means ‘of the light.'” So sue me, I spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon watching the Coronation Concert, which was carried live on PBS.  Overall, it was considerably better than I expected, with a couple of bizarre and untuneful exceptions.  What has probably been the most controversial act —… Continue reading Bringing the Light