What follows is a lightly edited comment I recently made on a post which appeared today on powerlineblog.com, a site on which I pay to belong. My comment appears to have been rejected, Lord knows why. Apparently, someone called "John Hinderaker" (who I suspect wouldn't recognize a knitting needle from a barbeque skewer, a hairpin,… Continue reading The Knitting Wars–And How Powerline Has Got Them Wrong
In Memory, Thomas Herbert Mapson
Thomas H Mapson was my Auntie Betty’s father. (Strictly speaking, she wasn’t my auntie–being my great-grandmother’s niece–and her given name wasn’t Betty–they were Jenny Alice May–but “close enough for gubmint work,” as they say. He was born and baptized in Bilston, Staffordshire in the UK, on July 4, 1878. Given what I’ve found out about… Continue reading In Memory, Thomas Herbert Mapson
Lizzie, We Hardly Knew Ye
It was four years ago today, on October 20, 2022, that Liz Truss stepped down as British Prime Minister, after serving just 49 days in that position. She's the shortest-serving British Prime Minister on record, having been elected to lead her party by the roughly 170,000 registered and dues-paying members of Britain's Conservative Party, following… Continue reading Lizzie, We Hardly Knew Ye
The Uselessey (Greek Version, The Idiossey)
Harry and Meghan have announced that they’re returning—by the end of this month—with their children (who have been registered into school) to the UK: Harry and Meghan Plan Move Back to Britain. Royal sources tell me that they’re working on a new movie: The Uselessey. In the Greek retelling, it will be known as The Idiossey. Its… Continue reading The Uselessey (Greek Version, The Idiossey)
Recipe for Life–50% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
This recipe assumes you're familiar with the basics of sourdough bread making, but if you need a bit of help, there's plenty available on the Internet, so have at it on your favorite search engine. Newbies, don't be alarmed at the "two day" prep time; most of it is spent on your other favorite pursuits,… Continue reading Recipe for Life–50% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
July 16, A Day Like Any Other Day
1228: St Francis of Assissi was canonized. 1377: Richard II was officially crowned King of England. Luckily for Shakespare, if not for the country. 1790: The Congress of a very young country declares that its new nation's capital shall be located on a site between Maryland and Virginia, rather humid and swampy, and named "The Dictrict… Continue reading July 16, A Day Like Any Other Day
Happy “Over-The-Hump” Day!
July 2 is the 183rd day of the year. Fewer than 30 minutes from my clicking “publish” on this post, I’ll be half way to the end of the year. And it’ll be downhill from that point on. Lordy me. I’ll be closer to next Christmas than I am to this last New Year, and… Continue reading Happy “Over-The-Hump” Day!
The Soundtrack of My Youth–Kris Kristofferson
Introducing a new, likely highly irregular, series in which I celebrate the eclectic songs and recording artists who "helped me make it through" (to coin a phrase), my childhood, young adulthood, and twenties and thirties(ish). Spoiler alert: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones merit scarcely a mention. I'm going to start with the late, great,… Continue reading The Soundtrack of My Youth–Kris Kristofferson
Taking Care of the Pennies
Today (May 23) is "Lucky Penny Day." So I'm taking the liberty of reprising a post from more than seven years ago. That one was inspired by a news report of a seventy-seven year old (at the time) Korean immigrant to Canada who picked up coins he found on the street and donated them to… Continue reading Taking Care of the Pennies
“Because It’s There”
The post title is a quote from George Mallory, English Mountaineer, who disappeared--along with his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine--on his attempt to summit Everest in June of 1924, almost three decades before the first confirmed summiting by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and local Himalayan Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, on May 29, 1953. The debate as to… Continue reading “Because It’s There”