That was the punchline to one of my grandpa’s favorite jokes. And it seems the perfect lede for this bit of breaking news from the great state of Tennessee: A homeowner’s association (HOA) in Tennessee threatened to fine a resident $100 after her car left a phallic-shaped image in the condo’s parking lot following a light dusting of snow, a… Continue reading Then the Old Lady Whispered, “Young Man, You’re Whistling a Dirty Tune”
Month: February 2019
The Adventures of Sarah Sturdyskirt
Eons ago, when Mr. Right’s and my love was young, as the saying goes, we had very little money. And about the only entertainment we could afford, when we weren’t off hiking and camping, or cross-country skiing, could be found on the television. We watched a lot of TV with the kids (with whom I… Continue reading The Adventures of Sarah Sturdyskirt
Making Connections
“Beware the enlisted man. He is stupid, but crafty.” Those words were first spoken to me by Bernie, my teacher, mentor, and friend. I met Bernie in 1972 when he was a teaching assistant, and I was a college freshman. My composition teacher had suffered a heart attack, was out for the rest of the… Continue reading Making Connections
Friday Food and Drink Post: Say Cheese!
Hard cheese or soft? Sharp or mellow? Warm or cold? Yellow or white? Aged or fresh? Smooth or crumbly? Domestic or Foreign? Local? Stinky like feet (not mine, BTW) or fragrant like roses? Raw or pasteurized? Smoked? Strong or mild? Unadulterated, or with added flavors/ingredients? The “V” word? Served with? If I could be transported… Continue reading Friday Food and Drink Post: Say Cheese!
The Things We Love
I’ve mentioned once or twice that I’m an avid fan of the novels of mystery writer Louise Penny. A friend of mine introduced me to them several years ago, and at first I was hesitant, wondering how I’d get along with a Francophone Chief Inspector of the Sûreté du Québec, and his adventures in and… Continue reading The Things We Love
I’m Barefoot and Hopping Mad
I just finished reading the excellent post by Richard Easton on Affirmative Action in Inventions, about the burgeoning movement to rework history. Not by acknowledging that, in many cases, the contributions of minority workers, including women, in scientific and mathematical fields have been overlooked or ignored (which would be a fair statement of the case). But by… Continue reading I’m Barefoot and Hopping Mad
Occasional Quote of the Day: “You Cannot Be Serious”
I’m old enough to remember it in real time: the moment on June 22, 1981, when the enfant terrible of men’s tennis had a meltdown in the hallowed grounds of the Championships, Wimbledon, rocking the well-mannered crowd and the horrified announcers to their core. (He’d almost been thrown out earlier in the tournament for having called one… Continue reading Occasional Quote of the Day: “You Cannot Be Serious”
Watch The Birdie!
February 15, 2019 is the first day of the twenty-second annual world-wide Audubon Backyard Bird Count, an annual weekend event that draws in over 150,000 volunteer “counters” in over 100 countries, and which last year reported counts on approximately 6,500 different species of our avian friends. If you’re an amateur birdwatcher, at whatever experience level, and… Continue reading Watch The Birdie!
Put Away Your Handbaskets, Please
We’re not all headed straight for That Other Place as long as there are wonderful young women like Ruby Kate Chitsey in the world. Ruby Kate is an 11-year-old girl in Harrison, Arkansas. For several years, she’s been visiting the residents at the Medicaid-funded nursing homes where her mother, Amanda, works. One day, a little bored,… Continue reading Put Away Your Handbaskets, Please
Friday Food and Drink Post: Ugh. That’s Just Offal
I come from a family with close connections on both sides to purveyors of food and drink. Great Grandpa Harry was a grocer, the proprietor of Edward H. Jukes, Family Grocers and Provision Merchants, in the Birmingham suburb of Handsworth. Grandpa on the other side was a manager of S. Ward, a butcher shop in Birmingham itself. And… Continue reading Friday Food and Drink Post: Ugh. That’s Just Offal