All Purls. No Swine.
I’ve always loved literature. By which I mean, I’ve always loved stories. I was never terribly academic about it, even during my university days, and I’ve certainly never been one of those desperate creatures the like-minded among us used to call (with a sniff), “Serious Students of Lit-ter-a-toor.” They could usually be spotted on Friday nights… Continue reading Shadow Lands and Cyber Worlds–2023
It's been almost exactly eight years since I published a version of the post below on Ricochet. (Time really does fly when you're having fun.) I was reminded of it this week, when I had a rare encounter with health care of the human sort myself. On Monday night (it's now Saturday), I did my… Continue reading Ruminations on the High Cost of Healthcare, and How to Bring it Down–2023
Few English actors have radiated imperiousness upon command (see what I did there) better than did the late Glenda Jackson. Nevertheless, I found myself charmed by a revelation, in a recent Daily Mail column** written by her son, the journalist Dan Hodges, that Jackson struggled as a gardener, even amongst the flowers that she loved. To wit,… Continue reading “Grow, you buggers, Grow!”
It's not been long since I engaged here in the spirit of my many cooking posts, with my love of Thai cuisine and my experiences with Thai cooking, something I've been writing about for years, and which culminated in a marvelous coming together in a day of cooking school in Northern Thailand five years ago… Continue reading Som Tum ส้มตำไทย! 2023 “Hot Thai Kitchen” Update Edition
There's a post today, July 7, 2023, on Ricochet written by a member from Cambodia. It's a barnburner. It's not on the main feed yet, but those of you who are members (please sign up, if you're not already) can view it now. When (and it's a matter of "when," not "if"), it's promoted to the… Continue reading The Girl On Your Back–2023
A few of my favorites to celebrate the day. The Stars and Stripes Forever, performed by "The President's Own" United States Marine Band. I have an indelible memory of their concert, many years ago now, just up the road in Washington, PA which the late Mr. Right and I attended together: https://youtu.be/a-7XWhyvIpE The Battle Hymn… Continue reading Happy 247th Birthday, United States of America!
It's July 2. 183 days down; only 182 more to go. (She said, as if that's a good thing.) I've written several posts over the years on the "twelve little words" I try to come up with at the beginning of a new year, ones which describe and put in some perspective the previous 365… Continue reading Over-the-Hump Day, 2023
It's not so much the "sukebind" around here as it is the poison ivy. Amidst which any thoughts of "mollocking" simply cannot be countenanced. ("Mollocking in the sukebind" is the favored activity of the earthy Starkadders and their help, as explained in Stella Gibbons' comic novel, Cold Comfort Farm. A more well known rural metaphor… Continue reading “Mollocking in the Sukebind,” Redux