All Purls. No Swine.
Well, here we go. A post in which I fully expect to be excoriated as a “Pollyanna.” As a person who refuses to acknowledge the Truth. A disbeliever in the “science” of what we (Conservatives) face at this particular crossroads. A deluded fool. And some sort of wrong-headed political animal who has no right to… Continue reading Giving Thanks: I Will Not Be Moved
Once upon a time, two Buddhist monks, one young and one old, traveled from their temple in the mountains down to the nearest little town in the foothills of the Himalayas, to beg for alms. As they entered the peaceful valley with rice fields all around, they came to a wide river, by the side… Continue reading The Girl On Your Back
But worthy, nonetheless:
I’m really ticked. Exasperated. Irked. Put out. Annoyed. Peeved. Miffed. Nettled. Narked. A Bit Cross. That’s it! I’m “A Bit Cross.” To recapitulate: The English have not been “A Bit Cross” since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. —attributed to John Cleese I am A Bit Cross. The British equivalent of DEFCON 2:… Continue reading Alternatives to IKEA?
Here dead lie we because we did not choose To live and shame the land from which we sprung. Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose; But young men think it is, and we were young. —A.E. Houseman I think of Alfred Edward Houseman (1859-1936) as my “hometown” poet, because he was born… Continue reading Uniquely Human Memories
“The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is an 80 percent friend and not a 20 percent enemy”–Ronald Wilson Reagan Fifty-four years ago, on November 8, 1966, only two years after Barry Goldwater’s rout in the Presidential election of 1964, Ronald Reagan was elected Governor of California and American Conservatism was… Continue reading Occasional Quote of the Day: The 80/20 Rule
Welcome to that most British of holidays–Bonfire Night–Guy Fawkes Night–the Fifth of November. The holiday that, when I was a kid, was exponentially bigger than Halloween, as for a few days before, children would push around a wheelbarrow laden with a straw-stuffed effigy of Guido Fawkes, usually dressed in their father’s cast-offs or scrapings from… Continue reading A Thought Experiment, Courtesy of Guy Fawkes
I originally published the following post on Ricochet, on November 4, 2016, five days before the election that put Donald Trump in the White House. It would have been my stepson Michael's forty-ninth birthday. Tomorrow, November 4, 2020, would have been birthday number fifty-three. Please don't wait to hug the people you love, and don't… Continue reading Gratitude: For Michael, And Why I’ll Still Be Here A Week From Now
Ugh. It’s been chilly and damp the past few days here at Chateau Right, and my mind is turning to thoughts of warmth, fellowship (as much as our overlords will allow us to indulge in this year, anyway) and festivity. As ever, I’m regretting taking down the Christmas tree all those months ago. It seems… Continue reading Food and Drink Post: Mulling it Over
In which I expose my DIY efforts to the hilarity and ridicule of the men following me (there are more of you than I have a right to expect at my age, trust me), “weak and feeble woman” that I am. Next time you’re tempted to go down that path, ask yourselves how things turned… Continue reading A Good Piece of Gear: Building a Pair of Driveway Gates