All Purls. No Swine.
Well, no, actually, it isn't. But the following post, which was first published quite a few years ago on Ricochet, seems germane again, given the situation in the city of my birth, which would be Birmingham, (historically--at least in part) Warwickshire, The United Kingdom. Lord. There hasn't been a "bin" (garbage) collection in Britain's second… Continue reading It’s National “Hug A Rat Catcher Day!”
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is one of my least favorite childhood stories, one so redolent of evil--with overtones of perversity-- that I pretty much deep-sixed it to the memory hole of my life, absent unusual circumstances which occasionally and repugnantly bring it to mind for one reason or another. If you’re not familiar with… Continue reading Reflections on “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”
When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction--Mark Twain, 1887 Some of you have met him. Many of you have heard about him, or read about him. I’m talking about Psymon. My ginger-and-white cat who’s about seven years old, who first appeared in my life during the winter of… Continue reading Constantly Outwitted By My Cat…
I can't tell you how much I feel this. I really tried. I read all of them: The Mayor of Casterbridge Far From the Madding Crowd Tess of the d'Urbervilles Jude the Obscure Et Cetera But, when it came down to it, electronically, virtually, or boookishly, I just couldn't. And yet. Here's Hardy the poet… Continue reading Oh, Thomas Hardy. Such a dreadful novelist. Such a sublime poet
So long ago. My last post has me reminiscing about a movie which purported to highlight the early life of one of my adored childhood authors, a person who was--later in my life--one of my heroines: Beatrix Potter, feminist icon. (No, that's a bit of a stretch. But boy, howdy what a girl!) Here's a… Continue reading Quote of the Day: “Once Upon A Time”
The year was 1995, and the late Mr. Right and I had just been to see one of the very few movies I've ever designated as "perfect." By that time, we'd been living on our small farm in the country for nine years, and the movie was Babe. (Not the 1992 movie about the baseball… Continue reading A Perfect Little Movie: “That’ll, do, Pig.” And its Wallace Statue Counterpoint in Stirling, Scotland
My recent post about my stepdaughter mentioned her sense of humor and cited a letter of introduction she wrote about me to a group of ladies we didn't know, but with whom we were embarking on a trip to Italy. Among the many (excellent) qualities she related regarding her stepmother, there was this: Also, RWKJ… Continue reading The Story of Oliver
She was one of those Dad always referred to as a "poppet," an anachronism if ever there was one, and which would probably get him hauled into court--and maybe locked up--today. But considering the pantheon of women he referred to as such--youthful, elderly, married, single, personally known to him and not, I'm inclined to view… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Virginia McKenna!
One of the most delightful parts of my weekend is opening my email (yes, really, I know how sad that sounds) on Sunday sometime and discovering Douglas Murray’s latest “Things Worth Remembering” installment for The Free Press. I’m a basic (paid) subscriber to the site, so I get all the links and can read the… Continue reading For I Will Consider Christopher Smart, Who Died 253 Years Ago Today. And, Also, Our Penny
Four years ago today, North Macedonia, a former region of Yugoslavia, became the 30th country to join NATO. I rarely think about Macedonia, except on occasions when I see bags of frozen vegetables in the local Giant Eagle consisting of a mixture of butter beans and corn. My mother called it "macedoine,"** although most Internet… Continue reading Macedonia Baptist Bunnies! A Thanksgiving Story for the Run-Up to Easter 2024