All Purls. No Swine.
There have been so many posts on the Internet lately, and many more over time, about relations and dynamics between the sexes, the state of Western Civilization, the role of men and women in it, and how soon the handcart we’re all bouncing around in will reach the gates of Hell (not long, FYI), that… Continue reading On Household Relations and the Natural Order of Things
Almost two decades ago now, my stepdaughter and I spend a delightful ten days in Venice, on a trip organized by my sister on behalf of her "beading guild" (my sister is a world-class beader) in the UK. My sister, for those of you who don't know us, is marvelously organized, and an exceptionally good… Continue reading Lilibet and Me
I was searching out what I call "good post material" this morning, and, haftasay, there's quite a bit. Some of the links from Wikipedia: 238 – Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperors. Two emperors at once? A bit of a tangle. Or maybe even, a knot. 1508 – Ferdinand II of Aragon commissions Amerigo Vespucci chief navigator of the Spanish Empire. That… Continue reading March 22, 2021
One of the enduring memes (if we had had such a word to describe them at the time) of my childhood would have been my Dad's invocation of the "gremlin in the petrol tank." He was prone to bring it up in any situation where something unexpected happened and a thing that was supposed to… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Dad: The “Gremlin in the Petrol Tank” Edition
Nothing is plumb, level, or square: the studs are bowed, the joists are shaky by nature, no piece fits any other piece without a gap or pinch, and bent nails dance all over the surfacing like maggots. By Christ I am no carpenter. I built the roof for myself, the walls for myself, the floors… Continue reading A Pre-Valentine’s Day Poem To Those Who Matter: Love Song: I and Thou
She was born in Birmingham on January 23, 1912, into an England that was rending itself apart. Suffragettes demanding a woman’s right to vote were chaining themselves to Parliament’s railings, smashing storefront windows in Oxford Street, and living-room windows in Downing Street. Newly-empowered Socialist labor unions were flexing their muscle, threatening strikes in coal mining,… Continue reading Jenny Alice May Mapson, R.I.P.
Sixty years ago today, my idyllic life as an only child came to an end and I began the rest of my life as a sibling. We were living in Mubi, in the British Cameroons which was, at the time, administered as a United Nations Trust Territory. In a few short months, a plebiscite would… Continue reading “Two Different Faces”–Happy Birthday, Sis!
This post was originally published on ricochet.com on May 26, 2018. There's an update for 2020, just below it. This old house once knew his children This old house once knew his wife This old house was home and comfort As they fought the storms of life Truth be told, it’s not so very old.… Continue reading Of This Old House. Of Mine.
I was reminded, via a post on Ricochet, that today (September 15) is "Battle of Britain Day," The post is currently behind the member paywall. If it's promoted to the public feed, I'll add a link. UPDATE: The post was promoted to the public feed. Link is here. This is the story of Auntie Betty,… Continue reading Commemorating “Battle of Britain Day.” And my Auntie Betty (1912-2014)
Two years ago this October, I had the very great pleasure of driving to Armagh, PA, a tiny little town in farming country about one-hundred miles East of us, in West-Central PA, where Mr. Right, my stepdaughter Jenny, our granddaughter and I had lunch at Griffith’s Tavern, a nice little diner of the “hot meatloaf… Continue reading Occasional Quote of the Day: On Whining and Deafness