All Purls. No Swine.
Yeah. No. (As he, himself, might say.) From Wiktionary: Verb: embrace the suck: 1)--military, slang--To consciously accept or appreciate something that is extremely unpleasant but unavoidable. For your sake, dear man, I'm trying. And I'm halfway there. I won't, won't, won't, embrace it. But it does bloody suck. Pretty sure that's the best I can… Continue reading Military Quote of the Day: Embrace the Suck
Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er, Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking; Dream of battled fields no more, Days of danger, nights of waking. In our isle's enchanted hall, Hands unseen thy couch are strewing, Fairy strains of music fall, Every sense in slumber dewing. In our isle's enchanted hall, Hands unseen thy couch are… Continue reading For A Dear Friend: Soldier, Rest!
“The internet is not where you hide – it’s where you are found.“–Emily Aston Perrin I’ve been giving the advice found in the title of this post to student writers and friends for decades. It’s advice I follow myself, as anyone who’s read more than a few of my posts (thank you) must know. And… Continue reading Write What You Know
Into each life, some rain must fall. But not into ours. Our lives are where the garbage is delivered. — Jenny Today (June 10) is Jenny's birthday. And so I repost this, in her honor, and that of the occasion. Ever have one of those days, weeks, months, years, decades, when it seems as though… Continue reading Family Matters: On Life’s Vicissitudes
Shameless self-promotion alert: Several months ago, I was asked by a couple of Ricochet members if I'd like to appear on their weekly Land of Confusion show, in which they interview one or more other members via a Zoom chat, and then post the results on Ricochet. Things have been a bit hectic for me… Continue reading She Speaks!
I originally published this 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. Today, May 2, 2021, is the 19th anniversary of his death. I'd signed up for the month's group writing challenge, which asked… Continue reading Gratitude: For Michael, And Why I’ll Still Be Here A Week From Now
Thirty-five years ago, Mr. Right and I sold our house in one of Pittsburgh’s lowest-rent districts, moved ourselves into a tent in a field in Washington County, PA, where our prospective new home was nothing more than a hole in the ground, and started to build. I’m sure the neighbors thought we were nuts. Nevertheless,… Continue reading The Snowman Cometh
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've noticed, when it comes to automobiles, that many people fit into one of two molds: either they love cars, or they hate cars. I’m an exemplar of a third type when it comes to a person’s relationship with horseless carriages. Sometimes I love them, and sometimes I hate them. I love them when they’re… Continue reading The Ugliest Car in the World
I've been aware of, and listening to, Rush in one form or another for exactly half-a-century, ever since his appearance on the Pittsburgh airwaves at the very young age of twenty, when he was calling himself Jeff Christie, and he was the rather 'mod' and transgressive disc jockey on WIXZ and KQV--the one the young'uns… Continue reading Rush Limbaugh, RIP