Literature, Love, Medieval

Happy Seynt Valentyn’s Day!

. . . from Geoffrey Chaucer, who, as with so many other things, is often credited with starting it all. It's a post which has gone before, but a sentiment which--to my mind--never goes out of date.  Those who are less inclined to find themselves drowning in sentimentality, and more inclined to wreak vengeance on… Continue reading Happy Seynt Valentyn’s Day!

Aging gracefully, Family Matters, History, Love

Finding Maudie

Courtesy of my sister–who offered me a challenge–I’ve been on a bit of an “Ancestry” kick lately.  She mentioned an old family mystery, a story oft told by my mother, about a much-loved relative who’d died–it was said–under suspicious circumstances, and whose husband the family (my family) had always suspected of being a fortune hunter… Continue reading Finding Maudie

History, Love, Truth, War

D-Day +81: Spent With Auntie Pat, of Blessed Memory

My darling Auntie Pat died at the age of 99, in December of 2022.  Prior to that time, she'd been the focus of several posts I've written, both here and on Ricochet.  This particular one came about on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, on June 6, 2019, a time in which Donald Trump was the… Continue reading D-Day +81: Spent With Auntie Pat, of Blessed Memory

common sense, History, Love, Plain Speaking

The Virtues of Unpredictability

I don't know about you, but I've always thought that, when it comes to opinions and the immensity of options associated with them, "predictability" quickly becomes a buzzkill. That person who can be counted upon to exhibit signs of TDS, and to return the matter under discussion to "Trump," no matter the post, the topic,… Continue reading The Virtues of Unpredictability

History, Love, Politics, Truth

Grace and Love: Rest in Peace

She was a star in the Republican party, beginning with her speech (while she was the Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah) at the 2012 Republican National Convention.  That year, she lost her first bid for Congress, by fewer than 1000 votes. She tried again, and was elected, two years later, and then again two years… Continue reading Grace and Love: Rest in Peace

Animals, Love, Pets and Livestock

Constantly Outwitted By My Cat…

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…

Literature, Love, Medieval

Happy Seynt Valentyn’s Day!

. . . from Geoffrey Chaucer, who, as with so many other things, is often credited with starting it all. It's a post which has largely gone before, but a sentiment which--to my mind--never goes out of date: Chaucer's dream vision poem, The Parliament of Fowls, was written about 1380 and begins with the narrator… Continue reading Happy Seynt Valentyn’s Day!

Ave Atque Vale, Friendship, Loss, Love

…To Absent Friends and Loved Ones, 2024…

Every year, for almost more years than I can count whether we're together or apart, my family has raised a glass each Christmas season to those we love but won’t see again in this world, and to those we love who are still with us, but who are not able to share our celebration, because… Continue reading …To Absent Friends and Loved Ones, 2024…

Book Review, Literature, Love, Memories

For Georgette Heyer, on the Occasion of her 122nd Birthday

She was born 122 years ago today, on August 16, 1902, the daughter of a British Army officer and a classically-trained musician.  She grew up in Paris and London and--when her sickly brother was bed-bound in 1919--began to tell him stories set in Georgian (eighteenth century) England.  Those stories were, with the encouragement of her… Continue reading For Georgette Heyer, on the Occasion of her 122nd Birthday