All Purls. No Swine.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat: Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters, there is something which there are no words to express. So said Joseph Addison, seventeenth-century essayist,… Continue reading Happy Father’s Day, 2024!
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 it's been three years since I first posted this here. In her honor, I'm proud to do so again: Ever have one of those days, weeks, months,… Continue reading Quote of the Day, June 10, 2024: On Life’s Vicissitudes
I've used this phrase, which is Latin for "the history of [my] calamities," facetiously before, in a post which describes a turbulent period in my life--some forty years ago now Today, though, I reference the work by twelfth century scholar Peter Abelard, who died 882 years ago, on April 21, 1142. Although a brilliant scholar… Continue reading Historia Calamitatum–Remembering Peter Abelard
Matthew 5:44. We are instructed to pray for these appalling people. This Easter week, I can't help reflecting that it's one of the hardest things to do in all of Christianity. Because my own Christian charity extends only so far, I resolve the dilemma in my own mind, thus: "You have to live with yourselves… Continue reading A Prayer for “them which despitefully use [us] and persecute [us]”
. . . from Geoffrey Chaucer, who, as with so many other things, is often credited with starting it all. His dream vision poem, The Parliament of Fowls, was written about 1380 and begins with the narrator (who seems not to know how to love, has perhaps never been in love, and will very likely never… Continue reading Happy Seynt Valentyn’s Day!
An update to what's becoming a RWKJ Valentine's Day tradition: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Ahhh, “Meerkat Love.” Remember that hoary old song from the mid-1970s by that odd duo, Captain and Tennille? Yeah, I’m sorry to say that I remember it too. (A note to the unwary: I know that’s not the actual title of the song, but close… Continue reading Cry Me a Cockroach: Valentine’s Day, 2024
Got one of those annoying cheery little pop-ups on my phone this morning, announcing that December 22 is National Date Nut Bread Day. I love date nut bread. I was first introduced to it by a co-worker I'll call John (not his real name), in 1987 or so. The large hospital system I was working… Continue reading National Date Nut Bread Day, and the Complications of Memory
Crimenutely. I’m not much of a fan of this woman, if for no other reason than of that bloody Titanic song that (just like the movie), went “on and on,” seemingly without end and forever. But I cannot have other than heart for her. Just a year ago, she announced that she'd been diagnosed with an… Continue reading Reset: Celine Dion
Gosh. I really missed my annual Auntie Pat post this year. She died just a few days short of a year ago, at the age of about 99-and-a-half, on December 10, 2022. One of the last sentient conversations I had with her was in June of 2022, just before her 99th birthday. Things weren't quite… Continue reading That Moment When You Know You’re Old
I have no bloody idea what "National Holistic Pet Day" is. Wait one, while I investigate. Oh, here: [National] Holistic Pet Day was set up to try and bring more publicity to the idea that holistic treatments, where a pet’s lifestyle, diet and environment are fully considered, are more beneficial for their temporary health and… Continue reading Happy National Holistic Pet Day!