What Are You Afraid Of? I was reading a thriller book a while back and there were a few scenes dealing with snakes that made my skin crawl. No, not in the creepy crawly way you’re thinking of, but in shock that a writer would put such nonsense in a book. All it would have…
I’ve been on a kick lately to get to the bottom of sayings. After last week’s column I thought I’d tackle a couple of tougher ones. Let’s start with one close to my heart: See Naples and Die. Vedi Napoli e poi Muori “See Naples and die.“ It was a phrase coined during the reign…
Another Day in Paradise I was working at my computer, doing what writers are supposed to do, when the phone rang. Caller ID showed it was from my daughter-in-law. I grabbed the phone, a little panicked, wondering why she’d be calling during the day while she was teaching. “Someone stole Joey’s phone,” she said. “What?…
I’m Afraid of ;;;;;; It’s okay for writers to play with grammar. You don’t have to write in complete sentences. Not all the time. Readers know what you mean because that’s the way many people think. Writers can put periods damn near anywhere. Well. Ma.ybe. As the preceding example shows, you can’t get away with…
This was originally posted on Jackie Burris’ blog, Housewife Blues and Chihuahua Stories. It was part of the Paws With a Cause bloggers fundraiser. And it’s been fun. If you’re fond of animal stories, stop by and check them out. When Jackie asked me to write something about one of my animals, I thought…sure, that’ll be…
Here’s the scenario — you’re stuck on a desert island and you get to pick one person to be with you, so the question is … Who Would You Pick? Who Would I Want to be Stuck on a Desert Island With? After much consideration, I select — my wife. Your wife! Yes, my wife….
Why I Quit Drinking Coffee I love coffee. I like coffee even more than wine. So imagine my distress when several of my doctors ganged up on me and warned me off of coffee, or at least the vast amount that I consume. I used to drink about 1/5–1/4 of a pound per day, which…
Should Schools Have Mandatory Reading Lists? I was talking to one of my younger relatives a few weeks ago, and I asked what they were reading in school. She groaned, and then said, “The Great Gatsby. It’s on our mandatory reading list.” I empathized with her. I hated The Great Gatsby. Perhaps loathed would be…
Coffee Dog I had no idea what I was going to write about this week, then, as I was going through my morning ritual of fixing coffee, it suddenly hit me. I was going to write about Gracie, one of our less-demanding animals. I realized I had never even thought of doing a blog on…
The Wisdom of Parents There are a lot of things we never thank our parents for. I’m not talking about the money it took to raise us, or the time we took from their lives, or even the love they gave, or the sacrifices they made. I’m talking about the wisdom they imparted. In particular,…