Welcome to 2018, a year of fresh opportunities to create history and make headlines. In fact, there’s no reason any of us might not make news in 2018 by introducing … [Read more...]
The Twelve Days of Christmas (or How many people and objects can you crowd into your home?)
How do you manage Christmas in terms of fitting all invited family members into your home? Do you spill into the yard? Spread out even further? This former … [Read more...]
Some fiction characters are so real, they become part of our vocabulary.
Who hasn’t heard of Scrooge? Or seen a cold-hearted miser and been sure they’ve met Scrooge’s brother? (Disney even recreated the Dickens character as Scrooge … [Read more...]
If the pen is mightier than the sword, don’t let your pen get dull.
My last post featured the popular phrase, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” I was surprised to find it was written in 1839 by English author Edward … [Read more...]
The pen is mightier than the sword, so keep your pen sharp!
Written words inform us, entertain, and even change history. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln described Harriett Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, as, … [Read more...]
Collective Nouns—charming delights for word lovers
This post began when I saw a delightful bird in Scotland and asked its name. “It’s a Chaffinch, in the Finch family,” my friend said. “A group is called a charm … [Read more...]
If ‘Home is where the heart is’, mine keeps growing.
“There’s a Tibetan saying: “Wherever you have friends, that’s your country, and wherever you receive love, that’s your home.” In my life, many valued ongoing … [Read more...]
How things get their names, Part 2 (and what does twine have to do with cars?)
This is my second post about car brands, often named for inventors or developers. "Automobile" is a French-coined word adopted by manufacturers. In 1909, when it … [Read more...]
How do things get their names? Part 1
For this post, I’ll focus on the origination of some American auto brands. Their names are often linked to their inventor or developer. Henry Ford may be the … [Read more...]
Antique or Classic? What makes the difference?
The word antique, from the Latin antiquus meaning old or ancient, describes collectible items usually at least 100 years old. They are desirable because of age, … [Read more...]
