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I’m Annoyed
There are a lot of things that annoy me. Honestly, I’d like to think of myself as a tolerant person. But the truth probably lies somewhere between those two statements. Maybe, sadly, a little closer to the first one. Yes, police brutality is a problem. Yes, it’s been a problem for a long time. Yes…
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Weird Words, Part 11
Nincompoop Even though the word “nincompoop” is considered to be colloquial, it’s claimed that it has a very learned past. One account reports that it stems from non compos mentis, which is Latin for “not of right mind.” It’s claimed that it was once actually a legal term. The idea of a lawyer using that…
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Pure Delight
We used to feed all the birds. We had thistle seed for the finches. We put out mixed seed for the various songbirds. We were sure to have plenty of black sunflower seeds on hand. And we scattered unsalted, roasted peanuts in the shell for the scrub jays. We tried a suet feeder for a…
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Side Effects
Side benefits, actually. My steel-toed work boots have seen a lot of use lately. My husband’s place of employment still has not reopened. We don’t know if they will. The company was in some legal trouble before the pandemic and since it’s a medical office, reopening poses a few more challenges than it might for,…
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Renewing
It rained during the night. Hard and heavy at times. Sporadic. Making a staccato racket on the aluminum awning that shades the sliding glass door of our bedroom. There was thunder and lightning too. Always exciting. The smell of the rain was like a blessing. Fresh and new. The cool air a welcome change from…
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Two Ways of Looking at Things
There’s always two ways to consider something. I’d be willing to bet that there’s usually even more than that. My husband, Bernd, and I have two different basic modes of operation. His is mainly to panic. Mine is to mainly remain calm. It’s not that I’m more enlightened than he is. It just that I…
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All Other Concerns Aside …
It’s springtime. Where we live in the higher elevations of central Arizona, which means wild swings in temperature between night and day. The lows are still in the forties (just two weeks ago they were in the thirties), but the days are in the eighties. That’s a forty degree shift. During the hottest part of…
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I like Science Fiction but I Don’t want to Participate
Well … if I could get on a rocket and go to the moon today, I’d be sorely tempted. I’ll qualify that: a nicely settled, well-established moon base would be preferable. Hey! I’m 67. I like some comfort in my life these days. It’s movies like “Andromeda Strain” and “Contagion” that I don’t really want…
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Weird Words, Part 10
Foofaraw This word is said to have originated in the American West where it has been spelled as “fofaraw” and “froufraw.” There are also other spellings. In writings of the Pioneer West, it was used to describe the frivolous trinkets, baubles, and gewgaws (there’s another weird word) used in trade. It is also considered to…
Maddie's Mom Writes 