What a Nuisance!

This is the Word of the Day prompt, whose host defines this term thus: GABBLE-RATCHET. As well as being an old English dialect word for a noisy child, a gabble-ratchet is any nocturnal bird (particularly geese) that makes a lot of noise at night, once considered to be an ill omen. I was attracted to this […]

FPQ: School Daze

I haven’t participated in Fandango’s Provocative Question lately, but I’m back! And #104 is a good one for me, because I am a former teacher and education has always been an interest of mine: Today’s provocative question is about formal education. We all have our opinions on how best to educate and prepare our children […]

FPQ #98: I Just Want Peace

Welcome once again to Fandango’s Provocative Question. Each week Fandango poses a provocative question for our consideration. Fandango says: By provocative, I don’t mean a question that will cause annoyance or anger. Nor do I mean a question intended to arouse sexual desire or interest. What I do mean is a question that is likely to get […]

WWTW: Rachel

My pick for Fandango’s Who Won the Week is Rachel Maddow, a prime-time news anchor on MSNBC. She has been in quarantine because her partner, Susan, had a serious case of Covid-19. She had a substitute for several nights, who told us that she was quarantined because “someone close to her” had tested positive for […]

FPQ #91: Liars, Deceivers and Enablers

Fandango’s Provocative Question this week is about lying:How many times have you heard the expression “honesty is the best policy”? We are taught from a very young age to not lie. We are reminded that the key to trust is honesty. And yet, most people lie, whether it’s a “little white lie,” a lie to […]

FPQ: Self-Control in an Out of Control World

Fandango’s provocative question #88 is this: To what degree have you been able to control the course that your life has taken? Or is being in control of your life just an illusion? I watched a science program the other day that discussed unanswered questions posed by quantum physics, such as the possibility that everything that […]

Irreconcilable Frustrations: Based on a True Story

I felt guilty even as I was dialing my sister’s phone number. This was the first time I had called her since the pandemic started, but what better day than on her birthday? She answered on the third ring, saying, “Hello” in the way she always does, as if it’s a final statement, not a […]

FPQ: Dream a Little Dream

Fandango’s Provocative Question #86 is about dreams: What has been the strangest, weirdest dream that you can remember? What do you think triggered that dream? I’ve had many wild dreams in my life! In periods of creativity, my dreams also become creative and I have been able to remember a few of them quite clearly. […]

FDDA #31: September

Fandango’s last theme for his Dog Days of August is “your plans for September are.” Do you have any? If so, what are they? They can be anything, from posting more (or less) frequently on your blog, taking a trip, learning a new skill, getting married, engaged, or divorced, getting more exercise? Or are you […]

FDDA: Quotes

I don’t generally search out quotes, but today Fandango’s Dog Days of August is asking to share our favorite quote. So I looked in my old Pinterest account (which still exists, although I never add to it anymore) and found these gems. These are all meaningful to me and precepts I try to live by.