The upside of the rainy days we are experiencing is the snow has melted. Usually this is an inducement to get back outside and start walking once again. However, low temps and blustery winds are keeping me inside.
My YouTube walking workout is not the same as striding along the sidewalk and hiking along trails, but it’ll do for now.
I do miss being outside closer to nature, listening to birdsong, squirrel chatter, and watching the deer slipping in and around our yard. This winter we set out more food than usual for the critters and have reaped the benefits of armchair observing.
Here are a few favorite moments:
Outside my office window. One of our resident squirrels enjoying his bounty.
This guy will sit up in the apple tree as if he is surveying his kingdom.
Starlings have been attempting to bully their way into the feeding fun. Not my favorite bird but they were fairly impressive in their gathering.
*Oh oh, news flash–seven inches of snow expected to come in at 9 pm. Yikes! Hoping spring will rally forth soon.
While new words are appreciated finds, there are those favorites that are like old friends that I haven’t seen in awhile and suddenly pop up unexpectedly.
smithereens: small pieces; bits. I tend to associate this one with Yosemite Sam who I recall would now and then threaten to blow Bugs Bunny to smithereens.
copacetic: fine; completely satisfactory; okay. This is a great word to toss out when asked to describe how the meeting went.
morass: any confusing or troublesome situation, especially one from which it is difficult to free oneself. This is not how you want to describe the meeting.
egregious: extraordinary in some bad way. This one usually finds its way describing a mistake. All those “e” sounds make it worse than it probably is.
luddite: someone who is opposed or resistant to new technologies or technological change. Since learning about Luddites in English literature it’s fun to see how it is found in today’s world.
Resistance is futile.
collywobbles: a feeling of fear, apprehension, or nervousness. Hah! Used this one the other day and stumped The Hubs—“this is a word?” Indeed it is.
brouhaha: excited public interest, discussion, or the like, as the clamor attending some sensational event. This one is simply fun to say.
abscond: to depart in a sudden and secret manner. Chocolate tends to do this in our household.
twee: affectedly dainty or quaint. When it’s just too cute or trying to hard to be cute.
Too twee, or not to twee?
natter: to talk incessantly. Yes, this one is not far out of reach. It’s very appropriate in describing how some people like to have conversations in public with their phone speaker fully blaring.
ennui: a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom. Also found this one in English—from the short story “The Most Dangerous Game.”
Old Punxsutawney Phil’s record of correct predictions is not impressive. According to the Stormfax Weather Almanac Phil prediction percentage is a mere 39%. He’s seen his shadow more often than not which means a longer winter, with stats showing 84%.
Here are his stats since 1887 when the tradition began:
Saw shadow (six more weeks of winter): 107
No shadow (early spring): 19
Partial shadow: 1
No record: 10
Did not appear: 1
On the other hand, when I spot a robin, the first appearance goes on the calendar. The robin knows when to appear and is not going to have a calendar date decide when spring shows up. Robins have a savvy that doesn’t need a whooping crowd and cameras. Robins just know.
After weeks of gloomy gray skies, intermittent snow flurries, dribbly rain, and cold weather, we woke up to blue skies. Honest to goodness cerulean blue, no clouds, some chilly breezes, yet blue sky and sun makes for a great day. The birds and squirrels were frolicking in the yard, merrymaking about the birdfeeders and there in the corner of my eye I spied my first robin of the year. Calendar time!
Finishing strong in my 2023 Goodreads challenge with 171 books read—greatly surpassing my usual 101 books goal, which landed me in the Goodreads top 25% readers group. Couldn’t resist a little self back patting. On to the five 🌟 reads of January:
image: Amazon
To Track a Traitor (Lane Winslow #10) by Iona Whishaw
The plot is especially complex as it involves a thirty year old murder, a missing husband, a blackmailer, and a rogue spy. Whishaw manages to balance all these complicated aspects while continuing to develop the interpersonal relationships of the characters. The series continues to become more engaging with each additional entry. While this title could be a standalone, the story is enriched by how Whishaw has developed each character in each book. For those who appreciate post WWII intrigues and strong women leads such as Maisie Dobbs.
image: Amazon
Madame Secretary: A Memoir by Madeleine K. Albright
Watching Madeleine Albright’s cameo television series “Madame Secretary” prompted me check out her autobiography. She came across as sassy and knowledgeable in both her TV role and as the first woman secretary of state. Albright’s humor and hard hitting style provided illuminating glimpses into the world she shared with President Clinton. Dealing with dictators, forging relationships with new and old world leaders, and coping with personal situations was all part of her tenure. Candid, humorous, and engaging, though long and sometimes painful in reading due to the hardships so many countries face because of leadership decisions, this an insightful look at the behind the scenes of a governmental position that literally can influence the world we live in.
image: Penguin Random House
From a Far and Lovely Country (No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency #24) by Alexander McCall Smith
McCall Smith returns to what made this series both unique and appreciated. There are two main cases that must be solved, each requiring wisdom and tact. Both have surprising outcomes which highlight how McCall Smith can provide twists that are equally delightful and satisfying.
image: Amazon
Patterns on the Wall by Elizabeth Yates
A surprisingly excellent read. Though slim it is full of storytelling delights ranging from old-fashioned values to historical details to memorable characters. Expected and unexpected plot twists provide reader interest to the very end as a young man overcomes hardships in post-colonial America.
With 20 books read by this posting, I’m off to good start towards reading 101 books by the end of December. A personal reading goal is to mix in a variety of genres such as autobiographies and more nonfiction, but I sure do like my fiction forays.
What reading goals have you set for yourself in 2024?
I grew up with movies being a big deal. Going out to the movie theater was a special event involving dressing up and best behavior. Stars like Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Streisand, and Gregory Peck graced the screen. Bugs Bunny cartoons opened the show and it wasn’t unusual to have a double feature with “B” film sometimes being better than the main movie. Theaters had only one screen, with two floors, complete with balconies. There were even smoking rooms and crying rooms for babies. I really aged myself there, didn’t I?
Velvet plush seats—no cup holders—very retro
Of course television changed access to movies, which changed how we watched movies. Then VCRs, DVDs, Blu-Ray and now streaming has all but obliterated the theater experience.
I held out for the theatre experience for the longest time. Going to matinees with my girlfriends, then moving on to boyfriends, and finally creating my own family outing.
Then the movie experience changed. People used to watching movies at home brought that casual attitude to the theater. Talking, feet up on the seat backs, and don’t get me started about phones during the show.
“Let’s wait for the DVD,” became the going phrase in our house. Plus, we like those special features. As discs gave way to streaming I remained hesitant, especially since it involved paying for a service that I might not use enough to justify. Besides, I can check out free DVDs at the library.
No more little envelopes in the mail
Then my phone carrier offered free streaming for two major companies. “Why not?” The problem is that there are hundreds of choices. Selecting a movie has gone from one of several up on the marquee or grabbing a couple off the library rack to an involved decision-making process that can take longer than watching a movie. There is also the issue of internet connection cooperation.
I admit I haven’t been in a theater for over three years. I still have an AMC gift card from 2019. I’ve become just another streamer and I am not sure if that is considered evolutionary progress.
Simple question: do you prefer the theater experience for watching a movie or appreciate watching from the comfort of your home?
Shakespeare is an unrefuted wordsmith. He knew how to pen a phrase with a lexiconical fragrance we still admire centuries later such as Romeo’s eloquent description of Juliet: “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright.”
Shakespeare could also have his characters sling some stinging verbal mud as in The Comedy of Errors: “The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes.”
While insults aren’t something we should be dwelling on in our present societal focus on mindfulness, Shakespearean insults are more of a study of impactful imagery. There is also a plus of them being quite funny.
Creating a Shakespearean insult involves knowing the terms. Here are a few, some known and others relevant to only Elizabethans.
Ape(n) – 1. Imitator 2. Fool 3. Term of endearment
To assemble your insult find a noun and then a couple of adjectives that do it justice, and then begin with “You,” which depending on if it’s the 15th, 16th, or 17th century, is either a formal or informal address:
How about:
Yourump-fed, gor-bellied wag!
This might be directed to a youth caught hogging the buffet at family gathering. Or, at a young man showing rude manners. Either way it’s a definite call out by an older person to a younger one.
May this post prompt your tongue to choose words other than the usual curses, especially when driving. These also might be handy since it is an election year.
As much as I am a fan of the new year because it provides a fresh start, I am not a fan of the cold weather January brings. Most of the first days have been in temperatures of single digits and in minus increments. And then there was those two four days of snow. Going outside has become a matter of great consideration and since cold weather is keeping me more inside than outside I’m looking for day brighteners. Words are often my go to happy place. There are some words that when I hear them bring a smile because of the way they sound, and sometimes their meaning is amusing:
hobbledehoy: an ungainly youth—I had a few of these in class
sklent: any slanting surface, such as a slope—noted, when it freezes after a snowstorm
feirie: healthy, strong—are fairies feirie?
cakeage: a few a restaurant charge for bringing in an outside cake—you can have your cake and eat it too, as long as you pay for it
kvetch: to chronically complain—the extra snow has me doing plenty of this
No more snow!!!
tintinnabulation: the ringing of bells—which gets tinnitus riled up
yestreen: during yesterday evening
elsewhither: in another direction; toward a different place or goal—I travel here often
nibling: a child of one’s sibling—a solution to gender identification?
quiddity: the essential nature of a thing—snowy days create this feeling that winter is essentially cold and annoying
pulchritudnious: physically beautiful—this one is baffling in that it is an unlovely sounding word to describe loveliness
skookum: large; powerful—can’t wait to try this one out
mountweazel: a decoy word used in a dictionary or encyclopedia to catch publishers who might try to copy the content—like paper towns
cromulent: acceptable or legitimate—reminds me of crumpets
And an appropriate word to end with is:
jollify: to make merry—when the snow fades and spring begins to be a reality
Nifty Beans! My yearly challenge is designated as 101 books, which I have been surpassing, especially now that I’m retired. I hit 171 this year. Woo Hoo! Maybe I should readch for165 or even 175. Then again, I really like the sound of 101, even more so when I pass it up big time.
Goodreads provides a colorful graphic off all the books I read in 2023. It’s fun to revisit all those books read throughout the year. Here are the highlights:
Book with most pages:
626 pages–read it again for a book club–twice is enough
I really enjoyed Doerr’s first book, All the Light We Cannot See, reading that one twice as well, since I devoured it in one sitting and after a student presented it as her author spotlight I reread it and was glad I did. However, even after a second reading of his second book, Cloud Cuckoo Land, which I read for the library book club, I am still not a huge fan. One reason is that it is vastly different in theme and style. While it is still well-written, it did not resonate with me quite like his first. I watched the film adaptation of AtLWCS on Netflix, and as they say, “The book is the book and the movie is the movie.”
I look forward to his next book. He is a writer worth waiting for.
Book with fewest pages:
a quick book at 21 pages
This is for those who enjoy fables/parables like Animal Farm and animal dramas like Watership Down. A quick read and one read is enough.
Average book length in 2023: 299 pages (not a fan of super long books, unless the writing is amazing)
My average rating for 2023: 4.3 (check out my Reader Roundup posts for those fabulous five star books)
Highest rated on Goodreads: 4.40
rated a solid 5 with me
First review of 2023:
started off with a 5 star
Last review of 2023:
And ended with a five star revisit to a childhood classic
Going through my personal book collection I came across Marguerite Henry’s Wagging Tails. Published in 1955, my brother owned this book first and also first owned our collie mix, Toby. My brother being nine years older than me, passed on the book and the dog when he got busy being a teenager. This is the one book I have leftover from my childhood. I’m not sure why I’ve kept it all these years, especially since I am definitely a cat person. It might be because Toby was an exceptional dog, and I thought it a very big deal him giving me this book. I think I drove him a little crazy with how I always got into his stuff. He finally gave me his marble collection after years of messing with it. Little sisters must be pain for older brothers.
Feeling nostalgic on 123123 I reread these twenty-three stories and once again appreciated Marguerite Henry’s affinity for telling a story. Although she is best known for her horse stories, like Misty of Chincoteague, her love of animals comes through with each dog story presented.
End of the year. I tend not to get overly reflective. So many newsfeeds and websites and bloggers, etc. fill in that checklist more adequately than I care to do. However, WordPress sends a tidy little Year in Review to my mailbox and I do find that interesting. Not being a stats follower (I’m just delighted when I get a few likes and comments) it does cause some reflection to see the numbers tallied up. If you are interested here are my stats for 2023–if you aren’t interested, I’m not offended. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful new year!
2,861 views
WordPress says: “A crowd of viewers has engaged with your content, a testament to its appeal and reach.”
49 posts
Actually this makes 50 posts. Just saying.
516 likes 83 comments
WordPress says: “Your writing has resonated with your readers, and they have shown their appreciation.”
My best day? Glad you asked. With 2% of all visits for the year, it seems June 10, 2023 was my day in the digital spotlight, according to the WordPress gnomes. I have no idea which post garnered so much interest. My stat sleuthing did not reveal that particular answer. I would say all the posts are worth a look, right?
And tadah–it’s anniversary number:
Goodness that’s a long time to be tossing out my thoughts. I’m going to keep going and maybe try to get back on track with posting more consistently and try out a few more new columns.
Enough about me. What marvelous milestones have you achieved this year?
Pam Webb 