Pam Webb

a writer's journey as a reader

Archive for the category “Reflections”

14 Jul 2025
5 Comments

BBQ Feng Shui


‘Tis backyard embrace time. Sunlight, flowers, birding, and BBQ. Summer is a favorable outdoorsy season.

Alas-lack of planning (and building funds) circumvented creating a deck or a patio and instead a large swath of pea gravel represents our lounging about area. Not ideal, but sufficient.

Over the years additions such as a fire pit, accompanying Adirondack chairs, flower pots, and hammocks (one for shade, one for the sun) have created a welcoming fair weather space (I stubbornly to acknowledge the coming of the long winter by not putting up the summer furniture until frost arrives and warm coat is necessary to sit outside with the fire pit becoming an essential instead of being decorative).

However, granted though all added comfortable touches created a welcome respite, what was lacking was a BBQ area.

Oh, we tried various methods. The ubiquitous red kettle tripod, even the standard propane range, but it came down to this tried and true:

my little dependable

Please no judging here with this observed statement: I thought men are born with a BBQ gene. I grew up with my Dad grilling steaks as often as he could get away with it, and my friends’ fathers also were grill kings, and in my college days the guys I knew worked the briquettes with aplomb even if they were lost in the kitchen otherwise. So I learned how to BBQ by osmosis simply because BBQ skills fell to me if my family wanted BBQ.

I will leave it at that.

So if I was to be the designated BBQer in my marriage it would be on my terms. Hence, I chose to BBQ with my trusty camping kettle. And it works well. Well, it works better now. In its previous life I would haul it to the beach and set it up on a picnic table and after a day of the kiddos playing all day we would wait for their dad to join us after work and we would enjoy a picnic. Fond memories are attached to that little BBQer. My reluctance to part with it even when tempted with other means of grilling should be understandable.

Just recently my little camping kettle got upgraded to having its own stand instead of being plonked on the ground. Empty nester funds do have a purpose. And now that there is a designated BBQ area there should be an actual dining area. Right?

That took a little more effort, yet it happened with panache. A cafe table with chairs and umbrella. No more schlepping over to the fire pit Adirondack chairs eating with plates on our laps.

Perfect.

And then trouble in BBQ bliss when the neighbors moved in.

Stay tuned for PART TWO.

Posted in Reflections and tagged , , , ,
08 Jul 2025
3 Comments

Bovine is Divine!


Today is Cow Appreciation Day. And I really appreciate our bovine friends. They are noble, as well as humorous. They are inspiring with their ability to placidly spend their days grazing while they are producing milk for the masses.

Cows are so amazing they deserve the Pulitzer Prize for being outstanding contributors in their field.

Next time you quench your thirst with a cold glass of milk, or sprinkle some cheese on your pizza, or dip into that bowl of ice cream be sure to thank a cow.

Posted in Animals, celebrations, humor, Reflections and tagged , ,
07 Jul 2025
4 Comments

Word Nerds: A Little Word with Big Meaning


Quick quiz:

Which three letter word sports the current title of having the most definitions?

A. lie

B. set

C. run

Lie?

Sorry—only two : to tell something that is untrue or to assume a horizontal position.

I’m not lying about not taking word knowledge lying down

Set?

Previously the champ, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED—THE leading dictionary) tagged it with 200 meanings, starting with the expected “put or lay something down” and then running on for another 32 pages with various meaning. Speaking of run—

Run?

Congratulations on this pick as the OED folk have determined that this little word carries a whopping 645 definitions. Impressive, right?

Here’s a sample (taken from RD.com)

When you run a fever, for example, those three letters have a very different meaning than when you run a bath to treat it, or when your bathwater subsequently runs over and drenches your cotton bath runner, forcing you to run out to the store and buy a new one. There, you run up a bill of $85 because besides a rug and some cold medicine, you also need some thread to fix the run in your stockings and some tissue for your runny nose and a carton of milk because you’ve run through your supply at home, and all this makes dread run through your soul because your value-club membership runs out at the end of the month and you’ve already run over your budget on last week’s grocery run when you ran over a nail in the parking lot and now your car won’t even run properly because whatever idiot runs that Walmart apparently lets his custodial staff run amok and you know you’re letting your inner monologue run on and on but, gosh—you’d do things differently if you ran the world. (And breathe). Maybe you should run for office.

And I have run the course on this post. Until next time.

Running out of what else to add to this post
Posted in education, humor, Reflections, teaching, Words and tagged , ,
02 Jul 2025
2 Comments

Reader Roundup: May/June


Time to catch up on my reading shares. I’m having an absolute jolly time in my retirement reading books whenever I want. Mornings used to find me scrambling out the door to get to class before the parking lot filled and evenings were often spent grading, leaving a smidgen of time during the weekend to leisurely read.

Not so anymore. I have started to luxuriate in bed in the mornings and read for a couple of hours before starting my day. Since I am still on teacher time I get up at 5 am and even reading for a couple of hours I am up and ready for whatever the day brings by 8 a.m. I am also deeply investing in hammock time this summer and depending on the book (a shout out to Anthony Horowitz) will spend ALL DAY reading.

When not reading I am at the library volunteering (my happy place), working on my own stories, or fiddling about with yardwork. Reading is definitely my retirement go to.

Here are the five star reads over the past couple of months:

I Could Murder Her by E.C.R. Lorac

Inspector MacDonald steps in early and in his usual smooth, methodical manages to untangle this messy family drama.

Mockingbird Summer by Lynda Rutledge

As with her other book, West with Giraffes, the main character is full of heart and refreshing insights as the book explores the complications of friendship across the tracks in 1964. The ending resonates after the last page is read.

The Essence of Malice by Ashley Weaver

A tangled case for Milo and Amory–this time in Paris.

The Wright Sister: Katharine Wright and Her Famous Brothers by Richard Maurer

Who knew Wilbur and Orville had two other brothers, let alone a dynamic sister? An informative middle grade biography of the Wright brothers’ sister who turns out contributed significantly to their success.

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

The third outing for Susan Ryeland provides readers with a different perspective. No Andreas, for one. And only a brief mention of Katie. Susan is absolutely on her own and once again caught up in editing a book with a sinister agenda that will threaten her life and livelihood.

Candle Island by Lauren Wolk

As with her other books Wolk provides a unique setting with a memorable set of characters. This story combines many plot threads: loss, new beginnings, creativity, animosity, respect, and adapting. Wolk’s signature lyrical prose is admirable.

Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson

A concise, user-friendly overview of Shakespeare in under 200 pages divided into quick chapters blending in known facts with neutral conjecture that adds nicely to anyone interested in learning something but not everything about the Bard.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland

A deeply profound story of healing through the emotional language of flowers that centers on Alice, who literally rises from the ashes of childhood abuse to a strong, confidant woman. This was also made into a series with Sigourney Weaver, but I have yet to watch.

The Poet’s Dog by Patricia MacLachlan

A short, poignant story of a dog and two children surviving a winter storm huddled together in a cabin once owned by a poet.

As always, you can find my other reviews on Goodreads–I hope you stop by.

Posted in Reflections and tagged , , ,
25 Jun 2025
7 Comments

Bard Bits: Be(lated) Birthday


Did you say cake?

Although it may seem I’m late in wishing William a happy birthday, I might actually be on time.

While traditionally Shakespeare’s birthday is celebrated April 23, it’s not certain what day he was born. Something about birth registry and waiting a few days blurs the true date.

Besides, birthdays weren’t that big of a deal in Shakespeare’s time, unless you were of nobility. I imagine Queen Liz I had quite the bash.

Bring on the birthday fun!

The more common folk instead celebrated their saint’s day. Shakespeare’s saint’s day was St. George, the purported dragon slayer guy.

Cakes and candles came upon the scene much, much later.

In fact, Shakespeare didn’t get a party until after his death. He even got a parade.

Not late but perhaps elated

So Shakespeare might not have blown out candles and made a wish over an iced confection on his birthday, he did get a parade. It only took a century or so to get one.

Anyway, happy birthday, William. May your words continue to live on.

Posted in celebrations, historicals, holidays, Literature, Reflections, Shakespeare and tagged , ,
13 Jun 2025
8 Comments

Happy Flag Day!


Photo by Edgar Colomba on Pexels.com

June 14th commemorates adopting the flag of the United States, which all began June 14, 1775.

No worries if you didn’t even know about it. The banks are open, so is the library, and there will be no parades or a big star-studded concert at the nation’s capitol.

I will celebrate by hanging out our flag and by going out to dinner. Then again it’s my birthday and what better way to celebrate than to have flags hung out and enjoy a night out.

Hope you find a special way to celebrate Flag Day—even if it isn’t your birthday.

Posted in America, celebrations, holidays, Reflections, summer and tagged , ,
04 Jun 2025
1 Comment

Word Nerd: Internet Influence


Let’s think for a moment about the 1990s. For some a moment might be too much for others it might be a welcome nostalgia nudge.

After all the nineties introduced fashion statements like grunge and the music genre hip hop. One influenced the other. TV shows and the workplace became more relaxed in attitude. But one, if not the biggest contribution to life, was the WWW. No, not World Wide Wrestling—the World Wide Web or what we mostly call the Internet (and now it’s such a ubiquitous aspect it’s not even capitalized anymore). The internet was still in its dial-up infancy.

some fashion statements are best left in the past

Since this is my Word Nerd post I’m going to focus on how the internet contributed to our cultural lexicon. Here are words that came out of the internet age:

viral: an infection that used to be related to health like how a cold can be spread, and in the same manner misinformation, memes, and other aspects can be quickly spread from one person’s computer to another.

catfish: it still refers to that strange whiskered fish but has taken on the meaning of being duped, usually when it comes to internet dating profiles. Read here for the backstory.

ghost: not like Casper, yet the term shares with the friendly entity the ability to disappear without warning or reason.

cookie: not the sweet treat you’re thinking of—instead it’s that little bit of information that websites use to keep track of user information. It’s not always so sweet to have personal data kept in a business file.

hallucination: not LSD related yet in the same sense that what you are looking at on the screen is not always real or to be trusted. Now that AI has entered our lives there is more hallucinations than ever before.

stream: relating to flow, like how water moves, information and more commonly, entertainment like movies, flow from our tech into our lives. No longer do we have to wait for our weekly episodes of our favorite sit-coms as some station no doubt is streaming Friends or The Dick Van Dyke Show 24/7.

24/7: the concept of easy access around the clock didn’t start with the internet, although it brought it to the forefront that information can be had at the push of a button at anytime day or night.

troll: these despicable creatures are found living under bridges in folklore and are all about harm and deception, which makes a perfect description of those who hide behind websites and do mischief with misinformation.

I could probably come up with a couple more but I really want to go stream another Death in Paradise episode and I’ve got to get an email out before being accused of ghosting, and I better clear out my cookies before a troll finds them.

Posted in everyday expressions, language, Reflections, technology and tagged , , ,
01 Jun 2025
5 Comments

Of Rabbits and Such


Rabbit. Rabbit.

Okay, got that out of the way.

Apparently one is supposed to say ‘Rabbit, Rabbit” first thing in the first day of the month. Not sure why but hints of good things happening are implied.

It was easy to rabbit trail on this first day of June since it is my favorite month. Why my favorite? Well, thank you for asking.

my inner feelings revealed
  1. School ends in June—referring to most K-12 students. Knowing that summer break’s imminent arrival created an anticipatory exhilaration. And I suppose students felt that way too. I know as a teacher I did.
  2. Flag Day! Not only is this a day to honor our nation’s flag it’s my birthday. Yes, not everyone can claim the truth that people hang the flag out for them on their birthday. That’s what I believed because that’s what my mother told me. Believed it. I still do, actually.
  3. Family birthdays. Winter must have been long because we have a plethora of family birthdays in June.
  4. Summer solstice. Shades of Shakespearean delight as summer officially begins with the solstice. Watch out for fairies and wayward thespians if walking in the forest.
wood you care for a walk?

5. Settling into summer mode. Even though May provides some bodaciously warm days there remains a sense of “just kidding!” since May still tosses in some rain and inclement weather. June seems more confident in providing consistent blue sky days.

6. Birds and blooms. Giving credit to April and May for nudging winter to pack up and leave for a while, June ushers in the season of winged friends and garden flurry. My backyard is a small slice of paradise as hummingbirds and assorted feathered friends cavort amid the feeders and bird baths while I appreciate the lavender, lilies, and other blooming details. And the busyness of bees is a bonus. 🐝

7. Then there is the celebration of the hammock. Reading, lounging, napping—aah, so nice.

tis the season

8. And throw in longer days, longer nights.

Yes, June is a fave for sure.

Any thoughts on June?

Posted in celebrations, humor, Nature, Reflections, summer and tagged , , , ,
24 May 2025
7 Comments

Robin Recall


To prevent any misconceptions I will emphatically state that I do indeed like robins.

Not that is out of the way I have say this: Robins have got to be one of the stupidest birds out there.

Why the vitriol?

Maybe I’m just fed up with this particular batch of red-breasted harbingers of spring.

I don’t mind how they try to nest in our patio rafters every year—at least not too much since when we do allow a nest it’s plenty entertaining watching them raise their noisy brood.

I’m irritated but understanding when they lob their droppings all over my outdoor furniture—when nature calls, and all that.

I must say I get tremendous enjoyment watching them splash around in the birdbath—they are exorbitant extroverts when it comes to bathing.

Getting ready to splash and dash

I do mind one distinct and inexcusable behavior: robin reflection bobbing. Or flap and slap. I’m sure there must be a scientific term for how robins (I have yet to see other birds do this behavior) go for their window reflection endlessly flapping up against it until I shoo them away.

This is is the first year in the thirty years at this address I’ve seen this behavior.

Right—I understand they think it’s another bird and are feeling territorial…

Yet this year they are taking on car windows, the neighbor’s shed window, the office window, the living room window. These aren’t isolated incidents but repeated violations no matter how many times they are chased away.

We even blocked a window so the reflection was covered and the robin still wanted to fight with the window.

I’m doing a call out here—has anyone else noticed their backyard robins being so crazily hostile this year?

My explanation is that this year’s robins are an off batch. They give meaning to the description of being bird-brained.

Maybe there should be a robin recall. Anyone know the number of the department of defective birds? Or did that one get shuttered as well?

Chillax, fella
Posted in birds, humor, Nature, Reflections, Spring and tagged , ,
20 May 2025
7 Comments

Today is World Bee Day!


Then again I tend to celebrate bees everyday. We keep a bee-friendly yard by planting lots of flowers that bees favor, such as a huge mound of lavender.

I will often go out and search for bees once the lavender comes into bloom. My favorites are the big black bumblebees. They remind me of little bears as they flit around gathering pollen.

Reading about bees is also a favorite. Here are few recommendations:

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The Bees by Laline Paull

The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin

He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox

Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eager

The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Porter-Stratton

And I definitely tune into nature shows about bees. One of my favorites is found on PBS’ Nature called “My Garden of a Thousand Bees.” A wildlife filmmaker is stuck at home in Bristol, England during the pandemic lockdown and decides to film the busy bees in his backyard. I’m on my third rewatch. Here is the preview.

What are your thought about bees?

P.S. Don’t forget to nudge your congressperson to support PBS. Public broadcasting benefits everybody!

Go to http://www.protectmypublicmedia.org and send a message. Thanks!

Bees loving their lavender
Posted in Nature, Reflections, Seasons, Television series and tagged , , ,

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