Monthly Archives: September 2018

Tip #2 for the Male Homemaker

Posted on September 30, 2018 by JMN

For the infrequent occasions when your dog doesn’t make it through the night and poops in her usual spot on the tile floor in front of the fireplace, an ancient ash shovel and a metal dustpan are of the essence. … Continue reading →

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Tip #1 for the Male Homemaker

Posted on September 30, 2018 by JMN

Dirty dishes left in the kitchen sink have the instinct of all species, which is to propagate their kind. It takes almost superhuman discipline, but you can control this feral population through timely wash-up, limiting their opportunities to spawn. Soiled … Continue reading →

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“Texas My Texas”

Posted on September 30, 2018 by JMN

Growing up, I was exposed occasionally to the Texas state anthem. I know the tune but can recall only the first verse — I don’t think I ever learned all the lyrics: “Texas, my Texas, all hail the mighty state!” … Continue reading →

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Bodily Fluid Clean-up Kit

Posted on September 30, 2018 by JMN

The latest Food Service Inspection Report is published in my local newspaper, and it strikes chillingly close to home. “Moo Moo” is a decades-old fast-food joint specializing in fried chicken and burgers. Once a week, on “Wacky Wednesday,” you can … Continue reading →

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More Liberties Taken

Posted on September 29, 2018 by JMN

I puzzle over how the formal properties of verse help, or fail to help, verse. How do meter and rhyme support imagery and diction if they do, and why not if they don’t? I think rhythm and rhyme originally were … Continue reading →

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Yo-Yo Ma, America’s Cellist

Posted on September 28, 2018 by JMN

And what Mr. Ma plays at moments like those [i.e. historic occasions], to make us cry and then soothe us, is, more often than not, a selection from the Bach cello suites. These six works are the Everest of his … Continue reading →

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Some Ado About Little

Posted on September 28, 2018 by JMN

  Blackstrap Tea I’ve heard the adage that if you kiss a toad at the start of your day nothing worse will happen that day. Or is it “lick” a toad? It may be a distinction without a difference. I … Continue reading →

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A Pause to Reflect About Blogging

Posted on September 25, 2018 by JMN

In several postings I’ve tapped a vein of old correspondence to my mother that describes events I forgot ever happened and thoughts I forgot I ever had. It’s a bit like clinically examining an earlier version of yourself preserved in … Continue reading →

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William Faulkner Loved Mysteries

Posted on September 25, 2018 by JMN

Faulkner rarely discussed his love of mysteries, perhaps considering them lowbrow, but he seemed to understand their importance to his writing. A friend recalled visiting a library with him, so Faulkner could “exchange a stack of mystery stories for a … Continue reading →

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Luminous Calligraphy from “DeviantArt”

Posted on September 25, 2018 by JMN

I had a fruitful exchange with a fellow blogger about incorporating alphabets into pictures — not an original idea of mine, of course. But it made me locate some images I had saved from several years ago. These are from … Continue reading →

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