From the category archives:

PERSONAL

PERSPECTIVE: a way of regarding situations, facts, etc, and judging their relative importance*

November 19, 2011

I’ve told you many times before that I go to theLaSalle Bakery for my daily coffee and New York Times.  It is a place where my “outside of the house” day can begin in the company of a team of mostly young people behind the counter who treat me like a respected elder.  The Sales [...]

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WAR BABY: a person who was born during World War II

November 8, 2011

You’ll have to forgive me for a personal posting, but this is my 71st birthday!   I know … to some of you that sounds like I should be driving to the cemetery and just lying down on the ground to save the expense.   But you’ve got it wrong.   In my youth the age of 70+ [...]

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HONKFEST: a street festival of activist street musicians

October 4, 2011

Well, first of all you have to know what a Street Band is.  As I understand it, a Street Band is a spontaneous group of really fine musicians of all stripes who play in public places … almost spontaneously.  I liken them to the street performers I enjoyed in San Francisco who sang, played, danced, [...]

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AUTUMNAL THOUGHTS: some random thoughts for September

September 3, 2011

[THIS IS A POSTING FROM LAST SEPTEMBER, 2010.  HOWEVER, I HAVE ADDED SOME EDITING AT THE END WHICH MAKES IT CURRENT.   JUST THOUGHT I'D POINT OUT HOW SOME THOUGHTS ARE ETERNAL, NOT RESTRICTED TO A SPECIFIC YEAR!] Like it or not, the summer has come to a close.   There may be some beautiful weather ahead [...]

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EMPTY NEST: the moment when children strike out on their own

August 11, 2011

It happens naturally when your kids are in their twenties.  Either college, the military, a job, or some other magnet draws them from the household, and before you know it, you and your spouse are alone.  Just like you were before you started having kids.  Not really, though. The first empty nest moment is filled [...]

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DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH: I think I’m back again

July 24, 2011

I entered the hospital  July 17th, quite sure that even if I was admitted, I’d probably be out the next day.  I came home today, a week later.  Not quite what I expected. But even as I was settling into my chair in front of the Red Sox game the phone rang and the hospital [...]

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HALCYON (hail’-see-on): calm, peaceful

July 7, 2011

We are Adirondack people.   Oh, we love Martha’s Vineyard, New York City, the Rhode Island rocky coast, and cruises.  But our hearts are in the Adirondacks, where we spent many years owning and occupying lakeside cottages while our children were smaller.  It made for summer and winter vacations that were halcyon in the best sense [...]

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SACRIFICE: an offering of something of value as a benefit to someone or something else*

June 29, 2011

Let me start this posting with a list: David inconveniences himself regularly for his wife, Melissa, as a sign of love Mom and Dad forgo a special night out to attend a backyard drama staged by their children Dustin Pedroia hits into the hands of the left fielder so Jacoby Ellsbury can score from 3rd [...]

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PATERNAL: relating to one’s father or one’s father’s side of the family

June 19, 2011

Those who engage in the hobby of genealogy make a clear distinction between the maternal and the paternal branches of the family.  I’m told that there are patterns which are common in genealogical searches, in that some families are more easily traced on one side, but there is difficulty on the other.  I suppose it [...]

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GOURMAND: someone who loves food

June 17, 2011

Our older daughter is a personal chef and caterer*, so there is always a good amount of “food” conversation when she is around.  As someone who was raised in a fairly traditional, middle-class household where American comfort food was the norm, I find myself challenged at times by the introduction of new flavors, tastes, and [...]

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