It is so very tempting to believe this lie. Jetpack, the little beastie that gloms on to my blog and gives me information about number of visitors and number of views in any given period, wants me to believe it. Jetpack says, with a straight face, that eighteen German citizens got up today, perhaps searched […]
Revising the Classics, Part the First*
My sister Laura and I talked the other day about church music. We agreed that we love the old quiet hymns, but we also appreciate the jauntier stuff that we can sing along with, and yes, even clap to. This innocent conversation led me, in very short order, to this bit of creativity run amok: […]
Basketball jones
When I first heard the term “Basketball Jones,”* I figured it could mean one of two things: either it was a fanciful name for a guy who likes to play, or it was a descriptive phrase for a great yearning to play basketball around the clock. Since I didn’t know which, I took the only […]
Who is Disfear Dube?
There’s a monkey on my shoulder, and his name is Disfear Dube. There, I said it. I expect I’d better elaborate. First, the monkey. This creature in its many guises provides lots of imagery for our lives, not all of it compatible with the rest. During my college theater days, we spoke of the “monkey” […]
Abner Snopes, Feline Gentleman and Famous Namesake
My cat is well named, just as any self-respecting cat should be. First let us explore the origin of his original name. Abner Snopes was a character in a dreadful story* that, to this day, I remain proud of having been forced to read in high school. The original Abner set fire to some barns […]
In which the blackberries steal the show
I do enjoy telling stories of my misspent youth, and one of my favorite topics is getting beaten up by blackberry brambles. These briars are no joke. Picking blackberries in the Virginia summer was a sweaty affair, made more so by the clothing we were obliged to wear: long sleeves and pants, hats and gloves, […]
Of pumpkins, potatoes, and peppermint chipmunks
It’s fall, and as such there are certainly obligatory culinary endeavors in which one must partake. Notice that I did not end the above sentence with a preposition. But I digress. Fall requires a lot of foods that start with “P.” In order of operations, we shall first consider pumpkins. It was a long, long […]
A Plinth for Medusa
Younger Son noticed that the little statue of Medusa, which he was going to paint and use in an Overly Complicated Board Game, had a muscular tail that hung down below her feet. “Hmmm,” said Elder Son. “How will she stand up?” “She needs a plinth,” I piped up. Usually, I remain stoically mute when […]
Repurposing: Guest blog by Laura J. Graham
When some people reach a certain age (a trait I have noticed in myself) they may begin to want to downsize their surroundings, to make life simpler. For some, it may mean a move to a retirement community, for others it may mean downsizing in place. Perhaps they will reduce the size of the yard, […]
The Bath
Chapter Sixteen in “Decades with the Squad,” by my late father, William Palmer Jervey, Jr. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. The truth of this old saying was borne out in the episode of a simpleton literally racing the clock on his way from Powhatan to Richmond. An attractive young lady of Powhatan had the misfortune […]