In the home where I grew up there was a marvellous old gramophone and a hundred or more cylinders with recorded music. The gramophone consisted of a well crafted wooden case with a crank on the side that provided the power to turn a spindle under the lid. To play, I would first wind it … Continue reading What is this world coming to?
Whimsy
Three score and ten
We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. So teach us to number our days, that … Continue reading Three score and ten
Illusions
I was awakened early one summer morning by a “tweetie-tweet-tweet-tweet - thunk!” directly outside our bedroom window, repeated over and over again. I finally got up and peeked through the blind. There was a yellow warbler on the outside window ledge. He would sing his song, then fly up toward the top corner of the … Continue reading Illusions
Look for More Troubles
Be thankful for the troubles of your job. They provide about half your income. Because if it were not for the things that go wrong, the difficult people you have to deal with, and the problems and unpleasantness of your working day, someone could be found to handle your job for half of what you … Continue reading Look for More Troubles
B.O.O.K.
Introducing the new Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge device, trade named BOOK. BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It’s so easy to use even a child can operate it. Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere—even sitting in an armchair by … Continue reading B.O.O.K.
Where the mosquito doth abound
. . . the Saffron-winged Meadowhawk doth also abound. I was cutting grass this afternoon and as I cut around the shrubs, I disturbed large numbers of beautiful medium-sized dragonflies with translucent saffron-coloured wings. The Saffron-winged Meadowhawks are back! We are in the third year of extraordinarily wet weather. There is much water lying in … Continue reading Where the mosquito doth abound
A Cat Mystery
Let me begin by saying that in the ongoing debate about the relative intelligence of cats and dogs, I am firmly on the side of the cats. As I see it, a dog’s willingness to grovel when scolded is his greatest talent. Many people find this a touching and endearing quality. Never mind that the … Continue reading A Cat Mystery
The Puzzle of Plastic
My wife and I went shopping for groceries the other day and forgot to bring our environmentally correct reusable shopping bags. As a punishment, we had to pay 5¢ each for plastic checkout bags, plus sales tax. These bags are a serious threat to the environment you know. The younger generation probably always remembers to … Continue reading The Puzzle of Plastic
Massachesetts Melodies
Three hundred and seventy-four years ago, the good shippe Confidence landed at Watertown in Boston Bay and disembarked a group of men and women come to establish a new home in a new land. They moved inland to an area along the Musquetaquid River and established the town of Sudbury, the second town above tidewater … Continue reading Massachesetts Melodies
Flatlander Faith 