Monthly Archives: November 2022

Calendar Musings

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Kathy

Last Wednesday you were left in suspense as to the etymology of dichalcogenides, a chemical something or other into which molecules can be intercalated, or (in the interest of saving syllables) added. Let’s dispatch dichalcogenides before moving on to other … Continue reading →

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The Real Pie Day

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Kathy

We had two family dinners on Thanksgiving, neither of them at my house. My contribution consisted of pies: a pecan pie and a pumpkin pie. Making pecan pie comes naturally. My mom didn’t often bake, but when she did, pecan … Continue reading →

Posted in Monday Meals | 2 Comments

Thanks

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Kathy

W. S. Merwin – 1927-2019 Listenwith the night falling we are saying thank youwe are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railingswe are running out of the glass roomswith our mouths full of food to look at the … Continue reading →

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Kalends, Calendars, and Intercalation

Posted on November 23, 2022 by Kathy

Our word calendar comes from the Latin word kalendae, or kalends, which named the first day of the month. (For a while, Latin used k instead of c before the letter a. Try not to pay attention to this right … Continue reading →

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An Embarrassment of Desserts

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Kathy

When you create meringues, you have egg yolks left over. When you bake crème brulee, you have egg whites left over. Might as well make both! The meringues were going to a friend who recently suffered a loss in her … Continue reading →

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Light(er) Reading

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Kathy

In November, I have read two new celebrity memoirs: Matthew Perry’s Friends, Lovers, and the Big, Terrible Thing and Geena Davis’s Dying of Politeness. Lest you judge me, I have also finished rereading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, a famous … Continue reading →

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A Compositor Put All This Together

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Kathy

It’s time for leaf-raking in Northeast Ohio, or for “leaving the leaves,” if you’re ecologically inclined. Leaving the leaves brings thoughts of composting, which is a good use for them. And composting brings to mind its verbal cousins compose, composite, … Continue reading →

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National Bundt Cake Day

Posted on November 14, 2022 by Kathy

Here’s a new bundt cake! This one was created to celebrate my friend KT’s birthday. Also, I learned that November 15 is National Bundt Cake Day. Who knew? Looks like KT will always be getting a bundt cake. The recipe, … Continue reading →

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Changed by Ovid

Posted on November 12, 2022 by Kathy

(Sexual violence and rape are mentioned in this post.) There once was an eccentric English professor at Cleveland State, a kind of eminence-grise (at least in his own mind), who taught obscure languages and literature. I had never met him … Continue reading →

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More about Dogs

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Kathy

Just finished reading The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves. Last week, I shared what I learned about altricial species (whose young need a lot of care) and precocial species (whose young are nearly self-sufficient). Near the end … Continue reading →

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