Monthly Archives: February 2023

Women in Stories

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Kathy

I was planning to write my Weekend Editions post (I’m late, I know) about the novellas pictured above, Small Things Like These and Foster, both by Claire Keegan. Then I saw the film Women Talking and also read the novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Uncategorized, Weekend Editions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Keep Calm and Eat Pączki

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Kathy

If you live in the Cleveland area, chances are you’ve heard of pączki (pronounced poonch-kee), fried Polish pastries filled with jam or custard. Pączki means “package,” or, more precisely, “packages,” because pączki is plural. Pączek is the singular form. Cleveland … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Wednesday Word | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Roxie Treats

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Kathy

It all started with a Sam’s Club dog biscuit mix, a Christmas gift from my sister Betsey. She knows that I like my dog and I like baking. Because February 17th is the anniversary of Roxie having been blown into … Continue reading →

Posted in Monday Meals | Tagged | 4 Comments

Cast Down in Hadestown

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Kathy

Should I care how Anäis Mitchell, creator of the musical Hadestown, adapts Greek myths to suit her purposes? I shouldn’t. Myths provide us with archetypal stories and characters, constantly shaped and reinterpreted over the centuries. For example, beautiful Helen, the … Continue reading →

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February, St. Valentine, and Goat Skins

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Kathy

The Roman priests called Luperci celebrated the Lupercalia, a fertility and purification festival on February 15 by striking women with goatskin strips called februa. This word gives us the name of our shortest month, as well as its odd spelling … Continue reading →

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Sumpsimus, Mumpsimus

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Kathy

Another book bites the dust. I check out Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages by Ammon Shea with high hopes. It seems to have everything. It is about words (I like words), and it is funny (I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Weekend Editions | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Nickname History

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Kathy

What does the word tawdry have in common with the name Ned? Care to hazard a guess? Ned is, in a way, a misunderstanding. According to folk etymology, the name derives from the common usage of Mine Edward as an … Continue reading →

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Only Connect

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Kathy

Governor Ron DeSantis’s website includes a page devoted to his proposed Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act. Florida’s tax dollars are paying for courses that make kids hate America, he says. Critical race theory has invaded … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Teaching, Uncategorized, Weekend Editions | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

A Casual Post

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Kathy

Gum-chewing drives some people to distraction, while split infinitives irritate others. One idiosyncratic bee in my own bonnet is the meaning of casualties. I’ve even taken a stand on the issue. Some years ago, I wrote a letter to National … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Wednesday Word | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments