Author Archives: Kathy

A Christogram

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Kathy

I promised a while back to explain why Xmas is not “taking the Christ out of Christmas.” This spelling doesn’t need to be controversial or offensive. The X may look as though it’s eliminating Christ. People may think that modern, … Continue reading →

Posted in Wednesday Word | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Hummus, ATK Style

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Kathy

I like watching America’s Test Kitchen videos on PBS or YouTube. Sometimes the recipes are too fussy, with lots of steps I can’t be bothered with. But when Becky, one of the chefs, tells me to do something, I’m willing … Continue reading →

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Truth or Consequences?

Posted on December 3, 2022 by Kathy

How true to life should a memoir be? Is bending the facts or changing chronology allowed? How about just making stuff up? Many of us remember the controversy arising from James Frey’s 2003 memoir A Million Little Pieces, which, after … Continue reading →

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

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 →

Posted in Books, Monday Meals | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized, Wednesday Word | 4 Comments