Category Archives: all the best

The object of our affection

What animals make the best/worst pets?

Creepy crawlies seem to appeal to some. Perhaps you’ve walked in the park and seen the pet-owner embraced by a rather large snake.

I cringed just writing this description. I guess that answers the “worst pets” part of the query. At least in part.

Rats, I read just this past week, are very affectionate. Not buying it. They fit my definition of creepies.

Now, what -or who- is the ideal pet? With whom do I want to share my home?

Wet noses and button eyes are very seductive, as is that head tilted quizzically sidewise.

Little dogs can be adorable but they are also frequently yappy. My favorite would be a pup who grew to 30 or 40 lbs.

I like a longish waggable tail, as well. It’s how your pet will tell his tale of happiness.

Let’s face it, we offer them so much of our affection, we want them to welcome us. A wag says “hi, so nice to see you.”

A little bit of knowledge

Fruit

There are facts that ennoble the mind and those that simply amuse. The quarterly Laphams provides both enlightenment and embellishments.

In the latest edition, the riff on how to categorize tomatoes was charming. Who could have thought that this linguistic distinction was subject to a lawsuit?

Like much of American jurisprudence, this was about money. If it’s a fruit the merchant saves the tax on vegetables.

World cup

Years ago I saw Pele play at the Polo Grounds. It was a privilege to witness his electric performance.

Today, December 29, 2022, the soccer great died at 82.

When Pele was on the field, America was attracted to the charisma he brought.

My assessment that Americans would not embrace soccer’s big moment this year proved wrong as well.

Team U.S.A. made a decent showing. The World Cup was a fever that caught all of us in its embrace.

New worlds…er words

The sun is always a welcome sight, isn’t it? It’s warmth in winter is referred to by the archaic apricity.

The word derives from the Latin and is a cousin to apricots.

The 2022 Merriam Webster words of the year included the less sunny gaslighting.

Slang is source for new tacks in approaching life’s conundrums. This year reveals touch grass courtesy of teens who want to keep it real as we might have said older school.

My riches

For years, my attempt at keeping a plant in my home ended in brown leaves and disappointment.

I have finally found a plant that, starting as a small cutting, has done nothing but thrive. I missed my watering schedule a couple of weeks ago. It started to droop. Uh oh, that’s it, I thought, this looks familiar.

A little remedial watering and back to our schedule, a hubby who greets the perky little thing and look where we are now.

Gratitude 365

It’s become a trope that we meet difficult times with a contradicting list of thanks. Just because it feels clichéd or rote doesn’t make it bad advice.

The season of thanks giving should not be the last word on gratitude.

Finding the grateful in even the awful helps us. It’s not Pollyanna speaking when I say make it easier on yourself by looking at the plus-side.

Sometimes we have to dig deep to find anything for which to be thankful. It’s that digging deeper that helps put everything in perspective. Perspective is often what stops us from dissolving into depression.

You might find positives in inanimate objects- in nature or a favorite scarf, but you need to embrace the people who help you in the smallest of ways. Friends, neighbors, strangers can help you put a grip on that perspective.

Reaching out to express our thanks to those to whom we are grateful connects us. This closes the circle of gratitude and opens our hearts.

It’s not sappy. It’s human.

Tis the

Wishing you the best for the holiday season.

Thanks Giving is the kick-off event.

Kick-off in more than one sense as football is such a big part of the day.

We go from here. Turkeys have been pardoned, although many more have been roasted. Pies have been baked or bought and consumed along with much more.

Sated, we are prepared to be grateful for all we have and all we share.

The day itself is a ritual of gratitude. It’s a reminder to us that we have it pretty good.

Gratitude is not a bad rite to celebrate. We could, really give it our full attention- without the distractions of turkey, pumpkin pie and football- 365 and on those leap years 366.

Worldly

Best License Plate

The World Cup has it wrong. Many of the countries competing are really not soccer people.

I know my countrymen aren’t. Is it the American pastime? Even the American pastime isn’t anymore. Baseball is great but it seems to have had its nine innings.

I am going off-topic here so back to my proposition to remedy the matchups.

If this were a Baseball World Cup, Japan and the USA might lead the matches. The World wants to participate in whatever games are afoot. We’re a playful lot.

A truly global event should give everyone an equal chance.

We could piece one together by letting the soccer-obsessed part of the earth play their soccer games. Maybe the US vs Japan in a round of baseball games would be fair. Frisbee anyone? Sailing? Golf? Fly-fishing?

The point is if a nation is dismally poor at one sport, it could partake of one where it excels.