I was told over and over as a child—it was one of those things teachers felt we should know—that jack o’lanterns were originally made of turnips, not pumpkins. We all wanted to know whether they had birthday cake candles in those days, but that was all we ever got: in the olden days, peopleContinue reading “More Bygones”
Tag Archives: Postcards
Inkwells and Bathtubs
I was looking over a new postcard for my inventory and thought, “Wow! How much longer does THAT joke have to live?” I realized that even I understand some of these old postcard gags simply because I had read about the basic idea in books, or seen them in old movies. A joke dependsContinue reading “Inkwells and Bathtubs”
Owed to a Skylark
I see by the number of views it received that my column about those who communicate on the Interwebs adding to world peace by just chilling a little and not feeling it is necessary to cry out in righteous indignation at every little thing was about as successful as a solicitation for funds toContinue reading “Owed to a Skylark”
Meeses
I do not have all that many postcards in my inventory which feature rats. This is not something I ever expected to have to apologize for, but in my most recent column, in which I told the thrilling tale of my courage in the face of a nonexistent rat, I used as illustration aContinue reading “Meeses”
Saving the Day
I have a question for you comic book experts out there. I did my time in the world of comics fandom, but that was back in the days when I could buy a boxful of new comics for about twenty bucks. No that was NOT in the days when they were a dime. I’mContinue reading “Saving the Day”
Boldly Going
In my boy days, we were always getting articles about how Jules Verne had predicted the future. This was a major theme in the world in those days: Jules Verne had predicted space travel, high-powered submarines, television, and who knows what all else. There was a reason that the government named its first nuclearContinue reading “Boldly Going”
Ooze Oo R Ooo?
If you hate baby talk, you have a lot of company. One of Irving Berlin’s lesser hit songs dealt with how it set his teeth on edge, and I have been running through the bookshelves in my brain to come up with authors who made the attempt successfully. I had no problem with aContinue reading “Ooze Oo R Ooo?”
The Marital Games
We have so far made no mention of the 2024 Summer Olympics, and this must be remedied. I am myself an Olympics junkie, sucked in by the games of 19…whatever. I watch in my own special way, of course. There are events I watch through my fingers (“Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t make meContinue reading “The Marital Games”
On Your Feet
Once upon a time, there was a commercial which emphasized the importance of shoes. The young man in overalls who has never worn shoes because his feet can’t breathe finds that Hush Puppies are different, and cries out that now he can go to school “I can BE somebody!” (I do not have aContinue reading “On Your Feet”
Watch Your Phraseology
There is much to be said for technical ineptitude. Once again last night, I came very near to commenting on a video on a social media venue. One of my favorites was replying to a comment by getting into costume and…never mind. You had to be there. I have enough to do just explainingContinue reading “Watch Your Phraseology”
Blogsy Babbles 