Category Archives: Lessons

I don’t smoke cigarettes any more. But I enjoyed them for decades. I bought strong, filterless smokes, and I took in so many that I know I’ve compromised some of my bronchial function. Even so, when I hear ex-smokers aver … Continue reading →

A raccoon died last night, I think. Actually I’m sure many raccoons died last night, globally, but I’m recording events in the backyard of _____ . That’s where I live. My home is a studio cottage in the garden. It … Continue reading →

I object. I have a complaint. I may not have any right to voice it, but that’s never shut me up before. I think I understand how evolution works. Natural selection has made sense to me since I first heard … Continue reading →

Dad advised us not to take too many notes in school. He told us about his college days, sitting in a lecture hall, surrounded by other students who were trying to write down everything the professor said. They ended up … Continue reading →

I had lunch a few months ago with a friend, and she told me how exciting it had been for her to attend a TED talk, live. I can’t remember whom she saw, but she glowed with the recent experience. … Continue reading →

Most of the time, if you say “You’re wrong” to someone, you just get his back up. Even if you make it funny (“R-O-N-G: wrong!” my dad used to declare), the accused gets accused, gets defensive, argues or pouts and … Continue reading →

I seldom speak to telemarketers or survey-takers any more. My caller ID warns me when it’s one of those folks and if I’m too distracted to read the display, there’s always that tell-tale silence after I answer – while the … Continue reading →

It’s just about time to go back to school. Or at least to learning, even if the lesson is something already learned (but not fully accepted) about the futility of keeping a new year’s resolution in the darkest coldest season of … Continue reading →