Category Archives: Uncategorized

On Thursday, unbeknownst to me, two turkey vultures had found a dead animal in my yard and settled down to feast upon it. When I opened the door to go outside for my walk, I startled them. One flapped over … Continue reading →

I solved the NYT’s Mini Crossword in 13 seconds, beating my old record of 16 seconds. I found a few dozen violets blooming in the yard. That’s great, because violets are great. But it’s also bad, because I wasn’t watching … Continue reading →

After several days of whirlwind car shopping last week, my husband and I bought a car. It’s a 2020 Lexus ES 350 with about 15,000 miles on it. While not technically new, it’s a baby in car years, and we … Continue reading →

Part of trying to make a NYT-worthy crossword puzzle is taming the word list that came with the computer program. A crossword puzzle, like any other creative endeavor, should be a reflection of its creator. Some people may be OK … Continue reading →

I still haven’t kicked the habit of writing context-free notes that float around for months, years even. Sometimes I do remember what they’re about, though. Recently I found one that said “Flaming purple star witch or purple louseweed,” and I … Continue reading →

The subtleties of spelling and pronunciation in French can be difficult. For example, it took me a while to realize that “au-dessous” and “au-dessus” are not the same. They are in fact opposite (one means “below” and the other “above”). … Continue reading →

It may sound silly, but I feel more like myself since I started studying French again. Maybe it’s because of that fascination I had for it as a child. It’s something that’s been with me always, and something that I … Continue reading →

As a child, I loved the sound of the French language. I begged my mother to teach me simple French phrases and how to say the alphabet in French (I remember writing the alphabet down like this: ah, bay, say, … Continue reading →

I am sick again. It must be a holiday. (Ha-ha. Almost. Valentine’s is just around the corner.) I have been playing around with Crossword Compiler, a program for constructing and editing crosswords. The ultimate goal is to get a crossword … Continue reading →

My husband bought a ton of books for the kids. Like we don’t have enough books. There are books everywhere. The books are taking over the house. Soon, like in an episode of Hoarders, we will have to give over … Continue reading →