Today was Victoria Day here in Canada, or as I and my high school friends always called it, May Two-Four. It was named in honor of England’s Queen Victoria and has been observed in this country since 1845, originally on her birthday, which was May 24, hence the nickname, although now it is always on the Monday immediately preceding May 25. The holiday is a federal statutory holiday, as well as a holiday in six of the country’s 10 provinces…
For Trivia Thursday this time around, I thought I would discuss the Basenji breed. Basenjis are perhaps best known as the Barkless Dog! Now, you may wonder if it is true that they do not really bark. Yes, it is true. But are they silent? Absolutely not! Below is a picture of a much younger me with a Basenji I once had named Penelope. When I first got Penelope, she was obviously a puppy, and I thought no barking meant…
Here is my second installment of Second Impressions! This one is about a K-Drama television series that I dearly love. Second Impressions – It’s Okay to Not Be Okay “Don’t make the same mistake I did and try to run when you can’t even walk. When you’re tired, get some rest. When you’re sad, go ahead and cry. It’s okay to take a break. Then one day, there will surely come a day when you’ll be able to run again.” —It’s…
I don’t have much today, other than a blow by blow description of the trouble I have run into preparing my home for the installation of new windows next week. It is doubtful that is of interest to anybody except for me. What I have instead is an early excerpt from my latest WIP, If Not for the Entail. The story revolves around the fate of Elizabeth and her family following the unanticipated passing of Mr. Bennet, and a despicable villain’s…
I cannot imagine what anyone reading this must be thinking of with such a title greeting them! Surely, as everyone close to their mother must apprehend, There is more than a glimmer in any relationship with a beloved parent. So it is with my mother, who is everything a mother ought to be. Now mom is well aged to say the least, as she will turn 97 this year, and age and infirmity have robbed her of much of her…
Rather than lament the paucity of true comedy these days, I decided to treat myself, and everyone reading this, to the comedy gold of Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, two of the funniest actors of the seventies. They were regulars on the Carol Burnett show, a program I watched every week without fail. The entire program was full of laughs, but in my opinion the best sketches were the ones featuring the two of them. When the segment began, I…
Much of Central Arkansas (and certain other parts of the state) is still reeling from a March 31, 2023, tornado outbreak that produced two EF3 tornadoes in Arkansas, among other tornadoes. The outbreak, which went across several states and continued through part of April 1, produced 132 tornadoes during a 24-hour period. The EF3 tornado in Central Arkansas (where I am) had peak winds of 165 mph – and to my understanding, it would have been rated as an EF4…
As you may have noticed, it’s Friday (though soon to be Saturday). As I did not get to this post yesterday, I thought I would put it out now, for after all, better late than never! The Golden Pavilion, or Kinkaku-ji, is one of the most iconic buildings in Japan. Situated in the historic city of Kyoto, the Kinkaku-ji is a Buddhist temple set in a walking garden known as Rokuon-ji, which translated means “Deer Garden Temple.” While the site…
I began my writing career, such as it is, in 2017. My brother, Jann Rowland, was doing well as an author, so why couldn’t I? How hard could it be? I had always been an avid reader, so why not treat the world to my unique humor and sarcastic wit? I won’t describe the rude awakening I had upon publishing my first literary masterpiece, but the reviews were unflattering, to put it mildly. Almost every part of my storytelling was…
Book six of the Elizabeth Said, Darcy Said series is now available on Amazon. An argument with Miss Elizabeth convinces Darcy to end his courtship and that it is time for him to return to his Pemberley estate where his sister misses him terribly. When he arrives, however, Georgiana wants to know all the details about the woman he described in his letters and does not believe his claims that she no longer holds any attraction for him. She…