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Photo Memory of the Week

Music of the Week
Quotes of the Week
Bon mots from a few good women (dames, even, which is a whole other topic):
- When women go wrong, men go right after them. - Mae West
- I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot. - Marilyn Monroe
- If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman. - Margaret Thatcher
Source: Brainy Quotes
After invading southern Greece and receiving the submission of other key city-states, Philip turned his attention to Sparta and asked menacingly whether he should come as friend or foe. The reply was "Neither." Losing patience, he sent the message:
If I invade Laconia, I shall turn you out.
The Spartan ephors again replied with a single word:
If.
Philip proceeded to invade Laconia, devastate much of it, and eject the Spartans from various parts.
Source: Plutarch, via Wikipedia
Me again. Saying "If" in response to some "if/then" statement that you want to be dismissive of is cool, but there are two points:
- It's a better story when the last sentence is left off. That "if" actually happened.
- Today I learned that laconic derives from Laconia, the city-state that Philip invaded.
Posted: Jun 06
Backyard Blog
Tag Archives: Gardening
The Paving Stones of Good Intentions
Gardening follies. Continue reading
Posted in Laughing Frequently, Thinking Broadly
Tagged Gardening, Miscellany, Other Plants
12 Comments
Spared
Stay tuned. And if you see a squirrel, yell at it. Continue reading
Posted in Laughing Frequently, Photos of Fauna, Photos of Flora
Tagged Gardening, Mammals, Other Plants
8 Comments
Anonymous, Eponymous, Eunonymous
Who thought up this plant, anyhow? In fact, who thought up any of them? Continue reading
Snip Snip
Pruning trees – the activity, the judgement required, the variables – is a metaphor for deciding where to put my own life energies: which branches to keep, and which will never amount to anything. This one will never come … Continue reading
You in Your Small Corner…
Driving over the bridge across the canal, I enter the stretch of this artery that is — to my Western Canadian sensibilities — just a few feet too narrow for four lanes of traffic zooming to and from the downtown. … Continue reading
Ouch and Double Ouch
I feel the burn instantaneously. The merest touch, no more than a glancing blow, scalds left forearm and leg. I don’t see my life pass before my eyes, exactly, but it’s a close thing. My attacker has been lying in … Continue reading
Let Loose the Tweezers of War
It’s war. Oh yes, I know all about the mixed records of our ongoing, all-out shooting wars and police actions: the War on Terror, the War on Drugs (notably not a War on Addictions), the Wars on Oceanic and Online … Continue reading
Specialization is for Insects
Balancing potted shrub on right hip, I walk carefully along the rock wall dividing our property from a lightly wooded and heavily weed-infested area. Returning to the driveway, I repeat my trek six times. All shrubs present and accounted for, … Continue reading