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Thompson, Hortman/Hortman, LePatner, Kirk, ..
Thompson, Hortman/Hortman, LePatner, Kirk, ..
The other day, I was in the dentist's office for a cleaning, and a song came on that was sorta-kinda-maybe not the best for a dentist office. I'm sitting there mouth open with hygienist doing her work, and I hear Nine Inch Nails signing "I wanna fuck you like an animal" 😂
It didn't bother me at all. But the hygienist apologized afterwards, saying it was Friday and the tunes are usually a little looser on Fridays. I laughed and told her I like 90s music.
In any event, I've been listening to 90s music since -- Better Than Ezra, Cranberries, REM, The Verve, on and on. Here's a Blind Melon song. I think the singer died of a cocaine overdose, also a very 90s things TBH.
It didn't bother me at all. But the hygienist apologized afterwards, saying it was Friday and the tunes are usually a little looser on Fridays. I laughed and told her I like 90s music.
In any event, I've been listening to 90s music since -- Better Than Ezra, Cranberries, REM, The Verve, on and on. Here's a Blind Melon song. I think the singer died of a cocaine overdose, also a very 90s things TBH.
Another one
27 Aug 2025 17:05The US has so many shootings, but today's MN school shooting starts the new school year.
This TikTok showed up a few nights ago. It's painful to watch, and sad. But it's not wrong. And the Minnesota shooting just illustrates that.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8BLHDMW/
This TikTok showed up a few nights ago. It's painful to watch, and sad. But it's not wrong. And the Minnesota shooting just illustrates that.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8BLHDMW/
Hemaris diffinis
25 Aug 2025 13:05I had just been lamenting a couple days ago that I had not gotten any photos of hummingbird moths this year. Typically, I see them w/ the Virginia bluebells in early spring, but not this year.
The very day that I was thinking about them while I was sitting on the porch, I saw the tell-tale pattern in the distance; a "bee" was feeding at a butterfly bush, but was not actually landing on the flowers. Hummingbird moths do not land on the flowers, but hover to feed.
I do like how you can see through the wings of clearwing moths -- I believe this is Hemaris diffinis AKA "Snowberry Clearwing":
The very day that I was thinking about them while I was sitting on the porch, I saw the tell-tale pattern in the distance; a "bee" was feeding at a butterfly bush, but was not actually landing on the flowers. Hummingbird moths do not land on the flowers, but hover to feed.
I do like how you can see through the wings of clearwing moths -- I believe this is Hemaris diffinis AKA "Snowberry Clearwing":
Pawpaw Time
21 Aug 2025 02:08I made my annual pawpaw-gathering trek down to the river yesterday. They seem to have gotten ripe earlier than usual! Maybe because Fall has arrived early this year.
They are not for everyone -- mushy and have sort of an odd taste with big pits -- but I like foraging for wild food, and so I usually get a few each year.
"
"
Some people make smoothies. I usually just plop them in a bowl and eat!
Pawpaws are only ripe when they look and smell very ripe and are ready to fall off the tree -- generally, I forage for those already on the ground that haven't gotten eaten by insects and haven't rotted. I also usually give the trees a gentle shake to see if any will fall.
Years ago when I was first finding out about pawpaws, I mentioned them to my Mom, and she launched into an old nursery rhyme, something like "picking up pawpaws in the pawpaw patch and stuffing them in my pockets..." It also surprised me at first that I did not know about them since I grew up in a rural area and knew about the trees that grow here. I asked Dad about them, so he asked me to describe them. When he recognized them by my description, he said he didn't like the taste. So we never learned about them as kids because he didn't like them!
They grow in patches (hence the nursery rhyme's "pawpaw patch" reference). And often the patch is made up of the same tree because they can send roots underground to form new trees in addition to having seeds germinate.
Side note: evidently Australians use the word pawpaw for what I call a papaya, but that is not the same fruit. These fruits shown here are native to eastern North America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba
Here's a chart of comparative nutrition between various common fruits:
https://www.kysu.edu/academics/college-ahnr/school-of-anr/pawpaw/pawpaw-description-and-nutritional-information.php/#Table3
They are not for everyone -- mushy and have sort of an odd taste with big pits -- but I like foraging for wild food, and so I usually get a few each year.
"
"Some people make smoothies. I usually just plop them in a bowl and eat!
Pawpaws are only ripe when they look and smell very ripe and are ready to fall off the tree -- generally, I forage for those already on the ground that haven't gotten eaten by insects and haven't rotted. I also usually give the trees a gentle shake to see if any will fall.
Years ago when I was first finding out about pawpaws, I mentioned them to my Mom, and she launched into an old nursery rhyme, something like "picking up pawpaws in the pawpaw patch and stuffing them in my pockets..." It also surprised me at first that I did not know about them since I grew up in a rural area and knew about the trees that grow here. I asked Dad about them, so he asked me to describe them. When he recognized them by my description, he said he didn't like the taste. So we never learned about them as kids because he didn't like them!
They grow in patches (hence the nursery rhyme's "pawpaw patch" reference). And often the patch is made up of the same tree because they can send roots underground to form new trees in addition to having seeds germinate.
Side note: evidently Australians use the word pawpaw for what I call a papaya, but that is not the same fruit. These fruits shown here are native to eastern North America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba
Here's a chart of comparative nutrition between various common fruits:
https://www.kysu.edu/academics/college-ahnr/school-of-anr/pawpaw/pawpaw-description-and-nutritional-information.php/#Table3
Halloween is coming!
17 Aug 2025 19:32Thinking about adding a new Halloween decoration this year -- I had seen a post about how to hang 3 heads in cheesecloth. Will give it a try once I get some cheesecloth, but the heads arrived today.
My first Monarch of the season (on their return migration to Mexico) -- but it is AUGUST! This is not Fall yet! My asters are not blooming in August, so there's not a lot of nectar yet!
Don't get me wrong -- I'm loving the cool highs of 84F (28.89C) in August, but so very odd to see a Monarch now.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm loving the cool highs of 84F (28.89C) in August, but so very odd to see a Monarch now.
I was just saying to a guy in my Old English class that I needed some swear words for one particular lesson (Ælfred the Great's preface to the Cura Pastoralis) because it was so difficult to parse!
https://youtu.be/S1y8cte-LGA
I have ordered the book for myself, and depending on how it goes, it might be my selection for the next time I host book club.
https://youtu.be/S1y8cte-LGA
I have ordered the book for myself, and depending on how it goes, it might be my selection for the next time I host book club.
I remember Trump saying "Vote for me, and you'll never have to vote again."
I remember hearing Peter Thiel say something to the effect of "The population will never agree with us, so we have to figure out a way to accomplish the goals with technology" (Very paraphrased from memory).
I remember hearing Trump saying that Elon helped get him elected.
There is a lawsuit in Rockland County NY. As I understand it, this is a Dem leaning district, where the Dem Senator was elected w/ 65% of the vote. And there were voting precincts where Kamala received ZERO votes.
I also understand that voting machines received a 'de minimis' -- a small/non important/minimal update that did not require review -- update not long before the election.
The lawsuit is proceeding.
I remember hearing Peter Thiel say something to the effect of "The population will never agree with us, so we have to figure out a way to accomplish the goals with technology" (Very paraphrased from memory).
I remember hearing Trump saying that Elon helped get him elected.
There is a lawsuit in Rockland County NY. As I understand it, this is a Dem leaning district, where the Dem Senator was elected w/ 65% of the vote. And there were voting precincts where Kamala received ZERO votes.
I also understand that voting machines received a 'de minimis' -- a small/non important/minimal update that did not require review -- update not long before the election.
The lawsuit is proceeding.
Out of fear for my friends, I waited until they were safely away before posting. This is dated from a couple weeks ago.
He thanked me for my friendship and kindness, and I appreciated hearing that!09 July 2025 - Postdated
Not feeling great emotionally today.
Some Brazilian friends who are very dear to me have decided to exit the US. They did not give a specific reason, but I believe it is for fear of them or their children being snatched by ICE, as so many others have already been.
These are people that I met before they even knew much English, and I still remember sitting in an ice cream shop, teaching them to make the "th" sound in English -- "put your tongue between your front teeth and blow".
I still have photos in my library of our very first message exchange, me in broken Portuguese, and him in broken English. It's kinda hilarious to read both!
For the last decade, I have watched them make a decent life here, very active in their church, having 2 children and sending them to pre-school and elementary school, and running their own business.
They have had me to dinner, introduced me to their friends, and I have had them to get-togethers with other friends at my house in return. I remember them asking for advice on a baby name that would sound good in both English and Portuguese. Right after each of their baby deliveries, they sent me pictures of their newborns (captioned as if the newborn was calling me "tio" - uncle).
After COVID, although we continued to message, we never really got back to many in-person meetings. I did see them a few weeks ago for ice cream. Today I got a voice recording, letting me know they were leaving in a couple weeks and hoping to see me before then.
Entered Legally
24 Jul 2025 15:05Though he entered the United States legally at the San Diego border, appeared for an appointment the U.S. government gave him, and passed an initial credible fear interview, federal agents cited his tattoos—crowns reading “mom” and “dad”—as alleged proof of membership in the Tren de Aragua gang, something his lawyers continue to deny. He had no criminal record.
https://www.advocate.com/news/andry-hernandez-romero-cecot-torture
In a televised interview aired on Venezuelan state media Monday, Hernández Romero alleged sexual abuse by guards. The Venezuelan attorney general has said his office will investigate Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele over the reported torture of Venezuelan nationals, Reuters reports. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security dismissed the abuse claims Tuesday, calling the deported men “criminal, illegal gang members,” according to the news agency.
Hernández Romero fled Venezuela in late 2024 to seek asylum in the U.S. because he feared persecution for his sexual orientation and because of his opposition to the country’s authoritarian government.
https://www.advocate.com/news/andry-hernandez-romero-cecot-torture
In a televised interview aired on Venezuelan state media Monday, Hernández Romero alleged sexual abuse by guards. The Venezuelan attorney general has said his office will investigate Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele over the reported torture of Venezuelan nationals, Reuters reports. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security dismissed the abuse claims Tuesday, calling the deported men “criminal, illegal gang members,” according to the news agency.
Hernández Romero fled Venezuela in late 2024 to seek asylum in the U.S. because he feared persecution for his sexual orientation and because of his opposition to the country’s authoritarian government.
Seldcuþ Swefn!
22 Jul 2025 11:07A few months ago, a guy in my class had had a dream in Old English and asked if I ever dreamed in Old English, and at that point I had not.
As I thought about it, I realized that I don't usually hear language in my dreams -- for me, dreams are most always communication through some sort of feelings/emotions, not language. Anyways, I filed his question away as interesting.
A few nights ago, I had a dream where I heard and spoke Old English. I ruminated on it a few days, then wrote a summary of it to send to my classmate. The summary is below with a "New" English translation following.
On þam swefne, ic wæs ymbbutan minum huse, gewyrcende on þam wyrtgearde, swa swa hit me licaþ oft to donne.
And fram þære stræte, færlice gehierde ic sumes cildres stefn, and me þuhte seo stefn wære on Englisce spræcen!
Soþlice ic wundrode and locode forþ-rihte þaere stræte toweardes and geseah ic sum wer and his wif and heora lytle cild þe wæs binnan þam cild-wægne.
Sona ic astod and clypode þam cilde, “Hu, cild, spricst þu Englisc?” And þæt cild sona blissode and his ansien hwearf mid wundre.
Hie ealle me genealæhton, and se wer and his wif me ascodon hwæt ic spræc, for þam þe hie ne Englisc ne ongietan cunnon. Hie þohton þæt þæt cild wæs samwis for þam þe, he ne Niewe Englisc sprecan cuþe.
And þæt cild blissode eft þæt sum man æt nieshstan him ongietan cuþe!
And þonne ic awacode!
It happened to me some weird dream!
In the dream, I was outside around my house, working in the plant-yard, just as it often pleases me to do.
And from the street, suddenly heard I the voice of some child, and it seemed to me that the voice had been in (Old) English spoken!
Truly, I was amazed and looked directly towards the street, and saw I some man and his woman and their little child, that was inside the child-wagon (carriage).
Soon I stood up and called out to the child, “Hey, child, speak you English?” And the child immediately rejoiced and his face changed with wonder.
They all approached me, and the man and his woman asked me what I said, because they not (Old) English not understand could. They thought that the child was slow (samwis = unfinished-wise = dimwitted. Cf. "Samwise" Gangee in the Lord of the Rings) because he could not speak New English.
And the child rejoiced again that someone at last him understand could.
And then I woke up.
As I thought about it, I realized that I don't usually hear language in my dreams -- for me, dreams are most always communication through some sort of feelings/emotions, not language. Anyways, I filed his question away as interesting.
A few nights ago, I had a dream where I heard and spoke Old English. I ruminated on it a few days, then wrote a summary of it to send to my classmate. The summary is below with a "New" English translation following.
Seldcuþ Swefn
Hit me gelamp sum seldcuþe swefn ær!On þam swefne, ic wæs ymbbutan minum huse, gewyrcende on þam wyrtgearde, swa swa hit me licaþ oft to donne.
And fram þære stræte, færlice gehierde ic sumes cildres stefn, and me þuhte seo stefn wære on Englisce spræcen!
Soþlice ic wundrode and locode forþ-rihte þaere stræte toweardes and geseah ic sum wer and his wif and heora lytle cild þe wæs binnan þam cild-wægne.
Sona ic astod and clypode þam cilde, “Hu, cild, spricst þu Englisc?” And þæt cild sona blissode and his ansien hwearf mid wundre.
Hie ealle me genealæhton, and se wer and his wif me ascodon hwæt ic spræc, for þam þe hie ne Englisc ne ongietan cunnon. Hie þohton þæt þæt cild wæs samwis for þam þe, he ne Niewe Englisc sprecan cuþe.
And þæt cild blissode eft þæt sum man æt nieshstan him ongietan cuþe!
And þonne ic awacode!
Weird Dream
When translating from Old English, if I can, I keep a good amount of the word order the same, resulting in a translation that sounds awkward. But if you want to look for the corresponding word above, it helps if the word order is similar.It happened to me some weird dream!
In the dream, I was outside around my house, working in the plant-yard, just as it often pleases me to do.
And from the street, suddenly heard I the voice of some child, and it seemed to me that the voice had been in (Old) English spoken!
Truly, I was amazed and looked directly towards the street, and saw I some man and his woman and their little child, that was inside the child-wagon (carriage).
Soon I stood up and called out to the child, “Hey, child, speak you English?” And the child immediately rejoiced and his face changed with wonder.
They all approached me, and the man and his woman asked me what I said, because they not (Old) English not understand could. They thought that the child was slow (samwis = unfinished-wise = dimwitted. Cf. "Samwise" Gangee in the Lord of the Rings) because he could not speak New English.
And the child rejoiced again that someone at last him understand could.
And then I woke up.
I'm sure the fad of taking pictures of your food and posting is long past, but this really is one of my favorite summer dishes: tomatoes and basil from my garden, fresh mozzarella from the store, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper --
I think the last of the birthday get-togethers happened today when a friend and I went on a walk at the river, followed by lunch at a local brewery. It has been good seeing friends and family!
An image I downloaded from Wikipedia of the only manuscript of Beowulf to survive (slightly singed from the Cotton Library fire) --
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf
I feel awe that I can mostly read this. And even when I can't always remember the word meanings, I can mostly read the text.
I was too young in Jr. High (now I guess called Middle School) reading De Bellico Gallico by Julius Caesar...and again as an undergraduate too concerned about other things to feel awe at reading Lysistrata by Aristophanes.
But now...but now...seeing the manuscript, I feel awe that I can read most of this - Hƿæt --ƿe gardena on gear dagum...þeod cyninga þrym gefrunon...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf
I feel awe that I can mostly read this. And even when I can't always remember the word meanings, I can mostly read the text.
I was too young in Jr. High (now I guess called Middle School) reading De Bellico Gallico by Julius Caesar...and again as an undergraduate too concerned about other things to feel awe at reading Lysistrata by Aristophanes.
But now...but now...seeing the manuscript, I feel awe that I can read most of this - Hƿæt --ƿe gardena on gear dagum...þeod cyninga þrym gefrunon...
Bittersweet Visit
12 Jul 2025 18:22My mom, my youngest sister, and her husband came for a birthday visit today. They brought some pie that we stuck candles into, and I made a potato soup, some deviled eggs, and some heat and serve rolls.
This was the first visit mom has made here since beginning to use a rollator to get around.
During the entire visit, my intuition was speaking in the background; I have a feeling that this may have been mom’s last visit here.
They have made a point of coming up the last 3 years for my birthday (and I go down there for each of their birthdays).
But today I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was her last time here. I think she was feeling it too because she made sure to tell me she loved me several times — we always tell each other that, but she did it a few times today.
Today’s visit had a finality to it that I don’t remember from previous visits.
This was the first visit mom has made here since beginning to use a rollator to get around.
During the entire visit, my intuition was speaking in the background; I have a feeling that this may have been mom’s last visit here.
They have made a point of coming up the last 3 years for my birthday (and I go down there for each of their birthdays).
But today I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was her last time here. I think she was feeling it too because she made sure to tell me she loved me several times — we always tell each other that, but she did it a few times today.
Today’s visit had a finality to it that I don’t remember from previous visits.
Really, Ælfred?
4 Jul 2025 20:54My partner in class is procrastinating on our current lesson. It is pretty fricken' hard to read because the spelling is all over the place. Although spelling was a "roll your own" thing in Old English, this chapter is particularly hard!
So he's translating nursery rhymes and song lyrics instead of reading Ælfred's preface to the Cura Pastoralis
Here he sent the first verse of Mary Had a Little Lamb, which I thought was fun. His rhythm was great until the last line lol --
Translating back --
"Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece as white as snow,
And everywhere there Mary went,
That lamb should her follow, for sure!"
And so I answered back w/ the 2nd verse --
"It her followed to instruction one day
Which was against the rule
And the children were happy and played
To see the lamb at instruction!"
The Discord channel is turning out to be pretty decent for the class!
The music of the sixties predated me, but listening to some Jefferson Airplane tonight --
So he's translating nursery rhymes and song lyrics instead of reading Ælfred's preface to the Cura Pastoralis
Here he sent the first verse of Mary Had a Little Lamb, which I thought was fun. His rhythm was great until the last line lol --
Translating back --
"Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece as white as snow,
And everywhere there Mary went,
That lamb should her follow, for sure!"
And so I answered back w/ the 2nd verse --
"It her followed to instruction one day
Which was against the rule
And the children were happy and played
To see the lamb at instruction!"
The Discord channel is turning out to be pretty decent for the class!
The music of the sixties predated me, but listening to some Jefferson Airplane tonight --
