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November 7
November seventh turns out to be the anniversary of three of the oldest things around. In 1492, on the outskirts of Ensisheim, France, a meteorite fell — it’s the oldest one with a record of when it arrived. Then in 1665, in London, the London Gazette was first published. It’s the oldest journal in the Continue reading
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James Naismith
If you’re enjoying the US basketball season, you might want to celebrate the inventor’s birthday today — James Naismith was born November 6, 1861 in the Province of Canada. He moved to Springfield, Massachusetts in the US in about 1890 to study at the YMCA International Training School. From there he became a physical education Continue reading
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Wowzers
The phrase “it’s a doozy” is an American expression that means something is remarkable and usually excellent. If “His elder daughter arrives in a doozie of a snowstorm,” you know that snowstorm was particularly intense. Popular culture contains a story about the word “doozy.” It’s said to be based on the Duesenberg automobiles of the 1920s. They Continue reading
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November 6
Today is November 6, and it’s a holiday! But I bet you didn’t know that. You see, unlike other holidays that have primarily caught on because of catchy names like Mother’s Day and Halloween — that is, holidays with competent public relations teams — today is the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Continue reading
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The perfect treat
I get lotsof kinds of treatswhen all I say is “please.” One of my all-timefavorites isa lovely piece of cheese. Cheese is just the rightest stuffit’s chewyand has salt. It might just bethat rarest thing:a treat without a fault. -Chocolate Continue reading
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Open Letter
This is a noteto my four-legged pals:When you talk with your humans,beware! Their idea of “right now”is pathetically thinand they only know thingsthat are there. I think it’s becausealthough senses they haveit’s their eyesthey rely on the most. “Out of sight out of mind”is a thing that they say,and that mind, if it’s there,is a Continue reading
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Poor dears
I feel sorry for humans;they really can’t smellwith their nosesso far from the ground. And that means they neverknow what’s going onor which dogs and catscame around. I could tell them,I guesswhen the most recent squirrelwas trespassing right in my yard, But it’s such a big botherteaching them how to speak.Even listening, for themis quite Continue reading
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November 5
It’s November 5, which in England means it’s the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot. In 1605, Guy Fawkes was arrested in the basement of the Parliament building with a bit of incriminating evidence: 36 barrels of gunpowder. The plot was to destroy the House of Lords while the Lords — including, in particular, King James Continue reading
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Frozen off
This morning it was super coldwhen I went out on my patrol.The air was icy; made me coughHumans’ tails? They froze them off! -Chocolate Continue reading
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November 4
Will Rogers, who was born November 4, 1879, didn’t let elections get to him. He did point out that “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.” “Do the best you can,” he also said, “and don’t take life too serious.” Rogers was an enormously popular star in the Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate Bossypaws. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.
Check out my other blog, Techlimitics, where I’m grappling with the nature of simplicity.
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peterharbeson@me.com