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September 20
Some things seem important at the time. They might even be remembered, but long-term their effects don’t seem particularly significant. This is the day, for example, that Agnes of Poitou met with Andrew I of Hungary in 1058 (!) to negotiate the border of Burgenland. Agnes was a queen in something vaguely resembling Germany, and Continue reading
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Sharp! No, Dull!
If you were out and about around the 1770s and you encountered someone with a high-pitched, shrill voice, you might remark to a companion that there, forsooth, was a fellow afflicted with oxyphony. “Oxyphony” is a compound word made up of “oxy”, which means sharp or acidic, and “phone,” which means tone or sound. The Continue reading
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September 19
Ahoy me hearties, ’tis International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Arrr! Her keel was laid down in the year 1995, it was, when crewmates Cap’n Slappy ’n Ol’ Chumbucket were granted the boon of an idea by ol’ Davy Jones himself. T’was June the 6th when they had the idea, but they fixed the day Continue reading
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Grey Owl
In the 1930s in Canada, the author and lecturer Grey Owl became a well-known advocate of wilderness conservation and environmentalism. He was known as the son of a Scottish father and an Indigenous (Apache) mother, and achieved international attention for his articles, books, lectures, and films about the depletion of natural resources and the decimation Continue reading
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Not so bad
Like the word “good,” “bad” has a very long history. Nobody knows quite where it came from. If it existed in Old English, it didn’t have exactly the same form, but there are several OE words that it might have come from. The first is not exactly a “word” at all; it’s the name “Badda.” Continue reading
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I’ll do the thinnin’ around here, Baba Louie
I’m an excellent matchWith my humans;I picked them carefully. I tell them whatThey should think and should doAnd they go along cheerfully. They often believeThat they have ideasWhich really they get from me, But that part’s a secretWhich we won’t tell.I’m glad that you agree. -Chocolate Continue reading
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I Win.
I am modest;self-effacingBut really, I’m the bestat chasing! Squirrels I amalways beating,until those trees(and climbing’s cheating). As for Hayley,I’m quicker, butshe’s sneakywith her shorty cuts. With humans,I win every timeWhen there’s a chasethe win is mine! -Chocolate Continue reading
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If Only They Had Good Noses
I like humans pretty wellthey’re nicer than I used to think.Their hygiene though!They cannot tell,But some of those guys really stink. The worstest scents,which should be banned,they do on purposewith a can. -Chocolate Continue reading
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Being a good pet owner
If you have a humantake good care of him or herYou have to keep them nice and warmbecause they have no fur. We dogs must pay attentionor communications fail;I think it’s ’cause their ears are flat and they’ve no handy tail. But all the trouble’s worth itIf you keep one as a pet.I myself have Continue reading
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September 18
Corn is quite the important grain. It’s “maize,” really, and it came from southern Mexico, where it was cultivated over 10,000 years ago. Even the word “maize” comes from what the indigenous Taino called it: “mahiz.” It’s called “corn” in English because the word already existed, meaning a small, hard particle like a grain of 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