As a history nerd and aspiring writer, I can occasionally combine the two interests. One fascinating tidbit (at least to me) is the number of English kings who did not speak English. If this surprises you, recall what happened in 1066 — William of Normandy earned his nickname William the Conqueror by defeating Harold II at the
One of my favorite subjects is finding useful words and learning how they evolve. That’s one reason I subscribe to “The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor” from American Public Media. The “Almanac” sends me literary news with a poem every day. This is how I learned that the first use of the word “serendipity” was
Last year when I turned 65 I was amazed to be inundated with junk mail from insurance companies about Medicare supplemental insurance. Which got me to wondering, how did half the world know my age? Something similar is happening this year. I decided to set up my writing career as a business and registered with
When an object disappears from a toddler, what’s the most logical explanation? The Earring — An Original Story An earring was missing. The young mother had frantically searched her daughter. Then she searched the bed. Then her daughter again, her hair, the folds in her pajamas, her slippers. Next under the bed, then the entire
In honor of the Super Bowl — I have been a football fan all my life, especially the pros. Credit/blame can go to Jim Brown, the Cleveland Browns’ great running back; I grew up watching him run and have been hooked ever since. I still think he’s the greatest running back ever to play the
I’m sure you all know what a double negative is — two negative words that together mean a positive. For example, if you say “I don’t have nothing in my hand” means you must be holding something. I have heard of intellectuals (I think that’s the appropriate description) who like to string negatives together to
How good is your knowledge of chemistry? What if I were to tell you that there is a dangerous chemical throughout our environment? It is a major component of acid rain, contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape, accelerates corrosion of many metals, causes electrical failures, in its crystalline form has been implicated in
Basketball isn’t my favorite sport, but it does interest me. I played in high school, or rather I was on the team. My senior year was my only full year on the varsity, because there was nowhere else to go at that point. I never got into a game where the outcome was in doubt.
One rule in life — things are not always what your common sense thinks they should be. That’s especially true in geography. For example, go due south from Detroit, Michigan — what is the first foreign country you come to? It’s actually Canada. And did you know the Atlantic Ocean entrance to the Panama Canal
My brother, Dr. Gregory E. Welbaum, a professor at Virginia Tech (the smart one), has announced publication of his book, Vegetable Production and Practices. Although written as a college text and reference book, it will appeal to serious educated home gardeners who really want to know what they are doing. Most gardening books in stores
