What do you see when you look at a picture of a lake? Do you just see a lake? Or does your imagination go wild as you look deeper? When you look at any picture, do you only see what is right in front of your eyes? Or do you see more? Maybe you can…
I am surrounded by animals. They make my life so enjoyable that I cannot imagine living without them. There are people, though, who live their life as far away as they can from certain animals. For some reason, animal phobias tend to be more common in females than in males. Those suffering from cynophobia have an irrational…
What will you use your flashlight for on National Flashlight Day? How deep into your family’s roots will you dig on Roots Day? What origins you will create for Take it in the Ear Day? How frantic will you become as the time slowly ticks away on Tick Tock Day? National Flashlight Day – December 21 is also…
Will you write a letter to Santa on Santa’s Letter Writing Day? On Dewey Decimal System Day, will you learn about why this neat way of organizing books was created? How many wagers will you win on Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day? Santa’s Letter Writing Day – Do you know a child who doesn’t…
Laughter is great medicine. When you read these quirky essays about the humorous aspects of life or listen to them as are driving or cleaning house, they will make you laugh. “A Trip to the Hardware Store” – This is the hilarious tale of a dad who frequents the hardware store because he wants to…
Arsenic, cyanide, and strychnine are the classic poisons. The seemingly innocent little old ladies in Arsenic and Old Lace, one of my favorite movies, used these three poisons in their deadly elderberry wine. One gallon of this toxic wine contained one teaspoon of arsenic, half a teaspoon of strychnine, and just a pinch of cyanide. Unsuspecting…
Where did the word “monkey” originate from? Adam is supposed to have named all the animals while he was in the Garden of Eden, but there is some speculation about how the monkey got its name. Moneke is the name of the son of Martin the Ape in a medieval animal story. That is one…
Monkshood, the queen of poisons, is known by many names: wolfsbane, aconite, leopard’s bane, women’s bane, devil’s helmet, blue rocket, and friar’s cap. Her beauty is astounding, but her flowers of white, cream, yellow, blue, or purple are deadly. The Plant and its Poison Each part of this gorgeous flower, especially the leaves and roots,…
A corset is an undergarment worn by some women to enhance the shape of their body. It is made stiff by whalebone or some other stiff material, and it is tightened by having the laces pulled. Remember Scarlett O’Hara’s tiny waist? She achieved such a small middle by wearing a corset and having the laces…
A phobia is an extreme dread or fear of something. When a person encounters the object of his or her fear, he could experience anxiety, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, an irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea, dry mouth, etc. While this person’s phobia may seem outrageous or unreasonable to you, I assure you it is not unreasonable…
