Author Archives: Denise Donaldson

While I seriously dislike being cold, I’d prefer a hundred times over to have to reach for an extra sweater than to sit in 90-degree heat and high humidity with no recourse.  Hot weather is my SADD trigger:  I really physically suffer if I have to endure baking temperatures and sauna-like moisture in the air,Continue reading “Contemplation of Perfection”

I recently marked a birthday.  My 63rd, to be exact.  When I was very small, there was always a cake and candles, with a toy or two.  When I got a bit older, birthdays lost their luster, because our family couldn’t afford much fanfare.  As my mother became increasingly incapacitated, there weren’t even cakes anymore. Continue reading ““Malaise” Is the Word”

Part I:  Customer Service, NOT [The subject under discussion today is, admittedly, trivial compared with the more critical problems this country faces 20 years into the new millennium.  Still, as it’s part and parcel of everyday life, and not in a good way, it’s worth a mention.] There probably isn’t a soul in this countryContinue reading “Pet Peeves”

Spring has well and truly arrived in northeast Ohio.  Know how I can tell?  We had a snowstorm overnight and into this morning.  On April 21st.  Unless the warm-up happens at warp speed, we’re set to have a white Earth Day.  Poetic, I guess, as that day was established to bring attention to climate change. Continue reading “Relapse”

[At this writing, President Biden had proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure package that would affect multiple aspects of Americans’ lives, not just roads, bridges, railways, and ports.] We live in a relatively old neighborhood.  Most of the houses are century homes, with styles ranging from Victorian to Italianate to Craftsman to plain old Colonial, eachContinue reading “Speaking of Infrastructure…”

Now I’ve heard [almost] everything:  there’s a Walmart radio commercial playing in our area that touts the company’s affiliation with local food banks.  Apparently, purchases of selected items translate to contributions from Walmart to said food banks.  Also, they’re collecting direct donations in their stores.  This, when the company benefits from government giveaways of upContinue reading “Cynics ‘R’ Us”

*************************************************BREAKING NEWS**************************************** April 15, 2021 – Planetary News Corp. International mining consortium Devour, Inc., has just announced its discovery of a sizable deposit of rare-earth element lutetium, used in petroleum cracking.  This metallic substance is the least common of all such elements, making the find an immensely valuable one.  The lutetium is located about 50Continue reading “Razing the Vatican”

In a recent post, Australian blogger Caitlin Johnstone references an article in The New Yorker about the endless wars in which the U.S. engages.  In her essay, Johnstone ruminates on the sheer idiocy of the Army’s practice of shooting a howitzer into the Syrian desert “just to say we’re here.”  Leaving aside the expense ofContinue reading “But What Do They DO?”

“Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” – UCLA Bruins football coach Henry Russell (“Red”) Sanders (then quoted by Vince Lombardi) “There is no such thing as second place.  Either you’re first or you’re nothing.” – Gabe Paul “Second place is just the first place loser.” – Dale Earnhardt It’s no coincidence that all ofContinue reading “Let’s Ditch the Giant Foam Fingers”

It’s Cleveland, it’s early April, and it’s77° as I write, heading for 80, same as yesterday.  The early daffodils are bloomed out, as is the weeping cherry on the treelawn.  The ornamental pear tree has burst into a cloud of white.  Golden pussywillow catkins are heaped on the ground.  In our postage-stamp front yard, theContinue reading “Respite”