FUN with WORDS: Homophones

Tags

English, fun, homophones, language, word games, words

An old joke tells of someone asking the assistant at a paper shop: ‘Do you keep stationery?’ and she replies: ‘No, I wriggle about a bit.’ She clearly thought he meant the word that is spelt ‘stationary’. There are many pairs of words like this, which sound the same but are spelt differently. They are called homophones or sometimes homonyms.

Identify the pairs of homophones from the following clues.

Example: One word means a place for keeping aircraft; the other word means a shaped piece of wood, metal, etc. on which you can hang clothes.
Answer: Hangar/hanger.

1. One word means simple; the other means an aircraft.

2. One word means expected; the other word means condensed vapour (vapor).

3. One word is nautical; the other is central to the body.

4. One word means connections; the other is an animal.

CONTINUE HERE

UNDETECTED, a Novel

Tags

fiction, morality, pariotism, rebellion, revolution, secrecy, undetected

CHAPTER 1

“Ugh! Close, but not close enough,” Gram whispered only to herself. Where did that rascal go?” Her sharp green eyes scanned the tree tops until they locked on a thick fork in the tree. “Ah! I see! You made it home this time, squirrelly. Don’t count on it next time!”

Dressed in her favorite comfy cammies, Gram headed back through the forest to her shabby lean-to. Her two rescue dogs ran on before her. Inside, she hung her bow and arrow satchel on one of the hooks by the door, poured a cup of water, and made herself comfortable in one of the rockers on the porch. Her partner, Roy, crafted the chairs, and many other tools, from local trees. She sighed with appreciation as she welcomed the moment’s quiet.

Soon she would join the rest of the family at the main tabernacle for supper, but for now, she enjoyed the peace and quiet of the forest with the dogs, Alpha & Beta.

The lean-to wasn’t much, just a few split logs put together like the old Lincoln logs she played with as a girl, but made to look shabby and desserted. It sufficed as shelter, after all, what more does an older couple need but a bed, a toilet, a fireplace to ward off the evening chill, and a porch with rockers? A camouflage net hung from the trees surrounding the tiny cabin, and an unseen root cellar formed a sort of foundation and emergency shelter.

Years ago, the family had put their money together to purchase this parcel of land in eastern Tennessee, southwest of Knoxville. They had discovered a system of tunnels through the property, and the men amended them to suit their needs by blocking a few and reinforcing others. Each of Gram’s three children and their families had a home nearby. They had everything they needed. They lived simply, but happily, taking care of each other. They lived their own lives freely, and gathered daily for the evening meal to give thanks to their Creator for their love for one another, His protection, and His guidance.

Government had gone crazy in the last decade, and many chose to “disappear” into the wilderness to avoid the ever-watchful eyes of Big Brother. George Orwell’s 1984 might have been published in 1949, but it came to pass with the shift away from traditional American values toward the dawn of the 21st millennium.

“The yams are looking good! I wasn’t sure they were getting enough water,” gram said to the attentive dogs.

Her “garden” took much of her time everyday, such as it was. Not a large garden or a proper one with defined borders and rows, but random root vegetables to feed her and her family along with the meat they could still hunt or the fish from the nearby river. While mornings were spent in the garden, her afternoons were spent with her grandchildren, teaching the lessons of Freedom.

Before the Revolution2 started, gram was a teacher, so it was only natural that her heart was wrapped in the stories and tradition of early America, when God was still central in the culture. This is what she eagerly, lovingly wove into the lessons she gave her grandchildren as they gathered around her for “school.”

The men were off with the local militia for weeks at a time, but they had been back just last week to fill the family in on the news from the war. The patriots were standing strong, as their predecessors had at America’s beginning while the tyrannical government stretched its claws deeper into the private lives of its citizens. In the last month, they said, the tide seemed to be turning in our favor. More and more citizens were feeling the pinch of government infringement. Laws and regulations in conflict with the American Constitution were piled on the backs of the people until they nearly suffocated Freedom.

The dogs broke her reverie as they barked toward a woody grove. “What’s out there, girls? Dinner?” She chuckled softly, but the barking grew more intense, and the dogs trotted to investigate. Gram ducked inside to grab her shotgun as the girls reappeared with a young boy. He looked about 10, but scrawny and dirty.

“Where’d you come from, boy?” she asked with just a tinge of annoyance in her voice. The boy didn’t respond.

“Come here, boy.” She set her shotgun down beside her and motioned him closer. “You’re a mess, child! Where’s your family? Where do you live? Come, child, I just want to help.”

“Big brother went to war.”

“What about your family, child, your parents?”

“They’re gone, ma’am. Long time gone.” He looked down as if the carpet of leaves might somehow contain them.

“Well, never mind that now. Come sit here with me a bit and let’s get acquainted proper like. You can call me Gram – everyone else does!What’s your name?” She smiled. “You hungry, child?” She stepped inside and returned with an apple which she proffered to him.

…………….. to be continued

Comments? Suggestions?

5 Steps to a More Successful Resolution at Year’s End

Year end holidays seem to inspire a perusal of our personal status, for better or worse. This has spawned an entire annual ritual of resolutions designed to be failures for most of us. Generally, these have to do with weight management or winning the lottery. I may be in a minority, but I fail to see the point in making decisions designed to fail. I don’t get it.

For my time and perusal energy, it makes much more sense to explore more internal things, to take a barometric reading of my personal level of happiness or satisfaction. My 2013 resolution is the same as previous years … to accept and embrace responsibility for my life and continue to pursue my purpose and happiness.

Adult living is filled with choices. From lifestyle choices to employment choices, spiritual to entertainment, we make thousands of choices daily. We choose what time to awaken and what time to retire. We choose our eating habits and our activity habits. We choose our friends and our conversation. What motivates our choices? Why do we choose what we do? Maybe family expectations? Or peer pressure? Or perhaps we are faith-driven? It’s pretty helpful to know what “drives” us or pushes us onward.

I am a result of my choices. My life is what I have worked to make it, or not. Contrary to popular political opinion, that which I believe I lack is also my responsibility whether in education, relational or employment. This is an appropriate “taking stock” of where I am now. I am me, imperfect but growing. The past is past and gone. I am an adult and responsible for my life now and the direction I go toward tomorrow.

Next, I must decide (choose), whether or not I am “happy” or content with who I am. My answer is, “yes!” I am content, but at the same time, there is always room for improvement! There is always something I can learn, some way I can improve or enhance my life. I have purpose. I have goals. I have dreams – some of which I expect to come to pass, others are simply dreams. What can I do to achieve my goals? Do I need more education? Do I need to change my behavior in some way, maybe change my dietary habits? Activity level? Social relationships are vital to life and happiness. Am I content with my friends or would new friends benefit me?

Here are some workable steps that I find helpful in the process:

1. Own it then change it! We all have made mistakes in our lifetimes. These are arguably the best life-lessons available. The trick is to not make the same mistake repeatedly, so we have to figure out what went wrong and why without putting the blame on someone or something else. Learn from past mistakes!
2. Take control of “idle” thoughts! This is vital because we all have imaginations that like to stray into dangerous, selfish, and unproductive territory. We have to teach ourselves not to give way to such negative or unproductive thought patterns. Rather, we can learn to steer our thoughts into positive and productive directions.
3. Make positive attitude choices. For example, I can choose to smile rather than frown. I can choose to believe the best about people and situations rather than the worst. I can choose to give the benefit of the doubt, especially to those close to me. Why? People seldom (not always, sadly) are intentionally hurtful, but we all are imperfect!
4. Develop an “atta boy/girl” attitude. Friends, family and co-workers appreciate honest encouragement. There is no need for falsehoods, but true appreciation uplifts everyone. We all need to be appreciated not just for what we do, but for who we are. If we want to receive this appreciation, we must learn to give it! Even that person that drives us nuts at work has some good quality that deserves recognition. As we train ourselves to appreciate others, our focus and attitude is gently adjusted.
5. Stop worrying, practice gratitude, and take positive action! Worry is something we all face, or perhaps better stated in today’s language, STRESS! We have relationship stresses, academic or employment stresses, and individual or personal stresses. My adult son is very good at reminding me not to worry about the bills. Worry, obviously, accomplishes nothing beneficial … NOTHING! Gratitude is a powerful tool in the face of stress, too. If we remind ourselves of what we have accomplished, how we have progressed, all we have acquired, the stress shrinks in power and effect. Whatever the stress causer(s), it is much better to DO what needs to be done instead of worrying about it. Do what you can do, and more often than not, the situation will work itself out in a satisfactory manner. If bills are the issue, stop spending money and examine your budget to reduce expenses and maximize income. This is important in this time of economic uncertainty.

Bottom line? No one else is responsible for MY happiness or success. No one else has the ability to satisfy or fulfill my expectations of life. It is up to me to accept who and where I am. If there is something I wish to change, I have the resources to develop a workable plan of action to make the desired changes. I can smile and nod in satisfaction knowing I am on my own pathway, where I want to be and the person I wish to be. What better way to enter the new year?

As 2012 comes to a close, take stock of where you are in your journey toward your brand of happiness. Instead of making resolutions doomed to fail, examine your goals and dreams and evaluate your progress. Together, let’s make 2013 a year of innovation, creativity, and progress as together we pursue happiness!

Enjoy!

Beav’s brother Tony Dow now an abstract artist

In this Thursday, Sept. 18, 2012 photo, Tony Dow, actor, director and artist, poses with some of his works at his home and studio in the Topanga area of Los Angeles. When it comes time to sitting down in a studio and carving out bronze and wooden sculptures inspired by the nature all around him, Wally isn’t leaving it up to the Beav these days. Dow, who famously played the Beaver’s older brother Wally on the classic 1950s-60s sitcom “Leave it To Beaver,” is carving out a name for himself in the art world these days, as an abstract artist. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Tony Dow as he appeared in the sitcom, “Leave it to Beaver.”

TOPANGA, Calif. (AP) — He is, and likely forever will be, best known as good old Wally Cleaver, the big brother who had to bail out a goofball sibling facing one dilemma after another on the classic TV series “Leave it to Beaver.”
For the last dozen years, though, Tony Dow has been carving out a new career, as a sculptor with pieces that have shown at numerous venues, including what is arguably the world’s premier art museum — the Louvre in Paris.

This weekend, more than 30 of Dow’s pieces in bronze, steel and wood go on display closer to home at the Debilzan Gallery in Laguna Beach, and they could fetch several thousand dollars each from collectors. But despite his respected reputation as a sculptor, Dow acknowledges there could be as many people at Saturday’s opening reception wanting to rub shoulders with the Beav’s brother as see his art.

“I think it’s hard, especially with the Wally image, to be taken seriously at pretty much anything other than that,” he says with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

At 67, Dow has a head of grey hair and lives with his wife, Lauren, in the wooded Southern California arts colony of Topanga Canyon.

His reputation as a sculptor reached a new height four years ago when he had one of his bronze pieces accepted at 2008’s Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts, a 150-year-old art show staged annually at the Louvre.

The modest, soft-spoken Dow is quick to point out that the work — a distinctive abstract piece titled The Warrior — was not placed in the museum’s permanent collection. And if you went to see the show that year you would not have found it anywhere near Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.”

“But it was a show that was represented by 20-some nations, and the U.S. had 14 pieces there, and there were two sculptors, and I was one of them,” Dow says between sips of mango-flavored lemonade as he relaxes on a recent hot, end-of-summer day in the living room of his home.

“So it was a big deal,” he adds softly with a shy smile.

Tony Dow, actor, director and artist, poses with, from left, Adam’s Rib, Half Twist and Waiting, at his home and studio in the Topanga area of Los Angeles.

Dow doesn’t complain that he’s still associated with his “Leave it to Beaver” character. He loved playing Wally opposite Jerry Mathers’ Beaver from 1957 to 1963, so much so that he reprised the role as an adult for a TV movie and 104 more episodes of “The New Leave it To Beaver” during much of the 1980s.

Even now, he still keeps in touch with all the old gang.

“Jerry, I talked to him just a couple days ago,” he says of Mathers.

Dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, Dow still looks about as fit as the teenage Wally did. But you probably wouldn’t recognize him as that character otherwise — except for an occasional Wally expression or mannerism.

… CONTINUE READING

Obama’s Tall Fiscal Tales

Barack Obama continues to peddle the myth that he has been the most fiscally responsible president since World War II. The facts, however, are stubbornly against him. Meanwhile, Wes Pruden explores the “bigotry” of opposing Obama, the president explains what a nasty campaign he’s going to run, and some hateful leftists have messages for our Armed Forces for Memorial Day. Thank goodness we can finish it off with some humor.

The Foundation
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” –John Adams

Editorial Exegesis

“Mitt Romney ‘warned about a “prairie fire of debt.” That’s what he said,’ Mr. Obama said on the Des Moines fairgrounds on Thursday, as if he couldn’t believe it either. … ‘What my opponent didn’t tell you was that federal spending since I took office has risen at the slowest pace of any President in almost 60 years.’ … [P]ress secretary Jay Carney chimed in [saying] … to White House reporters that they should not ‘buy into the B.S. that you hear about spending and fiscal constraint with regard to this Administration….’ Mr. Carney the media critic deeply sourced his view to someone named Rex Nutting, who wrote an 856-word column for MarketWatch that argued ‘There has been no huge increase in spending under the current President, despite what you hear.’ … His accounting methods are, er, unusual. Mr. Nutting claims that Mr. Obama is only responsible for $140 billion worth of spending in his hyperactivist first year in office because … the fiscal year technically begins on October 1, 2009. Therefore he says Mr. Obama had no control over the budget, though in February 2009 he did famously manage to pass an $800 billion stimulus that was supposed to be a one-time deal. Mr. Nutting then measures Mr. Obama’s spending growth rate against an inflated 2009 baseline that includes the spending Mr. Obama caused but which he attributes to Mr. Bush. … The larger conceptual error of the Nutting-Obama-Carney troika is neglecting to compare the budget to the size of the economy. The best perspective on how outlays, tax receipts and deficits change over time is as a share of GDP. … Prior to Mr. Obama, the U.S. had not spent more than 23.5% of GDP … since the end of World War II. Yet Mr. Obama has managed to exceed that four years in a row: 25.2% in 2009, 24.1% in 2010 and 2011, and an estimated 24.3% in 2012, up from a range between 18%-21% from 1994-2008. … As for that prairie fire of debt, Mr. Obama can fairly blame $1 trillion or so of the $5 trillion debt increase of the last four years on Mr. Bush. But what about the other $4 trillion? Debt held by the public now stands at 74.2% of the economy, up from 40.5% at the end of 2008 — and rising rapidly.” —The Wall Street Journal

Essential Liberty

“The Origination Clause in Article I, Section 7 states: ‘All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.’ … The Founding Fathers required revenue measures to originate in the House because they wanted this authority to belong to the legislative body closest to the people. … Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) has taken to thumbing his nose at this clear mandate. Recently, he publicly dismissed the Origination Clause as a ‘hyper-technical budget issue,’ raised by his Republican opponents as ‘a fig leaf to hide their blatant obstruction.’ … One unnamed Senate staffer even speculated that the House’s fealty to the Constitution ‘may be part of some Republican plan.’ … Liberal Senate leaders, it seems, are determined to do what they want when they want to do it, Constitution or no Constitution. … One of the chief operational principles of the current Senate seems to be, to paraphrase that famous line from Treasure of the Sierra Madre: ‘Constitution? We don’t need no stinking Constitution!’ That’s one more reason why the tea-party movement remains politically relevant more than three years after its birth.” —Heritage Foundation’s Michael G. Franc

Upright

“Barack Obama and his friends in the mainstream media, so called, can’t believe that anyone could vote against someone as wonderful as he is (and they are). Only a bigot would vote against such a wonderful president. … Sixteen states have offered Democratic voters an alternative to Barack Obama, either an actual candidate, ‘Uncommitted,’ or an opportunity to write in someone’s name. So far 15 percent of those Democratic voters have done so. In five states where there has been an actual opponent, 27 percent voted against the president. In New Hampshire, 1 Democrat in 10 wrote in an alternative. Twenty percent of North Carolina Democrats voted for ‘Uncommitted.’ That’s a lot of ‘bigots.'” –Washington Times editor emeritus Wesley Pruden ……MORE HERE

READ FURTHER:

Why Did Obama Lose his Base?

As if We Don’t have Enough Drama

Just Lovin’ on My Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh PA during thunder storm 3-29-2012. PHOTO: ©DivineMayhem Studios

NOTE: I got the photographer wrong! It’s updated and correct now!

It’s been a rough couple of weeks in Pittsburgh with several bomb scares at PITT and Hines Ward’s (Pittsburgh Steeler #86) retirement, but Pittsburgh is a wonderful city because of the great people who live here. Hard-working, hard-playing regular people! One of the friendliest towns around! And just for fun, you all know Pittsburgh has its own language, right?

Pittsburghese for Dummies!

A Picture can Clarify a Thousand Words: Art Represents Life!

Jon-McNaughtons-Forgotten-Man

“Some may already be familiar with the image featured above. For those who aren’t, it is painting titled “The Forgotten Man” which features President Obama trampling on the Constitution while an astonished James Madison pleads with him to stop. To the side, a man sits on a park bench in the throes of depression while 43 presidents look on. The painting, which uses discarded dollar bills and scraps of paper with individual constitutional amendments scrawled onto them…

“He explained that the man on the park bench “represents every man, woman, and child who is an American“ and who ”hopes to find the American dream of happiness and prosperity.” The artist added, “But now because of unconstitutional acts imposed on the American people by our government we stand on the precipice of disasters.” ……. From the Blaze

“The artists’ work can be found at McNaughton Fine Art (though the site appeared to be down, at least temporarily on Friday evening) and on his Facebook Page. A search of McNaughton’s postings on Facebook reveal a number of paintings with strong political and religious themes including another provocative work released in October 2011 titled “Wake Up America.”

Her favorite thing in all the world was shoes!

Once upon a time, there was a very small girl named Sophie. Her favorite thing in all the world was shoes! No really! Her mother used to put her in her room, open the bottom drawer of her dresser, and there to her wild and wondrous imagination was a treasure chest filled with shoes! Brightly colored shoes, shiny patent leather shoes, flowery little sneakers, and her favorite – pink “clicky” shoes! Sophie, as a very small girl, played with her shoes for hours, mixing and matching while her imagination soared.

One bright morning, Sophie’s mom opened the drawer for her to play. It wasn’t long before a strangled cry startled her mother who then came running to see what was the matter. “Sophie, dear, what on earth is wrong?”

“I’ve lost my shoe! I’ve lost my shoe!” she stomped, her tears freely flowing.

“No worries, my sweet! This used to be me! Let’s see where this shoe could be!” Mom said. “Is it under your bed; please look and see. Is it under your dresser; please look and see. Is it under the rug; please look and see! I don’t see where, oh where your shoe has gone.” Mom stood with her hands on her hips and gazed around Sophie’s room.

She thought back to the days of her own girlhood with a sigh of sweet nostalgia. A stiff tug on her shirttail and that all-too-familiar “mommy,” startled her back to the trauma at hand. She turned and picked up her little bundle of fun and gave her a quick snuggle, then whispered in her ear, “Do you think your shoe might have crawled under your blanket?”

Sophie squealed with delight as she ran to her bed and peeked under the blanket. Lo and behold it was there! Sophie gave mom’s leg a quick hug and dove back into the play. As a parent, they never tell you that part! it wasn’t long at all before the lost shoe was forgotten. Things were never better!

Thanks so much to BEKINDREWRITE for her skilled encouragement and support in our mutual writing adventure!

The Piano Guys Refreshment for my Weary Soul!

Nice change of pace, eh?

Can’t pick a favorite!
Hope you enjoy!