Tuesday, May 31, 2011

KILT (A-Z CHALLENGE)

I've never worn a kilt.

I've never had a reason to wear a kilt. Actually, I'm not even Scottish. Though I have married into the Clan Buchanan. I've never heard if they would accept a Bear into the clan. As a mascot, perhaps?

Though, if I did get a kilt, I would have to choose from several.

The Ancient Buchanan would be a good starting point.


There are several other Buchanan tartans; this is the one I like best.

Or I could go, not to a Clan tartan, but an occupational tartan.


This is the tartan for the Clergy (I already have a tie in this tartan).

But, really, I have no use for a kilt, so all of this will remain a dream.

(Besides, if I got one, the moths would probably finish it off, promptly.)

However, if you really want a picture of a Bear in a kilt, I could provide that, as long as you provide the kilt.

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Also brought to you by the letter K:
• kill
• king
• Khartoum
• khapra beetle
• kyrie eleison

And from the new phonetic alphabet, K for John.

If you're having trouble understanding this alphabet, I'll explain it in the next post. It's quite different from the phonetic alphabet used by NATO forces: A for Alpha, B for Bravo, etc. )


Monday, May 30, 2011

JUST (A-Z CHALLENGE)

Bear is "just" back to blogging, now that his computer is fixed. (The computer had an unexpected encounter with the floor of the new den; it was a shattering experience for the screen. A few days and a few hundred dollars later, Bear and computer were happily re-united. Happily, at least, from Bear's perspective.)

By then, it was time to finish the organization of the new den. So many nuts, fish, honey pots, and papers; so little space. Sigh. Need some "creative shelving." Don't expect details; the situation is. . . .

However, Bear is bound and determined to complete the A- Z Challenge, but on his own time.

"How typical of Bear," someone said.

"Well, I suppose," replied Bear, to the anonymous comment.

Just what you might expect.

That's a strange word, "just."

It can mean:
• morally correct, or fair
• exactly
• recently
• barely
• simply

So, in the end, Bear was "recently" reunited with his computer. Just.

The one challenge is that I will probably be INTERRUPTED again. Unfortunately. The den is still not entirely in order.

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Also brought to you by the letter J:
• join
• juvenile
• jam
• juridical
• juxtaposition

And from the new phonetic alphabet: J for oranges.

Monday, May 9, 2011

INTERRUPTED (A - Z CHALLENGE)

Yes, moving house interrupted my blogging. So, thought I'm a little late, I'm getting back to the Challenge. I intend to finish it.

I'm working tonight in my new study. This room is considerably smaller than my old study, and I have yet to get it organized. And instead of a massive desk (one metre by two metres, meaning roughly three feet by six feet), I'm working on a desk that is roughly 40 inches by 20 inches. It is sufficient, however.

More important, the desk has a history. My parents were married during the depression of the 1930s. For their first anniversary, dad's parents got them a nice desk. Dad, who was working for a national bank at the time, studied at the desk to achieve a certificate from the national Bankers' Association — the kind of thing which would have helped his career. (I still have his certificate among my papers.) That certificate was also, as I recall correctly, something he could have used as the beginning of a university degree in commerce.  In the process, Dad became the first member of his family to get at least part of a university education. My future was pre-determined; I would have a university degree. (Actually, I have two: Bachelor's and Master's.)

But then World War Two came along. Dad had a commercial pilot's licence, and took a leave of absence from the bank to help train air crews as part of the war effort (the first of three generations in uniform, it turned out). Then I came along. Then, well, . . . life is interesting, and unpredictable.

When dad died, almost six years ago, J and I drove over 2,000 kilometres east, to arrange a memorial service and collect a few things of value and significance, including the desk and my late mom's cedar chest (just a bit older than the desk).

Both the desk and cedar chest are in use in the Bears' new den, and will likely go to our children at an appropriate time. But I have a very good feeling about having dad's desk for my desk now.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

SOMETHING'S HAPPENED!

While I wasn't looking, a whole bunch of followers added themselves to my blog. It happened during our "moving experience," as in moving from one home to the next.

I find these additions are both pleasing and troubling.

Pleasing, insofar as people are interested in what I write. Thank you for joining me on my adventure, which is now our adventure.

Troubling, in that I try to treat my "followers" as friends, and keep up with what they are doing, and with what is happening in their lives.

Keeping up with ten or twenty people is not too difficult. Keeping up with 72 is going to be a major challenge. So I'm going to apologize in advance, that I may not get to visiting you for a while, and I may not be able to visit that often.

Again, thank you for following along.