Monthly Archives: December 2011

I Tell a Tale That I Heard Told

                                        “Mithridates, he died old.”  These closing lines from a famous section of Housman’s “A Shropshire Lad” conclude reflections on the importance of facing up to the parts of life that can be very hard to … Continue reading

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Hang on to Your Hat

In the summer of 1955, my family piled into our blue and white Oldsmobile and drove from Arkansas to Virginia, for a history lesson. At Colonial Williamsburg, my parents bought me one of those three-cornered hats I’d seen on the … Continue reading

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Capitalization and its Discontents

It started with a dog. To be precise, it started with a Labrador retriever. Or a Labrador Retriever. I got called out, in the friendliest, kindest, most apologetic — albeit, insistent — manner over what one might or might not … Continue reading

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