Posts by Pat:
Oh no..a 2nd Mother Goose gem?!
Joe Scieszka did it again in his The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense! (This time with the rhyme of Old Mother Hubbard.)
The English teacher in me loves this “re-verb” version!
See what YOU can add to these verbs…
Old Mother Hubbard moseyed/ progressed/ skipped/ highttailed it/ took a hike to the cupboard,
To gain/ grab/ pick up/ acquire/ capture/ fetch/ snag/ wrangle/ procure/ cop/ bag her poor dog a bone.
But when she arrived/ reached/ turned up/blew in/ popped up/ dropped anchor there, the cupboard sat/ existed/ stood bare,
And so the poor dog gained/ acquired/ obtained/ received/ procured/ took in/ latched onto/ got hold of none.
A unique book report!
English teachers get a lot of book reports to read… such as the following “book report” from the 2022 book The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense by Jon Scieszka! Do you remember this old nursery rhyme? Book Report: “The main character in this nursery rhyme is Jack. There is also a […]
Ridiculous headlines?
Does anyone other than an ex-English teacher notice these kinds of things? I’ve often wondered who proofreads the headlines, or even the content on some of the articles in the newspaper. On the other hand, I do find many of them funny and some even make me feel superior! “Red tape holds up new bridges” […]
If you start today…
I read an interesting reminder that I thought I’d share with you today: If you start today, you’ll feel good today. When someday becomes today, we get a rush of accomplishment and pride. Doing feels good. Way better than thinking about doing. If you start today, you’ll be the kind of person who does things. […]
Trust Mother Nature!
Story: There was a man who had a hen and a dozen good eggs, and he wanted to raise some chickens. Somehow or other he had to get the hen and the eggs together. Now the hen was willing, and he was willing, but if he kept the hen in the yard and the eggs […]
Thoughts for this new month!
It’s already April, with the year’s first quarter behind us! Here’s some thoughts that have been circling around in my mind for this new month (and maybe for all the rest of this year too!) This is a great reminder from a favorite mentor of mine that it’s important for me to accept what is, […]
Some classy insults!
These insults are from an era before our English language got boiled down to 4-letter words. These folks really knew how to use the language to mock/blast/eviscerate each other! “I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.” -Groucho Marx “He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” […]
Nothingness has something to offer…
Consider that it’s the space between the notes that makes the music. Music is not a note or even a series of notes. What is required to have music is silent empty space between the notes. A note without space is one long sound. That space is absolutely necessary in order to creat sound in […]
Can we really “save” time?
We’re not really saving daylight today. We’re just shifting our perception of it. Time isn’t really a “thing.” It’s a viewpoint, a linear measure of an experience. It’s recollection of the past, attention in the present, anticipation of the future. After all, we all know that the time spend in the dentist chair is different […]
Banish these 3 phrases!
Many of us don’t understand that what we say matters. We have the power to create our world with our words. And we may not know it, but some words can hold us back from the life we desire. Here are three to consider: There are indeed many things we cannot do. We can’t be […]