Two Thanksgiving-day editorials have appeared in the Wall Street Journal each year since 1961. The Desolate Wilderness is from the chronicle of the Plymouth Colony in 1620; And the Fair Land is from the pen of Vermont Royster in 1949.
I hope you find them as stirring and uplifting as I do.
I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. An aside, we usually get together with my husband's family on Thanksgiving, and with mine on the Saturday following. However, this year, my folks are in South Carolina with friends, and my son was only home for a couple of days from military duty. He wanted to get together on Wednesday with us, and his sister's family. The conversation went something like this:
"Are you crazy? I have to work all day on Wednesday! I couldn't possibly put a big meal on when I got home!"
"Mom, it doesn't matter what you cook. We can have pizza and wings for all I care. The point is, we all get together and share one anothers company."
"I'll throw something in the crockpot before I leave for work. Thank you for reminding me what Thanksgiving is all about."
Posts: 1412 | Location: Buffalo, NY, United States
I had a similar experience, Morgan. My gregarious husband invited this random couple, and their 2 kids, to Thanksgiving. They are from Russia and have no family in the area. Secretly, I was incensed because I wanted this to be a "family only" day. All 3 of my kids were home, for a change. However, I decided to make the best of it. I am so glad that I didn't make a fuss because the day was one of our best ever. The 2-year old and 6-year old bonded with my 3 older kids, and everyone was much more engaged this year. My usual "stick-in-the-mud" kids played twister, brought out the board games (my 19-year-old realizes how much she "loves" Candyland!), introduced the little ones to our pets, and generally we had a wonderful Thanksgiving (except for my usual lumpy gravy)!
Not to beat a dead horse, but I came across this word today in the Grandiloquent Dictionary and thought it appropriate: lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphioparaomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptekephalliokigklopeleiolagoiosiraiobaphetraganopterygon - A goulash composed of all the leftovers from the meals of the leftovers from the meals of the last two weeks.
No, but a pronunciation guide might come in handy.
This is the kind of overblown "monster word" that gives other more legitimate ones a bad name. I assume that they didn't list a breakdown of the meaning of each section of this monstrosity? There's got to be a shorter, more sensible way to construct a word with this same meaning.
The tires on my car take 32 pounds air pressure per square inch. I could pump them up to 100 pounds per but that wouldn't make them better tires...
No, the dictionary didn't give the meaning of all sections of that monstrosity; the only definition was what I posted.
And, CJ, I totally agree with you (are you surprised?) about long words. As a healthcare professional, we have more long words than I care to know! Furthermore, given some of the errors that I have found in the online Grandiloquent Dictionary, I seriously question whether that word really exists anywhere else.
quote: Furthermore, given some of the errors that I have found in the online Grandiloquent Dictionary, I seriously question whether that word really exists anywhere else. (E.A.)
online being very important in there! It is NOT in the original book version!
Posts: 1412 | Location: Buffalo, NY, United States
Yes, they are totally different, Morgan. The published Grandiloquent Dictionary is excellent. The online version has some wonderfully obscure words (see my link in the linguaphiles' thread), but it has been wrong with some words.
Why do I always feel a bit nervous using an apostrophe on this site?
Thanks, Richard, and I plan to. Interestingly, before this board I never gave a second thought to an apostrophe. Now everytime I use one, I search my mind to be sure it is appropriate.
quote:Go to the FOTA site for help if you need it.
Well, Richard, as you know I did that and made a total fool of myself! I didn't see the spell check area, made several mistakes, couldn't find how to edit, and ended up making two identical posts, full of errors. And, it seems that this FOTA board focuses on writing! I will never be able to show my face there again!
Kalleh, don't worry about it. All of us have made double postings from time to time over at FOTA and we have a sort of unwritten rule that we don't criticise for proof reading and spelling mistakes because everyone one of us knows that on a board where you can't edit it's a law of nature that you only spot the mistakes AFTER you hit the SEND button.
If you need proof see my spelling of "relevant" in the title of the last thread I started.
