1. *** First, a digression: Recently I blogged about Jules Verne, Ursula Le Guin, dragons, and giant octopi. I've significan...

My blog description says quite clearly that Don't Forget the Avocados  is not a food blog. However, the time has come, the walrus ...

October 17th is the anniversary of the day that nylon stockings made their appearance in the world. Nylon stockings may no longer reside ...

In " Reviewing school books ," Emily points out that, "Among journalists, there have been a number of studies showing up to...

A vibrant, Christian culture is important. Stories and ideas are important. Art is important. Yet how do we craft good stories and real a...

Watercolor by Diana Sperling (The family at dinner) 1. Let’s not be ridiculous People call Mansfield Park a “controversial”...

Have you ever thought about how funny our human race is? 1. *** Throughout history, we humans have tended to think that we...

1. *** Increasingly, I wonder if brevity is the key to artistry, just as simplicity is often the heart of beauty. Good child...

1. When I was a little girl, I liked asking for comparative data (“Daddy, if a tiger and a bear had a fight, which would win?”...

Another way of asking the same question is, “What should an adult be like, and how do you encourage a child to become like that?”...

1. *** I like to listen to intellectual people talk. I like to use the word intellectual. I even like to imagine that I myself prod...

1. My father knew a man who knew a man who had known Winston Churchill. According to the man who knew him, Churchill “had big g...

“….and to all this [the accomplished woman] must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.”...

I am suddenly seized by the last-minute desire to participate in 7 Quick Takes Friday even though I am sitting amidst toast crumbs at the ...

Frederick, the former pirate, sees young ladies for the first time, and realizes  that his elderly nurse, Ruth, is not nearly as lovel...

1. *** Modern life is full of luxuries. This point was brought home to me when I read a 1970’s edition of Dr. Spock’s childcare adv...

“If you find that the reader of popular romance— however uneducated a reader, however bad the romances—goes back to his old favourites aga...

(Illustrated almost entirely with pictures of discerning cats) (This is a follow-up to, “ How Big Is Your Child’s Bubble? Weighing ...

Koko: As some day it may happen that a victim must be found, I've got a little list — I've got a little list Chorus: He...

Today's Quick Takes are kind of random. Interesting, yes, but lacking entirely in a unifying theme.   1. *** Before getti...