Recent Comments

1. 4 minutes ago on Breaking Cat News

   They didn’t start allowing girls to wear slacks to school until after I graduated from HS. By the time I started teaching, the women were allowed to wear pantsuits, then gradually it was relaxed so some of them wore jeans and t-shirts. By the time I taught elementary, they were wearing shorts and flip flops.

2. 8 minutes ago on Breaking Cat News

   Jo, my favorite character in Little Women was notorious for standing too close to the fire and scorching the back of her dress.

3. 12 minutes ago on Swan Eaters

   And his face looks less tortured than when Olwen first brought him back. I just hope Baba Yaga is OK.

4. about 6 hours ago on Breaking Cat News

   I had to adjust to wearing dresses that buttoned up and tied at the back in elementary school, but I was never comfortable. I had to adjust to wearing a garter belt to hold up my hose, and eventually pantyhose, but still not comfortable.

5. about 6 hours ago on Breaking Cat News

   I think the only thing American kids are still forced the memorize is the Pledge of Allegiance using the same irregular, broken up cadence.(There should be no pauses in “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America” and only the briefest of pauses before continuing with “and to the republic for which it stands.” Also no pause in “One nation under God.” Keep the pause before and after “Indivisible,” and then finish with no pause in “with liberty and justice for all.”

   Do a search for “One Nation and a Vegetable” to find a PDF file of an article that originally appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine for children’s errors when reciting the pledge and other well known songs and versions. I think we’ve all heard of “Round John Virgin,” and “Gladly the Crosseyed Bear.” Canadian children sing “God Shave the Queen” (or now King). I’m so old that I read that article when it was first published in the magazine. I cut it out and kept it in a file folder in my high school classroom. Unfortunately it was one of the many things I had to dump when I moved schools. I was happy to find a copy of it online.

6. about 11 hours ago on Breaking Cat News

   Prayers, positive thoughts, and gentle belly rubs for Bella’s rapid recovery. Trevor reminds us that Breaking Dog News is equally as important as Breaking Cat News.

7. about 11 hours ago on Breaking Cat News

   I can imagine him at the rainbow bridge greeting the former White House cats and thanking them for their service as First Cats.

8. about 11 hours ago on Breaking Cat News

   The upper class women had plenty of time to sit, but I’m assuming they did not wear hoop skirts when doing their embroidery. I doubt that the “in service” class women were the ones who did not have time to sit, and it’s likely they did not own such finery.

9. about 11 hours ago on Breaking Cat News

   OK, I stand corrected.

10. about 23 hours ago on Breaking Cat News

    Like most of my generation, I had to memorize the Gettysburg Address. I aced it!

    I fear if I had to do my recitation today, I might accidentally start out with “Four score and seven beards ago.” I can still recite most of it, though I tend to lose the exact wording after, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” But I get back in the groove with “we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth .”