Povey Prattle

The book has 43 chapters, 731 pages of text, 48 pages of footnotes, and 7 pages of bibliography.  It was given to me as a birthday gift last May by my wonderful SRQ friends Ron and Charlotte Thompson. The book is  It is  a magnificent and comprehensive biography of a man who was arguably the most brilliant man of the Revolutionary War; as a soldier, as a lawyer, and as a scholar (with James Madison) of the meaning of the new United States Constitution   (c.f. "The Federalist Papers"). Hamilton was loved and respected by George Washington. In the early days he was a friend and ally of John Adams (our second President, and of James Madison (our fourth). Jefferson (our third President) and Hamilton were implacable foes from the get go. Because Hamilton  wrote prolifically author Chernow has been able to write what may well be the definitive biography. In all of his adult life Alexander Hamilton was sustained  by his wife, Eliza (Elizabeth)...

In the U.K. at one time "pudding" was an generic term for dessert, or afters  I think that this generic usage is dying out. 'though just a few years ago I encountered a British couple eating ice cream in a shady spot outside a restaurant in Vietnam. The woman said "we're having our pudding". A wide array of very different foods are called pudding. Yorkshire Pudding (should be eaten straight out of the oven while it is still hot Sticky Toffee Pudding  (unhealthy but delicious!) Rice Pudding  (so good!) Black Pudding (or Blood Pudding).  Our Mum would never serve this, but in my later years I have grown to like it (in moderation) Steak and Kidney Pudding (made with a suet based pastry). I like it more than the more familiar Steak and Kidney Pie. Most likely not often made in the U.K. these days. Steak and Kidney Pie. Oh so delicious,'though most Americans blanch at the thought of eating kidney. On Thursday last I was list...

Podiatrist's Humour I use a local Podiatrist not because I have major foot problems, but because that my advanced age and fat belly I find it tiresome to cut my toe nails. It's all very easy because Medicare pays for some of the cost, my supplemental health insurance picks up a few more dollars, and I am left with a modest fee, So it was that I mailed a small cheque to cover my small balance on July 22nd.  The cheque did not get banked so with my deep seated fear of being in arrears with bills in mind I stopped by the office two days ago.  I wondered if my cheque had been lost in the mail. Well no. It turned out that the Office had been closed for a week which meant that the staff were behind in posting payments,  My cheque had arrived safely. I expressed my relief and ventured that I'd been worried lest the Doctor would  decide to amputate my foot (for non payment) at my next appointment. The Book Keeper reassured me.   "Oh no", she s...

I had lunch today with one of my Church friends, Ann Albritton, a woman I respect and admire.  Ann teaches at Sarasota's storied Ringling College of Art and Design. 1985, Night View Ann H. Albritton, Ph.D. Ann H. Albritton earned a BA in Humanities from Eckerd College; a MA in Art History from University of South Florida; a MPhil in Art History from City University of New York; and a PhD in Modern and Contemporary Art History from City University of New York. With over 21 years of professional teaching experience, Ann joined Ringling College in 2000. She is writing a children’s artist book, a global art history, as well as articles and reviews for  Sculpture Magazine . My lunch with Ann was at the Sunnyside Cafe on Sarasota's "North Trail". More about this later. Ann and I chatted about our various travels and it transpired that we had each visited ancient Ephesus (in modern Turkey), and that we had each visited the nearby (so called) "MAR...

I dreamed last night that two former St. Stephen's, Pittsfield,MA parishioners showed up at my home. They were D. Mitchell (formerly Debbie Hinman), and Susan McWilliams (formerly Susan Goranson), They arrived in separate cars (in both cases a 1985 vintage Ford Taurus Estate Car). Once in my home they ignored me and left me to work alone at my desk. In due course I told them that they would have to leave. They did so without complaint.  As I escorted them to my front door Penne, my beloved former rescue rushed out of my house. Penne and I walked down the street and greeted a woman who was walking a lovely black Labrador. The woman complained about the noisy children in the home, but when I explained that they were not children but my "lady friends" Susan and Debbie she said "well that's O.K. then". I said to Penne "Let's go in the car" (something she loved to do), "I need to get some wine". Then I woke up.  It was 10:0...

As reported in the Sarasota Observer. In late June and early July, San Remo Estates residents reached out to city officials with an urgent message: The neighborhood is suffering from a crime epidemic. Those residents had concerns about the response time to incidents in the past month, which included a stolen vehicle and two attempted break-ins. They called on city leaders to add officers to the Sarasota Police Department and asked for relief from what they described as a dire situation. ****  “Far from the idyllic life we envisioned, we are living in a state of alert one might experience in a war zone!” San Remo resident Ellen Foster wrote in an email. San Remo Estates is a 67-home neighborhood on the water near the north Siesta Key bridge. So far this year, police have recorded seven property crimes in the neighborhood. That’s an increase over the two reported last year. Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino says the community is relatively safe, but underst...