Author Archives: literarylee

About literarylee

I sling words for a living. Always have, always will. Some have been interesting and fun; most not. These days, I write the fun words early in the morning before the adults are up and make me eat my Cream of Wheat.

Wanton Optimism Update (With a piece of humble pie on the side)

Posted on February 27, 2011 by literarylee

Yeah, right.  Spinach!  They’re probably just little weeds, I thought. My wife called me Friday.  I was at work and she was at Jones, one of my two gardens.  She wanted to know if there was anything she could do … Continue reading →

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Devotion and Living Literarily: A Natural Pair

Posted on February 27, 2011 by literarylee

Spirituality is universal.  A lot of people the world over have faith in some sort of higher power, a god or gods of various descriptions.  Because of this, people do devotional acts of one sort or another: prayer, singing, corporate … Continue reading →

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In An Israeli Family’s Home

Posted on February 26, 2011 by literarylee

September 2004 Hello from Jerusalem, My goal?  Your kitchen!  While living overseas I think this should be my cross-cultural pick-up line:  Hey baby, I wanna get in your kitchen. Some of my most interesting experiences have been in homes of … Continue reading →

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Fojol Bros

Posted on February 26, 2011 by literarylee

I had lunch at a carnival one day this week, yet was within sight of my employer’s stodgy edifice, a venerable, stuffy agency of the U.S. government.  Passersby wouldn’t have recognized it as an actual carnival but rather a colorful … Continue reading →

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Poem Memorization Tip Number Nine

Posted on February 24, 2011 by literarylee

I’m working on the poem, To A Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing by William Butler Yeats.  Here’s what I’ve memorized so far: Now all the truth is out, Be secret and take defeat From any brazen throat, For … Continue reading →

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Afton Water

Posted on February 24, 2011 by literarylee

Robert Burns Flow gently, sweet Afton! amang thy green braes, Flow gently, I’ll sing thee a song in thy praise; My Mary’s asleep by thy murmuring stream, Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream. Thou stockdove whose echo resounds … Continue reading →

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Drinks on Wheels

Posted on February 24, 2011 by literarylee

Call me water boy. A colloquial way of describing someone else doing a tough task that others benefit from is to say that person is carrying the water.  On Sunday afternoon, I was that guy.  And, not only did I … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden: A Love Story | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Happy Working Dog

Posted on February 22, 2011 by literarylee

Today I saw a working dog, trained to sniff bad things maybe hidden in trucks, boxes, cargo.  This joyful hound was clearly delighted to be putting its world-famous olfactory brilliance to work.  You’d expect to see a dog straining at … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Sentence, Whitecaps on the Potomac | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Toponymic

Posted on February 22, 2011 by literarylee

I like learning new words, especially if they sound nice in my ear.  When I read this word today, I liked it immediately.  In the noun version the accent is on the second syllable, but in the adjective, it’s the … Continue reading →

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Dusk Mall/Peach Sunset

Posted on February 21, 2011 by literarylee

One Evening… I like the National Mall best at dusk.  I look left from the bus taking me home and I see the capitol as if magically lit from some unknown source, the whitish glow heightened by the rich, azure … Continue reading →

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