MAR 19, reconstructive attitudes: planned demolition

 

Authors' Note: Contractors will describe the first phase of your tired old home's renovation as demolition, forgetting that, to the sensitive older homeowner, that term may conjure up visions of damage caused by aerial bombing, earthquakes or cyclones.

We will be posting a series of photocollages next week as the fun begins!

LEAD-IN PHOTOS

These pictures were taken from the sales information with the suite 'staged' in 2021.

front hall

kitchen

LR

master BR

master bath

ACTUAL PRE-RENO PHOTOS: 

You can view these on a post next week by clicking HERE

MAR 18, waterfowl: pescatarian choice

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Immersible Verse: Limericks about Waterfowl' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. 

MAR 17, palinku (poetic novelty): pets

  In this post, we  continue with a novel form of poetic wordplay. Inspired by Japanese haiku poetry, this new form is used for a terse verse with a total of 17 syllables displayed on three lines. Unlike its earlier analogues, this concoction does not mandate the precise distribution of the syllables among the three lines, but does stipulate that each word in the poem be included in a palindromic phrase or sentence in English (i.e. one that can be read either forwards or backwards). 

  To help the reader discern the origin of the lyrics, each palindrome (generally occupying one of the three lines of the poem) has been color-coded.

  And, just in case you have forgotten what palindromes are about, your blogsite hosts have arranged a serial set of brief lessons on the topic ('Political Palindromes') which you can review by clicking HERE. 

 

A limerick dealing with pets and vets can be found HERE.

 You can readily view all our "palinku" verses if you proceed with a single click to our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. (Or if you prefer, you can stay on this particular blogsite and look for the offerings for the 17th day of each month -- there are now more than 60 of these.)

MAR 16, handyman's lesson: restoring your old greenhouse, followup

Following up on lesson #1 

work continues under wraps
March 21

wet snow, late in season 

update: spring has sprung, April 16

A NOTE FOR (potentially) DISAPPOINTED READERS !!!

Although the Palm Court has been closed for renovations, portions of the Conservatory facility remain open. If you can't manage to come by for a look in-person, you can still take in the joys of an on-line visit by clicking HERE. 

MAR 15, special events: percussion quartet

 The torQ Percussion Quartet at the Art Gallery of Ontario:

MAR 14, homophonous verse: a toast to French homophones

 You can review verses on this topic in a wider context on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Check the posts 'Savoir-Faire' by clicking HERE, and 'Homophonous Verse' by clicking HERE. 

MAR 13, at heart: torsade de pointes

Authors' Note: 

Torsade de pointes (tor-sad duh PWAnT), is an Anglo-French medical term for twisting of the peaks, named in 1966 by its French cardiologist discoverer. It is a pattern seen on the ECG (electrocardiogram), with 'twisting' or cycling of the height of the ventricular 'QRS' complexes, and is often associated with factors, inherited or acquired, that widen the 'Q-T' interval on the tracing. This pattern is associated with nasty ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. If you are lucky, you have survived the initial episode and have correctable factors (e.g. electrolyte disorders, certain pharmaceuticals, etc.)

Flying straight is a casual metaphor associated with performing expected or routine function.

You can view more poems on this topic by proceeding to "Cardiologic Tracings: AT HEART" (parts #1 and #2) on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE! 

MAR 12, medical testing: introduction to the handbook

 

You can review a collection of related poems about clinical trials and clinical statistics by advancing to the blog "Edifying Nonsense" where you can find "A Limerick-Based Handbook on Medical Testing". Click HERE.  

MAR 11, curtained verse: robin red-breast

 EDITORS' WARNING: You must be at least 12 years of age to read this post!

You can review other mildly scurrilous illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Curtained verse: Faintly Obscene (Selected) Limericks' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

MAR 10, a brief saga (exemplification): possessive adjectives and pronouns

PARODY-SONGLINK: These verses were originally conceived as poetic lyrics. However, they can, like almost all limericks, be easily sung to  certain well-known tunes.  For this effort, we have used as the base song Carole King's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", and changed the title of our song to something more catchy.

  Click HERE to access ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany the song  on your favorite instrument.

But, if you are interested only in the lyrics, continue with the presentation that follows ...  

  For the purpose of this blog, a 'brief saga' is defined as a poem, usually narrative, but occasionally expository, that tell its story in at least 15 lines. Most commonly, the format involves three stanzas in limerick form, constituting a single submission to the online humor site 'Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form'. On the OEDILF site, rigorous standards for content and format are involved in a collaborative editing process that may take several weeks to over a year. 

 There are now over 40 of these lengthier bits of doggerel featured at OEDILF in Giorgio's "Author's Showcase". The OEDILF number for each accepted multiverse poem is shown here on the slide with its first verse. We have been blog-publishing these poetic adventures here monthly since January 2020.

To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog (April 2023), proceed to 'Dodecanese Islands'. 

To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (February 2023), back up to Newfoundland 'Potato Famine'.

To access all of our 'brief sagas' by the year of their creation, click on your selection below.

2020
2021
2022
2023.

 

MAR 9, pinkos (forward thinkers): vegetarianism

Authors' Note: The authors, Ontario anapestrians, have not eaten meat in two decades. The restaurant scene in Ontario, as in some other world-wide destinations, has gradually become more hospitable to vegan and vegetarian preferences, such as Theresa's and the authors'. This development can be attributed in part to our influx of newcomers from south and east Asia. Meat-eaters can still be readily accommodated, however.

You can help save the planet by viewing all our verses in this series at "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

You can review all the poems in our collection "Pinkos: forward thinkers" by clicking HERE.

MAR 8, patients and their maladies: gynophobia and gamophobia

A related verse dealing with "gamophobia" has recently become available..

 You can view these verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Nurse-Verse: Patients and their Maladies' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

MAR 7, urban concerns: in the distance

view on a foggy day

Authors' Note: 

Frequently, to increase the musical quality of the modifier, distant and distantly are rendered in song-lyrics and poetry as in the distance, or at a distance.

Another rather weird view of the city setting, highlighted in a short poem can be found HERE.

Our collection of illustrated poems about "Urban Concerns" on our parent blog "Edifying Nonsense", contains a number of intriguing verses that you can access by clicking HERE.

MAR 6, exemplification: fauna

 To review our whole collection of "exemplary exemplifications", click HERE. 

MAR 5, Canadiana: prairie home

Authors' Note: In its evolution from poem to unofficial anthem, the iconic American song "Home on the Range" was known, for a time, as "Western Home". The lyrics evoke the wilderness surrounding settlements on the "High Plains" in the old west, but do not mention the construction techniques for homebuilding. With little timber available to build cabins in some areas, thick prairie grass could be used as a covering for dwellings, even allowing the cutting of standard door and window openings.

   In Canada, the geographically similar area bordering the American plains has been known almost exclusively as the Prairies. The author imagines that living in a sod hut ('soddy') on either side of the border would be a more inviting prospect for settlers once the herds of buffalo had been thinned out by overhunting (an environmental desecration that occurred in the latter part of the nineteenth century).

For further reading; 

1)https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sod-houses  

2)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_on_the_Range

3)readers interested in understanding the human-buffalo interaction in modern times might also enjoy our further posts "Mammalian Wildlife: Buffalo", and "Selfie with Bison".

Alberta, 1908
web-photo, Glenbow Archives

WANT TO SING THESE LYRICS? WE CAN HELP!

If you have an undeniable urge to sing these lyrics, we have the tools to help. Grab your guitar or ukulele, remember the tune used for the verse of "Home on the Range"as sung by Gene Autry on YouTube HERE, and then follow the bouncing ball! 

Prairie Home    (uke-chords: E9 = 1222; A9 = 0102);

verse:

I'll e[D]rect us a [D7]home on a [G]large grassy [Gm]plot;

Only [D]building tools: [E9]shovels I [A7]bought.

With tech[D]nique skilled or [D7]shoddy,

The [G]hut called a [Gm]soddy

Has got [D]used on the [A9]Prairies a [D]lot.

Safe to [D]roam there, with [A7]bison herds [D]shot.

(optional chorus):

[D]Home on a [G]large Prairie [D]plot;

Walked ten [E9]miles for the groceries I [A7]bought.

Where [D]seldom is [D7]heard

A dis[G]couraging [Gm]word --

Sit a[D]round nights, swat [A7]bugs and smoke [D]pot.

You can review poems, pictures and diverse nonsense related to Canada on the post "Canadiana" on our full-service blog  "Edifying Nonsense".

MAR 4, magical canal palindromes -- Pisa

 

You can become an expert fan of our wordplay concoction 'magical palindromes' by reviewing the explanatory material found in ancient days on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense" HERE; then, you could check how we applied this technique to 'canal palindromes' by viewing this more recent post.

MAR 3, signs of confusion: fourth collection

This post is the fourth in a series of 5. You can attempt to get all of this straight by reviewing the collections in the previous posts ...

signs of confusion #3
signs of confusion #2
signs of confusion #1

This post has been the fourth in a series of 5. If you have been having fun, you could soldier on and get all of this straight ...

signs of confusion #5

MAR 2, duplication: holus-bolus

 

Readers willing to go down an internet rabbit-hole can easily get to a collection of more than a dozen other short verses SHORT VERSES  in which we have dealt with specific reduplications. 

If interested, you could also discover three fairly lengthy PATTER-SONGS about this fascinating linguistic phenomenon. These songs form an important part of our cycle of 9 songs about "Word Pairs".

MAR 1, Ontario nostalgia: across the Great Lakes

Authors' Note: The southern flank of the Canadian province of Ontario, abutting the border with the United States is a watery region comprised primarily of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. The names of these lakes, and their order of progression to the Atlantic Ocean, are frequently covered in school curricula.

   Apart from flying, coming by ferry is the mode of access to the island province of Newfoundland for citizens of either Canada or the United States. The Confederation Bridge, 13 km in length, linking New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, has replaced ferry traffic to our smallest province since 1996.

   Tourism in most parts of Canada is highly dependent on Americans driving across the border. The industry has suffered a major depression in 2020 owing to restrictions related to the pandemic.

 

You can review the entire series of illustrated poems about  the good old days in Ontario by checking the post 'Ontario Nostalgia' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. 

FEB 28b, American satire (prolongation): grift

 

"Pardon me. When is the next available tee-off time? And by the way, would you like to purchase online a mugshot enhanced souvenir?"  

Astute readers will have noticed that this extended verse, with seven lines, fulfils the criteria for being an "external limerrhoid". Click HERE to enjoy a post that explains and exemplifies this intriguing poetic variant. 

We hope that you enjoyed this blogpost. You can find 40 more on this topic in 6 collections on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to start! 

FEB 28, urban concerns: elevator reluctance

Authors' Note: 

groundling: the author's nickname for people who live on the ground floor, such as, up 'til now, his immediate family members

lift: Canadians, like their American neighbours, usually term this device an 'elevator'; to fit the tight space here, we borrowed the British synonym; however, it is noted that we retained our customary spelling of story (rather than the British storey)

helluva: common undefined slang that has been used in 40 verses on OEDILF to date (2023); presumably a distortion of hell of a ...

Another true personal story, apart from taking liberties with the floor numbers. The author currently inhabits a rental unit across the building from the suite being gloriously renovated/demolished by 'Carl the contractor'. This situation accords with advice by a relative to 'try out the lifestyle change' to ease the transition from house to 'bungalow in the sky'.

 

FEB 28c, birdlore: Eastern towhees

 You can view an encyclopedic collection of illustrated poems on this topic by proceeding to the post 'Poems about BIRDLIFE' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. 

FEB 27, classic palindrome: 'T. Eliot's toilet'

You can review more illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Limericks About Classic Palindromes' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.