Bill W

We can always hope, can't we.

Well said, drs.

Yes, Clint is persistent. And the boys also managed to win some money for Aaron, although it wasn't the jackpot, and then Aaron decided to use that money to treat everyone by offering to pay for the New Year's Eve celebration.

The term "philatelist" derives from the word "philately," which was coined in 1864 by French collector Georges Herpin from the Greek word philos ("loving") and ateleia ("exemtion from tax, duties, or payment"). Herpin chose ateleia because postage stamps represented a prepaid, tax-free carriage of mail, a contrast to earlier postal systems where the recipient paid the charges. A "philatelist" is therefore a person who "loves stamps" or is interested in the "love of tax-exempt" items, referring to these prepaid stamps. "Philatelic" is an adjective that refers to the collection, study, and enjoyment of postage stamps, postal story, and other related itemss like covers and postmarks. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the earliest known use of the noun philatelist is from 1865, appearing in the Stamp-collector's Magazine. Before Herpin's innovation, the hobby of stamp collecting was sometimes called timbromanie in French, a term derived from the French word for stamp, timbre. Herpin disliked this term, which literally translates to "stamp mania". Therefore, philatelist was invented to replace the use of "stamp mania." According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the adjective philatelic was first used in English in 1865. The dictionary's earliest evidence for the word is found in the Stamp-collector's Magazine. Examples of "philatelist" used in a sentence: "He was a renowned philatelist, known for his vast collection of rare and historical stamps". "At the annual stamp exhibition, the young philatelist proudly displayed her newly acquired collection to fellow enthusiasts". "Her passion for history led her to become a philatelist, collecting stamps from different countries and eras". "He's acknowledged among philatelist as one of the pre-eminent experts in the area of old stamps, though he isn't a philatelist himself."

This is a cute short story where an older boy teaches two young boys who have a phobia about dogs that they don't have to be afraid of all dogs, especially his rather large dog. This would be a great story to read to a child that is afraid of dogs as well, because possibly the same logic will help them understand that they don't have to be afraid of ALL dogs either.

I had a golden retriever once and he liked to chase after Frisbees as well. It's just that my dog wasn't much of a retriever. He'd chase the Frisbee and even catch it out of the air, but then he would lay down and start chewing on the Frisbee, so someone had to go retrieve the Frisbee from my dog before it destroyed the Frisbee. We had all kinds of Frisbees at our house with the dog's teeth impressions in them. Great story, James, and I loved how Doug convinced Jimmy not to be afraid of Bonkers. By the way, was that Jimmy a younger you?

I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter, Johnny. Clint just knows what he wants and goes after it. Possibly the fact that he lost his mother at such a young age, hers when she died and his when he lost her, has taught him that it's best not to put things off, because there's no way of knowing what might happen in the meantime. I believe the old say goes: Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. (Similar sentiments were expressed by both Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, although both used different wording, and there were probably others as well.) Clint seems to be of the same mindset. 😁

Chapter 23 – A Crowded Christmas Eve As we were chatting, I asked if anyone would like a drink. "Yes, that would be lovely," Ma responded first. After we took requests, Devin and I went out to get their drinks. Ma, Pa, and Lonny wanted coffee, so I quickly made a pot, and since Clint wanted a soda, Devin took that in to him while the coffee was brewing. Devin stayed in to chat with the others while I located a tray that Mom sometimes used. When I found it, I placed five mu

The adjective "alluring" comes from the Middle English word aluren, meaning "to attract" or "to entice." derived from the Anglo-French alurer, from Old French aleurer "to attract, captivate; train (a falcon to hunt)," from à "to" (see ad-) + loirre "falconer's lure," from a Frankish word (see lure), perhaps influenced by French allure "gait, way of walking.". This Old French term combined the preposition a (from Latin ad, meaning "to") with leurre (or loirre), which meant "bait" or "lure". The Germanic root of loirre also connected to the French word allure, referring to one's gait or way of walking. Therefore, "alluring" essentially means "full of or having the quality of luring". According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the noun "alluring" was first used in English in 1531, by Thomas Elyot, in The Boke Named the Gouernour. The adjective "alluring" was first attested in 1534, by John Heywood, in A Merry Play Between Johan the Husband, Tyb the Wife, and Sir Johan the Priest.. Examples of "alluring" first used in English: "Jane smiled at him with a newly found boldness that he found very alluring." "The alluring pool reflects the limestone walls of the house above." "But one of the most alluring things about her is her sense of humor." "The knot cutout dress puts an alluring twist on evening wear." "She appeared sweet and alluring in that vulnerable moment." "She wore no makeup but some alluring perfume made her smell like heaven." "He smelled of his own musk and darkness, an alluring mix that made her blood burn." "His somber gaze was alluring – probably because he was unaware of how attractive it was."

Damn, you are really old!

The word "sustenance" comes from Middle English "sustenaunce," which derived from the Old French "sostenance" or "sustenance," meaning "support" or "aid". The Old French word, in turn, comes from the Latin verb sustinere, meaning "to hold up" or "to endure". This Latin verb is formed from the prefix sub- ("up from below") and the verb tenere ("to hold"), ultimately stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root *ten-, meaning "to stretch". According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the word "sustenance" was first used in English around 1300, during the Middle English period (1150-1500). The OED cites a passage from a text about St. Francis as its earliest evidence. Examples of the word "sustenance" used in sentences: "People can and do draw sustenance from many sources." "The village depends on the sea for sustenance." "Tree bark provides deer with sustenance in periods of drought." "She draws spiritual sustenance from daily church attendance." "The birds get sustenance, and the berries get to disperse their seeds."

The adjective "chivalrous" originated in Middle English (1150-1500) around the 14th century from the Old French words chevalier, meaning "knight", and chevalereux, meaning "knightly", and chevalerie ("knighthood" or "horse soldiery"). it's ultimately from the Latin caballus (horse), reflecting the medieval knight's reliance on a horse. The word's meaning evolved from the literal "pertaining to knights" to the associated virtues of courage, courtesy, and honor, later revived by Romantic writers. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the adjective "chivalrous" was first used in English around 1374 by Geoffrey Chaucer, author of "The Canterbury Tales". Examples of "chivalrous" used in a sentence: "That doesn't means you can't be brave, strong and chivalrous." "Henry was a chivalrous man at heart, and he loved the chance to save me." "Now that I know him and he's my husband, he's so chivalrous." "Oh, so now you're some sort of chivalrous guy again?" "You are such an enigma, one minute all cocky and brash, the next formal and chivalrous." "He was too chivalrous to abandon his opponent in an apparent extremity." "Since it's not very chivalrous to keep referring to him as an Idiot, ASK IDIOT ABOUT HIMSELF." "In 1799 Scott translated Goethe's play "Götz von Berlichingen mit der eisernen Hand", the tale of a chivalrous medieval German knight."

The word disingenuous is a 17th century English formation from the prefix dis- ("not") and the word ingenuous. Ingenuous, in turn, comes from the Latin ingenui, meaning "freeborn". The Romans linked "freeborn" to positive qualities like honesty and straightforwardness, so disingenuous literally means "not honest" or "dishonest," referring to someone who lacks candor or frankness. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the adjective "disingenuous" was first used in 1648. The OED's earliest evidence comes from the writings of Joseph Beaumont, an English poet and college head. Examples of "disingenuous" used in a sentence: "I thought both men made some good points and both said some evasive, disingenuous things." "To single out Moore in an age of mind-numbing folksiness in politics is disingenuous." "So to say that we're disingenuous in standing behind the defense is absolutely wrong." "The press's coverage of health care and accessibility issues is disingenuous at best." "The governor's objections are disingenuous at best." "This is why we are urging stockholders to avoid being misled by what amounts to a contradictory and disingenuous ploy."

Thanks, Danilo, I appreciate your kind comments. Yes, there will be a large gathering for Christmas and an even larger gathering for the New Year. Let's hope it all goes as planned. 🤞 🙏

The etymology of "in memoriam" is rooted in Latin, which means "in memory of". It is a Latin phrase consisting of the preposition in ("in") and the accusative form of memoria ("memory"), which comes from the word memor meaning "mindful" or "remembering". It also gives us English words like memory, memorial, commemorate, and mourn. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the phrase in memoriam was first used in English before 1654, in the writings of Independent minister William Strong. While used earlier, the phrase gained significant popularity in the 19th century, in part due to Alfred, Lord Tennyson's famous 1850 poem, In Memoriam A.H.H., written to mourn his friend Arthur Henry Hallam. Examples of "in memoriam" used in a sentence: "They held a concert in memoriam of the fallen soldiers." "The statue was erected in memoriam of the local hero." "The park was built in memoriam to honor the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our country." "This scholarship is established in memoriam of Dr. Sarah Thompson, a renowned scientist who made significant contributions to her field." "After the event, a special broadcast was aired in memoriam of the television personality who had passed away." "School was closed today in memoriam of the President and will be closed tomorrow too, for his funeral."

Good for you @Laurentian90 and welcome back. If you start to get down and need someone to talk to, just reach out to one of the posters and authors on this site. I'm sure they'll be open to listening and seeing what they can do to help. We're a large and caring community.

Thanks you for your concern and your suggestions. Believe me, I'm considering all options.

Sorry, weinerdog. I responded to your second comment first and absent mindedly skipped over this one. Now, to answer you're questions. Yes, even though this wasn't a question, I think everyone is waiting to see if they won any money on the various lottery tickets. 💲 Yes, various women, my mom, aunts, wives, and sisters-in-law have all made similar comments that I've heard, especially with really large gatherings. i guess some guys never made it past the Neanderthal stage. 😞 And finally, I'm afraid I'm not a skinwalker and I'm not immortal. I working hard to cling to whatever I have left to live, be it days, months, years or possibly even decades, although I doubt that. I'll just do what I can while I'm still around. 😉

Anton, that you for your understanding and consideration right now. I appreciate it very much. Just to let you know, I have been reaching out concerning my most significant problem, which although it isn't life-threatening, it comes with a great deal of pain that we've (the doctors and I) haven't been able to control with a wide array of drugs, other remedies, and different techniques. It's just that the pain comes in waves and is often severe enough that I'm unable to focus, think, or do basic tasks like eating (do to the pain caused when opening my mouth and chewing) and sleeping (since I often wake up due to a sudden wave of pain after I do fall asleep). I appreciate you well-wishes, and I love your dreamcatcher. I have one hanging on the wall in three different rooms of my house. 🤞

Thank you for reminding everyone, weinerdog, that people are finding rare treasures all the time, it's just that Devin's family, which for all intents and purposes now includes Mac. The only exception is that their luck with finding these treasures isn't limited to just a one-time occasion. Devin and Mac are now multitasking in elusive treasure treasure finds of different sorts and different sources.

Yes, Christmas for many families is a wonderful time and Mac and Devin's family and friends are no exception. 🎅

Thanks, Lee, and you won't have to wait very long to find out about all of those things. 😁 You'll find out what gifts Lonny and Clint brought for everyone, and you'll find out what gifts they gave them. You'll also find out about the lottery tickets, and hopefully I'll be able to post that chapter next week. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well. 🤞

Thanks, drs, and I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter.

Chapter 22 – Christmas Cheer Mom woke us up so we could have breakfast with her and Dad before they left for work, and then we got our things ready to take with us to the cabin. We both carried our duffle bags down to the SUV, and then we went back to get the Tupperware container with the baseball cards and the two boards, so we could show them to Ma and Pa. “Are you still planning on stopping at the mall so we can do the rest of our Christmas shopping before we go to the cabin?”

The word "arouse" comes from an Old French word meaning "to stir up" and was adopted into English in the mid-15th century, initially as a hawking term for making game rise from cover. It formed by adding the prefix "a-" to the existing verb "rouse," on the model of pairs like "rise" and "arise" or "wake" and "awake". The prefix "a-" in this context comes from Old English, meaning "on" or "in". The verb arouse was first used in English around the 1590s, with the earliest known evidence appearing in the writings of William Shakespeare before 1616. Examples of "arouse" used in a sentence: "Walking towards her, I tried to arouse her, but she would not wake." "The physical parts always feel very real to me, and arouse me." "I don't want to arouse the neighbors' curiosity" "The report aroused a great deal of public interest." "The husky sound of her voice could always arouse him." "Their proposal is certain to arouse the opposition."