Bill W

I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter, Danilo. Yes, I'm sure that Atsa wearing his furs or fully transitioned into a large wolf would definitely scare Louella. 🤪 And I believe we're all hoping Tokala can convert Atsa to a good skin walker, but we have a lot of doubters. Preston is a concern, since he believes there are plenty of examples throughout history that might support the presence of skinwalkers, but he also seems to have almost a fatherly affection for the boys. We'll have to see how that plays out.

Welcome, @PhilipJacobs! There's enough stories here to keep you reading for a couple of years, if you stop eating and don't sleep, or probably more if you don't give those up. @Myr and @Cia will be happy to hear that you're offering to help, and once you've been here for a while, I'm sure they can keep you very busy.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

whoops, I'm sorry I overlooked you. You usually just tickle your way out of any problems. 😜

Sorry, I guess I missed that and thought it was something else.

Have you been chatting with @Lee Wilson, Chris, because you both have suspicious minds, I won't give you any confirmation if you're as hot as hell , or just lukewarm like beer when it's been sitting on the bar too long 🍺, or if you're as cold as an ice rink , You'll just have to wait and find out what twists and turns this might take.

The top three are all very worthy, so I extend my congratulation to each of them for their use of the theme. @Valkyrie, when do we get to see the list of the authors?

The word "insistence" originates from the Latin word insistere, meaning to stand on, persist, or dwell upon". It is essentially formed by combining the prefix "in-" (meaning "in, upon") with the verb "sistere" (meaning "to stand"). The noun "insistence" came into English via French (insister) and itself is thought to have been formed in the mid-15th century, either directly from the French verb or as a back-formation from "insistence". According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the noun "insistence" may have appeared in English in the mid-15th century. However, the OED first verifiable use first appeared in English in the early 1600s. Specifically, from 1611, in the writings of John Fiorio. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the verb "insist" first appeared in English in the late 1500s, specifically in 1586. The OED's earliest evidence of its usage is found in a letter from Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Thus word is also borrowed from the Latin word "insistere." Examples of "insistence" used in a sentence: "His insistence on wearing a tie to the casual event was a bit over the top." "She was fired from her job at the insistence of the mayor." "He enrolled in the army at his father's insistence." "Perhaps of most importance was his insistence that he be given total control of the team." "It is by a dogged insistence on the common criminality of violence." "More profoundly, this insistence on the importance of distrust is eating away at our society." "This may or may not sit comfortably with his noisy insistence that governments need to meet their own fiduciary duties."

You have a suspicious mind, Lee. It must be from writing too many stories., but I'm not saying if you are right or wrong! 😜

You mean this isn't 1975?

Yep, I did. Being retired, some weeks the days seem all alike. Mea culpa. I goofed again. asleep at the switch again. Sorry.

Pops is taking a big chance, so let's hope it pays off. Thanks you for your feedback.

Chapter 18 – Unexpected Threats Now that Preston and Bailey were heading to the breeder’s place of business to see if Bailey hit it off with one of the other dogs, Devin and I got in the SUV so we could head out to the hunting camp. We had already agreed to look around and see if we could find anything else that might help us identify who the chest belonged to. We’d even brought along Gramps and Pops leather boots to wear to protect our feet, seeing we could make any physical adjust

Paramount comes from Anglo-Norman French paramont, from Old French "par" ‘by’ + "amont" ‘above’. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) the word "paramount" first appeared in the English language as an adjective in the mid-1500s (in the sense ‘highest in jurisdiction’ in the phrases "lord paramont" and "paramount chief"). Specifically, the OED's earliest evidence is from 1530 in St. German's Secunde Dyaloge Doctour & Student, according to the OED. The word later evolved into a noun, but the earliest OED evidence of "paramount" as a noun is from 1616. Examples of "paramount" used in a sentence: "In this situation, ensuring the safety of the children is paramount." "The safety of our passengers is paramount." "The safety of our journalists is of paramount importance." "It is the paramount symbol of our nation." "Apparently being alert to an elephant in the vicinity is paramount in avoiding tragedy." "Health and safety are absolutely paramount in this area to protect cast, crew and yourself."

Lethargy came to English via Old French from late Latin "lethargia," from Greek "lethargia," from "lethargos," (forgetful), from the base of "lanthanesthai" (forget). The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) first records the noun "lethargy" in English in the early 1600s. Specifically, the earliest evidence the OED has is from 1608, in the writings of William Shakespeare. The word "lethargy" also appears as a noun in Middle English, between 1150-1500. According to the OED, the adjective "lethargic" first appeared in the English language in the 14th century. Examples of "lethargy" in a sentence: "I snapped out of my lethargy and began cleaning the house." "The symptoms are extreme tiredness, lethargy." "Symptoms include sore eyes, lethargy, headaches and skin irritations." "Sometimes its departure can be slow, a diminishing of the pain and the lethargy over a few days." "But a strange lethargy has kept him in his room for most of the time since he was released." "Please suggest some music to battle this lethargy." "The results showed that workers whose backs were pushed into constant motion experienced less back pain and lethargy." "The thought of cooking anything fills you with lethargy, yet your newly enlarged belly makes you feel strangely hungry."

I not only watched this video, but I watched another one as well, and I've made two observations. The first is that he must be from an upper-class family, and the second is that he's a fantastic designer and tailor. Some of his designs would rival the best from the 19th century, and he's very patient, since he does all of the sewing by hand. He does not use a machine, at least not the I saw in the videos, and he uses a variety of different stitches, depending on the location and their use. I was extremely impressed.

That's great, but what I was jokingly referring to is if you'd trained her to jump up on the toilet seat and use your commode.

Where does she go then, Gary? Have you got her toilet trained?

I'm glad to hear that you got your computer up and running again and you didn't have to go into hock to do it. As far as the weather here was concerned, it was freaking hot every day, with severe thunderstorms every night. I suppose that will be the templet for nearly every day until the temperature starts to cool down. I hope Cia's hubby is doing better now, after his operation. She has enough going on without something like that popping up out of the blue.

Yep, someone's had a bit too much to drink again, but not quite drunk. I know, because it's the only time his body is limber enough to do that!

The word "obsequious" traces its origin back to the Latin word "obsequium," meaning "compliance" or "dutiful service." This, in turn, comes from "obsequi," which means "to accommodate oneself to the will of another." The Latin root "sequi" (meaning "to follow") is also part of the word, highlighting the idea of following someone's wishes closely. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the word "obsequious" was first used in English in the Middle English period, specifically in the year 1447. The OED's earliest evidence of its use is found in the writings of Osbern Bokenham, a poet and Augustinian friar Examples of "obsequious" used in a sentence: "He cuddled up to his colleagues, begging for approval - he was obsequious, smart, slippery." "Diamond has a gentle, self-effacing style about him without seeming obsequious." "The waiters came hurrying forward with obsequious smiles on their faces." "The service in the restaurant was attentive without being obsequious." "Barrow was positively obsequious to me until he learned that I too was the son of a laboring man." "He succeeded, however, in reversing his father's obsequious policy towards Russia." "If you describe someone as obsequious, you are criticizing them because they are too eager to help or agree with someone more important than them." "Another characteristic of the de la Gardie government was its gross corruption, which made Sweden the obsequious hireling of that foreign power which had the longest purse." "He was the creature of every passing mood or whim, incapable of cool and steady judgment or of the slightest self-control - an incalculable weathercock, blindly obsequious to every blast of passion."

The word "mystique" originates from French, where it means "mystical" or "mysterious," and ultimately derives from the Latin "mysticus," which itself comes from the Greek "mystikos." This Greek root is connected to the word "myein," meaning "to close" (as in the lips or eyes), and "mystes," meaning "one who has been initiated". The concept of mystique implies an aura of mystery, fascination, and perhaps even a hidden or esoteric quality surrounding a person, object, or idea. The earliest known use of the noun mystique is in the 1890s. OED's earliest evidence for mystique is from 1891, in a letter by Ernest Dowson, poet. Examples of "mystique" used in a sentence: "As a child, there was some mystique associated with a power outage." "These products are surrounded by considerable mystique and are often outrageously expensive." "No one has been able to copy the legendary singer's mystique." "There's a certain mystique to people who fight fires." "The reason, Goldin said, lies with the mystique of the card." "The far side of the moon has a certain mystique about it." "The costs that the masculine mystique imposes are not just monetary." "It was an asset when computers were surrounded by mystique and controlled from the data processing department."

The word "halcyon" ultimately derives from the Greek word alkyon, referring to the kingfisher. In Greek mythology, the halcyon was a bird believed to have the power to calm the sea during its breeding season around the winter solstice. This period of calm seas became known as "halcyon days," which then expanded to mean a time of peace and prosperity in general. This phrase originally referred to the period of calm weather around the winter solstice when the halcyon bird was believed to be nesting. Later, in the 16th century, "halcyon" began to be used as an adjective, particularly in the phrase "halcyon days," translating the Latin "alcyonei dies" and referring to the 14 days of calm weather around the winter solstice, and it was adopted from the Latin into Middle English as "alceon". According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "halcyon" was first used in English in the 14th century as a noun. It initially referred to the mythical kingfisher bird, and later evolved to describe a peaceful and calm period. The adjective form, signifying calm and peaceful, also appeared later in the 16th century. Examples of "halcyon" used in a sentence: "Flying around the Los Angeles area was still fun in those happy, halcyon days!" "It creates the foundation for a halcyon, innovation-driven investment expansion." "During those early halcyon years the company's potentila for growth seemed unlimited." "Four decades later, PIR is taking a trip back to its halcyon days." ""But war had somehow changed since the halcyon days of Tommy and Fritz." "This had been too halcyon a day to clutter up the memory of it with some backwoods bully's melodramatic bellowings." "A memento of youth, of halcyon days. But look deeper, beyond the frozen smiles, and there were stories behind the image." "It seemed longer; or rather, it seemed as if a dark, deep abyss separated us from the halcyon days that had preceded the disaster."

The word "panorama" originates from Greek roots: "pan" meaning "all" and "horama" meaning" sight" or "view". According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the adjective "panoramic" was first used in English in 1796. This usage is attributed to G. Cumberland. Although the term "panorama" was used by Irish artist Robert Barker to describe his large, immersive paintings. The first panorama, a painting of Edinburgh, was displayed in a specially built rotunda in 1791 Examples of "panoramic" used in a sentence: "How did you come to write such a panoramic book?" "At the end of the slope is a panoramic view of the Sea of Japan." "There's even a rooftop with panoramic views of the city. Give your calves a break and ride the panoramic cable car up to the top of town." "At the far end of the main floor of Jonny's new home glowed a panoramic window fitted into the mountainside." "Of the 240 rooms, many provide panoramic views across Oslo fjord." "She'd been sleeping somewhat well beside the panoramic window when purple light lit up the foyer." "She readied herself for a fight, making certain none of them had orders to jump her yet, and then continued to the panoramic window."

I didn't do either of those things with my cards and kept them in a shoe box. I know I had at least two Mickey Mantle rookie cards and a Ted Williams card before he retired, as well as the Mantle/Maris cards from 1961. I left them at my mom's house when I went to college and didn't pick them up later. I thought they were still up in my old room, but they'd been moved to the attic when she started using that room as a guest room. When they were having the roof replaced, the roofers went to lunch without placing a tarp over where they'd removed the roofing ant the old plywood, and then while they were gone there were a thunderstorm and the cards got soaked. Totally ruined them, along with the ceilings below that section of the house, so I can only imagine how much money I lost when that happened.