Bill W

The word "nurture" comes from the Latin verb "nutrire", meaning "to suckle" or "to nourish" or "to feed". This was adopt by Old French as the word "noureture" meaning "nourishment," and then to Middle English. The noun "nurture" was used in English in the 14th century, around 1300, referring to upbringing, rearing a child, or general education. The verb "nurture" came into the language later, in the15th century, with its initial meaning being "to feed or nourish". The sense of "nurture" meaning "to further the development of" emerged at the end of the 18th century. This meaning is exemplified in Mary Wollstonecraft's 1792 writing, where she used "nurture" to describe how private virtue can foster public spirit. Examples of "nurture" in a sentence: As a Noun: 'Members of the family helped in the nurture of the baby." "We are all what nature and nurture have made us, but which has the greatest impact is still under debate." "In the nurture of children, they are taught in both religious traditions." "But the Jews had established places where worship and spiritual nurture could take place." As a Verb: "Teachers should nurture their students' creativity." "A professor who nurtures any student who shows true interest in history and government is commendable." "The study looks at the ways parents nurture their children." "It is the task of every parent is to nurture his or her children until they reach a certain age."

I'm certainly glad the you like this chapter and that it lit a spark. I hope you didn't get burned too badly. 😜

Plumber Steve (aka @wildone), you mean YouTube couldn't help you complete your project? 😲 And I thought Home Depot was there to help you with any project! 😢 Maybe the employees need retraining. 😠 Best of luck completing your shower installation. Oh, and don't tell me you couldn't use some of those words in your daily conversation: hallucinate, sappy, or even spartan (referring to a friends sparse or simple furniture in his flat or house.)

Welcome back and I hope you enjoy the story, if you're not too distracted by dreamy David. 😜

The word Sibylline has origins in the Greek word Sibulia, meaning "prophetess." That was the picked up by the Latin word Sibillinus, from Sibylla (sibyl). Back in the times of the Greeks and Romans, a sibyl was a female oracle who delivered cryptic prophecies foretelling the future, often inspired by the deities. The adjective sibylline describes such talents or the messages they reveal. That was then picked up by the French (circa 1200) sibile, sibille, then to English, Sibylline in the late 16th century. The earliest recorded use of the word "sibylline" in English is from around 1570-1580, according to both Dictionary.com and the Oxford English Dictionary. OED's earliest evidence for Sibylline is from around 1579–80, in a translation by Thomas North, translator. Sibylline is a borrowing from Latin. Sibylline first used in English: "It took several historians to understand the sibylline meaning of the ancient scroll." "Although the sibylline book was meant to have a secret meaning, the code was cracked long ago." "Sibylline messages were passed between the secret spies." "Cryptic and sibylline, the scientists have not figured out the what the mysterious drawings on the cave wall mean." "Many believe that the sibylline crop circles in the middle of fields are secret messages from aliens." "It's confessional and ruminative, yet also clipped, ‘teacherly’ and sibylline."

If your looking for proof that dogs, or a cat, if you'd prefer, can improve your life, then read this short story and it might convince you. It certainly worked out well for their gay owners!

Chris, an interesting short story, but you had me worried there for a while, when Justin and Frank were in the bathroom together. I'm glad that Frank came to his sense and that Ralph forgave hm. This story was so convincing that I may have to get myself a dog.

Chris has written another feel good Christmas miracle story that you won't want to pass up. You might even be amazed by how it happens, so sit down in a comfy chair and enjoy this short story.

If you're looking for a gay Christmas story, this one should be at the top of your "Christmas wish list." It's an easy, quick, and wonderful read, so enjoy it!

Awesome gay Christmas story, and I'm glad that it worked out for Mike and Danny.

Great backstory for both of them and I love how they have a past connection. It seems they're both going to have a little fun on Christmas Eve, I just hope it works out into a longer relationship.

I know I'm slow and just getting around to Christmas stories in May, but I'm hooked. Great start, Chris, and I can't wait to read more.

The word "sappy" originates from Middle English where it meant "full of sap," referring to plants or wood. This meaning evolved to include a figurative sense of being overly sentimental or foolishly soft. The "sappy" adjective, meaning "foolish" or "overly sentimental," likely developed from the word's connection to the liquid sap of a plant, possibly influenced by the idea of sap being "too wet, sodden, or soggy". The earliest known use of the word "sappy" in English dates back to the 12th century. In its initial usage, "sappy" meant "full of sap" or "juicy," referring to the state of a plant or tree. By the 1550s the word could also mean "full of vitality". By the 1660s the figurative meaning of "foolishly sentimental" emerges, likely influenced by the idea of sap being sticky and wet. Examples of using sappy in a sentence: "She gets all sappy when she is around babies." "At the risk of sounding sappy, let's root for the trees!" "Good Men way back when, right down to the sappy music cues." "Add a cute and mildly sappy note, and your work is done." "It's really a wonderful song, even if it is a little sappy." "Heaps of love, sweetheart, I feel awfully sappy to-day - it makes a big lump come in my throat." "I suppose Flossie and Bill will have come back by now, feeling very sappy." "On " Separate Lives, " they turned a sappy song into a showcase for their astonishing vocals."

Yes, the same thing happens to me on my stories, and that's why I keep a NOTES file for each one over more than two chapters. I mean, you know how long some of my stories can get. 😲 😁 😜

I binge read because of my age. That way I don't forget as much. 🤪

The word "spartan" originates from the ancient Greek city state of Sparta, known for its militaristic society and austere lifestyle. The term refers to the citizens of Sparta, sometimes called Spartiates or Lacedaemonians. The word "spartan" in English eventually came to describe a lifestyle characterized by frugality, courage, and simplicity, qualities associated with the Spartans. The earliest known use of the word "Spartan" in English dates back to the 15th century, specifically around 1425. Andrew of Wyntoun, a historian and prior of St Serf's, Lochleven, is credited with the first documented usage, according to the O.E.D. The word was borrowed from Latin. Examples of Spartan used in a sentence: "To be Spartan meant to be tough." "How can you claim to be Spartan if you can't keep up?" "A man in Spartan uniform stepped from the trees." "The bed, spartan nightstand, and two chairs seemed enough." :The Spartan patriciate could afford to disfranchise some of its own members." "They were seated two tables away from Dean and appeared to be celebrating something unusual in an otherwise Spartan life." "Plato advocated them, and perhaps the later Jews imitated the Spartan community."

A poem with a simple structure, but it goes directly to the point of the complexity of today's society for many.

A simple structure, but goes directly to the point. There's always something in the way!

An interesting look at what an afterlife might be like, once our time on earth is over. That's is if you're willing to travel in the highly unusual mind and creative mind or Lee Wilson. Take this journey at your own risk!

Interesting story, Lee, and it might explain why so many people claim temporary insanity when they go to trial! 🤪

@Valkyrie, just so you know, indoor spiders don't do well outdoors because they are built for the challenges they'll face out there. They probably won't last long.

Once again you bed-azzled me, @Lee Wilson. I just hope you never have to put up with bedbugs. And KSB better pray the boy's parents do ever leave him to housesit while they're away and he arranges for an orgy on it. Another wacky and hilarious chapter.

Or lifting its leg and peeing or the sofa or chair.

Up to your typical antics with you're anthropomorphic adventures, @Lee Wilson. Are you sure you haven't been reincarnated from some of the objects you've based your stories on - such as this Queen Anne chair, a microwave, and if I remember correctly, a hole in the ground??? And I was glad to see you bring Devlin back in this story. I wonder how he will terrorize the furniture, other than climbing on and then jumping off the mauve Queen Anne chair. Oh, and I was expecting the Queen Anne chair to have a British accent, like her namesake. Anyway, good start!

If you need a good laugh, delve into into this story from the creative, and possibly unhinged, mind of Lee Wilson. Lee has a history of writing various anthropomorphic tales where he assigns human characteristics to inanimate objects, thus creating an imaginative and hilariously funny stories, and this is no exception to that track record. In this tale, his main character is a microwave named Dave who lives in a household with an error prone child named Devlin. What Lee gives you is Dave's humorous viewpoint of the multiple errors this young man commits while using the microwave. Check it out. I'm sure you'll be glad you did.