I Remain Thankful. . .

Good morning Michael,

I've always said you are the word smither of Active Rain and now you brought a great back story as to your love of "wordplay!" You learned a passion for words from your grandfather. Your perspective on expressing thoughts and things are always so entertaining and truly make us ponder. Once again a very creative entry into the November challenge!

Good morning Michael. Must say your wordplay is always interesting. The one word that comes to mind at the mention of your name is "Ponder"! And thanks to you I ponder more these days. Enjoy 9our day.

I tend towards some literal wordplay, with Wordle, Waffle, Connections and Squardle part of my daily/nightly routine.  Still waiting for the day Wordle chooses my starter word as THE word for the day :)  And one of my favorite comic strips is Pearls Before Swine, the author has a bent for puns (often very bad puns, but so be it).

I certainly love playing with words or phrases. Howard Cosell was an announcer in the 60s to 80s who would not only cover sports but also play with words and descriptions (I will never forget his call of the George Foreman -Joe Frazier fight...DOWN GOES FRAZIER...

Michael,

I enjoyed reading your post on Wordplay. Words are so important, especially around children. Enjoyed reading your story about your grandparents. Thanks for sharing.

I remember some very interesting and not at all child appropriate conversations (family secrets)   I heard as a child. My mom was shocked to find out many years later just what I was aware of way back then. Adults don't always realize how much children hear...even when they think they are being careful. Kids are much smarter than parents sometimes think.

Michael, unfortunately, many parents do not watch what they say around their children, and they have "potty mouth" early in life.   Funny about your grandparents!

Hello Michael,

Life is a canvas painted with colors we'd never dreamed we'd brush. It's funny how we "draw" conclusions yet "sketch" faint outlines of possibilities on the "horizon line" of our hopes.

As we "pen" our stories or "erase" past mistakes, life goes on, crafting its narrative, reminding us that experience isn't always "black or white" but a spectrum of hues.

Ultimately, perhaps being a little "off-color" makes our journey vividly worthwhile.

I couldn't resist commenting! Your words linger in my mind like a latte aroma, savoring memories of the sweet nectar!

Hi Michael:

I enjoyed your wordplay post and the story you shared of overhearing an adult conversation. It reminded me of overhearing my parents conversations on more than one occasion, and I suspect they were oblivious. No doubt we did the same more than once when our kids were growing up.

And now with grandkids around we are often reminded about how kids hear and see everything, or nearly so. It pays to be cautious about what you say and do when they are around.

Jeff

I have observed that couples where one party is more silent than their talkative counterpart.  The silent one is observing and absorbing what is around them.  Then when the right time comes along, they are tapped like an external hard-drive.

Hi Michael- Your love of and for words is refreshing and needed, especially today. We use shortcuts and letters today instead of words.

My mother always said "Little pitchers have big ears."  I can remember some of the conversations I overheard when I was a kid!  And now as an adult, when we're talking, I can see the gears in mini-me's head whirling!!

Michael Jacobs - What a delightful story you shared! It's pretty obvious to me, from reading what you wrote, that your grandfather's genes were passed down to you. You're a lucky guy! Plus, I noticed long ago, you read every word that others write, and you always leave your own thoughtful comments, never canned, always applicable and just right. What I appreciate most, is that your comments are never cranky. You continue to master the skill of wordplay, and I enjoy how you write and comment too.  

Michael Jacobs - P.S. I'll bet your grandfather heard a lot from other people in the short amount of time it took to cut hair. I'm willing to bet, he kept what he heard a secret and never gossiped about others. 

Your grandparents perfectly show the ying and yang of relationships, Michael. Enjoyed the post, thank you!

Good Sunday afternoon, Michael.

My listening skills still need improvements.

Have an outstanding weekend.

Great post, Michael.

Thank you for sharing the personalities of your grandparents.

Words invoke such tender memories. Great post and thank you for sharing.

Still working on my laptop so forgive mistakes please ... I can remember as a child hearing the family saying Shah Still the kinder ---when I was in the room... IF .they had not said that my ears would not have perked up. Michael Jacobs  I so enjoy your posts and so grateful I did recognice you at the So Ca meet up 

I play word games every night . . . words are gold!  At least the right ones are!!  Thank you for this very interesting (as always when you post!) post!!

Hi Michael! I lost another family member to Alzheimer's and Ray's mom to Dementia. Needless to say, I have done a lot of research on the two and one of the profound takes on both (one is a disease, the other is essentially a symptom) is that playing 'mind games' is key to keeping both at bay. I learned about Wordle and Connections and began challenging myself on these daily. I may have started this out of fear but, I have to say, I do enjoy the daily challenges! 

Thank you for your wonderful posts for this month's challenge, Michael. You always keep us stimulated with your wordsmithery!