Author Archives: Susanna J. Sturgis
December (and Year-End) License Plate Report
The fall was a wash. Sigh. Nothing new since the end of August. Double sigh. Still, 2015 wasn’t a bad year. I didn’t spot Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nevada, Alaska, Nebraska, and North Dakota, but I did spot my first Montana since 2011. Wonder … Continue reading
Political Packaging
“What is a fascist — other than someone you don’t like?” That’s how the great Jack Reece (1941–1997), my Modern European History professor at the University of Pennsylvania, opened his lecture on Nazism and Fascism. Nervous tittering rippled through the … Continue reading
Shotgun Season
Deer Week has rolled around again. As noted last year in “Blaze Orange,” Deer Week is almost two weeks long — this year it runs from Monday, November 30, through Saturday, December 12 — and it’s not the only time … Continue reading
November License Plate Report
No new sightings. Sniff. 44 down, 7 to go. Time is running out.
Lies, Damn Lies & Ice Disks
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics” is a cliché. For the record, Mark Twain attributed it to Benjamin Disraeli, but the attribution is unverified and other plausible sources exist. Pity the poor statistics: they aren’t … Continue reading
Recognition Rocks
Ordinarily I don’t do awards, but hey, recognition is good, especially when it comes from a peer one respects, so thank you for nominating me, Charles French, whose blog, Charles French: Words, Reading, and Writing, I’m a faithful follower of. … Continue reading
November 11
Veterans Day 2015. Blustery and wet on Martha’s Vineyard: the parade was cancelled, and the annual ceremony was moved inside to the VFW hall in Oak Bluffs. November 11 was my uncle Neville’s birthday. He was a gentle, soft-spoken guy, … Continue reading
Real Life Isn’t 20/20
Hot — OK, lukewarm — news item in the Vineyard Gazette: “Midnight Farm Manager Charged with Theft.” No, this is not about the security guard at an all-night agricultural establishment, and the individual was not charged with rustling sheep. Midnight Farm … Continue reading
October License Plate Report
Well, I saw Alaska but it was on Route 28 in Falmouth so it doesn’t count. Boo-hoo. No change since the end of August, in other words. Well, since I caught Nebraska at the very tail end of 2014, I … Continue reading
Fall Comes to the Closet
A few short (and ever-shortening) days after fall comes to the clothesline, it’s time for the semiannual Great Seasonal Clothes Swap. I live in a studio apartment. Both closet space and drawer space are limited. Off-season clothes live in the … Continue reading
From the Seasonally Occupied Territories . . . 