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Pam R.'s avatar

Dear GK

A lot of your posts contain the phase “ I’m 79 and shouldn’t do this or that.” Or “ I’m 79 and my wife would…”.

First, why do you think 79 is one step away from the grave? There is plenty of life in you yet but your thinking is bogged down by negative energy. To me if we set boundaries based on that number we call age we’re selling ourselves short of pleasure and accomplishment. I realize there are things like jumping on a trampoline ( I know this from experience and it was a tiny exercise trampoline) or maybe polar plunges that are pushing the limits of sensible acts. Although I’ve seen elderly folks take such risks. And I also know from your posts that you seemed traumatized by a medical procedure and that could weigh heavy on your risk-taking. Putting that aside I hope you now take note that at least using those words often set you up for a faster decline into decrepitude.

Lighten up GK.

Regards,

Pam R.

Colonial Beach,Va.

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Pat Bissell's avatar

Dear Dear Garrison,

I love words and wanted to become an English major but I needed to make a living. Reading is a nice hobby but I sure wouldn’t want to be a teacher trying to help someone make sense of this mess.

There are so many rules that don’t obey their own rules and I think they’re annoying!

For instance:

i before e except after c or in sounding like a as in neighbor and weigh

so I understand my weight but I don’t get my height.

The inconsistencies are far more than sleight

How can we know which ways are right.

There is no reprieve from the web that they weave

when they practice to deceive.

I’ll resign myself

and just whine in my wine

I’ll tip my beer stein to that

and try to conceive of why in the wide world anyone would be named Keillor!

What rhymes with that??

vowels are a,e,i,o,u and sometimes Y

sometimes not.

It’s enough to tie my stomach into a knot!

I don’t see the point in the u in Calhoun.

For on that lake I saw a loon just last noon.

I bet the guy was a just a goon.

So I sit and ponder on my bidet

So many grey gray areas I pray

we don’t become linguistic prey

to large toothy animals that do nothing but bray.

How to pronounce Bde Maka Ska

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3MWNGWPGvg

It’s not hard and it rolls off the tongue nicely.

Sound it out: ba day ma ka ska

say it a few times, it’s fun. I like it. I think it’ll catch on. Maybe after all the rigid old timers named Krebsbach and Sven with a w have passed.

Take Care,

Keep doing good work.

Love,

Pat B.

near the Mackinac Bridge which spans the Mackinac straights and ends in Mackinaw City!

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