Haiku

Why Mary Had to Die — If you are a fan of the BBC’s Sherlock series, you might have been upset and shocked when Dr. Watson’s wife, Mary Morstan-Watson, died from taking a bullet for Sherlock in the third episode of 2017, The Six Thatchers. Played by Abigail Abbington, this Mary was my all-time favorite portrayal…

“Now, this brings us to suspense, which is the most powerful means of holding onto the viewer’s attention.” — Alfred Hitchcock Intertwining the nuances of suspense and surprise, Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980) always kept his audience on the edge of its seats — right where he wanted them. Hitchcock/Truffaut (1983), by…

A Dam Good Road Trip — It’s early morning in Dawson County and my husband, Lloyd, and I are on the roadside ten miles north of Lamesa. According to our map, the patch of misplaced green in the distant oil field is where several draws join to form the Colorado River. …

Do You Have What It Takes to be a “Cheese” Whiz? Archaic Words — Thanks to Google, I stumble upon many of my Writing Tips topics by accident. Here are some archaic (did they ever really exist?) but entertaining words and phrases that I discovered while I was researching other topics, along with some neologisms of my own: With Squirrel: If you were a…

I’m In! The powers that be in Major League Baseball just can’t leave well enough alone. This year they instituted several new rules. MLB baseball writer Anthony Castrocvine explains it best. https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-2023-rule-changes-pitch-timer-larger-bases-shifts Here’s a summary Pitch clock: Pitchers will have 15 seconds to throw the ball with the bases empty and 20…

My high school English teacher, Mrs. Case, had shiny black hair, which she wore in a neat bun held tight by a pencil. Her wardrobe — white tailored blouses, dark pencil-skirts, and black heels — spoke of professionalism, confidence, and no-nonsense teaching. At least that’s how I remember her. If…

The Seven Sacraments: Read the Fine Print — I feel it’s time for some explanation. I started writing this blog post about two years ago with the intention of smoothing over the rough edges of my Catholic faith by adding some humor to the subject. The more I wrote, the more I realized I was treading on thin…

Agatha Christie in the Middle East It is easy to imagine Agatha Christie at Greenway House, sitting in the morning room, plotting a Hercule Poirot mystery while sipping tea. However, there’s another side to Agatha Christie that might surprise you. This English lady spent many seasons in the deserts of…