OT: I NEED THE QUESTIONS TO ASK FOR SOMEONE IF YOU SUSPECT THEY'VE HAD A STROKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Numbskull. This is corn:

Numbskull. This is corn.

Now you're calling Maddie a numbskull? Lighten up! Unless you enjoy being an egotistical ignorant son of a bitch.

Don't know who Archie is??

Archy is a cockroach with the soul of a poet, and Mehitabel is an alley cat with a celebrated past -- she claims she was Cleopatra in a previous life. Together, cockroach and cat are the foundation of one of the most engaging collections of light poetry to come out of the twentieth century.

"expression is the need of my soul," declares Archy, who labored as a free-verse poet in an earlier incarnation. At night, alone, he dives furiously on the keys of Don Marquis' typewriter to describe a cockroach's view of the world, rich with cynicism and humor. It's difficult enough to operate the typewriter's return bar to get a fresh line of paper; all of Archy's dispatches are written lowercase, and without punctuation, because he is unable to hit both shift and letter keys to produce a capital letter.

Numbskull. This is corn.

Now you're calling Maddie a numbskull? Lighten up! Unless you enjoy being an egotistical ignorant son of a bitch. =======

WHOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!

madgardener wrote: I've learned not to take

Are you sure about that?

Just write whatever you want. Most of us enjoy it. Some of us have the same thoughts and feelings, but are not inclined to include the world into our lives. You are honest, upbeat, and refreshing. Ramble on, while some of us tagalong for the ride.

the link said Natures pictures/cornfield.jpg. and it looked like grain with a nice sunset. the link above is a wonderful picture of woodruff in bloom.............are you pulling me leg? maddie

yeah, I'm sure. I was so verbally abused growing up, that I recognize true verbal abuse very well. I suspect that Doug is bantering and teasing me kinda gruffly like a brother does a sister. (you know, hey, moron, hand me the ketchup. That's mustard, numbskull!!) growing up an only child, I missed out on sibling rivalry. I tend to encompass what is happening to me at the moment of magic. I am part of this small part of the world, so therefore I include what only I know. thank you, I see someone else has spotted me as the honest person I really try to be. I tell people "I use my powers for good......" LOL upbeat? that's a cool reference. hmmmmm, naieve? today? in this world? yes, to a smaller degree. I still believe in the goodness of mankind (not all of them sad to say). I will thank you. I ran smack dab into pure magic yesterday and when I find the words (yes, even I have to root around for the right words sometimes!) I will share it before the magic passes.

thanks Jean. "maddie"

Yes - with a large construction crane. :)

Hey, maddie, u have a kewl attitude even if you don't type pRfect or write 2 good.

Cori

People who are not writing service manuals for lawn mowers get to use the language just as creatively as THEY WANT. This is especially true for people who PAINT with words like you do. And it is especially true in a new medium like the net where lots of rules HAVE already been abandoned. BTW, it is considered downright rude to point out grammar and spelling errors. A nod to the less than english major scientists who created the net. I grew up with my fathers story telling tradition and he learned it from his French-Nat.Ind.-Norwegian step mother, and they spoke in Americanisms born out of the rich and expressive patois of rural life married (in this case) into the hunter/trapper. Those raised in cities may have never heard any of the various languages of the PEOPLE found in small pockets here and there, including the one spoken by the PEOPLE "up on the ridge, back in Faerie Holler, overlooking a most incredible English Mountain that is obviously filled with blooming white dogwoods, in Eastern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36"

Thank you for tuning your ear to the language and for bringing it here for us so we may, too, enjoy its beauty. Ingrid

"madgardener" wrote: I sometimes type words

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at

What happens when kids see writing full of errors and affectations and think it's normal? The sloppiness is reinforced by an idiot in the White House, politicians who can't pronounce "heinous", and album cover text that seems to have been composed by rabid badgers. Who takes the blame for an entire generation of illiterates, whose existence seems even more pathetic when you consider that on the grownup news, like NPR, there are interviews with foreigners whose command of OUR language is perfect?

And, another question: I don't know where you stand in the "damned immigrants should learn our language debate", but if you think they should, how can you also say it's OK for natives to wreck the language?

To a certain extent, I agree with almost everything you say, including the president and many politicians being absolute idiots. Except where this is concerned,

there is some margin for debate. Shakespeare, for instance, created words and expressions to convey his exact meanings. Other "new" words first regarded as "foreign" or "slang" have quickly entered the language and become as accepted as immigrants becoming citizens. A person who is not exactly on a Shakespeare level, though, should be careful to avoid appearing illiterate.

My objection to your statements earlier has nothing to do with language, but with etiquette. I have gathered (okay, I think it was from Dear Abby, but I have tried to abide by this) that only in a few limited situations is it permissible to correct someone else's English.

1. Teacher to a student.

1. Parent to a child, presumably under the age of 18.

2. Editor to a writer.

1. Native speaker to a foreign-born speaker if the foreign-born speaker has ASKED for help. There's a cute story about a very young Italian woman who told an American man he must "corrupt" her. When asked if she was sure, she said yes, her father insisted he must "corrupt" her at every opportunity. Finally the man determined what she meant was to "correct" her. It's a good thing he checked carefully first, or there might have been one very angry Papa!

2. As a favor to someone who is about to make a complete fool of themselves (or worse) in public. After Dan Quayle's "potatoe" gaffe, I asked for a black magic marker and corrected the word on written signs in a few local restaurants. They should not flaunt that for which he was publicly pilloried.

Yes, the person who questioned distributing "Firemaster" instead of "Nutri-master" in identical bags to cattle in the state of Michigan should have spoken up a bit more insistently. It ended up poisoning the food chain and causing generations of health problems in the residents, but in very few cases is correct English really life-or-death.

As far as I know, my father, an English teacher and, one could make a good argument for obsessive-compulsive, has followed these rules. He either corrects his own children or people who have paid for his editing services. In the case of people with whom he is just carrying on a conversation, he's been forced to bite his tongue a lot though no doubt subjected to heinous uses of his beloved language.

Cori

I guess I don't like certain kinds of rationalization. In another group. rec.boats, there used to be a guy who,,,,,,typed like,,,,,,,this,,,,,,,,and, virtually everyone,,,,,found it ,,pain ful,,,,,to read.

His explanation was that he was a ham radio operator who often communicated via Morse code, and the middle finger of his right hand was so accustomed to the key that it was impossible for him to type a single comma. Of course, this didn't explain, that, he often, put them where they didn't, belong. I play bass guitar, but you don't see me leaning too heavily on jkjkjkjkjkjkjk just to appear special.

People who take liberties do so everywhere, in writing and in speech.

Who cares if they're nasty as long as they're well written?

How many children read this newsgroup?

If there are some, what happens when they read the nasty posts about dogs?

Think about it.

OK I have been silently reading along and now I feel I must voice my reaction to all this.

I am new to this newsgroup and felt I should not get involved since I do not know anyone. Being such, I have an outside opinion to offer and it is simply the "Golden Rule" which I always try to follow in life. Put yourself in the other persons shoes for a moment before anything is said. It could possible hurt someone's feelings either on purpose or not and in my very humble opinion there is no excuse for being down right rude to someone Doug. Yes I am also from the South and Maddie I find your writing uplifting, delightful and amusing so keep it up. We are about the same age so we know by now not to let negative people get us down and spoil our life or our day.

Next time when you see the OT Doug you would be better off to just pass it by without caus>>> What happens when kids see writing full of errors and affectations and

Ridiculous! I've sent a little CW in my time, and I see no validity in that excuse.

vince norris

well Elaine, we have more in common than just being Southern women......my own mama, who is now 85 going on 86 if she makes, it has Alzheimers as well. she;s just a bag of skin. no personality, doesn't know WHO she is. doesn't even look like anyone in her family and they ALL look alike! (those that are left of the 11 brothers and sisters). She's in Tullahoma, Tennessee. What part of Middle Georgia? I'll look up your Sunset zone in me book........... and you holler at me all youse wants. I'll answer you proper and help you.

Maybe you can hunt me up an old lady who has seeds to Beads of Ophar (which was what Oprah's name was SUPPOSED to be, from the bible apparently, but they mispelled it.......LOL) which once you has it, you has it. I've seen it on an older episode of the Gardener's Diary with Erica Glasner who has now left to raise her daughter, and it was on two old ladies in Alabama who shared plants and seeds and I REMEMBER seeing those Beads of Ophar........sigh........BEAUTIFUL and reseeders? you betcha. still looking for a generous old granny to share some poppy seeds with me to replenish my raised beds until I gets them established permanently (annuals, but religious re-seeders.

Oh Lord what a cute story! I am laughing so hard right now. You should really pursue getting published!

I seriously doubt you will ever run out of words...EVER :>)

You have a wonderful attitude even after all this crap (better than I could have done, sorry, I got cut short in the "patience line" but I am still trying to work on it LOL). Just continue to be yourself as you said, after all, life is to short to try making the whole world happy. The people that try to do that always end up miserable anyway and it's impossible. All we can do is enjoy our life best we can. You are fast becoming one of my favorite people around here and I am sure I will be hollering for help as I stumble through my gardening boo boo's. I have always loved it, just never had time to devote until I retired a couple years ago to take care of my dear Mom (82) with Alzheimer's. I can't leave her alone anymore so I find my peace and mediation in the garden and playing in the dirt (along a baby monitor hooked to my pocket so I can listen out for her).

Take care now and hope to talk again real soon!

Middle Georgia, Zone 7b, Sunset is out my front door everynight....

Neither did anyone else. :)

"madgardener" expounded:

I wish that were true, Maddy, but I had them last year and see nary a trace of them this year. If I get more I'll share (maybe at the plant sale in May).