I know not if you noticed. I love playing with words. Word-play is mentally challenging, stimulating and just plain fun most of the the time.
Some times when my personal high-energy, and articulate, unpaid language arts consultant, Mary Hammond, reads what I right she is often able to point out when I am not using the wright word. What Mary fails to understand is for me any word can seem to be write. No matter what mistakes Mary so kindly spotlights in her effort to save me from literary disaster, I will continue to rite Westside Story for The Suburban Times.
There are other troublesome words such as past or passed. Proper use of our English language related to word search and word selection is a challenge for a 75-year-old guy, like me, especially as I limp through life having never attended kindergarten.
Other examples of my word-play observations include:
DAD spelled backward is DAD.
Moocaliets (pronounced moo-ca-lie-ts) spelled backward is Steilacoom.
And now for a brand new timely and meaningful wordplay.
Everyone probably knows MOM spelled backward spells MOM.
But, and here comes a genius word-play observation… MOM spelled backward and upside down spells WOW.
MOM & WOW… The two words fit well together. While it is easy to take for granted, when you think about it, any woman who becomes a MOM is an accomplished human being. It starts with the miracle of pregnancy followed by an eventful follow-up period lasting 18 years. When the 18 years is complete, most parents hope they end up with a brand new successful, self-reliant adult who never does any hard prison time.
When the baby grows into an independent adult, MOMISM is not over. MOM never stops being there for her children. My MOM was there for me until her last day.
Pause for a moment and think about how stunning it is for a woman to become a MOM. Sunday is Mother’s Day. If you are some MOM’s kid, do something pleasant and loving to honor or remember your MOM. Thank her for being your MOM.
Unmarried guys, if the lady in your life served as the mother of your child or children, be sure to recognize her for giving you the blessing of having someone who started out tiny and who is destined as he or she grows, to follow in your footsteps of life.
Let’s not take motherhood for granted.
Happy Mother’s Day to my MOM, Phyllis Boyle, who during her 93 years earned the words, MOM and WOW many times over!
Joe,
Once again I find you fighting for Scotish rites and wrongs . . . or is it thongs? Motherhood and mother should be proud of you. Thanks for a moment of joy on a Friday evening.
Don
Joe, This question is for Mary Hammond or should it be Marry or Merry? Question: What’s the difference between further and farther? As in – did the girl walk further down the path or farther?
Mery and Lary,
It is nice to see Lary connecting over the internet via The Suburban Times with Mery.
Mery, your reputation as a perfect perfectionist is beginning to grow. We know you have at least 1 follower who gives you a left handed compliment, which in today’s terms is referred to as a thumbs up.
Jo
OK (or is it Okay?). Yes, Joe, as you may have heard, I was busy Saturday evening at 6:11, standing on Broadway, waiting and waiting for your wife, who — it turns out — was three stories up, wondering what had happened to me.
First thing this morning, I discovered Larry’s question re. farther and further, and I feel compelled to admit that I wasn’t sure when to use each. So, being a resourceful librarian, I Googled “farther vs. further,” and recommend that you do, too. Up popped a dozen or more concise definitions of the two terms, comparisons of their uses, and examples. That was about 15 hours ago. What I have retained: “farther” is an adjective, and refers to literal distance. “Her house is farther from the library than mine is.” “Further,” when used as an adjective, refers to distance figuratively. “Nothing could be further from the truth.” “Further” is also used as a verb. “He just made those statements to further his agenda.” Hope this helps.
Mary,
I just heard from the new and improved language arts master, Larry King. He asked me to thank you; so using the magic of cut and paste, Larry’s thank you follows below.
“Joe, Please thank Mary for furthering my education, but I still have farther to go.
Larry”
Mary Hammond and my friends commonly known as Readers, I am feeling a little guilty about giving Mary Hammond such a hard run for her money in paragraph two above. While I kidded around quite a bit, publisher Ben Sclair and I appreciate Mary doing what she can to help me become a better writer. Of course in my case, there is no where to go but up. So thank you Mary Hammond for your perfection quality eye for detail.
On another note, I should share the fact that I know from observing Mary’s motherhood skills, that she deserves a Happy Mother’s Day WOW – MOM accolade.
Thanks for being a good mom for your daughter. She is both fantastic and highly accompished. WOW Mom!
Joseph Boyle
Nowhere to go but up. In a word, (a single word).
Thanks, Joe, for the Mother’s Day wishes. I feel very blessed to be both a mother and a grandmother (to two 16-year-olds), who unfortunately live in S. California. But your daughter and two grandkids live farther way, so who am I to complain?
My question to Mary about further and farther is legitimate. It’s bothered me for decades.
Larry,
Mary is busy right now, but I am confident she will address your question and thereby educate us all in short order.
Joe
Fun and touching as ever, Joe. I wish I could say thank you to my MOM. But I think she knew I thought her WOW. And I keep trying to make her proud … and she might giggle about my silly little puns as well. Thank you for making me pause and ponder …
And don’t forget “munimula” (aluminum, spelled backwards). It was the name of a planet mentioned in the 50’s (early 60’s?) cartoon series, “Tom Terrific.”
PS – It was pronounced “moon-e-moola”.