Downtown Topeka Ramada
The oak staircase from the original Topeka Governor’s mansion now stands in the Grand Ballroom. Outside the Regency Ballroom, look up to behold the tin ceiling from the bygone Topeka Opera House. While...
View ArticleLove for Words — askance
September 6, 2014 _____ To look at someone askance, is to glance with disapproval or suspicion. Pronounced uh-SKAN(T)S. ‘Tis a visual expression, brief and oft a knee-jerk response to something said,...
View Articlepithy — soft and bold
September 10, 2014 ___ A Pithy remark is contained and full of substance, like the essence of a plant. Via Vocabulary.com/Dictionary: “The root of this word is pith, which refers to the spongy tissue...
View ArticleMire — a ‘muddy’ action
September 13, 2014 ___ To mire someone or something is to pull them into a veritable mire. This entry features the verb aspect of “mire.” Yet to appreciate that, let’s review “mire” as a noun. Via...
View ArticleLove for Words — moxie
September 17, 2014 ___ A person with moxie has courage, confidence, and a bit o’ a daring nature. Such a person oft brings people’s mouths agape, and in the aftermath, tends to exude an air of...
View ArticleVerbose — too many words
September 22, 2014 ___ Someone or something that is verbose [ver-BOHSS] uses too many words. Definition via OxfordDictionaries.com: — Using or expressed in more words than are needed Definitions via...
View ArticleTo repose — an action to pause
September 27, 2014 ___ From the Latin repausare meaning “to take a pause” or “to pause again,” to repose [re-POHZ] means to embrace a state of rest. Definitions via OxfordDictionaries.com: 1. Be lying,...
View Articleforte — point of strength
October 2, 2014 ___ A forte is a strong point — in a sword, and in a person. “Forte” [FOHR-tay] derives from the 17th century French fort, meaning “strong” — initially referring to the strong part of...
View ArticleLove for Words — hitherto
October 7, 2014 ___ Happenings hitherto occur “up to this point.” This word originates via Middle English, combining the adverb hither, and the preposition to. More specifically, via Dictionary.com...
View ArticleLove for Words — romanticism
October 11, 2014 ___ Romanticism refers to the state of being romantic, and to an artistic movement. Romanticism: the quality “Romanticism” = “-ism” + “romantic” Let’s first look at -ism. Definitions...
View ArticleLove for Words — eerie
October 16, 2014 ___ Things that are eerie suggest or instill fear. This word originates via Middle English eri, meaning “fearful.” It evolved to meaning “causing fear because of strangeness.”...
View Articlegraveyard — small and private
October 21, 2014 ___ A graveyard is a land lot that contains a collection of graves. ‘Tis significantly smaller than its relative “cemetery,” that is vast, oft urban, and has meticulous landscaping....
View Article100 years of ‘Frolic’— began with flowers
_________________ Halloween season, 2014 The Hiawatha Kansas “Halloween Frolic” is noted as the oldest continuous Halloween parade in the nation. This year is the “Frolic” Centennial. And it all began...
View Articledreary– a haunting descriptor
October 26, 2014 ___ Dreary used to mean “dripping blood;” now its definition reflects more a weighting grey than a trickling red. Both the original and contemporary definitions have in common...
View Article‘Writer in Residence’ sponsors celebrate the 100th annual Halloween Frolic
The Hiawatha Kansas ‘Halloween Frolic’ is a major event every year. If it’s on a weekday, local school kids get a half day off school to partake in the celebration. Local businesses and organizations...
View Articlenecromancer
Halloween, 2014 ___ A necromancer is a person who practices “necromancy,” the act of communicating with the dead. Pronounced [NEK-ruh-man-suhr], this word combines the Greek neckros meaning dead...
View Articleeschew — to avoid ‘because’
November 4, 2014 ___ To eschew something is to pay mind to avoid it, usually due to a fear of, or else via a decided dislike. ‘Tis emotional to “eschew,” pronounced [es-CHOO], and it may be a conscious...
View Article‘in spades!’— began with cards
November 9, 2014 ___ The expression in spades has a 1920s feel to it, and seems to have originated from that era. History According to The Phrase Finder online, the card game Contract Bridge became...
View ArticleHorton — a closer look
I have passed through Horton Kansas en route via Hwy 159 between Topeka and Hiawatha. It seemed a place succumbed to chain stores and fast food chains. Yet I took a pause for an “off the...
View ArticleLove for Words — jocund
November 14, 2014 ___ Pronounced [JAHK-nd] or [JO-knd], jocund describes humor in use. Definition via the online English-Word Information 1. Cheerful and full of good humor 2. Sprightly and...
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