A roman à clef ('novel with a key') is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction.  The fictitious names in the novel represent real people and the "key" is the relationship between the non-fiction and the fiction.  This metaphorical key may be produced separately—typically as an explicit guide to the text by the author—or implied, through the use of epigraphs or other literary techniques.  Madeleine de Scudéry created the roman à clef in the 17th century to provide a forum for her thinly veiled fiction featuring political and public figures.  An author might choose the roman à clef as a means of satire, of writing about controversial topics, reporting inside information on scandals without giving rise to charges of libel, the opportunity to turn the tale the way the author would like it to have gone, the opportunity to portray autobiographical experiences without having to expose the author as the subject, avoiding incrimination that could be used as evidence in civil, criminal or disciplinary proceeding, the ability to change the background and personalities of key participants and the settling of scores.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_%C3%A0_clef    

The ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) is a clam that redefines what it means to have a long lifespan.  This species is famous for being one of the longest-lived animals on Earth, with individuals surviving up to 500 years.  Ocean quahogs are solitary creatures that live buried in the ocean floor.  Unlike some other bivalves, they do not form large, interconnected colonies.  However, they often share their habitat with other benthic (seafloor-dwelling) organisms.  Though they don't interact socially, ocean quahogs play an important role in their ecosystem by filtering water and serving as prey for species like starfish and crabs.  https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/ocean-quahog.htm    

The Wabash River is a 503-mile-long (810 km) river that drains most of the state of Indiana, and a significant part of Illinois.  It flows from the headwaters in Ohio, near the Indiana border, then southwest across northern Indiana turning south near the Illinois border, where the southern portion forms the Indiana-Illinois border before flowing into the Ohio River.   It is the largest northern tributary of the Ohio River and third largest overall, behind the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers.  From the dam near Huntington, Indiana, to its terminus at the Ohio River, the Wabash flows freely for 411 miles (661 km).  The Tippecanoe River, White River, Embarras River and Little Wabash River are major tributaries.  The river's name comes from a Miami word meaning "water over white stones", as its bottom is white limestone, now obscured by mud.  The Wabash is the state river of Indiana, and subject of the state song "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" by Paul Dresser.  The name Wabash is an English transliteration spelling of the French name for the river, Ouabache.  French traders had adopted the Miami–Illinois word for the river, waapaahšiiki, meaning 'it shines white', 'pure white', or 'water over white stones', and attempted to spell it according to their own phonetic system.   The Miami name expressed the clarity of the river in Huntington County, Indiana, where the river bottom is limestone.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabash_River    

The Night of the Radishes (Spanish:  Noche de Rábanos) is an annual event held on December 23 in Oaxaca, Mexico, dedicated to the carving of oversized radishes (Raphanus sativus) to create scenes that compete for prizes in various categories.  The event has its origins in the colonial period when radishes were introduced by the Spanish.  Oaxaca has a long wood carving tradition and farmers began carving radishes into figures as a way to attract customers' attention at the Christmas market, which was held in the main square on December 23.  In 1897, the city instituted the formal competition.  As the city has grown, the government has had to dedicate land to the growing of the radishes used for the event, supervising their growth and distribution to competitors.  The event has become very popular, attracting over 100 contestants and thousands of visitors.  Since the radishes wilt soon after cutting, the works can only be displayed for a number of hours, which has led to very long lines for those wishing to see them.  The event also has displays and competitions for works made with corn husks and dried flowers, which are created with the same themes as those with radishes.   Native to China, radishes were introduced to Mexico by the Spanish, particularly by the friars.  Over time, the crop became used as a side dish or snack, or carved into decorations for special dishes.   In the colonial period, the radishes began to be carved with religious themes in relation to the annual Christmas market held in the city of Oaxaca on December 23, with the encouragement of priests.  The carvings were a marketing gimmick, with farmers using them to attract the attention of shoppers in the market in the city plaza.   Eventually people began buying the radishes not only to eat, but to create centerpieces for Christmas dinners.  See pictures at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Radishes   

December 23, 2025

Sepia is a reddish-brown color.  The word sepia is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek words σηπία, sēpía, cuttlefish.   Sepia ink was commonly used for writing in Greco-Roman civilization.  It remained in common use as an artist's drawing material until the 19th century.  In the last quarter of the 18th century, Professor Jakob Seydelmann of Dresden developed a process to extract and produce a concentrated form of sepia for use in watercolors and oil paints.   Sepia toning is a chemical process used in photography which changes the appearance of black-and-white prints to brown.  The color is now often associated with antique photographs.  Most photo graphics software programs and many digital cameras include a sepia tone filter to mimic the appearance of sepia-toned prints.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepia_(color)    

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team.  The band gained in popularity when they began touring in 1999 after completing their second album, The Christmas Attic, the year previous.  In 2007, The Washington Post referred to them as "an arena-rock juggernaut" and described their music as "Pink Floyd meets Yes and the Who at Radio City Music Hall".  TSO has sold more than ten million concert tickets and over ten million albums.  The band has released a series of rock operas: Christmas Eve and Other Stories, The Christmas Attic, Beethoven's Last Night, The Lost Christmas Eve, their two-disc Night Castle and Letters from the Labyrinth.   Trans-Siberian Orchestra is also known for their extensive charity work and elaborate concerts, which include a string section, a light show, lasers, moving trusses, video screens, and effects synchronized to music.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Siberian_Orchestra    

A trinity house, also known as a band-box house or a Father, Son & Holy Ghost house, is a small townhouse, principally found in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Trinity houses are characterized by small size, with three or four floors vertically stacked, each usually consisting of one principal room, many of which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries.  They are joined by small, winding stairways, and have few or no interior doors.  The "Trinity" name is derived from three floors, three rooms.  Kitchens are usually in the basement, with very low headroom.  Houses are typically smaller than 1,000 square feet (93 m²), and about 14 feet (4.3 m) wide.  The selection of furnishings for such houses is strictly limited by the difficulty of moving furniture between floors.  Trinity houses were typically located on alleys behind main streets, to be found in Philadelphia's deep blocks.  A notable concentration of trinity houses is on Elfreth's Alley, a National Historic Landmark district.  Due to their size and the inconvenience of their arrangements and their survival in affluent neighborhoods, trinity houses are often far more affordable than other houses in the same neighborhood.  The houses have enjoyed a revival in interest as a by-product of the tiny-house movement.  The production of Trinity houses is often cited as coming from the 17th Century from architect, William Penn when he laid out the city's urban plan.  It is believed the first Trinity House in Philadelphia was built in 1715 with it intended to house Penn and his family.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_house_(Philadelphia)   

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770–26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist.  He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire and span the transition from the Classical period to the Romantic era.  See picture painted by Joseph Karl Stieler in 1820, depicting Beethoven while composing his Missa solemnis, which was first performed in 1824 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven  The painting hangs in the Beethoven House at his birthplace in Bonn, Germany.    

December 17, 2025

Humdrum (adj.) 

"routine, monotonous, dull, commonplace," 1550s, probably a reduplication of hum.   As a noun, "monotony, tediousness," from 1727; earlier it meant "dull person" (1590s).  https://www.etymonline.com/word/humdrum    

Ray Bolger (Raymond Wallace Bulcao) (1904-1987) was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow in the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz.  Ray Bolger was born and grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts, a middle-class neighborhood.  His father was a house-painter, his mother a homemaker.  He was inspired by the vaudeville shows he attended when he was young to become an entertainer himself.  He began his career as a dancer. His limber body and ability to ad lib movement won him many starring roles on Broadway in the 1930s.  His film career began when he signed a $3,000 a week contract with MGM in 1936.  His best-known film prior to The Wizard of Oz was The Great Ziegfeld (1936).   Bolger's studio contract stipulated that he would play any part the studio chose; however, he was unhappy when he was cast as Tin Man in Oz.  The part had already been assigned to another lean and limber dancing studio contract player, Buddy Ebsen.  In time the roles were switched.  While Bolger was pleased with his role as the Scarecrow, Ebsen was struck ill by the powdered aluminum make-up used to complete the Tin Man costume.  (The powdered aluminum had been inhaled and coated Ebsen's lungs, leaving him near death.)  Ebsen's illness paved the way for the role to be filled by Jack Haley.  Bolger's performance in Oz was a tour de force.  He displayed the full range of his physical, comedic, and dramatic talents playing the character searching for the brain that he's always had.  Bolger's sympathy for Dorothy's plight, his cleverness and bravery in her rescue from the Wicked Witch of the West and his deep affection for her shone through, endearing the character--and Bolger--in the public mind forever.  Following Oz, Bolger moved to RKO.  He starred in several more films and had a sitcom called Where's Raymond?  He also made frequent guest appearances on television. In 1985 he and Liza Minnelli, the daughter of his Oz co-star Judy Garland, starred in That's Dancing!--a film also written Jack Haley, Jr., the son of Tin Man actor Jack Haley.  http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Bolger_Ray.html   

The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, the parent corporation of the National Broadcasting Company especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini.  The NBC Symphony Orchestra performed weekly radio broadcast concerts with Toscanini and other conductors and several of its players served in the house orchestra for the NBC Radio Network.  NBC encouraged the public’s perception of the Orchestra as a full-time organization exclusively at Toscanini’s beck and call, but Fortune disclosed in 1938 that these instrumentalists played other radio—and, later, television—broadcasts:  “the Toscanini concerts have been allocated only fifteen of the thirty hours a week each man works, including rehearsals.”   The orchestra's first broadcast was on November 13, 1937, and it continued until disbanded in April 1954.  A new ensemble, independent of the network, called the Symphony of the Air, followed.  It was made up of former members of the NBC Symphony Orchestra and performed from 1954 to 1963, particularly under Leopold Stokowski.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC_Symphony_Orchestra    

Between 1820 and 1849, during the last thirty years of his life, the Quaker sign painter-turned-preacher Edward Hicks created more than one hundred versions of The Peaceable Kingdom, an allegory of spiritual and earthly harmony based on Isaiah 11:6-9:  "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den."  In the multiple versions of his composition, Hicks both closely followed the scriptural description and also added imagery symbolic of Quaker belief and Pennsylvania history.  In the background at left, William Penn enacts his treaty with the commonwealth's native inhabitants in a composition appropriated from Benjamin West's painting of the scene.  While originally produced as visual sermons for Hick's family and friends, the painting's technical simplicity and deep-felt message of unity have charmed generations of viewers of all ages since the painter's rediscovery during the early twentieth century.   See photo of the picture at https://www.pafa.org/museum/collection/item/peaceable-kingdom    

December 12, 2025

It was November 13, 1789 that Founding Father Benjamin Franklin wrote what was probably his last great quote, a saying about the Constitution and life that became true about five months later.  A publisher, entrepreneur, and diplomat, Franklin became known for sayings or “proverbs” that appeared in Poor Richard’s Almanack and his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette.  In particular, Franklin wrote, or used other sources of content, for a 25-year period for his Almanack, as “Richard Saunders.”  To this day, there are discussions about the origins of some of these quotes.  For example, one of the most-popular sayings attributed to Franklin is, “a penny saved is a penny earned.”   This appears to be a combination of two Franklin proverbs.  Other famous Franklin quotes are well-documented.  In “Advice To A Young Tradesman,” Franklin writes that, “Remember that time is money.”   But Franklin also authored quotes in public documents from his involvement with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutional Convention, and in a huge volume of personal correspondence.  And one of his last great quotes came as Franklin knew his life was near its end.   In November 1789, Franklin wrote French scientist Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, concerned that he hadn’t heard from Le Roy since the start of the French Revolution.  Franklin wrote in French and the letter was later translated for the 1817 printing of his private correspondence.  After asking about Le Roy’s health and events in Paris for the past year, Franklin gives a quick update about the major event in the United States:  the Constitution’s ratification a year before and the start of a new government under it.  “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes,” Franklin said.   https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/benjamin-franklins-last-great-quote-and-the-constitution   

There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention of 1787 a meeting held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 25 to September 17, 1787, to address the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation, Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created.  His answer was:  "A republic, if you can keep it."   https://constitutioncenter.org/education/classroom-resource-library/classroom/perspectives-on-the-constitution-a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it.    

Wine is Bottled Poetry

This Robert Louis Stevenson quote is from his 1884 book The Silverado Squatters, Chapter 3, Napa Wine.  Stevenson honeymooned in Napa in 1880 and the book is the story of his time there.   https://wisdominwood.com/products/stevenson-bottled-poetry-carving?srsltid=AfmBOor_RQ-TlOfhyFk4g2tNt4bUu5qS90Bi-B0rL80gc_oUEebbaY3k    

Known previously as "food stamps," the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can help you pay for food if you have a low income.  Each month, SNAP benefits are added to an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card to use when you shop for food.  To be eligible for SNAP benefits, you must meet your state’s requirements, including income limits.  States can also take other resources into account, like the money you have in your bank, to decide if you qualify for SNAP.  To apply for SNAP, contact your state or local SNAP office.   https://www.usa.gov/food-stamps    

George Grossmith (9 December 1847–1 March 1912) was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer.  As a writer and composer, he created eighteen comic operas, nearly a hundred musical sketches, some six hundred songs and piano pieces, three books (including the 1892 comic novel The Diary of a Nobody), and both serious and comic pieces for newspapers and magazines.  In a four-decade career as a performer, Grossmith created a series of nine characters in Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas from 1877 to 1889, such as Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance. Grossmith then became the most popular British solo performer of the 1890s; some of his comic songs endure today.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page    

December 10, 2025

John Angus McPhee (born March 8, 1931) is an American author.  He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction.  He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourth occasion in 1999 for Annals of the Former World (a collection of five books, including two of his previous Pulitzer finalists).  In 2008, he received the George Polk Career Award for his "indelible mark on American journalism during his nearly half-century career".  Since 1974, McPhee has been the Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McPhee# 

JOHN MCPHEE carefully snips his ultralight fishing line with scissors.  He scrolls a finger through a clear plastic lure box and pulls out a small dart--pink and white with a flashy tail the color of abalone.  He ties it to his line, listening to the talk in the boat.  A couple of anglers are expounding on the low merits of the American shad as a table fish, and McPhee has heard these incriminations before.  He rises to the defense.  "I think it's a terrific fish to eat," McPhee says quietly, while tying his lure to the line.  "I love shad roe, and I love to bake the whole fish.  The name of this fish is Alosa sapidissima, which means 'savory fish.'  So somebody thought so, other than me."  Perhaps.  But it is also true that few people have considered the American shad as thoroughly as McPhee.  An avid fisherman and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, he wrote The Founding Fish, an engrossing book parsing every possible angle and attribute of the American shad and American shad fishing.  For McPhee, American shad are "ardent zeppelins" populating the streams "of sacred origin of American fly fishing."  To others, they are the "poor man's tarpon"--accessible to anglers from shore or boat, acrobatic when hooked, at times plentiful in the extreme.  And to increasing numbers of conservationists, the fish is a totem of the lost wildness of North America's dammed, polluted and otherwise diminished rivers--and of an incredible opportunity to restore them.  https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2006/Ode-to-a-Founding-Fish 

A digital twin is a digital model of an intended or actual real-world physical product, system, or process (a physical twin) that serves as a digital counterpart of it for purposes such as simulation, integration, testing, monitoring, and maintenance.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_twin    

For example, one company is producing "digital twins" of owners' homes:  immersive views of any room in a 3D model, including appliances, allowing builders and homeowners to click on devices or areas for more information like warranty, user manual, paint color, etc.  https://www.forbes.com/sites/charliefink/2024/02/22/digs-puts-ai-in-the-center-of-building-a-home/?sh=5133f0a85346  Thank you, reader.    

“Don't want what you don't need and you'll be fine.  Don't want what you can't have . . .  Lila, a prequel to Gilead, by Marilynn Robinson   

Pond water-starwort, also known as Starwort, Water Chickweed, Common Starwort, European Water Starwort   Pond water-starwort thrives best in shallow, still, or slow-moving water, making it an undemanding aquatic plant ideal for ponds and water gardens.  Key care points include ensuring adequate light for optimal growth and preventing overcrowding by periodically thinning dense mats.  This species is resilient and tolerates a range of conditions, highlighting its ease of care for aquatic plant enthusiasts.   See picture at https://www.picturethisai.com/care/Callitriche_stagnalis.html   

Dec. 5, 2025  Frank Gehry, who in the second half of the 20th century forged a new language in architecture, becoming one of the most famous architects of his time, has died at the age of 96, according to a spokesperson at Gehry Partners.  He died at his home in Santa Monica after a brief respiratory illness.  Gehry was born in Toronto, Canada.  After studying architecture at the University of Southern California and urban planning at Harvard, he set up his practice in Los Angeles in 1962.  Redeveloping his own home using utilitarian materials—cinder blocks, plywood, corrugated metal and chain-link fencing—helped jump-start his career in 1978 in and around the state.  He was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989, which vaulted him and his work to international acclaim.  But Gehry was in his late 60s when he received the commission for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, perhaps the most critically-acclaimed and renowned building of his career.  In 1998, the late Philip Johnson, the godfather of American modern architecture, stood in the atrium and was moved to tears.  According to Vanity Fair, he anointed Gehry “the greatest architect we have today.”   Fish were a recurrent theme in Gehry’s work, but his designs were also sparked by ideas as diverse as the shape of Japanese Buddhist temples, ice hockey and Stratocaster guitars.  The Guggenheim led to a series of high-profile commissions: the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle (2000), Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (2003), the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris (2014) among them.  He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016.    https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/05/style/architect-frank-gehry-dies   

December 8, 2025