I have my Black Watch tartan ready to go to wear at the parade in New York whenever COVID allows… Don’t be surprised if you see people decked out in tartan this weekend. Today, April 6, the United States is celebrating National Tartan Day. The day is intended to recognize the contributions of …
Category: Interesting stuff
Feb 22
My Ringtone: Scotland the Brave
“Scotland the Brave” (Scottish Gaelic: Alba an Ă€igh) is a Scottish patriotic song. It was one of several songs considered an unofficial national anthem of Scotland. My cellphone ringtone is Scotland the Brave. At any event or rehearsal, everyone knows it’s my phone, if one is ringing 🙂  I posted a bit about that here: …
Feb 11
Washington Pipe Band Plays For Sean Connery
Washington Pipe Band Plays For Sean Connery from Toby Dodd on Vimeo. This video just came up on my Facebook feed this morning but I hadn’t seen it before. Â Even though Washington is misspelled, this is still a fantastic performance for Sean Connery in 1999. Sean Connery was honored at the Kennedy …
Jan 20
Fun with Palindromes
Dec 31
Hogmanay Fireballs!
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year (Gregorian calendar) in the Scottish manner. It is normally followed by further celebration on the morning of New Year’s Day (1 January) or, in some cases, 2 January—a Scottish bank holiday. The …
Jun 03
The Wartime Spies Who Used Knitting as an Espionage Tool
DURING WORLD WAR I, A grandmother in Belgium knitted at her window, watching the passing trains. As one train chugged by, she made a bumpy stitch in the fabric with her two needles. Another passed, and she dropped a stitch from the fabric, making an intentional hole. Later, she would risk her life by handing …
May 11
Is This Goose a Father-to-be?
I don’t know why geese fascinate me but they have for years. Â I love how the father stands watch over the family-to-be and when they’re crossing the street – mom in front, babies, then dad. Lately, I’ve been seeing goose families everywhere. When I went to an appointment pre-COVID, I noticed a goose family had …
Mar 15
Beware! The Ides of March
Everyone knows we’re supposed to beware the Ides of March and may even remember they’re from William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” but what exactly do they mean? The Ides of March marked the day the Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate in 44 B.C.E. A soothsayer, or psychic, warned Caesar to beware …
Mar 02
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
My Little Free Library has a *few* Dr Seuss books in it Meanwhile… Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, where I also grew up and went to High School. The Springfield Library Quadrangle has been home to the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden since 2002.