Wordwizard

That is a gorgeous picture. Snow makes everything exquisite, but it helps to have old buildings.

This is our first "brown" Christmas in 20 years. We have always had snow - usually starting in late November - but this year is an odd one. By now there should be a foot of snow. We have a wee bit of snow left over from an earlier dusting, but that's only because we live at 3000 feet. Down in the va...

Right at 32 degrees F - which is 0 C - with a slight chance of snow. Are we Americans the only ones who are backward enough to still use Fahrenheit?

Tomorrow - Christmas day - is supposed to be the same but no chance of snow.

A blessed Christmas to you & all the Wizards!

A place where you go and drop off your clothes (or call and have them picked up) to be cleaned is called a "laundry service". They take your dirty clothes and return them cleaned, pressed and folded. We have just one laundromat in our small town; besides the coin-operated machines they also offer l...

We use subtitles whenever we can because as we get older, the audio is harder to understand. But it is often the actors - especially child actors. Adults can be as bad, even when they know better. We had no trouble understanding Eddie Redmayne in Les Misérables so were expecting the same performance...

Might be related to pulling up stakes, i.e. palisades, tent stakes, or boundary markers.

Another way of doing it without causing offence (especially if the context makes it seem relevant) is to ask how old they were in the year when the event being discussed took place, or even simply to ask what year they were born in. That way works with me. While I really don't mind anyone knowing h...

They all look fine to me.

I must be a "so-called grammarian" - "try and" sets my teeth on edge.

Both are fine. You could also say "He has trouble hearing", "He's hearing-impaired" or "He's deaf". A person who can hear nothing at all can be described as being profoundly deaf. Sometimes more detail is helpful, especially if the person you're talking with will be talking with the partially deaf ...

I know it bothers some people, but I'm not one of them. I had a favorite clerk at the grocery who called everyone 'hon." She's not there anymore. She was always cheerful & I don't think I was the only customer who felt happier after interacting with her. :cry: The only thing I find offensive is to b...

I read the story at Not Always Right & I think it's a typo - either the OP or editors. I suspect the coworker said, "It's all yours!" Meaning she wasn't going to help with the return.

We used to know someone who loved looking like Santa Claus. He had pure white hair & beard & didn't need padding. Sadly, he passed away last year.

As someone who is a bit more plump than she should be, I can say authoritatively that there is no polite way to call someone fat.

In the first call the word "already" wouldn't be used - it almost sounds like complaining.