A. Hmmh. Okay:  Mum was not a willing housewife, and I have struggled with housewifery all my life. It has been a real handicap that I hope I can overcome one of these days!  I surely hope my daughters have gone beyond what they learned from me.

B. I have a couple of God-given sensitivities that I love to gratefully use. 

  1. Name-balancing--i.e., helping people choose first names that harmonize nicely with the surname both    sonically and rhythmically. For example, Carolee Moncur, Carver McAdam, Melody Mason, Benjamin Barnes,  Brandon Teed, Mary McKay. It's very satisfying!

  2. Assessing good / great paintings:  what elements make them good or great

C.Varicose veins (that is, hereditary weakness of the valves that return blood from the limbs to the heart) run in our family, and I have 'em, big-time.  They drove my great-grandfather Sam Bartlett off the high seas; they bothered my mother. I keep mine in check.  But they are part of that chunky Bartlett physique--beware! (However, the anesthesiologist has no problem finding a good vein for a jab.)

D. Oh, and I guess I could mention some allergies. Deloy is desperately allergic to cat fur and less severely to mushrooms. Nothing else seems to bother him. I have been told I am NOW allergic to wheat and milk:, which definitely do produce physical reactions.