Responding to a challenge: Five things in my wardrobe that I wouldn't be without.

Writing this in response to Pierre who thought I wouldn't. Originally it was supposed to be titled "Meme." I looked up that word though and discovered that Richard Dawkins coined it and that it is very evolutionary in its origin and meaning. Thus I ditched that title. OK, on with the list.

1. Underwear - I am not Jesse Ventura. I don't go commando. Pierre does though. Check his list. See underwear? Didn't think so.

2. Shoes - I walk across the house without shoes and my legs hurt all the way up. If I'm gonna walk or be on my feet some kind of footwear is essential.

3. Belt and pants - While I wear underwear I don't like to show it off. Droopy drawers look kind of cute on a kid but are absolutely gross on anyone over five. Besides, there has to be somewhere to hang the...

4. Handgun - Never leave home without it. I prefer a Glock 27 for casual wear. Small but it's still a .40 cal and has ten rounds if you count the one in chamber. I highly recommend that everyone consider this item. Extra ammo is also a consideration.

5. Baseball jersey, sweatshirt, jacket, or fleece - To conceal aforementioned handgun.

Here are the rules from Pierre's blog:

Title your post- Meme: Five things in my wardrobe that I wouldn't be without. [Edit: Since this is a blog title, please use proper capitalization. Thank you.]
Tell us who linked you.
List your 5 wardrobe items.
Paste these rules at the bottom.
Tag 2 or 3 others to join in the fun!

So I broke the title one. Told you who asked me to do this. Wrote the list. Pasted the rules. Gonna have to break the last one. I know, it'll break the chain and bring me bad luck. I like to live on the edge though.

Book review - Old Fuss and Feathers.

After reading Zachary Taylor's campaign biography I decided to tackle something on Winfield Scott next. Old Fuss and Feathers by Arthur D. Howden Smith was published in 1937 and runs for 376 interesting pages.

The book is well written and moves along well as it covers Scott's life from birth to death. The author presents a very realistic picture of his subject. General Scott's strengths and flaws are mentioned and explained. While his shortcomings are not minimized he still comes across as a great man who almost lives up to his own ambitions and expectations.

Being familiar with Scott's connection with the Civil War and somewhat with his deeds in Mexico I was particularly interested in his early service. I was unaware that he was a lawyer prior to entering the military. His service on the Canadian border during the war of 1812 was well detailed in the book and was the springboard for his later career.

I found Mr. Smith's assessment of Scott as a good regular army general who distrusted volunteers to be interesting. In part this accounted for his clashes with Andrew Jackson and Zachary Taylor. The clashes also sprang from each man's ambitions and from political differences with Jackson.

Old Fuss and Feathers was an easy and informative read. The one drawback was the lack of documentation and footnotes. Still, Arthur D. Howden Smith deserves and thumb and half up on this interesting book.