Readers and writers blog

A weblog called Small and Big measures up well in both dimensions: The little whimsies are entertaining and sometimes downright funny, and the poetry and philosophy can be grand.

The author, who identifies herself only by name, P.L. Frederick, writes in her April 11, 2007, entry about waking up on a cold morning from the following dream:

A pink angel-fairy woman about the length of a baby hovers, Tinkerbell style. Her gentle but sure voice explains any number of truths to me, now forgotten. All but one — a memory of a memory echoes deep in my ear. It is the last thing she said before I awoke to warm cozy green flannel sheets. ‘Even mathematics cares,’ she says. ‘The whole world, it cares for you. It loves and it waits and there will come a day when humanity discovers that even mathematics cares.’

Eyes looking up to a painted white ceiling, I let the first and the last three words swirl within me. ‘Even mathematics cares,’ I whisper over and over, nourished by two promises. The first, that infinite numbers, tall quiet pine trees, flying red kites, and even weapons care for us. And the second that, some day, this will be commonly known by all persons.

Or consider the following poem, part of a collection called “Two Liners” in her blog’s first entry, Aug. 15, 2006:

We slip away
light as day.

There’s a lot of poetry in Small and Big, subtitled “Ways to Use Up the Alphabet” with the word ‘Up’ elevated from the line, and also a lot of cartoons, jokes, wordplays and illustrations as well as tidbits the author has found on the Internet and a variety of community events she thinks might be helpful to readers.

Although she gives us only her name — if P.L. Frederick in fact is her name — we surmise from reading her blog that she’s married (at least she lists as her ‘better half’ someone named Pablo, which we will accept on face value), is in her 60s (born during World War II) and lives in the Boston area. We say area, not city, because her June 26, 2007, entry is a review of a brochure left after her septic tank was serviced.

The black and white tri-fold photocopy concerns the use and enjoyment of the Septic Tank. It’s got it all, and starts off with a bang.

Good bacteria helps break down ’solids.’
Anti-bacterial soap kills good bacteria.

See how the Good Guy Bad Guy moralistic setup occurs straight off? I like that. There’s not a lot of space on an 8.5″x11″ document to dilly-dally.

Things quickly get hot and heavy, with:

Anti-bacterial soap can wreck a septic system.

A long running family feud between the Anti-bacterials and the Septics makes a gripping read — just look at the Montagues and the Capulets in Romeo and Juliet. There’s trouble a-brewin’. It’s called conflict and it doesn’t end there.

‘Solids’ never break down 100%.

. . . In all, I rate the action-packed brochure 3.5 stars out of 4. My single gripe is that the brochure is evasive about what, exactly, ’solids’ are. Great mystery remains even after reading all six panels. I feel like I’m left dangling.

One of her favorite pastimes is redefining words. What does ‘morals’ mean? “To need more L’s.” Pigment? “The other white concrete.” Oh, and here’s her No. 1 pick on a list of 25 favorite cartoons.

If you didn’t click the link, it’s to her May 27, 2007, entry showing a Gary Larson cartoon. A chunky kid with plaid trousers and a large book in his hand is pushing as hard as he can against a door clearly labeled ‘pull.’ The door leads into a building identified by a large sign as ‘Midvale School for the Gifted.’

Speaking of gifts, perhaps P.L. Frederick’s best is the ability to turn a small phrase into something more: In her Nov. 28, 2006, entry, she describes taking a cheese-tasting class with Pablo only to find both are repelled by the stench of the selections. She has to look away from Pablo “so I won’t laugh and take cheese air into my mouth.”

Or her March 22, 2007, description of a favorite kitchen appliance that has now grown old: “The once-white refrigerator I inherited with the house bravely soldiers on, refusing to be stood out behind the barn with a cigarette in its mouth and shot.”

One caveat: Small and Big has no archives, so you have to scroll back screen-by-screen — on our browser, 14 screens — to get to the blog’s earliest posts. Still, we gladly add it to our blogroll of well-written sites.

– Sid Leavitt