Deborah Cooke: Author

I almost forgot that I’d promised to introduce you all to Herman. Here he is:

Herman was a gift from Elsie. Elsie has written to me in the past, but we’d never met in person before. It was fun to meet her, especially as we later had the chance to have a good talk about books and authors. Thank you, Elsie!

Elsie thought the moose was appropriate because I live in Canada. While it’s true that there are moose in Canada, there aren’t many in my vicinity. That’s because it’s too dry here – moose love the muck of bogs and swamps. So, Herman is standing beneath a print by Ann McCall (it’s called “Luminescence”) which reminds me of the light in the north, where moose do tend to hang out. Maybe it will keep him from getting homesick!

Something Elsie didn’t know is this: when I was a kid, my dad used to tease me that the plural of “moose” had to be “meese” – like “goose” and “geese” – and then challenge me to persuade him otherwise. This is an argument that can never be won – or lost – since “moose” is a unique construct in English. We went ’round and ’round and ’round. If nothing else, it shows that I come by my need to argue about – or debate or discuss – language and grammar quite naturally. Moose are quite welcome in my office, as a result. (The real ones can stay in the swamps, though.)

I can guess what my dad is going to say when he sees Herman!

So, now you’ve met the new arrival. Many thanks to Elsie – both for Herman and the conversation. 🙂