Sicily is rich soil for stories, and many writers have come from that island — including Leonardo Sciascia, whom I write about today. For my column — a series of notes — go here. “A break away from the everyday,” to borrow an old ad slogan.

Let’s have a little mail. In an Impromptus last week, I had a language item, saying this:

Can one person “regroup”? I don’t think so. This article — also about golf [I had cited another one] — says, “On the verge of kicking away what at one point seemed inevitable, the 47th victory of his senior career, Langer somehow regrouped at the 18th hole by holing a 35-foot birdie putt . . .”

No, I don’t think so. Need a group to regroup, I think.

A reader writes,

Mr. Nordlinger,

I very much enjoy reading your columns. Don’t believe that I’ve ever written to you about one.

While the column of 27 Nov. had much to comment on, I wanted to ask about alternatives to an individual’s ability to “regroup.” You didn’t offer an alternative. I thought maybe Langer could have “composed” himself. I’d be very interested in your opinion.

Seems like a insignificant thing from a column which had earlier addressed pogroms, but sometimes it’s nice to focus on the less consequential.

“Composed himself,” yes. “Gathered himself.” “Got it together.”

The sentence in question, I might have written like this: “On the verge of kicking away what at one point seemed inevitable, the 47th victory of his senior career, Langer managed to hole a 35-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole.”

Or like this: “On the verge of kicking away what at one point seemed inevitable . . . Langer saved the day by holing . . .”

We could keep going, but let me turn to another matter having to do with sports — I mean, sports without language. A week and a half ago, I recorded a sportscast with my regular gurus David French and Vivek Dave. We discussed, as I mentioned here on the Corner, the professionalization of college football (with the avalanche of money, and the hopping from one team to another, etc.).

Well, over the weekend, this story caught my eye: “Andrew Luck hired as general manager of Stanford’s football program.” That is a professional-sports position for sure: general manager.

A reader writes,

Hi, Jay,

. . . May I trouble you to identify the theme music for your Q&A podcast?

Of course. It’s the last movement, Allegro maestoso, of the Symphony No. 5, “Heroic,” by Glazunov, in the (unmatched) recording of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by José Serebrier.

In a recent Impromptus, I shared some photos snapped in Central Park and asked, “If we say ‘spring has sprung,’ do we also say that ‘fall has fallen’?” A reader writes,

Growing up in Minnesota, I learned from my friends the following version: “Spring has sprung, fall has fell. / Winter’s here, it’s cold as h***.” Such language would never have been tolerated at home!

That’s wonderful. When I was growing up, a couple states east of Minnesota, people would say “hell” in the following manner: “h–e–double hockey sticks.”

Thanks for the memories, and thanks to all.