FIVE SECOND STORIES

 

Dandelion season is peaking. I had a fairly good crop and hopefully, provided some much needed food for our neighborhood bees. Unfortunately, several neighbors spray to eliminate the dandelions thus reducing the amount of available food. Ann Arbor and East Lansing officially mandated "no-mow May" in their jurisdictions this year to try and encourage a trend. Popular, engrained aesthetics concerning lawns, however, are hard to change. 

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The curmudgeon gardener: the day had turned humid, some-thing not experienced in many months. Radar showed rain but other than a few audible drops, nothing. "Dammit, if you are going to go this way, then rain all ready. Stop pissing around!"

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I came across this 1969 cartoon on YT. Dick Dastardly bears a resemblance to Snidely Whiplash from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which ran from 1959-1964:

Dick's canine partner in crime, Muttley didn't talk. He had 2 vocalizations: a raspy "heh, heh, heh" generally used to underscore some evil deed or a sotto voce cursing "snazza frazza rashin' fashin' ". I remember these Muttley's mutterings were widely mimicked by my high school classmates in conversation.

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The other night a friend of ours who was raised in a Ultra-Orthodox Jewish household in NYC, was relating a tale of a young woman she knew. Writing is forbidden on Shabbat (Saturday sabbath) and this woman, as a test for her suitors, would see how they managed playing a game that normally involving writing. 

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We were watching a show about donkeys and a term came up that we had not encountered: skewbald in describing the color of their coats. There is a relationship with piebald: The piebald horse is one with large, non-uniform patches of black or white on their coats – that is, those two colors exclusively. Skewbald horses, then, encompass the rest of the spectrum, having coats of white and any other color. These are British terms referring to both donkeys and horses.

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Little Caesar Pizza execs consult their Hamster Oracle for divine guidance for marketing.

When the Oracle dances (or busts a move), it's time to re-release their limited time pretzel crust pizza. The execs burst into ecstatic joy (and forehead mopping) as their wish was granted. They didn't even have to offer goat sacrifices for a sign.

This crazy thing appeared while I was watching the X-Files. 

I was a big fan of the show back in the days when people still bonded throughout society over TV shows. You either dug the X Files or you didn't. I've been re-watching the series from the start. What strikes me is that it's all about monsters and points back to comic books and grade B movies from the late 40's and 50's. A meld of that classic solid-jawed hero who is very smart, tough when he needs to be, a bit naive and very forthright and earnest. And good looking. By his side is a very smart gal who serves as a grounding force (science and a dose of skepticism). Also good looking. Together, our intrepid duo take on monsters of many stripes: evolutionary earth biological anomalies, aliens, freaks, the Establishment whether it's the government, cops, scientific community or a cabal of evil rich white guys. Inner monsters as well. It's a curious thing to watch with today's lens in respect to one of the show's taglines was "the truth is out there", in our current period where the "truth" is nebulous at best and constantly questioned. Such innocent times.

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From the latter part of the 19th Century well into the 20th in our country, teachers were prohibited from marriage. They were forbidden to be in the presence of men without an escort lest they stray. It was one part morality: anyone teaching the country's young had to exhibit proper behavior by women dictated by society. Churchgoing was mandatory. There was a practical side as well (at least in the view of the employers): they were sick of hiring a woman who would bail in the middle of their contract because they fell in love, got married and/or got pregnant. (The thought of a visibly pregnant woman teaching kids was officially revulsive) By 1900, 75% of teaching positions were held by women and of course, the administrators were overwhelming male. 

At first thought, one considers how backward this was. Sadly, this prejudice against women and pregnancy is still wide-spread. Just the other day the Times had articles about women still having to fight to obtain/retain employment in the face of bosses (generally male) who make it clear that their career is jeopardized if they get pregnant. Capitalism still trumps motherhood in America.

 

 

Piebald and Skewbald: The piebald horse is one with large, non-uniform patches of black or white on their coats – that is, those two colors exclusively. Skewbald horses, then, encompass the rest of the spectrum, having coats of white and any other color.Piebald and Skewbald: The piebald horse is one with large, non-uniform patches of black or white on their coats – that is, those two colors exclusively. Skewbald horses, then, encompass the rest of the spectrum, having coats of white and any other color.Piebald and Skewbald: The piebald horse is one with large, non-uniform patches of black or white on their coats – that is, those two colors exclusively. Skewbald horses, then, encompass the rest of the spectrum, having coats of white and any other color.

Piebald and Skewbald: The piebald horse is one with large, non-uniform patches of black or white on their coats – that is, those two colors exclusively. Skewbald horses, then, encompass the rest of the spectrum, having coats of white and any other color.Piebald and Skewbald: The piebald horse is one with large, non-uniform patches of black or white on their coats – that is, those two colors exclusively. Skewbald horses, then, encompass the rest of the spectrum, having coats of white and any other color.