Thanksgiving Day, a function which originated in New England two or three centuries ago when those people recognized that they really had something to be thankful for — annually, not oftener — if they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians, during the previous twelve months instead of getting exterminated by their neighbors, the Indians. Thanksgiving Day became a habit, for the reason that in the course of time, as the years drifted on, it was perceived that the exterminating had ceased to be mutual and was all on the white man’s side, consequently on the Lord’s side; hence it was proper to thank the Lord for it and extend the usual annual compliments. — Mark Twain
It’s the oldest story ever and came from the land of sand and the women
with only eyes for you. It’s in there, the genie of everything, but you have to
find him and figure out how to let him out. He seems fussy but if you keep it
simple and use your head he pops up like a daisy. Then he’s out and you have to
figure out what to do with him. Granpa says he’s some kind of wonderful but as
dumb as a stump, just like all of us. He can do anything but doesn’t know what
to do on his own. He needs guiding.
The lamp is always hidden in plain sight
he says. Men go prospecting all over the landscape for the easy riches but
they’re generally lying right there on the ground for you to step over in your
hurry and scurry to look for them. Granpa points to the men through the door of
the grog shop and they’re playing cards and Granpa says what good would it do
for them to find the riches anyway.
In the library Granpa takes the books down
from the high shelves that kids aren’t meant to get at because the words in
them are too dear to waste on such as us. He told me to run my hands over the
cloth on the cover to see if it was the real deal inside. They don’t waste the
real nubbly cloth on the fakers.
The lady at the desk didn’t like it but
Granpa shushed her and we went home and opened that genie book but only so far.
A book is like a man, Granpa says. You have to hold them both in respect. You
can only bend a book or a man so far until they can’t take it no more and then
their back breaks.
Granpa says there’s lots of men been bent
back too far nowadays. They got told the only thing they could do didn’t need
doing anymore, and it broke them open and their hearts fell right out. They try
to fill the hole with all sorts of things but nothing suits.
People act like thieves in reverse and put
the broken books back on the shelf like nothing happened, but you can always
tell because neither a man or a book can ever stand up straight any more after
that.
Granpa said a body only needs a crust of
bread today, it’s true, but without at least the hope of a loaf tomorrow you’re
a goner. Scheherezade told that Sultan all those stories night after night and
it kept her alive and me too.
[Update: Many thanks to Thomas M. for his generous contribution to our PayPal tipjar, and for the message he sent along with it. It is very much appreciated]
[Additional Update: Many thanks to our friend Julie C. from Florida for buying my boy’s Go! Go! Go! song, and leaving a big, fat tip. It is much appreciated]
[Yet More Updates: Many thanks to Philip M. for buying the boys’ song, and for leaving a big, fat tip. It is much appreciated]
Month: November 2016
sippicancottage
A Man Who Has Nothing In Particular To Recommend Him Discusses All Sorts of Subjects at Random as Though He Knew Everything.
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