Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Tomfoolery - 12 May 2021 - Plague Journal Day 426

Micah 6:8

Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today being the birthday of Edward Lear (he of Nonsense Books fame!), we also celebrate Limerick Day! I remember watching a cartoon show (back around 1970) called the Tomfoolery Show. It featured the nonsense of Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll, and as a result I got a copy of the Nonsense Books of Edward Lear. (I believe I had already read both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by then.) What wonderful stuff is in those books.
Not only do we get the Owl and the Pussycat going to sea, but a series of Limericks that served to popularize that classical form of poetry.

I remember that in High School I discovered some "translations" of the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. This may have marked the beginning of my poetry performance career, as I declaimed Jabberwocky in French and German in the band rehearsal room. Good times indeed.


In completely unrelated fashion, today is also National Root Canal Appreciation Day. One day many years ago I was called upon to assist at an emergency root canal procedure. I can still remember every bit of it, and would feel confident in doing so again, should the need ever arise. Just remember - if your tooth needs its roots reamed out, I'm standing ready to assist your actual, trained dental professional.

There once was a tooth causing pain,
The root of which could not remain,
We drilled and we reamed
While effluvia steamed
And our patient we had to restrain.

You're welcome.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

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