Darwin Doorbooger patrols the index of time, event horizon and memory along the pumphouse door sill and sidereal mentation. I rely on him a lot and am glad I didn't mash him years ago.
During a 1948 speech by Harry Truman in Bremerton, Washington, a supporter famously yelled, "Give 'em hell, Harry!"
Four years later, my father recounted the quote at the supper table and I was enthralled. I asked, "Daddy, what did Hairy say?"
"Hmmm. Something like, 'that's what I'm going to do'."
"And he got to be President, right?"
"Yes, son. Still is. President Harry Truman."
"Don't he have a middle name?"
" Just 'S."
I was pitched into deep thought, even for a pre-literate child. Hairy Ass Truman? Sounded to me like one dangerously tough guy --if his parents named him Hairy Ass...
But Darwin Doorbooger gently interrupted. "Geo., I just turned around and looked at the padlock. It's a long crawl down and, happily for you, this doorway isn't getting any shorter. Oh yeah, and neither one of us is a toad, ok?"
"Aw, ok."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's move on to the weird stuff, Geo. On to the 60s when Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty started cross-dressing and waging 'undeclared wars' and piloting international belligerence."
"Can't we skip that part, Darwin, please?"
"Only if you play the song --you know, the SONG!"
"Ok."
Roger Miller, "My Uncle used to love me but she died"
"OK! Now tell what you just went through."
"Dear Readers, Youtube changed all the stuff you have to do to put a clip on Blogger, overnight. It took me a whole bottle of pinot noir and ALL my native savvy to untangle their improvement. I went to Youtube, found Roger and did all the usual things. Didn't work. However, if you find yourself in a similar position, take heed of the Blogger icon on their "share" bit. Hit that and you'll make progress. I forget a lot of what I did and all of what I said but believe success was mine. We'll know for sure when I hit "publish".
Darwin got tired of waiting and hopped off to eat bugs.
And, everybody, keep on the sunny side.
Both my brain cells hurt with the improvements going on in the world.
ReplyDeleteYou, your savvy and the pinot noir were an outstanding success (not forgetting Darwin).
I hope your sunny side is healthy too.
Dear EC, Thanks. I was going for the US National Anthem but Roger Miller's influence is still working his mischief.
DeleteUh, yeah.
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree, Bruce, with whatever I was raving at. Just got off pain meds.
DeleteHairy Ass Truman was not liked while in office but became known as a great President later on. Other than dropping two devastating A bombs that changed the world, I don’t know too much about him or what else he did. I remember the simple “I Like Ike” tv commercials and wish we could return to that type of positive message. People liked him regardless of party. He was a hero and smiled a lot.
ReplyDeleteI hate technical change. Improved never means easier.
Take care, Geo, and let us all try to keep on the sunny side. That song started my day off just right.
It was in many ways a simpler, more manageable time, Arleen --but decidedly filled with fears and powers that changed the world. Glad you enjoyed song --a favorite of mine.
DeleteIt's interesting that FDR was not at all in favor of him as a running mate. Harry Hopkins et. al, convinced him, though he probably might have made an easy win anyhow. Harry tried to keep some of the same cabinet; it was wartime and they were up to date, but many were so set in FDR's ways, and Truman's were so different in not only philosophy but in less reliance on diplomacy than military intervention. WW2 was working, Truman thought, and it should be brought to an end miliarily. Also, there was the Soviet question....how much do we cede to them? Complex times.
DeleteDear Mike, there are so many calculated calamities, unknowns accepted because they sounded reasonable at the time, after which survivors can say, "well that worked", and I'm reminded we still indulge in pain incited by pain, threat in response to threat. Paul Virilio wrote:“Bombe atomique hier, bombe informatique aujourd'hui et, demain, bombe génétique?” --a question that really asks if we can improve our lives, countries, by modifying ourselves. Complex times indeed.
DeleteYou keep on the sunny side too Geo.....you and Daarwin...may he find tasty bugs for lunch and may you get healthy again soon. Stay away from technological improvements whenever possible, they are destroying the earth.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Delores, my friendship with Darwin has saved us both from getting mashed in door jambs.
DeleteYou know I never thought about it but I could suddenly read when Ike was President. Coincidence?
ReplyDeleteTruly a benefit of capable leadership. In 1955 we named our pet turtle after him --a high honor. Yes, I too suspect an important coincidence was at work back then. Thanks for pointing it out and, Emma, happy birthday!
DeleteThank you for the birthday wishes. My uncle was an ardent Ike supporter. He named his first son Dwight David.
DeleteIf only the world were as simple and joyful as a Roger Miller tune. No one can resist smiling at his stuff. (Okay, well, I can't, anyway.)
ReplyDeleteNot sure, but I think Hairy Ass was in a movie with Clint Eastwood, :)
Stay on the sunny side, dude.
Dear Susan: Maybe Dirty Hairy Ass was Dirty Harry's unhygienic twin. I believe our continuation as a species depends on a few points brought up by (memory fails me) Bertrand Russell or Crane Brinton in an essay I read in the late 1960s, "Coexistence or No Existence". You get the idea: humans need to behave themselves, not least because they are the whole definition of humanity.
DeleteI too choose the sunny side.
The Hairy Ass I was thinking about was the orangutan who stole Ruth Gordon's Oreo cookies in "Every Which Way But Loose." ("Scrap the Caddie, Clyde!")
DeleteWhether it was Russell or Brinton who wrote that essay, he was one smart dude. Kinda like a certain gardener I know. Be well, certain gardener dude.
Geo, I'm checking back in because you left such a sweet, heartfelt message. I won't rant about blogger - not enough space here. I'll just say that I really care about and appreciate you. I keep thinking about your caring, wise words. Would love to send a personal message. I'm afraid I'm not finding your email address. Will keep hunting for it. If you find the energy and time, feel free to message me at Rawknrobyn@aol.com. Thank you. I'm taking this post, your advice regarding the sunny side, and the fact that you're finally off of pain meds as an altogether good sign. Love and healing thoughts.
ReplyDeleteDear Robyn, sent email address 5 minutes ago. Hope you receive it, despite my late-night inaccuracies. I would welcome correspondence. Thanks for your kindness and caring --and your strong abundance of humor.
DeleteI cannot believe the thought occurred to you to 'mash him'. Such a friendly little fellow, too. Still, as we are not our bodies, emotions or thoughts - in whatever order you like - I can only suppose some 'horrible' temporarily moved into your space.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you writing here and, presumably, over your recent experience of the 'horribles'.
I'm mending apace, Tom, but still have a ways to go. I would never intentionally mash a tree frog, but they do get into tiny places, like door jambs, the undersides of knobs and handles and I have learned to be cautious.
DeleteGood to know that about YouTube clips and Blogger. I do not drink wine so I would NEVER have figured it out! (Well, that and the fact that I'm not overly tech-y.)
ReplyDeleteI wish I had Darwin's flexibility - look at those little back legs! And he's right, neither you nor he are toads, although I do love the plaque.
I can't say wine contributes directly to technical solutions, Jenny, but it does help me cope with my incompetence until the job gets done.
DeleteAs for Darwin, those tiny legs can launch him 5 to ten feet. Tree frogs hardly weigh anything and gravity doesn't mean much to them. They are beautiful.
I'm glad you were finally able to figure out how to post the Roger Miller video because I enjoyed it. If YouTube and Blogger keep adding "improved" ways of doing things I'm going to quit in complete frustration.
ReplyDeleteI laughed when you said "Hairy Ass Truman", and - Gawd knows - I desperately need laughs lately.
Ironically, I was reading something about Truman last night - - and I suddenly asked myself (in complete ignorance) "What does the "S" stand for?? I either didn't know or couldn't remember...
Anyway, I Googled and was surprised that the S stands for nothing. But it's heartwarming to know that it was incorporated for the memory of his two grandfathers. Anderson Shipp, Solomon Young.
I don't have a middle name, or even a middle letter. Should I feel cheated?
Don't fret about not having a middle name, Jon. My own signature has long-since devolved into a loop followed by several lumps. Works fine. I didn't know the story about Truman's "S". Thanks. Good thing they left off mining initials from "Anderson Shipp, Solomon Young" where they did. 'ASSY' just wouldn't be dignified.
DeleteYou take good care of yourself, Jon. You're important to me.
We have Fred, which is what we call all our lizards. They eat bugs.
ReplyDeleteI remember "We want Ike." I was named after his gr-daughter, Susan. I learned to read in 1954, so there must be something there.
Mmmm....Pinot Noir. I remember how it tasted, how I loved it. But that was pre-migraines.
Roger Miller was delightful. Miss that sense of humor.
Dear Susan, we have lizards too but they don't climb onto my hand like tree frogs do, so I know less of their personalities. They are certainly beautiful though. I find espresso quite efficacious for migraines. And Roger Miller's humor will always have an audience --if not,well,"You Can't Roller-skate in a Buffalo Herd (but you can be happy if you've a mind to)."
DeleteI have to check for frogs around the raised beds before strimming down the weeds. Our frogs are just named Frog. They don't remember much history at all, only that they don't like the strimmer. I don't know about youtube but pinot noir seems like a perfect solution :-)
ReplyDeleteDear Lisa, even though tree frogs have little concept of history (and gravity) I find they love to climb on me. I believe this shows they know where I never use the strimmer. This could mark the evolutionary origin of affection --or religion even.
DeleteDear Geo., I took a note to my "First Aid"-List: Pinot noir - if I have to meddle with Youtube. Come to think of it: it might also help when I meddle with Apple, or other computers - very often I want to do something "quick" - and then it becomes a sort of fight, fight for my spare time. Especially infuriating are conversations with the "customer help desk" (they call themselves differently) with Apple - hours and hours to tackle a problem (I had one with importing photographs from my cellphone - NOT an i-phone, as they remarked with a bitter snide remark) - at the end - honestly, after 2 hours!! - they couldn't solve it.
ReplyDeleteBut I have, ha! Next time I'll raise a glass of Pinot Grigio to that!
Dear Brigitta, so happy to hear from you! I have an old cell phone that is only a telephone. It takes no photos. It doesn't remind me of things I must do. I have not used it for months. Norma's phone is modern, takes photos, wakes one in the morning. She sends her photos to my computer because she is technically intuitive --and yes, she likes Pinot Grigio too!
Delete