Wednesday's WakkyFakts/May 6

Welcome to Wednesday’s WakkyFakts (unconventional
spelling deliberate), inspired at least in part by Storm Novello’s DIDYANOSE in Dandi Daley Mackall’s <<Blog On>> series.

Donkeys are not allowed to sleep in bathtubs in the states of Arizona and Georgia. I remember reading years ago about a similar law in Brooklyn, New York I, personally,
 can’t imagine that a donkey would even want to sleep in a bathtub.

I haven’t been able to find out whether or not a donkey may bathe in a bathtub, or sleep in a bed in those places.

Wednesday's WakkyFakts/April 29

Welcome to Wednesday’s WakkyFakts (unconventional
spelling deliberate), inspired at least in part by Storm Novello’s DIDYANOSE in Dandi Daley Mackall’s <<Blog On>> series.

This is taken from Dick Hyman’s “Cockeyed Americana,” but presented in
my own words.

It is against the law in Tucson, Arizona for a visiting football team to score against the Arizona Wildcats. The penalty for doing so is a $300 fine, or at least three months imprisonment. [In other words, it’s against the law for the visiting players to play like a normal football team.]
I certainly hope that this law was either enacted as a joke, or has been repealed. After all, it doesn’t seem very sporting.

Wednesday's WakkyFakts

Welcome to Wednesday’s WakkyFakts (unconventional
spelling deliberate), inspired at least in part by Storm Novello’s DIDYANOSE in Dandi Daley Mackall’s <<Blog On>> series.

This week's WakkyFakts come from Loony Laws and Silly Statutes, by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts, but re-written in my own words. The parts in brackets, however, are 100% mine, and were
not taken from the book.

Marblehead, Massachusetts prohibits its citizens from crossing the street on Sunday unless it is absolutely necessary.
[Does going to church count as necessary?

Also in Massachusetts, a man may not shave his whiskers while driving.
[But is he allowed to shave his head, or another man’s whiskers?]

It’s against Canadian law to board a plane that is in flight.
[I think it would also be somewhat difficult!]

Wednesday's WakkyFakts/April 15

Welcome to Wednesday’s WakkyFakts (unconventional
spelling deliberate), inspired at least in part by Storm Novello’s DIDYANOSE in Dandi Daley Mackall’s <<Blog On>> series.

I found this week's WakkyFakt in several places, and am
presenting it in my own words.
The first escalator wasn't installed in a train station or
a department store, and was not meant to be utilitarian.
It was meant to be fun.
The first escalator was a ride in Coney Island.

I was unaware of this when I wrote the following story in
December, 2023.

A Substitute

After seven trips up and down on the department store escalators,
Melrose reluctantly got off for the last time, thinking to himself
that it had been almost, almost as much fun as the
amusement park rides he couldn't afford to go on.

Adapting A Game

This is taken, slightly edited, from one of my old blogs.
 For anyone unfamiliar with the Pollyanna books or movies, {there have been several film adaptations}the idea of the Glad Game is to find something to be glad about when things go wrong, or if you don't like the situation you're in. Hate Mondays? Well, according to Pollyanna, you can be glad because it'll be a whole week before you have another one. {In the Disney movie, "Monday" was changed to "Sunday.}

 The basic premise of the Glad Game is good, as far as it goes. The problem, however, is that before you can play it, there has to be something wrong. Pollyanna herself points this out in Pollyanna Grows Up. "Always, before, there have been bad things for folks to play the game on, and the badder they are the more fun 'tis to get them out-find the things to be glad for, I mean. But where there aren't any bad things, I shouldn't know how to play the game myself."

 So I decided to make my own adaptation of the Game. Instead of looking for things to be glad about, I look for things to be thankful for, and to thank God for WHATEVER happens, good or bad. This helps make the bad things seem not quite so bad. Even better, it helps me to notice the good things, the little, everyday blessings.

Wednesday's Wakkyfakts-April 1

Welcome to Wednesday’s WakkyFakts (unconventional
spelling deliberate), inspired at least in part by Storm Novello’s DIDYANOSE in Dandi Daley Mackall’s <<Blog On>> series.

I found these laws pertaining to food online. I’m presenting them in my own words. All comments in italics are mine.

These are from delish.com.

In Alabama, you are not allowed to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket.
What about my front pocket?

According to the law in Idaho, a man may not give his sweetheart a box of candy that weighs less than fifty pounds.
So could he give her, say, a pound of candy in a forty-nine pound box?

People in Chicago, Illinois are forbidden to eat in places that are on fire.
But can they take it to go?

These two come from ranker.com.

In Oklahoma, it’s illegal to take a bite out of someone else’s hamburger.
I wouldn’t want to, anyway, unless I took the very first bite.

Also, people in downtown Oklahoma City may not eat hamburgers and walk backwards at the same time.
Only hamburgers?

My New Handy, All-Purpose Word

In Ethelyn M. Parkinson's children's novel, Never Go Anywhere With Digby, another book I plan to re-read soon, the main character and his friends use "vivid" as their handy, all-purpose word. The idea of having such a word appealed to me, and for several years I used "vivid" in that way on my old blog.
Well, now that I have this new blog, I've decided to also have a new word, and that word is spicy. 
But I will NOT be changing the name of this blog to My Spicy Blog, because that might make people think it has adult content, or is about actual spices! 

 I used "vivid" only on my old blog, but I plan to use "spicy" in person as well.
And sometimes, when I'm talking or blogging about food, "spicy" may actually mean "spicy!"

Yes, I think having a handy, all-purpose word is a very spicy idea!
   

A Squirrelly Post

I've just learned that today is National Squirrel Day, so here are some things I want to share:

In the extremely funny, and also thought-provoking children's book, "Me And The Weirdos," by Jane Sutton, the main character's mother calls herself Squirrel.  I plan to re-read this book in the near future

When I was a little girl, I had this record by The Nutty Squirrels, which I played over and over. Drove my Mom crazy! (Or should I say "nutty?")

And I've always loved this poem, which was written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and is in the public domain.

Fable

The mountain and the squirrel  

Had a quarrel;  

And the former called the latter ‘Little Prig.’

Bun replied,  

‘You are doubtless very big;         

But all sorts of things and weather  

Must be taken in together,  

To make up a year  

And a sphere.  

And I think it no disgrace  

To occupy my place.  

If I'm not so large as you,  

You are not so small as I,  

And not half so spry.  

I'll not deny you make  

A very pretty squirrel track;  

Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;  

If I cannot carry forests on my back,  

Neither can you crack a nut.’

  

And I Thought I Was A Reader!

I’ve always thought of myself as a reader, and a voracious, insatiable reader at that. But I have to admit that Storm Novelo, a character in Dandi Daley Mackall’s “Blog On” series, out-reads me by a gazillion-bazillion-mazillion!

I read books, magazines, online articles, and things of that sort. Storm reads all these things as well, but she also reads, to quote from “storm rising”:

“encyclopedias, hospital brochures, bulletin boards, medical sites on the Internet…cereal boxes, car instruction manuals, labels on household cleaning products, and the fine print on everything.”

Inspired by Storm, I started doing that when I had the blog where this post was originally published … reading things like boxes, packages, and labels, and I’ve decided to start reading them again. I haven’t done so lately.

And once in a while, I will review a box, a package, or a label, or reprint a review from the old blog.
So don’t be surprised if you see a post with the words, “I read a great label today!”