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Musings
of a Senior Scribe
The
Earl and the Bored Kiddies
By Mona Lease
I
was talking to my Mom the other
day. We were discussing (OK - maybe leave off the "dis") the fact
that television has nothing - OK; little, to offer. I personally view
Netflix.
She prefers cable.
We
reminisced about the "good
ole shows." I could
not remember
the name of my all time favorite show. Then the phone line went dead. I
redialed and the line was busy.
I
went to the computer and finally
found my show. It was Jack Palance hosting Ripley's Believe It or Not.
It aired
!982-1986. For old times' sake, I clicked on the first episode listed.
It
seems that Earl Montague was a
"no good luck" kind of guy. You know; everything he was involved in,
failed. Rumor has it he cost his country (England) a war; namely the
American
Revolution. For a while he had a small chain of islands named after
him. We
know them today as the Hawaiian Islands. While he did not do anything
spectacular to achieve personal immortality - we invoke his "name"
everyday.
Legend
has it that this guy was a
gambling addict. Marathon games of Whist or Cribbage were the norm.
They went
on for days at a time. He would refuse to leave the table. August 16,
1762
found him so hungry he yelled at his manservant to get him something to
eat.
The request? - "Just put some roasted meat between two slices of bread
and
bring it to me." And
with that -
The "Earl of Sandwich" was born.
Lately,
there have been a lot of
what I would call "boredom crimes." Make no mistake - these are
crimes. And should be dealt with as such. But when a pop machine is
vandalized
(only the money is gone), air chucks on outside air hoses are cracked,
air is
let out of tires, or a valve stem is broken; in my mind the pettiness
of these incidents
screams - "I am bored." Seriously, only the money was taken? The
whole machine could have been broken if "destruction" was the true
intent. The window was "cracked?" Again, why not smashed? I believe
they are "attention- getters." A way of saying - "Do you see me
now?"
Straight
up - If you doubt the
credibility of my theory; test it. If you're sitting outside; point the
chair
in a direction that small stone or twigs will not be a problem. Or use
golf
balls. Pick out a tree, stump, or use an open, empty garbage can or
other
container. Choose some distance from the "target" and see who can hit
it the most.
To
me, this is perfect. You do not
have to leave the chair or put down the Pepsi, Tea, or Beer. The
kiddies will
willingly retrieve the "ammunition." I have not seen this fail yet.
When the weather turns ugly, try tossing cards into an upside down hat
on the
coffee table. This is good "hand-eye coordination" practice, too.
Putting
this together - We can be
remembered for a "sandwich" or possibly "training up a
child" in a way that could bring lasting, "for real change."
Remember
the kiddies and our
service people. Be good to the furry and feathered ones out there. Be
safe and
healthy. Ever Toodles!! MONA
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