That Mystery Floating Alongside

-
Image
  “The side of the ship made an opaque belt of shadow on the darkling glassy shimmer of the sea. But I saw at once something elongated and pale floating very close to the ladder. Before I could form a guess a faint flash of phosphorescent light, which seemed to issue suddenly from the naked body of a man, flickered in the sleeping water with the elusive, silent play of summer lightning in a night sky. With a gasp I saw revealed to my stare a pair of feet, the long legs, a broad livid back immersed right up to the neck in a greenish cadaverous glow. One hand, awash, clutched the bottom rung of the ladder. He was complete but for the head. A headless corpse! The cigar dropped out of my gaping mouth with a tiny plop and a short hiss quite audible in the absolute stillness of all things under heaven. At that I suppose he raised up his face, a dimly pale oval in the shadow of the ship’s side. But even then I could only barely make out down there the shape of his black-haired head. Howev...

The Game's Afoot!

-
Many who follow us on social media notice from time to time a photograph of this fellow in some very strange places. I suppose now is a good time (as any) to explain:


After moving into our new our new home, this gnome was adopted into the family. Someone came up with the idea to "hide the gnome" so he tends to disappear from time to time. When he is discovered, that person posts a photograph on social media, tagging all players of the game. On rare occasions, visiting friends may discover him.

There is a trick, however. When he is discovered and photographed and posted online, the finder must immediately hide him again. This is a challenge when there are so many family members in the house at any given time--and the more people there are, the more cautious one must be. If he is not found after one week, he is placed in an agreed-upon "home base," which signals everyone that he has successfully remained undiscovered for that period of time.

It's fun for our family and friends! So if you come to the house, you are invited to play--just don't tell anyone. If you find him, snap a pic, post online and tag our family. This is our signal that the game is afoot!

Popular posts from this blog

Rock Me, Epictetus!

-
Image
“Keep constant guard over your perceptions, for it is no small thing you are protecting, but your respect, trustworthiness and steadiness, peace of mind, freedom from pain and fear, in a word your freedom. For what would you sell these things?” EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.3.6 b –8 
Read more

The Smooth-flowing Life

-
Image
Legend has it that the astronomer Ptolemy (1st century A.D.) suggested that falling stars were caused by the gods moving in the heavens, thus knocking stars out of their places. Somehow people reasoned that that if the gods were moving, they must be getting close to earth so they would lift their "prayers" or "wishes" (literally, "desires") whenever they saw the stars falling in hopes the gods would notice and grant a favorable answer. But how does one wish on falling star? Once you see it, it's gone before the wish or prayer can be made! The answer is simple: meteor shower. That's how to get your wish. Mrs. Ann Hodges had a wish fall right into her lap. Sort of. In 1954 Mrs. Hodges was sleeping on the couch when a 8 1/2 pound meteorite fell through her house and into her living room where it bounced off the radio and struck her left hip leaving her with a bruise. Not sure what she was wishing, but that's not how to do it. Epictetus hel...
Read more