HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, ROSA PARKS!

As the bus Rosa was riding continued on its route, it began to fill with white passengers. Eventually, the bus was full and the driver noticed that several white passengers were standing in the aisle. He stopped the bus and moved the sign separating the two sections back one row and asked four black passengers to give up their seats. Three complied, but Rosa refused and remained seated. The driver demanded, "Why don't you stand up?" to which Rosa replied, "I don't think I should have to stand up." The driver called the police and had her arrested. Later, Rosa recalled that her refusal wasn't because she was physically tired, but that she was tired of giving in.

Read the biography and watch the video. Rosa Parks was a courageous and determined woman, who changed our world.

MY MORNING...

What's worse than running a series of boring errands?  Visiting the dentist before running the errands.

Q: What did the dentist get for an award?

A: A little plaque.

 

Image from ExpertDentist. Click on the picture for the larger view.

LIGHTS OUT!

 

HOLY MOLEY, BATMAN!

NORWEGIAN FIRE DEPARTMENT

One dark night outside a small town in Minnesota , a fire started inside the local chemical plant and in a blink of an eye it exploded into massive flames. The alarm went out to all the fire departments for miles around.

When the volunteer fire fighters appeared on the scene, the chemical company president rushed to the fire chief and said, "All our secret formulas are in the vault in the center of the plant. They must be saved. I will give $50,000 to the fire department that brings them out intact."

But the roaring flames held the firefighters off.

Soon more fire departments had to be called in as the situation became desperate. As the firemen arrived, the president shouted out that the offer was now $100,000 to the fire department who could bring out the company's secret files.

From the distance, a lone siren was heard as another fire truck came into sight It was the nearby Norwegian rural township volunteer fire company composed mainly of Norwegians over the age of 65. To everyone's amazement, that little run-down fire engine roared right past all the newer sleek engines that were parked outside the plant.

Without even slowing down it drove straight into the middle of the inferno. Outside, the other firemen watched as the Norwegian old timers jumped off right in the middle of the fire fought it back on all sides. It was a performance and effort never seen before.

Within a short time, the Norske old timers had extinguished the fire and had saved the secret formulas. The grateful chemical company president announced that for such a superhuman feat he was upping the reward to $200,000, and walked over to personally thank each of the brave fire fighters.

The local TV news reporter rushed in to capture the event on film, asking their chief, "What are you going to do with all that money?"

"Vell," said Ole Larsen, the 70-year-old fire chief, "Da first thing ve gonna do is fix da brakes on dat focking truck!"

A family joke from a friend who is half-Norweigian.  I love it.

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE BORDER COLLIES

 

How are border collies like bishops?

ABOUT GROUNDHOGS

When my wife and I lived in Arkansas, there was a groundhog living in the dry spring house. I kept hoping that it would dig into water and start the spring flowing again.

Better than casting a shadow, don't you think?

From a reader who shall not be named. :-)

Image from Wikipedia.

FAILURE TO TOAST

 

Failure to Toast

The blue flash particular
to a circuit fried
wisp of smoke, the smell
half charred crumbs
half wire sheathing burning
on the day the toaster oven died.
A small thing, familiar
UL certified
no whistle or bell
or grand sums
spent on “status” baking
just bagel warming at morningtide.
Here beneath the floorboards
of security
where we soften scapes
long past thrift
with twenty-five watt light
the “expired appliance warranty”
is epitaph the wards
of prosperity
hear as time to traipse
options sift
at the mall where no right
exists but the harsh rule of plenty.
To the bin, the broken
trash the obsolete
count as lost, beyond
repair those
who failed to court with toasts
network or successfully compete
of these no word spoken
judged human sleet
as if to respond
would impose
on best kept private ghosts
hold in abstraction cold bread, defeat.

(Marthe G. Walsh)

Well done, Marthe. 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - ERROL LABORDE

Ash Wednesday resonates in New Orleans more than in most places because of the way we live the day before. There would be less purpose in saying “farewell to flesh” were we not previously so consumed by flesh of all forms.

Errol Laborde in New Orleans Magazine. 

Laborde's words made me smile, because they are so true.

MORE INTO IT

 

True. Sorry, fans of the Super Bowl. Still, I hope the local businesses in New Orleans make lots of money from the visitors.

From someecards.

GOING TO THE RIVER - FATS DOMINO

Friday night with Fats Domino.

By David's request.  Check out the expression on Fats' face in the photo of him smoothing his hair.  Love it.