Apr 17, 2008

Trouble broke out today in Washington when several Jehovah's Witnesses tried to put a copy of Watchtower under one of the windshield wipers on the Popemobile. An angry pontiff, Joseph Wayne Ratzinger, told Felix Amuhada of the Greater Southwest D.C. Kingdom Hall to, "Keep your heathen mitts off my ride." Mr. Amuhada told the obviously irate Pope that he (Amuhada) was concerned about the Pope's eternal soul and reading Watchtower would go a long way toward helping the Pope understand God's plan for him. Papal guards and Mrs. Amuhada intervened before the altercation got physical. Today was golf day and it was windy and cool. I guess that is marginally better than windy and hot. This year is a particularly bad one for allergy suffers like me, so the wind is not a welcome guest. Add to the wind the dozens of old geezers clogging up the golf course and it made for one long day. I've always been fascinated in how things are connected. A day or so ago Ched wrote in her blog about O. Henry. Every child of my generation was treated to O. Henry's short stories as a part of their education. The Ransom of Red Chief and The Gift of the Magi, were my favorites. I have a rose called Guy de Maupassant, named for one of the fathers of the modern short story, who like William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) wrote stories with surprising twists. Guy de Maupassant wrote a story called Rose, which perhaps is why the flower was named for him. If not, it is an interesting coincidence. In Rose, two wealthy young women are discussing affairs with servants when one relates a story of her maid Rose, the best maid she has ever employed. Unfortunately, Rose turns out to be a man in disguise, who is hiding from the law, a fact she discovers when the police come for Rose. The twist in the story seems to be that her friend has also employed Rose, but never knew of his real identity. Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

12 comments:

dennis said...

Dennis totally has to read rose--Ched has the short works of Maupassant, maybe it's in there--

found a really pretty blog for you.

http://tree-flower.blogspot.com/

Kurt said...

We had to read The Secret Sharer, Animal Farm, and Lord of the Flies.

Bobby D. said...

Wrong Dennis, I have the Complete Novels of Maupassant--and don't touch any of my books.

Thanks for telling the twist in the story, Merle.

Avid Reader said...

Some Jevovah's witnesses were involved in one of the worst moments of my life. In fact, they were the catalysts.

Avid Reader said...

HAAA! you changed your clock!!! Merle you are part Rodney Dangerfield, part Phyllis Diller , part Merle Sneed and some others.

Professor Montblanc said...

part Jacques Tati in Le hardware, no?

Nan Patience said...

Coincidence is a funny thing.

Anonymous said...

It is so sad that they were so disrespectful to the Witness.

Coffee Messiah said...

What a great story.

Anonymous said...

A Jehovah's Witness is sort of the reason I'm in jail, kind of like a Maupassant story, coinkydink and a tiff over a Watchtower Magazine. My advice is stick to the Christian Science Monitor.

Steve Reed said...

I've read some O. Henry. I don't think I've read any Guy de Maupassant. So you see, the educational system was in decline even two or three decades ago. :)

(I have heard of Guy de Maupassant, though...)

I love the fact that "popemobile" has become a legitimate part of the English language.

Anonymous said...

You might get a kick out of the less serious in the following----



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