Clif Martin tells of his escapades at Meijer, so I will too. First, the lights started blinking on and off;
💡 I realized I hadn't gotten my tea, so I huffed and puffed as I did a power walk I hadn't intended to take,
🏃♀️across many acres and back to the check-out lane. This was a SIZABLE BOTTLE OF TEA.
🏺
I even asked the clerk if I, in fact, had everything, and her answer was yes. The greeter had to open the door for me, as the power was completely out by this time, and I had to push
🏋️♀️ the second door open. Got out into the blustery
🌪️ night and heard fire engine
🏍️
👩🚒
👨🚒 sirens.
Got home, and after all was said and done, NO TEA!
💦Started out stretching and picturing today as a leisurely get-ready time to eventually go to Yoga. So, get a text about picking up Leela, and when I get to her preschool I pat a little curly blonde girl on the head, 
👧which is covered with an identical hood and hear from a teacher, "Yes, they DO look alike."
After I get Leela back to her house, Mama is glad I brought the REAL Leela home.
At Yoga,
🧘♀️ our instructor 
🧘♂️concludes that all our body parts have numbers on them, which is kind of a different experience, but we're all calmed out. However, this feeling soon passes, when I try to solve 
🔎 the mystery of the missing cell phone, which has somehow landed in the parking lot close to the car.
🚘
I discover Leela's stuff in the car and text about that, as I get my Tea,
☕which has been held hostage at Meijer.
Get her stuff back to a somewhat bewildered dad. Head for the chicken place, and since they're only a drive-up by now, I have to TELL her I'm a senior,
👵 at their speaker phone. Get to the window, give her the money, get the dinners, feel a sense of urgency from the car behind me, (psychic impression, I guess) as the clerk seems to be taking a lot of time; I look at the package and think, what am I waiting for? I've got it! It becomes apparent that what I'd been waiting for is my money, 
💰that is, AFTER driving away.
So, get back in line to get back my "change".
💵 She says, she hadn't been able to catch up with me, but I think there's no doubt in her mind that I'm a senior, even though my life has been pretty much like this as far back as I can remember.
🕰️
☕
As a kid, I was intrigued 
with a picture of the protagonist of "Gulliver's Travels" being tied up by a bunch of tiny Lilliputians.
Been told that it is actually a story about a couple of corrupt civilizations. About to order it on my reader. Finally, time to catch up with things I didn't read earlier.
"Gulliver's Travels"
"When great office is open either by death or disgrace,(which often happens) five or six of those candidates petition the emperor to entertain his majesty and the court, with a dance on the rope, and whoever dances without falling, succeeds in the office.
The emperor holds a stick in his hands, both ends parallel to the horizon, while the candidates, one by one, sometimes leap over the stick, sometimes, creep under it, backward and forwards several times, according as the stick advanced or depressed."
He discovers the most splendid apartments that can be imagined, inhabited by the empress and the young princes (and chief attendants). In Lilliput, they have a violent factions at home and danger of invasion from abroad (i.e. Blefuscu).The two struggling parties are Tramecksan and Alamecksan, which can be identified by high heels and low heels. While high heels are agreeable to the constitution, only low heels are adminstrators in the government. His majesty's heels are lower. Animosities between the two parties are so high they won't eat or drink or talk with each other.
Even though the Tramecksan's numbers are higher, the power is with the other one. The imperial highness may have both high and low heels, and as a result, walk with a hobble. (paraphrased from Gulliver's Travels.) My spin on it: It just goes to show you that literature reflects life, and some things never change.
"The Marvelous Land of Oz" By L. Frank Baum
Interest in "children's" literature has resurged. I've covered some of "Gulliver's Travels" and may do moreso in the future. But as I was dozing off for a nap, I recalled a part from "The Marvelous Land of Oz" wherein a General Jinjur led an army of revolt. Her army was identically dressed to her uniform, and the girls had assembled from all parts of Oz. The Munchkins had a blue strip, but all had a green waist intended for Emerald City. They had no weapons, but the back of their hair had two long glittering knitting needles. The Army of Revolt wanted to dethrone the Scarecrow King. For one thing, they felt the City had been ruled by men long enough. Although the Guardian of the Gate told them to go home to their mothers and "milk the cows and bake bread", they stated they were not afraid, which made the guard uneasy, so he called on the soldier with the green whiskers, but the crowd drew knitting needles and point them at the Guardian's face. General Jinjur also drew a bunch of keys around his neck. Although the soldier pointed a gun at them, he confessed it wasn't loaded, so both the guardian and the soldier ran through the gate to the Royal Palace to warn the Scarecrow King. The girls captured the palace and conquered. The Scarecrow admitted the crown was so heavy, it gave him a headache and ruling the City was a tiresome job, so made plans to escape.
I wonder what brought that literary memory to the forefront?
John Tenniel's illustrations of Alice in Wonderland and "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carrol came to mind when hearing about Someone hating everybody in the (White) House and Allegations of "Moron" and a proposal to take an IQ test and compare scores.
"The Emperor's New Clothes"
by Hans Christian Anderson
Getting some thoughts together. Both sets of our parents were republican, but my first memory is Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was a sucessful general. They have to be smart, knowledgeable, patriotic, and careful. He could strategically invent the interstate highway system. When he got sick, he could rely on an attorney called Tricky Dick, his v.p. Attorneys have to be pretty smart, too. He'd already been governor. They have experience governing, though hearing from some people in Colorado who'd lived in California, said he didn't have a sparkling reputation. This turned out to be true. Still, there was intelligence and skill. I even voted against someone who'd been a governor and was the original inventor of Obamacare for his state. Had to be smart with skill.
When I was little, I listened to a record called, The Emperor's New Clothes. It seems a little child piped up and cried, "The Emperor has NO CLOTHES!" Everybody gasped and sang about the emperor having no clothes, after all. Well, I'd really appreciate it if they'd listen to the mature folks too, who've quite a lot of political observation, when we say, we've never seen anything like this before. We know he has no clothes, so start noticing and singing the correct lyrics. He doesn't have new clothes: "He goes without his clothes, No clothes from head to toes...No clothes...No clothes!"
It's been awhile since reading "The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper, about Will Stanton going on a journey to discover that he is one of the Old Ones, to join them in the final battle between the Dark and the Light, but if I recall correctly, sometime in the future, the light will have to deal with the darkness again. It ends in an up note, where everything is going to be fine....at least, for now.
