Leisure & Lifestyle

When @Vexed first started the Caption This threads it was with a cartoon.  So Caption This:  

 

Animals with FlairThe other day on my walk, I had a few exceptional encounters with two dogs and a rooster.Near my condo, I was taken aback when I happened to see in my path a shaggy poodle circle a patch of grass five times, deposit five substantial pieces of poop, and then give its owner a high five. What a shtick! And there wasn’t even an admission fee for the performance.More entertainment greeted me as I turned the corner. A no-nonsense rooster soon appeared, methodically staying a step ahead of me for half a block, guiding me and perhaps guarding me along the way. We made an awesome duo. I didn’t have a chance to thank the rooster for giving me a bit of companionship because it, without warning, abruptly scooted under a fence where many roosters had congregated.Just before I ended my walk, I noticed that a young man was giving a child a piggyback ride. At the same time, the man had a puppy on a leash. While the youngster was having a rollicking time, the dog was not pleased at al

 

 

My Mother Revisited Although I don’t recall any conversations between my deceased mother and me when I was growing up, we had moments of quality time together. My mother taught me many things: How to perform the box step in order to impress the girls at the weekly dances I eagerly attended during recess at my junior high school; how to figure out the intricacies of whist, a card game that I exclusively played with my mother; how to pluck away on our underwood typewriter to correspond with my cousin Harold who was stationed in South Korea; how to master the rudiments of our piano keyboard, a prerequisite for entertaining frequent guests at our apartment. Throughout this kind of home-schooling guidance, my mother was patient but gently persistent. I will always cherish the loving ways in which she supplemented my formal education. From her, I learned how to enrich my children’s academic upbringing. Whenever I got the chance, I quizzed my son and daughter on the origin

Teenage ReflectionsMy father died 45 years ago. I still think of him often, especially when I am reveling in classical music, or when I grapple with polemical current events, or when I fanatically follow the Boston Red Sox. Although my father rarely spoke to me, except after he came home and asked what I had done that day that was “constructive,” we had a lot of special time together.We reverently listened to classical music (on the radio, TV, in-person concerts) ranging from Bach to Bartok. We took turns voraciously reading in toto the daily Boston Globe, the Sunday New York Times, and Newsweek and Time Magazine. Whether the Boston Red Sox were on TV or the radio, my father and I were thoroughly absorbed in the baseball game. If our team won, we grinned; when the Sox lost (particularly when they all-too-often blew a lead), we grimaced. In any case, my father and I cherished our silent homage to whatever we passionately pursued together.Those times when I was alone with my father forge

Few threads on TV & none on movies in the Entertainment section.... strange. 

The Dehydration BluesMy wife’s recent debilitating bout of dehydration reminds me of a harrowing experience I once had at Emerald Isle, North Carolina. During one very humid scorching summer afternoon, I spent nearly six hours chopping down dead limbs in my steep overgrown front yard, hoisting the remains into trash bins, and then lugging the detritus to a dumping spot far down the street. I took a few breaks in which I drank what I considered to be a sufficient amount of flavored water.Pruning the foliage by itself was plenty of exercise for the day; but when I was done with my handiwork, I decided to work out at the deserted gym as twilight approached. Big mistake! Within a couple of minutes, I felt excruciating pain in my chest. Immediately, I stopped the treadmill and waited for the severe tightness in my chest to subside.  Even though the pain persisted and I was scared that I was going to die, instead of calling 911, I ever-so-slowly trekked back to my house. As I did so, my

 

 This will be the last Supermoon of the Year!  The moon will officially reach its full phase on Friday, Sept. 29 at 5:57 a.m. EDT or 2:57 a.m. PDT and 09:57 GMT, so it will appear to be full on both Thursday and Friday evening in the Americas. The September full moon - Supermoon, traditionally known as the "Corn Moon" and "Barley Moon", always shines in or near the stars of Aquarius and Pisces. Harvest moon 2023, the last supermoon of the year, kicks off fall stargazing on Sept. 29!  [space.com] ✨  Neil Young - Harvest Moon  ✨ 

 

 

 

 

Don't Act Surprised 

A Resplendent SunsetOne of the delights in living for decades at Emerald Isle, North Carolina, was the panoply of colors etched in almost every sunset: various deep vibrant tints of orange, pink, purple, red, gray, yellow, and white. These anticipated sunsets were an indelible treat from nature that I gratefully and at times gleefully reveled in. I was awed by the almost infinite variety each sunset displayed. It was a blessing.In Oahu, however, no matter where I am on the island, the   sunsets are primarily soft pink with a tint of pastel reds, appealing hues but unspectacular, unmoving. But last night’s twilight was a welcomed kaleidoscope of colors. When I just happened to look beyond my lanai, I saw layers of orange streaks surrounded by wisps of zigzagged foamy white borders. I was mesmerized. Whenever I again have the opportunity to see such an exceptional Oahu sunset, I will be abundantly and abidingly grateful.  Being transfixed by such efflorescent sunsets that

 

 

Whoa!During the past few months, I have seen a middle-aged woman who mumbles and weeps as she slowly walks around my Waikiki neighborhood. At one point, I saw her in a nearby driveway a block away from my condo.  She was either being constrained or comforted by a Jewish man to whom I had occasionally said a hearty shalom. Then it dawned on me: perhaps the lady is also Jewish, and her trance-like behavior is actually a type of davening, fitfully praying in Hebrew as she ambles about in her religious devotion.Yesterday just as I began my walk, I saw her inching towards me. Without thinking, I blurted out “shalom” to her: Clearly and emphatically, she responded with shalom as well. Ah hah, a breakthrough! Perhaps she recognized me as a fellow Jew. Or perhaps she was just mimicking me.  A few minutes later, she was once more heading in my direction, looking downtrodden, slightly sobbing, and murmuring as usual.  But much to my amazement as she passed by, she breathlessly ask

I'm always the last to know about these things! But, that's okay...you can still read a book today! Every year in the United States, September 6 is National Read a Book Day! Reading books is educational, entertaining, and relaxing. Reading stimulates brain activity, improves concentration, strengthens memory, and reduces stress.  *How to read a book: Open a book of your choosing, set a timer for one hour, and read! I will bet when that timer goes off you won't want to put that book down. Or, you could read to a child, they love to be read to!  🗣 🕮  ⤵️  I thought this was awesome. (via Facebook)  ⤵️  *[wikiHow]

A Meditative MomentYesterday, midway on my walk, I encountered some exceptionally strong trade winds. At one point, I found a very large plastic bag swirling at my feet. I tried to pick it up, but it eluded me. A fierce wind then lifted it toward the upper floors of a nearby condo. Instead of continuing on my walk, I gazed at the aerodynamic wrapper as it almost smashed against a lanai, then reversed itself and plunged across a school yard, flapping maniacally. Without warning, a gust of wind smacked the wrapper to the ground where it scurried underneath an SUV. The erratic flight of the wrapper enthralled me from beginning to end.Although I am not wired for meditation, my wife has convinced me that I do meditate in my own way: Besides my connection with the wind-blown wrapper, other things have mesmerized me throughout my life: the haunting aura of snowfalls, the stunning voice of an operatic diva, ocean waves buffeting volcanic rocks, symphonic crescendos, wispy clouds hovering over

 

And, you'll receive month-long good luck!  Simply say the following words (aloud), 'Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!, the very first thing on September 1st, and you'll see yourself basking in good luck! There are other variations to this, such as...some say, 'Rabbit! Rabbit!', or 'White Rabbit!' (For those night owls/rabbits, speaking these 3 words just after midnight still counts. Because, although you may be a night owl/rabbit and have not slept yet, you too deserve some good luck!) Be sure to 'thank' this little fella, Mr. Rabbit  🐇, if you do have some good luck, throughout the month. And, in return, he'll wiggle his little nose, just for you!  /)/)( . .)( づ♡  This will be my first rabbiting experience, so, I do hope to see Mr. Rabbit wiggle his nose, just for me!  ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و [source: Sandra Boynton - Facebook]

What is a 'supermoon,' you ask? A term coined by astrologer Richar Nolle in 1979, a supermoon occurs when a full or new moon is at its closest point to Earth, making it look much larger and brighter. Though it is called the 'blue supermoon,' the moon won’t actually look/be blue. A 'blue moon' is what happens when there’s a second full moon occurring within the same month. For this occasion, it's not just any blue moon, it's a rare blue supermoon. So...say 'Hello!' to everyone's favorite idiom: 'once in a blue moon,' as it will actually come to life tonight! Gather some friends and look to the sky, because the next 'blue supermoon' will not occur again until January, 2037. Time zones for viewing are: 9:36PM/21:36 EDT, 8:36PM/20:36 CDT, 7:36PM/19:36 MDT, and/or 6:36PM/18:36 PDT. Weather permitting. One note of caution: This moon could bring an elevated risk for floodingThose looking to observe the moon from a beach should consider checking conditions first. Sturgeon F