Today, I randomly opened Circumstances of Childhood to page 177 and pointed to the page with my eyes closed. Under my finger is the word ‘recognized.’ Our prompt.
Waiting on the nectar that sustains all life. I’m not sure why it is taking so long, but to investigate, a fork is put into play to remove the inspection hatch plate. All seems normal until it appears the start button has not been pushed. This demonstrates the need for the glorious liquid before doing anything important.
Once started, the coffee is delivered post haste. The first sip suggests that a little time travel might be welcome this morning. The clock is set for October 4th, 1924. The location is Washington, D.C., and the duration is an hour. The plunger pulled finds us in President’s Park, south of State Place Northwest, between 17th Street Northwest and West Executive Avenue Northwest.
Monument in 2008
We are here at the dedication of the First Division Monument. The Monument commemorates those who died while serving in the 1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army during World War I and subsequent wars. We arrive in time to hear Calvin Coolidge’s comments, which include dedication and speaking out against the Geneva Protocol, which would mandate all countries to seek arbitration of disputes in a world court.
The Monument inscribes 5,516 names of fallen heroes from WWI and over 7,000 additional names from subsequent wars. As Calvin wraps up his comments, our alarm goes off, and we land softly on the sofa. A text from Linda Hill comes in and reads:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “fork.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
“Yeah, I agree. That Geneva Protocol sounded like a good idea.”
“It did require countries to give up their ability to formulate their own response to aggression by another. It also allowed countries not signing up to do as they please. Long story short, no one was buying the concept.”
“I noticed you did October 4th when this is the 5th.”
“October 4th in 1924 was a Saturday, so I thought I would keep it the same day.”
“You really plan this stuff out well.”
“Sometimes, I reach a fork in the road. To the right is too much information. To the left, not enough. I have to choose the best course.”
“Yeah, I think the best course is the cocktail hour. Even beats the appetizer.”
I randomly opened the book His Revenge to page 109. Without looking, I pointed to the page, and the closest word to my finger was a tie between hot and water, so I used both.
The desire for something different led to punching the Latte button instead of plain coffee. Had to stand back as the machine did its work. Much hissing and bubbling produced a tall glass of delightful milk foam and a layer of golden nectar. Someone called out my name, so I knew it was ready. While taking a big sip and noting the foam mustache, the Westminster chimes of the doorbell caused an instant eruption.
Twiggy and Tempeste were all about barking the intruder to St. Louis. Getting them settled was not easy. The question of what idiot would ring a doorbell when there is a sign to not do that is still unanswered.
Moving to the security system, the shutdown process begins.
The turret machine guns are set to stand by, the boiling oil cauldron tipping mechanism is turned off, and the automated arrow launching pods are unarmed. In addition, the Trebuchet, ballista, and falling rock device are switched to manual. The claymore mines are set to manual, the mote net rolled back, and the concertina wire retracted. The Iron gate is raised, and the bolts are thrown on the front door.
Standing there is a character who looks very much like Elmer Fudd. I ask what he wants, and he responds, “Have you seen a wabbit around here?”
“No, I have not seen a Wabbit.”
“If you do can you give me a call?”
“Might I ask what business you have with the Wabbit?”
“I want to shoot him. Here’s my card.”
“Okay Thanks. I’ll call if I see him.”
The guy turns around and heads off the porch. My mental note reads “No way Jose.” After dumping the card and touching the security activate switch the text tone causes me to check my phone. The text reads Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “i before e.” Find a word that has an “i” before an “e” even if there’s a letter between them, and use it for your prompt word. Have fun!
The message on the coffee machine’s screen is very clear: No coffee until we are clean. Throwing hands up in the air, all peace seems lost until the second message flashes: It only takes two minutes; press start. Grabbing a piece of courage, pressing start saves the day. There is some noise, and then the magic message: All Clean.
The first sip brings the brain to life and reminds us to grab the clock. The time is set for September 20th, 1924, and the location is Washington, D.C. When the plunger is pulled, we find ourselves on the corner of Rhode Island Avenue N.W., M Street, and Connecticut Avenue N.W. in Washington, D.C. Here, the dedication of the Nuns of the Battlefield is a public artwork made in 1924 by Irish artist Jerome Connor.
The artwork honors the more than 600 nuns who served as nurses to both the Union and Confederate injured and ill troops during the US Civil War.
The lower right side of the relief is signed: JEROME CONNOR 1924
The lower left side of the relief is inscribed: BUREAU BROS. BRONZE FOUNDERS PHILA. ENN
On the granite above the relief is inscribed: THEY COMFORTED THE DYING, NURSED THE WOUNDED, CARRIED HOPE TO THE IMPRISONED, GAVE IN HIS NAME A DRINK OF WATER TO THE THIRSTY.
On the granite below the relief: TO THE MEMORY AND IN HONOR OF THE VARIOUS ORDERS OF SISTERS WHO GAVE THEIR SERVICES AS NURSES ON BATTLEFIELDS AND IN HOSPITALS DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
On the rear of the slab near the base is inscribed: ERECTED BY THE LADIES AUXILIARY TO THE ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS OF AMERICA. A.D. 1924 BY AUTHORITY OF THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES
Just before the Temperance Union served lemonade, our alarm goes off, and we are in the comfort of the couch. A text has arrived from Linda Hill. It reads:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “peace/piece.’” Use one, use them both (for bonus points), use them any way you’d like. Enjoy!
Today, I randomly opened Eternal Road – The final stop to page 199 and, without looking at the page, I pointed. The word nearest my finger is ‘speedometer.’
Coffee can’t come soon enough. There should be a way to start an IV while still in bed. In that way, stepping on legos, stubbed toes, tripping over footstools, and all manner of mayhem might be avoided. Such is impractical, so one must go through the minefield to reach the golden elixir. The first sip is worth the trouble. Once the brain came to life, the clock was the first thought. Although there was no tock to accompany the tick, the tech behind it is intact. It is set on September 6, 1914, and the tack is Atlantic City, New Jersey. A safety tuck under the arm and a plunger pull find us immediately at the Miss America pageant.
The fourth annual Miss America Pageant was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and won by Miss Philadelphia, Ruth Malcomson (1906—1988). The 1922 and 1923 winners, Mary Katherine Campbell (who had entered from Ohio as Miss Columbus), placed First Runner-Up. The pageant marked the last time previous winners were eligible to enter the Miss America pageant.
Ruth Malcomson
Mary Katherine Campbell ( December 18, 1905 – June 7, 1990) was The only person to win the Miss America pageant twice and the second woman in history to win the title.
Mary Katherine Campbell
Just as we were about to meet and greet the winners, the alarm drops us onto the old trusty couch. A text has arrived from Linda Hill. It reads:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “tack/tech/tick/tock/tuck.’” Use one or use ’em all for the bonus points. Enjoy!
