Prince Albert Voice
At Christmas time (late October to mid-January in her mind) my wife drives me crazy.
She just bought a nativity scene. There was a choice of sizes so of course she got the larger. And it is huge, taller than Esther and at least six feet wide, with the figures of the stable scene all fastened into one frame. So big that after it was delivered she asked me to help set it up and move it to where she wanted it. Seeing it, my heart sank and my vertebrae sent me a warning. I first considered phoning a construction company and asking them to send a portable crane over. Too expensive, but somehow we did accomplish the move without much damage to the joints (ours, not the nativity scene) or muscles. It now stands in all its glory at the outer side of our deck (our condo is on the ground floor), lit by a small floodlight.
“My God, Chamberlain, give it up!” That may well be your reaction to a point I’ve made over and over on these pages. Well I can’t help it. Reactions to the recent COP 2021 Summit in Glasgow frustrated me painfully.
Do you believe humans will soon land on the planet Mars and create settlements there? Does that seem like a pipe dream? After all, it would take almost two years after launching for a space ship to get there, another two years to return to earth. And there are the problems of food, water (both unavailable on Mars) and oxygen (of which there’s not enough to support life).
“Politicians and diapers,” says one clever joker, “have one thing in common. They both should be changed regularly, and for the same reason.”
I always thought, when I heard anyone mention the Flat Earth Society, that it was put together by a group of people with a great sense of humour. A practical joke. Just for fun.