be quick

Jack be nimble

Jack be quick

Jack jumped over the candlestick

It is indicative of our current political situation that watching a documentary about finding Osama bin Laden seemed relaxing to me. I thought at the time, and still think, I bet the CIA worked really hard, and did their best.

I enjoyed semi-watching the documentary, with distractions like chopping up bell peppers and carrots. The ending is what got me. The man who happened to be the man who finally did kill this infamous criminal explained he was suddenly standing in front of the infamous criminal, judged his height (which seemed more) and his weight (which seemed less) and his nose (which seemed just right). And “he was a threat to me and my mission.”

In a country where shootings are regular and unremarkable, this was a shooting that made international news. A shooting of one person.

I remember when I first went overseas, I wondered if other countries were Oz. Stepping off the plane in Paris, was I still myself? Was there still mess, bad taste, burping, smelly feet?

The man who killed Osama bin Laden was a man, and Osama bin Laden was a man.

It was hard not to think about all the CIA personnel who are being fired, taking with them all their knowledge, dedication, and experience. I think we have needed it, and will need it, and we won’t have it.

Wait: the guy who claims to have killed bin Laden, maybe he didn’t. Maybe he got shot earlier, and was just finished off. Intense situations lead to mixed-up stories.

Later in the week I ended up chatting with a neighbor, and she ends up telling me that years ago, two of her young children were shot and killed, and she was the one who found them.

I had no breath.

What I could say was, “It never ends.”

It never ends that Osama bin Laden is dead, and it never ends that innocents who are killed are dead.

“Jack be nimble” is 210 years old, by the way.

Do you think things are okay?

Do you think they will be okay?

Try jumping over a candle. You can get some info!

The candle will be about three feet high. Try it.

If you make it, GREAT

If you blow out the candle, or catch your skirts on fire, VERY DOUBTFUL

If you’re not into Jack, you could use this ditty:

Wallflowers, Wallflowers, growing up so high,
All young maidens surely have to die;
Excepting Emma Caudrey, she’s the best of all.
She can dance and she can skip,
She can turn the candlestick.
Turn, turn, turn your face to the wall again

The candle-jumping happened on St. Catherine’s Day, November 25. St. Catherine (this one) reps lace makers, spinners, wheelwrights, carpenters, young women, and female students. Before November 25, lacemakers were expected to use natural light and deal with it. After November 25, they could light a candle surrounded by vases full of water. The water diffused the light so many lacemakers could see.

The SEAL team who killed bin Laden worked in the dark as well. Amazingly, no one was injured or killed.

There was one dog on the SEAL team. His name was Cairo.

Another fact: the SEAL team did not have a tape measure to confirm bin Laden’s height. Instead, a guy who was the same height lay down next to his body. President Obama reportedly said, “You just blew up a $65 million helicopter and you don’t have enough money to buy a tape measure?” (They had blown up a $65 million helicopter, because it had landed wrong and they had to leave it behind.)

Six foot four! The man ranting for decades about killing as many Americans as he could. It was handy they had a six-four SEAL, because SEALS are of average height. They aren’t a Goliath squad.

I got an email from my boss, and my heart screeched to top speed. Evaluation! Oh the times I’ve had evaluations that nitted and picked strange bits of my classroom and made a meal of them.

I took my medication. I opened up the email, clicked around, nothing scary seemed to be there.

I jumped over, for now.