Say What?

Capital One asks, "What's in your wallet?" But I was watching a show on the Smithsonian Channel the other day called "What's in your pockets?" The premises was that the host toured different areas and asked people what they had in their pockets. Pretty simple and very interesting.

They interviewed numerous people at the local mall, firemen, policemen, soldiers, craftsmen, carpenters and others I can't remember.

They they got down to the scientific stuff. Researchers collected lint (we all have it) from the pockets of jeans. It turns out that freshly washed jeans, or those worn only one day were fairly germ free. A few people had food crumbs or gum wrappers, but nothing extraordinary.

Then...they collected pocket detritus from jeans worn three or more days. As you might imagine, these jeans were more lethal than the previously tested candidates. Among the carrion, common things found were ecoli (from fecal matter) and streptococcus.

Ewe! I'm thinking this says a lot about peoples hygienic habits. But, I reached into my pocket to see what I was carrying. One used tissue...streptococcus central. Not only have I stopped carrying used tissues around but I've been more diligent about washing my jeans and anything else with pockets.

Now...let me think. What about purses?

Twelve Drummers Drumming

BY C.C. Benison, pen name for Doug Whiteway. This is a who-dunnit in the finest style of Agatha Christie. Tom Christmas, is the new vicar for the small, rural village of Thornford Regis. All Tom wants is a quiet life for him and his daughter after his wife's murder in London, but it is not to be. He becomes embroiled in mystery when a young woman's body is discovered in the village hall on Fayre Day.

Just as Jane Marple uses her wits to uncover the perpetrator, Tom follows the clues and uncovers the murderer before the police can solve the case. A wry twist keeps him from divulging his knowledge. When it appears that the murderer will escape, Tom unearths the final, damning evidence.

Benison is a Canadian, but his book is set in England. I have a rather extensive vocabulary, but I was at a loss at times with the King's English compared to our Americanizations. This book was thoroughly enjoyable and I plan to look for more of his work in the future.

A God Thing?

Maybe...maybe not. About two weeks ago, my son's fiance called to ask if I'd watch the kids for a couple of hours while they met with friends. I agreed, so I grabbed a quick bite of dinner, packed my iPad and knitting and went out to the car.

We'd been out to lunch earlier and had no problems, but now the #&$% thing wouldn't start. I took the key out and reinserted it and tried again. Every light on the dashboard came on, but it still wouldn't start. It didn't make a sound. I'm talking dead silence. I made sure the radio, lights and heater were off and tried again with the same results.

After a few expletive deleted moments, I trudged back inside and called. Nobody picked up. Great! I was batting a thousand. Finally, I got J on the phone to tell him I wasn't coming.

Stupid car, I'm thinking and planning on getting it towed to the dealer in the morning and how much it was going to cost me to get it fixed. Damn, I didn't need another bill. Being retired and on a fixed income does have a few drawbacks.

I'm not sure what possessed me right about then, but I grabbed the keys and went back out to the offending vehicle. I even resisted the strong urge to commit structural damage to my beloved Jeep.

Wouldn't you know it? I get in, put the key in the ignition and it starts. Not to look that proverbial gift horse in the mouth, I turned it off and restarted it. Yes, it started. It hasn't given me another bit of trouble since.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced I wasn't supposed to go out, or the kids weren't supposed to go. Either way, was it a God thing? Who knows?