Neanderpundit

around 9:20 AM, someone visiting from Brigid’s place,, or The Grey Man, or velociworld. was my millionth visitor.

Apart from a brief hiatus in the mid 200’s I have been here for ten years and change, and a million visitors for a hobby blog in that time is not horrible. Thanks for stopping by.

When you have the right word on the tip of your tongue?
Worse even when you’re dealing with another language.

The truck I was following had a back brake dragging, and as I pulled alongside I watched it burst into actual flames. I honked and the driver rolled down his window.

“You’re on fire!”
“Que?”
“Fire! Fire!”

He smiles and mimes a gun pointed at his cab ceiling- “Bang Bang!”

I’m temporarily at a loss because I can’t remember the Spanish for Fire. “Mucho caliente!” I holler and he mimes wiping his brow. “Si!”

Oy. Finally it comes to me. “Fuego! Fuego!” I point to the back of his truck. he looks in the rearview and screams- his left back is engulfed. He parks the truck and runs to the back with a fire extinguisher the size of a beercan. A cop is pulling up behind him, and the light changes, so I move on. I never did find out what happened but on my way back there wasn’t a big flaming truck, so I assume he got it out.

Summer has come to the Midwest. Jean Sheperd accurately described it as a 500 lb woman on a camp stool; moist and oppressive. I thank the Lord for the work of Mr Carrier, and the men who bring the oil and coal and uranium out of the ground so we can enjoy that cool.

So long as we can, we should be enjoying it.