Munchkins and Memories

I was reading the newspaper today and came across this headline: “Raabe, ‘Wizard of Oz’ Munchkin actor, dies at 94”. Do you know which Munchkin he was? He played the forensic pathologist. No, I am not confusing the “Wizard of Oz” with CSI or Dexter…. There really was a forensic pathologist in the movie. Mr. Meinhardt Raabe was the Munchkin official with the solemn yet profoundly jubilant duty of making the determination that the Wicked Witch of the East had passed on to wherever Wicked Witches go when they are squashed by flying houses. (It can’t be a good place!) It should be noted that Mr. Raabe was no run-of-the-mill pathologist, however. Holding the the official death certificate, his pronouncement was extremely detailed as he stated with authority,

“As coroner I

must aver,

I thoroughly examined her,
And she’s not only merely dead,
She’s really most sincerely dead!”

Do you remember the “magic” of this movie? I do.

April Fool's Day & the Flying Truck

Happy April Fool’s Day!

Where did this tradition come from? Although the true roots are not known, the most popular theory is that it began in France during the late 1500’s. The Gregorian calendar was adopted, changing the New Year from the traditional week long celebration from March 25 through April 1 to the date we currently recognize: January 1. Due to poor communication systems back then, as well the rebellious nature of some, many people either didn’t know of the change or refused to acknowledge the new date and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1. Those who failed to make this change were the victims of pranks and made fun of as “April Fools”.

On this day of tricks and silliness I wanted to share this photo with you. First of all, let me tell you that this is NOT a joke. This is a real photograph, of a real pickup truck, and a real situation that occurred a number of years ago when my dad was working in Northern Peru. What is your first impression?

If you said that it looks like the truck is flying….you would be correct! The water below is a small tributary