Article

Laughter Is Universal

Laughter has no language barrier. It is a universal pleasure derived from the joys found everywhere, if we but take time to look for it.

Find The Humor In Living!

As the years pass, and they do pass every so swiftly, I find more and more to laugh about. So much that was once so important seems foolish and the sheer nonsense of it just makes me laugh out loud!

Laughter has no language barrier. It is a universal pleasure derived from the joys found everywhere, if we but take time to look for it.

In December, our neighbor turned sixty. Since I had turned sixty the year before, I could easily tease him without fear of rebuttal.

Therefore, when we were invited to a party in his honor, I immediately sat down to my laptop to arrange words on paper to commemorate the passing of his fifties in The Speed Bumps Of Sixty.

The Speed Bumps Of Sixty

by Eugenia S. Hunt

The clues that you are getting old

Are there, my friend, 'tis true.
Your belt won't buckle any more,
But your knees most certainly do.

You know you are growing older,

Nature has played a dirty trick,

You’re old enough to remember,

When the Dead Sea was merely sick.

You reach to remove wrinkled socks,

But find, you aren’t wearing any.

You climb into bed at night,

A glass, your teeth, floating in it.

Now, you become breathless

While walking “down” the stairs.

You badly knock your elbow,

But the funny bone’s no longer there.

There was a day you’d run the block

With light and fleeting stride,

Now, putting on your running shoes

Leaves you out of breath and tired.

Your arms have grown too short

To read, without your specs.

Gazing into the mirror, you find,

You have more skin, than neck.

The girls once gazed upon you face,

Exclaiming “Ooh La La,”

Now, as candles burn upon your cake,

Campers sing “Kumbaya.”

So, it's OK for you to slow.

You're getting older, so take care.

It's time for you to invest in a pipe,
Some slippers and a Rocking Chair.

But enough, we should end it here,

For no more should be said.
We’re conscious that at your age,
It’ll soon be time for bed.

So, a very Happy Birthday, friend.

We’ve stretched the truth, we’ve lied.
We just couldn’t have insulted you more.
But believe us, Man, we tried!

Afternoon Of Fun!

Several years ago, my husband decided to plant a garden in the back corner of our yard.

After viewing his efforts all afternoon, I wanted to share my fun. The laughter was so good for me and the picture framed within my kitchen window was well worth sharing.

Gardening Day

It was the day after New Year’s. My husband decided it was time to plant the Poinsettias from the living room Christmas decorations, in the back corner of the yard.

As I watched from the kitchen window, he began to rake the area, sectioning out a 4 x 6 foot plot of soil.

Once this was accomplished, he lit a cigarette and stood back to observe his work. After finishing the cigarette, he began to remove the grass from the top of the soil, loosening the soil, and removing any stones in the way. At this point, it was time for another smoke and observation.

Obviously, happy with his efforts, he walked back to the porch to retrieve his ground cover and scissors, carrying them to the site of activity along with several, very large rocks. He planned to use the rocks as a backdrop for the plants, against the fence behind. Now, it was time for another cigarette and some thought.

After placing the ground cover over the soil, he took out his scissors and began cutting little crisscrosses in the cover in each location where he intended to place a poinsettia. He removed the first plant from its festive container, placing its roots in the ground under the proper crisscross, and covered the roots with topsoil.

Again, he returned to the house, this time for a cup of coffee and, once back outside, another smoke!

As soon as he had secured the other three plants in place, it was, of course, time for another break. When satisfied with the placement, he returned to retrieve the mulch from the patio. This was fortified with another cup of coffee.

Five hours from the beginning of his gardening, the mulch was in place. This called for another break and a trip to the house for “show and tell” and lots of praise from me.

As a final touch, he decided to place a little white fence, which was twelve inches high, around the garden to keep our forty pound dog, Raven, from walking on the plants…Yeah, that’ll work!

While he was taking a final viewing and having a smoke, I was back at the kitchen window, thinking that he has done a beautiful job. The rocks were a very nice touch.

However, with the little white fence in place, we now had what resembles a very attractive, little “Pet Cemetery” in the corner of our backyard!

Yes, the Poinsettias are doing quite well!

(In June of 2007, thankfully, my husband laid down his cigarettes and has never picked them back up.)

Laughter Among Friends!

Not a football fan myself, I have had to find humor in some of the joys of my family and friends.

Therefore, I have derived fun from the spoils of the game!

Ode To The Sugar Bowl

(In memory of the 1994 Sugar Bowl)

The night was dark in New Orleans,

Except for campfire light.

Indians roamed across the green

To form the Gators plight.

End of quarters, one, two, three,

Count of twenty-three, ten;

A last ditch effort and seven more,

Yet, not a victor’s end.

Bruised and beaten, they fled the field,

With tails of leaden weight!

A Sunday purse of quality,

Their end, a worthy fate.

Alas, the clock did chime again,

Forty-six and time was flying.

Back to the battle of Sugar Bowl,

The reptiles still a ‘trying’.

A hand was raised to call the shot,

Official decision filed.

The Noles served each and everyone,

Gator Gumbo, Cajun styled!

Laughter is our emotions,

exploding on our faces,

expressing sheer pleasure!

E. S. Hunt

Romeo And Juliet

Recently, a friend visited me from Texas. She and her husband own twelve acres and farm animals near Houston.

At the time of her visit, most of their chickens had been taken by a Chicken hawk in the area, leaving them with only one rooster and three hens.

Right after her arrival, she received a call from her husband. He told her that the rooster had fallen prey to the Hawk, leaving only the three hens.

She wasn’t very sad about the rooster because he had his time clock confused. He would begin crowing at two a.m. every morning and did so every hour on the hour until daybreak.

Now, that could be why the Hawk had it in for him!! That would do it for me!!

A week after she returned home, she called to tell me that all they had left of the hens were feathers. The hens had joined their rooster.

I teased her that they may have committed suicide due to the loss of their true love!!

Another Romeo and Juliet(s) story!!

Then There Were None

by Eugenia S. Hunt

The barnyard, a frenzy,

That fine spring day,

As Rooster and hens

Joined in their play.

Little they knew,

As weeks progressed,

Upon Hawk’s table

They’d soon be dressed.

First the Rooster

Was swooped on high,

A tasty morsel,

As he flew by.

This tough old bird

Gave rise to haste,

Yet, Hawk waited awhile

For another taste.

Soon the hens, too,

Were seen no more,

Never realizing what

Lay in store.

Or, did they really

Decide their doom,

Walking, unheeded,

Dazed in gloom.

The loss of love

Too much to bear.

They flirted with Hawk,

In their despair.

So, now, this day,

We find them not.

They’ve joined their Rooster,

His love ne’re forgot.

Share The Laughter!

So, laugh often and laugh well, sharing your laughter with everyone around you.

You will find you feel better for having laughed!

~And~

You will find joy in the sound of the laughter of others!

Updated October 28, 2011

Comments

SidewalkPhilosopherJun 18, 2013

Thanks, Michey...glad you got a chuckle out of my silliness! LOL

MicheyJun 18, 2013

You have fantastic pictures... Ha! Ha! and put a smile on my face... lovely poetry, lens, and it is so true... so, LOL

SidewalkPhilosopherAug 10, 2011

That's amazing Mr. Kelley...you and my husband must be related...the photo of the money in the hat and glasses totally reminded me of Bill! LOL LOL You're too funny!

Mr. W. Thomas Kelley, Jr.Aug 10, 2011

Where did you get so many pictures of my family and me?

barbarabAug 10, 2011

oh sorry/got Bills name wrong...number of letters correct but name wrong...theres an article in there somewhere :)

I am glad you are both healthier now!! my David and I stopped in 1997...I needed wellbutrin (Zyban) but Daid just stopped the stinker! ha a pun!

SidewalkPhilosopherAug 10, 2011

Yes, my husband, Bill quit smoking in 2007...thank goodness...I am allergic to the smoke and stayed sick. So nice for both of us! :)

barbarabAug 9, 2011

no now Jim stopped the cigarettes! You said!! dont make nurse Kratchet come over there!! :)
you didnt know what it meant for real? cool! well that just means I MUST memorize the spelling :(

SidewalkPhilosopherAug 9, 2011

ANTHROPOMORPHIZE
But don't feel bad...I had to look it up...I didn't even know what it meant! LOL
And, yes, I enjoy doing that...felt the photos were perfect. The little guy with the hat and pipe sorta resembles my husband!! HeeHee Glad you enjoyed!!!

barbarabAug 9, 2011

I loved every poem and every picture!!
Wonderful to find another writer who loves to anthromorphalize our animal relations!! I bet I spelled that incorrectly oh well!

SidewalkPhilosopherAug 9, 2011

Oh, Jim loved it! He is the type who would have done it first had he thought of it...the party was fun!!

happynutritionistAug 9, 2011

Nice poetry...oh my the poem for the friend turning 60...I'll be doing that in 4 months and I'm not quite ready for all the "can't does" in it yet...but all said in fun, I'm sure your friend had a good laugh!

SidewalkPhilosopherAug 8, 2011

Thank you both for sharing a laugh with me!

MicheyAug 8, 2011

WOW! Love the poetry, the presentation and the humor. The pictures are great and they really are part of the whole concept here.
Thanks for sharing

mivvyAug 8, 2011

Lovely photos. I always thought that when chimps laugh, or when we think they laugh, they are in fact nervous or afraid.

Find The Humor In Living!

Laughter has no language barrier. It is a universal pleasure derived from the joys found everywhere, if we but take time to look for it.

In December, our neighbor turned sixty. Since I had turned sixty the year before, I could easily tease him without fear of rebuttal.

Therefore, when we were invited to a party in his honor, I immediately sat down to my laptop to arrange words on paper to commemorate the passing of his fifties in The Speed Bumps Of Sixty.

The Speed Bumps Of Sixty

by Eugenia S. Hunt

The clues that you are getting old

Are there, my friend, 'tis true.
Your belt won't buckle any more,
But your knees most certainly do.

You know you are growing older,

Nature has played a dirty trick,

You’re old enough to remember,

When the Dead Sea was merely sick.

You reach to remove wrinkled socks,

But find, you aren’t wearing any.

You climb into bed at night,

A glass, your teeth, floating in it.

Now, you become breathless

While walking “down” the stairs.

You badly knock your elbow,

But the funny bone’s no longer there.

There was a day you’d run the block

With light and fleeting stride,

Now, putting on your running shoes

Leaves you out of breath and tired.

Your arms have grown too short

To read, without your specs.

Gazing into the mirror, you find,

You have more skin, than neck.

The girls once gazed upon you face,

Exclaiming “Ooh La La,”

Now, as candles burn upon your cake,

Campers sing “Kumbaya.”

So, it's OK for you to slow.

You're getting older, so take care.

It's time for you to invest in a pipe,
Some slippers and a Rocking Chair.

But enough, we should end it here,

For no more should be said.
We’re conscious that at your age,
It’ll soon be time for bed.

So, a very Happy Birthday, friend.

We’ve stretched the truth, we’ve lied.
We just couldn’t have insulted you more.
But believe us, Man, we tried!

Gardening Day

It was the day after New Year’s. My husband decided it was time to plant the Poinsettias from the living room Christmas decorations, in the back corner of the yard.

As I watched from the kitchen window, he began to rake the area, sectioning out a 4 x 6 foot plot of soil.

Again, he returned to the house, this time for a cup of coffee and, once back outside, another smoke!

Five hours from the beginning of his gardening, the mulch was in place. This called for another break and a trip to the house for “show and tell” and lots of praise from me.

As a final touch, he decided to place a little white fence, which was twelve inches high, around the garden to keep our forty pound dog, Raven, from walking on the plants…Yeah, that’ll work!

While he was taking a final viewing and having a smoke, I was back at the kitchen window, thinking that he has done a beautiful job. The rocks were a very nice touch.

However, with the little white fence in place, we now had what resembles a very attractive, little “Pet Cemetery” in the corner of our backyard!

Yes, the Poinsettias are doing quite well!

(In June of 2007, thankfully, my husband laid down his cigarettes and has never picked them back up.)

Ode To The Sugar Bowl

(In memory of the 1994 Sugar Bowl)

The night was dark in New Orleans,

Except for campfire light.

Indians roamed across the green

To form the Gators plight.

End of quarters, one, two, three,

Count of twenty-three, ten;

A last ditch effort and seven more,

Yet, not a victor’s end.

Bruised and beaten, they fled the field,

With tails of leaden weight!

A Sunday purse of quality,

Their end, a worthy fate.

Alas, the clock did chime again,

Forty-six and time was flying.

Back to the battle of Sugar Bowl,

The reptiles still a ‘trying’.

A hand was raised to call the shot,

Official decision filed.

The Noles served each and everyone,

Gator Gumbo, Cajun styled!

Romeo And Juliet

Recently, a friend visited me from Texas. She and her husband own twelve acres and farm animals near Houston.

At the time of her visit, most of their chickens had been taken by a Chicken hawk in the area, leaving them with only one rooster and three hens.

Right after her arrival, she received a call from her husband. He told her that the rooster had fallen prey to the Hawk, leaving only the three hens.

She wasn’t very sad about the rooster because he had his time clock confused. He would begin crowing at two a.m. every morning and did so every hour on the hour until daybreak.

Now, that could be why the Hawk had it in for him!! That would do it for me!!

A week after she returned home, she called to tell me that all they had left of the hens were feathers. The hens had joined their rooster.

I teased her that they may have committed suicide due to the loss of their true love!!

Another Romeo and Juliet(s) story!!

Then There Were None

by Eugenia S. Hunt

The barnyard, a frenzy,

That fine spring day,

As Rooster and hens

Joined in their play.

Little they knew,

As weeks progressed,

Upon Hawk’s table

They’d soon be dressed.

First the Rooster

Was swooped on high,

A tasty morsel,

As he flew by.

This tough old bird

Gave rise to haste,

Yet, Hawk waited awhile

For another taste.

Soon the hens, too,

Were seen no more,

Never realizing what

Lay in store.

Or, did they really

Decide their doom,

Walking, unheeded,

Dazed in gloom.

The loss of love

Too much to bear.

They flirted with Hawk,

In their despair.

So, now, this day,

We find them not.

They’ve joined their Rooster,

His love ne’re forgot.

Comments

SidewalkPhilosopherJun 18, 2013

Thanks, Michey...glad you got a chuckle out of my silliness! LOL

MicheyJun 18, 2013

You have fantastic pictures... Ha! Ha! and put a smile on my face... lovely poetry, lens, and it is so true... so, LOL

SidewalkPhilosopherAug 10, 2011

That's amazing Mr. Kelley...you and my husband must be related...the photo of the money in the hat and glasses totally reminded me of Bill! LOL LOL You're too funny!

Mr. W. Thomas Kelley, Jr.Aug 10, 2011

Where did you get so many pictures of my family and me?

barbarabAug 10, 2011

SidewalkPhilosopherAug 10, 2011

Yes, my husband, Bill quit smoking in 2007...thank goodness...I am allergic to the smoke and stayed sick. So nice for both of us! :)

barbarabAug 9, 2011

no now Jim stopped the cigarettes! You said!! dont make nurse Kratchet come over there!! :)
you didnt know what it meant for real? cool! well that just means I MUST memorize the spelling :(

SidewalkPhilosopherAug 9, 2011

barbarabAug 9, 2011

I loved every poem and every picture!!
Wonderful to find another writer who loves to anthromorphalize our animal relations!! I bet I spelled that incorrectly oh well!

SidewalkPhilosopherAug 9, 2011

Oh, Jim loved it! He is the type who would have done it first had he thought of it...the party was fun!!

happynutritionistAug 9, 2011

SidewalkPhilosopherAug 8, 2011

Thank you both for sharing a laugh with me!

MicheyAug 8, 2011

WOW! Love the poetry, the presentation and the humor. The pictures are great and they really are part of the whole concept here.
Thanks for sharing

mivvyAug 8, 2011

Lovely photos. I always thought that when chimps laugh, or when we think they laugh, they are in fact nervous or afraid.