Olympic Rings and Things - Empty Nest by Curt Swarm

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In honor of the Winter Olympics, I fashioned the Olympic Rings out of old wagon wheel rims, painted them the appropriate colors, and sat the sculpture out on the highway with my other sculptures.  Of course, I posted the image on Facebook.  It received a lot of “Likes,” however one comment was, “The Olympic Rings are a protected symbol.”  Ooops.  I hadn't thought of it (I should have).  A quick Google search confirmed that the Olympic Rings are indeed a protected symbol owned by the International Olympic Committee.  So I offered to donate my sculpture to Keira D'Amato, the 37-year old mother of two who recently broke the United States Marathon record for women.  She has her sights set on the 2024 Summer Olympics.  I thought she might like the sculpture in her front yard for motivation.  She lives in Virginia and I offered to deliver.  It would be a fun vacation for Ginnie and me.  We could take in the sights of D.C.  So far I haven't heard from Keira.  I'm contemplating a torch to go along with the rings. 

The Olympic Rings are made of five circles, one circle for each of the five continents.  There are five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.  I believe touch to be the greatest of all senses.  Our whole body, including internal organs and muscles are involved in touch.  When Stormy, my muse cat, is on my lap in the wee hours of the morning when I'm writing, I believe it to be one of the greatest feelings in the world.  I highly recommend a pet on your lap for the ultimate in relaxation and stimulation.

Being officially classified as in the age group of “the elderly,” Ginnie and I started taking a popular over-the-counter memory booster about six months ago.  I believe it's working.  I'm remembering things clear back in my childhood that I haven't thought of in years, i.e., my long-term memory has been boosted.  However, it was my short-term memory, like names of people, and “What was my purpose in crossing this room?” that I wanted help with.  Now what was I going to say?

If you think our U.S. Postal Service has problems, take a trip to the Middle East.  When Ginnie and I were in the Holy Land two years ago, I sent notes, daily, back to friends in the States.  Some of the friends are just now receiving the notes.  They text me pictures of them.  It's a gas reading what I wrote two years ago.  I marvel at how good my hand writing was.  No more complaints about our postal system.

This is football season and the NFL Playoffs are in full swing.  I can literally waste a whole day watching nothing but football.  Years ago, when I lived alone, I remember the television sort of blowing up and shutting itself off after a whole day of watching football.  Well, it happened again.  After the third game of football on a Sunday, the television just gave up and went on the blink.  It was like saying, “Enough already!” 

I'm going to catch heat for saying this: I equate COVID vaccination with our seat belt law.  We're required to wear seat belts, at least in Iowa.  You can still be killed or seriously injured in a car accident while wearing a seat belt.  It's just that your chances of survival are much better if you're wearing a seat belt.  Same with the COVID vaccination.  Your chances of surviving the virus are much better if you're vaccinated.  

“What is Cryptocurrency?”  I have no idea.  Headline: “New York City's Mayor Invests First Paycheck in Cryptocurrency.”  Forty years ago, we were asking, “What is Internet?” 

“The times they are a-changin',” Bob Dylan.      

Column, Curt Swarm, editorial, Empty Nest, Mt. Pleasant, opinion, Pen City Current, Rings, sculpture

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