"The senator now says he won't rule out crossing the aisle"

A buffet "Thanksgiving Lite" for twelve -- similar to last year's Thanksgiving feast at Goomp's -- is planned for the next blogmeet of our sub rosa group this Saturday afternoon at Chelsea-by-the-Sea. In preparation, Tiny (above) supervises Tuck's careful dismantling and washing of the 68 removable parts of our Bavarian crystal chandelier. Cleaning protocol: Tuck goes up on a ladder to painstakingly remove each piece: 

Next, he dips each element into a shallow Pyrex dish of water and ammonia (left just beyond image below), brushing to clean off the grime of days. Then he dips individual pieces into a pan of water (bottom left) to rinse and lays them out to dry on kitchen towels.

We'd never observed the musical aspect of the process before, but Tuck has known about it for years. When you dip the tulip-shaped baubles (above center) into the water, they make a glub-glub sound, followed by a whistle as you lift them out. Echoes of Mozart's Adagio for Glass Harmonica -- click here to listen. Click on image below for Tuck's music making on YouTube:

Once the bloggers gather, there'll be more than a glistening chandelier to delight their eye and a groaning board to satisfy their palate. The main course will be lots of impassioned conversation about the topics du jour. The genius of our Founding Fathers, for example, in light of the disappointment of many -- ourselves included -- regarding the recent unpleasantness at the polls. Glenn Reynolds explains that "democracy serves some of the same interests that sex does":

My thought has been that elections play the same role for the body politic that sex plays for the body physical: Every so often, the voters throw the rascals out, and vote in a new set of rascals, meaning that the special interest groups, lobbying outfits, etc., that parasitize the body politic have to adapt to a shifting target . . .

Even though Democrats ran against the "culture of corruption" in Washington -- don't hold your breath. Still, politicians respond to pressure. So if there's sufficient attention to the issue, who knows?

If not, I think that we may see a renewal of pressure, a la Ross Perot, for a third party. And it's possible that technology and the Internet will facilitate the growth of third parties in ways that weren't previously possible. Perhaps having a third party in the mix will enable us to mix things up more. 

As blind paleontologist Geerat Vermeij wrote, "Everyone is affected mostly by their enemies." Joey Lieberman's third-party campaign -- "The senator now says he won't rule out crossing the aisle and joining the Republican party" -- comes to mind. It's Darwinian, my dear Watson.

Comments

[goomp]

Beauty in unexpected places. The sound fantastic.

[Teresa]

LOL - go Tuck! Now that was the last thing I expected to see tonight. Lovely sound though.

So maybe the Dems are getting to be a little too left leaning for Joe. Or maybe he's worried about what a Democrat led House and Senate will do in the war... interesting.

[Laura Lee Donoho]

That was so cool Sissy. I remember my late father-in-law standing on the ladder underneath their chandeliers, taking off the crystals and cleaning them. I never heard that sound before. Beautiful. Have you ever noticed the sound that sugar makes when it is spooned into hot tea? I like that sound too.

[Gayle Miller]

Maybe - just maybe - the thought of the "cut and run" crowd being totally in charge just soured his attitude toward his own (former) Party? Or maybe he's playing both ends against the middle. Either way - Joe's Fence is going to be interesting to watch!

Sissy - your description of Tuck cleaning the chandelier reminds me of my mother cleaning ours when I was a young girl. I always used to ask her if there wasn't an easier way and she'd always respond: "There might be an EASIER way, but this is the RIGHT way to do the job." Ah, Irene - I do so miss you.

[Tom Bowler]

Well, well, well. What hath the fiery Markos wrought? It would appear he's put the biggest political bludgeon into the hands of Joe Lieberman. So much for punishing Joe. It would seem Madam Pelosi miscalculated as well, what with Murtha's bid for Majority Leader squashed like a cockroach.

[Gayle Miller]

What fortunate guests - not only stimulating and interesting human company - but the estimable Chelsea Greys as well!

Time with Tiny and Baby would be treasure enough for many, myself included!

But then you know I am a huge fan of theirs!