Gold

This is a Golden Post. Everything about it is Gold.

The atomic number of Gold is 79. If Gold had one less proton in its atom's nucleus, it would be Platinum. One more, it would be Mercury. For some reason, 79 protons in the nucleus makes it Gold.

As of yesterday, the value of Gold was a record $1,085 per ounce. That's partly the reason for this Gold Post. The other is how beautiful the Color of Gold is. Gold also find itself in many idioms. Here is a list of some of them:

Go for the Gold.
Golden Opportunity.
Good as Gold.
Goose that lays the Golden Egg.

Heart of Gold.
Pot of Gold.
Silence is Golden.
Sitting on a Gold Mine.

Streets are paved with Gold.

Strike Gold.

The Golden Rule.

Worth its weight in Gold.

Ping Ponging

Schools should start offering another sport: Ping Pong.

Along with all the other sports offered, all middle and upper schools should add Table Tennis for girls and boys, together. Each team would have three singles and two doubles teams. Each match would be two-out-of-three games, with one point awarded for each game won.

Unlike most of the other school sports which are quite injury-prone, being on a Table Tennis Team would provide high levels of competition with little chance of injury. Equipment costs are minimal. State champion teams could go on to national tournaments. Our top national teams could then go on to compete with the Chinese.

Evening Progression

We started out in the late afternoon with Kit's pumpkin on the left, Johnnny's pumpkin (with the monkey ears) on the right, and Baby Pumpkin in the middle, with just the planetarium dots.

As evening falls, the goblins and spooks start to come out.

The Trick-or-Treaters are now gone for another year. The candles burn on into the night.

Ping Pong

The future of Ping Pong is bright. Some call it Table Tennis. Ping Pong is just the Chinese name for the game. Once a backroom parlor game, Ping Pong is moving into the spotlight. In homes of the future, everyone will have a Ping Pong Table in their living room. If you're wondering what's going to be Hot in the Future, it's Ping Pong. Better find a Paddle that you like.

Hot Buttons

One of the perks of running for political office is that you get to make a campaign button. Some candidates choose to include a picture of themselves on their buttons. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. In no particular order, here are some pictorial buttons of political campaigns from yesteryear.

Full Moon

In case you're still awake, don't forget to step outside to take in the full moon. I saw it setting this morning, so I know it's out there. The moon is definitely something we'all take for granted.

Great Pumpkins

I was snapping a few pumpkin pictures out in front of a local grocer when an older fellow waiting to board the happy bus asked me why I was taking pumpkin pictures? I replied that I wanted to take pictures of something orange. That seemed simpler than explaining to him I would probably include these pumpkin pictures on my next blogspot post celebrating the onset of October.

These great pumpkins were just waiting to be photoed for free or purchased for $4 each. These colorful gourd-like squash are so versatile. Besides their carvability as Jacko Lanterns, they can be pureed into pie to host a dollop (or two) of whipped cream. The seeds are a popular autumn snack and pumpkin seed oil can be used in cooking.

Their size, color, and design make them a popular folklore vegetable. Cinderella made clever use of a pumpkin as a limousine. Linus believed the Great Pumpkin was capable of great things. Harry Potter and gang enjoyed drinking pumpkin juice at Hogwarts. Pumpkin Chucking has also become a fun (and funny) sport, making use of catapults and air cannons.

I personally like pumpkins to carve into yard greeters for Trick or Treaters. Perhaps once it gets a bit closer to Halloween, we might have to go back to that grocer and actually buy a great pumpkin instead of just standing there snapping pumpkin pictures.