Though you might think the photo shows some more of my extended family, this is a representation of Nuhlimkilaka, the Bringer of Confusion - an ancient Navajo forest spirit. The photo dates from 1914, apparently.
On a day when I learned, to my alarm, that British general practitioners have been receiving incentive payments for diagnosing cases of dementia, it is no comfort to find that old Nuhlimkilaka has been busy around here again.
I managed to knock a couple of little boxes off the top shelf of my study cupboard, and one of them is the tin which contains my Commands & Colors: Napoleonics battle dice and (cardboard) Victory Banner counters. Naturally it burst open on the way down, so I had to heave the entire contents of the lower section of the cupboard out, to find all the bits. I did a quick count to make sure I'd found everything; I had all 10 of the battle dice, but I don't know how many VB counters there should be without checking the rulebook. I counted them and found there were 2 more French banners than there were British ones, so had a good search around the corners of the cupboard - no more found. Counted them again, to check - this time there were 2 more British than French. Hmmm. I was counting them a third time when I remembered that they are printed on both sides, one side British, one side French.
I swear I heard faint laughter coming from the woods at the rear of the house.
There's laugh coming from me too!
ReplyDeleteI laughed long and loud myself - it's the best way to keep from thinking too carefully about it.
DeleteMaybe you could do a deal with your doctor and get some cash back?
ReplyDeleteIf I see the doctor coming down here I'm off to play with the spirits in the forest - he'll never find me there. Of course, I suspect a complicated conspiracy of some sort. How they managed to put the CCN tin on that shelf still escapes me, but they're clever - damn clever.
DeleteNow that is very, very funny. Even though I am capable of losing only moderately small items (such as my glasses) in plain sight, merely seconds after I've put them down.
ReplyDeleteMy speciality is going to look for something, finding it, then having to search for whatever it was I had in my hand when I started looking. It certainly helps to pass the day - if you organise it properly, this can be a full time job.
DeleteSpeaking of incentives, aren't we getting back to practices similar to paying fire-fighters per fire extinguished? Why don't politicians learn anything?
ReplyDeleteIt is scary. Best loony incentive scheme I ever came across was a large British company who made a highly-publicised move to improve their customer service reputation. One feature of this was a dedicated complaints department, who got a bonus for every incoming phone call that was logged to them. They quickly found that if they just put the phone down on an angry customer they could increase their income very nicely. Back to the drawing board.
DeleteThat's too funny, sir. I have spent minutes looking for things, only to find I've forgotten what I'm looking for, so distracted am I by all the mostly forgotten hobby things I discover along the way. Not sure if that's dementia or ADHD. The younger officers I serve with are convinced I suffer from both.
ReplyDeleteHi Michael - I recognise that scenario too. On the other hand, I have to remember that it has taken years of care to perfect my present state; getting older is not so bad, and - as my grannie used to say - it beats all hell out of the alternatives.
DeleteMade me chuckle!! I can just imagine the look on your face after the second count!
ReplyDeleteI think it was probably a look of bemused resignation...
DeleteThe forest spirit can hide my car-keys several times a day, but rearranging the Victory Banners seemed more ambitious.
I bet Niki-wiki-doodah there has my TV remote...
ReplyDeleteNo - no - don't make fun of The Bringer - now you're in real trouble. The only blessing is that you won't realise it.
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