Beautiful Dreamer

Nobody wants to read the small print in dreams.

Ann Landers
********************
I think every important dream, and maybe every dream is important, has a prologue and an epilogue.

Last night I dreamt I was living in an unfamiliar community in a city. There were buildings all around and one block up at the top of a hill was a church. I think it was an Episcopal church, but I'm not sure about that. Since I hadn't been in a church for many decades I decided to go inside. So I climbed the hill and went through the door. I was greeted briefly by someone at the door. I expected to find pews and an alter but instead it was a large room, empty except for a few tables and chairs spread around. A few people were sitting by themselves in some of the chairs. Others were standing in small groups talking. A couple of people looked at me with suspicion because I was a stranger. One person came up and welcomed me and then went back to her group. In the center of the room there was a small table with a chair next to it. I went and sat in the chair. In a moment the pastor came by. We had a short, amiable conversation about nothing I can remember. After a while I got up and left. The follow at the door said to come back again. I asked him when the services were. He referred me to a list on the door and I saw that I had been at one of the services listed. I woke up.

Simple analysis: I went to church, nothing happened so I left.

Fine print: I went out on a quest and out of curiosity entered a realm where I expected to find an answer and instead found things I didn't understand or appeared to be without understanding.

More fine print: Faced with the dilemma of my own strange existence I attempted to elevate my thinking to a level above my immediate objects of understanding and found open space in my mind with nothing but solitary bubbles of reality.

Finer print: After painful effort, I entered the existential universe of disconnected ideas with benignly indifferent authority, and still with unsatisfied curiosity trying to connect with the unconnected and unconnectable.

Still finer print: Returning to "fine print" I went looking for something to please me and left without pleasure.

Prologue: Whereas Thursday was a day of surprise and pleasure. Friday was a day of pain. I had to make a painful walk to the market. Then my jaw was acting up with pain that clouded everything I did. I remember sitting on my bed wishing there was a prayer that would heal the pain in my jaw, the illnesses of my wretched body and the thorny doubts in my mind. So I dreamt of going where the prayers are and finding nothing.

Epilogue: Today, Saturday, the pain in the jaw was less so I could think more clearly about things, and I wondered and thought about the times in my life when I was happy.

One of them was when I was hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It was a solitary journey through the tangled concepts of nature, following a trail of thought to surprises and discoveries.

Another happy time was with various theatre companies, specifically the Circle Rep Lab in New York City. Even though people were there to rehearse, perform and witness. to work, there was plenty of down time and during it we were entitled to discuss plays, events and ideas. It was a place of communication among people who were creative thinkers and doers. It was a place of friendship, humor and mutual respect. And so I had dreamt of a place where that was not happening to cause me to think about it.

Be aware of dreams. They walk among us.

DB - The Vagabond
********************
Weekend Contest

Alright, snce the answer to this weekend puzzle came popping up almost immediately I have a new one for Sunday. But first the results. The Grand Prize of a plastic White House bonnet (certified copy) goes to Salemslot9 of the Blogspot Tigers. Second place, close on her heels, comes Val, also of the Tigers.

Who are these first ladies?
(Match each of these ladies with the names of their gentlemen friends below.
Do as many as you can before you start to cheat.)

1. Ellen Axson
2. Edith Kermit Cardow
3. Nancy Davis
4. Julia Dent
5. Frances Folsom
6. Hannah Hoes
7. Elizabeth Kartright
8. Lucretia Rudolf
9. Margaret Mackall Smith
10. Claudia Taylor
======================
Grover Cleveland
James Garfield
Ulysses Grant
Lyndon Johnson
James Monroe
Ronald Reagan
Teddy Roosevelt
Zackary Taylor
Martin Van Buren
Woodrow Wilson

And the answer is:
1. Ellen Axson=Woodrow Wilson
2. Edith Kermit Cardow=Teddy Roosevelt
3. Nancy Davis=Ronald Reagan
4. Julia Dent=Ulysses Grant
5. Frances Folsom=Grover Cleveland
6. Hannah Hoes=Martin Van Buren
7. Elizabeth Kartright=James Monroe
8. Lucretia Rudolf=James Garfield
9. Margaret Mackall Smith=Zackary Taylor
10. Claudia Taylor=Lyndon Johnson

Now for today's nasty puzzle. It's a cryptogram. Lucky you.

1. AHSZUO
2. BZPPHUF
3. HAF SBO GHGHT
4. KLH
5. QW LAIOASLQA
6. SOUOTH
7. TZGOULQU
8. VLCZQU
9. YQAOT

Good luck.
DB
****************