God, in his divine providence, seemed to excel himself yesterday evening

[Joe Chi Minh]

with his quirky sense of humour, in the Cabot-Dulles-Marx household.

My wife and I regularly, if at different times, read or write a word, even a small combination of words, she in one of her crosswords, I, on the pooter, simultaneously with or a second before or after someone on the TV says it. Since nothing happens by chance in God's world, I put it down to God's sense of humour, and maybe even by way of encouragement. The other night, I wrote the word, "Liverpool", at exactly the same moment as someone said the word on the TV on a completely different topic. Since I can't imagine the last time I could have referred to Liverpool in writing, the odds against that occurring seemed large, to say the least, given the number of moments in each day, and laughing, I repeated to her a common bit of mickey-taking of mine to the effect that God was up to his tricks again, and what a nerdy sense of humour He had at times. But the best coinkydinky was to come today:

My wife read a headline in the evening paper, "Foxes torn to death by dogs" (in a city park, it transpired), adding, "Well, foxes do the same to chickens, don't they?"

Thinking I was being quite witty, since it's the fox's nature to do so, I replied, "Oh, yes, what goes round comes round"; then straight away clicking on "Quotes", in the form window for a horse in the Scottish Grand National, in the Racing Post, what should be the first words I read but, "The big wheel goes round doesn't it? We are just happy they are running well...", etc.

[rug]

1. Coinkydinky? (cool)

[Joe Chi Minh]

2. Yes, I thought so, too. Me being cool, though, must be a first of some kind.

But thank you!!!