It’s May 25th: Get Out Your Towel and Smell the Lilacs

~ Jenny

May 25th is Towel Day, a day we remind ourselves that, like the denizens of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, as long as we have our towels, we’re covered, albeit skimpily. And of course today is also the day to celebrate the Glorious Revolution of Discworld by wearing the lilac and agitating for “Truth, Justice, Freedom, Reasonably Priced Love, and a Hard-Boiled Egg!”, the basics of a strong society. It’s also a day we lift our a glass of spirits to Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, two writers who have lifted my spirits too many times to count.

Smell the lilacs, Argh People, in the memory of two greats, and the sure knowledge that we’re going to be okay because we have our towels. And each other.

18 thoughts on “It’s May 25th: Get Out Your Towel and Smell the Lilacs”

  1. Actually having fun watching my copy of “The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes” travel during the shutdown. I ordered her on May 6th and on the 11th she flew from La Vergne, TN up to CT; she’d started 1,047 miles from me and was now 57 miles away. Two days later she was just 37 miles away. This worked with the estimated arrival day of May 15th. I danced with joy in giddy anticipation.

    Alas, she, like many lone female travelers, was misunderstood and the next I heard was on May 18th when the report came that she was 61 miles away from my home; the same day she was carried further — now 74 miles away from her destination — and a note appeared, “Possible delay in delivery due to arrival at incorrect carrier facility.” The company through whom I ordered her announced that she was probably lost and offered to send either a refund or a replacement.

    But, what the heck, I’m buried in a remote hilltown in Massachusetts. If I have plenty of something at the moment, it’s time to watch whether this book will make it to me.

    “The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes” was 135 miles away from me on May 21st when the system last checked her wherabouts. As of May 22nd she was in transit again, bound who knows where. I just reread “Miss Buncle’s Book,” so I’m betting on Samarkand.

    1. That reminds me of a friend’s t-shirt that she ordered online and was being shipped from the US to Canada. It made a slight detour. To Germany. Right address label and it still wound up on another continent.

    2. Miss Bunkle will help keep you amused in a gentle and calm mood until mMiss Fortunes get to you. If you get a little stressed Miss Bunkle Married will help you gently.

    3. I love Miss Buncle’s Book. Pretty sure I have it on my shelves somewhere. I should hunt it down and reread!

    4. I read that there are fewer planes flying with airmail now so mail is slower – but I didn’t know about unexpected itineraries like your “The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes”. Maybe she got bumped from a flight?

  2. Goodness, I was swearing off the computer for a couple of days, and suddenly there are huge numbers of Argh posts! How exciting! It’s like finding your towel!

    Elizabeth, you made me laugh and laugh about your book travels. Please do let us know when it finally reaches you.

  3. We had a late frost about a week and a half ago, which effectively froze 99% of the lilacs around here, including the French lilac in my front yard and the entire lilac grove at Mrs. Aull’s Garden.

    Everyone who has lilacs, please sniff an extra time for me.

        1. Lilac tree bloomed two weeks ago. Sadly now blooms are dying. But, the peonies are about burst forth.

  4. My lilacs are still sticks who are maybe thinking about coming back to life so I’ll just have to carry my towel today.

  6. I have three ancient lilac thickets but the weather is usually cold and raining when they are blooming, so I don’t get to enjoy them much. This year spring was unusually warm and sunny and the lilacs were superb. I enjoyed the blooms and fragrance tremendously for such a long time. Alas, they are finished now, but the black locust trees are blooming and they smell astonishingly sweet for a tree covered in wicked inch long thorns. Flowers make everything better.

    Also I found a sign for our business that says “Maintain Social Distancing. Stay Four Dancing Penguins Apart” (with illustrations). I had to get it.

  8. Thanks for the reminder, time to pop in the DVD and enjoy hitchhiking around the galaxy again.

  9. Darn, I always forget this. I’m going to celebrate it a day late. I ordered myself a lilac brooch seeing as it’s autumn here and real lilac is a long way away. And I’ll reread Night Watch tonight (best book ever!)

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