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A HubNugget Magic Lamp

Updated on February 21, 2019

A steal of a deal

Today had to be one of my best days on record! I was on my way to the clubhouse to help with the HubNugget nominations, when I spotted a small antique store sporting a large "Grand Opening" sign in the window. Being a collector, I absolutely had to stop for a quick peek.

The place was loaded with bric-a-brac, old furniture, books and collectibles of all kinds. After a quick browse through the shop, I noticed an old trunk stuffed in a corner, and being curious, I wandered over and lifted the lid. To my surprise and absolute pleasure, a treasure trove of old copper pots and pans lay crammed inside.

A quick check of the time showed that I could still afford to take a few more minutes, so I happily started unloading the trunk. I soon had the 'keepers' sorted from the rest and called the shop keeper over to tally up the damages. After a five minute haggle, I began to load the rejects back inside.

I was in a bit of a hurry, as I had now stretched my time margin by almost half an hour, and I wasn't as careful as I should have been. One of the pans slipped from my grasp and clattered to the bottom of the chest. I quickly grabbed for it to see if I had caused any damage, and instead, my hand grasped a felt bag. Obviously, I had overlooked something.

My curiosity piqued, I side-lined my 'damage control' and opened the bag. Inside, was an old and somewhat battered looking, brass oil lamp. The shop keeper, alerted by the clatter, appeared at my side. Seeing the lamp, she explained that she had been trying to sell it for years, but sadly, no one seemed interested, and offered to throw it in with the rest of the items I had picked out.

I readily agreed, thinking that it was cheap at half the price, and hurried out the door.

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Show and tell

I made it to the clubhouse in record time, having broken the land speed record in several places during my trip! (Not really, but I know I would have had several speeding tickets if there had been a cruiser around to see me!) Fortunately, the rest of the gang didn't mind my late arrival, and after I explained the reason for my tardiness, they were eager to see my treasures.

Not surprisingly, the one item that garnered the most amount of interest was the lamp.

RedElf said it reminded her of Alladin's lamp from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, and Patty Inglish immediately wanted to know if the lamp still worked. Maddie thought it was nice, but utterly filthy, so she scooped it up and headed for the kitchen to give it a good soaking.

The shriek that followed galvanized the rest of the team to action and we all rushed to see what the commotion was all about. Maddie stood in the middle of the room, holding the lamp, watching as pages of paper drifted slowly to the floor.

"You aren't going to believe this, but when I wiping some of the grime off the lamp, these papers shot out the spout!" Maddie explained.

Jason picked up some pages that had landed by his feet and scrutinized them. "Well, you certainly aren't going to believe this either!" He said. "These are the nominees for the Politics and Social Issues category!

Source

Which one of this week's Politics and Social Issues nominees is your favorite?

  • 38% Greeks, the financial crisis, and being ridiculed by the Europeans
  • 10% Which Polling Company has the Most Accurate Political Polls in the 2012 Presidential Election?
  • 28% The Bout of the Century: Republicans vs Democrats
  • 8% Nuclear Energy Beliefs
  • 10% American Politics For Beginners: Understanding The Process
  • 5% The American Government; our present position as a common collective of Americans
39 people have voted in this poll.

This poll is now closed to voting.

A real live genie?

Simone gently took the lamp from Maddie's grasp and examined it. She opened the lid and looked inside, flipped it over and scrutinized the bottom, even going as far as trying to peer down the spout! Finally she handed it to ladyjane saying, "It looks empty. I don't see any genie inside!"

"Oh come on!" ladyjane said, turning the lamp over in her hands. "You don't really believe those tales do you?"

"I don't know," ripplemaker murmured. "If Maddie says the lamp spit out the papers, I believe her! After all, look at all the adventures we have been through. Some of them were pretty fantastic to say the least, and we believed them. I say we should give it another try and see if the lamp does it a second time."

"Okay," Jason agreed. "Let me try."

Ladyjane handed him the lamp and Maddie gave him the dishtowel she used. Armed with the cloth, Jason scrubbed the side of the lamp while the rest of the team held their breath.

Nothing happened.

"I don't get it," Jason said. "If this is really a magic lamp, then why did it work for you and not for me?"

Ripplemaker gently took the lamp and cloth from Jason. "Maybe because it knows you don't really believe," she said. Closing her eyes, ripplemaker gently rubbed the lamp. Immediately, the lamp began spitting pages of paper into the air.

RedElf snatched at a floating page and scanned the sheet. "Holy cow! These are the Travel and Places Nominees!"

Source

Which one of this week's Travel & Places nominees is your favorite?

  • 3% 5000 year old Newgrange - The Mysteries of Ancient Ireland
  • 7% Chiswick House and Gardens
  • 3% Delaware : Small, But a Great Place to Grow Up!!
  • 36% Jeani's Top 5 ~ "Other" Things to do in Fredericksburg, VA
  • 34% Columbia River Gorge Oregon
  • 16% Muscle Cramps on the World’s Longest Zip Line
87 people have voted in this poll.

This poll is now closed to voting.

Alladin's Lamp

Seeing isn't always believing

Jason gaped in amazement. "That was unbelievable," he said, scratching his head. "Let me try one more time."

Ripplemaker handed him the lamp, and the team watched with bated breath. Jason rubbed and rubbed, polishing the little lamp, but still nothing happened. Finally he handed it to KoffeeKlatch Gals. "I give up," he said. "Obviously this thing has my number. Why don't you try it and see if it works."

One by one, the team took turns rubbing the lamp in the hopes that it would work again, but each attempt failed. The only person left to try it was me, and by the time the rest of the group was done, the lamp was spotless - there was nothing left to clean!

"Here Enelle, you try. It's your lamp after all. Maybe it will work for you," she said, handing over the lamp. It really looked beautiful. It had been transformed by all the rubbing and cleaning, from a dingy antique that looked like it had spent years in a barn, to a gleaming treasure, fit for any display case. Even if it didn't work, it was something that I would cherish for many years.

Closing my eyes, I gently rubbed the smooth, polished brass. Instantly, page after page of paper flew into the air and began fluttering to the floor. The rest of the team eagerly snatched at the paper to see if they were HubNugget nominees.

"Eureka!" Patty hollered, holding up a sheet of paper. "It's the Gender and Relationships category. The lamp worked!"


Source

Which one of this week's Gender and Relationships nominees is your favorite?

  • 16% Divorce: To Stay or To Go
  • 28% Five Annoying Facebook Friends (You have them all!)
  • 13% Ten Great Date Night (or Day) Ideas for Empty Nesters and All Couples
  • 22% What Does LGBTQ Mean?--Learning Your Alphabet Soup, and Moving Beyond Tolerance
  • 3% 3 Creative Ways to Ask Someone to any Dance!
  • 19% Sexual Communication and the Building of Intimacy in Relationships
32 people have voted in this poll.

This poll is now closed to voting.

A happy ending

"I just don't get it," Jason muttered as he slouched out of the kitchen.

"That's okay, Jason," Maddie said, linking her arm through his. "That's why we have such a great team. Not everyone has the same beliefs or outlooks, but the end results can be simply amazing!"

Simone grabbed Jason's other arm and giggled. "I don't understand it either Jason, but you have to admit, their stories and adventures are always entertaining!"

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