Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for January 30, 2022

For someone who likes lamps as much as he does, Barry spends a lot of time in the dark.

HIs mother told him he was a dim bulb, and he’s been trying to prove her wrong ever since.

Free! Dumb! Freedumb! There’s a joke here someplace.

I need one of those whatchamacallits tucked in the seat of his pants. I unpacked a lamp and no shade or “thingy”. I don’t even know…..

If it has a light bulb, Barry has an idea of what to do with it.

“Shiny” and “Free” – How can you pass it up?

Sometimes, there’s nothing more expensive than something free. Kittens, for instance.

Someone once asked Barry if he “had a light.” He vowed then and there never to be caught short again.

As I said to Last Rose, those things Barry seems to collect… the wire thingies that keep the lampshade from sitting on the bulb, are called harps…

Barry is wearing a light bulb over his head… some would say to mimic having a bright idea, but I don’t think Barry’s ever had an idea even that bright.

He seems to be wearing the whole shebang like some sort of halo… maybe he mixed up the words “harp” and “halo”, and is somehow trying to look angelic…

Or maybe he’s just nuts.

As we say here on Ballard Street… nothing wrong with that.

What puzzled me was those checkered trousers.

Notice that both “legs” of the lamp harps are visible.

First I thought they were tucked into his pants… which must be transparent… or maybe that’s a strip of netting, and not his pants at all.

After only 10 minutes or so of half-asleep staring, I realised that the harps are only slipped over his white belt, and aren’t tucked inside anything.

Well, somebody has to stay awake and figure this stuff out.

He’s looking for a shady lady to enlighten him.

If it wasn’t free, would he take it on the lamp?

(¬_¬)

Given Barry’s love for light attachments this is truly a miraculous find.

How about Barry is just balmy!

Free stuff good stuff.

More and more lamps but the “idea light” never turns on. :)

Barry is lampophilic.

I wonder how Barry feels about yard sales as opposed to yard giveaways.

When Barry gets an idea, he simply pulls the chain to alert others of the momentous event.